Steele will serve out former District 5 Brevard County Commissioner Kristine Zonka’s term
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced the appointment of Jason Steele to the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners.
Steele will serve out former District 5 Brevard County Commissioner Kristine Zonka’s term through November 2024. Last February, Zonka was named the new administrator of the Florida Department of Health in Brevard by Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. District 5 is comprised of parts of Palm Bay, Melbourne, West Melbourne, Indialantic, and Melbourne Village.
“I am filled with gratitude for the trust that Governor DeSantis has placed in me for appointing me to the Brevard County Commission,” said Steele. “I will do everything in my power to keep Brevard County the best place to live in Florida.”
Steele, of Melbourne, is currently the Director of Government Relations at Smith & Associates and is a 47-year veteran of Florida politics and served in the Florida House of Representatives between 1980 and 1982.
His career in public service began as an aide to Gov. Claude Kirk in 1970, and Steele rose through the ranks of the public and private sectors to become a fixture in Florida government and public policy circles.
While serving as a Florida state representative, Steele served on the Committee on Tourism and Economic Development and Transportation. In 1988, he was appointed to the Florida Real Estate Commission by Gov. Robert Martinez and then served as Director of the Division of Real Estate under Gov. Jeb Bush.
In Melbourne, Steele served as Chairman of the Brevard County Republican Party from 2008 to 2010. He is a founding member of the Space Coast Tiger Bay Club, past president of the Melbourne Association of Realtors, and a long-time member of the Melbourne/Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce while working in government affairs for several organizations, including the Florida Association of Realtors.
He continues to work closely with Florida lawmakers, including U.S. Senator Marco Rubio.
In 2015, Steele was appointed by Florida Senate President Andy Gardiner to join Enterprise Florida’s board of directors. Enterprise Florida is a public-private partnership between Florida’s business and government leaders and is Florida’s main economic development organization.
Additionally, in 2015, he was appointed to Space Florida’s board of directors. Space Florida is an Independent Special District of the State of Florida charged with attracting, retaining, and expanding aerospace or related supply chain businesses that create economic opportunities in the State of Florida.
Steele has also been a real estate broker for 40 years and has testified on numerous occasions as an expert in real estate in both Circuit and Federal courts.