Spotlight On: Anthony Vaz, Mayor, Seaside Heights

December 2025 — In an interview with Invest:, Anthony Vaz, mayor of Seaside Heights, highlighted the borough’s effort to ensure growth while emphasizing safety and quality of life as a family destination. “Our community has been in a redevelopment stage for the last five years, and growth continues to increase,” Vaz said.

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What recent changes have most impacted Seaside Heights?

Our community has been in a redevelopment stage for the last five years, and growth continues to increase. We have many investors from New Jersey and out of state putting their personal and corporate capital into our community. A particular $80 million project, which is going to house a hotel, conference center, wedding venues, and holiday venues, will start construction in September 2025. It will probably be completed within 18 months.

We’ve also had older properties being sold because it’s an opportune time to profit from them. Developers are coming in, demolishing older homes or cottages, and putting in new structures. They could be condominiums, townhouses, or multifamily homes. Our boulevard is key to the future of Seaside Heights. We’re encouraging interested developers to put the retail part of their construction there. It could be fine dining, commercial distribution, a small convenience store, a dress shop, a beauty salon, a barber shop, or a coffee shop. We’ve been persuading developers that this would help with their sales and provide new owners of those properties with conveniences right in their walking path.

What type of jobs are you attracting to support a stable workforce?

We work closely with the Ocean County Board of Commissioners. Within their governing roles, there is a Business Development & Tourism Department, with whom we coordinate for job opportunities, not only from the government sector, but also the private sector. We are seeing companies coming into Ocean County, particularly to the larger towns. There is a growth of department stores, malls, and companies offering services to the general public, so there are employment opportunities. Our county has grown by over 50% in the last 10 years.

How do you balance the influx of visitors with the population’s quality of life?

Seaside Heights is a classic tourism destination, particularly from April until October. We provide attractions like amusement parks, games of chance, and the food industry. There are also free opportunities for the public. Concerts of popular music can be held on the beach with thousands of people, and they don’t have to pay. But, they do provide for the community by spending on hotel rooms, the food industry, daily necessities like suntan lotions, and everything else that makes up a vacation.

What is your long-term plan to upgrade the utility systems supporting population growth and seasonal spikes?

We knew from the onset that we’d have to grow our utilities to comply with the growth of the population. Over the years, we have added to our electric and water supply system, put in modern technologies, and hired professionals with the skills to show us what we need in the projected future. I serve as the mayor, but I am also a resident, and I believe it benefits us to continue our ownership of the electric and water distribution systems. It means the services are ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whereas utility companies serving many municipalities might need to prioritize other regions if there’s a problem.

What new technologies have been implemented to improve the borough’s infrastructure?

We’ve implemented new systems and computerization of billing, revenues, and budget by looking at what needs to improve, whether in utilities or new technologies. It could be costly, but we have planned ahead with good strategies, and they have been working. We have upgraded our water treatment plant, electric utilities, as well as assets in taxation, building a faster response rate for public inquiries.

How do you collaborate with law enforcement and officials to enhance safety while still welcoming visitors?

We have had one incident on Memorial Day, which is traditionally problematic throughout the state with groups of young people under the age of 18. New rules are implemented with strong enforcement, working cooperatively with law enforcement agencies. Besides our Seaside Heights Police Department, we work with the prosecutor’s office, the sheriff’s office, SWAT units, and the Rapid Response Team. We have also worked with Gov. Phil Murphy and the attorney general on bringing in state police and the necessary equipment when needed.

The two dates in everyone’s mind are Memorial Day and Fourth of July, which have the potential to bring out behaviors that we don’t want to see. We are programmed to be on guard, and we’ve changed the hours of boardwalk activities for those dates. Rules on rentals have also changed, now requiring someone to be 21 years old or above, holding a mercantile license, and a certificate of occupancy.

To make sure they’re obeying those rules, we’ve increased the fines for those being disrespectful. The public, business community, and property owners are aware that we had a problem on Memorial Day weekend. We’ve put in some strong language and fines that are going to make people think twice, particularly the young actors who have had no consequences before the legislation was passed. Now, the state is going to give us some teeth.

How do you plan for major events like the Fourth of July?

On the Fourth of July, we’re not a small community anymore. We become a city, no longer of 3,000 – 4,000 people, but hundreds of thousands. We’re also going to have more discussions within the coming months for the country’s 250th anniversary. Coincidentally, we have opened up the carousel pavilion. Phase one’s construction is almost completed, and phase two will probably be completed by spring 2026. We will also have a museum sharing the history of Seaside Heights and remembrances of Ocean County’s past.

What are the key priorities for Seaside Heights in the next five years?

Our main goal as a community is to provide a good quality of life for both visitors and residents. It has to be a safe community that provides entertainment and relaxation for all of us. From Mother Nature, the boardwalk, to the boulevard, they’re the components of what makes Seaside Heights a family destination. We have opportunities and numerous activities, from boating, fishing, sailing, to private entrepreneurs offering surfing lessons to young children.

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