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Three Sebastian Inlet District Commissioners Elected

Three incumbent Sebastian Inlet District Commissioners were elected to a new four-year term, facing no opposition as of the Florida Division of Elections deadline on June 12, and will be officially sworn in this coming November following the general election.

Commissioner Jenny Lawton Seal will retain Seat 1, Brevard County.  Commissioner Beth L. Mitchell will retain Seat 2, Indian River County, and Commissioner Michael Rowland will retain Seat 3, Brevard County. 

Commissioners Lawton Seal and Mitchell were both elected to serve their first term in 2004 and will be entering their fifth consecutive term (2020-2024), making them the longest-serving women to ever hold office as a Commissioner for the District. 

Commissioner Rowland will be entering his third consecutive term.  He had previously served as a Commissioner for the District from 1992-1996 and after being appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to fill a vacancy in 2004 to serve the remaining 6 months of that term.

As a multi-county, independent special taxing district created by the State of Florida, the Sebastian Inlet District is governed by 5-member elected Commission with three (3) Brevard County seats and two (2) Indian River County seats.  Property owners within the District's boundaries in Brevard and Indian River Counties can cast a vote for all eligible Sebastian Inlet District Commission seats during the general election held in November of each even-numbered year.  Commissioners serve 4-year terms that are staggered, and a District boundaries map can be seen HERE.

 

MEET THE COMMISSIONERS

woman standing in front of sebastian inlet and bridge

Jenny Lawton Seal currently serves as Chairman, a position she assumed in 2013.  She moved to Brevard county in 1982 and chose to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather, Colonel Thomas Lawton who served as a Sebastian Inlet District Commissioner from 1988-2004.  Jenny holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business from the University of Central Florida and has worked as a Certified Registered Paralegal for the Law Firm of James M Nichols, PA in Satellite Beach since 2004.  She and her husband, Jason Seal, live in Grant and are active members of the community.

  1. What first inspired you to run for election as a Sebastian Inlet District Commissioner, and why have you chosen to serve multiple terms?
    My grandfather, Col. Thomas O. Lawton, was a Sebastian Inlet Commissioner for 16 years.  When he passed away in 2003 I decided to run for his seat.  From a very young age, my grandfather instilled in me a great love of the Inlet and for all of Florida’s waterways.  It was this upbringing that lead me to my continued dedicated to the health and welfare of Sebastian Inlet by choosing to serve multiple terms.
  2. Name one of the notable milestones achieved by the District Commission during your tenure.
    Building the Dredge Material Management Area (DMMA) as a sand storage site for beach and dune repair.  Immediately following its construction in 2010-2011, several hurricanes negatively impacted beaches and the dune system just South of the inlet.  Having the DMMA allowed us to mobilize immediately to place needed sand on the beach.
  3. What do you want constituents to know about the Sebastian Inlet District?
    The Sebastian Inlet is a unique and special place, with a long and rich history.  It took perseverance and dedication to get the Inlet open permanently, and it played, and continues to play, a critical role in the economic health and development of our region.
  4. Why is the Sebastian Inlet important to our region?
    The Sebastian Inlet is incredibly important to the health of the Indian River Lagoon.  Additionally, the Inlet provides for a diverse natural habitat for plant and animal life around and in the Inlet.  It is for these reasons that we work diligently towards leaving the Inlet, and the lands surrounding it, available for future generations.

 

woman standing in front of sebastian inlet and bridge

Beth L. Mitchell has served as Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer during her 16-year tenure, and has been active with coastal issues for more than 30 years.  She has lived on the East Coast of Florida for more than 45 years and retired as the President of the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce in 2019 after 18 years of service.  Prior to that, Beth was the VP of Operations for American Coastal Engineering, dedicating her efforts to alternative technology for erosion control on the beaches with submerged breakwater technology.

 

  1. What first inspired you to run for election as a Sebastian Inlet District Commissioner, and why have you chosen to serve multiple terms?
    I was asked by several community leaders to serve on the District Board in 2004 based on my previous experience and involvement with coastal engineering and beach erosion issues.  At the time, the District was embroiled in a long and expensive lawsuit with beach front property owners, which ultimately cost the taxpayers in the District $5 million dollars.  Four out of the five commissioners were newly elected in 2004, with a mandate to resolve those issues.   We did resolve that lawsuit, and with the help of a newly hired administrator, Martin Smithson, we committed to a more positive track in managing the inlet and its stakeholders.   
    The District has made tremendous progress in the last 16 years, implementing best practices for inlet management, a very productive working relationship with Florida Tech and a very conservative financial strategy.  I am looking forward to another term to ensure that the progress continues, that we keep the tax rate low while performing the functions of the District as it is stated in our charter's mission statement and that management decisions are based upon science.
     
  2. Name one of the notable milestones achieved by the District Commission during your tenure.
    One milestone that really stands out to me is the dredging of the channel that connects the inlet to the intracoastal waterway in 2007-2008.  At the time, the Sebastian Inlet was the only inlet on the East coast of Florida not connected to the Intracoastal Waterway.   It took over 45 years for the permitting and design to finally be approved,  and only a couple of months to make it happen, but the enhanced safety features for the boaters, and the positive impacts to the seagrass environment have been very beneficial.
     
  3. What do you want constituents to know about the Sebastian Inlet District?
    It's important for the taxpayers to understand the benefits that are derived to them with a fully functional inlet that is efficiently managed, and to understand the role that the District plays in managing this natural asset.  The public needs to know that fact -based science is behind the projects that are implemented, that the District is very conscious of the environment surrounding the inlet and that the commissioners are also fiscally responsible in fulfilling their duties.  The District serves a very specific purpose and 100 years ago the "people" knew the importance of maintaining the inlet when they worked so hard to create it.
     
  4. Why is the Sebastian Inlet important to our region?
    The inlet has many beneficial impacts to the region, environmentally and economically.  The inlet serves as a flushing mechanism for the Indian River Lagoon, providing increased water quality, and is home to many species of fish, seagrasses and invertebrate, serving as a breeding area for juvenile species of fish.  The inlet provides access to the Atlantic Ocean for multiple recreational and commercial activities, enhances real estate values and provides jobs and revenue to the region.  The District's Economic Benefit Analysis Report, created in 2013, identified millions of dollars in benefits to the community.

 

man standing in front of sebastian inlet and bridge

Michael Rowland currently serves as Vice Chairman, a position he assumed in 2014.  He is an avid sports fisherman, scuba diver and captain with a 100-ton U.S. Coast Guard Masters License.  He is a member of the Florida Sport Fishing Association (FSFA) and the Fort Pierce Fishing Club.  A native Floridian, Michael has lived on the shores of the Indian River Lagoon for the last 35 years and is deeply committed to preserving our natural resources.  Michael is a past member of the Marine Advisory Council for Brevard County and the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council.  He studied economics at Florida Eastern College, is a Certified Financial Planner and currently works at Raymond James.

 

  1. What first inspired you to run for election as a Sebastian Inlet District Commissioner, and why have you chosen to serve multiple terms?
    I served on the advisory board to the Sebastian Inlet District Commission for the Sebastian Inlet Sport Fishing Association in the mid-1990s.  One thing led to another, I had an interest and decided to run.  I truly enjoy being involved and helping to steward the natural resources we are so fortunate to have in our area.  Sebastian Inlet is such a special place.
     
  2. Name one of the notable milestones achieved by the District Commission during your tenure.
    The channel extension connecting the inlet to the ICW and completed by the District in 2007-2008 was of great benefit to our region and while I wasn’t a Commissioner at the time, I was involved behind the scenes.  In addition to the economic benefit, the new marked and deepened channel promoted boating safety.  Without a marked channel, navigation was very hazardous in shallow water.
     
  3. What do you want constituents to know about the Sebastian Inlet District?
    The District’s mission and main focus it to keep the inlet and the channel from shoaling up so boats can have ingress and egress that economically is so very vital to our region.
     
  4. Why is the Sebastian Inlet important to our region?
    The Sebastian Inlet is a gateway to the Atlantic Ocean, right back in our backyard, and offers a host of recreational opportunities for people to enjoy.  As an avid sports fisherman, I’d point out that Sebastian Inlet has been recognized as one of the prime fishing spots on the Florida’s East Coast.

 

ABOUT THE SEBASTIAN INLET DISTRICT

Created as an independent special taxing district in 1919 by special act of the Florida State Legislature, the Sebastian Inlet District was chartered to maintain the navigational channel between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River.  The Sebastian Inlet District is responsible for bypassing sand that migrates into the inlet system to downdrift beaches per the Florida Beach & Shore Preservation Act, and conducts periodic dredging, channel maintenance and beach renourishment projects every 4-5 years.  Employing a science-based approach, the District continuously monitors the accumulation of sand in the 42-acre depression within the inlet (known as the sand trap) and the navigational channel through its research partnership with Florida Tech and semi-annual bathymetric surveys of the entire inlet system and backwaters.

The Sebastian Inlet District installed and maintains navigational channel markers leading to the inlet from the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).  The 6-acre Dredged Material Management Area (DMMA) built and managed by the Sebastian Inlet District is located Northwest of the tide pool and serves as a sand storage site for emergency beach fill and dune repair.

Other critical functions include shoreline stabilization and inlet infrastructure maintenance, public safety in navigation, and environmental monitoring and protection. 

The Sebastian Inlet District works closely with its partners at Sebastian Inlet State Park, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and other local, state and federal agencies.  Since 2008, the District has secured $12.5 million in cost-share grant funding from the FDEP Beaches and Funding Assistance Program in support of its projects. 

For a detailed history of Sebastian Inlet and timeline of the District’s projects and programs, click HERE.  For a more comprehensive look at our recent programs and projects, click HERE.