PJ Perez is one of three candidates who has filed to run for Tallahassee Commissioner Jeremy Matlow’s current seat in 2026 while Matlow vies for Mayor.
Perez has taught in the county for over 15 years, including 12 years as a high school teacher at SAIL and two years at Tallahassee Collegiate Academy now. He said he’s running to bring change to city hall.
“Smart growth, public safety, protecting the environment, reforming Blueprint, transparency, accountability at City Hall. As I communicate with people, I'm getting a sense that most people are just united on those fronts. They want change, and I think there's a momentum for reform in local government,” he said.
He’s unhappy with previous Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency spending on the Northeast Gateway and Doak Cambell Stadium projects. He wants to prioritize urban infill in Tallahassee instead of expansion.
“There's a commonly held desire to stop this costly sprawl that's making congestion worse and instead focus on making our existing footprint a better place to live and encourage development where it makes sense and foster community, which is, I think, crucial to any sort of healthy and beautiful city,” he said.
For the past several years, a 3-2 split at city hall and spats from the dais have captured headlines. The minority bloc has advocated for reshaping leadership at city hall, including ousting city manager Reese Goad. Perez said he’s not willing to commit to potentially changing city leadership.
“I'm not going to be in any one camp necessarily. You want to be able to hear what's going on, but I am hearing a lot of momentum for change, but I'll make any decisions on that specifically as I learn more. Part about being a teacher is to reflect and analyze and listen and you know, and so that's what I that's what I would do,” he said.
But some Perez’s viewpoints do align with those held by the commission’s current minority bloc. For example, that bloc has messaged heavily against Blueprint. And Perez has recently appeared at events with Leon Democratic Party Chair Ryan Ray, who is Commissioner Jeremy Matlow’s aide.
Also currently running for the seat are community advocate Talethia Edwards and former Pinellas County Commissioner Norm Roche.