TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — The latest change to impact Treasure Island as a result of Hurricanes Helene and Milton came in the form of a leadership shift.

On Tuesday, John Doctor was sworn in as Treasure Island's new mayor following the resignation of former mayor Tyler Payne.

What You Need To Know

  • Treasure Island's new mayor, John Doctor, was sworn in Tuesday

  • Doctor served as vice mayor with former mayor Tyler Payne, who resigned this week

  • The mayor spent his first two days in his new position focusing on storm recovery

  • PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Treasure Island Mayor resigns in wake of hurricanes

“I was surprised. I actually heard it from the mayor,” said Doctor. “He gave me a call on Monday afternoon and told me what he was going to be doing and why.”

Payne posted to Facebook that he was resigning “with a heavy heart” after three and a half years.

He wrote that both his parents’ home, where he grew up, and his own home were damaged beyond repair. The post reads in part, “As we recover from these storms, it is going to be critical for the mayor to dedicate a significant amount of time to lead our community through the process. At this point in my professional and personal life, I unfortunately do not have the necessary bandwidth to fulfill that need.”

Doctor said he’s served as a city commissioner, most recently as vice mayor, for nearly four years. He said he wanted to take part in local government after seeing some of the city’s businesses, like Gator’s Cafe in John’s Pass, close down and sit vacant.

“We have too great of a community here and too great of people here that we have all of this empty land. So, I decided I would get involved,” he said. 

The new mayor’s first days in office have been spent focused on storm recovery. Immediately following his swearing-in, Doctor presided over a city commission meeting that he said addressed the permitting process residents have to go through to make repairs to flood-damaged homes. On Wednesday, he attended a meeting where residents could meet with FEMA representatives and ask questions, including about the 50% rule. That limits the cost of repairs to a home in flood-prone areas to half its market value.

“If it goes above that, then they may have to demolish their home and either start over or sell. We don’t want to see that,” Doctor said. 

Doctor said the next steps toward recovery at the city level have to do with that permitting process. He said the hope is that the city can accelerate getting permits to residents in the coming weeks to help them get back into their homes. 

Spectrum News asked Doctor about taking on the role of mayor at such a challenging time for the city.

“It is overwhelming, and I do accept the challenge,” he said. “I had a good career that gave me a lot of tools to use, and I think that we will be back on track within a couple of months. Not that we’re going to be rebuilt or anything else, but we will be back on track as far as a city and moving forward.”

Doctor is retired after 35 years working in cable television with Time Warner, Bright House Networks and Spectrum, where he was the corporate vice president of field operations.

He said he’s lived in Florida for 30 years, 16 of those in Treasure Island.