You've Asked Questions ~ Here are my answers

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It's true, I do not have a political background. I do not have an "agenda". I do not have all the answers. I do however have the best interest for the people of Port St. Lucie at heart, because I am one of them. My questions go unanswered by the current leaders in office and instead of saying what I am trying to find out, I get an answer about traffic lights, infrastructure and agendas. I am worried about the people in our community. I am worried about the children who cannot safely walk down a street. I am worried about the young lady who is afraid to walk to her car alone when leaving the grocery store. 

If you want a political figure in office, I will be the first one to say that I am not the right candidate. BUT, if you want someone who cares about the people, cares about the future we are leaving for our kids, cares about our safety and making sure that leadership does everything in their power to do what the people are asking for, there simply is NO OTHER CHOICE.

One of my first orders of business and concerns is for the children and at-risk adults of the city. We have had over 40 missing person reports in the city since January 2025 and not one time was the community alerted by anything more than a social media post. Is this how we protect our citizens? I do not believe it is. 

Time is of the essence when someone is missing. If a family member has enough concern that they are calling the police for help there should be immediate action taken. I will push for PURPLE ALERTS to be sent to the community when someone is reported missing. This will be an alert within the first 15 minutes of a report being taken and a MISSING person will have the same regard, response and priority as someone who is KIDNAPPED. Time matters, kids and adults are in harms way and it is time that the community be informed to prevent tragedy like that a family faced because nothing beyond a social media post was put out to ask for the neighbors help. Maybe today those families would have their loved ones with them if we knew sooner. 

The Walton & One project will most likely move forward. I am disheartened that the public does not feel like they were heard or that it was perceived as Port Saint Lucies "Best Kept Secret". No decision of that magnitude should every be thought of as a secret. This construction is something that will affect neighborhoods, businesses and the future of our children.

I have concerns. I question the decision to reimburse a developer for a project that they will benefit from the profits. I am concerned for the impact that the project will have on the current Mid Florida Event Center. I am concerned with the comments that have been made by the public about their fears for future taxes, dishonest builders, open lawsuits and proof that similar projects by the developer being failures. 

I am most concerned that the leadership making the decisions are not listening to the public. I do not know if the project is right or wrong for the city. What I do know is that with the numerous questions that are being asked, if I were the mayor I would, at the very least put a pause on the final decision until questions were researched and answered to give the community peace of mind and an explanation to their numerous questions.

My employment background is in restaurant management. I have been in the restaurant industry for over 35 years. That type of industry takes LEADERSHIP. That is exactly why I am the right person to be the next mayor.

The office of mayor should not be one of agenda, it should be one of leadership. It is the responsibility of the mayor to look at all points of view and make an informed decision instead of what they think will make them look best for the city. I do not have politics to fall back on when elected, but I do have many years as a leader. Helping the people I work with and getting my hands dirty, being on the front line and dealing with concerns of the people I serve. Addressing the concerns and questions of the people I work for. I have built successful businesses and helped those businesses grow, and I will do the same for our city. I will commit myself to help our city grow with the least amount of cost and the highest potential available. 

1 - A faster response for missing people. I will work with local law enforcement and emergency management services to immediately inform the public of not only an abducted child, but one who has been reported missing. Each missing person will be a priority to me to ensure that we as a community do everything in our power to bring them home quickly and safely.

2 - A community voice. The concerns of the citizens served should be important. As mayor I will address questions asked to me, even if it is not the most popular answer. I know that the reality is I will not be able to make everyone happy, but I can make everyone heard. I can make a promise that I will look at all the concerns people have and that an informed discussion will be held with city council members before a final decision is made that affects the future of the city.

3 - Term limits for city elected officials - Our current city charter has no term limits currently. The lack of terms promotes dictatorship, not democracy, there should be no form of government that does not ensure a change to prevent an elected official to be removed after a set period of time. There is a reason that the President may not serve more than two terms of an office. The same should be for every office and I will start with my own. Terms bring a fresh idea and a new set of eyes to projects. It ensures that we do not have someone set in their ways who is pushing an agenda instead of looking at the effects that would be dealt with by a younger generation. It opens the door to opportunity and offers a better future for the city and the citizens we serve.

I am not against a project such as the stadium being brought to Port Saint Lucie. What I am concerned about is the way this has been handled. The community has voiced numerous concerns about the stadium that have still not been answered. Perhaps some of those answers are in the agreements that have been written, however, many people in the public may be unable to understand some of the contract language. 

For the Mayor to announce the project prior to a public hearing or even the first reading of the proposal is unacceptable. The announcement of a project implies that a deal has been and set into motion, which it was. Property was cordoned off and markings were made for the site before the public was fully aware of the project. 

Time will tell if this was a good deal or a bad one and unfortunately it is going to be up to a council and city leaders to deal with the aftermath of this once the current leadership is gone. There should never have been a CRA comprised of the same people who are seated on the city council. This prevents an actual vote on development because the same people a project should be presented to and who should vote on it are the same people presenting the project in the first place. 

I want to be clear that I am in favor of continued development for the good of the city. I am not however in favor of decisions for millions of dollars being spent or approved before the public has a voice about it. I am not in favor of bringing vendors, developers and operators from outside the city to take the lead on projects where revenue will not be returned to the city. I am not in favor of a developer being given TIF dollars on a project that does not bring an income into the city. 

I have concerns for the safety of the rest of the community, if God forbid a mass casualty incident happens on the site, which will pull all the resources we have to protect our citizens to one location leaving the rest of the community vulnerable to an emergency they may have. I believe this project is going to take away from the current event center activities the community has the opportunity to enjoy because of the conflicts between the events of the MFEC and the stadium. 

I do not believe that there has been enough thought or enough answers for the project prior to it being approved and I appealed to the City Council to postpone a vote until these concerns were addressed. Unfortunately, my request was ignored and the vote passed for the project to move forward.

Should I be fortunate enough to be mayor, the public will be heard and questions will be answered before major decisions are made and the same people presenting a project will NOT be the people voting for or against it.

The safety of our community needs to always be our number one priority. Inadequate walkways and poorly lit areas promote opportunity for injury and activities that do not protect our citizens.

I will work with our public works department to identify areas that are populated with those who would be most vulnerable to these safety concerns and develop a plan together that would provide the necessary infrastructure to ensure that a neighborhood can feel secure and comfortable. The best interest of the community needs to take precedence over everything.

Although there are specific areas of any city, ours included, the city needs to function as one UNITED city. There should not be extra taxes for one person because they choose to live in a particular district. Taxes should be calculated based on the value of the property, regardless of a district. 

If the city benefits from or has cost associated within the city, regardless of where it is, we should still be functioning as a city. There should be no variation in taxes or service charges because of a district. The calculations need to be the same in every district, based on property values, populations and development. If you choose to have your home remodeled and updated from what may have been built in the 60's, you pay your share of taxes based on the value of the property, regardless of what district or area you live in. 

In my opinion, taxes should be calculated based on a percentage of the value of property. Extra taxing districts should be dissolved. We are ONE CITY. The fact that taxes are calculated because of a "district" is ridiculous. Tax needs to be charged based on value not location. The services for the city need to be for the entire city, not just a particular area. 

Your foot is not more valuable than your hand or your neck, your body has ONE value because each part compliments the other and there is not one part more valuable than the other because of where it is. Though we have various parts of our body, each part works to compliment the other and make ONE BODY. The same should be for our city, each area should complement the next and we should be working as ONE CITY.

I have not reviewed any studies regarding trash collection at this time but will do so in order to give you a definitive answer. As a family of only two, we would be fine with a pick-up once a week, however for a larger family or a family with younger children that may not work. I will look into the amount of trash that is being picked up each day and see if I can find a better answer. 

This also depends on the direction we want the city to go in. Are we looking for a community of seniors and couples who are not generating enough waste to need more than one pick-up per week or are we moving to a direction where we are trying to make the city a place to raise families, which would require additional pick-up.

I do not know the plans for the former waste property at this time. This is something that would need to be reviewed with the city DPW to determine land quality and if there was opportunity for development and what the cost would be to utilize the property for something else. Once determined it is a discussion the city council would have to have to determine their recommendations for the best use of the property and then a discussion open to the public to provide those recommendations and get the feedback from the community so we were able to do what is best for the people who would be most affected. 

The economy is certainly uncertain throughout the country and that naturally affects our city. The city council would be required to work with the various city departments and determine what spending costs could be safely cut with the least amount of impact to the citizens and how we could take the money in those cuts and put it into opportunities to build revenue for the city to have a nest egg for emergent use. 

By having a form of "slush fund" from current expenses that may not be needed, this would help the community should there be an economic crisis to have as little impact on the public as possible because we would have emergency funds available to help sustain the city's needs for as long as possible. A fund redirection plan could also be established so should it be necessary funds could easily be transferred from one area to another in order to maintain necessities without the community feeling the impact.

Additionally, by continued, smart and planned development of properties, we have the opportunity to make Port Saint Lucie a desired location to raise a family, thus building an economy that sustains itself.

The only response I can give to this is my word. I know that I am not a politician. I guess that is what makes me different. I know that I will have many things to learn. I also know that my reason for running for this office is that I am tired of not having answers to my questions before the city council takes a vote on things that will affect me.

I can sit back and complain about it like most people do, or I can stand up and do something about it. I am standing up! I know that I am one vote on a council of 5, but I also know that I am the chairman of that council and until I am satisfied that the people of the community have been heard, their questions and comments have been sufficiently addressed and there has been a discussion by the council with the BEST options we can agree upon being the end result, I do not have to call for a resolution and a vote. 

I know that in accordance with the current city charter my actions may be limited, but I will have a voice and there are some things that I will have control of. I am making a commitment to the city people to use my voice in the best way I know how to make sure that we can find a unification to every situation and solution to the problems we face. My goal is to be a city for the citizens.

Why should you trust me above other politicians? Because I am NOT a politician. I do not have the bad habits of the people who have been in politics for years. I do not want control, I want unity. I want to know that when my time with my position is done, my voice is still important to the people I leave behind and that together we have made an agreement to do our very best.

We see the danger of personal / political agendas because of the length of time people spend in office. There is a reason the President of the United States only serves two terms, it is to prevent them from becoming a dictator or king. Why are other offices not held to the same standard? I feel that term limits can help this and I will be looking into changing the city charter to bring term limits to these offices so that we have the ability to move forward with new and fresh ideas instead of having the same people controlling the issues year after year, even though the majority have voiced their concerns.

I do not have an agenda, I have a vision for our future as a city, as a community. That is what you can count on to be different. I will answer your questions and address your concerns, even if there are times you may not like the result, there will be transparency.