Deerfield Beach appoints interim city manager Rodney Brimlow as permanent manager pending contract negotiation

The Deerfield Beach City Commission on Jan. 21 voted unanimously to appoint Interim City Manager Rodney Brimlow as the city’s permanent city manager, subject to successful negotiation of an employment agreement.

The commission interviewed four finalists — Rodney Brimlow (interim city manager), Randy Cross, Jason Davis and Horace McCue — in a public special meeting organized and moderated by recruiter Jim Deneen. After the interviews and a brief private discussion among commissioners, Commissioner Parnas moved to appoint Brimlow; the motion was seconded and carried 5-0. Commissioners Hudak, Parnas, Preston, Vice Mayor Droshky and Mayor Gans cast “yes” votes.

The interviews focused on candidates’ experience with strategic planning, budgeting and finance, development and redevelopment, community engagement, crisis management and personnel management. Brimlow, who has served as Deerfield Beach’s public safety director and as interim city manager for about 11 weeks, emphasized a leadership style he described repeatedly during the interview as collaborative and service-oriented and said he had worked on the city’s strategic plan. “I will do that for you,” Brimlow said after the commission’s vote. “I’ll do that for whoever the commission happens to be, and certainly always with the ultimate goal in mind to serve our residents and our community in the very best way possible.”

Commissioners cited multiple factors in their post-interview comments. Several members praised Brimlow’s recent performance as interim manager and the changes they said he had already begun to enact within city operations and staff culture. Commissioner Parnas said staff morale and the internal environment under the interim manager were important considerations. Commissioner Preston and others said all four finalists were qualified, but that Brimlow’s recent on-the-job experience and staff reactions gave him an advantage.

Recruiter Jim Deneen described the selection process at the meeting’s start: the firm screened roughly 90 applicants and recommended nine for further review; the commission chose four finalists for in-person interviews that evening. Deneen and the commission used a standard set of questions for each candidate, with limited follow-ups kept to candidate-specific clarifications.

Public comment during the meeting included requests unrelated to the hire; resident Dan Hurst pressed the commission to prioritize promotion of the upcoming municipal election and urged that any new city manager consider election outreach as an early priority. Wayne Atkins, a longtime Deerfield Beach resident and retired law enforcement officer, and others spoke in support of Brimlow’s candidacy.

The commission’s action was explicit: appoint Brimlow subject to successful negotiation of an employment agreement. Staff were directed to negotiate terms and return the proposed employment contract to the commission for final approval at a subsequent meeting. No compensation, start date or contract terms were disclosed or voted on that night; those details were described as “pending negotiation.”

What happened next: Commissioners said they would invite all four candidates back to the dais briefly to thank them; the commission also instructed staff to prepare the negotiated employment agreement for a future meeting where the commission will take final action on the hire.

Votes at a glance - Motion: Appoint Rodney Brimlow as permanent city manager, pending negotiation of an employment agreement. Moved by Commissioner Parnas; second recorded. Vote: Yes — Commissioners Hudak, Parnas, Preston, Vice Mayor Droshky, Mayor Gans (5-0).