First order: Searching for a search firm.
By Kylee Worth
Original Air Date: July 9, 2025
Host: It’s reboot time for Sarasota’s city manager search. WSLR News reporter Kylee Worth is following the city commission’s journey.
Liz Alpert
Liz Alpert: I feel like we’re floundering here. It’s a terrible look. I don’t like it. I would like some guidance from people who know how this should be done.
KW: That was Liz Alpert, Sarasota’s mayor, amidst a heated discussion about the search for Sarasota’s next City Manager.
Marlon Brown
In October, Marlon Brown announced his resignation as City Manager, giving the city just two months. The retirement came as a surprise to many. Brown’s involvement in government in Florida spanned more than three decades of service, fifteen of which were with Sarasota. After hiring national search firm Colin Baeziger and Associates, the search for the next City Manager began. However, in April it became quite clear that Sarasota’s City Commission was not on the same page. With three commissioners complaining about lack of control over the search process and leaving the public in the dark, the commissioners voted to reboot.
Since then, the city hired Dave Bullock, an experienced local government administrator, as a temporary manager replacement. Now, starting from scratch, the Sarasota City Commission beginning the hunt for a new search firm.
During Monday’s meeting, after reviewing letters of interest from six search firms, City Commissioners began laying down a framework for how they will go about selecting one. The selected firms will be requested to send a proposal answering questions. Based on the firm’s proposal, city commissioners will choose whether or not they advance to a live interview. To prevent further miscommunication between the City Commissioners and the public, they intend to include residents in this step of the process.
Shayla Griggs is the city auditor and clerk.
Shayla Griggs: We have to think about—previously, some of the issues were things not being in public, and I think these interviews will need to be in public. We will have to manage all that and get that scheduled and all of that. Just note that as well when you are talking about how many firms you’re selecting.
KW: Then, the city commissioners narrowed down options. One by one, each gave their preferred search firm out of a list of six options. There were two standouts.
Sumter Local Government Consulting and Slavin Management Consultants are both based in the Atlanta area. A third one, MGT, was included because it does have offices nearby in Tampa. These three will now undergo further questioning from the Sarasota City Commission. However, it is likely we will not know more until August.
The city’s manager search will be a standing item in all upcoming commission meetings agendas, the city clerk said.
Reporting for WSLR News, Kylee Worth.
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