The Daytona Beach Shores City Commission voted unanimously to approve a contract naming Michael Fowler as city manager effective Jan. 7, 2026.

Finance Director Lori Earl said the contract negotiated by the vice mayor and the city attorney is "advantageous to both the city and to the interim city manager" and will generate in-house savings of "approximately $8,200" compared with the previous manager's compensation package.

Why it matters: The appointment makes permanent the interim manager who has led public safety and served the city for decades, preserving staff continuity at a time when the commission emphasized economic and development planning. Vice Mayor Politis said the commission reviewed some 40 resumes before deciding to promote from inside and stressed that internal promotion preserves institutional knowledge.

Vice Mayor Politis moved to accept the contract and outlined the selection approach, saying the commission did not want to fly candidates in from across Florida or the country and preferred to promote from within. "I have a lot of confidence in Mike Fowler, and it's an honor for me to . . . author this motion to have him become our next city manager," Politis said.

A commissioner who previously served as a public safety director seconded the motion and offered strong personal endorsement of Fowler's service and commitment. After a roll-call vote by the clerk, the motion passed 5-0.

Fowler, who has worked for the city since Feb. 7, 1992, thanked the commission, his family and the public safety staff. "I'm not leaving. I'm just moving to a different office," he said, adding that he values the relationships he has built at the city, county and state levels.

The commission moved on after the vote to consider a separate agenda item: the appointment of Guy Desai to the Planning and Zoning Board. That discussion was begun in the provided transcript excerpt but not completed there.

Note on transcript inconsistency: one early segment in the meeting transcript used the name "Michael Olla," while subsequent remarks and roll-call references use "Michael Fowler." This report uses "Michael Fowler" based on the consistent later references in the meeting record.