Photo from ZandforParkland.com
By Saraana Jamraj
Heron Bay resident, and college student, Alex Zand, 21, has announced his candidacy for the Parkland City Commission.
Zand, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas graduate, is running for the District 1 seat, currently occupied by Commissioner Stacy Kagan. She’s resigning from her spot to run for mayor when Mayor Christine Hunschofsky resigns to run for House Seat 96.
After attending Parkland schools through high school, Zand began his freshman year at Florida Atlantic University in 2017, where he majors in Political Science and has a double minor in Public Management and Sociology.
In his announcement, he shared that during his freshman year, the MSD shooting and tragedy motivated him to dedicate his life to public service in every community he calls home.
He served as his university’s student body governor, where he represented over 20,000 students and said he felt the urge to felt back to the city that gave him everything, Parkland.
“It is truly my passion to make the world a better place,” he said. “After speaking with many well-respected community leaders, it became clear to me that I can best lead my fellow Parklanders as the next city commissioner for District 1.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped to found an organization dedicated to delivering food to the immunocompromised and at-risk families and has overseen a dozen community service events for nonprofits.
On his website, he shares his volunteer efforts at the Boys and Girls club, Jewish Federation, Big Dog Ranch, and Gumbo Limbo.
“With a fresh perspective and many innovative ideas, I am more than capable of leading Parkland into a brighter future,” said Zand.
He has not shared any specific policy initiatives yet and said he would instead be rolling them out in the coming weeks, but did share his main areas of focus.
“A few of the main areas I would love to focus on are public safety, parks and recreation, infrastructure and zoning, and education,” said Zand.
Though the Parkland city commission has no policy oversite on public education, he hopes to be able to work with the school board to be a voice for constituents and to advocate for their needs.
Zand currently lives with his parents and sister in Heron Cove. His mother, Jamie, owns a cruise planning franchise, and his father, Bryan, is a real estate agent. His sister, Liza, just graduated from West Glades Middle School and will attend Marjory Stoneman Douglas in the fall. He also lives with his dog, Sparky.
This announcement comes as the Parkland City Commission is entirely up for grabs—in addition to the District 1 seat, District 2 will become available as Commissioner Rich Walker will also be running for mayor, and District 3 and 4 Commissioners Kenneth Cutler and Vice Mayor Bob Mayersohn are up for reelection.
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