Candidate: Robert Nelson

Nelson to seek school board Robert Nelson, long time resident of Walton County, announced his candidacy for School Board District 1. Robert lives in Eucheeanna Valley. He relocated from Pensacola in 1979 with his father and step-mother, Bill and Martha Nelson. Robert, along with his brother Richard and sister Joanna had frequently visited the area staying with their grandparents, Max and Marian Marsh of the Paxton community. In 1984 Robert married Samantha Powell of the Glendale community, who is currently a 16 year educator with the Walton County School District. Their daughter, Amber Nicole, currently attends Okaloosa Walton College. Their son, Michael Wesley, will begin at Walton High School this school year. Robert has worked hard within the community since moving into the area. While working in the family automobile business, he graduated from Walton High School and went on to Okaloosa Walton College. After his father retired from the automobile business and left the area, Robert and his wife of 24 years, have made a home for themselves and their children. Loving the people and area so much, Robert moved his mother, Carolyn Nelson here so that the family could spend more time together. Carolyn is currently employed as a non-instructional aide at Maude Saunders Elementary. She began working there to be with her grandson Michael, deciding to stay on after he left elementary grades to middle school. She fell in love with helping people and children of our community. After college, Robert went on to complete his Law Enforcement Standards at Okaloosa Walton College. He then took a job with an out of area engineering firm assisting with survey and data collection of Walton County for the new enhanced 9-1-1 system. This transitioned into a position with the Walton County Department of Public Safety, where Robert worked on the initial mapping and database project as they finished up the 9-1-1 system installation. This project took him to every road, driveway, and trail in Walton County where he gathered data and worked on creating the initial maps for the 9-1-1 system. The Department of Public Safety also handled emergency management. During the flooding from Tropical Storm Alberto and response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Opal, Robert became very familiar with many of the people in Walton County and surrounding areas. Robert is currently the owner and operator of “I Fix Computers, Inc.” in downtown DeFuniak Springs. He built his business on his belief of giving back to the community. Through the years, Robert has been actively involved in many activities in the community such as the DeFuniak Springs Little League with his son Michael, working as a director with the DeFuniak Springs Business and Professional Association on the 4th of July Fireworks and Hometown Christmas activities. He is also currently volunteers on the Walton County Code Enforcement Board, and previously served on the Contractor’s Competency Board and the County Redistricting Committee. Robert’s work as former Chairman of the Walton County Republican Party has allowed him to build relationships with both local and state officials, which will be a great asset in making sure that the needs of Walton County get addressed in the future. If elected to the Walton County School Board, Robert believes his business and technology experiences will give him a unique perspective of the needs of the children of Walton County. He will use these experiences to assist in finding and creating opportunities for our children so that they may stay and make a life and career for themselves in this area. “Having family currently employed within our educational system and a child that has recently graduated from, as well as one going into, a local public high school, I hear the needs regularly. As a school board member, I will be committed to working on those needs together with the children and community to make their school system the best that it can be in the State of Florida. My business puts me in touch with the people on a daily basis. They have told me where they want to see the school system head in the next several years, and I am prepared to take that direction as I work to bring a conservative voice back to the Walton County School Board.” Robert can be reached at wrobertnelson@gmail.com or 850-401-4125.