Will Laughlin is running for the Group 1 seat on the City of Stuart Commission. A 33-year resident of the city, he worked as a school teacher before stepping away to care for his father, after which he moved into investment management, eventually starting a small investment fund. He said watching state legislation reach further into local decisions is what prompted him to run for office, particularly concerns about how new state laws could change the character of Downtown Stuart.
State Legislation and Local Control
Laughlin pointed to a series of state laws he said have steadily reduced local government’s control over development decisions, including the Live Local Act of 2024 and Senate Bill 180, passed in 2025. He described the trend as a gradual erosion of local authority rather than a single dramatic change, and said residents need to stay aware of these laws or risk losing control over decisions that shape their community.
He specifically raised concerns about the ball fields at Sailfish Ball Park, saying he believes the site could become a target for future development under these state provisions.
Property Taxes and the City Budget
Laughlin discussed the city’s current budget process, noting that Stuart’s property tax revenue has roughly doubled over the past decade even though the city’s population has not grown at the same rate. He said this reflects rising costs being placed on existing residents rather than new growth funding itself.
At a recent city commission budget meeting, Laughlin said officials discussed a potential shortfall of up to $3.5 million, with the millage rate under consideration to determine whether it would remain at 4.9 or return to 5.0. He said the additional revenue from raising the millage rate would largely be absorbed by fire and police funding, which make up roughly 52 percent of the city’s budget.
Laughlin also addressed Stuart’s Community Redevelopment Agency, arguing that its original purpose of revitalizing downtown Stuart has largely been accomplished and that its growing fund balance deserves closer scrutiny. He compared the pattern to California’s experience with redevelopment agencies, many of which were eventually dissolved once their funding outpaced their original objectives.
TreasureCoast.com has covered Stuart city government in previous episodes, including conversations with Stuart Mayor Chris Collins and Stuart City Commissioner Sean Reed about budget and development decisions facing the city.
What Smart Growth Looks Like in Downtown Stuart
Laughlin said he supports what he calls smart growth, meaning new development that maintains continuity with the surrounding area rather than introducing buildings that clash with downtown Stuart’s existing scale. He referenced a hotel project approved near downtown, saying he believes a similar project could have worked better in a location farther from the downtown core, such as closer to Interstate 95.
He said his concern is not growth itself, but ensuring that new projects fit the character of the surrounding area, including building height and architectural style.
Affordable Housing and Accessory Dwelling Units
On affordable housing, Laughlin pointed to accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, as a policy tool he believes could help. He said allowing homeowners to build small secondary units on their property could create additional affordable housing supply owned by local residents rather than large investment firms.
He referenced research he conducted comparing local wages to available housing. Based on a starting salary of about $85,000 for nurses, he said roughly 1,000 units were available at a 35 percent rent-to-income ratio. For teachers in Martin County, whose starting pay he cited at about $51,000, he said only 29 units met the same affordability threshold, a gap he said creates challenges for local school districts trying to recruit and retain staff.
How Rezoning Decisions Get Made
Laughlin discussed the rezoning of the Sailfish Cay property from commercial to residential use, arguing that the change removed potential commercial and job-creating development in the area. He said the resulting housing was not affordable, and that other nearby commercial parcels were already in the process of being developed at the time of the rezoning, suggesting the shift may have happened before demand justified it.
The Live Local Act and Nearby Developments
Laughlin said he was not familiar with a specific development in Fort Pierce referenced during the conversation, but noted that similar projects have been proposed elsewhere on the Treasure Coast under the Live Local Act, including in the Port Salerno area.
Home Rule and State Oversight
Laughlin spoke at length about home rule, the principle that local governments should retain authority over decisions affecting their communities. He criticized what he described as a broader trend of state government expanding its reach into local land use decisions, arguing that this shifts power toward large developers and investment firms at the expense of local residents and small developers.
He referenced legal costs the city incurred joining other municipalities in a legal challenge to Senate Bill 180, arguing that the expense was justified given the scale of development decisions at stake. He also cited other Florida cities, including Doral, that have raised similar concerns about the law.
A Vision for Stuart’s Future
Asked what he hopes Stuart will look like if elected, Laughlin said he wants to avoid additional four-story developments near downtown and preserve the ball fields at Sailfish Ball Park. He said his broader goal is for Stuart to retain its identity as a small, coastal community, adding that he would consider his term successful if it passed without major controversy or significant change to the character of the city.
