John Bond for Cape Canaveral City Council

Meet the Candidate

John Bond

Growing up in a military family, John has lived in eight states. After being transferred from California back to Florida in the mid-1980s by the company for which he worked, he made the decision to put down permanent roots. After living in Brevard County for the last 20+ years, John's love of the community would make it hard to live anywhere else.

As a computer consultant working with several major companies, he last worked for NASA/USA on the Space Shuttle Program before doing what he always wanted to do and ventured into real estate. John went on to work for a national real estate investment and development Company as Director of Maritime Operations and Development (marinas and related development). This gave him the opportunity to work closely with city officials, attorneys, architects, and builders in various capacities while expanding his knowledge in Riparian (river/lakes) and Littoral (ocean) waterfront law, regulations, and property acquisition. John has been on both sides of the podium and understands the concerns of the residents.

As a believer in civic duty, John served as the Chair of the Board of Adjustment for Cape Canaveral for three years before being appointed, then elected twice, as a Cape Canaveral Council Member.

John greatly admires our retired and active veterans and spends a lot of time working with these heroes, mostly those that are elderly and infirm. He has fixed their homes, been a guardian on an Honor Flight to Washington DC, taken them to appointments and the emergency room, and in many other ways.

He attended the University of Central Oklahoma and, along with a Florida Real Estate Broker’s license, also holds a Residential Inspector's license. John owns and operates Cape Canaveral Real Estate, P.A.

Lastly, he is an avid antique car aficionado, buyer and seller and, when there is time, restorer.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Why am I running?

I previously served two terms as a Council Member (2011-2016) and am proud of what we accomplished. The city had little direction, antiquated codes that allowed arbitrary construction, much bigger crime problem, and infrastructure issues in the way of deferred maintenance and replacement.

While still only 1.9 square miles, the city, over the last dozen years or so, has grown up greatly, becoming much more desirable, important, and complex. It also makes it somewhat prone to outside influence. In addition, unfunded mandates and laws by the county, state, and federal governments have added to the complexity of running the city. Cape Canaveral is uniquely located and is a very important part of the barrier island, both as the gateway to the beaches and its umbilical connection to the port. This is OUR city and I want to keep it that way.

I own both a business and home in Cape Canaveral and have lived here full time for more than a generation. This is why I want to get re-involved.

The budget is complicated and runs more than 150 pages. My extensive experience with budgets, pro forma, contracts, real estate, riparian and littoral (river and ocean) laws and regulations, and the ability to create partnerships, make me well qualified to handle the rigors of the position.

I am not a talking head looking for notoriety or a stepping stone to a higher office. I have no yearn for any elected office outside of our city and consider this seat as part of my continuing community service.

We want the tourist dollars, but not at the expense of our way of life in our residential, seaside community.

Lastly, don't get fooled by those fancy, expensive signs all over the place. Who paid for them? Look at the issues and the person. I am an open book and will answer your questions.

What are some of the current and near term issues?

Erosion of Home Rule - The state legislature is slowly removing our sovereignty, the ability to manage ourselves. This goes across all 400+ municipalities in the state. They believe is it OK to prevent us from managing some the issues in the city. What works for Miami, does not always do so here. I worked previously to reel in the state from taking control and will continue to do so, if elected.

Sustainability - Environmentally, the city is putting together a resiliency plan, which I loudly applaud. Some of the issues include floods, lagoon pollution, mangrove loss, bikeability and walkability, emergency preparedness, etc. You will see a lot more about all of this very soon. You can find out more at this link: https://www.cityofcapecanaveral.org/government/sustainability.php

Civility - Most of this is answered in the next question. There is a proliferation of national party money seeping into non-partisan local races. I am a very thoughtful, civil, objective person and will not be a problem sitting on the dais. Debate is much different than arguing. Debate is healthy.

Monetary Reserves - The city is required to have 20% of the annual budget in reserve and unobligated. This is a minimum. Cape Canaveral currently has about 21.4% in reserve. There are city officials who believe that we should spend that 1.4%. I am a fiscal conservative and believe we should be adding to the percentage. At some point, there will be another recession as they occur on a regular basis. Don't confuse recession with depression or the meltdown of 2008. Also, we could have a catastrophic event. Either way, I want the city to be ready with funds to manage the situation without needing to raise taxes in a drastic manner.

A1A - We have had a big problem with this road for many years. It is greatly in need of a reconfiguration with Safe Harbor medians, wider sidewalks, proper traffic control, etc. All the city can do is lobby the Florida DOT to get something done, which they have been very active in doing. Working as a development manager gave me a lot of experience working with the DOT. They tend to be autonomous and do what they wish, even over the wants and needs of the residents. I will keep up the lobbying, going forward. However, the DOT knows that A1A is at critical mass and there might finally be some real plans to get the road improved. I did attend the FDOT symposium on October 5th. What I learned is that a vast majority had serious concerns regarding the planned roundabout. Most do not want it and just want intersection rebuilt and realigned. All of the other planned features are good. These include safe harbor in the way of medians, turn lanes, etc. I believe the FDOT wants to use the intersection as a test bed for these devices. Cape Canaveral is probably not the best place to do this.

Am I Conservative or Liberal?

Call me a moderate. I am extremely objective and do not believe there is ANY item on the city's agenda that needs to be decided by a political party or bias. I will absolutely advocate for what is good for the city and the residents. There is too much divisiveness on the state and national level and I will fight to keep that out of our city. All elected positions in the city are, by design, non-partisan. Having written that, both major parties will be sending out mail to the voters of Cape Canaveral requesting you vote for their candidates. Please note that I am trying to earn your vote on my merits, not party affiliation.

What is a CRA and why am I a proponent of having one?

The Community Redevelopment Agency is a somewhat complicated tool, but is very lucrative for us. The city and its businesses, through a variety of taxes and fees, sends a LOT of money to the county and state, almost all of which we would never see again. The CRA is more than 50% funded by the county with the same money that would normally be spent by the county and not sent back to us. There are limits to what it can be used for, but that list contains items we need in the city. It is intended to fight blight and promote economic development. The county is not happy about CRAs due to being required to give up these funds to us. They tried a few years ago to kill this process, but a deal was made to keep it in place. For more information on the CRA and its purpose, use this link: https://www.cityofcapecanaveral.org/government/cra.php

What about the city's debt?

Before reading this answer, please ready the above question and answer regarding the CRA. The city has two major loans. Both have interest rates right at 2%. My thoughts are after the loan list.

1. The Firehouse and City Hall - This loan was originally 5.5 million and matures (gets paid off) in 2024. This will free up about 600K/year.

2. Multi-generational Facility (MGF) and C.A.P.E. Center (Old City Hall) - This loan is 6.2 million and will mature in 2027, freeing up 685K/year.

The city council voted to buy the two-story building to the south of City Hall and demolish it. They want to extend the City Hall Plaza on that land. Their idea is to have Friday Fest and other events on the enlarged plaza, instead of the street. To do this, they will borrow 1.2 million (1.7mm project total). While it is probably a good idea, that is still a lot of money and I would be inclined to look at the stormwater issues first.

Now, the debt ratio for the city is about 9.3% which, for a government entity, is low and easily manageable. Also, much of these loans are paid back by the CRA. Remember that, with the CRA, we are getting a lot of "free" money from the county.

I know there is a lot of consternation and misinformation going around, but know that the city is in very good financial condition and the envy of most other municipalities in the state. However, my wish is that the council start looking at long-term infrastructure projects instead of more amenities. With the addition of the Multi-Generational Facility, CAPE center (old city hall) and the plaza extension, there is no reason to build any more "optional" amenities. While I do not like debt, personally, it is OK to spend money and take on modest debt as long as it is done responsibly and with deliberation as to priority.

What about the city's debt?

Before reading this answer, please ready the above question and answer regarding the CRA. The city has two major loans. Both have interest rates right at 2%. My thoughts are after the loan list.

1. The Firehouse and City Hall - This loan was originally 5.5 million and matures (gets paid off) in 2024. This will free up about 600K/year.

2. Multi-generational Facility (MGF) and C.A.P.E. Center (Old City Hall) - This loan is 6.2 million and will mature in 2027, freeing up 685K/year.

What about property taxes?

First, nobody likes taxes, including me. However, they are a necessary evil in order to pay the city's bills. In Cape Canaveral, our ad valorem taxes (property taxes based on assessed value of property) are very low in relation to almost city/municipality in the county. Our tax rate is going down again this year while virtually every other city in Brevard County is raising theirs, sometime drastically. Of course, that does not mean they cannot go lower. I will be gathering more info on tax rate in the county, but know that most cities are RAISING tax rates, not lowering like CC. This, even with rising property values. Stand by for more details soon.