Two Young Men Accuse Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson of Sexual Misconduct as Calls for Investigation Grow

Two Young Men Accuse Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson of Sexual Misconduct; Mayor Denies Allegations

FORT MYERS — Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson is facing public accusations of sexual misconduct from two young men who confronted him during a City Council meeting, with one alleging Anderson propositioned him for sex and drugged him after they met for drinks in 2024 and another accusing the mayor of sexually harassing and soliciting him at a city event this summer.

Kagan Vann, 23, and Dominic Hendricks, an 18 year old Florida Gulf Coast University student, addressed Anderson directly during public comment at the Sept. 21 City Council meeting. Several other speakers joined them in calling for Anderson’s resignation and a renewed independent investigation into the allegations. Anderson denied the accusations, calling them false and saying exchanges involving the men had been taken out of context to create a false narrative.

The accusations remain allegations and have not resulted in criminal charges against Anderson. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement previously reviewed the matter involving Vann after Fort Myers police referred it to the state agency to avoid an appearance of impropriety. WGCU reported that FDLE determined there was insufficient evidence for criminal charges, while Gulf Coast News separately reported that FDLE confirmed the inquiry is now closed.

Kagan Vann Accuses Mayor of Propositioning and Drugging Him

Vann told the council that his relationship with Anderson initially developed as a friendship and mentorship. A local actor who previously worked as a food runner at the Luminary Hotel, Vann said he trusted Anderson and appreciated the encouragement the mayor had given him regarding his acting career. He alleged that relationship changed dramatically during an encounter on Nov. 21, 2024, when the two met for drinks in downtown Fort Myers.

Standing before Anderson at the council meeting, Vann accused the mayor of propositioning him for sex and becoming persistent after he rejected the advance. Vann further alleged that he had been drugged during their night together, telling council members that his physical condition deteriorated rapidly after drinking and that he eventually collapsed at another downtown establishment, where emergency medical personnel responded.

The allegation that Vann was drugged has not been established by toxicology evidence. WGCU reported that Vann was transported to a hospital but said testing for substances commonly associated with drug facilitated assaults was not performed.

A Fort Myers Police Department report obtained by Gulf Coast News provides contemporaneous documentation that an incident involving Vann and Anderson was reported at the time. According to the station, Vann was taken to the hospital and told officers that Anderson had allegedly offered him money in exchange for sexual acts. The report does not establish that the allegation was true, but its existence is significant because it demonstrates that at least part of Vann’s account was reported in November 2024, rather than emerging for the first time nearly two years later during the City Council confrontation.

Other records provide additional context. Reporting by The News Press and Naples Daily News says body camera footage captured Vann telling officers that he had consumed two drinks and believed something was wrong, while an officer was recorded discussing the possibility that something else had been placed in his drink. Police also reviewed text messages between Vann and Anderson. According to the police report as described by the newspapers, an officer characterized those messages as consensual and non-criminal in nature and said they did not contain a discussion about exchanging money for sexual acts. That does not resolve what allegedly occurred during their in person encounter, but it is an important part of the existing evidentiary record.

The matter was ultimately referred outside the Fort Myers Police Department. Police Chief Jason Fields said the department sent it to FDLE to avoid the appearance of impropriety because the allegation involved the city’s mayor. WGCU reported that FDLE ultimately found insufficient evidence to support criminal charges.

FGCU Student Says Anderson Sexually Harassed Him at July 4 Event

Hendricks presented a separate allegation involving an encounter with Anderson during Fort Myers’ America 250 Fourth of July celebration this year. The 18 year old FGCU student, who developed an interest in local government and regularly attended City Council meetings, said he had established a friendly relationship with Anderson through his civic involvement before an interaction at the July 4 event allegedly became sexual and inappropriate.

“On the Fourth of July, Kevin Anderson sexually harassed me,” Hendricks told council members. He accused Anderson of attempting to solicit him for sex and asking personal questions involving sexual matters, telling the council that he had been uncomfortable and scared during the conversation.

Hendricks has provided a more detailed account of the encounter outside the council chamber. Reporting by The News Press and Naples Daily News says he alleged Anderson asked about his sexual experience, preferences and genitalia before asking whether he would engage in sexual activity with an older man. Hendricks said he became frightened enough that he began messaging friends asking them to come get him.

The newspaper reported reviewing messages Hendricks said he sent that night, including one in which he told friends the mayor was trying to coerce him into sleeping with him. Those contemporaneous messages do not independently establish what Anderson said, but they potentially provide evidence of Hendricks’ state of mind and account of the encounter at the time it allegedly occurred.

Hendricks also said he reported the incident to FGCU. Gulf Coast News reported that it requested the university record, while The News Press and Naples Daily News reported reviewing notes from FGCU’s Office of Institutional Ethics and Compliance dated July 7, three days after the alleged encounter. Those notes reportedly document Hendricks describing sexual questions he said Anderson asked him.

Anderson disputes Hendricks’ characterization of their interactions.

Allegations Predated the City Council Confrontation

Although the Sept. 21 council meeting brought the accusations directly before city government, the allegations did not originate that night. Investigative journalist Bob Norman previously reported on the accusations through SW Florida Lighthouse, and other Southwest Florida news organizations subsequently examined the allegations and underlying records before Vann and Hendricks appeared before the council.

That timeline is particularly relevant to Vann’s account because the November 2024 encounter generated a Fort Myers police response, hospital visit and eventual referral to FDLE. The existence of those records does not prove Vann’s allegations, but it establishes that concerns surrounding the encounter were documented long before the public confrontation at City Hall.

Hendricks’ account also includes contemporaneous material. He says he reported the July encounter to FGCU shortly afterward, and reporting indicates university ethics notes and text messages to friends document concerns he expressed near the time of the alleged incident. Those records likewise do not establish that Anderson committed misconduct, but they provide evidence that Hendricks was describing concerns before publicly confronting the mayor in September.

Anderson Calls Allegations False

Anderson responded after the public-comment period by rejecting the allegations and refusing calls to resign. “I just want to be clear that these allegations being made are completely false,” Anderson told the chamber. He said exchanges involving the men were being taken out of context and used to create a false narrative, while maintaining that he has made himself available to members of the public throughout his tenure, including people who disagree with or criticize him.

Anderson has offered additional context in interviews, saying his interactions with Vann and Hendricks were consistent with his longstanding practice of being accessible to residents seeking advice, guidance or assistance. Regarding Vann, Anderson said their conversation centered partly on Vann’s employment situation and need for money to repair his vehicle. Regarding Hendricks, Anderson said they discussed the city’s America 250 celebration and local government, noting that the student had regularly attended council meetings and spoken with city officials.

The meeting ended amid a tense atmosphere inside the chamber. Police officers escorted Anderson from the room after adjournment as attendees continued reacting to the accusations. Gulf Coast News reporter Evan Dean attempted to question Anderson as he left, but the mayor declined to elaborate beyond his statement.

The police escort should not be interpreted as evidence of criminal action against Anderson. Reporting from the meeting indicates officers escorted him from the chamber as tensions increased following the contentious public comment period.

Anderson appeared publicly again the following day at the groundbreaking for the new Fort Myers Police Department headquarters. When reporters again questioned him about the accusations, he reiterated that they were false and declined to discuss the matter further, saying he was there to celebrate the groundbreaking.

Previous State Inquiry Was Closed Without Charges

The status of the earlier law-enforcement inquiry is one of the most important distinctions surrounding the controversy. Gulf Coast News reported that FDLE confirmed it had received an inquiry concerning Anderson but said the matter is now closed. WGCU reported more specifically that FDLE determined there was insufficient evidence to support criminal charges.

That outcome does not establish that Vann fabricated his account, just as the existence of a police report does not establish that Anderson committed the conduct alleged. It means the earlier investigation did not produce sufficient evidence to support criminal charges.

Vann and supporters are now calling for another investigation, arguing that questions remain about how the original incident was handled and whether adequate investigative steps were taken following his hospitalization. Hendricks has also called for the investigation to be reopened and for the City Council to hold Anderson accountable. Any renewed criminal investigation would be a decision for the appropriate law-enforcement agency rather than a determination made through public comment or political pressure.

Two Separate Accusations Put Mayor Under Renewed Scrutiny

The Sept. 21 meeting transformed allegations already circulating through investigative reporting into a direct public confrontation between Fort Myers’ mayor and his accusers. Vann and Hendricks stood inside the city’s council chamber and addressed Anderson face to face, while other speakers demanded his resignation and a new investigation.

Their accounts involve two separate alleged encounters approximately 20 months apart. Vann alleges that Anderson propositioned him and that he became severely incapacitated after drinking with the mayor in November 2024. Hendricks alleges that Anderson sexually harassed and propositioned him during a public event on July 4, 2026. Anderson denies both men’s allegations and says his interactions with them have been mischaracterized.

The documentary record adds important context without resolving the central dispute. Vann’s encounter generated a police response, hospital visit, police report and outside law enforcement referral, but no criminal charges followed. Hendricks’ allegation concerns a separate encounter this year, with reporting indicating that he discussed his concerns with FGCU within days and communicated with friends during the alleged encounter. Anderson, meanwhile, remains mayor and has said he intends to continue performing his duties.

The allegations are serious, but the available evidence requires important distinctions. Neither the contemporaneous records nor the men’s public statements constitute a finding that Anderson committed sexual misconduct, while the absence of criminal charges does not independently resolve every factual dispute surrounding the encounters. What happens next will depend on whether additional evidence emerges, whether law enforcement revisits any aspect of the allegations and whether city officials pursue an independent review.

For now, Fort Myers is confronting two sharply conflicting accounts involving its sitting mayor: two young men say a powerful local official crossed sexual boundaries with them, while Anderson says the allegations are false and that otherwise legitimate interactions have been taken out of context.

Sources & Further Reading

Gulf Coast News — Two Men Accuse Fort Myers Mayor of Sexual Misconduct

Gulf Coast News — Police Report Reveals New Details as Mayor Denies Allegations

WGCU — Allegations Aired Against Fort Myers Mayor at City Council Meeting; Anderson Refutes Claims

City of Fort Myers — Sept. 21, 2026 City Council Meeting

The News-Press / Naples Daily News reporting on Anderson’s response and underlying records