Candidate: Larry D. Leet

Larry D. Leet

Candidate for St Lucie County Commission District 2

Innovative ideas to keep St. Lucie County a "Paradise" for generations to come.

In 1983, Larry moved to St Lucie County from Joliet Illinois with his wife Lisa and two children, Jason & Amy. Their third child, Ashley, was born in 1985 at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center. Larry and Lisa raised their children in St. Lucie County and are parish members at St. Anastacia Catholic Church. They are proud to say all their children have successful lives and have given them six fantastic grandchildren. Larry started his career in the automotive business in Joliet Illinois and continued after moving to Port St. Lucie working for the family's Oldsmobile dealership, Ken Perona and then Tom Perona Oldsmobile. Afterward, Larry worked at Sunrise Ford, Coggin Automotive Group, and Roger Dean Buick-GMC. In 1998, Larry switched careers to the Aviation Business. He went to work for Able American Jets, an Air Charter and Air Ambulance business located at St Lucie County International Airport. Within a year, Larry was promoted to Director of Sales. Able American Jets has flown many dignitaries and celebrities, including General Schwarzkopf, Bob Dole, Margret Thatcher, Joan Rivers, David Hasselhoff, Hulk Hogan, and most of the World Wrestling Federation Team to name a few. In 2003, Larry became Vice President and partner at American Jets Air Ambulance located at St. Lucie International Airport. American Jets transported patients from all over the world and employed approximately 60 people. In 2013, Air Methods, a publicly traded company under the NASDAQ ticker "AIRM" purchased American Jets. In 2014, Larry became a partner in Able American Jets brokering Air Charter and Air Ambulance flights worldwide. In his spare time, Larry decided to get his Real Estate License, and in 2015 obtained his Real Estate Brokers license. Currently, Larry is the CEO/Vice President of Able American Jets and is a Broker Associate with Lang Realty.

Larry believes St. Lucie County is Paradise. He does not want to see it become the "concrete jungle" our southern neighbors have become. He loves the small quaint characteristics of Ft. Pierce with its open-air restaurants & bars that are rapidly being replaced with concrete eyesores. The St. Lucie River in Port St Lucie provides the same opportunity for open-air facilities. Larry believes that St. Lucie County Commission needs to work with City Commissioners in both Ft. Pierce and Port St. Lucie to accomplish lower Property Taxes and Sales Taxes to keep St. Lucie County an "Affordable Paradise" for generations to come.

Larry has watched St Lucie County grow from a Citrus Grove and fishing Community to what it has become today. He has personally seen the struggles and growing pains in St Lucie County. Larry understands that Government is a necessity and also understands that Government is not the answer to everyone's problems. The three failed attempts in Port St Lucie (Digital Domain, VGTI, and City Centers are perfect examples. Those three failed attempts of Government place St. Lucie County 950 million dollars in debt, and as a result, St. Lucie County has the highest property taxes (millage rate) in the entire State of Florida. Larry wants to work with city leaders to reduce the mileage rate and create a better St. Lucie County.

Understanding that St. Lucie County needs good-paying jobs for its citizens, Larry sees many opportunities that St. Lucie County can help deliver with the participation of the private sector. The St. Lucie County International Airport could become a maintenance center for aircraft owners. The garbage dump, as Larry refers to as "Mount Everest", could recycle plastics and manufacture wood substitute products to build homes that termites can't destroy. The garbage dump could also be turned into a power plant, it already supplies Tropicana with methane gas for power. It could also turn burnable debris into electrical power and take the biodegradables and turn it into rich soil, all of which could eliminate the eyesore and unsustainable "Mount Everest" dump.

Larry is a Constitutional Conservative and believes our founding fathers were correct in understanding that Government should be limited. He views political issues through the lens of "Less Government, results in reduced Taxes, which results in more freedom." President Regan stated it best "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, "I"m from the Government and I'm here to help." Personal responsibility is what created the United States. When our forefathers declared independence from England, they sent a signal to the world that freedom and liberty are only possible when each person is allowed to determine how to live their life. This is a God-given right and with these rights come Personal Responsibilities.