District 4 commissioner Alyson R. McCullough is seeking re-election, and faces one opponent in the Republican primary, Cheryl Plaugher. As no other candidates qualified for this race, the August election will be a Universal Primary Contest and will appear on the ballots of all voters in the county.
News4JAX sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote in their own words.
Recommended Videos
Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically by party and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4JAX staff.
| REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES |
Alyson R. McCullough
Occupation: Public School Educator (15 years), Nassau County Commissioner (4 years), Regional Development Manager, and Economic Development Consultant. Alyson has dedicated her career to public service, education, workforce development, regional collaboration, and economic development. Her experience spans the classroom, local government, and regional partnerships, where she works to connect education, business, and community priorities to create opportunities while supporting responsible growth and long-term sustainability.
Age: 38
Family: Alyson and her husband, Josh, are raising their four children in Nassau County on the same values they were raised with: hard work, service, faith, and community. As a family, they enjoy life on their farm, supporting local schools and youth activities, and staying actively involved in the community they proudly call home. Their greatest priority is ensuring Nassau County remains a place where future generations can live, work, and thrive.
Education: Proud graduate of West Nassau High School (Class of 2006), where the schools and community that helped shape Alyson’s values inspired a lifelong commitment to service. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education from University of North Florida and later completed the Florida Agricultural Policy Leadership Program through University of Florida.
Political experience: Elected to the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners in 2022, Alyson currently serves as County Commissioner for District 4 and Chair of the Board in 2026. Over the past four years, she has helped shape policies related to fiscal responsibility, infrastructure, public safety, conservation, workforce development, economic development, and responsible growth. She also represents Nassau County on regional boards and partnerships that strengthen collaboration across Northeast Florida.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
1. Managing Growth Responsibly
Nassau County is one of the fastest-growing areas in Florida. We cannot stop growth, but we can ensure it is well-planned, legally defensible, and does not burden existing residents. I will continue advocating for policies where growth pays for growth through impact fees, infrastructure planning, and responsible land development code decisions that protect our rural character and natural resources.
2. Investing in Infrastructure Before We Need It
Roads, drainage, and public safety infrastructure cannot be built overnight. I will continue prioritizing long-term planning, strategic investments, and capital projects that keep pace with our growing community while maintaining the quality of life residents expect.
3. Protecting Taxpayers Through Fiscal Responsibility and Transparency
Families are carefully managing their budgets, and county government should do the same. I will continue focusing on balanced budgets, lowering the tax burden when possible, reducing unnecessary debt, and helping residents better understand how county government operates so they can see exactly how their tax dollars are being invested.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I bring a unique combination of experiences as a lifelong Nassau County resident, 15-year educator, mother, farmer, small business owner, regional economic development professional, and four-year County Commissioner. These roles have given me firsthand experience understanding the challenges families, businesses, students, and local governments face every day.
I have spent the last four years learning the complexities of county government, building partnerships, and turning ideas into action through policy, budgets, and long-term planning. My background allows me to connect education, workforce development, economic opportunity, conservation, and responsible growth into practical solutions that benefit our community.
Most importantly, I am raising my family here too. My decisions are not about the next election cycle—they are about ensuring Nassau County remains a place where future generations can live, work, and thrive.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I hope to be remembered for leading with integrity, making decisions based on facts, and leaving Nassau County stronger than I found it. I want people to remember that we protected taxpayers while investing in the infrastructure, public safety, conservation, and workforce needed for future generations to succeed.
More than any one project, I hope to be remembered for helping build a culture of long-term planning, transparency, and responsible growth—proving that we can preserve the character of Nassau County while still creating opportunities for families and businesses.
As a mother raising my family here, I hope my legacy is simple: that I helped ensure Nassau County remained a place where people could afford to live, safely raise their children, build careers, and continue the traditions and quality of life that make this community so special.
Campaign website: votealyson.com
Campaign social media: Facebook
Cheryl Plaugher
Occupation: (No response)
Age: 46
Family: Husband and dog mom to K9 Huk.
Education: University of Florida, BS - Agribusiness, Food & Resource Economics
Political experience: None
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
First, I will make a motion to conduct a complete, independent analysis of the county budget to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent efficiently and that residents are not being overtaxed. Nassau County’s cash reserves have doubled since 2022 to $300-million today. To my knowledge, the Board of County Commissioners has never provided taxpayers with a comprehensive independent budget analysis, showing exactly how and where their money is being spent. Greater transparency and accountability are essential before asking taxpayers to continue funding government growth. This analysis will also show whether we are truly making growth pay for growth and help identify weak areas where our policies can be strengthened to ensure developers pay their fair share, rather than shifting the infrastructure costs of their projects onto Nassau County taxpayers.
Second, I will work to either ban large-scale data center development in Nassau County or establish strict environmental, conservation, and infrastructure standards that set the bar so high developers cannot move forward unless they can demonstrate there will be no unacceptable impacts to our community, natural resources, or quality of life.
Third, I will make public safety a top priority. With the City of Jacksonville entering the Florida Retirement System next October, competition for experienced police officers and firefighters will only increase. I want to ensure Nassau County offers competitive pay, benefits, and incentives so we can retain the dedicated first responders we already have while attracting new ones. We cannot afford to lose our public safety professionals to neighboring agencies that offer better compensation and career opportunities.
It’s easy to say public safety is your top priority. The real question is whether your budget proves it. In Nassau County, our cash reserves and the challenges facing many of our first responders tell two very different stories.”
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I will never forget how my community was treated when we organized to oppose heavy industrial rezoning at the entrance to our neighborhood. Many residents felt dismissed despite having firsthand knowledge of the area and legitimate concerns about public safety and quality of life. That experience reinforced an important lesson: the people who live in a community often know it better than anyone.
If elected, I will use that experience as a constant reminder to listen to my constituents before making decisions that affect their lives. I will also use Florida’s Sunshine Law and every available communication tool to keep residents informed about important issues, proposed developments, and upcoming votes so they have a meaningful opportunity to get involved before decisions are made, not after. My goal is to make local government more transparent, accessible, and accountable to the people it serves.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
If people remember me, I hope to be remembered for servant leadership. I hope people will say I always treated my constituents with respect and that I never made them feel like their opinions didn’t matter. I hope they remember me for being transparent, accessible, and accountable in every decision I made. I also hope to be remembered for keeping taxpayers informed about important issues before decisions were made, giving them a meaningful opportunity to participate in their local government. If, at the end of my service, the people of Nassau County believe they had a commissioner who listened, communicated openly, and always put their interests first, I would consider that my greatest accomplishment.
Campaign website: www.cherylfornassaufl.com
Campaign social media: Facebook