Maria Lahti
The Heart to Serve. The Courage to Fight.
Less Government. More Freedom.
Retired Air Force Colonel. Board-certified cardiologist. Independent. No special interests. Just Destin.
27
Years of Military Service
5.0★
Patient Rating — 580+ Reviews
0
Hospitals in Destin City Limits
1,400
Crashes/Year on Highway 98
$880
Cost Per Ambulance Ride
$2.65M
In Rental Fees Collected
Why I'm Running
Destin's government has gotten too big, too powerful, and too far removed from the people it's supposed to serve. Code compliance acts like a police force. The city approves building permits then revokes them after political pressure. Fees keep climbing while services don't improve. And residents are getting billed for emergency services their own tax dollars already fund.
I'm running for City Council because I believe government should work for residents, not against them. That means less regulation, not more. It means protecting your property rights, not creating new hoops to jump through. And it means holding every department accountable for how they spend your money.
As an Independent, I don't answer to any party, any developer, or any special interest. I answer to the 14,000 people who call Destin home — the residents who deal with Highway 98 every day, who get code enforcement knocking on their door over minor complaints, and who are tired of watching government grow while their roads crumble.
It's time to take our city back. Less government. More freedom. That's the Destin I'm fighting for.
The Issues That Matter
Less government. More accountability. Real solutions for Destin residents.
Rein In Code Compliance
Code enforcement has become a power center — acting more like a police force than a service department. It's time to restore accountability and common sense.
- Narrow the scope of code compliance — a city of 15,000 doesn't need officers policing 12+ categories of violations with $250/day fines
- End the complaint-driven harassment system — one resident sent 470 emails in 90 days weaponizing code enforcement against their neighbors
- Halt the mission creep — code officers are acquiring emergency equipment and expanding well beyond their enforcement role
- Require full transparency: publish all enforcement actions, fines collected, and complaint sources so residents can see how the system is being used
- Penalties should fit the violation — not bankrupt property owners over minor infractions
Your Property, Your Rights
The city approved a building permit at 414 Main Street, then revoked it after a council meeting. That's not government — that's a shakedown.
- End the practice of revoking permits the city already approved — the 414 Main Street fiasco showed the city punishing a property owner for following the rules
- Oppose the new "intent statement" requirement — property owners shouldn't have to explain WHY they're building on their own land
- Fight the expanding STR fee regime — $500-$700/year fees on condo owners is a money grab, not a service
- Simplify the Land Development Code — 29 zoning districts for a city of 15,000 is bureaucratic madness
- Protect property owners from neighbor-vs-neighbor harassment through the code complaint system
Cut the Red Tape. Fix the Roads.
They call it "Bloody 98" for a reason — 1,400 accidents a year. But FDOT has no budget, no timeline, and no plan. Enough studies. Start building.
- Demand action on Highway 98 — FDOT's expansion study will take 18 months with no funding commitment. Residents can't wait another decade
- The Brooks Bridge was built in 1966 and is only now being replaced — 60 years of government inaction on critical infrastructure
- Push simple, fast fixes NOW: signal retiming, turn lanes, and intersection upgrades that don't require 5 years of studies
- Support the Crosstown Connector as a practical alternative to the Highway 98 bottleneck
- Repave neighborhood roads — over 70% need attention while the city spends on bureaucratic expansion
Stop Growing Government
The city budget is $61.6 million. Rental registration fees alone generate $2.65 million. Are residents getting their money's worth?
- Defend Destin's low 1.615-mill tax rate — one of the five lowest in all 411 Florida municipalities. Keep it that way
- Question the $2.65 million rental registration fee machine — is the city providing real value or just collecting?
- Oppose the livery vessel cap at 490 permits — government-created barriers that lock out new small business owners, just like taxi medallions
- Stop hiring third-party vendors to collect more fees — that's bureaucratic expansion, not efficiency
- Demand a full audit of where every fee dollar goes before creating any new revenue streams
Residents Shouldn't Pay for Emergency Services Twice
Your tax dollars fund the fire station and the ambulance. So why are you getting a bill when they show up at your door?
- Destin residents already pay taxes that fund emergency medical services — charging them again when they call 911 is double-dipping
- Propose eliminating ambulance transport fees for verified Destin residents — you paid for the service, you shouldn't pay to use it
- Tourists and non-residents should be charged for emergency transport — they didn't contribute to funding the service through local taxes
- Work with Okaloosa County EMS to create a resident exemption program tied to verified Destin addresses
- No resident should ever avoid calling 911 because they're afraid of the bill — that's a public safety issue, not just a financial one
Fix Destin's Healthcare Crisis
Destin has no hospital. The closest ER has 76 beds for a city that swells to 40,000 in tourist season. Residents deserve better than driving an hour for specialized care.
- Destin has zero hospitals within city limits — residents rely on a 76-bed facility in Miramar Beach or a 331-bed hospital in Fort Walton Beach that serves the entire tri-county area
- Florida faces a projected shortfall of 17,924 physicians by 2035 — 66 of 67 counties already have primary care shortages, and the Emerald Coast is no exception
- When Healthmark Regional Medical Center in Walton County closed in 2022, 50,000 people lost hospital access for 2.5 years and ambulance transport times jumped 30-35 minutes
- Hope Medical Clinic — the free clinic serving 1,600 uninsured patients with 30 volunteer doctors — announced closure due to lack of funding. An estimated 50,000 people in Okaloosa and Walton counties have no health insurance
- Okaloosa County EMS has been down nearly 50% on paramedic staffing while call volume surged by 3,000 additional calls in a single year — and residents still get billed $880 per ambulance ride
- 4.5 million tourists flood Destin annually, overwhelming a healthcare system built for 14,000 permanent residents — yet infrastructure hasn't scaled to match
- Residents needing pediatric specialists, complex cancer care, or advanced procedures must travel 60+ miles to Pensacola. That's not healthcare access — that's a road trip
- As a board-certified invasive cardiologist with 27 years of military medical service, Maria knows this system from the inside. She'll fight for more providers, better access, and a healthcare infrastructure that matches Destin's growth
Keep Destin Affordable
More regulation means higher costs. Every fee, every permit, every compliance requirement gets passed on to residents and renters.
- Recognize that government fees and regulations drive up housing costs — every $500 STR fee gets passed on to renters and visitors alike
- Cut permit complexity and processing times to reduce construction costs for homeowners and builders
- Support workforce housing by removing regulatory barriers, not adding more government programs
- Take a careful approach to annexation — more land under city control means more government, not less
- Support local small businesses by reducing the licensing and permit burden that keeps entrepreneurs out
About Maria
Dr. Maria Lahti is a board-certified invasive cardiologist and a retired Colonel in the United States Air Force with 27 years of distinguished military service. She earned her medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, completed her Internal Medicine residency at Keesler Medical Center, and her Cardiovascular Disease fellowship at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium.
Today, Dr. Lahti serves the Destin and Emerald Coast community as an invasive cardiologist, specializing in coronary heart disease, heart disease in women, heart failure, and minimally invasive cardiac care. She is one of the most trusted heart doctors in the region — because when you spend your career saving lives, people notice.
Maria is also a mother of three teenagers, a former professional organist, and a proud Destin resident. She knows what it means to serve — she spent nearly three decades doing it for her country. Now she's ready to serve her community by fighting for less government, more freedom, and a city hall that works for residents, not against them.
Why Trust Maria?
A lifetime of service. A record you can verify.
5.0 / 5.0
Perfect Patient Rating
580+ reviews across Healthgrades, U.S. News, Ascension Healthcare, and Ratings.MD
Board Certified
Dual Certification
American Board of Internal Medicine — Cardiovascular Disease and Internal Medicine
Colonel, USAF
27 Years of Service
Retired Colonel, United States Air Force — from military medicine to serving her community
Independent
No Party. No PACs.
Beholden to no one but the 14,000 residents of Destin. Zero special interest money.
Want to endorse Maria for Destin City Council?
Community leaders, business owners, and residents — your voice matters.
Email to EndorseGet Involved
This campaign runs on people, not PAC money. Whether you can spare an hour or a whole Saturday, every bit of help makes a difference.
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Upcoming Events
Come out, ask questions, and get to know your candidate.
Campaign Kickoff Rally
Join Maria as she officially launches her campaign for Destin City Council. Meet the candidate, hear the platform, and sign up to volunteer.
10:00 AM — 12:00 PM
Destin Commons
Town Hall: Code Compliance & Property Rights
An open forum on code enforcement overreach, the 414 Main Street controversy, and what Maria plans to do about it. Bring your stories.
6:00 PM — 8:00 PM
Destin Community Center
Healthcare & Emergency Services Forum
Dr. Lahti leads a discussion on Destin's healthcare gaps, ambulance billing, and what the city can do to attract more medical providers to the area.
6:00 PM — 8:00 PM
Destin Library Meeting Room
Neighborhood Walkabouts
Maria will be walking Destin neighborhoods every Saturday to hear directly from residents. Follow us on social media for weekly locations.
9:00 AM — 11:00 AM
Rotating Neighborhoods
Events are subject to change. Follow us on social media for the latest updates and locations.
Fuel This Campaign
Every dollar goes directly to reaching Destin voters. No PACs. No corporate donors. Just neighbors supporting neighbors.