ANNA MARIA – Dan Murphy will not seek re-election to another two-year term as the city’s mayor.
During the May 23 city commission meeting, Murphy announced he would not run again in the upcoming city elections.
“I’ve decided not to run in November. It’s been fun. Ten years,” Murphy said while trying to hold his emotions in check.
“This will give us all a chance to think about how we go forward,” Commission Chair Mark Short said in response to the announcement that surprised some sitting in the commission chambers.
“Ten years is pretty remarkable,” Short said. “I want to thank you on behalf of all of us in the city and the staff for everything you’ve done, but I know we’re going to have the opportunity to do that again.”
“I’ve got a few more months and I’m not a lame duck. It’s been an honor,” Murphy said.
While sitting in the mayor’s office after the meeting, Murphy said, “It’s been a pleasure and honor for both myself and the first lady (his wife, Barbara).”
As for what’s next, he said, “I think I might look at other avenues within the community to serve, as well as perhaps looking at some educational opportunities, perhaps at the college level, where I can share some of the knowledge I have about local government and dealing with Tallahassee (home of the Florida Legislature).”
When asked if he has any advice for those interested in being Anna Maria’s next mayor, he said, “I could spend hours and days giving advice about how to do this, but I guess I would just suggest that if you’re going to run, be prepared for a tough job, a full-time job. This is not for amateurs.
“You need to be prepared to pretty much give up your personal life and treat this like a full-time job. It’s not for show and it’s not for glory. There’s certainly not much glory but there’s a great deal of reward. It’s a rewarding job. You can accomplish things that you could never accomplish in a private sector and you can really have an impact on your community – a good impact or a bad impact, the exposure’s there for both,” Murphy said.
Murphy’s leaving office at a time when Anna Maria faces the potential forced consolidation or dissolution of the three Anna Maria Island cities and city governments.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
During his time in office, Murphy guided the city through the adoption of the city’s first vacation rental ordinance in 2015. He led the city’s response to Hurricane Irma in 2017 and the lengthy process of replacing the hurricane-damaged pier. He then guided the city commission through the controversial selection of the two tenants that occupy the city-owned pier, The City Pier Grill and the Mote Marine Science, Education and Outreach Center. Murphy led the city’s preparation and response to several other storms and flooding events and also guided the city through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Murphy formulated the plan that transformed an underutilized city-owned property into City Pier Park and it was his idea to install the shade sail structure under which the seasonal farmers market and annual Memorial Day and Veterans Day events he suggested take place.
For the past several years, Murphy played a key role locally and statewide in thwarting the Florida Legislature’s annual efforts to preempt vacation rental regulations to the state and strip local governments of that regulatory authority.
Before his final term expires, Murphy hopes to make some significant headway with the Reimagining Pine Avenue project that’s proved more challenging than originally expected.
WHO’S NEXT?
The mayor is paid approximately $19,500 per year during a two-year term. City commissioners are paid $400 a month.
Anna Maria’s two-week candidate qualifying period for those seeking to serve as mayor or fill one of two city commission seats begins on Monday, June 3 at noon and ends on Friday, June 15 at noon. The qualifying period is preceded by a state-mandated prequalifying period that begins on Monday, May 27.
According to City Clerk LeAnne Addy, qualifying papers will be accepted during the pre-qualifying period but Anna Maria candidates will not be considered qualified until the city’s qualifying period opens on June 3.
Mayoral and city commission candidates are now required to file a Form 6 disclosure form that lists the candidate’s net worth, income sources, debts and tangible assets. Mayors and commissioners are also now required to file additional annual Form 6 disclosure forms while in office.
