Born and raised in DeLand, Charles Paiva is the elder statesman of the commission, having been first elected in 2001. He served on the commission until 2005, and then again from 2007 to 2016. He was appointed to his current seat in August 2018 and re-elected in 2020.
He is currently Physical Therapy Assistant/Clinic Manager at Florida Hospital DeLand Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Central Florida.
During his time on the commission, the city completed several transformational projects including improvements to Earl Brown Park, Spec Martin Municipal Stadium, Freedom Playground and a pedestrian trail, which bears his name and runs from Earl Brown Park to Stetson University and is set to be extended up to U.S. 92.
Some of the community organizations Charles has been involved with include serving as District Chairman for the Boy Scout of America, DeLand Breakfast Rotary, American Cancer Society and Adopt-a-Road.
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