ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — The St. Pete Beach city commission has been racing to fill four vacant commissioner seats before New Year’s Eve and appointed a district 4 nominee on Thursday.

Former Coast Guard commanding officer and rescue pilot, Rich Lorenzen, who has lived in St. Pete Beach for 31 years, was sworn-in as an interim District Four commissioner after beating out two other candidates.

“I saw this opening, I saw a problem and I’m just one of those guys who likes to fix things,” he said. “That’s why I’m here.” 

The commission interviewed three other candidates. Here’s why the long-time military man applied:

“I kind of watched what’s been transpiring here over the last year or so especially the last week or so with all the resignations,” said Lorenzen, now an interim commission member. “And quite frankly, I thought no one else was going to do this so I’m the guy who normally steps in and goes, 'I’ll tackle it.'”

 Rich Lorenzen was sworn-in as an interim District Four commissioner Thursday. (Photo Courtesy: Rich Lorenzen)

The only vote against Lorenzen was Mayor Adrian Petrila, who favored another candidate who had donated to his campaign.

The commission is having to scramble to fill four out of five seats. 

Four commissioners announced they were resigning due to a new financial disclosure law, which all elected officials must now complete.

“I'm going to go ahead and officially announce my resignation as District Four commissioner,” said Chris Marone. “Regrettably under these circumstances. I'm not going to say too much right now because I don't want to waste the rest of this commission's valuable time.

“I will say it was a pleasure to serve with this commission. I think this is an incredibly strong commission. We've had really robust conversations and discussions. We've done a lot of heavy lifting in a short time. I'm really disappointed I can’t close this out with the rest of my term.”

Marone, in District Four, was the first to step down ahead of interviews for his replacement.

He and the three others refuse to fill out a new form, required by a new state law, that forces local lawmakers to reveal more about their finances, including net worth, assets, debts.

The new requirement specifically calls for office holders to reveal anything they have worth $1,000 or more. The law used to be $10,000 or more.

Backers say it's transparency from leaders. The leaving commissioners say it's an invasion of privacy.

They had to resign by Dec. 30 or fill out the form.

The only elected commissioner who's staying in his seat is Petrila.

Lorenzen told the commissioners he applied for the District Four seat because he's had a lifetime of solving problems. He was asked about his top issues facing the city that need to be addressed.

“I think the elephant in the room is clearly the conditional use permits for the Sirata and the TradeWinds. So, I’ve been kind of following that with interest. Have no opinion on it yet, but obviously been following that," Lorenzen said. "I think beach renourishment is a big one with the Army Corps of Engineers, getting that fixed.”

The commission is staggering the remaining three resignations in order to fill all the vacant seats before the end of the month. If they don't fill those seats by that deadline, the city would be on hold until a special election could take place in August.

Lorenzen said over the phone that he will be voting on those three other nominees next week. He also said he had no problem with the mayor voting against him.

The commissioners also voted 3-1 to reopen the application process for anyone who wants to fill a vacant seat.

The previous deadline had expired last night.

The only candidate who made that deadline for District Two called the process "unfair."

The commissioners are scheduled to appoint a new commissioner each day on Tuesday through Thursday.