INDIAN ROCKS BEACH — Newly elected Mayor Lan Vaughan promised an era of "open and collaborative government" after he was sworn into office March 25, two weeks after defeating incumbent Mayor Denise Houseberg by more than 350 votes.
Commissioners Janet Wilson and Kellee Watt also took their seats on the dais after being sworn in by City Attorney Matt Maggard during a ceremony that marked significant change with the commission in a beach community battered by hurricanes and roiled by the resignations of top officials over the past two years.
"I am completely humbled to be sitting in this seat," Vaughan said. "I did run on an open and collaborative government, and you're going to see a lot of changes."
Vaughan, a former commissioner, said he had already met with City Manager Ryan Henderson and City Clerk Lorin Kornijtschuk to get up to speed on the issues facing the city. He pledged to crack down on short-term rental violations and parking enforcement while remaining responsive to residents.
"As far as I'm concerned, you are the citizens. We're going to listen to you," he said. "We will enforce the will of the majority while protecting the rights of the minority."
Before the new officials were seated, Henderson presented outgoing Commissioner Jude Bond and Houseberg with commemorative street signs recognizing their years of service.
Bond, a local business owner first elected in 2022 who chose not to seek reelection, kept his farewell brief.
"When I started this many, many years ago, I did it because I thought it would be interesting," he said. "And it has been."
Houseberg, who was elected to the commission in 2021 and became mayor after Cookie Kennedy's departure in 2023, used her remarks to praise city employees, singling out Kornijtschuk, longtime Public Works Director Dean Scharmen, Henderson and Maggard.
"The way the city looks every day shows how much this staff works for this city," she said. "Please respect the city staff. Because they work their a-- off for you. And they make you look good."
Wilson, the incumbent vice mayor, won one of two open commission seats March 10. She was unanimously chosen to retain her vice mayor title, with her colleagues citing her work as the city's liaison to the Florida League of Cities.
"I think Jan is the true voice of our community," Vaughan said.
Watt, a longtime Indian Rocks Beach resident and former global HR executive, earned the most votes among the five candidates vying for the two open seats with 625.
"As I talked to residents in the community, I can really feel the energy and the excitement," Watt said. "One resident said to me, 'It's a new day.' And I am so excited to be part of it."
Paid parking pilot program to launch before Memorial Day
Also during the March 25 meeting, Henderson announced the city's pilot paid parking program would go live May 18, one week before the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
The city is working with ParkMobile to charge visitors $4.50 an hour at 182 beachfront parking spots. The plan drew sharp criticism on social media when it was announced in January, with visitors objecting to the fees and residents worried about cars flooding neighborhoods east of Gulf Boulevard in search of free parking.
Henderson said the lead time would allow for signage installation, a public communication campaign and the creation of a dedicated page on the city's website explaining the program. He said the city would also assess neighborhoods to determine where "no parking" signs are needed to prevent spillover.
"That's something we're going to be assessing on a weekly basis," he said.
Commissioner Hilary King asked for a group discussion on the sign placements at the next meeting, and Henderson agreed.
The next Indian Rocks Beach City Commission meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 14.
