Vero Beach council discusses succession planning for key administration posts and hiring the next city attorney deputy

Council members and staff reviewed succession risks across multiple departments and discussed near‑term recruiting strategies for critical positions, including the legal office.

City staff outlined that four senior positions — the airport director, police chief, recreation director and city manager — will be the earliest senior departures on the horizon and discussed timing: the police chief’s anticipated date was reported as January 2028 and the city manager referenced April 2028 as a possible transition window. Staff said they are positioning to have an in‑office deputy or assistant city attorney identified and potentially hired before the city attorney’s eventual departure to preserve institutional knowledge.

City legal leadership (speaking in the meeting) described plans to use HR and a headhunter to identify candidates with roughly a decade of municipal law experience who are active in Florida municipal networks; the council voiced support for using a headhunter for the city‑attorney search and noted the headhunter contract often includes short‑term replacement guarantees. Members discussed timing to start a search and whether the headhunter should be used to recruit a deputy city attorney or for the full city‑attorney search when the seat becomes vacant.

Council also discussed the need to define roles and responsibilities for a potential communications or public‑information position and the need for an interim presence in the city manager’s office, with the manager saying he plans to recruit an office deputy during the current fiscal year and start a full city‑manager recruitment process in 2027 to ensure coverage and continuity.

No formal hiring decisions were made at the meeting; staff were directed to develop timelines and return to council with further recommendations for the hiring process and for potential headhunter engagements.