Henry Dean, a long-standing St. Johns County resident, began an extensive career in government and politics shortly after receiving his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Iowa in 1970 and his Juris Doctor from Florida State University in 1974. After briefly serving as an environmental aide to Florida Governor Rueben Askew, he served as an attorney for the State Land Planning Agency and then as general counsel for the Florida Department of Natural Resources.

With a keen interest in environmental policy, Henry focused his attention on water quality, and served as the Executive Director of the St. Johns River Water Management District for 17 years. While in this position, he established the first minimum flows and levels in Florida for the Wekiva River System, gave special attention to springs protection, lead efforts to acquire critical buffers to benefit Silver Springs and Silver Glen Springs, and assisted with restoring more than 200,000 acres of marsh along the St. Johns River. Henry also served as the Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District for four years, and led the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program during this time. Since 2005, he has remained active in conservation efforts as an environmental consultant.

Henry Dean was elected as St. Johns County’s District 5 Commissioner in 2016, and re-elected for a second term in 2020. He is a member of the Florida Bar, and served on the Board of Directors for both the Audubon of Florida and the Interstate Council on Water Policy. Henry has four children, and currently lives in St. Augustine Beach with his wife Melanie.