I grew-up in the Maryland suburbs east of Washington, D.C. It was just my mother and me, and when we went out for a fun afternoon we almost always went into historic downtown Annapolis. It’s here that I learned lessons about how our streets and buildings shape our lives—lessons that today I bring to a better future for Pensacola Beach.

The one elected seat at the Santa Rosa Island Authority is up for grabs.

Dr. Thomas Campanella is being challenged by Jeremy Johnson for the elected Santa Rosa Island Authority seat. Campanella, a retired dentist, has held the elected position since 2002.  Johnson, 39, is the sales director at Levin Rinke Realty.

The elected position on the Santa Rosa Island Authority was established in 1983, and is a two-year term. Candidates must be registered voters, and a resident and leaseholder on Santa Rosa Island for at least 6 months immediately prior to qualifying. The elected SRIA board member must remain a resident during the term of office. In addition, the candidate shall be in full compliance with his or her lease at the time of qualifying and shall remain so during the term of office.

There are 4,217 registered voters on Pensacola Beach. Primary Day is August 23 and the general election is November 8.