Published: Monday, May 5, 2014 at 10:38 p.m. Last Modified: Monday, May 5, 2014 at 10:38 p.m.

Lucas Jewell, a 22-year-old libertarian activist and former U.S. Navy air traffic controller, has filed to run for the Alachua County Commission District 4 seat Commissioner Susan Baird will vacate after this November's election.

Jewell is relatively new to Gainesville, having moved here in January to be closer to his mother after her husband died in a car accident.

I mean, I'm going to live here for a while and you can either sit back and complain about things or you can say, 'Screw it, I'm going to throw my hat in the ring and see what happens,' he said.

Jewell grew up in North Florida and told The Sun he enlisted in the Navy in 2010 at 18 years old, serving as an air traffic controller before he was eventually honorably discharged in March 2013 after filing as a conscientious objector.

After leaving the military, he got involved as the business manager for Adam vs. The Man, a talk show helmed by libertarian activist Adam Kokesh that has existed in various formats (mostly online).

While he worked with Adam vs. The Man, Jewell said he participated in Smoke Down Prohibition rallies in Philadelphia during which people would smoke marijuana publicly as an act of civil disobedience meant to make the legalization issue more visible.

Jewell told The Sun he was arrested at a Smoke Down Prohibition event in June 2013, while Kokesh had already been arrested at a prior rally.

He said he had a hand-rolled tobacco cigarette and was trying to get the police to focus on him so others wouldn't be arrested. I don't know how regular people get arrested, but libertarians don't really comply, he said.

Jewell said he sat down and forced the authorities to carry him off.

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Libertarian activist to run for District 4 Alachua County seat