(By Ed Ryan) On Monday, the community will get a chance to mingle with the four finalists the Town Council will consider to lead Fort Myers Beach into the future, including the massive task of rebuilding the community.
After a one-hour meet-and-greet, open to the public, the council will conduct interviews with the final four then rank them before entering into contract negotiations with the top candidate. The council could also decide that these four are not qualified to run Fort Myers Beach and continue their search. Here are the final four candidates…
Andrew Hyatt from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. (RESUME)
Hyatt was most recently the Town Manager for the town of Surfside, Florida. Prior to that he was the Texas State Director for K9s For Warriors in San Antonio. He’s also been the City Manager in Neptune Beach, Florida, the City Manager in East Ridge, Tennessee, the City Manager for Fairview, Tennessee, the City Manager for Etowah, Tennessee, the Community Development Manager for Deerfield Beach, Florida and Senior Administrator for the City of Jacksonville, Florida. In December of 2022, NBC6 reported that Hyatt was forced to resign from his position in Surfside by the Mayor. The Island Times did a lengthy interview with Hyatt which you can watch HERE.
Seth Lawless of Monticello, Florida (RESUME)
Lawless is currently the City Manager for Monticello Florida in Jefferson County. Monticello is the only city in Jefferson County with a population of under 3,000 people. The city is located about 32 miles east of Tallahassee. Lawless has been in his position since October of 2021. He’s also been the City Manager in Islamorada, Florida, a position he held for four years before resigning for health reasons. Before Islamorada, Lawless was the Town Manager for six years for a suburb of Raleigh called Knightdale.
Jeff Shoobridge (RESUME)
Shoobridge is now the Town Administrator of Redington Shores, Florida, which is in Pinellas County. The county is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Area. The population of Reddington Shores is about 2,200. Shoobridge has held the position in Redington Shores since March of 2022. Before that he was the city administrator of Madison Lake, Minnesota (population 1,000) for two years. Shoobridge does have ties to the area. He attended Cape Coral High School. A story came out about Shoobridge’s relationship with the Redington government Wednesday. You can read that story HERE.
Jeff Wilkins from Pickerington, OH (RESUME)
From 2017 to 2022 Wilkins was the Director of Administration and Treasurer for the Solid Waste Authority of Central, Ohio. For 15 years Wilkins was the County Administrator for Kendall County, Illinois from 2002 to 2017. WSPY.com reported that Wilkins resigned abruptly in May of 2017. There were no additional details available other than it appeared both sides were ready to move on. Before Kendall County, Wilkins was the City Manager for the City of Buchanan, Michigan from 1998 to 2002 and the Assistant Town Manager for the Town of Fishers, Indian.
There were originally 5 finalists for the job. The fifth notified the town that he took another job.
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