Mayor's Message - January 2025

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were filled with laughter, good food and time with family and friends.

I know I’ve shared this story with some of you, but it’s worth repeating. I know many of us have different ways we approach a new year – making resolutions, committing to new routines among others. I love the way my wife makes her resolutions – she doesn’t make a list but as the year progresses, if she thinks something should have been a resolution, she writes it down and crosses it off! What a great way to feel like you’re making progress without the weight of an already written list mocking you all year.

 Whichever way you approach a new year is your call, but for me it is always a time of reflection, a review of new goals whether personal or city related, and a review of my guiding principles that are on the white board in my office. They have served me well so far so I think I will keep them –

• stay focused
• kindness rules
• servant leadership
• have fun

All good reminders of how to approach life in general and certainly as your mayor. I’m not saying I’ve mastered these, but they are front and center for me to see every day and a reminder of what’s important.

Some of my goals for our city this year:

• Keep good financial results by continuing to be good stewards and balancing our reserves with short- and long-term priorities
• Complete pending beach restoration projects at Breach Inlet (Army Corps of Engineers Beneficial Use Project where approximately 550,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed between 2^nd and 10^th Avenue) and in Wild Dunes (shoal management project to accelerate the shoal attachment process and address erosional areas on the north end)
• Replace recreation center playground with new inclusive equipment for kids of all ages to enjoy
• Complete beach access path boardwalks at 46^th, 52^nd 26A and 36A to improve public access to the beach.
• Complete Phase 4 drainage at Palm Blvd between 38^th and 41^st Avenue to improve stormwater runoff in this area.
• Complete 21^st Avenue sidewalk project to improve walkability in the area
• Start construction on the Waterway Blvd Multi Use Path Elevation Project which will improve the bike path along Waterway Blvd. and provide drainage and tidal surge protection between 21^st and 41^st
• Present a recommendation to Council to add federal lobbyists in addition to our state lobbyists. We have had great success in the past few years at the state level securing funding for certain projects and this would expand these efforts and success at the federal level.
• Get the Youth Council started. It is vitally important that our youth are vested with the knowledge, skills and abilities to be the next generation of local leaders.  Youth councils serve as a vital link between young people and their communities, promote regular and active civic engagement to positively impact our community.

These are just some of the things I would like to see happen this year.  There are many other projects in the planning stages that we will continue to push forward on.

Here’s to a successful and healthy New Year!

Thank you for the opportunity to serve! See you around the island. Looking forward to the new year!

Phillip Pounds, Mayor IOP

843-252-5359

ppounds@iop.net