Campaign Phone
646-247-7837
In my day job, I am an attorney who specializes in public policy, with an emphasis on infrastructure and government capacity, and I have served as an elected member of the St. Augustine Port, Waterway and Beach Commission for eight years, six as chair, working closely with the city, county, and other governmental units to solve problems in our local waterways. Having grown up in St. Augustine, I've witnessed firsthand the profound changes our community has endured over the last several decades. I believe this breadth of experience makes me uniquely qualified to serve on the city commission.
I see the two most pressing problems as affordability and mobility.
Affordability encompasses not only the burdens on current residents, who are paying more in taxes than ever and feeling like they're not getting value for that money, but also prospective residents who have been priced out of our town, often replaced by short term rentals, to the detriment of our neighborhoods.
Our mobility challenges are obvious to anyone who's tried to commute across St. Augustine during a festival or Nights of Lights are even just a pleasant spring day. We need a complete rethink of visitors' automobile access to downtown, one that pushes tourists' cars out while protecting residents' ability to get around their own city.
In addition to the above, I've also spent time working in affordable housing, which informs my approach to housing policy. As a former beach lifeguard in St. Johns County, I maintain a close connection to emergency services organizations and a well-informed focus on public safety.
The growth in our surrounding community, and the pressures it has put on our public infrastructure, have pushed St. Augustine to a tipping point. Do we want to be a beautiful, liveable city with a vibrant tourism industry, or do we want to be a hellish tourist trap that just happens to have residents living in it?
The population boom in St. Johns County has brought more residents and more traffic, but it's also brought more money and more muscle to deploy to improve public infrastructure in a way that reduces traffic impacts and improves the lives of citizens both inside and outside St. Augustine. Our affordability and livability problems aren't unique; other American cities and towns have faced these issues, and they've managed to make impactful, positive changes. It's time for the City and the County to work together to tackle these problems and raise the standard of living for everyone in our community. I look forward to spearheading this effort as a Commissioner.
Campaign Phone
9047705423
I bring more than 35 years of experience in communications, business development, technology, real estate, and community leadership. A Flagler College graduate with degrees in English and Communication, I began my career in media with Turner Broadcasting and Turner Classic Movies before moving into corporate event management, technology infrastructure, and data center operations. I later helped families navigate homeownership through the mortgage industry and now lead marketing for Land Title of America. Throughout my career, I have worked with business owners, residents, and community leaders, building consensus, solving problems, and managing growth—experience that prepares me to serve St. Augustine with thoughtful, responsible leadership
RESPONSIBLE GROWTH:
Growth should be guided by infrastructure, traffic, neighborhood impact, and long-term sustainability.
RESERVING OUR CITY'S CHARACTER:
At the same time, we must protect the historic identity and livability that makes St. Augustine unique.
These are my strengths:
- Communications and public engagement
- Business and economic development
- Technology and infrastructure
- Real estate and housing
- Financial and mortgage experience
- Consensus-building and problem-solving
- Longtime community involvement and stewardship
These align closely with what city commissioners actually do: balancing budgets, planning for growth, addressing infrastructure needs, communicating with residents, and making decisions that affect housing, business, and quality of life.
Northeast Florida's growth brings both opportunity and responsibility. Growth strengthens our economy, expands jobs, and broadens the tax base that supports essential services. But it also creates challenges, including traffic congestion, infrastructure demands, housing affordability, water resources, and pressure on the historic character that makes St. Augustine special. We cannot stop growth, but we can manage it responsibly. That means investing in infrastructure, encouraging thoughtful development, protecting our neighborhoods and natural resources, and ensuring residents—not special interests—remain at the center of every decision. Growth should enhance our quality of life, not diminish it.
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