Ken Jagodzinski formally took over as president of The Villages Deep Sea Fishing Club on Jan. 1, ushering in a new era.
Jagodzinski has been a member of the club for over three years and expressed his excitement at taking over as president.
“It’s a dynamic group,” said Jagodzinski, of the Village of Pinellas. “It’s a great group of avid fishermen. I’ve really enjoyed participating.”
The Villages Deep Sea Fishing Club has around 550 members that like fishing. The group goes on roughly 20 charters a month, with an average of eight to ten individuals aboard the boat. The group doesn’t limit its visits to a certain place; they go to the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and all around Florida.
Jagodzinski hopes to build on the tremendous legacies of his predecessors. Jagodzinski, who has a history in marketing, hopes that his abilities can help the team reach new heights.
“I just feel with my background in my prior job, I could make a difference, and take a great machine and make it bigger and better,” Jagodzinski said.
Mo Davidson, the former president, has been a huge assistance in Jagodzinski’s transition to president. Davidson had been the club’s president for six years when he decided it was time to stand aside.
Davidson offered Jagodzinski his full support, telling him he’d be okay and that he wouldn’t have stood down if he didn’t believe Jagodzinski, or whoever took over as president, was capable. Davidson even offered Jagodzinski a binder full of useful notes and information.
Another club member who feels Jagodzinski will make an excellent president is Dean Hooker of the Village of Hemingway. Hooker has known Jagodzinski for many years, and the two buddies go fishing together a few times a month.
Hooker claims that on one of those fishing trips in the Florida Keys, he mentioned to Jagodzinski that he should be the next president.
“He’s very organized and methodical,” Hooker said. “Very outgoing. He plans so well. He does our organization of our trips down to the Keys, and he plans it out in the ultimate detail.”
While Jagodzinski is appreciative of the club and acknowledges its strong legacy, he hopes to make certain changes, one of which is to expand the group to include more members from The Villages’ southern section.
The incoming president hopes to bring in guest lecturers from some of the regions where they fish to enlighten the club about what to anticipate.
Another aim is to travel to Fort Pierce and the Dry Tortugas, some 80 miles west of Key West, for excellent fishing chances.
This, as well as greater contact via emails, social media and more efficient ways to pay for charters, are just a few of the ways Jagodzinski is bringing change to the club while honoring its past.
“I’m a contagiously optimistic guy, and I hope my optimism is contagious,” Jagodzinski said. “I’ve met with Mo numerous times and he said, ‘New leadership brings new ideas. Try stuff. If it doesn’t work, you can always change it.’ So we’re going to try some stuff.”