The Rotary Club of Fort Myers

Weekly Lunch Meeting - Mike Corso on AI & Drones
2026-02-24 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers, FL, 33907, United States
Join us! Our meeting will be Michael J. Corso of Henderson Franklin for an update on AI & Drones.
Michael concentrates his practice in tort and insurance litigation, with a particular focus on defending non-medical professionals such as lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers, and surveyors. His litigation practice also includes copyright and trademark infringement, product liability, and a variety of tort defense cases.
Beyond his practice, Michael is a respected voice in the legal community. He regularly publishes and speaks on emerging issues, with articles including “An Architect’s Guide to Using Drones” (AIA Trust) and “Florida Drone Laws: Overview” (Thomson Reuters Practical Law™). His presentations reach audiences nationwide, from bar associations and professional organizations to attorneys, accountants, architects, and engineers.

Weekly Lunch Meeting - Ben Spence - Lee Health Update
2026-03-03 12:00 - 13:00
Join us! Our meeting speaker will be Ben Spence, MHA, Chief Operating Officer at Lee Health.
Ben Spence serves as Lee Health’s Chief Operating Officer and is a senior executive team member. He joined Lee Health in 1995 and has served in many key roles during the course of his healthcare career. Ben is responsible for the oversight of the systemwide clinical and financial operations, facilities management, information technology services, supply chain management, analytics and revenue cycle management. Ben collaborates with the organization’s leaders, medical staff, employees, patients and community in a variety of activities dedicated to ensuring operational effectiveness and efficiencies, optimal health outcomes and experience of our patients, employees and providers.

Weekly Lunch Meeting - Richard Chazal, MD, MACC, Medical Director, Lee Heart Health Institute
2026-03-10 12:00 - 13:00
Join us! Our meeting speaker will be Richard Chazal, MD, MACC, Medical Director, Lee Heart Health Institute
Dr. Richard Chazal is a highly experienced invasive cardiologist at Lee Health’s Heart Institute. He specializes in adult cardiology, echocardiography, and diagnostic cardiology, with a strong focus on preventative cardiology and cardiology research. His expertise also includes coronary CT angiography and diagnostic catheterization, allowing for comprehensive heart health management. Dr. Chazal completed his medical education, internship, and residency at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He further refined his expertise through a fellowship at Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, and Echocardiography, ensuring the highest level of care for his patients. With a passion for research and advancing the field of cardiology, Dr. Chazal is dedicated to providing innovative, patient-centered care aimed at preventing and managing heart disease.

Weekly Lunch Meeting - Amira Fox with a State Attorney Update
2026-03-17 12:00 - 13:00
Join us! Our meeting speaker will be Amira Fox with a State Attorney Update
AMIRA FOX is the State Attorney for the 20th Judicial Circuit of Florida covering Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties. She graduated from American University in Washington D.C. in 1987 with degrees in International Studies and Economics and received her law degree from The George Washington University in 1990. Ms. Fox began her career as an Assistant State Attorney with the 20th Judicial Circuit in 1990. She worked in the misdemeanor, juvenile and felony divisions of the State Attorney’s Office before becoming head of the Hendry and Glades office in 1998. In 1999, she became the first female head of the Collier County office. She entered private practice in 2002, and formed her own practice in 2004, where she specialized in criminal defense and family law and was a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent-rated lawyer. She rejoined the State Attorney’s Office in 2012 as Chief of the Homicide and Economic Crime Units and in 2015 she became Chief Assistant State Attorney overseeing the day to day legal and administrative functions of the office, including the operation of grand juries throughout the circuit.

Weekly Lunch Meeting - Jennings Wright - Uganda Project
2026-03-26 12:00 - 13:00
Join us! Our meeting speaker will be Jennings Wright founder of Ten Eighteen Uganda
Note: This meeting is on Thursday due to a Broadway Palm scheduling conflict.

Weekly Lunch Meeting - Welcome Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka!
2026-03-31 12:00 - 13:00
Join us! Our meeting speaker will be our State Representative, Jenna Persons-Mulicka. After graduating from Fort Myers High School, Jenna attended Evangel University on a tennis scholarship, and studied law at the George Washington University Law School. Jenna returned to her beloved Southwest Florida after graduating from law school to build her career where she grew up, making her the sixth generation in her family to call Lee county “home. Representative Persons-Mulicka was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in November 2020 and is currently running for re-election.

Note: This meeting is on Thursday due to a Broadway Palm scheduling conflict.

Weekly Lunch Meeting
2026-04-28 12:00 - 13:00
Join Us for our Weekly Meeting!

Weekly Lunch Meeting - Lee County Property Appraiser, Matt Caldwell
2026-05-05 12:00 - 13:00
Matt Caldwell is a 7th generation Florida native whose family came to Micanopy in 1826. Matt was born in Gainesville but grew up in Lee County where he met his wife, Yvonne. They live there today, where Yvonne serves as an educator and they raise their daughter, Ava. After attending local schools in Lee County, Matt received his Associates Degree from Edison College and his Bachelor of Arts in History from Florida Gulf Coast University. While in college, he began his career as a real estate appraiser, ultimately joining the firm of Maxwell, Hendry, Simmons in 2004, where he remains of counsel. He has attained the
highest state certification in his field and is qualified as an expert witness in multiple states and federal court. In 2019, Matt became a partner at TM Strategic Consulting, focused on candidate and political consulting.
Prior to running for public office, Matt volunteered for appointment to various governmental committees regarding financial oversight, audits, Everglades restoration, land use and transportation, as well as the 2008 constitutional review of the Lee County
Charter. Matt was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2010-2018, serving on and chairing several committees including: tax policy, redistricting, insurance and banking, agriculture and natural resources/public lands, transportation and infrastructure, local, federal, and military affairs, and oversight of government operations, such as
pensions and elections. He is proud to have sponsored, and have the Governor sign into law, dozens of bills, including those related to agriculture, natural resources, public safety, cannabis reform, medical care, criminal justice reform, pensions, and term limits, among others. In 2020, Matt was elected to serve as the Lee County Property Appraiser.

Weekly Lunch Meeting - Tomb of the Unknown Soldier w/ Dr. Jerald Wallace
2026-05-12 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Jerald L. Wallace

Jerald Wallace is many things. He was a professor of business and entrepreneurship at Point University and Florida Gulf Coast University. Before that, he spent 35 years as a serial entrepreneur, successfully launching several companies in the booming South Florida construction industry and then selling them.
But all of those things happened largely because of the virtues learned from his parents and then as a paratrooper in the US Army. Jerry had the honor of being a Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, one of the most revered assignments in the service. During his time in the prestigious posting, he learned about the values and virtues of the heroes that surrounded him in Arlington Cemetery. That began his decades-long journey of living out these virtues in his life and a mission to share them with others.
Jerry has been married to Joanne for over 40 years. He is a proud father of two married daughters and a doting grandfather to two grandchildren. A man of deep faith, he loves family time, tennis, reading, writing, and flying.

Weekly Lunch Meeting - Cutting the Cord - New Ways to Stream
2026-05-26 12:00 - 13:00
Join us for a presentation from our own Bob Bevilles!

Weekly Lunch Meeting: City of Fort Myers Mayor, Kevin Anderson
2026-06-02 12:00 - 13:00
Kevin B. Anderson was sworn in as the 62nd Mayor of Fort Myers on November 16, 2020, after serving as Ward 4 councilperson for the previous two years. Mayor Anderson retired from Chico’s FAS, Inc. in June 2019 after 15 years. Prior to joining Chico’s, Anderson had a more than 24-year career with the Fort Myers Police Department, holding the rank of Major at retirement.
Mayor Anderson is a graduate of Edison Community College, Florida Gulf Coast University and the University of Louisville Southern Police Institute. An active community member with a long history of community involvement, Anderson has been a resident of Fort Myers since 1979, serving on numerous boards and coalitions in Southwest Florida. He also served three years in the United States Army.

Weekly Lunch Meeting- Childcare of Southwest Florida
2026-06-09 12:00 - 13:00
Chris Hanson, CEO
Child Care of Southwest Florida has been serving children, families, and child care professionals since 1967. Today, the nonprofit organization has over 130 employees serving 500+ children per year at ten different child care centers. In addition to providing the highest quality child care at these Gold Seal centers,
Chris Hansen grew up on the Orange River in Eastern Lee County, working at the family marina, Hansen Marine Ways, Inc., until completing training as a Paramedic at Edison Community College (now Florida Southwestern State College-FSW). Chris graduated with a degree in Emergency Medical Technology and went on to serve as an adjunct faculty in the EMT and Paramedic programs. In addition to teaching in the EMS Program for nearly three decades with EMS, Chris worked part-time in local hospital emergency rooms and blood bank and was a First Responder Instructor at the SWFL Police and Fire Academies. Since retirement from Lee County Government, Chris worked as Vice President of Operations for Priority Marketing and Director of Business Development for Park Royal Behavioral Health Services. He served on the Lee Health Board of Directors from 2011 through 2023. Chris became CEO of Child Care of SW Florida in May 2018 and currently lives in North Fort Myers with his wife Teri Hansen.

Weekly Lunch Meeting - An Insiders View of the FBI
2026-06-16 12:00 - 13:00
Our own Fred Anderson will give us the inside scope on how the FBI operates with an historical look back at his time at the FBI Southwest Florida office.

Weekly Lunch Meeting: Crime Stoppers - Patricia Routte
2026-06-23 12:00 - 13:00
Patricia Routte, Coordinator of the SWFL Crime Stoppers program will be our speaker. The program enables citizens to anonymously report individuals who are known or suspected of committing criminal acts in our community. Crime Stoppers cases are featured in the news, on television and radio announcements.
Presently, over 1,000 Crime Stopper programs operate worldwide. Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers Program, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) volunteer civilian organization. It is funded by tax-deductible donations from businesses, clubs, associations, and individuals. The success of this program depends upon the cooperative efforts of concerned citizens, the media, and law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime.

Weekly Lunch Meeting: Our New President, Joe Broughton, on the Rotary Year Ahead
2026-07-07 12:00 - 13:00
Join Us to hear from our new President, Joe Broughton, as he shares a look at the 2026-2027 Rotary year ahead!

Weekly Lunch Meeting: Serving the Community: A Day in the Life of a Local Judge
2026-07-14 12:00 - 13:00
Join Us to hear from Judge Amanda Levy-Reis.
Judge Amanda Levy Reis was appointed as a circuit judge for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court by Governor Ron DeSantis. Her public service on the bench began on April 21, 2025 assigned to the Unified Family Court Division in Collier County. Her docket also includes probate cases.
Prior to her appointment, Judge Levy Reis’s diverse legal career was marked by public service and love for her community. She spent more than a decade as a staff attorney for the United States District Court Middle District of Florida, Fort Myers Division. Thereafter, she practiced commercial civil litigation at a mid-size, local law firm, while also serving the Twentieth Judicial Circuit as a traffic court hearing officer in Lee and Hendry counties. Before her ascension to the bench, Judge Levy Reis’s immediate past role was a legal aid attorney at Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc. representing the underserved in family law cases and recruiting attorneys in private practice to assist legal aid clients in pro bono cases.
A native of Southwest Florida, Judge Levy Reis (f/k/a Amanda Lynn Janson) spent her childhood in Bonita Springs, Florida, attending Spring Creek Elementary School, Bonita Springs Middle School, and graduating at the top her class from Estero High School located in Estero, Florida. Thereafter, she attended Stetson University where she majored in Sociology graduating with honors from both Stetson University and Stetson College of Law. Prior to appointment, she served on the board of directors for the Lee County Chapter of Young Life, which is a worldwide Christian organization focused on spreading the gospel to youth.
When not on the bench, Judge Levy Reis is involved in her local church, school sporting events or theater performances, and walking her family’s two goldendoodles.

Weekly Lunch Meeting: Speaker TBD
2026-07-21 12:00 - 13:00

Weekly Lunch Meeting: Lutheran Services Youth Shelters - Kevin Stamper
2026-07-28 12:00 - 13:00
Join Us for our weekly meeting to hear about Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) Youth Shelters in Southwest Florida. LSF has an approximately 98% success rate of youth returning home to their families to rebuild their lives, following their stay at our shelters. LSF shelters are managed and run by staff trained to understand, work with, and advocate for teens in trouble. Youth often face challenging times that require guidance, that is why our team of Master’s-educated professionals and highly trained staff provide a full range of services for troubled youth, ages 10-17.
Our Speaker: Kevin Stamper, VP of Development
Kevin Stamper serves as Vice President of Development at Lutheran Services Florida, where he leads efforts across the state to connect donors and partners with the mission of serving one in 50 Floridians each year. With a background in communication, nonprofit leadership, and ministry, Kevin brings a unique blend of storytelling and strategy to inspire generosity and build lasting relationships. His passion is helping communities rally around the most vulnerable, ensuring resources reach those who need them most. Beyond his work at LSF, Kevin is a pastor, professor, and author, but his favorite role is husband to Marie and dad to Jane and Oliver.
