IN THE PUBLIC EYE: Jon Thaxton

Position: Sarasota County Commissioner, District 5
Hometown: Osprey, Fla.
Pet Peeves: The word “dignitaries,” and when new buildings are branded with plaques bearing county commissioners’ names.
Fielding position: First baseman
Age: 54

Sarasota County Commissioner Jon Thaxton took out a GMAC loan to buy a 360 Chevy Nova Super Sport before he was old enough to drive.

He fought the Florida Department of Transportation’s plan to cut Interstate-75 through virgin lands without regard to native flora and fauna before he could even vote.

He bought his first home at 18 before he was married.

In so many words, Jon Thaxton has a tendency to get ahead of himself.

But Thaxton’s meticulous forward planning is what makes him such an effective county commissioner — and made the surprise ruling by the Florida Supreme Court that toppled his plans for a fourth term a significant hurdle.

Before the court ruling on term limits, Thaxton had mapped the remainder of his career out with a final term in the commission, a few years of real estate consulting and retirement, which would include a summer home in a cooler climate. Now he’s juggling 60-hour workweeks and swarms of reporters aching to know what’s next.

But in true Thaxton style, the gears in his head are spinning and he promises to let the public know when he settles on a decision for his next career move.

Whether he’s yanking 200-pound tarpon out of the Gulf of Mexico in a kayak or bagging a Thanksgiving turkey, Thaxton never separates hunting from nature, which has made his political leanings difficult to label. The awards he won last year, including recognition of leadership from the Coalition of Business Associations and a Lifetime Achievement award from the Venice Audubon Society, form an interesting juxtaposition on his office walls.

His youth was filled with days of hunting and nights of camping — without a tent, of course. But when he took an ecology class at Venice High with teacher Bill Wimbish, he learned why he could find hogs near a particular type of brush or why one species of fish lingers where fresh and saltwater meet. “It was like everything fell into place,” he says.

This environmental focus coupled with a pro-business mindset has helped him form intimate bonds with Sarasota County residents since he was elected to the county commission in 2000. However, he will not challenge the court’s decision, he said.

But Thaxton’s approachability and residents’ close watch on the commission, which turn Publix, Economy Tackle and his church into de facto public forums, exemplify the importance of experience in the commission, he says.

“If you are derelict you will be voted out of office” Thaxton says. “I don’t care how long you’ve been in office, and I don’t care how much money you can raise — you’re toast.”