Derreck Ogden is running for Stuart City Commissioner Group 3 against Merritt Matheson, and his campaign centers on slowing development, protecting the St. Lucie River, and making city government more transparent to residents.
Ogden, a single father and 20-plus-year Stuart resident, said his top concerns are development and the health of the river. He pushed back on the idea that he supports no growth at all, saying Stuart will grow naturally regardless of policy. His focus, he said, is stopping the city from what he described as automatically approving projects that increase density and paving over green space that would otherwise absorb rainwater before it reaches the river.
Slow Growth and Protecting the River
Ogden framed his position in practical terms rather than environmental activism. He compared a parking lot to a forest, arguing that rain soaks into the ground or filters naturally when it hits grass, but runs straight into storm drains and the river when it hits pavement. He said that reasoning, not a scientific background, is what drives his opposition to continued paving and increased density.
He also pointed to downtown businesses along Colorado Avenue as an example of what he wants to preserve, contrasting local establishments with what he called the corporatization of small towns, using his childhood in Jupiter as a comparison. He said Stuart is one of the last small, walkable coastal towns left on Florida’s east coast and argued that character is worth protecting deliberately.
The Sailfish Park Ballfields & the Brightline Questions
A central issue in Ogden’s campaign is his push to require voter approval before the city sells or leases significant public land long-term, citing the Sailfish Park ballfields as the clearest example. He said the fields have not drawn unsolicited development offers so far because the current commission holds a 2-2 split that developers see as unfriendly to that kind of proposal. He argued that a shift toward a more development-friendly commission majority could change that.
Ogden connected this to speculation around a potential Brightline train station in Downtown Stuart, which he said he does not believe will actually happen given regulatory hurdles with the FEC and the Coast Guard over the train bridge. He said he opposes any local tax dollars being used to help build a station if one were proposed. Even so, he argued that the possibility alone puts pressure on nearby areas, including Sailfish Park and East Stuart, since developers look for the next available site regardless of whether the station materializes.
He said East Stuart in particular gets discussed publicly but rarely receives real follow-through, and that residents there are wary of gentrification and rising costs if development moves eastward.
Listeners interested in how past and current Stuart leaders have approached growth and development pressure may also want to hear from former Stuart mayor Chris Collins, or the conversation with Commissioner Sean Reed, whom Ogden name-checked as an ally on the transparency proposals discussed below.
Affordable Housing & Where the Gaps Are
Ogden was critical of how affordable housing gets approved in Stuart. He described a pattern where developers propose affordable units to secure approval for larger projects, but said there is little enforcement afterward to confirm units stay affordable over time. He said properties can end up owned by investment funds with no direct connection to the city, priced at market rate once initial requirements lapse.
He also raised concerns about how affordability is calculated using the area median income, arguing the formula can allow rents that remain out of reach for workers like teachers or firefighters. Ogden said he does not believe a clear solution currently exists and that, in his view, affordable housing designations are sometimes used as a pathway to approval rather than a guarantee of long-term affordability.
A First 100 Days Plan Built on Transparency
Ogden’s campaign platform, outlined at savestuart.com under a “First 100” tab, is organized around four principles: protection, leadership, ownership, and transparency.
Key elements he described include:
- Requiring roughly two-thirds neighborhood support before the commission acts on major decisions affecting a specific area, citing East Stuart as an example
- Affirming that city-owned land belongs to residents, not commissioners, and should not be sold or leased without voter input
- Making commissioner emails searchable on the city website rather than requiring public records requests, an idea he said Commissioner Sean Reed and another commissioner have already supported but lacked a third vote to pass
- Creating a public activity log where commissioners disclose meetings, meals, or outings with developers or other interested parties
Ogden said he wants these changes eventually written into the city charter so a future commission could not easily undo them, and that he expects the process to take time given the next charter-amendment opportunity would not arrive until 2028.
Supporting Small Business in Stuart
Ogden, who has owned a small business in Martin County since 2009, said commercial land is increasingly being converted to multifamily residential use, which he argued limits the space available for businesses to open and create local jobs. He connected this to affordability more broadly, saying that wages, not just real estate prices, determine whether people can afford to live in Stuart.
He also said Stuart’s local chambers of commerce tend to favor whichever businesses contribute the most financially, which he argued leaves smaller, longer-established businesses without a strong advocate. He said he sees himself as a stakeholder in that conversation as both a candidate and a small business owner.
Local business owners and residents who want to see the character of Downtown Stuart’s shopping district firsthand can find more on TreasureCoast.com. For background on regional water quality issues Ogden referenced, TreasureCoast.com’s coverage of the Florida Oceanographic Society’s ecosystem work and the statewide push around water policy offer additional context.
Where Ogden Stands Heading Into Election Day
Ogden pointed voters to savestuart.com, where his campaign has published his platform along with what he described as his opponent’s public voting record on development-related items during Matheson’s prior term on the commission. He encouraged residents to review the record directly on the city’s website rather than rely solely on campaign materials from either side.
