The Brooksville City Council held a special meeting to interview three finalists for city manager on a morning session that included group questioning followed by planned 15-minute one-on-one sessions.

Council members agreed on a set of group questions and a round-robin format before beginning candidate introductions and panel questions. Mayor (unnamed) opened the special meeting by outlining the format: each applicant would give a three- to five-minute introduction, answer the same set of council questions in public, then meet individually with each council member in 15-minute round-robin interviews.

The panel first heard from Tim Day, who described a background in law enforcement and municipal management, saying he had worked “in the city manager business” and on major utility projects in other Florida jurisdictions. Day told the council quality of life would be his top priority if hired, saying, “quality of life is number 1 factor.” He also highlighted experience with utility expansion projects and CDBG grant work and cautioned that keeping the millage rate low would require trade-offs and likely the use of grants and loans.

The council then heard from Mr. Hainley, who identified himself as a city employee with more than two years of experience in Brooksville and framed his candidacy around planning and infrastructure guidance. Hainley described the sewer expansion debt facing the city and said the community will need planning and staff capacity to sustain growth tied to that debt. He said he intended to be a planning-focused leader and told council, “we need to get out of being reactionary and be proactive.”

The final candidate, Lisa Hendrickson, introduced herself as the mayor of Redington Shores and a longtime Florida municipal administrator. Hendrickson described a career that included roles in risk management, human resources and as assistant city manager in Pinellas Park; she said she has led pension plans and large budgets and emphasized hands-on leadership. She told the council she and her family are prepared to relocate and said transparency and department-level weekly coordination would be priorities if selected.

On procedure, council members agreed to a shared set of panel questions covering: why each candidate wants the job; their vision for Brooksville; balancing economic development with preserving community character; a description of a difficult leadership decision; how they would keep the millage rate low; and how they would foster transparency and public trust. Human resources director Kyle Martin had proposed 17 possible questions; council extracted roughly five for the public panel and reserved individual questions for the round-robin sessions.

Council also approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session after removing a withdrawn applicant, Dale Walker, from the interview list. The motion to approve the agenda passed unanimously; the council then closed citizen input after one public comment in support of an identified candidate.

The meeting moved next to the scheduled round-robin interviews. Staff told council members they would receive a five‑minute warning during each 15‑minute one-on-one interview. Councilmembers were then free to leave the building when their interviews were complete and to reconvene as a body on April 7 for further discussion about next steps in the hiring process.

The session consisted primarily of candidate introductions and question-and-answer exchanges; no hiring decision was made during the meeting.

A single citizen, Kojak Burnett, addressed the council during public comment and expressed support for an internal candidate. No votes on hiring or appointments occurred at the session.