More About Michael
Hello! I’m Michael Miller, a candidate proudly running for Walton County Commissioner, District 5.
I have lived in Santa Rosa Beach for nearly my entire life. In fact, my earliest childhood memories are of spending time with my family on our beaches.
When COVID-19 reared its ugly head in early 2020, I became interested in politics. I had held a slight interest in politics as far back as the first civics class I took in middle school, I just never really had time for politics — until the lockdowns began.
As I continued pursuing my interest in politics, I discovered a 12-volume set of family law books with accompanying lectures, which had once belonged to my grandpa. Over the summer, I binge-read these, instilling in me both a patience for reading legislation as well as an understanding of how legislation may be misinterpreted for malicious reasons.
As 2020 marched on, I grew overwhelmed with the excessive polarization of the political landscape, and I decided to take a break from politics to instead focus on pursuing a career in law.
Over the next two years I slowly shifted interests from criminal law to corporate law, and eventually out of law altogether and into finance. I was now focusing my efforts on achieving a highly coveted apprenticeship at a venture capital firm.
In early 2023, I had finally gotten my wish — or so I thought. As I began looking into the day-to-day operations of the firm I had received an apprenticeship offer from, I realized my personal ethics conflicted with the firm’s objectives, and I declined the apprenticeship.
After making the hard decision to turn my back on everything I had worked for to uphold my principles, I found myself back where I started; hoping to pursue a career in law, with plans to go off to college that winter.
Suddenly, I found myself watching and eventually attending the Walton County Board of County Commissioners meetings. Then, on October 24th, 2023, I learned the County Commission had given up on the years-long fight to uphold our customary use ordinance, which guaranteed beach access for everybody along all 26 miles of Walton County beaches.
This was the final straw for me; I had to do something. And that’s exactly what I’m doing now. With your support, we can take back our beaches and ensure access for all, not just an elite few.