Aposporos will step down as chamber president

Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce President Tom Aposporos will step down from his role by the end of the year.

The chamber announced Aposporos’ resignation in a news release Monday afternoon.

“The board understood from the outset that Tom would not be here forever,” said Longboat Key Chamber Board of Directors Chairman Jimmy Seaton, of Longboat Limousine and Liquid Limousine Charters, in the release. He added that Aposporos has also expressed a willingness to continue to work for the chamber part-time, managing special projects or representing the chamber in public or governmental affairs.

Aposporos, a real-estate broker for J Wood Realty, said that he will have more time to devote to business following his resignation. But the Anna Maria resident is also considering a run for the Anna Maria City Commission and will have to decide Oct. 31, whether he wants to pursue a seat.

It wouldn’t be the first time Aposporos entered the political arena.

He was the youngest mayor in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and served four terms in office. He later served on the Anna Maria City Commission in 2002 and 2003 and twice chaired Anna Maria’s Charter Review Commission.

Aposporos has also been active in town affairs, advocating for the Longboat Key Club & Resort’s proposed $400 million Islandside project and serving on the Longboat Key Revitalization Task Force.

Aposporos is also a stage actor who helped to found Theatre Odyssey, which primarily produces new plays by emerging writers and also acts in commercials, most notably in three advertisements for the Dattoli Cancer Center.

He became the chamber’s acting president in February 2009, following the resignation of Executive Director Gail Loefgren, and became the official president the following June.

The board plans to develop a succession plan over the next 30 days. The chamber’s executive vice president, Dawn Mims, who has worked for the organization since 2007, continues to serve in her role.