The Palm Coast City Council on a 4-1 vote Tuesday night approved hiring Mark Strobridge, the Flagler County Sheriff’s chief of staff, as the assistant city manager for at least three months.
With little discussion, the majority of the council was supportive. Mayor Mike Norris was not, nor were a handful of public speakers, most of them Norris supporters who frequently address issues at council meetings, some of them making baseless claims about Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston, who verbalized the justification for the hire.
Knowing that it would pile on the criticism, Norris dubiously allowed two rounds of public comments before calling for the vote, now that those rounds have become his unraveling tenure’s only validation.
“We are not fully staffed,” Johnston said. “My assistant city manager position is open, the community development director position is open, and the utility director position is open. We have the utility director position posted. We need to hire that position. It’s been a desire of this city council to get that person on board as quickly as possible. Chief Strobridge offers many years in local government experience. He’s a great judge of character. He can help us with that process.”
Strobridge has described his responsibilities as focusing on the utility department hire and on improving process and efficiencies across the city. A source familiar with the hire says some already-designated personnel may be losing their job during Strobridge’s tenure.
Sheriff Rick Staly said in an interview Tuesday that he called Strobridge “crazy” for taking the assignment, considering the turmoil he’s stepping into. But he was supportive. “Mark has some good skills to look at thing. It’s my understanding they wanted outside perspectives on the city operations,” Staly said, “and if you brought in a consultant or one of these Range Riders,” the retired city and county executives made available for similar assignments by the state’s county and city associations, “they have to learn the city, they have to learn the people, whereas Mark comes in to some degree with some good knowledge of the city operations. I think it will help them get a faster result for less money, quite frankly.”
“I’m just trying to be a good partner,” Staly said. “I kind of look at it the same way we support the Bunnell Police Department, the Flagler Beach Police Department,” and other agencies through mutual aid.
“Is this ideal? No,” Council member Theresa Pontieri said. “But theoretically, we’d be paying a city manager and assistant city manager anyway, so we’re not spending any more money than we hadn’t budgeted for anyways. And I fully expect that with this position, Miss Johnston, that we are going to see deliverables, that we will see results.”
Pontieri was puzzled about the council having to vote on the hire. All administrative hires are in the city manager’s purview, exclusive of council action. But the city, with more sophistry than precedent, is getting around a state law prohibiting the hire of an employee from an agency under contract by describing the hire as “an executive on loan” through an agreement with the sheriff rather than with Strobridge. The sheriff provides policing for Palm Coast. Its pending contract is valued at $11.3 million.
“We are not hiring Chief Strobridge directly,” Johnston said. “We would be paying the sheriff for Chief Strobridge’s services.”
The joint agreement with the sheriff, called an interlocal agreement, is nevertheless framed around the job description for an assistant city manager, a position Johnston asked Strobridge to fill for a few months soon after the collapse of the council’s latest attempt to hire a city manager. Johnston has filled that role for just over a year. So under that arrangement, the council was voting on the interlocal agreement–as it must on all proposed interlocal agreements–rather than on hiring Strobridge.
Strobridge will continue to receive his paychecks from the Sheriff’s Office (he is paid $147,000 a year). The city will pay the Sheriff’s Office $22,700 a month, or $68,100 for three months, an amount that includes covering the differential cost of Strobridge’s replacement at the Sheriff’s Office during his absence, Cmdr. George Bender, currently in charge of management services.
Bender has been on a leadership track, graduating from Flagler County’s Leadership Academy three years ago and from the National Command and Staff College’s leadership program last year. (The city will not be covering Bender’s salary, only the difference between his current salary and what he will earn as Strobridge’s replacement.)
“I look at this as an executive on loan to the city that needed some help, and it’s done around the state of Florida, probably around the country, occasionally,” Staly said. “But I wasn’t going to let the taxpayers of Flagler County cover the cost of this, because I’m going to have to have an acting chief while he’s over there, so I wanted to make sure I’m protected so they’re not incurring additional costs.”
Strobridge is “not allowed” to work on the sheriff’s budget going before the council, City Attorney Marcus Duffy said. Strobridge will maintain a limited role at the Sheriff’s Office. For example he’ll continue to participate in a 30-minute Friday phone call about the ongoing development of the State Guard’s training facility on Justice Lane in Bunnell, the project Staly was instrumental in bringing to county acreage neighboring the county jail on Justice Lane. Strobridge will also be available for calls from Bender. He remains a sworn law enforcement officer, so while he’ll be working in civilian clothes at City Hall or elsewhere in ciy buildings, he will still be armed, but will not exercise the functions of a law enforcement officer.
Pontieri wanted to “make sure that this agreement is not in any way a violation of our charter or any of our policies and procedures,” and was assured by Duffy that it is not.
“The attorneys tell me there is no conflict,” Staly said. “I’m sure there’ll be the naysayers out there, but I run a very transparent agency, and the cost is the cost. I’m not asking for anything more. It’s not like he’s going to go over there and balloon up the city contract.” Staly said critics of the agreement haven’t read that agreement.
“I can’t believe this is where we’re at,” Norris, the mayor, said, describing the hire as “backfilling” because the council wouldn’t hire a city manager. He was bitterly critical of paying for the service, saying that borrowing Strobridge should not carry a cost.
“You can call me an ass, whatever you want, this is an embarrassment for this city,” said a mayor who has been officially censured and criticized by his own colleagues and others for repeatedly embarrassing the city and degrading its employees. Norris said he was unsure if Shakespeare would have written about the Strobridge hiring as a tragedy or a comedy. He complained about not being contacted about the impending hire until after an article about it appeared in FlaglerLive.
Johnston briefed the other council members since last week. Norris was on vacation in Europe until Monday, and had many weeks ago started refusing to meet with Johnston for weekly briefings.
The sheriff, whose reputation has thrived on a spotless record, was asked directly about getting unwittingly splattered by turmoil from the city.
“I don’t want to get embroiled in the City of Palm Coast shenanigans, but the way it’s structured, he’s working for them, and everything he does is under their umbrella,” Staly said. “I can’t stop what people are going to say, and I don’t know what recommendations he may have to give the city manager and people. Depending on what that amounts to, yeah, it could come back to haunt me a little bit, especially if they are unpopular recommendations.” But Strobridge, the sheriff said, will not have the authority to implement recommendations–only propose them.
“I’ve got 300 deputy sheriffs that at any moment could do something that could blemish my record,” the sheriff continued. “Hopefully nothing will come back to bite me, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Gary says
It’s time we cleaned this city up of all the dead beats ! I hope he doesn’t take any BS from the staff. The last utility director was fired for making them work to hard and pulled a student teacher syndrome on her. She was mean to us made us work . The wrong one was fired.
Jim says
Ah, Mr. Norris (or ASS as you suggested….), it’s good of you to complain about “not being briefed” when you refuse to meet with the acting city manager and – apparently – were out of town until Monday. I’m so sorry your feelings are hurt. I will say it does appear that the council and the city have decided to move forward despite you and I’m glad to see that.
I hope Mark Strobridge works out in this job and they accomplish all they state they are trying to do. I’ve got trust in Staley and I’m sure Mr. Strobridge is a ethical and trustworthy person. While this is not ideal, it’s a work around that’s needed.
As far a Norris (i.e., ASS) comment on “could have hired a city manager”, well he’s as much responsible for that circus as anyone else. And as far as “costs”, it seems the only added cost will be whatever the difference in Mr. Bender’s salary and that of Strobridge. I don’t expect that to be impactful for a three month period.
Let’s hope Norris (ASS) takes more vacations on a regular basis over the next four years. Seems like things go smoother when he’s gone…
Deborah Coffey says
Sounds very Trumpian…”efficiency” and “firings.” Hoping that it’s a different kind of efficiency and firings….
NikeMorris says
Gary if you had half a brain you would learn that Utility supported Amanda and that council and CH management didn’t like her defending the Utility and the over development. Utility works hard even with stupid comments from retired people like you. Remember when the hurricanes come you won’t be out there, staff will be.
Gullible as can be says
I’m shocked how gullible you all are. How many of you living here in Flagler County make $147,000 a year? Strobridge’s only experience is as a law enforcement administrator. Running a city is absolutely nothing like acting as a chief for your friend the sheriff. Im shocked how gullible the citizens of this county have become.
IS says
As I understand, Chief Strobridge working full time for Sheriff office and his position is exempt employee, meaning he should be able to work any time necessary to complete task in his main job.
By hiring him for Palm Coast Administration as exempt employee for position as an Assist. Acting City Manager, he will also work any necessary time daily.
Summarizing all this, I conclude that Chief Strobridge will work at least 16 hours daily for 3 month.
Very interesting to see his daily log for that period on both positions, otherwise it is $68K from Palm Coast budget kind of legally “pay back” to Contractor
(Sheriff Office).
In addition, using this tactic, how many times City have done it before in the dark?
Concerned Citizen says
How is this not a conflict of interest?
Watch what the Sheriff’s Office does to Palm Coast. First step to annexing
JimboXYZ says
Sounds like DOGE & Musk for efficiency with the Utility Department. Funny, Norris is the evil meanie for wanting Govt. efficiency, he’s investigated for that and yet this Palm Coast DOGE thing is ratified 4:1. The one’s afraid of being fired, just like the investigation & charges vs Norris. That’s how employment works, the next power regime builds it’s empire that either flourishes or crumbles every 4 years for a next vote. Ever notice this escalated with the Biden-Harris thing that American voters got rid of. Well,some of the policies and games remain as legacy. Just me, this is a move to shift dollars that would’ve been paid to a City Manager, & other unfilled positions to FCSO. What does FCSO intend to do with that monthly contract payment ? Hire more deputies ? It’s like a temporary windfall for additional budget hidden in a Palm Coast DOGE package. One big difference Musk didn’t charge for his efforts for DOGE. That was gratis/pro bono work. And the excuse is, the budget has money for unfilled positions, so let’s shift that into this hire ? Funny, the utility base & usage rate hikes was just another end run to be funded by the council at the expense of what the powerbrokers of the City of Palm Coast deemed everyone should be paying for more growth.. Mayor Norris, for all the bad press he gets will go down as the martyr, inheriting an era of unaffordable Bidenomics & Alfinville growth ? Sandbagged walking into his current mayoral term. And he’ll be blamed, yet the record will show he voted against every measure that’s been fiscally irresponsible for business as usual for the City of Palm Coast.
“Is this ideal? No,” Council member Theresa Pontieri said. “But theoretically, we’d be paying a city manager and assistant city manager anyway, so we’re not spending any more money than we hadn’t budgeted for anyways. And I fully expect that with this position, Miss Johnston, that we are going to see deliverables, that we will see results.”
I guess the council lacks the spine to fire ? And if the last City Manager search is any indication, they beat up candidates for that position to “not hire anyone” just the same. Who can they hire at City Hall, the non-threats to their adult equivalents of a High School clique for an empire for the seasonal & intern level positions, hires that are shorter term, hires with built in expiration dates so that nobody is fired ? Easiest of HR situations ?
Tasha Anise Lakin says
Excited to see the new hire! I think Mark Strobridge will bring great leadership to the Palm Coast area. Looking forward to the changes ahead!
Maryann Collins says
Oh here we go again……its like playing a board game and finding ways to once again pull the wool over our eyes. Seems to me that unless we stop our lives and go to every meeting of the council and the commissioners and planning board and make them see us all the time these decisions and expensive agreements will continue. In the mean time this distraction will probably let another housing development be put in place or perhaps another new business on 100. Meanwhile our infrastructure is overwhelmed. Swales are probably not ready for hurricane season, Seminole Woods Parkway will probably go underwater again. Little things like our water supply not being addressed, utility bills rising some more. A fuel depot that has been very quiet. So many things to look forward too.
Devils way says
Expect a continued shit show of corruption as you keep voting for cult conmen. Who cares if the billionaires support system fails! Let it burn, taco won’t save you !
Sunny says
I’m so over this crap from Sheriffs unlimited budget unquestioned to over development & clear cutting to Property Appraiser free to endless property grabs knowing what new proposals are in the works. Now a county commission new seats ignorance. Fifty years this has been my home I can’t watch the implosion any longer.
PC stinks of corruption says
And this council wonders why no one trusts them! Are you kidding me? If he wants the job, he should leave the sheriffs office! Why is it a point to include he will still have a weapon while working for Palm Coast? Who are you people trying to intimidate? A duly elected Mayor who’s is critical of all the garbage Palm Coast employees pull! My god wake up folks! Johnston, do your damn Job! These people in the protected positions are terrible! It’s why we are facing big money to fix things! They’re incompetent!
Hmmm says
Sounds to me like the sheriffs dept doesnt need a chief of staff, and that position could be eliminated to save money…if they can do without him for at least 3 months.