FLORIDA NEWSWIRE (SURFSIDE, Fla.) — Charles W. Burkett, four-term Mayor of Surfside and lifelong Floridian, today announced his candidacy for Governor of Florida in the 2026 election as a No Party Affiliation candidate. Burkett’s campaign will focus on practical, common-sense solutions that put current Florida residents first.
Born and raised in Miami Beach, Burkett graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in finance and founded a national real estate investment firm. He has dedicated more than four decades to public service, including civic leadership in Miami Beach and four terms as Mayor of Surfside (2006-2008, 2008-2010, 2020-2022, and 2024-2026). During recent terms, he guided the beachside community through the COVID-19 pandemic and the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse, the third deadliest in U.S. history.
HIS FOCUS INCLUDES:
* Eliminate property taxes on homesteaded primary residences.
* Completely rewrite broken property and auto insurance laws.
* Dismiss non-criminal traffic tickets for drivers with clean 10-year records.
* Eliminate unfair paid highway express lanes.
* Eliminate unfair tolls on public roads.
* Eliminate Florida’s unfair gas tax.
* Eliminate permit fees to repair and improve your home.
* Force local government to provide water and sewer at cost.
* Slash bloated government, wherever it is, that we don’t need – or want.
* Rewrite the unaffordable, broken healthcare laws. Put doctors, not government and insurance companies, in charge. Make ‘Right to Try’ laws absolute. Affirm and codify “My Body, My Choice.” Free Florida medical research from bureaucratic and litigious strangulation.
See the campaign website for many more changes a Burkett governorship will bring to Florida. Website: https://burkettforgov.com/
“I’m not a politician, and I don’t really like being called one,” said Burkett. “Florida has been good to me and my family my entire life,” Burkett added. “I enter this race as a proud, multi-generational American and lifelong Floridian. I want to bring the same passion and love I’ve dedicated to my beautiful Surfside hamlet on the beach – to every corner of the state – all while being unafraid to introduce real, innovative and sometimes radical solutions that will keep Florida a beacon of progress, opportunity, quality of life and success.”
Charles Burkett is a lifelong Floridian, successful businessman, and four-term Mayor of Surfside, Florida. After college, Charles used savings from work as a construction laborer to buy his first property in 1983. He renovated it with help from friends he hired, leased it and went on to repeat that process over and over, which ultimately resulted in his ownership of properties in eight states, including Florida.
While busy in business, he also took time to give back as a political activist. Charles moved to Surfside in 1996 and has earned a reputation for not being afraid to shake things up or take on the hard issues. Honesty, straight talk, and putting residents first are his primary objectives. The bottom line is that Charles Burkett has the right experience; personally, in business, and in politics, to serve the people of Florida and make their lives better.
SUMMARY:
- Charles W. Burkett, four-term Mayor of Surfside, announced his 2026 campaign for Governor of Florida as a No Party Affiliation candidate, positioning himself as a political outsider focused on transparency and practical leadership.
- Burkett highlighted his background as a lifelong Floridian, real estate investor, and public servant who led Surfside through the COVID-19 pandemic and the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse.
- His platform centers on affordability and government reform, including proposals to eliminate property taxes on homesteaded homes, reduce tolls and gas taxes, overhaul insurance and healthcare laws, and cut government spending and bureaucracy.
- The campaign also emphasizes slowing over-development, improving education and environmental protections, and restoring public trust through stricter oversight of government pay, pensions, and administrative practices.
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This version of news story was first published on and is Copr. © 2026 Florida Newswire (FloridaNewswire.com) – all rights reserved.
