PORT ST. LUCIE PEOPLE
Over the next several years, Taylor branched out into statewide
promotion for gospel and comedy shows, R&B, and
other events. “I was ticket pastor, not ticket master,” he says
with a laugh. Purchasing two buses, he contracted with Boys
& Girls Clubs. He started a church when an outreach to the
homeless grew into a congregation.
With a new power washer business, ministry, properties,
expanding bus fleet and promotional work, Taylor was always
busy … and successful. Then the recession hit.
Taylor had just settled in Port St. Lucie. Declining malls
affected his power washing business. Donations to Boys
& Girls Clubs slowed, cutting back on their transportation
needs. “It happened so fast. I thought, ‘Wow! What am I
gonna do now?’”
Taylor opened Flavors, a restaurant and lounge. Critics
questioned his Christian witness, causing him to question
himself. “Then one night a man walked into the bar and
ordered a beer. When I set him up, he just sat there, shaking
his head. I asked if I could give him a hug and he burst into
tears. He said, ‘I was on my way home to kill myself.’”
Taylor never struggled to reconcile his choice of business
after that. “I stopped caring what people thought. I was ministering
there. I’d venture to say I helped as many in that bar
as I had at church.”
When Flavors closed after nine successful years, a friend
suggested car sales. Taylor interviewed with Bev Smith Toyota
in Fort Pierce and has been with them six years. His favorite
part? “People. That’s it. I don’t judge anybody. I fought for my
own life, so I don’t look down on anyone for theirs.”
Taylor still looks for opportunities to help others in addition
to his day job. His advice for young men in particular is
TERRY ‘PASTOR T’ TAYLOR
Age: 65
Lives in: Port St. Lucie
Occupation: Car salesman; promoter for the nonprofit
organization Get on Board Ministries Inc.
Family: Four sons, two daughters, eight grandchildren
Education: Northeast High School in Oakland Park;
School of Funeral Sciences at Miami Dade Community
College
Hobby: “I like to fish, look for opportunities to serve.
There’s a thin line for me with work, though. I come in on
my days off, during vacation.”
Who inspires me: “Biblical characters. To me, they’re real.”
Something most people don’t know about me: “Most
things, honestly. I’m outgoing, but I don’t give out much
because I try to bring out things from them.”
this: “Actions have consequences. If people would just think
things through, it would change the course of their lives in
many ways.”
“Pastor T” Taylor has made — and lost — millions. “I’ve
cried at my highest and laughed at my lowest. It’s what you
find inside yourself.”
The foundation Taylor found inside made all the difference. E
Port St. Lucie Magazine 37
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