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Residents and business leaders clash in City Manager review as council calls for improved transparency and succession planning
Summary
At a Palm Beach Gardens City Council meeting, residents offered sharply divergent views during the city manager’s annual evaluation: some praised Ron Ferris for steady fiscal stewardship; others accused administration of poor responsiveness and a hostile culture. Council requested budget workshops and discussed succession planning and police‑department morale.
Mayor Dana Middleton opened the June meeting of the Palm Beach Gardens City Council, which included the city manager’s annual review and an extended public‑comment period where residents and business leaders offered sharply divergent assessments of Ron Ferris’s leadership.
Supporters, including longtime developers and business representatives, credited Ferris with guiding disciplined financial management and steady growth. Developer Dan Catalfamo and PGA Corridor Association chair Don Kozlowski told the council Ferris’s leadership and the professional staff have made the city “one of the best places to do business.” At the same meeting auditors delivered a clean opinion on the city’s FY2025 financial statements, with net position rising to about $239 million and combined governmental fund balance near $140 million, further bolstering arguments from supporters that the city is financially strong.
Other residents used the public‑comment period to demand stronger oversight and better responsiveness. Rebecca Makita, representing a coalition of frustrated residents, told the council that the city’s administrative culture under the manager is “profoundly broken,” alleging that residents who raise concerns are treated as nuisances. Multiple speakers raised specific complaints about responsiveness to correspondence, enforcement interactions, and the pace of staff follow‑up on council direction.
Several council members acknowledged both sets of concerns at the dais. Vice Mayor Kemp and Council Member Lit praised the city’s long record of fiscal discipline and public‑safety investment while also urging improved communication with residents and officeholders. Council members asked the manager and staff to schedule a pre‑budget workshop in August to analyze the potential fiscal impact of a pending Florida constitutional amendment on property taxes and to outline options for preserving services if revenues decline.
On personnel and operations, Ferris reported recent meetings with the police union and an interim review of the department led by Interim Chief Steve Stepp; staff said they are exploring policy changes to improve retention and advancement opportunities for officers. Council members treated police morale and retention as a high priority, urging prompt follow‑up reporting.
Council did not take personnel action at the meeting. Instead, members asked for more frequent, structured briefings, recommended greater use of public workshops for projects that substantially affect neighborhoods, and requested the manager draft a succession‑planning framework so the city can ensure a smooth leadership transition when appropriate.
The council concluded the evaluation by recognizing both Ferris’s long record of service and the need for targeted improvements in responsiveness, public outreach and internal culture. Ferris agreed to provide follow‑up materials to council and to work with staff on the requested pre‑budget workshop and a memo on succession‑planning options.
The council will revisit those items during the summer and before the formal FY2027 budget hearings.
