Local Celebrity Podcast - Jason Judge's Leap from Entrepreneurship to Local Politics

Have you ever wondered what it takes to transition from a successful business owner to a local politician? Join us as we explore the intriguing journey of Jason Judge, the brain behind JJ's Scream Printing and Embroidery, now aiming for the seat of Melbourne Beach Commissioner. Jason takes us through his thrilling journey of entrepreneurship, his collaborations with notable clients including the nonprofit Lovener Arms, and his venture into the exciting world of local politics. 

No journey is complete without a few hurdles and Jason's pursuit of the Beach Commissioner’s seat is no different. He opens up about the challenges, his undeterred spirit and why he decided to step into the political arena. On a lighter note, we venture into Jason's lifelong fascination with Disney, triggered by his father, and how it intertwines with his take on the impact of Covid-19 on Disney parks. If you're a Disney fan, you'd definitely want to hear Jason’s advice on maximizing your park visit experience.

We also get a glimpse of Jason's personal side as he muses about being a father, his favourite local restaurant, and his Christmas travel plans to New York City. His passion to make a difference in his community and his commitment to running for Melbourne Beach Commissioner is nothing short of inspiring. Whether you're interested in politics, business, Disney or just love hearing an engaging personal journey, this episode is for you.
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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to Local Celebrity. Hi, I'm your host, nico Lehman, and sitting next to me today is Jason Judge, owner of JJ's Scream Printing and Embroidery, and now he's running for Melbourne Beach. Commissioner, welcome Jason.

Speaker 2: 0:17

Thank you guys for having me. I really appreciate it.

Speaker 1: 0:20

The first thing I think we want to know is what inspired you to run, because you've been doing JJ's and you've got some of the most recognized clients under your belt. Can you name some of them?

Speaker 2: 0:33

Oh shoot, I've been lucky. So longdoggers catalyst, villain a bunch of the different restaurants and, honestly, the biggest and most meaningful one to me is to write Lovener Arms, which is a nonprofit that deals with mental illness and addiction. It happened to be someone that we grew up with that started it and I was lucky enough to get involved and I've been doing that for over 10 years now and it's really great. You print stuff. You know it's doing something for the world, it's doing something for the community and it does feel good. It's nice to have a shirt for longdoggers, it's nice to do stuff for these other guys, but this is something that transcends that. It helps people, it gets people out of a bad place and it gives them hope for the future, which to me was really meant a lot. So I've been very, very lucky with that. But every customer I have is I'm super lucky to have. They've stood by me for years and the business has grown and I'm in a pretty good place. I'm very, very appreciative of the community we have.

Speaker 1: 1:28

Yeah, how did you get into the screen printing business?

Speaker 2: 1:32

Honestly, it was dumb luck. My dad's buddy had owned it for years and years and years and we were sitting at the bar having a drink one day and I just jokingly said hey, if you ever want to sell it, give me a call. I was kind of in a weird place in my life where I was starting another business and it was kind of rocky with all the red tape, with the environmental stuff, and starting up a business from scratch is a lot of money, and we were doing it and it was slow going. And he called one day and he said were you serious? And I said, well, not really, but I'll take a look to see what's going on. So I walked in there and it was just fun, like you create every day and I'm not an artistic person and that's not really who I am, but it was cool to have hands on and to do stuff like that.

Speaker 2: 2:10

And so it started small I mean him and one of his partners After a year. So he said you know, this just isn't really what I want to do, because the business was in a re, in a growing period. And he said it's a lot of work and you're good at it, but I just don't know that I have the energy to do it. I have some other stuff I wanted to do. So he said buy me out, and that was in 2007. I took over the business on my own, which, at 27 years old, is a lot.

Speaker 1: 2:35

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 2:36

Or 26,. I guess, yeah, 26 I was. So I did it. I, you know, made a lot of mistakes but just kept at it and over, you know, all these years, I'm still here and I'm very, very lucky to be honest with you.

Speaker 1: 2:48

Yeah, what were you doing before that?

Speaker 2: 2:51

I was in college, me and my buddy had had a kind of a car dealership thing where we would go buy cars for people. They'd say, hey, listen, this is the car I want. And we go search out the auction, find it, buy it for them and then charge them our fee to do it. And we wanted to do a real car lot. We wanted to do one where we actually had a bunch of cars and it was a lot, it really was. So we were still doing that and just this popped up and I said, you know this, this seems like it could be my speed. And you know, I did it and it's been really fruitful for me and I'm again, I'm blessed.

Speaker 1: 3:23

Yeah, it ended up working out. So tell us how you transitioned over, like what were you doing to get you into politics?

Speaker 2: 3:32

Um, growing up in Melbourne Beach. I lived in unincorporated South Melbourne Beach since I was a baby and then bought a house and you know, everyone knows Founders Day that was always our favorite day of the year. All of us kids would come out. It'd be a high school reunion. It'd be the community getting devolved. And then when I got to finally move to Melbourne Beach, I really enjoyed it.

Speaker 2: 3:50

But it kind of started going downhill in the sense that it just didn't seem to have the same magic that it did. So my buddy, pat Savinsky, who's also a local guy who grew up with, was on the board with Eddie Strupp and who owns Ace Hardware, and they got me to jump on it with him and we slowly started building it back up and it got to a place where I thought it was really fun again. So that was my first foray into, I guess, small town politics. So I did that for a couple of years. Eddie stepped down and I stepped up as a chairman and kept doing it. And then COVID happened and things just kind of got weird and I stepped away. So I always knew I wanted to get back into it. I always wanted to run for commission because I felt like you could have a greater impact in our community, and now, recently some you know just the way the town's going I really felt like it was time for me to get involved, so I'm I'm taking my shot at it and see how it goes.

Speaker 1: 4:39

Yeah, and the terms are staggered, right so?

Speaker 2: 4:43

yeah, this is a off election year. The woman, the guy that was running that was mayor had stepped down and the person that's in the seat that I'm running for stepped up. So it's a challenge this year because it's not a typical election where everyone shows up to vote because there's really meaningful things on the ballot. I mean this is meaningful to me, but so getting people out to vote is a big deal. Getting the young people out to vote, you know, just getting people out to vote in general. So it's a bit more of a task this time.

Speaker 1: 5:11

Right. Tell us the day of the voting.

Speaker 2: 5:13

November 7th.

Speaker 1: 5:13

November 7th. All right, everybody, get out there and vote. You're running against Adam Myers.

Speaker 2: 5:20

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 5:21

What are some of the things that you guys like having common?

Speaker 2: 5:24

I think we want to keep the small town charm. We want to keep our town, Melbourne Beach. You know, Miami Beach is never an option, but we don't want to become Cocoa Beach. Nothing wrong with them, but it's that's a bit more, it's busier, and our town, to me, is like the last bastion of small town Florida, a small surf town that you can walk over the beach and you know everyone and it's, it's nice, it's beautiful and I love it and I don't want it to change in that type of way where it gets developed and people come in and see profit over people and that's you know, that's just not who we are.

Speaker 1: 5:56

Right. Are there any like differences between your campaigns?

Speaker 2: 6:02

I think we all kind of want the same stuff. I think he's a bit more of a budget hawk and I'm more appreciative of where we are budget wise. The town of Melbourne Beach has been working for the last 10 to 12 years on really fixing stuff up that had been neglected for years. You know our budget is small compared to the rest of this communities and our taxes are actually lower than anyone else on the beach, except for Cape Canaveral, who has the cruise ships and the port there to help them subsidize it. So the little bit of money we have, they've done a really good job.

Speaker 1: 6:32

Okay.

Speaker 2: 6:33

So the rule is that you're supposed to have three months worth of money in your coffers in case something goes south. We have six. Oh, that's wonderful. We've got an infrastructure plan that is really working on keeping our town up to par. You know, if you go drive through Melbourne Beach, it's more beautiful than it ever was before. They've done a good job at that, and I think that in this day and age, everyone is skeptical of government and what they do. I feel like we need to celebrate them a little bit more, because these people work hard. I mean, our town employees work very, very hard and they do a really good job and I think, instead of questioning them and wondering what they're doing which always has to happen but I think we should celebrate them, their efforts, and work with them and create a greater camaraderie between our citizens and the local government and the workers of the town. I mean, those are the people that are out there every single day sweating and bleeding for the town we live in, and I think that that really needs to happen.

Speaker 1: 7:28

Yeah, what are some of the changes that you would make or see like using all these funds that are available?

Speaker 2: 7:39

I honestly just continue with infrastructure plan. We have to be mindful because we live on the beach. So everything we have is impacting our ocean and our river, and I'm sure we all can agree that the river is not in the greatest place. So everything we can do to make that better and have less impact on it is what we need to do, which is fixing the storm waters and, you know, native plants, just anything you can do to keep the environment in your mind while you're doing stuff.

Speaker 1: 8:03

So you were talking about the youth and how their perspective is crucial. What kind of things and incentives you have in mind to get them pumped and energized about the town?

Speaker 2: 8:18

That's a hot button one in Melbour Beach because there's been a proposal for Escape Park and I had come up with this idea years ago with me and some friends that it would be neat because growing up here you know the trappings that happen in a small beach town you get bored and you get involved in some stuff that you shouldn't do and that goes downhill quickly and the amount of friends that me and you have had that have fallen to, that are either not here with us today or a shell of their former selves, is really sad and it hurts.

Speaker 1: 8:43

Yeah, if you guys didn't know, jason and I actually grew up together and I'm sure a lot of people that we grew up with are still kind of hovering around.

Speaker 2: 8:53

So to come up with things like Escape Park would have been great and unfortunately I don't know that we have a place in the town for it at the moment. My hope is that we continue looking down some avenues that we can have something like that for them. But you know, continue to make the park beautiful. You know anything we can do. I know they've got all the sports stuff down at Fluidi.

Speaker 1: 9:11

Yeah, it's a beautiful field. Talk about the impact that the parking meters have made.

Speaker 2: 9:19

It's been fantastic.

Speaker 1: 9:20

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:21

So it was kind of a weird thing. People were not real happy about it. But what you have to understand is we as a town are required to maintain these beach accesses in our park and people come in and it's fantastic. You know, other people from other communities should be able to enjoy this as well. But there are upkeep to it and there was tons of vandalism that went down. It was 30 or 40 thousand dollars a year, I believe it was a number.

Speaker 1: 9:44

Wow.

Speaker 2: 9:44

And they put in these parking meters for the beach and park and all of a sudden it went down to like 10 percent of that. It's a fraction of it and we've raised a ton of money for the town which is going to be used to beautify our park and, hopefully, other things that we need around town that we can push them on that money too. So it's had some unintended consequences that I think are fantastic and it's nice to have a little bit of extra money in our coffers to keep the things that we have beautiful and for other people to enjoy as well.

Speaker 1: 10:12

But yeah, it holds them accountable.

Speaker 2: 10:16

Yeah, you know you have some ownership in this thing, so it's, it's nice.

Speaker 1: 10:20

Right, so satellite beach has recently done the same, but a little bit different. Can you talk about that I?

Speaker 2: 10:26

think theirs was done in a little bit less of a humane way. I've seen, you know, people putting the claws on the tires like it's harsh. I don't you know. I don't know because I haven't really delved into what they're doing. I know for our residents we have stickers where we can park at our accesses and there's no cost to us. A little bit I've seen about what they're doing is that they're basically making most people pay something. Yeah, which is hard because taxes are difficult. Everything is expensive these days, so every other, every dollar you come out of your pocket is another dollar you can't spend on something that you need. And people feel that they have a right to go to the beaches and they do, and I can understand where it would upset people to have to pay for it, but nothing's free.

Speaker 1: 11:09

Right, so I'm sure you're talking to a lot of Melbourne Beach residents. What is their feedback? What are they talking about? What are they hoping for?

Speaker 2: 11:19

I hear a lot about transparency with the government. They feel like they don't see enough of it. I think I know from the top we definitely don't see it, but especially with the local stuff. So that's going to be a challenge to make sure that people feel included, that they feel heard. You know that we communicate with them on a consistent basis. All the information is there currently for anyone that wants to do it, but sometimes you got to make it a little bit easier for people to show them that. You know I'm pushing forward to make sure that you have all this information. I'm making it easier so that you can get to it. I'm not going to make you search for it. Here it is. Come enjoy it, Come do this with us. Let's do it together because it's the residence community, it's not the commission, it's not the town employees. It belongs to the residents.

Speaker 1: 12:01

Right.

Speaker 2: 12:01

So hopefully that they get out there and they take place in this stuff, because there's a place for everyone to have a voice and you've got to figure out how to get to it.

Speaker 1: 12:10

Are there any issues that are like polarizing right now for them?

Speaker 2: 12:16

Honestly, the skate park has been one and, like you know, that's like I said I was a fan of it, but not at the detriment of our town.

Speaker 1: 12:23

Right.

Speaker 2: 12:23

Not if it, you know it doesn't really fit at the park, so that's something we need to really consider. Other than that, it's there's tons of in fighting. It's a small town I'm sure everyone's ever seen it Like. There's, you know, yelling, screaming matches, and it's that's. That's not what we should be. We're all neighbors I mean, I'd all be friends but we're all people that have an opinion and everyone's opinion should be valued. And if you have a different one, I should just respect it and say hey, listen, that's yours, it's not mine, but we can. We can still shake hands and be friends, and I think, unfortunately, that's that's the thing in the past, and it's really a shame, because I've seen people who are best of friends now not be able to be in the same room with each other due to political stuff, and that's not what it's there for.

Speaker 1: 13:10

Yeah, well, let's lighten up and we want to go ahead and get to know you a little bit more. What do you do on your free time?

Speaker 2: 13:19

Um we're busy. I um. I was raised by a Disney dork. My dad is the biggest Disney fan you've ever met.

Speaker 1: 13:27

A dad oh my gosh.

Speaker 2: 13:29

He is so into it. I mean, he went and bought himself a camper just so he can go to Disney World, because he can get a campsite cheaper than he can get a hotel room. And he goes there for days at a time. I love it. I'll be there Friday.

Speaker 2: 13:43

Still Like oh, yeah, he's. Uh, today he's up in the panhandle. They took a trip in their camper a little bit further away than normal, but he was there two weeks ago. He was there a couple of weeks before that. We went, for I went for a week in the summer with him, which was interesting. We rented a camper and stayed there right next to him in the campground with my sister and her family and it's exhausting. Like I'm good at a day or two Disney a week I was. I went home early. I said I'm I'm done, I gotta go home.

Speaker 1: 14:10

Yeah, I tell you I haven't even like ventured over there because everything's changed, everything's digital now. I remember what a headache it kind of was um growing up and taking family that would come in Um, have you? Have you been with like the whole app thing and do you have it dialed down?

Speaker 2: 14:29

I did. I. I had Disney mastered, I was good I can get in that place and I was efficient and obsessive, compulsive. So I would want to like get everything I could out of it. And everyone, all the my kids and they were just like, come on, man, just relax, we can come back tomorrow. I said, no, let's get two more rides in and, honestly, we'll go to Disney by ourselves without the kids.

Speaker 1: 14:50

Oh, you do oh yeah, all the time. Huh.

Speaker 2: 14:53

I'm not lying when I say I really am a Disney dork. I love it.

Speaker 1: 14:56

Well, you called your dad a Disney dork.

Speaker 2: 14:58

But now I'm starting to realize he raised no, he raised when I am my father in so many ways and, uh, I get made fun of just because of how many things we share. Similarly, and you know, I hear it in my dad, I hear my dad's voice literally come out of me. I'm like, oh, dad, that was you.

Speaker 1: 15:13

So does Disney make a good date.

Speaker 2: 15:16

Yeah, it's the magic, most magical place on earth. Like, how could it?

Speaker 1: 15:18

not, I'm missing out.

Speaker 2: 15:20

And and honestly, the people watching is incredible. I mean you see I mean people from literally all walks of life and all over the world. So it's that's always curious.

Speaker 1: 15:28

Is it back, I mean in New York, like COVID, really like you stopped seeing tourists and you stopped seeing all these different people.

Speaker 2: 15:37

It's back. It's not what it used to be. You know they have some parameters that you have to follow now and some of the stuff that I really enjoyed like the past passes are gone. So they try to get more money out of you by getting quicker seats. But it's still. You know you make it work like anything else. It's if you like it enough. You find a way to find your joy in it, and I do.

Speaker 1: 15:57

Do you ever stay at the resorts or anything?

Speaker 2: 16:00

Yeah, I mean you can find pretty decent deals at hotels right around there, like this one in Dolphin is usually not terribly expensive and it's right next to Epcot, but their, their transportation system throughout all the parks is fantastic, so you could just get on a bus or a boat or whatever, or the monorail.

Speaker 1: 16:18

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2: 16:19

And just kind of cruise Cool. Your daughter's old enough now. You should take her.

Speaker 1: 16:22

I know I've really been just waiting and she doesn't ask for it a lot. I just have to take the plunge, and now that the weather's getting cooler, oh yeah. This season. So you have four girls or no?

Speaker 2: 16:39

I have two kids two kids we're a blended family and then she's got two kids. There's four of them, and you know what there's. They're getting older and they're still their Disney Dorks. They love it.

Speaker 1: 16:47

They love it too, they love it and it's great.

Speaker 2: 16:49

So it's not one of those things where you know as kids kind of age out of this stuff. I never did. I never aged out. I maintain my past all the way through college. I would go in college to go to Disney World because I love it. I don't, I don't know. I know it's silly, but it's something I'm really into and it's what's your favorite ride, oh? Or.

Speaker 1: 17:06

Thing to do right, because there's a bunch to do that.

Speaker 2: 17:09

I mean, as I've gotten older, things have changed, but right now they've got a ride Guardians of the Galaxy which is probably the greatest roller coaster I've ever been on. I screamed at the top of my lungs from the start to finish first time I went on it and I've been on it five times since and, like I hate to admit, I still scream the whole time. It's just great I it's a really good ride and Disney happens to capture the magic of everything they do and they do such a great job of it. So it's it's pretty neat.

Speaker 1: 17:34

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 17:35

I like apcot. Now I've gotten a little older and like just kind of cruising. You know they have all the foods and drinks and it's, it's nice and they and that's where Guardians of the Galaxy is. So it's kind of taking a whole extra step for me, because I really like that one now but I like all of them. I'm a Star Wars person, I love that, so Getting to see all that stuff is cool as well.

Speaker 1: 17:53

What's your like number one tip for someone like me who it's kind of afraid to go?

Speaker 2: 18:00

Just embrace it.

Speaker 1: 18:01

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 18:01

I mean, you wait around for stuff all day long, every single day, but none of it is as meaningful and fun as a ride to Disney World right. Just go, you know, enjoy it, don't you know? People say, oh, the rides are, the lines are so long and it's so crowded. Yeah, so is everything. Yeah, you know, everything you do is crowded, everything has got a line for it. But you just have to make sure it's worth it for you, and to me it always is. I love it.

Speaker 1: 18:22

So what is it like to raise four girls?

Speaker 2: 18:25

No two and two, two boys, two girls.

Speaker 1: 18:27

Oh, two boys and two girls. Excuse me, I, I mean the two girls are yours, though, right no?

Speaker 2: 18:34

I have a boy and a girl and she's got a boy and a girl.

Speaker 1: 18:36

Okay, so quite blended.

Speaker 2: 18:38

Yeah, so the boys are about the same age, they're six months apart, three months apart, and the girls are five years apart. But everyone gets along. It's nice. I mean, they, they have their moments, but they all have their own cool, unique relationships, which is kind of special to watch. So it's, I don't know. We do a good job, we have fun. We, you know we're busy, we're we're always busy. So like I think, sunday, friday, we're gonna go to Disney World, saturday, we have soccer and we're gonna be at a hotel, so we're gonna do some pool time there and then run home for soccer, and then Sunday I have to take the girls to Taylor Swift. Yeah, the movies, you know, they unfortunately only do it like Thursday through Sunday. So Sunday is like this, one day I have.

Speaker 2: 19:22

So I'm all geared up, go be a Swiftie with the girls and scream and sing.

Speaker 1: 19:27

Now your oldest daughter goes to Westgate.

Speaker 2: 19:30

West Shore West Shore.

Speaker 1: 19:31

I'm sorry.

Speaker 2: 19:33

She's been a year Hoover, like we did. Hoover was not different, but it's still very similar.

Speaker 2: 19:40

No it's just, you know kids are, you know it's as they get to that age, it's they're finding themselves. So it's it's a whole lot different than elementary school. But West Shore has been great. They, they almost have a Sports mentality to academics, where we're all working together towards this greater good of getting smarter and working harder in school. And it's, it really was. I mean, I wanted to go back to school when I sat there at the orientation meeting. They really just go above and beyond. And to be able to get into that school, which is top 40 in the country and like number four in the state, and I don't have to pay some Exorbitant fee to a private school, is, I mean, that we really lucked out there. So, yeah, it's a good school.

Speaker 1: 20:21

So my daughter is Still. She's a third grader, but I have a neighbor whose kid just started at Hoover. What, what is it like seeing your little baby daughter, who you know is Innocent, and then going through junior high?

Speaker 2: 20:41

The initial reaction I think everyone wants to say is it's going too fast and you know time stands still. But the reality is these kids are growing into a different human being and you can kind of see your impact on them. So you get to see who they're becoming and it's neat and you have conversations that you never had before.

Speaker 2: 20:58

You have real on meaningful conversations about life and who they are and what they think. And you know they have real opinions now and they're growing, so to me that's embracing. That, as opposed to Morning loss of their you know, being babies is that's a positive way to look at it and kind of how it is like I really just enjoy who they're growing up to be.

Speaker 1: 21:18

So it's. It's neat to watch, and we went to Hoover. It was a lot of chaos there. Have your, have your daughters, had to go through any of that?

Speaker 2: 21:27

Yeah, I mean, they've seen fights and vaping and you know it's, that happens at every school, it's. You know kids are Finding their way and rebelling against society and their parents and and going through you know all the hormones rushing through their body. So it's. I think they don't even know what they're doing. Half the time they just are impulsively reacting and it doesn't always turn out well right.

Speaker 1: 21:48

Well, how do you keep them in line?

Speaker 2: 21:51

I, you can't. I mean you try and teach them the right way and plead with them to do the right thing, but you know, at the end of the day it's it's on them and they take ownership. And I'm really. The kids are good, my kids are really good. I'm super, super lucky with that.

Speaker 1: 22:07

So the boys aren't soccer.

Speaker 2: 22:09

One soccer, one does flag football. Oh nice, yeah, so it's not as much sports as I guess. Maybe it felt like I did growing up, but they're still involved, so it keeps them active.

Speaker 1: 22:20

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 22:21

They do it with all their friends, so it's kind of like this camaraderie thing, which is really nice.

Speaker 1: 22:25

Yeah, yeah, all right. So when you're not dad, what are you doing? And when you're not at JJ's and you're not running?

Speaker 2: 22:34

I don't know. I mean we go out to dinner, go out to have a drink at night, go meet with friends.

Speaker 1: 22:40

What's your favorite restaurant around here?

Speaker 2: 22:43

I guess my favorite I mean honestly probably 302 and Mover Beach, just because it's so close to home and you go and I'm weirdo. I like to see the people I grew up with or see friends in the community and that to me is always nice. You walk in there and you see a bunch of people Say hi, shake hands, and we were just there last week and I think there was 10 friends of ours that happened to walk in all throughout the course of the dinner and it's nice. So you just it's a social gathering as much as it is a personal one.

Speaker 1: 23:14

Yeah, I know I really missed that when I was up in New York. And then coming back here, it's just you run into everybody at the grocery store, at a restaurant or wherever you're at.

Speaker 2: 23:25

It's nice sometimes, but sometimes you just want to check out and just go, do my thing and keep my head down. I mean, I don't always want to have to dress up and put on makeup, but I do just because I know I'm going to see someone, I know.

Speaker 1: 23:36

Right, tell me about your travels. I mean, you've been here in Melbourne for all your life. Basically, have you traveled outside of Florida?

Speaker 2: 23:46

Yeah, well, actually we just we were in New York last time, a little bit around this time last year. We're getting ready to go again with all the kids. And we're going for Christmas, which is super exciting to me. Yeah so last year we went middle of November and we saw the Rockefeller Tree go up, but we didn't see all the decorations. So this year we're going a little bit later and I'm going to see all of it. I mean New York City in Christmas time, is you know?

Speaker 1: 24:11

It's magical the way you describe Disney. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 24:15

We went last year and I think we did 40 miles and three days on our feet just charging up and down, and up and down, and we did as much as we could but I almost did nothing. We had all these grandiose plans we were going to do, but in the end there's so much to see and do.

Speaker 1: 24:31

I know I always tell people I know you want to do three things today, but you're probably only going to have the energy for one thing, and then you're just going to plop down wherever you are.

Speaker 2: 24:43

Yes, I'm pretty excited about that.

Speaker 1: 24:45

Do you have any ideas what you're going to do this time?

Speaker 2: 24:47

No, that's not up to me.

Speaker 1: 24:49

Oh, who's it up to the?

Speaker 2: 24:50

kids. I told them we're taking you guys, you have to give me an itinerary. We've told them the onus is on them to do some research and figure out where they want to go.

Speaker 1: 24:57

Have they done any of it?

Speaker 2: 24:58

Very little. I know Canal Street is a hot place that they want to go.

Speaker 1: 25:03

They want to knock off bag. There you go, although they're everywhere. You don't have to go to Canal anymore, but I do recommend going to Canal and weaving your way into some underground store.

Speaker 2: 25:17

Go get your feet rubbed we did all that stuff last time. So the kids, when we came home with what we had done, there were just like oh, you guys are the jerks, why don't we get to go? So this year we decided we're going to take them. So I'm pretty excited about that.

Speaker 1: 25:30

So this is my recommendation. I would go to Serendipity 2. It's in the east side. Put your name down. They'll probably quote you that. It'll take an hour or two, If it's more like two hours. Go to Dylan's Candy. It's right down the street from there. They'll have so much fun in there. And if they do quote you two hours, there's a pizza place right across from Dylan's. Stop in there and then finally go back and enjoy frozen hot chocolate.

Speaker 2: 26:02

OK, I'll take all that under advisement. I'll see if the kids have room in their itinerary for it. Yeah, yeah, we're going to do a Broadway show. We haven't picked out which one. Yet that's on them.

Speaker 1: 26:14

Yeah, there's some good ones out there. There's also some snoozers. I'm going back to.

Speaker 2: 26:18

Joe Shanghai because it was the best Chinese food I've ever had in my whole life. It was really. I mean, everyone talks about the food being so great in New York City and it's good, but the only thing that really knocked my socks off was that the Chinese food. The pizza's better at bizarros, I think.

Speaker 1: 26:35

I agree with you actually yeah. Yeah, I mean you can get a cheap slice, but there's nothing like bizarros.

Speaker 2: 26:43

Yeah. Yeah, it was. By and large, it was a great trip and I'm so excited to take them. I think they'll have a ton of fun.

Speaker 1: 26:50

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 26:51

And yeah so.

Speaker 1: 26:52

What about international travels?

Speaker 2: 26:55

I don't think I've been out of the country other than some cruises and a couple of all-inclusives. I did Costa Rica once when I was younger, but mostly it's here. I go to the Keys pretty often. My brother lives there so I go down there and he's got it all dialed in so we get to go out and fishing and do all the fun stuff and everyone loves Duval Street.

Speaker 1: 27:16

There we go. So you have a brother and a sister.

Speaker 2: 27:19

Yeah, my sister. Yeah, she lives in Palm Coast and he's kind of like an adopted brother, but I consider him my brother, of course. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 27:29

Brother from another mother.

Speaker 2: 27:30

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 27:31

Let's see. Is there anything that you want the listeners, or even the voters, to hear you say?

Speaker 2: 27:42

I just hope they give me a chance. Let me go and do what it is I do. I've lived here my whole life. My intentions are nothing but the best. From Elvin Beach. I'm going to be walking the streets of Elvin Beach for a long time to come. I'm going to hold my head high because I'm going to do the best for the town. I wouldn't do anything that wouldn't be for the betterment of our town. So I want them just to remember I'm a local guy. I'm doing this because I want to see something good for our community and I want to continue the good path that I believe we've been on. Nothing against anyone else, but this is my town. This is where I'm from.

Speaker 1: 28:18

Yeah, yeah, we have a dog in the race.

Speaker 2: 28:21

I've got quite a few dogs.

Speaker 1: 28:24

You do actually have two very cute dogs.

Speaker 2: 28:27

Cute's a subjective term for them. I find them to be the most adorable dogs in the world. They're two English Bulldogs, rosie and Pig. They're at work right now, waiting for me to come back. Wish me luck. As I walked out the door, actually, rosie snotted on my shirt, so I had to clean it off before I came. I was so mad at her, but she's too. You know, she's really hard to be mad at.

Speaker 1: 28:47

They're really cute. How old are they?

Speaker 2: 28:50

Pig is nine, rosie's six.

Speaker 1: 28:53

Okay, so you got one and then the other.

Speaker 2: 28:56

I had one before Daisy, and then we adopted Pig from a family that my aunt knew, and then I got a pig and named him Gator, which didn't turn out very well. Luckily he uh he got to move to the greatest place in town, which is Honest John's Fish Camp. So if you're ever down there, you'll see this 350 pound pig that used to live in my house.

Speaker 1: 29:22

Oh, my gosh.

Speaker 2: 29:23

We still call him and he comes running and snorting and he's I mean, he's the sweetest pig you've ever seen, for a 350 pound animal with tusks.

Speaker 1: 29:30

I hear pigs are really smart and almost dog like.

Speaker 2: 29:36

Yeah, he, I mean he was neat. Like every single night, at like seven, 30, he would come off the couch, run into my daughter's room and jump in her bed because he knew at eight o'clock she was going to sleep and he would lay in there and cuddle with her and I let him stay in there for a bit and I call him and say, come on Gator time to go to bed and he'd run up, jump off of her bed and run to his room where he slept at night. I mean it was the oddest thing, but it was a nightly occurrence.

Speaker 1: 30:01

How did you get a pig?

Speaker 2: 30:04

We went to the flea market and we went there to go see the petting zoo and it was closed. So we went to incredible pets to show the kids all the cool animals they had and, lo and behold, there was a pig cage.

Speaker 2: 30:15

as you were walking out the door and they were tiny and cute and the guy swore to me, swore to me that he had two of them sitting in his house right now. Showed me pictures 60 pounds, I promise 60 pounds, I promise that pig was 60 pounds in three months. He was 150 pounds in a year.

Speaker 1: 30:32

Oh my gosh.

Speaker 2: 30:32

And you know I don't want to give up on anything ever, but he got to a point where it wasn't really safe. He would knock the kids over and it wasn't in a malicious way, he just he needed to eat. So if there's food he was going to eat, and luckily those guys. I knew them from growing up because my dad is a commercial fisherman and he worked at Ivana's Johns for years and years and years. So I got knew them pretty well and I knew they had a pig down there but she was, I mean, a solid four or 500 pounds and she wasn't really fit for the public. So I asked him. He said I'd love to have her. He's like I've always wanted a pig that could be social. So if you're ever down there, you know people will hear about it. Everyone knows Gator.

Speaker 1: 31:09

Where's it at?

Speaker 2: 31:10

again On the Johns Fish Camp.

Speaker 1: 31:11

Where's that located?

Speaker 2: 31:12

South Melbourne Beach, about 10 miles south of town proper.

Speaker 1: 31:17

So it's not too far and you can just go see here.

Speaker 2: 31:20

And it's beautiful. It is old Florida, it's old trees with moss growing and it's I mean it's incredible. And you can rent kayaks. There's all kinds of neat stuff you could do there, Cool. It would be a good trip for you and the kid.

Speaker 1: 31:33

Yeah, there's so much of Florida, that or this town that has grown since we've grown up here that I'm just not aware. That has not grown, that has been there.

Speaker 2: 31:42

They've been there since the 1800s. They were G to the land for farming and the family that's there now has been there forever.

Speaker 1: 31:49

Wow. So, you have Josh.

Speaker 2: 31:52

I mean Josh, your husband 100%, have been there a hundred times.

Speaker 1: 31:55

Sure, yeah, I mean I'm glad you're here. Well, I'll put that on my list of things to do. Awesome, jason. Well, it's been really nice chatting with you. If you have any last words to say, Just to you guys.

Speaker 2: 32:11

I mean I truly appreciate you taking the time to do this and thinking of me for your first podcast. I'm kind of honored, not kind of I am. It really is nice of you.

Speaker 1: 32:20

Yes, I mean, once I saw your signs out and Jesse and I started talking about this, you know your name definitely came up because you know we're trying to highlight not only people in the community that are prominent and well known, but now you're stepping up your game and you're trying to make a difference, so I think that it was worth listening to.

Speaker 2: 32:43

Yeah, I hope it works out for me. And there's a lot of trappings with the small town government stuff and people keep asking me why are you doing this? Why are you putting yourself in this? And I said if I don't, who will?

Speaker 1: 32:54

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 32:55

Not that I don't trust anyone else, but I know I trust me and I trust myself to do the right thing by our town and hopefully they give me that opportunity.

Speaker 1: 33:03

I hope so too. Thank you so much for being here today.

Speaker 2: 33:07

Thanks guys.

Speaker 1: 33:08

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