Kevin Beckner: Candidate For HCC District 6

Democrat Kevin Beckner is running for the Hillsborough County Commission. He is attempting to unseat Brian Blair. Breckner is a former law enforcement officer and President of Leadership Tampa Bay. He is running on a platform of growth management and environmental protection. Although, his form of environmentalism is very business-friendly.

Listen to him on the wetlands issue: "The wetlands serve this environment in ways we may not understand. If we can streamline this [development approval] process and make it easier for developers, I'm for that. But everybody needs to come to the table" to ensure that wetlands aren't harmed as a result.

Here is his environmental position from his web site.

Our environmental resources are one of our most precious commodities. Once damaged or destroyed, they can rarely be replenished or restored. Each of us are charged with being good stewards of our environmental resources. As a community, we must thoughtfully balance future land use with respect to our environment, develop and implement prudent plans for cleaner air and water conservation, and protect our beaches, rivers, and streams from potentially harmful and toxic waste.

As County Commissioner, I will support economically feasible "green" initiatives that both enhance the quality and preservation of our environment and provide the community with short and long term economic benefits.

"Feasible" means Beckner will view how green initiatives affect corporations.

Beckner is gay and a member of Equality Florida. He participated in a March Gay Pride parade.

Tampa Bay Democrat has a post on Beckner's candidacy.

Beckner is asking supporters to sign the petition to get his name on the ballot. He needs 6,634 signatures.