Three Senior Flagler County Directors Lined Up As Potential Interim Leaders During Search For Heidi Petito Replacement

Term-limited Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito appointed Growth Management Director Adam Mengel her deputy this week, and lined up Mengel, Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord and Finance Director John Brower as potential interim administrators

Chuck Merenda, who is Mengel’s deputy, is the acting growth management director during Mengel’s reassignment. 

Petito outlined the appointments and succession plan in a two-page memo sent to the county commissioners on Wednesday. None of the changes entail additional spending “beyond temporary pay adjustments consistent with County policy for acting assignments,” she wrote. 

The memo was something of a surprise to some commissioners. “She unexpectedly took the week off,” Commission Chair Leann Pennington said. “She recommended them in her place. It seems perfectly normal in the course of her duties.” Pennington said the commission was in “good hands” with the trip Petito noted.

The memo follows an at-times tense discussion of the commission during its last meeting earlier this week when commissioners raised questions about interim possibilities and again questioned whether Petito should stay until July, as Petito has offered to do. Petito called the commission’s see-sawing rhetoric “sloppy” and unprofessional. 

In the end, the commission rejected hiring Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff Mark Strobridge as an interim manager and reasserted Petito’s exit plan. She would remain on the job until mid-July and see the commission through budget season, while the commission, the human resources department and the state association of county managers work toward recruiting a permanent replacement. 

“This transition period presents an opportunity to utilize existing senior leadership capacity while maintaining stability across County departments,” Petito wrote in her memo. Mengel’s appointment also formalizes the leadership’s organizational plan whenever Petito is on vacation. 

Mengel’s career at the county has closely paralleled Petito’s. She has only a few more years in the organization than he does (he’s been with Flagler County nearly 20 years). 

“One option is for the Board to appoint Mr. Mengel to serve as Acting County Administrator during the recruitment process,” Petito wrote, presumably referring to the period after mid-July when she would have left and the commission would not have yet selected a replacement. The appointment also gives Petito breathing room–and, conversely, the commission–should she decide to leave earlier, should tensions with the commission become intolerable. 

In her resignation announcement, Petito blamed the commission for creating a toxic work environment for the administration. Three commissioners–Kim Carney, Pam Richardson, Leann Pennington, the chair–since last year’s evaluations made clear to Petito that she was no longer wanted as the top executive. Pennington favored retaining Petito in a different role in the organization. Richardson and Carney did not. They want new leadership, though much of the leadership in place below Petito has her imprint. 

“In addition to Mr. Mengel, two other directors have the experience and organizational capacity to serve in acting roles,” Petito said, referring to Brower and Lord. Brower’s “involvement in the FY27 budget development process makes him a strong candidate for an acting administrative role,” she wrote, as if again to hint that she could be gone sooner. 

Lord, who’s been with the county for eight years and has the confidence of commissioners, local law enforcement agencies and other governments, “also brings significant government and emergency management experience and leads a capable team that can sustain operations during a temporary reassignment,” she wrote. “Although hurricane season begins June 1, an acting administrative role would still allow him to remain engaged in both Administration and Emergency Management.”

Petito said Mengel, Brower and Lord have all expressed their willingness to help as long as they can return to their existing roles once a permanent administrator is named. Carney has signaled that she is not interested in promoting leadership from within to take over the permanent administrator job. Others have not been so definite, though the message has been such that internal candidates are unlikely once the application window opens. 

“Another approach the Board may consider,” Petito wrote, “is establishing a tiered interim structure that includes an Acting County Administrator, an Acting Deputy County Administrator, and an Acting Assistant County Administrator. This model would distribute administrative responsibilities across multiple senior leaders and ensure coverage across major operational areas during the transition period.”