‘The Very Best Of What It Is To Be Human’- Timer Powers Aug. 9, 1936 – May 21, 1992
People loved Timer Powers.
The easygoing Indiantown resident, who gets the credit for rules limiting Martin County building heights to four stories, was a lifelong defender of the environment. As a Martin County commissioner and water management board member, he helped settle the Everglades pollution lawsuit and helped the Seminoles secure water rights in the Everglades.
But government service wasn’t why people loved Powers, who died of cancer at 55.
Powers made people feel good about themselves and each other. His own simple, humble kindness brought out those qualities in others.
“He was the very best of what it is to be human,” former Martin Commissioner Maggy Hurchalla said when Powers died in 1992. “He was our hero. He was our friend. And it will always be a kinder place because he was here.”
Other friends called Powers an extraordinary Christian and a man who worked behind the scenes to bring people together. Beloved by the Seminoles and Miccosukees, he also had credibility with farmers and ranchers, and easily made friends with new residents. He sparked a spirit of cooperation among the most diverse groups.
He had deep feelings for South Florida’s natural wonders, particularly the waters and the wildlife.
“The little creeks and the rivers and the waterways have no voice. I think of myself as their voice. I speak for the waters,” he once said.
“There’s not that many people representing the critters, and if we fail to represent those who can’t represent themselves, either nature or people, then we have failed.”
- SALLY D. SWARTZ
