About Ocean Fitts 🩵
Raised on Public Service
Ocean Fitts lives in Palmetto and is running to represent the people of Manatee County in Florida House District 71. He was born in Dunedin and raised in St. Petersburg. His family has called Florida home for generations, with deep roots stretching across the state.
When Ocean was five years old, his family moved back to Florida from Chicago to live with his great-grandparents, John and Ethel Jones, who became central figures in his life. His great-grandfather flew as an Air Force pilot during World War II and the Berlin Airlift before teaching at Northeast High School in St. Petersburg, while his great-grandmother spent much of her life supporting her family as a military spouse.
Growing up in a multi-generational household taught Ocean a core lesson that shapes his perspective: every generation inherits the decisions made by the one before it. He believes that principle holds true for Florida's future as much as it does for any family.
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Learning How Systems Affect People’s Lives
For Ocean Fitts, public service was the work his family carried out every day.
Watching his family shaped Ocean's understanding of governance. He views public service as the essential systems people rely on daily, including public schools, roads, emergency services, courts, utilities, and community institutions. When those systems function well, people can build better lives. When they fail, ordinary families bear the cost.
Ocean believes government exists to make society function properly. That means carrying out public responsibilities competently, transparently, and responsibly, while leaving people free to live their own lives.
An Unconventional Path
Ocean attended Sam Rampello Downtown Partnership School and Northeast High School before enrolling at Rollins College. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ocean paused his studies to care for his great-grandmother during her struggle with dementia. That experience reinforced a core conviction that life rarely follows a straight line, and public systems matter most when individuals face unexpected hardships.
Ocean later resumed his education at St. Petersburg College, where he is completing a Bachelor's degree in Public Policy and Administration. His studies have strengthened his belief that effective governance requires proactive planning, resilient institutions, and forward-thinking decisions that leave future generations better off.
Ocean’s Political Core Beliefs
Ocean believes government exists to make society function well.
That does not mean government should try to control every part of people’s lives. It means government should carry out its responsibilities competently, transparently, and responsibly.
People should be able to trust that roads are safe, schools are strong, infrastructure keeps pace with growth, emergency services are prepared, insurance markets are held accountable, and local communities have the flexibility to solve local problems.
Ocean also believes elected officials must have the political courage to ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions, and think beyond the next election cycle. He views Florida as strongest when its Legislature includes leaders willing to bring diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas to the table.
Why Ocean is Running
Ocean Fitts is running because he believes Florida deserves leadership focused on long-term solutions.
District 71 faces challenges that cannot be solved by slogans alone. Transportation bottlenecks impact our community's ability to commute, visit family, enjoy local parks, and stay connected. Meanwhile, poorly planned growth strains infrastructure and increases living costs for everyone, while rising insurance, housing, and utility bills make financial stability harder to achieve.
Ocean advocates for planning before crises emerge, investing before infrastructure fails, and holding government accountable for delivering real results.
His campaign is centered on three core principles:
Stability: Building communities that are prepared for the future rather than constantly reacting to present crises.
Accountability: Ensuring government, insurers, and public institutions follow through on their duties to the people they serve.
Affordability: Addressing the root causes of rising living costs so Floridians can build secure futures without being priced out of their communities.
Florida has provided opportunities for Ocean's family across generations. He is running to ensure it remains a place where future generations can build their lives with confidence, knowing public institutions are working for them.
What Feeds the Ocean 📚
Where ocean Goes to Learn
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CrashCourse stands out as one of the best examples of free educational media on the internet. Its series cover history, government, economics, science, literature, philosophy, media literacy, and more. Ocean Fitts appreciates CrashCourse because it makes learning accessible without making it feel shallow, serving as a trusted resource for students, teachers, classrooms, and anyone seeking to better understand the world.
CrashCourse educational platform. Source: Tribune Media Services
CrashCourse Government and Politics: A helpful introduction to how American government functions, including institutions, rights, elections, political parties, and public policy.
CrashCourse U.S. History: A broad overview of American history, covering the conflicts, movements, failures, and progress that shaped the nation.
CrashCourse World History: An exploration of civilizations, power, trade, religion, war, culture, and the evolution of human societies over time.
CrashCourse Economics: A clear entry point into markets, labor, inequality, public policy, and the real-world impact of economic decisions on everyday people.
CrashCourse Sociology: An introduction to how communities, institutions, culture, family, and social systems shape human lives. Ocean values this series because public policy extends beyond laws on paper—it requires understanding how people actually live within established systems.
CrashCourse Media Literacy: An essential resource in the modern digital landscape that explains how information spreads, how persuasion works, and how to evaluate content critically.
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Ocean Fitts values LegalEagle for its ability to break down complex legal concepts, court proceedings, constitutional issues, and current events into clear, accessible terms for non-lawyers.
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Ocean Fitts recommends Logical Fallacy Monsters by Blique as a helpful reference guide for identifying and understanding various types of logical fallacies.
The Plagiarist is one of Ocean's favorite novels because it serves as a reminder that human understanding of the world is always incomplete. The story explores how a person's entire sense of reality can be challenged, encouraging humility, curiosity, and respect for differing perspectives. Ocean also values how it highlights the importance of preserving culture, viewing culture as the collective story of people, who are what matter most.
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Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell produces animated videos covering science, society, technology, space, health, and the future of humanity. Ocean Fitts appreciates their ability to break down complex, grand questions into accessible concepts while preserving the underlying sense of wonder.
PBS has developed an extensive network of educational channels spanning science, history, nature, culture, space, and public life. Ocean values these resources for delivering high-quality educational content to the public, serving students, educators, classrooms, and lifelong learners seeking a deeper understanding of the world.
PBS Digital Studios educational network. Source: SOPA Images / SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
PBS Eons: Examines natural history, evolution, prehistoric life, and the vast timeline of life on Earth.
PBS Terra: Focuses on nature, climate science, wildlife, and the natural systems shaping the planet.
Veritasium explores science, engineering, physics, and the fundamental ways humans observe and understand the world.
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Ocean Fitts values Heather Cox Richardson for her ability to connect current events to the broader arc of American history, demonstrating that modern political debates have deep historical roots.
Ocean views an understanding of history as essential to public life, believing that society is shaped by the decisions, conflicts, and institutions that came before. In his view, a clearer grasp of historical context equips people to better protect and improve democracy.
Heather Cox Richardson on Her Daily 'Letters from an American' Substack
This video provides direct context on how Heather Cox Richardson approaches writing her daily newsletter, explaining her process of finding historical throughlines to make sense of breaking news.
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Undecided explores clean energy, housing solutions, battery tech, solar power, and emerging technology. Ocean Fitts values its pragmatic approach, noting that the channel evaluates not just what is exciting, but what is practical, viable, and worth building.
“I believe public service should start with curiosity. No one person knows everything, and I think good leadership means staying open to learning.
These are a few educational creators and channels that have helped me better understand science, technology, energy, government, and the world around us.”
Note: This section is a personal list of educational creators and channels Ocean enjoys. Listing a creator or channel here does not imply their endorsement of the campaign.
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Ocean believes voters deserve to hear from their candidate directly. Follow him online for real talk, real updates, and a closer look at the campaign. Ride the wave with Ocean online!
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