Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Flagler Beach

Flagler Beach City Manager’s Future to Be Discussed Next Thursday

Whitson, left, with City Attorney Drew Smith. ⓒ AskFlagler

UPDATE: This article has been amended to clarify that the meeting will take place next Thursday.

FLAGLER BEACH – The future of Flagler Beach’s City Manager William Whitson will be discussed next Thursday afternoon at City Hall. Whitson has drawn widespread scrutiny after two recent missed deadlines. First he told the City Commission he’d failed to contact the city’s regular 4th of July firework provider in time leading to the cancellation of the 2022 show, and then he reported that he’d missed the deadline to apply for over $700,000 in tourism grant money.

ADVERTISEMENT

Whitson was hired following the untimely passing of former City Manager Larry Newsom. He’s been on the job for a little over a year, and had a scheduled performance evaluation in August. Multiple City Commissioners advocated for this evaluation to be bumped up following the pair of mishaps in recent memory.

“We need to make sure that the man in charge is getting these jobs done,” Mayor Suzie Johnston said last month. “When they’re not getting things completed, it becomes a point where we’ve got to look at job performance.”

A motion to terminate Whitson is not expected, with the discussion being part of a workshop and not a business meeting. But it is a possibility for the near future, with multiple Commissioners fuming. Commissioner James Sherman, not one to make charged public statements, stopped short of calling for a reconsideration of Whitson’s employment but did place the blame for the incidents squarely on his shoulders.

Commission Chair Ken Bryan wasn’t so quick to point a finger at Whitson, instead pointing out that the Commissioners themselves could’ve submitted for the grant money. “[Johnston] was aware of the grant program as well. But she fell on her face, I’m going to be honest with you […] Any Commissioner can make recommendations for the grant program, it’s not just the City Manager. And no one did it.”

Johnston would, in fact, submit an application for the grant money after the deadline had passed. She had only confirmed her legal ability to do so with City Attorney Drew Smith, not seeking confirmation from any of the other Commissioners. Johnston’s submission did not advance in the process, and her actions are also expected to receive scrutiny.

A special meeting to discuss Whitson’s job performance will begin at 4:30 pm next Thursday according to Bryan.

Written By

Chris Gollon is a Flagler County resident since 2004, as well as a staple of the local independent music scene and avid observer of Central Florida politics, arts, and recreation.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

You May Also Like

Community

A of SR-A1A in Flagler Beach will be closed Thursday in order to accommodate the ongoing work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’...

Crime

The Flagler Beach Police Department made a surprising hire this week, bringing on ex-Daytona Beach Shores police lieutenant Michael Schoenbrod. Late last year Schoenbrod...

Community

The City of Flagler Beach issued a precautionary boil water notice to two areas on Sunday due to a repair being performed on the...

Events

The organizers for the upcoming Flagler Beach Centennial Celebration are seeking volunteers to help plan the event ahead of the city’s 100th anniversary. The...

Crime

The Flagler Beach Police Department announced that they’re investigating a ‘suspicious death’ that occurred in the city last week, according to a release sent...