In this episode, Brett sits down with former four-term member of the Florida House of Representatives, Florida Keys champion, and current mayor of Monroe County – Holly Raschein.
Holly was born and raised in Alaska, but she has ultimately made her home over 5,000 miles away in the Florida Keys. Holly got her start in the legislative process working for lobbying legend Bob Levy, working with now-Florida Senator, Ana Maria Rodriguez. She would go on to work as an aide to two House members from Monroe County (Ken Sorensen and Ron Saunders) before staking her own claim on Florida’s Southernmost seat in the legislature for four terms. In addition to being a county commissioner and the county’s mayor, she is also the Director of Government Affairs for AshBritt, a well-known operator in the world of disaster recovery.
They discuss her parents’ individual journeys to end up in Alaska; her childhood amongst the moose; the decision to head for the opposite side of the country for college at Florida State University; how she ended up in the “Fabulous Florida Keys”; the interesting and quirky similarities between the Keys and Alaska; how she decided to run for state office and the massive impact she made there; what the passage of the Florida Keys Stewardship Act means for the future of her community; what she brought back home to make her more effective as a county commissioner; and the challenges that lie ahead for The Keys.
Holly is as active as ever in her many philanthropic endeavors, and even with an incredibly busy life, she still makes her son her biggest priority. If you want to find out what makes the Keys special and what it takes to make a difference there, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. Plus, you’ll get some advice on what to do if you get chased by a moose.
We hope you enjoy the conversation!
To check out Holly’s Wikipedia page, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly_Merrill_Raschein
To see what’s in the Florida Keys Stewardship Act, head here: https://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/721/Florida-Keys-Stewardship-Act
If you’d like to know more about Holly’s important work at AshBritt, go here: https://www.ashbritt.com
While you’re here, why not check out a few fun facts about Alaskan Moose here: https://www.alaskatourjobs.com/blog/useful-tips/five-fun-facts-about-alaskan-moose/
This episode of Water for Fighting is brought to you by my friends at Sea and Shoreline.
Sea and Shoreline is the Southeast’s leading innovator in protecting coastal communities from devastating storms and restoring ecosystems that once faced ecological collapse. Visit their website at www.Seaandshoreline.com.
This Episode is also thanks to my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions.
RES is the nation’s leader in ecological restoration, helping to restore Florida’s natural resources with water quality and stormwater solutions that offer communities guaranteed performance and outcomes. Check them out at www.res.us
Please be sure to check out the Florida Specifier Podcast hosted by Ryan Matthews and myself as part of a new venture where we’re striving to become Florida’s first source for environmental news, educational tools, and unique perspectives on our state’s natural environment and the events that shape it. To learn more about its flagship print publication and more, visit The Florida Specifier.
You can follow the show on LinkedIn and Instagram @flwaterpod, and you can reach me directly at FLwaterpod@gmail.com with your comments and suggestions for who and/or what you’d like to know more about.
Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.
And finally, a very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band for giving permission to use his music for this podcast. The song is called Doing Work for Free, (Apple Music | Spotify) and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold.
