Welaka mayor running for Legislature seat

Welaka Mayor Jamie Watts has his sights set on Tallahassee as he hopes to represent Putnam and surrounding counties in the state House of Representatives.

He filed his intent Friday in Tallahassee to run for the District 20 House representative seat in the 2024 election. If elected, he would replace Rep. Bobby Payne, R-Palatka, whose term expires next year.

Watts was elected to the Welaka Town Council in 2009, he said, and became mayor in 2021. He said he knows growth is coming to the town and Putnam County, which is why the decision to take a swing at state leadership was hard.

He said state and local leaders approached him about two years ago asking if he would run for state office, something he had never considered before that time.

“I really struggled with it,” Watts said Tuesday. “I said, ‘You know, we can really do a lot of good (in Welaka).’ But then I looked at the work that we did with Rep. Payne and realized we’ve got to have the support on the state level or this is not going to work.”

Watts will run as a Republican and hopes to have the District 20 seat-holder remain in Putnam County.

District 20 comprises Putnam County and parts of Clay, Marion and St. Johns counties, according to the Florida House. Because the other counties are part of numerous districts, there are various representatives in Clay, Marion and St. Johns, Watts said.

“If we lose somebody locally from Putnam County in that seat, then Putnam County doesn’t have anyone from this county representing us in Tallahassee,” Watts said.

Payne said he wants someone from Putnam County to succeed him. Putnam County is the center of the district, Payne said, and was designed to house the representative.

“He’s done a great job as the mayor of Welaka,” Payne said, who has endorsed Watts.

To qualify to run for state office, a candidate would have to pay nearly $2,000 or collect between 1,800 and 2,000 petitions.

Watts said he chose to gather petitions. The petitions are not due until May but the Welaka mayor plans to walk the district to seek signatures.

“It gives me an opportunity to go out to the district – Green Cove (Springs), Penney Farms, Hastings, Crescent City, Palatka – walk the district, get to know people,” he said.

Watts, who grew up in Putnam County, said he knows this and surrounding areas well but wants to understand the unique challenges of each place.

If elected, Watts would like to work at the state level to continue preserving conservative values, he said. He’d like to focus on public safety and law enforcement; infrastructure projects, such as bridges, roads and clean drinking water; and not raising taxes, Watts said Tuesday.

“We’re seeing 1,200 people a day move (to Florida). … How’s the infrastructure going to keep up with that?” he asked. “That’s important that we address these things sooner rather than later.”

He said he would still live in Welaka during his time as a state representative, but because he cannot hold two offices simultaneously, he would not run for mayor.

If elected to state office, his last day as mayor would be Nov. 5, 2024, the day of the general election. Watts said he would be “delighted” to see Welaka Town Council President Jessica Finch run for mayor, and he’d still like to attend Town Council meetings.

“I wanted the community to understand that (I’m) not abandoning them,” he said. “(I’m) going to Tallahassee to continue to represent you. … I didn’t run for mayor to create a stepping stone.”

Voters can view Watts’ platform and learn more about him at votewatts.com.