The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to begin a formal search for a permanent county administrator, directing Human Resources to contact the Florida Association of County Managers (FAC) to kick off the process. County Administrator Heidi Petito, who has agreed to stay through mid-July, did not hold back in expressing her frustration.
The board spent more than an hour wrestling with how to handle the transition before settling on a plan: keep Petito in her current role, ask her to designate a staff backup for when she is unavailable, and begin a permanent search through FAC. Commissioners debated whether to bring in an outside interim administrator, split the duties between two department heads, or bypass the interim step entirely and go straight to a permanent hire.
Petito addressed the board directly, saying she was not happy the item was placed on the agenda for the special meeting, which she said was originally scheduled for a March 16 workshop. “I think putting it on today is unnecessary. I just think that it continues to display a very sloppy approach to trying to find a transition,” she said. She made clear she is not looking for outside employment and that she committed to staying until July 14, the day after the tentative budget is delivered to the board on July 13.
One commissioner raised the idea of asking a well-known local figure — unnamed in public but understood to be a current official with ties to the Sheriff’s Office — to step in as interim administrator. The chair said she had spoken to the individual, but concluded it would not work and that it would require a near-unanimous board vote and a complete break with their current employer. The idea was quietly shelved.
Commissioner Dance submitted the motion to contact FAC, seconded by Commissioner Hansen. A roll call vote followed. Commissioner Hansen: yes. Commissioner Carney: yes. Commissioner Richardson: yes. Chair Pennington: yes. Commissioner Dance: yes. The motion passed 5-0. No public comment was offered on the item.
