Brevard County’s Tim Thomas Among Those Appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to Space Florida Board of Directors

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Belinda Keiser, Alex King, and Tim Thomas and the reappointment of Matthew Bocchino to the Space Florida Board of Directors.

Belinda Keiser

Keiser is the Vice Chancellor of Community Relations and Student Advancement at Keiser University. Active in her community, she has served as a member of the Florida Children and Youth Cabinet, the Florida Commission on the Status of Women, the Seventeenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission, and the Florida Government Efficiency Task Force. Keiser earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and her master’s degree in business administration from Nova Southeastern University.

Alex King

King is the Executive Director of the Panama City Port Authority. Previously, he served as the Deputy Director of Cargo Operations and Business Development and Operations Manager for the Panama City Port Authority. King earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and logistics from Auburn University.

Tim Thomas

Thomas is a Consultant for I3 Solutions. He is a veteran of the United States Army, serving from 1987 to 2010 and retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Thomas earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Auburn University at Montgomery, his master’s degree in public administration from Central Michigan University, and is a graduate from the Command and General Staff College.

Matthew Bocchino

Bocchino is the Director of the Cecil Airport and Spaceport under the Jacksonville Aviation Authority. He was listed as a “Top 40 Under 40” Recipient by Airport Business Magazine in 2020 and is a member of the Commercial Space Federation Board. Bocchino earned his bachelor’s degree in history and his master’s degree in business administration from Jacksonville University.

These appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

More About Tim Thomas

DECORATED COMBAT U.S. ARMY OFFICER

Thomas was born in Quincy, Illinois, but grew up in Pensacola, Florida, where he attended Tate High School and played football for legendary coach Carl Madison. He graduated from Tate in 1983 and received a football scholarship from Marion Military Institute, where he was selected for the Army Early Commissioning Program.

Upon Commissioning in 1985 as a Second Lieutenant, Thomas served in the Alabama National Guard with the 20th Group Special Forces and the 117th Field Artillery Battalion while completing his degree at Auburn University in Montgomery. He graduated from AUM in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in Government and was selected for active-duty service in the United States Army.

Thomas served in the Army for 23 years, held numerous key leadership positions at the Division, Corps, and Department of Defense levels, and served two combat tours in Iraq.

He is also among the few Americans ever allowed access to North Korea. In 1998, Thomas and his Search and Recovery Team were allowed into North Korea, where they recovered and repatriated the remains of nine Army soldiers who were killed in North Korea during the Korean War.

In 2002, he earned a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University while attending the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel at Patrick Air Force Base in 2010, and his numerous awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with 2 OLCs), and Airborne and Air Assault badges.

Upon retirement, Thomas was hired by Viera High School to start a brand-new Army JROTC program. In his first year as the Senior Army Instructor, 230 Cadets enrolled in the program, making it the most extensive JROTC program in Brevard County.

During his 14 years as a Senior Army Instructor, his JROTC Raider teams placed in the top 10 teams in the State nine different times, and his Rifle Marksmanship Team placed third in the State in 2014 and second in the State in 2015.

The Drill, Color Guard, and Drill Exhibition Teams routinely are among the top two teams in the District and regularly compete in the State Championships.

During three Department of the Army Inspections of his program in 2016, 2020, and 2024, his program earned Honor Unit of Distinction status, the highest rating a JROTC program can receive.

Additionally, in 2020, the Department of the Army Inspector said the Viera High School JROTC program was in the top two percent of all JROTC programs nationally.

Viera has also earned state and national recognition for the number of Cadets who earned ROTC scholarships or appointments to a Service Academy. During his career, Viera High School had 41 Cadets who received ROTC scholarships and seven Cadets who earned appointments to one of the Service Academies.

Over 140 Cadets have enlisted in one of the military branches, and many have become First Responders. This program is recognized as being at the tip of the spear in creating the next generation of great leaders for our nation.

The program has actively supported community events, fulfilled numerous requests for Color Guards, and routinely conducted the POW/MIA table ceremony throughout the year.

For the last five years, Viera JROTC Cadets worked with local agencies and diverse groups of people to clean up two African American cemeteries in Melbourne that had become unkept, overgrown, and over-run by people experiencing homelessness. Over 120 Veterans are buried in both cemeteries.

Through the terrific efforts of the cadets working with community leaders and the African American community, these cemeteries have been transformed, and aesthetically, they now properly honor the memory of the veterans buried in both cemeteries.

Thomas and his Cadets have also been recognized nationally for getting the “All American Flag Act” passed by the Florida State Legislature in 2015.

This legislation ensured that all American Flags flown over public buildings in the State of Florida had to be made in the United States with materials also made in the United States. This event was so significant that Governor Rick Scott signed the bill in the Viera High School auditorium surrounded by Thomas, his Cadets, and critical Veterans in Brevard County.

DEDICATED AND EXPERIENCED PUBLIC SERVANT

In 2016, Thomas ran for and was elected to the Melbourne City Council, including a reelection in 2020, where he served as the Vice Mayor.

In 2019, he received recognition for advocating the renaming of Airport Boulevard to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to recognize Dr. King properly; this movement had been tried many times over 32 years and failed each time it came before Council.

Thomas convinced his fellow Council Members of the historical significance of honoring Dr. King’s memory. After three months of public hearings, he was able to get the action passed with a 6 to 1 vote.

He has also led efforts on the Council to dedicate more resources to road resurfacing and ensure Melbourne First Responders were the best paid and equipped first responders in Brevard County.

VICE CHAIR OF THE MELBOURNE-ORLANDO AIRPORT AUTHORITY BOARD

Thomas served as vice chair of the Melbourne-Orlando Airport Authority Board. During his tenure, the Airport underwent $200 million worth of renovations, including resurfacing three primary runways, a new air traffic control tower, and a 70-million-dollar terminal.

Additionally, Allegiant, Sun Country, Avelo, and TUI airlines were added to bring more destinations and services to Brevard County residents in addition to existing American and Delta services. As a result, the airport has become a significant economic driver for Brevard County, bringing in $3 billion a year to the local community.

Thomas’s awards include a 2019 Resolution passed by the Brevard County Commissioners recognizing his heroic efforts in helping save a young man’s life who was suffering from Sudden Cardiac Arrest by performing CPR.

He also received a Central Florida 2019 Humanitarian Award for his efforts with Paul Alfrey and John Casey in setting up the Bahama Relief Missions to bring supplies to the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian. Further, Tim was recognized by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition and the Florida Tech Alumni Association for spearheading Airport Boulevard’s renaming to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

NOTED PHILANTHROPIST, COMMUNITY PROMOTER

In 2022, Thomas was selected, competed, and won the Dancing for the Space Coast competition, which raised $400,000 for local charities. In 2024, the Liberty Bell Museum chose him as one of their Patriot Award winners for everything he has done in the community to promote Patriotism and love of country.

The Department of the Army recently presented Thomas with the Commander’s Award for Public Service.

He is a member of the Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter and was also selected by Senator Marco Rubio to be on his United States Military Academy at West Point selection committee.

Thomas credits his success to the support and help of his wife, Heather Thomas, a former dual sworn deputy from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. Tim and Heather have been married for 32 years, and their family includes son Tommy, daughter-in-law Kaitlin, and grandson Ryan; his daughter Savana Lindstadt and son-in-law Jake; his youngest son Dallas; and his girlfriend Kenzie.

Since terming out as a Melbourne City Councilman, Thomas has been working as the Business Development Director for RTV Engineering.

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