Meet A.m. “hupp” Huppmann

We were lucky to catch up with A.m. “hupp” Huppmann recently and have shared our conversation below.

A.M. “Hupp”, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Sometimes it happens quite by accident. I believe you can’t be so focused on one thing you are doing that you don’t allow other purposes to present themselves to you.

Over the last 20 years some of my greatest purpose (self and for others) driven work has happened with no prior planning. You must have the courage to accept being uncomfortable to see where something might lead you.

I also firmly believe that it is not “one person, one purpose”. I believe your journey can be filled with multiple purposes depending on the timing in your life.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I was a young musician before I joined the Navy right out of High School. From age 17 to age 38, I served in the U.S. Navy. When I retired from the Navy in 2004, my only plan (term used very loosely) was to become a full-time musician on Amelia Island. I had always worked in music part time, but wondered if I could sustain a living just playing music on a local level.

I soon found that I would have to supplement music because of economic realities, so I began bartending part time at a historic establishment. That led to me being selected as the General Manager of the establishment for about 5 years. I resigned from that profession because I felt I had gotten off track. I decided to take time and regroup as a kayak guide/musician. There I met a musical partner I still work with some 15 years later. I did that for one year and then the Navy called and offered me a civilian position. I took that position for the next 5 years still playing music at night.

In 2014 life changed again and I moved to New Mexico where I attended college with my youngest son using my G.I. Bill Benefits as a veteran. I graduated college in 2017 and returned to Florida. My son graduated, earned a Commission and went into the Air Force. He now serves as a Pilot.

I moved back to Amelia Island where I was determined to just do music work with no side jobs. I did so and this time it worked. I spent the next 3 years just doing music.

In 2019/2020 I was presented with an absolute curve ball. Three local veterans (Army, Air Force and Marine) and I decided to embark on a campaign to raise awareness and funds for veterans with traumatic brain injury and PTSD related issues. This would be accomplished by rowing a 28ft rowboat over 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in an annual race called the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.

A non-profit campaign was started (Foar From Home), over a year and a half of training and fundraising was completed, and we departed San Sebastian de La Gomera (in the Canary Islands) on 12 December 2021. We arrived at English Harbor, Antigua (in the West Indies) on 1 February 2022 after 51 days, 11 hours and 43 minutes rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. We had managed to raise over $813,000 by the time we reached our destination. $650,000 dollars went to K-9s for Warriors in Ponte Vedra, Florida and another $50,000 went to Cross The Line Foundation, a local veteran charity on Amelia Island.

The boat (Courageous) and one Atlantic row crew member (Paul Lore) are still rowing oceans. He crossed the Pacific in 2023 and is scheduled to complete other rows in the 2025/2026/2027 rowing seasons. He is still doing it all for veteran (and other) charities.

When I returned home and healed up from that mentally and physically exhausting journey a friend suggested that I should serve my community (that gave all that money to our charity) by running for office on the local County Commission. I’m not a political person, but I do believe in service, and this is public service. I ran and was elected to office in the 2022 Florida Primary Election. I have served as the Commissioner for District 2 in Nassau County since that time and currently serve as the Chairman of the Board for 2025. I still play music a few nights a week, either solo, in a duo and with the local band The Honey Badgers.

That is my story. No real plan, just an awesome journey so far. To be continued…

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Be disciplined. Self-discipline is the key to success in every aspect of life. Act in a disciplined and purposeful manner in whatever you choose to do. Avoid self-destructive behaviors.

Be balanced. Do not allow work or success to become the focus. Work, live, and play in balance.

Be involved. Community is incredibly important. It is an ecosystem of friends and relationships that are important in life. A good quality of life includes serving others in some capacity. You are only ever one handshake away from a possible new journey or purpose.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

As an elected official, I am constantly trying to show my community that serving on the local level can be accomplished in an apolitical manner. I serve everyone in the County, I specifically serve my constituents in my District (just over 20,000 people) and politics (especially national politics) has very little to do with the business of the small County Government. It is about public safety, services, infrastructure, recreation, quality of life and economic prosperity for everyone.

I’m very fortunate that my work in music has allowed me to have a deep connection with my local community before I ran for office. My community knows me, thanks to music.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Hupp Huppmann or The Honey Badgers Amelia Island

Image Credits

Dale Cooper
Michael Ritter
Atlantic Campaigns