Special City Commission Meeting for City Manager Finalist Interviews - February 24, 2026
Special City Commission Meeting: City Manager Finalist Interviews (February 24, 2026)
The Sarasota City Commission held a special meeting on February 24, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 5:34 PM, to conduct interviews with five finalists for the City Manager position. The meeting included public comment, a vote on interview procedures, and sequential interviews with each finalist. The Commission resolved to continue deliberations at a special meeting on February 27, 2026.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Martin Hyde (non-city resident) displayed a table comparing salary and total compensation costs for Sarasota County employees, arguing that the total cost to employ the County Administrator is approximately $400,000+ per year, not the listed salary. He urged the Commission to seek truthful information from candidates.
- Steve Martinucci (city resident) discussed concerns with the city's noise ordinance, including confusion between decibel and plainly audible standards, limited availability of trained officers and approved meters, and enforcement challenges in court. He suggested using iPhone apps for sound level measurements and called for legal and judicial review of enforceability.
Discussion Items
- Interview Procedures Approval: The Commission unanimously approved (5-0) the "City Commission Interview Procedures" as distributed, establishing a standardized format for candidate interviews, including time limits, question guidelines, and prohibited topics.
- Candidate Interviews: Five finalists were interviewed in the following order: Troy Anderson (11:16 AM – 12:08 PM), Karie Friling (1:16 PM – 2:11 PM), Harry Black (2:15 PM – 3:07 PM), Kemarr Brown (3:22 PM – 4:16 PM), and Chris Rodriguez (4:20 PM – 5:18 PM). Each candidate gave a three-minute opening statement, answered questions from each commissioner in 10-minute blocks, and delivered a five-minute closing statement. Questions focused on strategic planning, budget processes, controversial projects, employee morale, data-driven management, and fit for Sarasota.
- Staff Feedback: The Commission discussed the possibility of gathering input from city staff who met with the candidates. Interim City Manager Bullock confirmed that the leadership team (directors and general managers) attended the candidate meetings and that a list of attendees would be provided via email. Commissioner Ahearn-Koch requested the list, and Commissioner Alpert suggested staff be invited to share their impressions with commissioners directly.
Key Outcomes
- Approved interview procedures (5-0).
- Conducted public interviews of all five finalists.
- The Commission reached consensus not to discuss the candidates during the February 24 meeting and to hold a deliberation at a special meeting on February 27, 2026.
- The Commission agreed to prepare for the February 27 discussion by individually gathering input from staff and the community, and then deliberating together. Commissioner Alpert suggested each commissioner come prepared to discuss their top two or three candidates and the reasons. The Commission also considered a possible break after initial discussion to refine choices.
- The interim city manager will provide a list of staff who attended candidate meetings via email.
Note: No final decision on the City Manager appointment was made at this meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. Welcome to this February 4th special city commission meeting. It's going to be an exciting morning and afternoon. So I will call upon Commission uh City Auditor and Clerk Griggs to read the invocation. Um those who can stand, please. Heavenly Father, we affirm our faith in thee. We seek your divine strength, wisdom, and guidance in the deliberations that affect the lives of each of the citizens of our community. In that name we pray, amen. And Vice Mayor with the Pledge? I used to flag of the United States. Thank you. Um Ms. Griggs, are there any changes to the order of the day? No, ma'am. Okay, thank you. Um the next item on the agenda is public comment, and uh I'm gonna ask Niz Griggs to read the pledge of public comment. Thank you, Mayor. We may disagree, but we will be respectful to one another. We will direct all comments to issues, we will not engage in personal attacks. Thank you. We have two uh uh speakers who have requested um Martin Hyde and Steve Martinucci. If you want to join us up here. And the usual routine name, whether you're city resident, and uh if you're representing anyone other than yourself. Indeed. Well, my name is Martin Hyde. I I don't live in the city. Uh dare I say I'm a representing citizens generally. The reason I'm gonna put this stuff up on the Omo, because I don't believe you know this. And it goes to the theme of what you're gonna do for the rest of the day. So what we're looking at is a list of a select list of county employees. Now there's your first column, and it shows you what people make there. $284,000 a year is the salary for the uh the county administrator. Now we come on to the next column, the hidden column. The contributions for the FRS for that same county administrator. Ninety-eight thousand one hundred and twenty-four dollars a year. Um then look at the next column. $34,974 to the $280,000 a year guy that's getting a hundred grand a year in pensions towards his health care. If you would like not the bottom line here, the last line. What I am going to reiterate slowly, calmly, is that the reason the school board is in massive financial trouble. Jonathan Lewis desperado situation over there. The county is about to engage in its next budget workshops, and is also in desperate financial trouble. I would go so far as to say that your woes are less great than theirs. But the problem that you've got that I've said on multiple occasions, is the proverbial tail wagging the dog. The point is, you shouldn't have to be the parent. They should be giving you the whole truth. So no more 260, 270 grand a year. Let's call it what it is. 400,000 plus a year. Forty percent is approximately what it costs on top of salaries when you incorporate all of the benefits. If you want to know why you ran out of money, it's because you're looking at one number and you're not looking at the whole number.
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