Lee County GOP Chairman Michael Thompson issues private threats over a request for comment

FORT MYERS, Fla. – An anonymous tip was sent to Florida’s Voice questioning if and why the chairman of the Lee County Republican Executive Committee, Michael Thompson, is using the REC headquarters as his personal real estate office.

Attached to the email was a screenshot of a Google search showing the same address as the REC being listed as Thompson’s real estate agency.

Florida’s Voice verified that this Google result listing is legitimate. The address is the same as the Lee County REC headquarters: 12995 S Cleveland Ave, Fort Myers, FL 33907.

Florida’s Voice reached out to Thompson for an explanation. Below are the questions News Director Anita Padilla sent him, left, and his response, right.

“We found that you are using the GOP headquarters in Lee County as your personal real estate location for your law firm,” Padilla said. “My question to you is whether that is accurate? And if it is accurate, is this a temporary situation, and did you get approval from the GOP?”

Shortly after Padilla reached out, Thompson replied brashly, highlighting his response to Padilla, calling her a “stupid a** son of a b****” and appearing to be threatening CEO Brendon Leslie if the story was published.

“I’m gonna give you a little advice,” Thompson said. “If you want to [write] a [stupid] fake news story about me on this topic […] good luck [because] I’m gonna come after you like white on rice.”

Thompson’s latest filing with Sunbiz was done April 6, 2023, and it has a Lehigh Acres address filed.

It is still unclear if Thompson is using REC resources for his private business, and his responses certainly leave more questions than answers.