Keona Gardner

keona.gardner@tcpalm.com

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Andrew Gillum admits much of what he knows about St. Lucie County and the Treasure Coast he learned driving from Gainesville on his way to visit relatives in Richmond Heights, a Miami neighborhood.

But the 37-year-old Tallahassee mayor who wants to be the state’s next Democrat governor said he sees the county and the region as a jobs creator and a destination place.

“My eyes have been open a little bit today," Gillum said Thursday after a tour of Treasure Coast International Airport with County Commissioner Linda Bartz and Airport Manager John Wiatrak. "This can be a place of destination largely because of the industry that is being built out here through aeronautics and the businesses associated with it.”

Gillum, a Democrat, is the first person to declare his candidacy in the Florida governor’s race. Other potential candidates include GOP state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, former Congresswoman Gwen Graham and Orlando attorney John Morgan, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Gov. Rick Scott cannot run for re-election because of term limits.

Gillum, dressed in a navy suit and maroon tie, peppered Wiatrak on Thursday with questions about the county’s plan to attract more fixed-based operators at the airport and if there were plans to partner with a technical school to train residents how to become aviation mechanics.

Wiatrak said Aviator College, a flight school based at the airport, offers training. The county has received several calls from companies wanting to operate at the airport but none have yet to sign. All available space at the airport is leased and the county is in the process of building a 30,000- to 40,000-square-foot hangar.

“You can fly your private plane here, you can get it fixed here and you can train the pilot that actually flies the plane and that is a pretty sweet spot,” Gillum said.

Gillum’s said the county’s vision to use the airport and Port of Fort Pierce, an unused deepwater port north of downtown Fort Pierce, to stimulate the economy is “sound” and would bring "work with dignity" to residents.

Aviation maintenance jobs would pay an average $28.29 per hour, or $56,990 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. About a dozen aviation-related maintenance companies already are tenants at the airport, just northwest of Fort Pierce.

"I think we should be doing everything that we can to make sure airports like this not only survive, but they thrive,” Gillum said.

Gillum said he wants to attract blue-collar jobs, where people could earn a living wage and save money, and not minimum wage. Those lower-paying jobs could be reserved for teenagers to help them learn a skill, save money for college and keep "them doing something productive."

Wiatrak said Gillum impressed him with his knowledge of the aviation industry and seemed to want to help the county develop the airport.

"If he is elected, I hope he can help us," Wiatrak said.

WHO IS ANDREW GILLUM?

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, 37, was the youngest person ever elected to the City Commission. The former Florida A&M University student body president served more than a decade on the commission before he was elected mayor by a wide margin in 2014.

Long considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, Gillum last year took a prominent role in the Hillary Clinton campaign, speaking during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia and landing on her short list of potential running mates.

He has been an outspoken critic of Gov. Rick Scott and President Donald Trump and in recent months has fought with the gun lobby as part of his #DefendLocal initiative.

Earlier this month, Gillum stumbled as he announced his run for governor. He was forced to apologize for spending taxpayer dollars on an email system used to send political messages. Questions also arose over his campaign paperwork, which listed an incorrect address and a City Hall phone number and a campaign video shot before he officially filed.

Source: Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat political and investigative reporter