FL Beach City’s Mayor Resigns After Home Floods During Hurricanes

TREASURE ISLAND, FL — Tyler Payne announced his resignation as the mayor of Treasure Island in a Monday afternoon Facebook post.

“The last three and a half years have been the greatest honor of my life representing the residents of Treasure Island. While it pains my heart to make this decision in the midst of our recovery from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, this is the best decision for me and my family,” he wrote.

Payne was first elected as mayor in March 2021. Prior to this, he served as the District 2 city commissioner.

Vice Mayor John Doctor will step up to become the city’s mayor.

Payne’s house, as well as his childhood home, which is still owned by his parents, “were completely flooded and damaged beyond repair" during the storms, he wrote.
Because of this, the former mayor and his husband decided to move off the barrier island.

“While my parents will rebuild and we will fortunately continue to have those roots in Treasure Island, my husband and I cannot afford to do the same,” he wrote. “That being said, I completely empathize with the difficult decisions that are facing so many of our residents. We aren’t moving far and I intend to remain an active part of the Treasure Island community that I love so much.”

As the city recovers from the storms, “it is going to be critical for the mayor to dedicate a significant amount of time to lead our community through this process,” Payne added. “At this point in my professional and personal life, I unfortunately do not have the necessary bandwidth to fulfill that need.”

He works full time for his family’s business, which is “in a critical growth phase right now,” requiring his “full effort and attention,” he said.