Sustainable Tourism
Deepening our community bonds by prioritizing safety, infrastructure, and the preservation of our island’s unique residential heritage.
Continue as the sole island Tourist Development Council elected official so I can best represent the interests of the island.
Develop a storm water fee structure that is a more balanced approach. Those
properties that absorb more storm water (pervious) should pay less than those than
those properties that have storm water runoff (impervious).
Our Campaign Pillars
For Local Commerce
For Our Residents
Empowering Holmes Beach entrepreneurs with sustainable growth policies and a regulatory environment that champions local innovation.
Be an open ear for resident, property and business owner input. While a mayor
manages the city, it is best done listening to those I represent.
Balancing our vibrant tourism economy with environmental protection and amenities that serve both visitors and our permanent community.
Work with the Chief of Police to focus on community policing where patrol officers
routinely interact with residents and tourists outside of their vehicles.
Develop an island-wide plan to better manage traffic congestion, public transportation
and beach parking.
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Meet Dan - A Legacy of Service
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A Vision for Holmes Beach
I love this community, and have been invested in our city since the moment my wife and
I came here in 2010. Right now, our biggest priority has to be the quality-of-life for our
residents. I’m running to bring my extensive technical background in transportation,
executive leadership and crisis management to help guide our city through the next
chapter of what will be a challenge during future funding restraints.
-- Dan Diggins
I grew up in New Hampshire and majored in engineering and mathematics at the University of Massachusetts. My professional background included serving as a commercial pilot, air traffic controller, and airport/airspace designer for the entire US airspace system. I served as the investigator in charge for major aircraft accidents worldwide, including the events of September 11, 2001, and also the breakup upon re-entry of Space Shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003. I served as the aviation advisor to both the US military and civilian aviation authorities in Afghanistan from 2010-2014. I began serving on the Holmes Beach City Commission in November 2022 and was re-elected in 2024 to an additional two-year term expiring November 2026. The Commission elected me Chair for the 2024-2025 session and as vice-chair for 2025-2026 session. As a current Commissioner I serve as Liaison for the Island Transportation Planning Organization, and am presently the only island elected official to serve as a voting member on the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC). The TDC makes recommendations to the Manatee Commission on how to best spend the millions of tourist dollars collected each year. I am happily married and have two step-daughters and five grandchildren. Having lived in Holmes Beach since 2011, I own both a primary residence and also a weekly vacation rental. I try to play golf at least twice each week.
"As the aviation advisor to both the US military and the Afghan government, I created a national airspace system in Afghanistan that allowed both military kinetic operations and commercial flights to safely operate in a war environment. My ability to manage complex operations in a very dynamic environment will allow me to properly manage our city through our yet unknown future challenges."
The above attached photo show me watching out for my Afghan colleagues and my exchange of "hats" with a Taliban operative.
We all have to decide in the next few months who is best to lead Holmes Beach for the next 2 years. I have always sought to find practical solutions that best benefit those of us who live on this “sand bar” we call home. A few years ago, I saw a problem at the merge on Manatee Ave. I asked to meet with FDOT engineers and we created a solution to use both lanes to the merge point and encourage a “zipper merge”. After the main fresh water line collapsed on Manatee Ave, I waded into the water to inspect the other pipe hangers and convinced the county to perform detailed inspections on the remaining hangers so we would not experience another failure.
These are the plans on which I am currently working:
• Design and construct a roundabout at Key Royale Drive. It doesn’t have to meet federal standards, just allow those trying to get to and from Marina Drive from the adjacent city streets a fighting chance. A perfect example on how a city can do this is to look at how the City of Bradenton did this on 51st Street. I’m currently working with their engineers for design guidance.
• Explore extending the straight-through / southbound lane on Gulf Drive at the Public Beach intersection. This could relieve congestion at the light and help mitigate flooding at the curve.
• Coordinate with FDOT to extend the right turn lane at Public Beach entrance so those going north on Gulf Drive don’t have to wait as long.
• Work with FDOT to create a better traffic merge point westbound on Cortez Road. Current configuration is neither efficient nor helpful for residents.
• Develop better methods to accommodate wheelchair access to the beach water.
Good leaders are solution oriented, and since these issues affect our island folks daily, I work on improvements that are fairly easy to implement. I’d like to see them executed as soon as possible. Traffic is one of our biggest problems, and hopefully, these changes can make getting around our city easier for all. I also have ideas relating to budget and city government solutions for other items, for which I’ll talk about in subsequent letters. Together, we can make the quality of life on our precious “sand bar” better for us all.