Taylor County to transfer emergency management from sheriff’s office and hire Danny Glover as director, contingent on certification

Taylor County commissioners agreed to transition the county’s emergency management function from the sheriff’s office to county administration and voted to hire Danny Glover as the county’s emergency management director, with the appointment conditioned on completion of required state certification.

Under the motion, the board offered Glover a salary of $85,000; the county noted that the salary offer would be adjusted if Glover opted into county health insurance so that the net cost to the county reflected the insurance deduction. Commissioners also made the hire contingent on Glover becoming fully certified under applicable state requirements by June 30, 2026, and on the board’s ability to revisit staffing if duties proved too great for one person.

The finance/personnel discussion included the county’s salary range for emergency management director ($48,900 to $70,009.11) and for emergency management coordinator ($32,008.64 to $47,006.42). County staff said combining the director and coordinator duties into a single position would free money for supplies and other operating needs, but several commissioners raised concerns about overload and an option to revert funding to hire assistance if necessary.

Danny Glover told commissioners he had worked to meet certification requirements and said state resources would be available to supplement local staffing during incidents. “The state will provide those additional people…they’ll bring an IMT team in like they did before,” Glover said, describing the state mutual-aid process.

Commission discussions also covered personnel-policy implications. County staff said, pursuant to Florida Statute 125.74, the board must confirm any appointment of a department head. Commissioners said any offer letter should be contingent on Glover reaching the required certification milestones. One commissioner suggested that if the workload became unmanageable, the board would consider reallocating part of the offered salary to fund an assistant.

A motion to hire Glover at $85,000 carried after a second; Commissioner Segal made the motion and Commissioner Moody seconded it, and the board voted in favor on the record. The hire includes direction to finalize an offer letter that reflects the certification contingency and the insurance/salary terms discussed at the meeting.

Staff added that the emergency management budget for day-to-day operations is roughly $200,000 (salary and routine operating costs), and that in a declared local emergency the county would set up a special account for reimbursable costs. Commissioners asked for documentation of the certification timeline and for updates if the workload required hiring additional help.