Zephyrhills Government

In 1909 a corporation named the Zephyrhills Colony Company was established by Ferdinand M. Jeffries, Wallace Campbell, William L. B. G. Allen and G. G. Baker. Although established as a commercial corporation, the “Zephyrhills Colony” they started had all the characteristics of a town, and had a Zephyrhills post office. In 1913 an advertisement appeared in the Tampa Morning Tribune saying that “Zephyrhills is a new town, three years old, and now has a population of nearly 2,000”. The town even had its own newspaper; the “Zephyrhills Colonist”.

On November 17, 1914, a vote was held to incorporate Zephyrhills as a city recognized by the State of Florida. The measure passed by a 65 to 12 vote. W. C. Boggs was elected mayor, and the five aldermen elected were N. L. Wright, S. J. Lyons, A. D. Penry, S. G. Allen, and W. J. McLaughlin.

Zephyrhills government currently consists of an elected city council of 5 members, each with 3 year terms of office. A mayor is elected separately and is NOT a member of the city council. The city council appoints a city manager who is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the city.

Mayors

	W. C. Boggs	1914 – 1917
	J. C. Whitehall	1917 – 1918
	G. B. Dewars	1918 – 1919
	C. H. Curtis	1920 – 1921
	F. E. Tomlinson	1921 – 1924
	George W. Gibson	1924 – 1928
	John Hohenthaner	1928 – 1932
	B. F. Parsons	1932 – 1951
	I. A. Krusen	1951 – 1953
	Floyd A. Gibson	1953 – 1957
	C. A. McDonald (acting)	1957
	Willa Rice	1957 – 1960
	C. N. Chamberlain	1960 – 1963
	E. D. Arnot Jr.	1963 – 1976
	James Bailey (acting)	1976 – 1977
	Robert Johnson	1977 – 1992
	James Bailey	1992 – 2000
	A. Roy Burnside	2000 – 2002
	W. Cliff McDuffie	2002 – 2012
	Steve Van Gorden	2012
	Kent Compton (acting)	2012 – 2013
	Danny Burgess	2013 – 2014
	Gene Whitfield	2014 – 2023
	Menonie Bahr Monson	2023 – present

Page created March 29, 2024 by Paul Herman, Digital Media Archivist, West Pasco Historical Society