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About Me
Dear Residents:
My name is Stephen Shelley and I want to introduce myself and set forth my qualifications and what attributes I bring to the Homestead City Council.
I have been a resident of the City of Homestead for the last twelve (12) years, and surrounding community for the last fifteen (15). In addition to being a resident, I have also been a business owner in the City of Homestead, choosing to open my own law practice in Homestead’s Downtown Historic District in August 2006, The Law Office of Stephen R. Shelley, PLLC. I married my wife in 2009 and we had our first child in 2014. We also have two (2) dogs and a cat that make up the rest of our family. My wife and her family have been involved in the farming and nursery business in Homestead and the surrounding community for more than seventy (70) years.
In 2015, as part of my desire to find a way to help my fellow man and leave behind a lasting legacy, I took a position as the Chief Operating Officer for a local organization called Farm Share. Farm Share is a statewide charitable packing house and food bank that focuses on feeding families, children, senior citizens and individuals in need free of charge. Last year Farm Share distributed more than 40 million pounds of food to nearly 6.5 million households (24 million individuals) in partnership with its 2,000 partner agencies statewide. Farm Share has five (5) facilities strategically located in Homstead, Florida City, Pompano, Jacksonville and Tallahassee.
One of the attributes that I bring to the Council is my education. I have a Bachelors degree in Business and Economics and a Juris Doctorate in the field of Law. My education in the fields of business, economics and the law have given me the tools necessary to evaluate each issue and problem placed before me from not only a common sense perspective, but also from an economic, legal and business perspective. Additionally, the communication skills I have developed through my legal practice and training allows me to clearly and concisely express my concerns, thoughts and ideas to my fellow Council members and constituents.
In order to further improve my ability to be an effective city council representative, I have also enrolled and completed government and elected official specific education. I am a graduate of both the Florida League of Cities Institute for Elected Officials and Advanced Institute for Elected Officials. I am also a graduate of the University of Miami’s Good Government Initiative Cultivating Leaders of Excellence program lead by former County Commissioner Katy Sorenson.
Lastly, I am a young, ambitious, outside-the-box-thinker who is capable of brainstorming creative and unique ideas to solve difficult and complex problems. Over the last eight (8) years I have proven my ability to build consensus, solve complex problems and bring forth creative and new ideas to shake up the status quo.
Homestead is at a critical crossroads in its development and growth. The decisions that will be made over the next four (4) years will be vital in shaping the City that Homestead will ultimately become. It is for these reasons that I am seeking election to be Homestead's Vice Mayor and continue leading the City of Homestead toward a brighter future.
I look forward to hearing about any concerns or ideas that you may presently have about the City of Homestead. You can reach me at (786) 408-3619 or at stephen@electstephenshelley.com. I look forward to meeting you on the campaign trail.
Sincerely,