St. Petersburg, Florida Project

“Tarpon” Tim was born and raised in Denver, CO. He started fly fishing with his brother for trout in the Rockies. In 2018 Tim and his wife moved to St. Petersburg, where he now fly fishes for all kinds of salty and freshwater species. You can usually find him fishing for snook, bass, and tarpon all over town in ditches and ponds. Tim is a fly casting enthusiast also, coaching many casters in the area and winning several casting competitions. Teaching the next generation of fly fishing is a huge part of his life. Having grown up in a large family, Tim loves working with children from all kinds of backgrounds.  

Scott was raised in the Tampa Bay area and whether he was windsurfing, boating, wakeboarding, or fishing, you would probably find him on the water somewhere during his free time. Although he loves all types of fishing, fly fishing is his passion/obsession. When not running his financial business or on the water, he enjoys volunteering at his church and in his community, including serving as a small group youth leader. Scott and his family are very familiar with the struggles many foster kids face. The Mayfly Project has provided him the perfect opportunity to combine his desire to help foster youth with his passion for fly fishing.

I enjoy seeing the excitement on the kids faces as they’re tying ant pattern flies, using markers to add their own color flare on the flies. Treasured moments listening to them come up with ways to conserve, and to be better at fly fishing. It is truly amazing to see these kids personally grow from the first day of introduction to the end of the program.———James

Jim Williams is the V.P. for Fund Development at Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc. where he directs the philanthropic and volunteer activities. His department generates support to help Goodwill carry out its mission of “transforming lives through lifelong learning and the power of work”.
A Floridian by birth and resident of St. Petersburg since 1975, he is married to his beautiful bride Sue. They have three wonderful children and six fantastic grandchildren. He is a Past President for The Gulfport Multipurpose Senior Center Foundation, past officer and current board member for the Charitable Gift Planners of Tampa Bay and serves as the volunteer music director for 30th Avenue Baptist Church where he was married in 1978.

Mandy is a Florida native but didn’t grow up fishing. When working as a civil engineer she joined her local fly fishing club to pick up a new hobby as a form of stress relief and mindful meditation. Since then she has become a passionate angler and fly tier. There is nothing like catching your first fish and as a mentor for the St Petersburg Mayfly Project she looks forward to sharing that experience with the kids.

Born and raised on the west coast of Florida, I have sent a large portion of my life on the water. I got my love for fishing from my father, although he was not a fly fisherman. I was fortunate enough to find Suncoast Fly Fishers fly club and became an avid member. Some of my greatest experiences in life have been centered around fly fishing and because of that, I am passionate about teaching others the joy and peace of fly fishing and being in nature.