Jimmy Landis

My name is James “Jimmy” Landis, and I live here at The Indian Cove, or what most of us simply call “The Cove”. I’m a full-time resident of our campground community. This isn’t just an address for me. It’s home. It’s where my family lives, and it’s where I deal with the same roads, rules, neighbors, and maintenance issues everyone else does.

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I run a small exterior cleaning and maintenance business in the Hampton Roads area. Most of my work is with homes, restaurants, and small commercial properties. Working for myself means I deal with real costs, real scheduling, real repairs, and real customer expectations every day, and I bring that practical, real-world mindset into how I look at decisions in our community.

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Because I live here full-time, I notice things. I notice when common areas start slipping. I notice when small problems turn into big ones because nobody has the time or the budget to deal with them early. I also notice how frustrating it is for residents when communication is slow or unclear. I’m not saying that from the outside. I’m saying that as someone who actually lives with the outcomes.

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On top of my regular work, I’ve helped quite a few people here at The Cove with camper maintenance and small repair issues. I’ve crawled under units, looked at soft floors, leaks, electrical gremlins, and all the little stuff that makes living in an RV or camper stressful when it goes wrong. That hands-on side of things has given me a much more realistic view of what people here really deal with, especially when money is tight and repairs aren’t optional.

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I grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, and joined the U.S. Navy when I was twenty years old. I deployed overseas multiple times and worked in IT throughout my service. I went into the Navy young and honestly unsure of what I was capable of, but over time I pushed myself, learned fast, and consistently exceeded what was expected of me.

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After leaving active duty, I spent another twelve years supporting Navy operations as a contractor. Between my military service and contracting work, I spent two decades working inside large systems where reliability, accountability, and clear communication actually matter. That experience taught me how things really work behind the scenes, how policies get written, and how easily good intentions can get buried in process if nobody pushes for clarity. I learned how to work within the rules without hiding behind them, and how to speak up when something doesn’t make sense.

I’m also a student at Old Dominion University, studying finance and business, and I care a lot about how money is planned, tracked, and explained. Community dues are not abstract to me. It’s everyone’s money. It’s people on fixed incomes. It’s families trying to stay ahead. I believe residents deserve clear explanations and honest numbers, not just end results.

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For the last three years, I’ve been raising my child here full-time, and that has made me pay much closer attention to how our community actually works day to day, especially when it comes to safety, communication, and how quickly problems get addressed. It has also made me more mindful of how decisions affect families, retirees, and residents on fixed incomes who rely on this campground not only as seasonal campers, but as their permanent home, not just a place to stay.

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I’m running for the community board because I already care about this place, and I already help people here, even without a title. I’m not looking to turn this into politics. I just want to be someone residents can talk to, someone who will actually follow up, and someone who will push for practical, realistic decisions that make life here better over time, not just temporarily easier.

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If I’m elected, I’ll show up, I’ll listen, and I’ll do the work.