I wanted to post here to take a minute to tell you guys about a candidate in this year’s elections who’s got me really fired up. I’m confident that when people learn more about him and what he stands for, they’ll share my enthusiasm. His name is Adam Morley, and he’s running for State Representative for District 24 here in the state of Florida, which covers all of Flagler County, some of St. John’s, and some of Volusia. It’s a little confusing, so here’s a map to help you figure it out.

Adam is an environmental leader and educator. He’s a boat captain, certified by the US Coast Guard, currently working with St. Augustine Eco Tours, teaching visitors about the ecology of the area, about the wildlife that inhabits the oceans and beaches and forests. He started his own recycling company, built it from the ground up, and sold it. It continues to thrive. He owns his own Solar and Electric business. He and his wife built their own 100% solar powered Tiny Home out of a converted shipping container. He owns an electric car, refuses to use single-use plastics of any kind, and he reuses absolutely everything that can be reused. He crowd-funded the purchase of a barge called the Litter Gitter that he takes out regularly to clean up the local waterways. I’ve known a lot of dedicated recyclers, environmentalists, and overall green-minded people, and this man puts them all to shame. I’ve seen first hand the way he inspires others, leading by example. A lot of people talk about change, and being what we want to see in the world. They talk about going out and saving the world, making it a better place. But they don’t, not really. Apathy breeds inaction. Adam Morley is not like that. He’s been passionate about the environment for his entire life, and I have proof.

Adam grew up in the St. Augustine area, most notably on Princess Place Preserve, one of the most beautiful places in all of Florida, maybe the world, and his passion must have been ingrained from an early age, shaped by the world around him. He’s been surfing and sailing on the waterways and oceans here for his entire life. Camping, fishing, hunting. I believe the term for him is interpretive naturalist, because one of his greatest passions is educating others, especially children and young adults, about the environment and what we can do to help save it.

So I suppose it shouldn’t have surprised me when Adam dropped absolutely everything in the days before Hurricane Matthew hit, not only to make sure his family was safe, but to protect and care for and serve other people. He put up storm shutters for strangers, filled hundreds of sandbags, boarded up homes, and I don’t even know how many other things. He’s so modest and so afraid of looking like a braggart that he won’t share any details. Everything I know about his efforts before and after the storm comes from the testimonials of other people. And there are many, many testimonials. I can’t keep up with all of them. He posted this.

One of several posts he made, asking how he could be of service to his community. While entire communities came together in every city that Matthew affected, there was something different here. You will see politicians in the middle of a tragedy, sure: doing the bare minimum, sometimes with a little extra effort involved. But I’ve never seen ANY politician post in a public forum that they have a chainsaw and they’re ready and willing to help literally anybody in need. That’s not a politician, that’s a good person. Someone worthy of our admiration, not just our votes. I knew what kind of person he was, but I don’t think I recognized how truly committed and dedicated he was until the events of the last week.

And then the Facebook pages lit up with post after post. I’ve collected a small sampling.

So this is a guy who is the very embodiment of public service. He’s someone who can and will inspire anyone who’s around him, just by being who he is and doing what he would be doing anyway. That’s absolutely something I want in a future leader, and I know I’m not alone.

In today’s strange political climate, it’s very easy to get disillusioned or cynical about our leaders, our parties, and the differences that make us all human beings. It’s easy to think that every person who runs for office is doing so for selfish reasons, or for what the public perceives as “the wrong reasons”. We don’t believe that our public servants actually want to serve us anymore. Adam Morley brings something completely refreshing to the table: verifiable proof of genuine public service. He doesn’t just sit behind a desk and push papers. And I feel that the fact that he actually wants to run for office, to serve the people in Tallahassee, to really use his talents and his compassion and his intimate knowledge of the issues affecting his area, and to do everything he can to save and maintain our home, is exactly what makes him great. He wants to help people and he wants to save the planet and he’s willing to go through the frustrating channel of engaging in politics to make that happen.

I hope you’ll take some time to visit his webpage at VoteMorley.com, and if you happen to like what you see, visit the campaign over at Thunderclap and show your support, and maybe pass the word along. Politicians like this don’t actually come along every day, and wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to look back and say you supported one of our most important leaders from the start?

Adam Morley | Facebook

Adam Morley (@VoteAdamMorley) | Twitter

Adam Morley (Candidate) — YouTube