I am a fifth-generation Jax Beach kid. My family’s roots in Jacksonville Beach (formerly Pablo Beach) go back to around 1907 when my great-great-grandmother, Mary Perkins, opened the Perkins Boarding House on the oceanfront. This business rented rooms and beach equipment to visitors who traveled to the beach via train from Jacksonville. Over the following 40+ years, the business evolved into the Perkins Hotel & Bath House. Both my dad and uncle grew up working at the bath house, lifeguarding, and working at Pee Wee’s Bar. My dad worked the icee machine, and my uncle flipped burgers, earning him the nickname “Wimpy” from the Popeye cartoon.

My first role serving Jacksonville Beach came in 2003 at the prompting of then-Mayor Bob Marsden and Councilman Fland Sharp. I was appointed to the Code Enforcement Board, which oversaw and ruled on code violations brought by our Code Enforcement Officers. After 2 years, I was selected to serve on the Planning Commission, which acts as our local planning agency and hears applications for development permits and amendments to the Comprehensive Plan. My 17 years on the Planning Commission, 8 as Chairman, gave me exposure to all aspects of our Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan, both of which are now being modified and modernized. My track record on the Commission was one of thoroughness, open-mindedness, being tough but fair, and striving to balance quality of life with smart economic development.

In 2023, I was appointed to the Board of Directors for the Volunteer Life Saving Corp, where I proudly serve this 112-year-old community institution. My father, uncle, grandmother, and grandfather were all members of the Corp, and its invaluable service to beachgoers continues today. I have one son, Tyson, and I attend the Church of Eleven22.