When I was elected to represent District Five on the County Commission, I committed to transparency, accountability, new affordable rental housing, protecting our neighborhoods, and putting people first in every decision.
Whether it’s development, housing, infrastructure, or public spending, my goal is to ensure that our policies align with our community's genuine needs and values.
I am proud of the hard-fought progress we’ve made, and I am ready to continue pushing for a better future for everyone in our community. We must fight for even greater progress. The status quo won’t improve everyone’s lives and won’t lead us to a better future.
As your County Commissioner, I will always serve you with integrity, inclusivity, and a commitment to drive positive progress for our community.
My first priority will always be doing what is best for the people of Leon County, every single person. When all of our neighbors enjoy the stability of knowing their needs are met, our whole community can thrive together.
We know that our diversity is our strength, that every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Our humanity demands this of us, and your elected officials owe this to you. When I say I am putting people first, that means all people.
Every decision, every day, I am putting people first.
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O'Keefe Campaign Kickoff: Join Our Fight for an Affordable Leon County
Tallahassee Democrat: County commissioners vote down Comp Plan changes for St. Joe Co. land
County Commissioner David O’Keefe offered a substitute motion, asking to approve the Comp Plan update without changes affecting the St. Joe-owned land, which sits in his district.
He said the proposal would change the future land use designation from rural to planned development allowing 20 housing units and 25,000 square feet of commercial space per acre. The land would become a planned development under policy because it’s over 200 acres and owned by a single entity.
“This is not so much about blocking development,” O’Keefe said. “It’s about one owner getting to skip the line and avoid the process that every other owner goes through in the past and will go through again.”
WCTV: Leon County residents call to stop urban expansion near canopy road
According to Leon County Commissioner David O’Keefe, expanding the USA “opens the door” to new development near one of Leon County’s protected “canopy roads.” Plus, he said, expanding the map also gives developers a bonus to the number of homes they can build, if the final zoning allows it.
“That’s the issue here, is predominantly a single owner of 1,100 acres should not get put into the urban services area in this comp plan, (a) multi-decade overall change process. That’s all I’m asking for,” O’Keefe said.
Tallahassee Democrat: David O'Keefe files for reelection to Leon County Commission
Leon County Commissioner David O'Keefe has filed for his first ever reelection in 2026.
"I have enjoyed being able to bring urgency to this commission and to Blueprint to address the issues that we've talked about," said O'Keefe, first elected to the District 5 board seat in 2022.
"While we've made progress, we need to make much more progress, and if I can continue to spend my time with my community, my neighbors, the organizations helping people from the homeless to the food insecure, I want to be able to continue doing that."
Tallahassee Democrat: David O’Keefe: Stop the insanity: Let’s lead on affordable housing
We cannot continue doing the same thing and expecting different results. We cannot continue to oppose more affordable rental housing for our neighbors who live on low and very low incomes.