Julie Carson has lived in all parts of the city, has served on the city commission, and has an extensive professional resume outside government. Now, six years after departing the dais, she wants back up, this time in the center seat.

She is running for mayor against current city commissioner Paul Rolli and Jerry Fisichelli, an apparent newcomer to city politics. Carson served as commissioner and vice-mayor from 2010-2020. For the past six years she has been tending to her mother, who recently passed away at age 99. 

She spoke with OutSFL about why she’s running and her vision for the future of the Island City.

“I have always had an overarching goal to make sure everyone in the city has access to government, free and unfettered, that they can express their opinions. Often it’s the silenced and the voiceless, the people who have been shut out of government. I want to make sure they know there is a voice there for them.”

Maximum community inclusion will be important as she, and the rest of the city, tries to figure out how to move forward on development. “There have been some opportunities. There are some hotels on the forefront. I want to continue to work on Article 30 to make sure we reduce some parking requirements. Increased density in the transit-oriented corridors (TOC), to make it more palatable for developers to come in and be part of the Wilton Manors community.”

She cites the difficulty of getting a project to completion. Fifty new townhomes are going in at the old church property and should open by early next year. But this is not the first crack at developing the property.

“When I was on the commission, we had a number of projects that failed horribly. That shovel has been in the ground and out of the ground and in the ground and out of the ground over the last probably ten years.”

Redevelopment of the Alibi Plaza, in the heart of the city’s entertainment district, is another difficult needle to thread. “I am definitely in favor of the development of that project. What concerns me is to make sure the setbacks are appropriate so the [adjoining] residents have the feeling of a single-family home.”

(Since this interview took place, the city’s Planning & Zoning Board approved a plan that some neighboring residents feel leaves them too close to the proposed building)

“Most of the projects have spun over the last [few] years. This will be one that, if we can get the right team on the commission, the right mayor and the right commissioners. I think we can work through the issues.”

Another key development concern is bringing hotels to the city. The proposed, 123-room project on Dixie Hwy. by Five Points has stalled with no noticeable progress for more than a year. Tryst hotel group is looking to build an estimated fifty-room resort where Johnsons, Art Frenzie, and Wilton Executive Suites sit.

“What I don’t want to see happen is for a gay hotel to go up against an ‘everybody is welcome’ hotel. What could occur is competition between communities.”

Two hotels could also impact the existing guest houses and vacation rentals. “I am completely in favor of vacation home rentals, but the city continues to face problems with enforcement.”

Carson also sees the need for more affordable, workforce housing. She supports lowering the minimum square footage, which currently sits at 600 sq ft.

“An increase in height and density on Andrews Ave., particularly at Oakland Park and Andrews, I’m very much in favor of. There are certain areas where the density can go up.”

Community is a common thread through Carson’s platform, highlighted by her dedication to the city’s parks. “Parks have always been a priority of mine. I was instrumental in Colahatchee Park and the dog park. I started that with a group of neighborhood friends. Those have been very important to me. They serve as meeting places for people to gather and share their dogs and talk stories.”

There are also the ‘hidden projects’ that no one sees until they fail. “We have to make sure our infrastructure, our drains, our pipes, is suitable for the weather events that we have. It’s ongoing and costly.”

Election day is Nov. 3.