OKEECHOBEE — Okeechobee County commissioners have taken the first formal steps toward hiring a new county administrator following Deborah Manzo’s announcement in January that she will retire, with her departure set for early July.
According to county staff, the position is expected to be vacant this summer.
“The county administrator position is anticipated to be vacant beginning July 3, 2026. The board is asked to review and consider available recruitment pathways including internal promotion or statewide recruitment,” said Lisa Ridley, the county’s administrative services director.
Ridley said the board’s immediate task is to determine how to structure the search.
“The goal here is to determine the most effective and timely approach to securing a qualified candidate who aligns with the county's operational needs, strategic priorities, and statutory responsibilities under Florida law,” Ridley said.
She outlined two primary options: recruiting from within the organization or conducting a broader search.
“Internal recruitment: advertise the position internally to identify qualified existing staff. This option may expedite the recruitment process, support continuity of operations, and is limited to current county employees and county networks,” she said.
Ridley said the county could also look beyond its workforce.
“This option may include utilizing the Florida Association of County Managers for targeted outreach and may provide the widest candidate pool,” she said.
Commissioners weighed the advantages of both approaches. Commissioner Michael Sumner voiced support for starting internally.
“I say we try it from the inside first. Would be my thought. We have plenty of qualified people,” Sumner said.
Commissioner Terry Burroughs said he also favors promoting from within but does not rule out expanding the search.
“I know that it takes a little bit more time, but that doesn't preclude the fact that we would have our internal people also put their resume in in terms of that too,” Burroughs said. “I'm not opposed to internal recruitment. I always enjoy the fact of looking to promote from within, so I can go with either one of them to be quite frank with you.”
Time was another factor in the discussion. Ridley provided estimated timelines for each option.
“So from my best estimates, internal posting and recruitment could take as little as three to four weeks depending on the applicant pool and the desired method to move forward. Twelve weeks would be external, and that's the best case scenario,” Ridley said.
Burroughs and Board Chairman David Hazellief indicated that while efficiency is important, safeguards are in place if the position is not filled by July.
“I don't have a problem with that process because I'm like you, time is immaterial to me. And if we do it internally and we don't find somebody, then we'll go out externally and see what happens. We have a process in place that will work,” Burroughs said.
The board ultimately agreed to begin with an internal recruitment process and shift to an external search if necessary. Commissioners also decided not to amend the existing job qualifications and to allow each commissioner to draft their own interview questions for shortlisted candidates.
The position requires at least a bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration or a related field, along with 10 or more years of managerial experience in the public sector, including at least five years in Florida government. A master’s degree in public administration is preferred.
Ridley presented a tentative timeline for the internal search.
“We'd like to suggest the recommended timeline would be five to ten days for an internal advertisement prepared by Human Resources to submit to our county employees and staff,” she said. “Then we'll move forward, probably from day eight to fourteen, with Human Resources reviewing and vetting the candidates and then presenting them at the next board meeting, probably towards the end of March or the first of April, with packet with our selected candidates that meet the qualifications that the board has desired to present for your review and then schedule interviews.”
If a candidate is not selected from the internal pool, the board could then move forward with a broader recruitment effort.