BY DAN HILDEBRAN
The leader of a railroad contracting firm and a candidate for the Florida House spoke during the February 22 meeting of the Lake Region Prosperity Partners at the Keystone Beach Pavilion.
Judson Sapp is the CEO of W.J. Sapp & Son Inc. He told the Clay County Chamber of Commerce group he has led the 54-year-old Baldwin-based firm for 10 years.
“I’ve been involved in the company since before I could walk,” he said. “My dad used to take me around in the back of a semi. Sometimes, he would have to drive loads to projects and- I guess there were different rules back then- you could have a baby sleeping in the back of the cab.”
Sapp introduced his father to the group and said he learned everything about the business from Jud Sapp.
The speaker said his father stays involved with the company, which builds and maintains spur lines on private property.
Sapp said his industry experience has given him an in-depth knowledge of and an appreciation for infrastructure, a trait he thinks will benefit voters as he runs for Florida House District 20. The seat is held by Bobby Payne, who will be termed out in 2024.
“I think a profound lack of understanding of basic construction in politics is why you have these dumb mistakes people make,” he said.
Sapp added that building roads without accompanying infrastructure simultaneously costs the state millions of dollars.
The candidate said many Tallahassee lawmakers have a background in law and accounting, and they serve a vital role.
“But we also need to have people that understand the basics of society,” he added, “which is infrastructure, transportation, power, energy, water, things that really keep us going that unfortunately people forget about because it’s buried underground.”
Sapp said his primary goal in the state capital would be securing funding for local projects.
“Your job in Tallahassee isn’t to dictate what goes on in Keystone,” he said. “It’s for the people of Keystone to elect the people that will decide your future, and it’s my job to fund it.”
“You’ve already paid your tax dollars,” he added. “Do you want it going to Miami, or do you want it coming back here? I’d rather it come back here.”
Sapp said the First Coast Expressway will profoundly change Clay County and even the Lake Region, 25 miles to the southwest.
“It’s going to change dramatically, and there will be some good, and there’ll be some bad,” he said. “We can mitigate the bad by getting the right funding from Tallahassee. These are tax dollars that you are already paying. You just need a fighter up there to bring it back to you.”
The Lake Region Prosperity Partners, meet at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month at the Keystone Beach Pavilion.
