Mayer Oravec’s Farewell Message
Dear Vice Mayor & City Council, City Manager & Staff, and the People of Port St. Lucie,
This statement serves to follow up on my previous statement of May 20, 2021, in which I announced that I would not be seeking reelection, and the statements should be considered together.
As my family and I came to terms with the incredibly difficult decision to not seek reelection and to instead pursue other public service employment opportunities, we had no idea what opportunities would present themselves, where, and when. As fate would have it, something special came along much sooner than we anticipated in a place that is very special to us as a family and to me as a native Floridian and someone who loves the water and the environment.
In reading the recruitment for the position of Islamorada Village Manager, I felt that the recruiter, Village Council and community were speaking to me on a very deep and personal level, that I couldn’t ask for a better professional fit or a better next chapter in life for my family. When I realized that the closing date for applying was the same day as my Mom’s birthday (we lost my Mom to cancer in 2013, but she always loved visiting me when I lived in the Keys), I took it as a sign that the universe was talking to me. If you believe as I do, when you feel like the universe is talking to you, you listen, and then you act accordingly. As I think you know, I went for the job, and, due to all the good work we have done here together, my amazing family, incredible references, and an abundance of good fortune, the Mayor, Vice Mayor and Village Council of Islamorada selected me as the next Village Manager. Accordingly, this letter serves to tender my resignation as Mayor effective midnight, the night of June 30, 2021.
I regret that there will have to be a special election to fill my seat, but I take heart in knowing that by most objective indicators, the state of our City is at an all-time high, our reputation has never been stronger, and, most importantly, the Vice Mayor & City Council, the City Manager and hard-working City employees, and you—all of the passionate involved citizens, the Port St. Luckies out there—will keep working hard, smart, and together to keep our community’s incredible progress, and our shared commitment to continuous improvement, on track.
As to whom will fill my seat, I have never been one to interject myself between the voters and their candidates; but, for those who are interested in my opinion, I would share that Vice Mayor Shannon Martin has been an integral part of our great success over the last six years, and it is my hope that she will be given the opportunity to shine and to demonstrate that she is willing and able to lead our City forward.
The Office of Mayor is an incredible thing and among its many virtues, I believe that it simultaneously reveals who you really are while also helping you become a better version of yourself for as long as you can serve with maximum effort and purity of heart. Thank you for allowing me to serve you as Mayor. Thank you for all the support and well wishes. Thank you for your help in making the world a better place, starting right here in PSL. I hope that you’re proud of the work that we have done together. The funny thing is…for all the improvements, for all that there is to love about Port St. Lucie today, I am certain, now more than ever, that Port St. Lucie’s best is yet to come. Onward and upward, PSL!
With gratitude, I am
Very truly yours,
Greg