Trish Petrosky says that when she decided to apply to be appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis as a Lee County commissioner, she first called local campaign consultant Terry Miller.
Petrosky, speaking to Business People United Political Action Committee (BUPAC) on May 28 said her good friend Tiffany Esposito, State Representative for District 77, recommended she talk to Miller. Miller is also a consultant for Esposito as well as three other serving county commissioners.
Petrosky sought consultant’s help with Lee Commission appointment
Petrosky said she had expressed her interest in public office to Esposito, who recommended she talk to Miller several months before her predecessor Mike Greenwell died in office in early October.
Petrosky said she and her husband moved from Estero to Alva because they needed room for their three sons, all 10 and under. She said they actually made an offer on a house in August, but delays in closing meant they didn’t move in until Halloween. When DeSantis began accepting applications in December she applied, then called Miller.
“I reached out to Terry and asked him to help out and make some phone calls on my behalf,” she said.
The governor’s appointment office called her, she said, and did an in-depth interview. She was appointed Dec. 12. She did not speak to the governor.
BUPAC meets weekly at Eastwood golf course. The group hears from candidates and elected officials regularly. Both Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson and Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter attended to hear Petrosky, as well as numerous other candidates. The freeform meetings typically feature members lobbing questions from the floor.
Petrosky said she was fortunate to join a board that is “closely aligned”.
Since she was appointed in December, DeSantis’ office has declined to immediately release documents related to Petrosky’s appointment and other applicants for the seat, citing a backlog in public records requests.
Petrosky has filed to run for election to the seat, and she has two challengers. Amanda Cochran ran against late Commissioner Mike Greenwell in 2024, falling short by 55-45 percent. Cochran beat Greenwell in 15 of the 17 District 5 precincts, but lost countywide.
Both women are Republicans. There is also a registered write-in candidate. Michael Mincieli does not live in the district, living nearby in District 4. If all three candidates qualify and no one else enters the fray Petrosky and Cochran will face off in a closed Republican primary. Mincieli would not appear on the General election ballot, but could be written in.
‘County is on the right path’
“Lee County is on the right path,” she said. “We need to keep moving on the right path.”
Petrosky said she was honored to get the appointment and she believes the state has done well under DeSantis’ leadership.
The first time she ever attended a Lee County commission meeting was as a commissioner, Petrosky said.
Petrosky wears her religion on her sleeve, telling BUPAC members she wanted to see more Christians in places of power. She said the Constitution is “Christian-infused” and that her own morals are based on scripture.
With property tax changes being discussed in Tallahassee Petrosky said commissioners have instructed their staff to keep budgets flat and asked the five Constitutional officers to do so as well. She said she does not believe in new taxes or raising taxes.
“These are hard conversations we’re having,” she said. “We have to explore all options.”
No to impact fees – yes to development deals
One option she said she is not looking at is impact fees. The county has deeply discounted the fees for almost 20 years, leaving millions of dollars on the table for developers to pocket instead of having them to build the infrastructure new development demands.
Petrosky instead talked about deals with developers that call for them to build needed infrastructure. She even spoke of a road being built by the massive and controversial Kingston development in southeast Lee.
“We need infrastructure and we tell staff to work with them (developers)” she said.
Despite repeated assertions from questioners that not maximizing impact fees leaves taxpayers to pick up the tab she said development deals are the way to go.
“That spine road at Kingston we couldn’t afford to do with impact fees,” she said. “That’s the bang for the buck.”
“Kingston is going to be really exciting to watch,” she said.
Petrosky said she will make being commissioner her full-time job.
“I don’t think you can do both,” she said. “It’s a disservice to be half in and half out. This job is full-time if you’re doing it.”
Other commissioners are still working outside of their county commission jobs.
Charlie Whitehead covers the city of Fort Myers and Lee County. Reach him at cwhitehead@news-press.com.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: How did Lee County Commissioner Petrosky get appointed by DeSantis? Here’s her story.
Reporting by Charlie Whitehead, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
