Ashton Hayward


Ashton James Hayward III is the former mayor of Pensacola, Florida, serving from 2011 to 2018. He is currently the president of the Andrews Research and Education Foundation. He was the first mayor elected under the "strong mayor" form of government adopted in 2009, which shifted the mayoral duties away from a ceremonial leader to that of the city's chief executive and decision-maker.

Early life

He was born and raised in Pensacola, graduating from Pensacola Catholic High School in 1987. Hayward earned his bachelor's degree at Florida State University. While in college, he took a break from studies in Miami, where he met his future wife, Belgian-born An. For many years, Ashton Hayward and his wife lived in New York City, returning to Pensacola in 2003 to start a real estate development firm.

Political career

In 2015, Mayor Hayward was appointed to the Florida Commission on Community Service by Florida Governor Rick Scott. During his time in office, he also rebranded the city of Pensacola with a new slogan, "Pensacola: The Upside of Florida" which also included stronger economic development efforts.