Satellite Beach council interviews youth council applicants; appointments deferred

Satellite Beach City Council members interviewed two applicants for the city's Youth Council at a Sept. 17, 2025, workshop and said they would make formal appointments at the end of their regular meeting.

Caroline, a 17-year-old junior at Satellite High School and a Youth Council applicant, told the council she is a competitive swimmer, a lifeguard at Gleason Park Pool and earned a Water Safety Instructor certification this summer. "I swim year round... I work at the Gleason Park Pool. I also, like, teach swim lessons. I just got my WSI instructor certification this past summer," she said.

The exchange focused on each applicant's experience and ideas for involving more young people in city government. Caroline said she recently started a stock market club at Satellite High School and plans the club's first meeting Oct. 1. "I just started a club there recently, a stock market club," she said, adding she is taking five Advanced Placement classes.

Xander Calangela, the other applicant, described extracurricular work in science and campus leadership. "I basically took a telescope... and I was able to actually find the composition of the atmospheres of the planets," he said, describing last year's astronomy project and a current plan to apply similar spectral-analysis methods to study rocket exhaust.

Council members asked candidates about activities they'd bring to the Youth Council and how to publicize the council to peers. Xander suggested using social media and word-of-mouth so more students know Youth Council exists and can "have a voice in the city." Council members responded with praise and offers of help: Jody said, "Both of you are amazing candidates. I know both of them personally, and I will vouch for both of them personally." Steve and other council members asked follow-up questions about the applicants' clubs and school projects.

Council staff told applicants they did not have to stay for the rest of the meeting and that Recreation Department staffer Linda would contact them with more information about Youth Council meetings and next steps. The council did not make any appointments during the workshop; members said appointments will be made at the end of the regular meeting on the same day.

The interviews emphasized recruitment and outreach: council members encouraged applicants to propose ways to involve middle- and high-school students in dune restoration, volunteer events and other civic activities. No votes or formal appointments were made during the portion of the workshop recorded in the transcript.