RAY JUDAH

 

COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT No. 3

Iona/McGregor Area, Fort Myers Beach, South Fort Myers, Estero & Bonita Springs to Collier County Line

 

PERSONAL/EDUCATIONAL

Born in 1953, Cebu Islands, Philippines

Proudly and happily married to Kristen Leigh Judah

Devoted father of Kallen Lee Judah, born August 1988

Master of Science in Natural Resources and Bachelor of Arts in Zoology

Graduated Cum Laude from California State University, Humboldt

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Lee County Commissioner Since 1988
  • Principal Land Use Planner
  • Lee County Department of Community Development
    Biologist
  • Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of Interior  Kern County, California
  • Marine Biologist
  • Environmental Quality Laboratory, GDC Charlotte County
  • Environmental Specialist
  • Florida Department of Environmental Regulation
    Charlotte & Lee Counties

GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

  • Chairman of the Lee County Commission, 1994, 1998, 2003
  • Member, Metropolitan Planning Organization
  • Co-founder, CREW - Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed
  • Past Chairman of the Lee County Tourist Development Council, 1998, 2003
  • Member, Lee County Chapter of the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Council
  • Chairman, Local Coordinating Board/Transportation Disadvantaged
  • Past Chairman of the West Coast Inland Navigation District
  • Lee County Delegate to the Governor's Conference on Information Services and Library Systems

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • Spearheaded beach restoration of Fort Myers Beach
  • Championed the acquisition of critical water resource areas in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed
  • Led the successful effort to put the Conservation 20/20 initiative on the referendum in 1996 to purchase environmentally sensitive land
  • Championed the construction of numerous community and regional parks and libraries
  • Took the lead to construct state-of-art Waste to Energy Plant
    (Honored as the "Best Project in the World" by Power Engineering International in 1995)
  • Awarded "Conservationist of the Year" from the Florida Audubon Society in 1984 & 1996
  • Won 1992 "Environmental Public Service Award" from Keep Lee County Beautiful
  • Strong advocate of major infrastructure projects such as the expansion of Southwest Florida International Airport, regional water and sewer facilities, and road transportation network, which support economic development in Lee County
  • Continues to take the lead in balancing growth management and responsible stewardship of our natural resources
  • Awarded the 2001 Community Coordinating Council "Most Outstanding Public Official"
  • Recipient of the "Friend of Fort Myers Beach Award" from the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce in 2002
  • Received the 2003 Estero Chamber of Commerce "Person of the Year Award"
  • Named as a "Champion of the Environment" by Gulfshore Life    Magazine in 2003
  • Recipient of the "Pathfinder Award" for vision and leadership by the Urban Land Institute in 2003

MEMBERSHIPS

  • Kiwanis Club of Downtown Fort Myers
  • Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium
  • Lee County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society
  • Children's Math and Science Center in Cape Coral
  • National Association of Underwater Instructors

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

  • Coach, South Fort Myers and Fort Myers American Little League for over 15 years
  • Assistant to the Bishop Verot High School Baseball Program
  • Judge of the Edison Regional Science Fair
  • Coastal Clean Up
  • Community Redevelopment Clean Up & Beautification Projects