Tara CDD — Seat 2: John Schmidt

Age: 70

Occupation: Retired

Hometown: Staten Island, N.Y.

About:  John Schmidt holds a bachelor degree from the City University of New York in economics, and was employed for 34 years by AT&T.  One of the many positions he held while working for AT&T was running large user meetings for companies that used AT&T voice and data products. He was president of Cedar Grove Beach Club, as well as a governor of that organization for 10 years. Schmidt came to Florida and The Preserve at Tara with his wife, who is now deceased, in 2002. He became involved with the Tara Master Association fairly early after that and was on the original Architectural Review Committee. There, he helped write the first ARC documents. He has been a CDD supervisor since 2008.

Why are you running for office?

I have felt that over the past eight years, I have accomplished many things for the community, and worked diligently with other supervisors to keep within budgets. I feel that there is much more that I can contribute to the community. 

What experiences do you have that make you believe you are the right candidate for the job? 

Having served for eight years, I have learned a lot, was elected chairman twice, and have accomplished many things to show for it.

What do you see as the biggest challenge the district faces and how do you plan address it? 

The district is growing older. We are beginning to see signs of wear and we must identify fixes or alternatives and strive to keep within budget and keep the fees — taxes — to the residents as low as we possibly can.

Community aesthetics continue to be a concern for residents. What changes to the district’s policies, if any, do you think should be made to improve community aesthetics? 

I differ from some who feel that we must design and plant gardens around the Preserve. I feel that we must first repair and maintain the property — the gardens and grounds — we have now to make them as beautiful as we can.

Do you foresee any changes to the amenities offered to Tara Preserve residents via the CDD? If so, what should they be? 

I would like to see if there are any activities we can offer that the residents will attend. When we have more and more people attending activities such as pickle ball, water volleyball, card nights, yoga, dance classes and the like, we will have to look into alternative venues where these activities are held.

What do you believe should be other top priorities and why? 

Logical approaches to: (1.)  Maintaining facilities; (2.)  Environmental awareness to the Preserve, it’s natural beauty, husbandry of the trees, grounds, animals, and ponds;  (3.)  Ensure the financial health of the CDD; (4.)  Work with the residents to be informative and meet their needs within the boundaries of the Florida state statues that created the CDD.