BY TRACY LEE TATE
Times Editor
LAKE BUTLER — The Lake Butler City Commission welcomed a new member at its regular June 21, 2022 meeting – taking Seat 4 on the board, replacing retiring Commissioner Jimmy Beasley.
Melissa Hendrix is a political newcomer, taking the seat without weathering an election by virtue of the fact that she was the only one to run for it. She is a Lake Butler native and well known in the community, but she said she is still going to “hit the pavement” and meet the people she is representing since she did not have the opportunity to do so as she would have if she had needed to campaign to gain the seat.
When she first decided to run for the seat, she said she heard all sorts of rumors about who her competition would be – but none of the went through the qualifying process necessary to be a candidate. When asked why she decided to pursue the seat, she said “I am passionate about people and helping others. I am a big supporter of growth and small business in our community and I want to see what I can do to help people and be their voice.”
Hendrix grew up in Lake Butler and outside the city limits in the county. Her family moved to Starke when she was a junior in high school, so she graduated from Bradford High School in 1987 rather than Union County High School, but said she is a big Tiger fan and supportive of the schools. She met her husband when she was a senior at BHS, although they married later.
During and after high school she worked a variety of jobs, including McDonalds and for local optometrist Len Schlofman. She attended Santa Fe College after graduation, although she did not finish her associates degree in business administration until 2018 because she married her high school sweetheart and had her children.
In 1989, Hendrix went to work for AvMed Health Plans in Gainesville. She is still there, although, over the years, she has worked in many positions. She started out in the claims department doing data entry, then filled positions in several areas, ending up as a Compliance Analyst in the medical department where she still works now.
Husband Dean works for GRU, moving up to his current position as a lead maintenance facilities technician, so the couple lived in Gainesville for several years, then moved to Lake Butler in 2016. They have been married for 32 years and have two daughters – Brittany (a police officer in Tampa) and Sara (a dental assistant). Both Melissa and Dean enjoy traveling – Dean was a Navy brat who lived in a number of countries while growing up – but so far, the couple has not ventured out of the country in their travels.
The main focus for Hendrix is family and community. She said that “giving back and helping those in need is a passion I have.” This concern for the needs of others is the driving force behind what she hopes to do as a commissioner – getting to know people and what they want and need.
“I want to be a voice for the people of Lake Butler and it’s hard to do that when you don’t know them,” Hendrix said. “So, I plan to go door-to-door and meet them.”
Hendrix said she is blessed with a large and diverse family in and around Lake Butler, several generations of family in fact. She enjoys spending time with all the many branches of her family tree – both on holidays and throughout the year.
When not busy helping clients solve their insurance questions and working to make sure she can be as effective as possible in her new position, Hendrix said she is a TV person, sometime binge watching crime drama, documentaries and family oriented programming. Both she and Dean enjoy cooking and eating what they cook – they routinely prepare family holiday dinners with Dean smoking or grilling the meat and Melissa handling the sides.
Hendrix was sworn in by City Attorney John Maines at the June meeting, as were returning Commissioners Annette Redman and Fred Sirmones. She said she was looking forward to working with the more experienced commissioners, as well as City Manager Dale Walker, and said she sincerely hopes that she can serve the people and the city well.
