Vice Mayor Mike Haycock reflects on nine years of service to Longboat Key

At Mike Haycock’s last meeting as a town commissioner and vice mayor, he received a plaque of appreciation for his nine years of service and gave a speech about all the commission accomplished, how they planned for the future, what he wished they could have improved and the surprises along the way. 

But at the bottom of the typed printout, Haycock’s improvised handwriting said the most: “My pleasure and honor to serve our community.” 

Haycock, 75, will reach the end of his second and final term on the Longboat Key town commission this month. The end of his term marks nine years of service to the community, including three years on the Planning and Zoning Board and six on the commission. 

During that time, Haycock has been a part of major town issues like the redevelopment of The Colony and shaping the Town Center Green vision. And that’s just the shortlist. 

About 30 years ago, Haycock and his wife, Lyn, chose Longboat Key as the spot where they wanted to get married. Haycock said they had an affection for Longboat Key before the wedding, a feeling which grew when they decided to move to the island. 

“(We) never dreamed that we would actually live here after we got married…but we had been traveling to lots of different places and loved Longboat Key all over again,” Haycock said.

Haycock retired about 10 years ago from an executive career at companies like Proctor & Gamble and Tropicana. He only took one year off in retirement before he decided he wanted to give back to the Longboat Key community he and his wife grew to love. 

Photo by Carter Weinhofer

For Haycock, that meant joining the Longboat Key Planning & Zoning Board, where he spent three years. That board, Haycock said, was a pivotal starting point like it is for many other town commissioners.

“Planning and zoning is a great grounding area because a big part of keeping Longboat, Longboat are our town zoning laws,” Haycock said.

And what does it mean to keep Longboat, Longboat to Haycock?

“Somehow, Longboat’s figured out a way to balance residential, commercial and resort into one beautiful place that all of us can thrive and be successful, but not at the detriment of anything else,” Haycock said.

Haycock lives the Longboat life in the midst of the balance — living with water and a boat in his backyard, and within biking distance from a country club and grocery store. 

His interest in local government was born from a desire to give back to the community and help maintain that community balance.

A career after retirement 

After he gained his footing from the board, Haycock decided to move up to the town commission. 

Haycock spent many of his commission years as vice mayor and was a part of conversations surrounding issues like The Colony property redevelopment, beach renourishment projects, the undergrounding project, traffic, sea level rise, the Town Center Green and the beginning of a canal maintenance program.

When asked his proudest achievement while being on the commission, Haycock said: “I think being a part of what we accomplished. It’s about playing either a small role or maybe a larger role in that.”

His time on the board and town commission came with surprises, too, like red tide, the COVID-19 pandemic, the subaqueous force main break, hiring a new town manager and hurricanes. All of those obstacles, like any issue, had to be overcome by a group effort from the entire commission.

Haycock emphasized it’s about more than himself — it takes the voices of all seven town commissioners. 

“None of us as a single commissioner really accomplished anything,” Haycock said. “All the stuff that we accomplished, it was really the group doing it together.”

The biggest issue the commission overcame during his time was The Colony redevelopment, which Haycock pointed out as the largest achievement he saw during his tenure. The redevelopment included negotiations with former owners, demolishing the previous building, picking the St. Regis as a partner and working through the St. Regis’ plans and variances. 

Another important aspect of being on the commission, Haycock said, is looking ahead and anticipating the future needs of the community, something he said has been more prominent in recent years. 

“A big part of the commission is looking ahead and trying to anticipate what the needs are,” Haycock said. “This commission, I think, did as much of that as I’ve ever seen before.”

Photo by Carter Weinhofer

Without the commitment of being a commissioner, including planning around commission meetings and spending hours on homework, Haycock said he’s ready to do some travel. 

Australia, New Zealand and Portugal are among the first destinations on he and Lyn’s itinerary. 

He said his new commission retirement will also allow him to get around to seeing his 10 grandchildren more often.

But Haycock hinted at his last meeting on March 3 that it won’t be the last time the commission sees him. 

Though he’s ready to enjoy a couple of months of travel and seeing family, he predicts he won’t be able to sit still for too long. 

“I’ll find something else to do to keep the brain going. I’ll figure something out…maybe something that the town asks me to do in the future that makes sense,” Haycock said.