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Hundreds Turn Out for Tickets to see President Obama

Hundreds of people braved the heat and humidity in Southwest Florida Wednesday, standing in line for hours for free tickets to hear President Obama speak in Fort Myers on Friday.

A line snaked around the block leading to President Obama’s campaign office in downtown Fort Myers where the ticket giveaway began at noon. One woman - leaving with one of the coveted tickets in hand - said she’d been there since 5 am. Another, Laneesh Joseph, a student at Florida Gulf Coast University, said she’d been there since about 10 a.m.

“I was a volunteer for the Obama campaign four years ago when I was a freshman and I also saw Joe Biden when he came to FGCU and also want to hear President Obama speak – it’s the chance of a lifetime” she said.

Michael Peel said he drove down from Sarasota for his chance to claim a ticket.

“I want to see the rock star president - he’s good - he’s my man,” said Peel.

No demonstrators opposed to the President’s policies were seen.

A total of 1500 tickets were distributed between the Fort Myers campaign office and two sites in Naples. President Obama speaks Friday morning sometime after 11 a.m. at the Harborside Event Center in downtown Fort Myers, the same place he spoke in 2009.

Valerie Alker hosts All Things Considered. She has been a Reporter/Producer and program host at WGCU since 1991. She reports on general news topics in Southwest Florida and has also produced documentaries for WGCU-TV’s former monthly environmental documentary programs In Focus on the Environment and Earth Edition. Valerie also helps supervise WGCU news interns and contributes to NPR programs.