Tarpon Springs, incorporated in 1887, is a historic, culturally rich city that blends its Greek heritage with Victorian-era buildings and homes. Famous for its working seaport and sponging industry, the waterfront has evolved into a shopping and restaurant destination known as the Sponge Docks — one of the top tourist destinations in Florida. Downtown is a showcase of historic buildings and homes, and the City boasts more than 50 miles of waterways, parks, and charming neighborhoods. As a business location, Tarpon Springs has distinct retail, office, marine, and industrial sectors which offer opportunity for high visibility, growth, and success.
With a population of 25,752, Tarpon Springs provides a small-town atmosphere with big city amenities. Within its City limits are a full-service hospital; one of the nation's top eye institutes; a four-year college; a performing arts center; a world-class museum and several local historical museums; an 18-hole golf course; dozens of parks, two beaches, five marinas and a working seaport; a historic downtown; Greektown with the cultural Sponge Docks; a full-service police and fire department; a public recreation and health center and more.
Tarpon Springs has more waterways, parks, and open space than any other community in Pinellas County. The City is comprised of 16.9 sq. miles, of which 7.8 sq. miles (45%) is water. In addition, 26% of the land area is recreational or open green space. Along with the Gulf of Mexico at its western border, Tarpon Springs has six saltwater bayous, four lakes, the Anclote River, several canal waterways, and 20 parks and playgrounds spread throughout the City providing for an abundance of recreation opportunities.
Tarpon Springs has been an arts destination since the early 1900s, and the City maintains its commitment to the cultural arts through City-owned cultural, arts, historic, and theater venues including five historic sites for arts and heritage tourism in its National Register District. The City is home to several renowned artists including Christopher Still, Florida's most celebrated painter. The Tarpon Springs Library is a full-service library located downtown.
Tarpon Springs offers excellent public elementary and secondary schools that are among the best in the region. They offer students a solid foundation for post-secondary and technical learning. More than 22 accredited universities and colleges are located within an hour's drive of Tarpon Springs. The City has several distinct business districts with unique characteristics that fit the needs of any new or expanding business to be successful. The City's form-based code allows for flexibility in zoning and land uses and provides for maximum development of the land area.
The City operates under a commission-manager form of government. Policy-making and legislative authority are vested in the Mayor and Board of Commissioners consisting of four commissioners (City Commission). All are elected on a non-partisan basis to three-year staggered terms. Each member may serve up to two three-year terms. The City Commission is responsible for passing ordinances, adopting the budget, appointing committees, and hiring the City's Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and Internal Auditor.
As a Charter employee, the City Manager is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the City Commission. The City Manager is the chief administrative officer of the City and has the power to execute the laws and to administer the government of the City. The City Charter provides that the City Manager is responsible to the City Commission for the proper administration of all affairs of the City and to that end shall has the rights, powers, and duties needed to properly fulfill the assigned responsibilities. City Charter assigned duties and responsibilities include the efficient and effective management and supervision of the City's affairs in accordance with policies adopted by the City Commission, the City Charter and applicable state law and municipal ordinances. Responsibilities are performed with wide latitude for independent judgment and initiative within the framework of established policies, laws, charter provisions and ordinances.
The City Manager is responsible for appointing and, when deemed necessary, suspend, or remove any City employee except as otherwise provided by law, the Charter, or personnel rules adopted pursuant to the Charter. He or she is also responsible to appoint, terminate, and suspend all department heads with the ratification of the City Commission.
Tarpon Springs provides a full range of municipal services including police and fire protection; construction and maintenance of streets, bridges, sidewalks, storm drainage, public parks and recreation facilities; City planning, zoning, sub-division and building code regulation and enforcement; supervised recreation programs; public libraries; redevelopment of declining commercial and residential neighborhoods; refuse, recycling and yard waste collection; water supply and distribution; waste water collection, treatment and disposal; re-use water, supply and distribution; and operation of the Citywide parking system. The City has a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) governed by a Board of Directors with the same members as the City Commission. The City Manager provides administrative support to the CRA.
The City has 351 FTE’s. Police and Fire employees are represented by unions. The City’s FY 2023 Budget is $75,152,850.
Requirements include a combination of education and experience equivalent to attainment of a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration or related field (Master’s degree preferred) and at least five years’ experience as a manager in a commission/manager or related system of government. An equivalent combination of education/training and experience may be substituted.
Compensation And Benefits
Compensation for the position will be highly competitive. Beginning compensation is negotiable based on qualifications and experience. The City offers excellent employee benefits which include generous paid time off, medical and dental insurance, life/AD&D, retirement benefits (Mission Square Retirement (401(a), deferred compensation (457(b) and more.
To Apply
The recruitment will remain open until the position is filled. The first review of applications is scheduled for June 9, 2023. Please submit a letter of interest, detailed résumé, and current salary to:
Robert E. Slavin, President or Barbara Lipscomb, Managing Consultant
SLAVIN MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
3040 Holcomb Bridge Road, Suite A-1
Norcross, Georgia 30071
Phone: (770) 449-4656
Fax: (770) 416-0848
E-mail: slavin@bellsouth.net
Electronic submissions are preferred.
A detailed recruitment profile for this position is available at https://slavinweb.com
Note: Under Florida Law, resumes are public documents and will be provided to the media upon request. Please call prior to submitting your resume if confidentiality is important to you.
Coral Gables has a residential population of approximately 51,133 and encompasses 12.92 square miles southwest of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Since its incorporation in 1925, it has been considered one of South Florida's premier residential communities. The City has approximately 11 million square feet of office space and has developed into an international center of commerce serving as divisional headquarters for more than 150 multinational companies and 19 consulates and trade offices. The downtown area of Coral Gables is a vibrant business environment due to its central location, proximity to international travel hubs, quality dining, and exceptional hotels. The University of Miami, the largest private employer in Coral Gables, instructs approximately 17,000 students and employs approximately 15,100 full-time faculty and staff.
The City of Coral Gables supports both the residential and business sectors with excellent City services, having attained the highest possible standards in every field. The City employs 880 FTE’s who collectively provide a full array of municipal services. Many Coral Gables employees are represented by labor unions. The community highly regar...ds and generously supports their City government. The City has made a strong commitment to municipal excellence, which is evidenced by numerous nationally recognized awards and achievements. A few examples include AAA bond ratings by all three national rating agencies and fully accredited Police and Fire Departments. In fact, in 2014, the City's Police Department earned its seventh re accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), the international gold standard in public safety. The City's Fire Department is one of only a handful of fire departments nationally to hold the distinction of Class 1 status for providing exemplary fire protection to the community. In addition, in 1993, Coral Gables became the first municipality ever to receive the National Emergency Management Award. The City’s Recreation Department is one of only 155 departments accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA).
