Sam Perks is running for District 1 Commissioner to ensure Deerfield Beach city government is responsive, and true to the character of the neighborhoods we love — with straight answers, a commissioner you can reach, and a plan that starts on your street and takes us to the future we want.
Sam Perks
Candidate for District 1 Commissioner
Candidate Sam Perks for District 1 Commissioner
I’ve lived in Deerfield Beach since 2020, and I’ve been working here even longer. For the past 10 years, I’ve worked as a business consultant specializing in hospitality properties, particularly boutique hotels. Restoring and maintaining the character and charm of older properties is my specialty.
My career and personal successes are rooted in the values I learned growing up in rural Illinois: work hard, work together, listen first, answer honestly, and finish what you start. I see those same values in the people who call District 1 home. That’s what drew me to this community, and it’s what I believe should guide the way our city operates. City Hall needs to reflect the character, integrity, and work ethic of the people it serves.
I love our community, and I think Deerfield Beach is one of the best places to live in South Florida. We have a lot going for us, and every conversation about government doesn’t need to be critical. Still, I’ve been knocking on doors throughout District 1, listening to residents and hearing firsthand what they’re dealing with: homes that flood after heavy rain, cut-through traffic on quiet streets, rising insurance costs, and, perhaps most importantly, the feeling that the city only listens after something goes terribly wrong. We have a lot to be proud of, but we also have work to do.
I’m running for District 1 Commissioner because I believe our community deserves leadership that listens, works together, and gets results. I’m here to work for you and get the people’s business done.
“I'm not running against a person. I'm running for a community that needs to be heard, and needs results. I'm the man for that job.”
Five issues come up at almost every door in District 1. These are the priorities Sam will take to the dais — and the ones you can hold him to.
Growth is coming; the question is who benefits. Sam wants growth and redevelopment that respects neighborhood character, delivers infrastructure before density, and keeps a real mix of housing within reach for people who work here.
Sam rejects any proposed increase in building height and floor area ratio on the barrier island. Sam will never take a dime from developers who want to change the character of our community, and they won’t get a thing from him.
Every heavy rain shouldn’t turn into a disaster for families. Sam supports prioritized comprehensive as-built surveys of underperforming systems in the 7th and 8th Avenue area of District 1, and the immediate purchase of high volume pumps dedicated to this neighborhood for the displacement of water until the best long-term solution is finalized.
Sam also supports prioritized engineering studies to examine the best combination of solutions for future flood mitigation.
Finally, 7th and 8th Avenue have the problem of flooding today, but our entire region is at high future risk. Sam supports immediate renewed focus on a stormwater management master plan focused on prevention and preparedness.
A major reason Sam decided to run for office was personal experience interacting with City Government. Two very simple construction projects took him two years to complete because of unresponsive, inefficient permitting processes.
In fact, Sam has identified over 15 construction industry businesses who refuse to work in Deerfield Beach, simply because of the arduous nature of dealing with permitting in our city. This is shameful.
Sam supports a commission led review of the permitting process in our city, and clear directives from the commission to make the process more user friendly. Sam supports a robust and intuitive online permitting platform.
Sam also supports city engagement with residents to keep them informed of permit status for their property, and to help prevent contractors from delaying projects without owner awareness.
Sam also supports a streamlined online system for reporting issues that need city attention, like flooding, road hazards, sanitation, and park maintenance. Sam knows this would be easy to do, and to prove it, he has created a sample version of just such an online system. You can preview it in the Deerfield Connect section below.
Sam supports City Government prioritizing working with Deerfield Beach small businesses whenever possible, but it goes much further than that.
When resident homes were flooded in October 2026, Sam worked with local hotels to provide accommodations for displaced families. The city government needs to be more proactive about working with the small businesses in our community to meet the needs of our communities.
Sam has the creativity and the experience to make it happen.
Walking around District 1 and talking to residents, one concern almost always arises: “The city doesn’t listen to us and doesn’t care what we think.” Sam plans to put an abrupt end to that sentiment.
Sam intends to maintain a community engagement portal on this site for constituent use. Issues before the commission will be summarized and presented to residents online in an easy to access forum.
Every constituent will be able to login to the portal and discuss city issues, vote on how they feel about issues before the commission meetings, and see what the public opinion really is. Every user will be validated as a real District 1 voter, and other useful resources will be available too.
Oh, and you don’t have to wait until election day. Sam’s Voter Portal will be up and running by December 2026, so you can use it and recommend changes.
Tell Sam what issues you care most about. He will respond directly to you, and put his positions on this page if they apply to everyone.
Sam believes government should be accessible, and that we should use technology to make it easier for residents to interact with their city. Reporting a pothole, a broken streetlight, or a flooded intersection shouldn't require a phone call during business hours, a trip to City Hall, or not knowing who to even ask.
To show how straightforward this can be, Sam built a sample website that demonstrates how easy it could be for residents to report local concerns to the right people and follow them to a resolution.
The sample site below is not an official Deerfield Beach website. Interacting with it will not cause any action to be taken, and the projects listed are not real. It is for demonstration purposes only.
What it shows
Opens a separate demonstration website in a new tab.
Sam wants to personally meet every single voter before election day, and give everyone the chance to get to know him. If you want to help Sam get the message out there are ways!
Let us know how you would like to help — an hour of walking neighborhoods with a buddy, a yard sign at your home or business, hosting an evening socializing with friends — and the campaign will get you everything you need.
Volunteer
Parades, events, campaign parties, neighborhood canvassing...the opportunities to volunteer are many. Let us know if you would like to help.
Yard Sign
We will deliver a sign to your yard, and pick it up after Election Day. Show your support for Sam’s plan to preserve the Deerfield Beach we love.
Host a meet & greet
You can host a small meet and greet at your home or business, or Sam will host you and your friends if you prefer. Let’s get together!
Sam is personally paying for all the basic costs of running this campaign. Still, we can reach more people with your help. Sam will personally reach out to thank you for your contribution.
