KBB's Bryan Bobbitt files to run as Democrat for District 1 County Commission seat
The race to represent North Brevard on the County Commission got more competitive this week, after Keep Brevard Beautiful executive director Bryan Bobbitt filed to run as a Democrat for the District 1 seat Monday.
Bobbitt joins two other candidates who have already thrown their hats into the ring for the seat opening up in 2024. Dwight Seigler, a Mims community activist, and Robert Jordan, former Titusville City Council member, both filed in recent weeks to run as Republicans. Seigler has run and lost for the seat twice in the past, once as a Democrat and once as a Republican.
District 1 includes most of the northern end of Brevard County, including Port St. John, Titusville, Mims and Scottsmoor, as well as part of Cocoa.
"I'm a local and I've been tapped into all the issues here for a long time and I know the people. I'd be able to serve our community very well," Bobbitt said when reached by phone Monday. "All my years of service have led me to make this big jump to really serve this community."
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Running as a Democrat, Bobbitt faces an uphill climb if he hopes to win in the heavily Republican district, currently represented by Republican Rita Pritchett. Pritchett is not seeking re-election in 2024 due to term limits.
Bobbitt acknowledged the challenge but said it won't deter him."Local politics should not be a partisan issue. I'm down the middle," Bobbitt said."If it's something that's going to improve people's lives here, I'm going to support it. And if it's a bad policy, I won't. It doesn't matter which side of the political aisle it comes from," he added.
Keep Brevard Beautiful is a Cocoa-based nonprofit that works towards reducing litter and helping the environment on the Space Coast.The group regularly organizes trash cleanups along roadsides and on the county's beaches, conducts outreach programs in school and promotes educational material on issues such as invasive species, lagoon-friendly lawns and composting.
Bobbitt has been with KBB for nine years and has served as executive director for the past four. Along with his career with the non-profit, Bobbitt has been heavily involved in the civic life of North Brevard, serving as the past president of the Port Canaveral Propeller Club, on the executive board of the Titusville Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Titusville Environmental Commission and vice chairman of Titusville's Planning and Zoning Commission.
On his legislative priorities, Bobbitt said affordable housing and continuing to work toward the health of the Indian River Lagoon topped the list.
"We've really got to focus on our infrastructure. If we're going to continue to grow, we've got to do it smart," he said. "We've got to put in low-impact development and we have to make sure we're doing development the right way to protect any progress that's been made for the lagoon."
"We also have to address the low-income housing issues we have on the north end of the county. Housing is just not affordable," Bobbitt added.
"Whether it's attracting state money or finding the right developers for affordable housing, there are so many opportunities. We just have to focus so we can get it accomplished because it would mean all the world to some of these families."
Brevard County Commissioners serve four-year terms and make an annual salary of $60,272.98. County Commission races are staggered; Districts 2 and 4 held their races in 2022.
There are no announced candidates yet in County Commission Districts 3. Democrat Vinnie Taranto has announced plans to run for South Brevard's District 5 seat.
Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or [email protected]. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Bryan Bobbit running for District 1 Brevard County Commission seat
