Sun Riders Miata Club of Tampa Bay
2024 Board of Directors
President
Bill
Originally both my wife Deb of 31 years and I are from South Jersey. Over the years we moved around. Our daughter Amanda and son Andrew were born in Columbus Oh. We moved from Columbus to Ellicott City MD which is between Baltimore and DC. Our daughter went to Eckerd College here in St Pete which attracted us to Tampa Bay. Once our son graduated from high school and decided he also was going to attend college in Fl we made the move here. We bought our 1st Miata in Md. a Copper-Red 2010 Grand Touring PRHT due to winters in Md. We also owned a 2014 Mazda3 Grand Touring. We are now the proud owners of the 2019 30th Anniversary Edition #269 soft top.
Vice President
Jim
I am originally from Allentown, PA. After enlisting in the Air Force in 1977, I spent several years in Utah, California and Colorado where I met and married my wife, Kim, in 1985. A few months later we moved to Tampa, Florida. We just celebrated our 35th anniversary in December, 2020. Between the two of us, we have 5 children and 8 grandchildren.
I am an avid sports enthusiast. My favorite sports teams are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Lightning, Rays and the University of Florida Gators.
My first Miata was a 2016, soul red Grand Touring Roadster, however it was an automatic. The following year, when the RFs rolled out, we traded in our 2016 for a 2017 Soul Red RF GT, with standard transmission, which we continue to customize. We joined Sun Riders in 2016 and it was the best decision we ever made. We have met so many wonderful people, seen so many sights in Florida and enjoyed so many miles in our little car.
Treasurer
Debbie
I bought my first Miata at the urging of my husband. He knew how much I had enjoyed having a convertible years ago and wanted one again. He also wanted me to have a smaller car, so we’d have more room in the garage. In fall of 2019 I bought my 2016 Soul Red ND. In the spring of 2020 Dave decided he needed to replace his 15-year-old Mustang and drove my car for a week while deciding what to get. He immediately decided he wanted a Miata as well, so he bought a black 2016 ND. We joined the club shortly after and have enjoyed all the friendships we have made. We are both still working. I have been with the same company for 26 years as a director of IT software development. David runs two flight schools as well as teaching flying. Our house is filled with both aviation and Miata décor as they are both obsessions of ours.
Secretary
David
I purchased my White 2016 Miata Club Edition in 2019. I was working from home full time and my wife Kerri and I were sharing a Jeep wrangler that she took to work during the week. For a while I was able to manage not having a vehicle full time. But then it started to become a hassle. So off I went to the used car lot with the intention of buying either a Toyota Tacoma or a Miata. Needless to say I never test drove the Tacoma after a quick drive in the Miata. Kerri and I moved to St. Petersburg in the beginning of 2020 after many family vacations to SW Florida, each time returning and asking ourselves "why don't we move to the Tampa area?" Kerri and I have two sons and a daughter and are originally from Severna Park, MD. I work in Information Technology. We joined Sun Riders in 2022 and have met some great people and attended many fun events like the Tail of the Dragon and Summer Crush Vineyard and Winery weekend trips. What I like most about the club is the diversity of events that are not necessarily focused on cars, but on doing what members find fun. Zoom-Zoom!
Member at Large
Marc
Originally from Pittsburgh, we moved to Florida in 1986. We settled in Oldsmar and have been here ever since. Both of us retired in 2012 and haven’t looked back!
We have a daughter, Megan, who had a pandemic wedding last year. It was originally scheduled for the same weekend as Tail of the Dragon but neither happened. Megan and Matt did get married on August 1, 2020 in a small ceremony (19 people) outside. Not the wedding we had planned, but we weren’t the only ones who were impacted by the pandemic. We now have an almost 2 year old grandson, Nathan. We joined Sun Riders in 2013 after purchasing our 2012 Brilliant Black PRHT Grand Touring.
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The Staff
Eileen and Marc - Membership
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Originally from Pittsburgh, we moved to Florida in 1986. We settled in Oldsmar and have been here ever since. Both of us retired in 2012 and haven’t looked back!
We have a daughter, Megan, who had a pandemic wedding last year. It was originally scheduled for the same weekend as Tail of the Dragon but neither happened. Megan and Matt did get married on August 1, 2020 in a small ceremony (19 people) outside. Not the wedding we had planned, but we weren’t the only ones who were impacted by the pandemic. We now have an almost 2 year old grandson, Nathan. We joined Sun Riders in 2013 after purchasing our 2012 Brilliant Black PRHT Grand Touring.
Marc is the clubs Member at Large.
I am still doing the membership and e-mail correspondence for the Club.
Kim and Jim -
Jim and I have been members of Sun Riders since 2017 when we purchased our first Miata, a 2017 Soul Red Grand Touring Roadster.
In 2018, we traded it in for a Soul Red RF, which I use as my daily driver.
I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado and moved to Florida in 1986, 5 months after Jim and I married. I am currently working as the Office Manager for a land surveying company and have been in their employ for 34 years.
I have been running the Sun Riders Face Book page for a couple of years. I decided to create it so we could share pictures, comments, websites, events, and general love for our little cars.
Dean and Judy -
Web site
Judy and I bought our first Miata in 2004. It was a beautiful 1990 first year model.
We also joined the Sun Riders that year and have enjoyed this club ever since.
In 2017, I bought a Gray 2015 retractable HT GT edition.
We did merchandise for the club many years ago and took over the web site after that.
I retired in 2019 after 37 years with the same company. I enjoy boating, fishing, gardening and playing bass guitar.
