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Office of A.T. Karberg Winik

Tyler Winik is college student from Titusville, Florida who has worked with government and community leaders to help promote youth involvement in government, local politics, and political initiatives.

Though still young, Tyler began meeting with officials and creating dialogue between state and local government at the age of 17, shortly after the death of two of his friends and classmates at Astronaut High School in Titusville. Since that tragedy, Tyler travels to Tallahassee every Spring during the Florida Legislature's session to monitor legislation and conduct meetings with legislators, leaders, and members of the Governor's staff.

Tyler has also been featured several times in the FLORIDA TODAY, a Gannett Publication based in Melbourne, Florida, concerning underage drinking and his political views. In May 2008, Tyler wrote in support of Brevard County Schools Superintendent Dr. Richard A. DiPatri after a volunteer baseball coach was found to have hosted a party where alcohol was served to minors. Tyler and DiPatri have worked on Brevard Schools’ policy and outreach concerning teenage alcohol use and Tyler appeared on DiPatri’s “Superintendent’s Forum” in 2007 to discuss his work.

Tyler has worked with local legislators, city officials, and other government leaders to draft, support, and lobby underage drinking initiatives that would increase the penalty for persons who host an open house party where alcohol is served to minors and increase the penalty for persons selling alcohol to minors. As well, Tyler has worked with legislators from across Florida on other important proposals such as increasing the number of polling places in the state and introducing a more comprehensive voter education curriculum for high school seniors.

As a staunch advocate against the dangers of underage drinking in his community and across Florida, Tyler began a campaign in August 2008 to counteract the Amethyst Initiative, a group seeking to lobby state legislatures and Congress to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. He called the mentality of those who signed the Initiative a "grasping at straws" and criticized their philosophy by saying that he was "personally offended that a group of [presidents] leading America’s brightest minds would think that the best way to solve [underage drinking] is by bending to it. Tyler then called for Florida's university and college presidents to denounce the project - a call which in turn got Tyler dozens of phone calls, e-mails, and letters of support from Florida's collegiate leaders and Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

Tyler’s experience with government and politics began when he became a volunteer on the John Kerry for President Campaign in 2004. Since then, Tyler has volunteered for U.S. Senator Bill Nelson’s reelection campaign and worked to ensure State Representative Tony Sasso’s victory in a 2008 special election. Most recently, Tyler ran as a candidate to become a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.

To promote continued youth involvement in government and public service, Tyler created a scholarship at Astronaut High School for members of the Student Government Association who have excelled inside of school and outside in the community. Tyler was also awarded the Outstanding Young Adult Award by the Titusville Chamber of Commerce in 2007.

Office of A.T. Karberg Winik
1612 Eden Circle
Titusville, Florida 32796
www.atkarbergwinik.com/