Flagler County names deputy as interim county attorney; search for permanent hire continues

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners on May 28 directed staff to name Deputy County Attorney Sean Moylan interim county attorney for a 90-day period after the incumbent’s planned August retirement, while continuing an open recruitment for a permanent county attorney.

Jorge Salinas, covering Human Resources during HR Director Charlie Picano’s absence, reviewed the recruitment process and timeline. Salinas said the county received 10 applications; after an initial minimum-qualifications screen HR judged eight candidates to meet the board’s standards. He outlined a four-phase process: job description update, posting, applicant screening and interviews, then finalist interviews, a community meet-and-greet and contract negotiation. Salinas told commissioners HR posted the vacancy on legal and government job boards, including the Florida Bar Career Center, governmentjobs.com and LinkedIn.

Search-firm costs: Salinas presented quotes staff obtained from three recruiting firms as an option if the board wanted an outside search: RobertHalf (about 22% of annual salary), Korn Ferry (one year’s compensation in phased payments) and Legal People/Partners Group (about 25% of annual salary). Commissioners discussed the trade-off between broader active recruiting and the cost of a retained search.

Board debate and interim appointment: Commissioners expressed differing views about time available to choose a permanent attorney. Commissioner Richardson said a three- or four-week timeline was too short to hire a chief legal officer who will serve for multiple years. Commissioner Hansen and Commissioner Carney both said they wanted to test Moylan in an interim role before committing to a permanent appointment; Commissioner Pennington — absent from the meeting — had previously told staff she preferred to keep the recruitment open and not commit to any candidate without further time.

After discussion, the board reached consensus to appoint Deputy County Attorney Sean Moylan interim county attorney from Aug. 1 through Nov. 1 (a 90‑day interim) and to continue accepting and sharing qualified applicants with commissioners. Salinas said staff will prepare an interim contract and continue to circulate candidates who meet minimum requirements; commissioners said they would provide HR with names of candidates they want to interview.

Why it matters: The county attorney is the board’s chief legal advisor and supervises in‑house legal staff. Commissioners repeatedly cited a need for institutional knowledge of local ordinances, recurring development and litigation topics such as short‑term rental regulation and customary public use across the county’s long-term planning horizon.

Public and commissioner comments: Commissioners voiced concern about the limits of a recruitment that relied solely on job postings and suggested additional outreach at legal conferences and through statewide networks; Salinas and the current county attorney, Al Hadid, said they have individually contacted colleagues to identify prospects. Commissioners also asked HR to provide bar-admission dates and disciplinary checks for candidates drawn from the Florida Bar roster; Salinas said HR had already included those items in the packet for applicants who met minimum requirements.

Next steps and timing: HR will continue to collect qualified applicants and distribute candidate information to commissioners. If commissioners identify a set of finalists they want to interview, HR said it would schedule one-on-one interviews followed by a panel interview and community meet-and-greet; contract negotiations would follow a majority vote of the commission. Moylan’s interim start date was agreed to be Aug. 1 with an interim period through Nov. 1 unless the board directs otherwise.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to return a draft interim contract and continue outreach; they did not make a permanent appointment at the workshop.