SURFSIDE, Fla., May 19, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — 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.
“I’m not a politician, and I don’t really like being called one,” said Burkett. “What I am, is a concerned homeowner, a hardworking parent, a successful problem-solver, and an investor who refuses to go along just to get along. Florida voters deserve someone they can trust — someone who will tell them the truth and be their insider in Tallahassee, not a political double-talker who says one thing and does the exact opposite.”
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…