Treasure Island Mayor Tyler Payne announced Monday that he is stepping down from his post due to the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton on his home and family.
TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. – Treasure Island Mayor Tyler Payne announced Monday that he is stepping down from his post due to the devastating impacts of back-to-back hurricanes on his home and family.
Located southwest of Tampa Bay on the Gulf of Mexico, Treasure Island was hit by Helene on Sept. 25 and then by Milton two weeks later on Oct. 9, with both bringing heavy rain, powerful wind and storm surge.
The storms destroyed many homes across Treasure Island, including those of Tyler Payne and his family. In a statement posted on Facebook, Payne said his home and that of his parents, where he grew up, were severely damaged by floods and are beyond repair.
The home was filled with 2.5 feet of floodwater.
(Tyler Payne / FOX Weather)
“Just to see everything that my parents have built over the last 50 years living in that house was just really heartbreaking and seeing everything out of place – nothing was where it belonged,” Payne said to FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
The extent of the damage is so severe that Payne and his husband have decided to leave Treasure Island and relocate farther inland to St. Petersburg, citing financial constraints preventing them from rebuilding their home in Treasure Island.
In addition to recovering after the hurricanes, Payne added that the needs of his family business, IcareLabs, an eyeglass lens manufacturing company, are also playing a role in his decision to resign from office.
Tyler Payne.
(FOX 13 / FOX 13 News)
“We are in a critical growth phase right now, and it is going to require my full effort and attention,” he said in the Facebook statement.
Payne noted that addressing the needs of the business along with those of his family prevents him from having the bandwidth necessary to fully serve the people of Treasure Island as they recover from the storms.
“The last three and a half years have been the greatest honor of my life representing the residents of Treasure Island,” he said. “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.”
Treasure Island Vice Mayor John Doctor will assume the role of mayor, according to Payne.