'My heart is breaking': Treasure Island mayor reflects on decision to leave office

TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. - Treasure Island has always been home for Tyler Payne. His grandparents relocated there in the 1970s, and he even grew up to become the mayor.  

"It’s just a really special place," Payne said. "My dad grew up in that house. I grew up in that house with my three brothers," he said. 

Hurricane Helene dumped two and a half feet of water into his childhood home, which his parents still own, last month.

RELATED: Treasure Island's mayor resigns after home 'damaged beyond repair' during Hurricanes Helene, Milton

"To see everything that my parents have built over the last 50 years living in that house was just really heartbreaking. And seeing everything out of place … nothing was where it belonged. All of our personal possessions were all damaged, was really hard," Payne said. 

Payne and his husband were living at the house while they renovated their own house on Treasure Island.

"We were almost done. We had just had our kitchen cabinets installed the Monday before Helene," he said.

Before both storms, they were supposed to move into their renovated home on October 15, but Helene flooded their home too. Then, Milton added insult to injury.

READ: Clearwater Beach reopens after hurricanes, hopes visitors spur storm-shattered economy

"That was the hardest thing was seeing the personal devastation for my family, but knowing that my duty really in that time was to the residents of Treasure Island," Payne said.

Payne said he consulted the mayor of Sanibel who served during Hurricane Ian.

"I asked her, ‘what do I do in a situation … my family's home has been absolutely devastated, but I have an obligation to be there for my residents too.’ And she gave me some great advice, she was like, ‘you need to talk to your husband, and you need to talk to your parents. You have to be there for your residents right now.’ And that's exactly what I did," Payne said.

Payne said he was out in the community after the storms doing everything he could to help residents, as he faced the same tough personal decisions as everyone else. He and his husband ultimately decided to move about five minutes inland to St. Petersburg.

"Just like everyone else in Treasure Island, me and my husband had to have some really difficult conversations about what's next for us," Payne said. "We had already invested so much in what we were doing at that house to make it what we dreamt of, and we just personally didn't have the means to build a new house there," he said.

MORE: Community helping St. Petersburg City Theatre recover from Hurricane Milton

"I'm sure a lot of our residents are in that same boat. So, I really empathize with all of our residents, and it breaks my heart to have made that decision," Payne said. "We prayed about it. We had a lot of hard conversations with our family and that was just the best decision for us in that moment."

The damage to his home, his parents’ home and the demands of his position with his family’s business led him to the painful decision, he said, to resign as mayor on Monday. He served for three and a half years.

"A lot of people have said, ‘well, he knew what he was signing up for when he ran for mayor,’ and I have a full-time job … and I just felt like our Vice Mayor, John Doctor, he's retired. He has the time to dedicate to be there for our residents. And while I have been fortunate enough to be in a position that I have had a lot of flexibility in my work schedule to serve our residents, that's going to be changing a little bit. And in these times, people are going to be needing even more assistance from their public officials," Payne said.

Doctor will serve as mayor for the rest of Payne’s term, which is until March 2027. The Commission has 30 days to appoint someone to fill Doctor’s District Two seat until that term ends in March 2026.

Payne said his parents are rebuilding his childhood home, and he plans to continue to be an active part of the community.

"My message to the residents of Treasure Island is that my heart is breaking to make this decision, and I don't want you all to feel like I have given up on you. This still holds such a special place in my heart, and I love Treasure Island and my family will continue to be there. We will have our roots. I plan on staying engaged," Payne said. 

Payne said some of the highlights of his time in office include the grand opening of the new city hall and seeing it weather both Helene and Milton well. 

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