FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Cecile Johnson-Stevens, Lee County Office of Equal Opportunity
              (239) 335-2302

FAIR HOUSING SEMINAR/BREAKFAST TO BE HELD APRIL 11, 2003

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 24, 2003) - The Lee County Office of Equal Opportunity (LCOEO), in conjunction with the City of Fort Myers -Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), will host a Fair Housing Month Seminar Breakfast on April 11, 2003 (Friday) in Fort Myers at the Royal Palm Yacht Club*, 2360 West First Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901. The seminar is from 8:00 A.M. to 12 Noon. (* Sponsored by RPYC Member Carolyn Veglia).

The seminar is titled SIMPLIFYING FAIR HOUSING ISSUES and will feature three prominent attorneys. The first, Michael Allen, is from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law in Washington D.C. He will cover "Fair Housing issues affecting people with disabilities". The second, Joseph E. Adams from the local law firm of Becker and Poliakoff, P.A. will cover " 55 + Communities - What it means and doesn't mean." And the third speaker Michael R. Whitt also from Becker and Poliakoff, P.A. will cover "Discussion on Reasonable Accommodations and Reasonable Modifications under the Fair Housing Act." There will be plenty of opportunity for an open discussion on current trends, regulatory procedures and other topics of mutual concern.

This seminar offers a great opportunity for realtors, landlords, lenders, apartment managers and consumers to gain knowledge and ask questions on two areas where our 2002 Fair Housing Survey showed the public's knowledge has been traditionally weak. These areas are Disability and Familial Status as protected classes. Recent news articles have highlighted the public's lack of awareness of the protections covered under the Fair Housing Act and the role the LCOEO can play in taking and investigating complaints. Our goal is to reduce housing discrimination through education and outreach.

This is a free seminar and is limited to 130 attendees. Registration is required. To make a reservation please call Cecile at Lee County Office of Equal Opportunity at (239) 335-2221 or download registration form at our website at http://lee-county.com/equalopp/

Copies of our survey results are available upon request. For more information please contact Cecile Johnson-Stevens at (239) 335-2221 or via email at cjohnson-stevens@leegov.com.

Lee County Office of Equal Opportunity
Fair Housing Outreach
Attn: Cecile Johnson-Stevens
P.O. Box 398, Ft. Myers FL 33902-0398
Phone: (239) 335-2302 / Fax: (239) 335-2262