Incoming Palm Coast City Manager Michael McGlothlin would be paid $225,000 a year and have a total compensation package that would push the total close to the $300,000 mark based on the proposed contract the City Council is set to approve on Tuesday.
McGlothlin negotiated the contract with Mayor Mike Norris, City Attorney Marcus Duffy and Human Resources Director Renina Fuller. McGlothlin got the final product on Nov. 25.
The base pay is 29 percent higher than that of his predecessor in the permanent job, Denise Bevan, who was paid $175,000 a year. Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston was paid $189,000 when hired as interim after Bevan’s firing in March 2024, as Johnston was to carry on her previous duties in addition to the manager’s duties.
When McGlothlin was hired as manager of Redingon Shores two years ago, a job he no longer held when he applied for the Palm Coast job, his salary was $126,000.
Flagler Beach City Manager Dale Martin just got a 4 percent raise after two years on the job, bringing his base salary to $171,620. Bunnell City Manager Alvin Jackson in October got a 10 percent raise, to $158,000. School Superintendent LaShakia Moore is paid $182,000 a year. County Administrator Heidi Petito’s original base pay in 2021 was $179,000, but has been raised annually, matching inflation, and is $212,900 this year. None of those salaries include benefits and other forms of compensation.
None of the executives benefit from the level of additional compensation the Palm Coast manager will, though the superintendent, the county administrator and the Bunnell city manager are enrolled in the state’s generous Florida Retirement System. Palm Coast employees, including the manager, are not eligible, so the city has customarily provided retirement pay.
McGlothlin would start work on Dec. 17. In addition to his base pay, he would get 17 percent of his base pay in additional retirement compensation, or $38,250 a year. He would be eligible for up to 2 percent of his base pay, or up to $4,500, as a match to his deferred compensation plan. He would get a $6,000-a-year car allowance and an undefined stipend for a city phone, which would be the equivalent of $1,200 to $1,500 for the year.
For the first time for any city manager–he would be the seventh, counting interims–McGlothlin would get an extra benefit that would give him an incentive to stay on the clock during emergencies, when managers typically put in 18- to 20-hour days: “During a declared local state of emergency or disaster event, the city manager will be compensated for hours actually worked beyond their regular scheduled workday,” the proposed contract states. “The additional compensation will be paid at 100% of the salary rate of pay.”
McGlothlin’s hourly pay is $108.17. Assuming he were to work 18-hour days during a local hurricane or tropical storm emergency, when the manager, directors and others turn Fire Station 25 on Belle Terre Parkway into the city’s Emergency Operations Center, he would be paid an additional $1,000 a day–a bonus provided none of the city’s salaried personnel. Line workers are eligible for overtime pay.
He would also be eligible for health benefits, if he elects to take them, as provided directors and the manager (a different level of benefits than that extended line workers). “The Plan currently includes medical/health insurance plan, short-term disability, long-term disability, dental, life insurance, and vision insurance. The City agrees to pay the full premiums for the City Manager and his eligible dependents,” the contract states. Those benefits would add about $22,000 to $28,000 to the city manager’s compensation package, depending on which plan he chooses, if he elects to take benefits for himself and his wife. The city does not pay the premiums of dependents of other employees.
McGlothlin will start his tenure with a week’s vacation in his time-off bank (40 hours) and accrue additional vacation and sick time with each pay period. If he does not use either, he will be eligible, upon his retirement, his resignation or his firing, for all the accrued time, in cash, for up to 640 hours (320 hours in each category), or the equivalent of $69,120 in addition to severance, should he be eligible. Severance is limited by law to 20 weeks, or $86,400. (Bevan at her firing received $126,419 in combined severance and accrued time, plus $12,273 in health benefits, or the equivalent of a year’s premiums.)
The contract may be terminated “for cause,” in accordance with the city charter. The Charter Review Committee, currently meeting bi-weekly–its recommendations are due on March 1–is considering requiring a supermajority to fire the city manager.
McGlothlin is to be evaluated yearly, around October.
Clarification: A previous version of this article reported that McGlothlin’s compensation package would go well past the $300,000 mark. In fact, it would get close to the mark, but not go past it absent additional emergency pay.
michael-mcglothlin-contract-2025
Dennis C Rathsam says
The whole city of P/C is a disaster….Now lets welcome the snowbirds, to add to the party.
Ray Flieger says
Hi there pretty sweet deal for someone who was terminated from his last position. Almost double his salary plus overtime. He should contribute some time as his pay scale. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.
John Flannery says
How much rent could be paid to those below the poverty level at that obscene amount.
This is Palm Coast, not Los Angeles!
Really annoyed says
That is some ridiculous amount of money to be paid that! This goes to show how corrupt this city council is. Wh9 in their right mind would even approve this! This isn’t New York City! You are deplorable to even rip off us taxpayers! It’s an easy job with a fancy title! This city council better wake up and open their eyes to see how are money is being spent. Another politician laughing all the way to the bank!
chris conklin says
who does he think he is. a college football coach who gets fired and still paid then gets another job. unreal n I dont even live in palm coast but unfortunately have to deal with the traffic when I have to cross the bridge.
Larry says
I pity the new city manager for having to work with chaotic Mayor Mike Norris.
celia pugliese says
I would not be so so sorry for the manager as Mayor Norris voted with flying colors one of the 3 at the meeting, for his golden pay package!
Using Common Sense says
Absolutely ridiculous! Palm Coast and Flagler County are sucking the residents dry with INSANE salaries, retirement packages, and paid benefits. These ridiculous salaries are not in line with reality and unheard of in most other comparable positions. We need new city council members and county commissioners that represent the residents, say “no” to urban sprawl, protect our environment, and stop bleeding us dry!
Gina says
I thought the mayor wanted to cut back on administrative high salaries, I remember him saying
that the salaries were so unbalanced at the top that the roof can fall off! Just another day in PC folks.
Shelley Gordon says
ARE THEY NUTS!
Cindy says
Overtime???? I never got paid overtime at a supervisor’s level because my monthly salary was being compensated and didn’t really have to make up time etc…. My boss was controller of the finance group at $300K a year and was never ever paid overtime and in finance for a fortune 500 company monthly closings, quarterly closings and then year end which lasted the entire month of January. This does not sound right to me. I’m am really annoyed at this where is all this money coming from that should be going to the sewer problem we have. SMH in disbelief.
No way says
Are you kidding me ? The salary for the state governor is less than half of that ($141 k)
The clown show continues at our expense
Citizen$$ says
The mosquito control director of 12 people here makes 200k
hjcinc says
This is absolutely nuts the city should be cutting costs not adding this to the budget what a deal. The taxpayers need to fill city hall the next meeting inside and out to stop this ridiculous spending
Cindy says
@Really Annoyed: Laughing all the way to the bank while laughing at us…….
Ed Danko, former Vice-Mayor, PC says
$300K?? Mayor Norris is one tough negotiator – NOT!
Hopefully says
… he decides to put the utility bill drop-box back, outside the utility building on Old Kings Road… saving me the cost of a stamp.
A penny saved is indeed a penny earned in Palm Coast… btw, my advice, save those pennies dude (as I note the noted “terminated for cause” clause at the end of the article).
bill says
for a city that is only a quarter of a century old, you would think that the salary would not be that high. This guy is not the president of the United States, which he is almost making as much as the President of the United States. He’s a joke. The cities is a joke.
City employees ask the higher-ups why is this man getting medical coverage through the mayo health system when the average employee most or all employees or getting their medical coverage from some other low class medical insurance company same old shit nothing’s gonna change , it’s all about greed, greed, greed
I worked for the city and I’ve seen the salaries. It’s disgraceful. I’ve seen the scandals in the building department and code and other departments. I hope you enjoy your overpaid salaries that you take from the taxpayers who are just most of them barely making it remember on your deathbed you’re not taking it with you
Laurel says
The party of fiscal responsibility.
Michael Van Buren says
As someone that has lived most of his life in Flagler County and was a public servant for over 30 years, this package is not only a slap in the face to every other public employee, but also to every resident of Palm Coast struggling to keep up with insurance, property taxes, and utility rates here with my Palm Coast bill being 7 1/2 times greater than my bill in Ormond beach.
The mere fact that disaster pay was even considered is yet another insult to every public employee here, and implies that he cares so little about the job that he requires extra pay to do his job during times of emergency and crisis. The rank and file are the ones sacrificing and doing the actual work anyway.
He is already being offered what is probably the highest compensation package in Flagler County Government.
Wake up Palm Coast, we are already pricing ourselves out of house and home. Time to trim the fat.