Treasure Island Mayor Honored With 2022 Home Rule Hero Award

TREASURE ISLAND, FL — The Florida League of Cities, celebrating its 100th anniversary as the united voice for Florida's municipal governments, recently recognized city of Treasure Island Mayor Tyler Payne with a 2022 Home Rule Hero Award for his hard work and advocacy efforts during the 2022 legislative session.

"Mayor Payne worked tirelessly throughout session to promote local voices making local choices, protect the Home Rule powers of Florida's municipalities and advance the league's legislative agenda," said Florida League of Cities Director of Legislative Affairs Casey Cook.

"On behalf of the league and its legislative team, we're very proud to present this year's Home Rule Hero Awards to a deserving group of municipal leaders," Cook said. "We had a record number of Home Rule Heroes this year, which shows the dedication and impact of local officials on behalf of their residents and businesses in protecting local decision-making. These local officials were constantly engaged and actively advocating for their communities throughout the 2022 legislative session. They're heroes for Home Rule, and we thank them for their efforts."

Home Rule is the ability for a city to address local problems with local solutions with minimal state interference. Home Rule Hero Award recipients are local government officials, both elected and non-elected, who consistently responded to the league's request to reach out to members of the Legislature and help give a local perspective on an issue.

Payne has always closely followed Treasure Island politics and the city commission. He was also appointed by Mayor Bob Minning to serve on the city's Charter Review Committee in 2016.

Upon returning to Treasure Island after law school, Payne purchased a home on Isle of Palms and, shortly thereafter, ran for an open seat on the city commission in 2018. He was subsequently re-elected in 2020 without opposition.

In March 2021, Payne was elected mayor for a three-year term.