IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Brian Hamman 

Cape Coral to WINK to Commissioner

Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman is proud of his heritage as a native of Lee County. His parents both came to the area as children, and so he counts himself as a “quasi-second-generation Lee Countian.”

Brian has served as District 4 Commissioner since 2013, when he was appointed by then-Governor Rick Scott to fill the 13-month remainder of Commissioner Tammy Hall’s term. Hall pleaded guilty to wire fraud and embezzling donor contributions.

Brian had already decided to run for the position in 2014. But Governor Scott made it happen a little earlier when the position opened up. So, Brian was ready to step in when the Governor called. In fact, he admitted he has been interested in running for public office since he was about 8 years old. He always felt he was made for such a job.

He is even more sure of that now, having served the people of the county for so long.

“I take this very seriously as a servant job,” he said. “I think it’s easy sometimes to elevate people who are in elected office to a leadership status, but truthfully, it is a representative job. It’s a servant job.”

He continued: “We have 860,000 people, I believe, who live in Lee County. We can’t get all of them to have a conversation about the budget and vote on it. They elect the five of us to be their representatives; to do the homework; and then make a decision on their behalf. And, hopefully, it’s the one that serves them the best. And so, that’s what I try to do. I try to very seriously do my homework, understand the issues and the context behind the decisions we are about to make, and then make the best decision I can, going forward for the greater community. That’s how I approach it.”

Brian was born and raised in Cape Coral. His parents have been in the county since the 1960s, so they pretty much were raised in the county, as well.

“I grew up in Cape Coral, and I’m a product of our local public school system,” he noted proudly. “I went to Cape Elementary, Gulf Middle and Cape Coral High School. And I got my associate’s degree at Edison, and then my Bachelor’s Degree at Florida Gulf Coast University. So I’m truly a product of our local school and university systems.”

He started working while he was still in high school, getting a job at WINK TV station. He continued in that job throughout college.

“I loved that job!” he said. “I started out in the field as a camera guy, and then I became a sportscaster. After that, I was a Monday through Friday main news anchor.” It was during his time at WINK that Brian met Rebecca, who also worked at the station. They fell in love and got married. Then Brian decided to take his career on the road. He was hired by a station in Joplin, Missouri, and stayed there for four years.

“That was the only time I have lived out of this area,” he said. “I was in Joplin – tornado alley – and that was scary because with hurricanes, at least you get a warning. But tornadoes can pop up pretty much any time. That was scary, but I loved the community. I loved the Midwestern, small-town values that I learned out there.”

After four years, however, Brian and Rebecca decided to come back to Southwest Florida. This was 2009 and they had been married nine years. They wanted to start a family, and this was where they wanted to be, close to family and friends.

Brian had been in the television business for 10 years, and he felt it was time for a change. He went to work in the business world.

“I worked as a market development manager for CenturyLink,” he said. “It was a job that had multiple roles: I did government affairs; I did public relations; I also handled all of our charitable giving and was kind of like the local face of the company. I built a great network.”

But something was missing.

“I felt the call to run for office,” he said. “Really, truly, ever since I was a little kid, I’ve wanted to run for office. And so I saw the opportunity come up and I ran for County Commissioner in 2013, and I won the election in 2014.”

On his Old County Courthouse wall Brian has a montage of newspaper coverage about his appointment.

As he describes it, it was quite the whirlwind. The day the Governor was going to announce the appointment, there was an event going on in Fort Myers that both Brian and the Governor would be attending. At the end of the meeting, the Governor held a quick news conference and made the announcement of the new Commissioner.

He did not have much time to bask in the glow of press coverage, since the Commission was about to begin its session. Brian rushed to the courthouse, was sworn in, and took his seat on the dais, jumping into Commission business without a hesitation.

What was one of the first issues he was called on to discuss?

“I’ve been here since 2014,” he recalled, “and one of the first things I learned about in 2014 was parking on Boca Grande! And we’ve been working with folks out there ever since.”

He did not go into detail for this profile, but he did have a suggestion: “I think the word that I like to use is ‘just organize it!’”

He did elaborate a little: “Organization, I think, will make a lot of sense, because as we continue to grow, and more and more people continue to discover Boca Grande, I think organization will really help the community as you move forward.”

Aside from the parking issue, he expressed his fondness for Boca Grande: “I love the community. I remember when I worked in television news one of my favorite assignments every year was to go out to Boca Grande and cover the Bushes as they had their January vacation out there.”

He recalled an incident during that time.

“I was just a camera guy, and so my job was to set up the live shot for the reporters who were out on the island. One day while I was just waiting for everything to happen, Barbara Bush just comes walking around the corner with what I assumed was a granddaughter or somebody – a small girl. The girl fell off her scooter and maybe skinned her knee a little bit. So Barbara went to attend to the girl, but the dog got away from Barbara, and I tried to help corral the dog. So we got the dog back to Barbara, and everybody made it back to the Inn, where they obviously got settled.”

He continued: “And then Jeb Bush was kind enough to come back later and say, ‘Thanks for helping Mom out.’ And I thought, ‘Wow, this is just a magical place, where you can interact with people who once led our state or our country. It’s amazing.’ Boca Grande for me has always been just a really special place to visit because usually there’s something going on. It’s kind of cool, when you think about it, buying ice cream or something from the same place as George Bush might have bought his!”

That magical sense never gets old, and never seems to leave the island. There do not need to be celebrities for Brian and his family to visit the island, though. One of their favorite things is coming to the beach and just chilling.

“I have a pretty busy schedule,” he admitted, “but when I do get a chance to relax, it’s usually time with my children. And one of my favorite things is going to the beach or cruising. And Boca Grande is beautiful for this. I enjoy getting out to the beach and just staring out into the water. It’s like all your worries can just fade away into the water. So, I do enjoy the beach a lot.”

Brian’s family includes his wife, Rebecca, and their two children: Kaitlyn, who will turn 15 next month; and Jacob, who is 9. They both attend public schools in Lee County. Rebecca works part time at their church, Crosspoint Christian Church.

He also volunteers at the church every Sunday, and often delivers the Communion meditation for the congregation. “It’s really been a blessing to our family to be able to be that involved in church,” he said. “It’s very near and dear to me.”

For fun and relaxation, the Hamman family has discovered the joys of cruising. They have been to a number of Caribbean islands and have come to appreciate just enjoying the amenities of the ship. It is time together that they all value.

That is important, since two or three years ago Brian also added working part time at his father’s business to his resume. His father owns a 40-year-old electrical subcontracting business. Around the time Hurricane Ian hit, Brian’s father was diagnosed with cancer. He is doing well now, Brian said, but it was a life-changing diagnosis, and Brian volunteered to step in and help.

The company works exclusively in Cape Coral and works mostly with builders who are constructing new homes. Brian helps with the business end of things.

“You know, it’s really neat when you go to the family business and you get to see firsthand that you are helping people put food on their table,” he said. “And it’s a completely different mindset when you’re the business owner, because it’s not just your family you’re worried about. You actually have to try and keep the whole thing going for all the other families that count on your business. It’s neat.”

He added: “Working there for the last few years has really helped me reconnect with the idea that sometimes well-intentioned rules that you may pass as a legislator can have unintended consequences on small businesses. It’s really been helpful to me to see how it works from a business perspective, as well as how it works as a legislator.”

Brian has one more four-year term he could serve, and he plans to run for reelection next year. It is his constantly being open to seeing things from new perspectives that keeps him excited about being a County Commissioner. It will be interesting to see where that leads him over the next year or more.