voteheather2008.com Blog

Heather Carruthers, a Key West resident, officially announced her candidacy today for Monroe County Commission - District 3.

Heather Carruthers has a history of public service in the Keys. As a member of the Board of Directors of Fair Insurance Rates in Monroe (FIRM) she continues to work with and on behalf of citizens throughout the Florida Keys. This grassroots consumer effort effectively demonstrated that Windstorm rates in Monroe County were excessive and ultimately resulted in a rate reduction benefiting thousands of Florida Keys residents. As a member of the Media and Strategy Committees of FIRM, Heather has had the honor of representing the group before Governor Bush and his Cabinet in April 2006 and she continues to represent FIRM in Tallahassee.

In response to her achievements with FIRM, in 2007 Heather was appointed to the Florida’s Task Force on Citizens Property Insurance Claims Handling and Resolution. State Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty described her as “a forthright citizen and strong advocate for Florida’s insurance policyholders” when he appointed her to this Task Force.

Ms. Carruthers is a leader in many capacities. She is a former Chair of the Lodging Association of the Florida Keys and a former president of the Key West Business Guild. Heather is a graduate of the Key West Ambassador Academy and Leadership Monroe County (Class XI) and was named Leadership Monroe’s 2006 Leader of the Year.

Ms. Carruthers has made many contributions to our community. In 2004 she founded the Southernmost Women’s Invitational Non-Profit Golf (SWING) Tournament, an important annual fundraiser for the health clinic WomanKind, Inc. Heather is a member of the Key West Chamber of Commerce and has served on the boards of Sculpture Key West and the Key West Symphony Orchestra. Additional community involvement includes singing with the FKCC Keys Chorale and the vocal quartet, Swing Low. Heather has been a featured soloist with Island Opera Theater. Prior to her arrival in the Keys, she sang with professional choral ensembles in venues from Milan to Manhattan to Mexico City.

Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wells College, Aurora New York and pursued graduate studies at The Julliard School, New York, NY and at SUNY Purchase, White Plains, NY. Heather’s business background includes direct marketing, publishing and advertising with companies such as Meredith Corporation, Bantam Doubleday Dell and Ogilvy & Mather New York, NY. For nearly a decade, Heather has been the co-owner of Pearl’s Rainbow, a 38-room multiple award-winning guesthouse for women in Key West.

This is not Heather’s first foray into electoral politics. She was a candidate for
the Key West City Commission District V in 2003; she was narrowly defeated in the run-off by eight votes after winning the primary election among a field of five candidates.

Heather Carruthers, a Democrat, is running for the District 3 seat because she believes in improving the way County government responds to citizen input, improving how it manages fiscal responsibility and improving the transparency in County Commission decision-making. Her experience and accomplishments, especially with the grassroots organization FIRM, demonstrate Heather’s ability to work with and be the voice of all citizens and to effectively accomplish real, measurable benefits on behalf of all citizens.