Brevard lobbyist Jason Steele tapped to fill vacant County Commission seat
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday appointed lobbyist and former state legislator Jason Steele to the Brevard County Commission.
Steele will fill the vacant District 5 seat in south Brevard that was left by former Commissioner Kristine Zonka, who stepped down in March after being hired to lead the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County following the retirement of former health director Maria Stahl.
Steele, a Republican, is a lobbyist and director of government affairs for Smith & Associates law offices in Tallahassee and Melbourne, and served in the Florida House of Representatives between 1980 and 1982.
He is a former Brevard County Republican Party chairman and a former member of the Enterprise Florida and Space Florida boards. He lives in Melbourne.
His late brother, Val Steele, who died in 2020, was a longtime county commissioner, serving from 1970 to 1984.
In commenting on his appointment, Jason Steele told FLORIDA TODAY that “it will be difficult to fill former Commissioner Kristine Zonka’s shoes, but I will absolutely do my very best to safeguard Brevard County and ensure we are the best place to live in Florida, and live up to Kristine’s dedication."
Steele said he thought of his late brother after receiving the call, notifying him of his appointment, adding that "I will strive to serve in a way to protect the people of this great county, and dedicate my service to my brother's memory and legacy."
On his Facebook page Friday night, Steele wrote: "Tonight, I received the most wonderful call a man could receive from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office, appointing me to the Brevard County Commission. I am humbled and filled with tearful gratitude by the trust the governor has in me, and promise to work hard to keep Brevard County the best place to live in Florida."
Members of Brevard's political and business communities posted words of congratulations to Steele on social media late Friday, including Palm Bay Mayor Rob Medina, former Palm Bay City Councilman Tres Holton and Melbourne Main Street Executive Director Kim Agee.
"I want to congratulate my friend and former Representative Jason Steele on his appointment to fill the vacancy on the Brevard County Commission!" Florida Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, wrote in a Facebook post.
Steele said he appreciated the support he received from current and former elected officials in his bid to become a county commissioner, citing U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, former Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos, former Florida Speaker of House Steve Crisafulli, Florida Sen. Debbie Mayfield, and Florida Reps. Fine, Thad Altman and Tyler Sirois.
"I am very grateful for their trust in me," Steele said. "I am overwhelmed with tearful gratitude for their trusting and believing in me. I will assure you I will use my 50 years of business and political experience to make them proud and to best serve Brevard County."
Among the clients Steele has represented in his lobbying work are three Brevard municipalities ― Cape Canaveral, Indialantic and Satellite Beach. Steele said he would consult with the county attorney's office and the municipal attorneys in those three communities to determine how to handle that matter while he is serving as a county commissioner.
Steele said he would not seek election to the County Commission seat for a full four-year term in 2024. Current candidates for the seat in the 2024 election are Republican Thad Altman and Democrat Vinnie Taranto Jr.
District 5 includes portions of Indialantic, Melbourne, Melbourne Village, Palm Bay and West Melbourne, as well as parts of unincorporated South Brevard.
Eric Rogers is a watchdog reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Rogers at 321-242-3717 or [email protected].
Contact Berman at [email protected], on Twitter at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
More: Candidates lining up for appointment as District 5 county commissioner to fill vacancy
More: Brevard Commission vote finalizes Zonka's move to Health Department head
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard lobbyist Jason Steele appointed to vacant County Commission seat