City councilor to step down in bid for higher office: Hines throws his hat into 2012 commission race, set to take on Kelly Windes

After months of contemplating the idea, Larry Hines has decided that he will eventually step down from the City Council, and once again throw his hat in the race for the District Five seat of the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners.

“I am excited… it wasn’t an easy decision,” Hines told The Log Thursday. “I want to try and continue to do what I am doing on the City Council right now, which is helping the economy, and apply it to the county level.”

Hines, who lost his last bid for the county seat in 2008 to current chairman James Campbell, was elected to a four-year term on the Destin City Council in March 2010. According to Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections Paul Lux, Hines would have to file his official letter of resignation 10 days before candidate qualifying begins in June.

To read a candidate Q and A from the 2008 election, click here.

The resignation would have to be effective no later than Nov. 19, 2012.

City Clerk Rey Bailey said the city’s charter states that since Hines would have more than one year remaining on his elected term and another election is not scheduled, the city would fill his spot on the council on an interim basis. A special election would then be held to fill the vacancy.

As for running against fellow Destin resident, boat captain and former city councilman Kelly Windes, Hines said that the best man would win.

“My running has nothing to do with my opinion or feelings toward Kelly,” he said. “If he wins I will be the first to call him and congratulate him — we are going to have an honest and open campaign.”

For his part, Windes said that the two men recently spoke over lunch.

“He is a good man and has every right to run, “ Windes told The Log. “I wish him the best of luck.”

When Hines ran for the seat in 2008, he said that he ran because he was concerned with property taxes and the effect they were having on the local economy. This time around, Hines said his focus is still on the economy, but with a lean toward the beaches.

As a proponent of beach restoration, Hines said that there were two lessons learned from the BP oil spill. First, he said he learned how united the city of Destin, the county and all of its residents were. Secondly, he said that the spill made everyone realize how important the beaches truly are to the area.

“We need to move forward with the beach restoration projects, while taking into account private property rights,” Hines said. “We need to maintain the beaches and keep them pristine and healthy, which is something that we are working on now on both the city and county level.”

As for whether Destin residents who voted for him should feel jilted, Hines said not at all.

He said the city has accomplished a lot during his time on the council, and they are in good shape to continue doing great things moving forward.

“I want to represent our residents at a higher level,” he said.

With the election still far on the horizon, Hines said that his immediate goal is to continue to represent Destin as a member of the city council. Hines will officially file his paperwork in the upcoming weeks.

“Right now I am just trying to get organized,” he said of the 2012 election. “Until then, I will be a full-time councilman and will not let that affect my job.”