Brian Hamman, who for more than a year had been both a Lee County Commissioner and president of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, resigned Monday from the chamber position.  

In resigning, Hamman said in a news release he needed to spend more time with his family and help see his father through a serious illness while continuing to serve in his role as an elected commissioner.  

Hamman’s departure may put to rest the controversy over his ability to serve both the citizens of Lee County and the business interests of the chamber.  

“This has been a difficult decision as I’ve valued the relationships that have been built with our members, our supportive board of directors and our hardworking chamber team,” Hamman said in the release. “Serving as president and CEO of the Chamber has been a blessing in my life, and I’m proud of all that we’ve accomplished in the past year. I know that the chamber will continue to thrive under the leadership of the board and staff during this transition.”  

Jay Johnson, chairman of the chamber’s board of directors and owner of Bubba’s Roadhouse and Saloon in Cape Coral, was on the chamber committee that hired Hamman. He said Hamman spoke with him Aug. 2 about stepping down but waited until Tuesday to make the announcement.  

“We agreed that was best for his family,” said Johnson, who will absorb Hamman’s duties during the search. “I don’t think you can fault anybody for putting family first.”  

Solomon & Hoover certified public accountant Michele Hoover, previous chairwoman of the chamber’s board and also on the committee that hired Hamman, said he did a stellar job in a short amount of time.  

“He basically regenerated the chamber,” Hoover said. “He brought a whole new energy to the chamber over the past year. We were very fortunate that he was there during Hurricane Ian. He was a good leader. We lost our building. We had to relocate two times. Family has to come first to him. I know this wasn’t easy for him.”  

Brian Hamman

During Hamman’s time at the chamber, almost all 800 chamber members felt the impacts of Hurricane Ian, which devastated the region last year.  

That devastation heightened Hamman’s responsibilities as a county commissioner as well. The dual roles also called into question the potential for Hamman having a conflict of interest by holding both jobs at once, according to a local watchdog group.  

Public records show that at least four times since accepting the chamber job July 25, 2022, Hamman did not recuse himself from voting as a commissioner in awarding chamber members money from taxpayer funding.  

At least twice, Hamman voted as a commissioner to award chamber member Sam Galloway Ford a combined $1 million for vehicles related to county business. Those votes occurred Aug. 16, 2022, and June 6.  

Hamman voted June 20 to give chamber member Chris-Tel Construction a $5.8 million contract to make improvements at the county composting facility. The construction company won a competitive bidding process approved by county staff.  

In a May 16 vote on county quarterly expenses, Hamman voted to give chamber members hundreds and sometimes tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars: Jason’s Deli ($570), Downtown House of Pizza ($403), Panther Printing ($4,031), Caloosa Tent & Rental ($19,811), Dolphin Transportation ($3,608) and The Banyan Hotel ($11,480) all received county funds for various expenses, public records show. The public records were researched by nonprofit Florida Center for Government Accountability.  

None of Hamman’s votes violated any laws or ethics guidelines, said Caroline Klancke, executive director of the Florida Ethics Institute.  

“You’re still two steps removed from potential scrutiny under the code of ethics,” Klancke said. “There’s no voting conflict.  

There’s still, for some, a desire to mitigate even the appearance of impropriety.”  

The problem isn’t paying businesses for services out of taxpayer funding, said Jan Sommer, a Fort Myers-based trustee for the Florida Center for Government Accountability. She said the problem is the conflict of interest that could arise from doing so. A county commissioner cannot be beholden to the interests of both citizens and businesses at the same time, because sometimes those interests can conflict, she said.  

“It’s not a technical ethics violation,” Sommer said, “but it still doesn’t seem right. It is a potential conflict. It’s just not a position he should be in.”  

Hamman’s chamber duties conflicting with his role as a commissioner were not an issue last year, Johnson said.  

“He was very conscience of the dual roles and making sure they do not cross,” Johnson said. “He left us in a better position than when he started.”  

Hamman makes about $96,000 a year from the commissioner job. He declared making $31,730 from the chamber job on his 2023 financial disclosure form. Prorated for a year, that amounts to about a $71,737 annual chamber salary.  

The timing of Hamman accepting the chamber job—just five weeks after the June 17, 2022, filing deadline for someone to run against Hamman for county commissioner in 2022—also wasn’t fair to voters, Sommer said.  

“Especially since he waited until after the last day to announce that he was taking that position,” Sommer said. “It just seems like he took away the voters’ ability to respond. Here, I don’t feel like the voters knew what they were getting.”  

While hurricane-related turmoil affected chamber members, high turnover among the chamber’s staff also took place.  

During Hamman’s one-year tenure at the chamber, three of the staff’s five employees resigned, a 60% turnover ratio. Former events manager Cameron Massey took the same role at nonprofit Captains For Clean Water, and former interim president Dianna Ryan also left the chamber for Captains For Clean Water. They declined to comment on their reasons for leaving.  

Former chamber events manager Amy Lewis, who replaced Massey, resigned after six months on the job. She left Fort Myers and could not be reached for comment.  

Hamman resigned five days after declining an interview request from Gulfshore Business about his first year on the job.  

Fort Myers Brewing Co. Co-owner Jen Whyte has been tasked with spearheading a national search for Hamman’s replacement. The hiring process is expected to take five to six months.