Education
BA International Relations, MA Political Science American Politics
Professional Experience
I have worked in government relations, nonprofit fundraising and communications, currently I work in digital marketing with a focus on small businesses and nonprofits.
Public Service
I have served the community through volunteer leadership, Rotary, and I currently serve as the Chair of the Clearwater Community Resilience and Leisure Services Board
I am very apprehensive about eliminating property taxes without a clear replacement plan. Property taxes fund essential local services such as public safety, roads, parks, libraries, and stormwater infrastructure. If that revenue disappears, cities would face difficult service cuts or be forced to raise other taxes and fees.
I support exploring responsible property tax relief, especially for homeowners struggling with affordability, but any changes must be carefully studied and fiscally sustainable. Before eliminating a major source of local revenue, we need a detailed plan that protects taxpayers while ensuring communities can continue providing the services residents depend on every day.
Housing affordability is one of the biggest challenges facing Clearwater. We need housing options for teachers, first responders, healthcare workers, young professionals, and seniors who want to remain in our community.
I support encouraging workforce and affordable housing through smart planning, public-private partnerships, and redevelopment opportunities where appropriate. We should also look for ways to streamline permitting and reduce unnecessary costs that drive up housing prices.
At the same time, we must balance growth with infrastructure, traffic, and neighborhood character. The goal should be creating more attainable housing options while protecting the quality of life that makes Clearwater a great place to live.
Clearwater stood out during Hurricanes Helene and Milton because the City was prepared, communicated effectively, and led recovery efforts when residents needed it most. We should build on that success by continuing to invest in stormwater infrastructure, flood mitigation projects, emergency preparedness, and resilient public facilities.
While Clearwater responded well, there is always room for improvement. The City should continue streamlining permitting, expanding online resources, and ensuring adequate staffing during disaster recovery periods. We should also work closely with state and federal partners to improve guidance and flexibility surrounding FEMA's 49/50% rule, which created significant challenges and confusion for homeowners.
Downtown Clearwater's biggest opportunity is the upcoming availability of county-owned properties. This is a once-in-a-generation chance to change the map of downtown Clearwater and create the vibrant, active destination residents have been asking for.
We cannot afford to miss this opportunity. Thoughtful redevelopment of these properties can help create a downtown that serves residents, attracts visitors, and strengthens Clearwater's future for decades to come.
Affordability is important, and I understand residents' concerns about rising electric costs. However, I am cautious about creating a public utility. Operating an electric utility is a complex undertaking, and Clearwater does not currently have experience in that area.
Before taking on that responsibility, we need a thorough analysis of the costs and risks.
My priority is ensuring affordable, dependable service while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.
Clearwater's two biggest challenges over the next five years are infrastructure and downtown redevelopment.
We must continue investing in stormwater, flooding mitigation, utilities, and other critical infrastructure to improve resiliency and support future growth.
We must also take advantage of the upcoming availability of county-owned properties downtown. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to attract investment, support local businesses, and create a vibrant downtown that serves residents and visitors year-round. We cannot afford to miss it.
Campaign Phone
727-248-0194
Education
Master of Arts in Journalism and Digital Design (USFSP); Bachelor of Science in Journalism (UF); Associate in Arts (SPC)
Professional Experience
Journalist for nearly 20 years covering news for publications including the Tampa Bay Times, the Associated Press, Reuters and The Washington Post.
Public Service
Chairman, City of Clearwater Environmental Advisory Board (2016-2025); President, Clearwater Neighborhoods Coalition (2025-Present); President, Spring Branch Neighborhood Association (2018-Present); Vice President, Keep Pinellas Beautioful (2020-Present); Puppy Raiser, Southeastern Guide Dogs (now Dogs, Inc.)
Residents need relief. We need to make Clearwater more affordable, but we can’t sacrifice the services we have come to expect.
Public safety, parks and rec centers, libraries and solid waste would all be impacted. As city leadership, we need to look for ways to reduce fees and other costs to residents. We also cannot become beholden to Tallahassee to fund our services.
That legislation still must pass another hurdle, approval by 60% of voters. If approved, this will lead to millions of dollars in shortfall the first year and more moving forward.
It would take an act of the Legislature, but a portion of the Tourist Development Tax could reduce the impact on essential services and other aspects of our city we value.
The city should continue investing in and incentivizing partnerships with nonprofit housing organizations that have a proven track record of delivering quality affordable and workforce housing, such as the Clearwater Gardens development.
Teachers, healthcare workers, first responders, hospitality employees, and young professionals should be able to live in the communities they serve. Making attainable housing available helps businesses recruit and retain employees, reduces traffic, strengthens neighborhoods, and ensures Clearwater remains a place where residents of all income levels can build a future.
I led the city’s Environmental Advisory Board for nearly a decade, advocating for policy, projects and initiatives to make our community more resilient.
We need to work with the county to make sure ditches, drains and swale are maintained. We need to look at our stormwater system for bottlenecks and opportunities to increase capacity. The city’s updated Adaptation Plan, is the action plan for the city’s Vulnerability Assessment and includes ways to make impacted areas more resilient.
The city should prioritize improving its Community Rating Score from a 5 to a 2. Improving this number means homeowners pay less for flood insurance. It also means the community has made a number of efforts to improve its resiliency.
Downtown Clearwater is at a pivotal moment. With Imagine Clearwater, Coachman Park, City Hall, substantial downtown development and the upcoming availability of 17 county-owned properties, we have tremendous opportunity to shape the future of our downtown.
We need to work collaboratively with residents, businesses, property owners, developers, and community organizations to ensure we're creating an active, walkable, vibrant downtown that serves the entire community. As these county properties become available, leadership must ensure we're getting the best projects and the best outcomes for Clearwater. We need to look at city-owned properties that can be packaged with the other parcels for larger possible development too.
Affordability has to be the driving factor in this conversation.
As Duke's franchise agreements come up for renewal across Pinellas County, Clearwater should work collaboratively with regional partners to evaluate all available options. We should be looking at costs, reliability, long-term infrastructure investment, and what approach delivers the best value.
Just as importantly, I want to see our utility providers being proactive rather than reactive. Every hurricane season we hear about outages and system vulnerabilities. Residents deserve that investments are being made year-round to harden infrastructure, improve resiliency, and reduce disruptions before storms occur, not simply responding after the fact.
The city faces numerous challenges in the coming years. Maintaining, upgrading and increasing capacity to our stormwater, wastewater, and other resiliency infrastructure is paramount. Residents don't always see these projects, but they are critical to public health, environmental protection, flood mitigation, and preparing Clearwater for future storms.
Increasing transparency for our community. Whether it’s the availability of 17 county owned properties and the future of downtown, or the 70-acres at the Landings, we need to ensure the public is part of the process when it concerns public property. Too often public comment is treated as a box to be checked rather than a part of the process to guide decision making.
