.png)
Tyler has been involved and consulted on issues affecting state and local government for 15 years, a start which has led to a career in public service that is only just beginning.
Advocacy in Action
A
He began his work on legislation after two friends were killed in an alcohol-related accident in 2006. Arming himself with his pen and paper, Tyler began a letter writing campaign that would launch him into Florida’s political arena and would give him the zeal to fight to protect Floridians and make headway to impact policy in various areas.
Tyler has worked hand-in-hand with legislators in Florida to pass laws increasing penalties related to underage drinking and open house parties as well as changes affecting the state's court system. His efforts have gained him contacts in the process across the state. These include state legislators, members of Congress, members of the Governor's and other Cabinet-level staff, as well as political consultants, strategists, jurists, and attorneys. At every step, Tyler has successfully brokered compromise between individuals with opposing political and ideological views.
Tyler’s advocacy on underage drinking, voting, and government issues has been recognized by news media in Florida and across the nation. He has been a regular fixture on the pages of Gannett's FLORIDA TODAY and has appeared on NBC, ABC, and FOX affiliates and served as a special correspondent for USA Today on the 2012 election and President Obama's first inauguration.
Nationally, Tyler has been featured by the National Association Mutual Insurance Companies and was also a guest on Guardian Angels Founder Curtis Sliwa’s New York City radio show in 2008. As well, he has been featured by CourtTV's In Session and ABC's Good Morning America.
Tyler was a founding contributor to the FLORIDA TODAY’s former award-winning Opinion Matters blog, a forum for members of the newspaper’s Citizens Advisory Panel to share their thoughts and ideas on political issues affecting the Space Coast, Florida, and the nation. During his tenure, Opinion Matters won the 2010 Florida Netroots Award for Best Local Blog and Tyler was nominated in 2011 for Best Writer for his contributions. Tyler has also written numerous columns and point-counterpoint pieces for the newspaper.
In 2011, Tyler became a managing member of his family’s company, Fortenberry Enterprises, LLC, a commercial property-holding and private equity firm that was family controlled for more than 60 years. Also that year, Tyler earned his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Central Florida. He also holds an associate's degree with honors from Eastern Florida State College.
Service to the Community
In 2012, Tyler was invited by the Obama Administration to participate in The White House Community Partnership Summit. In 2014, Tyler was selected to serve on UCF's inaugural Fraternity & Sorority Life Advisory Board, advising UCF's Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life on issues and policies affecting Greek Life at UCF. In 2016, Tyler was a judicial branch candidate for the state's Constitution Revision Commission.
From 2018 until 2020, Tyler was appointed to and served on Orange County's Citizens Review Panel for Human Services which recommends allocation of millions of dollars in public funds to non-profit health and human services organizations providing outreach to underserved neighborhoods in Orange County.
In September 2021, Tyler joined the Emerging Leaders Board for Runway to Hope, Central Florida's leading philanthropic effort dedicated to eradicating pediatric cancer in partnership with the area's three major pediatric hospitals: AdventHealth for Children; Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children; and Nemours Children's Health. The charity, founded by Orlando native and prominent defense attorney Mark NeJame and his wife Josie, has been recognized as Central Florida's top charitable function. The charity hosts an annual Spring Soiree, featuring dozens of children who are battling these various forms of cancer as well as those who are in remission. Each walk alongside superheroes, celebrities, and other officials in a spectacular runway show. Tyler currently serves as the board's Chair-Elect and previously served as its Governance Chair in 2022.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer appointed Tyler to the city's Board of Zoning Adjustment in October 2021. The board, which sits in an advisory fashion to the city commission, hears and recommends actions on zoning variances; appeals of modifications of development standards requests; requirements, order, or decisions and determinations by the appearance review officer; and zoning official determinations.
A Career Dedicated to Public Service
In 2013, Tyler joined the Brevard County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller's office as a deputy clerk for legal affairs and special projects, managing legal affairs, media relations, operational and special projects for the office. He had previously worked for the office from 2007 until 2011. Tyler served as the Clerk & Comptroller's liaison at statewide meetings and sat on numerous committees and work groups for the Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers' Association, the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation, and the Supreme Court of Florida's Court Technology Commission.
In 2019, Tyler accepted an appointment in the Office of the Vice President and General Counsel at his alma mater, UCF. There, Tyler repurposed his decade's-long experience with Florida's court clerks and served as the General Counsel's public records liaison for one of the nation's largest universities, conducting legal research, and providing legal and operational assistance to attorneys supporting UCF and its board of trustees in all matters of litigation as well as other presidential divisions.
In November 2020, Tyler returned to the Clerk & Comptroller's office to assist with the transition of administrations from his mentor, Scott Ellis, to Rachel M. Sadoff. Clerk & Comptroller Sadoff named Tyler the Director of Organizational Development & Public Affairs in January 2021, where he oversees the development of the office through best practices, increased efficiency and operational continuity, and also by serving as the office's director of public and legislative affairs, communications, social media, and public records efforts.
In November 2022, Tyler was appointed the Director of Government & Public Affairs by Osceola Clerk of the Circuit Court & County Comptroller Kelvin Soto, Esq. where he works on developing and leading the office's constituent services, intergovernmental relations, and outreach alongside the Clerk & Comptroller's executive team.
Tyler and his husband, Nick, live in Orlando with their cat, Puck.
Current Memberships
Board Member, City of Orlando Board of Zoning Adjustment
Governance Chair, Emerging Leaders Board, Runway to Hope
Notary Public, State of Florida
Member, Equality Florida
Member, Florida Public Relations Association
Member, United Nations Association of the United States of America
Member, American Society of Notaries
Member, American Association of Notaries