The Town of Fort Myers Beach Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force has honored Chris King with its distinguished Murphy Award for her contributions to the town as a faithful servant in keeping our beaches free of any and all debris, both harmful and just messy. Her daily pursuit of these objects began in earnest after Hurricane Ian, and she finds great joy in locating and removing these hidden “treasures,” while at the same time keeping our beaches safe for walkers and creatures.
After renting and visiting numerous times over 20 years, Chris and her husband John purchased their own home at Island’s End on Fort Myers Beach in November of 2020, moving to the island full-time in April 2021. She continues to work full-time remotely.
Over the past couple of years, she believes she has moved hundreds of pounds of items ranging from siding to lengths of PVC pipe, furniture, pilings. garbage cans, carpeting and bedding. Our southernmost 1.5 miles of beach are now clean but for the random plastic bags, bottles, and other small debris she picks up daily, knowing they can be very harmful to birds and sea animals that attempt to swallow them.
Walking three plus miles a day and keeping the beach cleaner and safer are huge personal benefits to Chris. But in addition to this, her company rewards her cleanup activity with dollars she can contribute to FMB non-profits annually, and her steps for the first half of this year also provide dollars to the V Foundation for Cancer Research through another of her company’s programs.
Chris also chairs the Town’s Anchorage Advisory Committee, a group of dedicated individuals providing input to our Harbormaster and the Town Council relative to marine operations and the town’s navigable waterways, including the FMB Mooring Fields and town canals. She is a member of the Fort Myers Beach Woman’s Club, which also continually gives back to our community.
This very kind woman who truly cares for her surroundings and her community proves Chris to be an integral part of the environment of Fort Myers Beach and make the MERFT award, well deserved.