Juno Beach council appoints Frank Davila interim town manager, agrees to match town manager pay

The Juno Beach Town Council voted Sept. 27 to appoint Planning & Zoning Director Frank Davila as interim town manager and to have staff negotiate his compensation, with the council ultimately agreeing to match the current town manager's pay.

Council had spent more than an hour debating whether to hire an external interim through a recruiting firm or to promote from inside. Consultant Colin presented recent market examples, saying interim candidates had requested fees “ranging from 9,000 to 17,000 per month” and that housing allowances of about $1,500–$3,000 were common; he summarized that consultant fees could run “somewhere between probably 12 and $20,000 a month depending on who you hire and how much they want.” Those figures framed the fiscal comparison against internal coverage.

Members and residents gave competing views during public comment. Cindy Wolf urged the council to hire an outside neutral because of perceived trust issues with town leadership. Jim Ferguson, a local P&Z board member, argued the town's existing staff “know the history” and could provide continuity if promoted, calling an outside interim a “false economy.” Frank Davila told the council he had received resident requests to reconsider and said, “I would be willing to continue, with that,” when asked whether he would serve as interim.

The council first considered a motion to both appoint Davila and simultaneously approve a $75,000 contract with Bonnie Landry & Associates for code updates; that motion failed on a 3–2 vote. A subsequent motion to appoint Davila as interim with pay equal to the current town manager, moved by Council Member Didi and seconded by Mary Anne, passed unanimously. The meeting minutes record the roll call in favor as Mayor Wheeler, Vice Mayor Halpern, Vice Mayor Pro Tem Haase, Council Member Rosengarten and Council Member Davis.

Council members emphasized the need to manage workload and support staff during the interim. Council Member Jacob said the interim should “over-communicate” and put judgment calls “in the sunlight” to help restore trust. Several members requested that any savings from using an internal interim be re-directed toward priority projects such as code updates.

The council also agreed on next steps for the permanent recruitment: staff and the consultant will finalize the recruitment brochure and timeline and proceed with advertising using the salary range the council discussed during the meeting. The council directed staff to return with negotiated salary details and any required follow-up at an upcoming meeting.