Deerfield Beach commission shortlists four for city manager and votes for public interviews

The Deerfield Beach City Commission on Jan. 2, 2025 voted 4-1 to shortlist four finalists for city manager — Rodney Brimlow, Randy Cross, Jason Davis and Horace McHugh — and to conduct the interviews in public.

The vote followed a presentation from recruiter Jim Deneen of MGT Consulting, who told the commission the firm received 90 applications from 20 states, 58 of which were from Florida, and that his review narrowed the field to nine candidates and then to six he considered most qualified. "We ended up being out, actually, out advertising for 4 weeks, closed Dec. 9th, got a great response, got 90 applicants from 20 different states, 58 people were from Florida," Deneen said.

Why it matters: The city manager oversees municipal operations, procurement and public-safety departments; commissioners cited recent project delays and budget overruns when arguing for careful selection. The commission’s action directs staff and the recruiter to schedule public interviews of the four shortlisted candidates.

MGT Consulting’s summary and commissioners’ comments

Deneen outlined his vetting…