Fort Lauderdale city manager calling it quits

Most people have one boss.

Fort Lauderdale City Manager Greg Chavarria has five — for now.

Chavarria, who took over as city manager nearly two years ago, made a surprise announcement late Tuesday at the tail end of a commission meeting: He’s stepping down from his $291,000-a-year job.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must step down from my responsibilities due to immediate needs of critically ill family members who require my support and care at this time,” Chavarria said. “While I am humbled to serve this awesome role, the everyday demands leave limited time and focus for my family. This was an incredibly difficult decision, but my family must be my top priority.”

Chavarria is giving 60 days’ notice to ensure a smooth leadership transition, as required by his employment contract.

The news left Mayor Dean Trantalis stunned.

“It’s a sad moment in our community right now,” Trantalis told the South Florida Sun Sentinel after the meeting. “We’re losing a great talent.”

The city manager’s exit comes at a pivotal time, with city elections just seven months away.

All five commission seats are up in November, creating a climate of uncertainty for Chavarria’s successor.

No one can say who the winners will be in November and what kind of city manager they might want.

“This is an election year,” Vice Mayor Steve Glassman told the Sun Sentinel. “Would you come to Fort Lauderdale now and take a job as city manager? No. Most would wait.”

Chavarria spent more than a year as city manager in Hallandale Beach before being hired by Fort Lauderdale for the role of assistant city manager in September 2020.

Commissioners named him as the next city manager on July 23, 2022, the day after former City Manager Chris Lagerbloom left to take a job in Georgia.

On Tuesday night, Chavarria told the commission he was leaving behind a great team.

“It has been an honor and privilege to lead our 2,800 hard-working city staff members who tirelessly serve our community each and every day,” Chavarria said. “I will always be grateful to this commission, the (prior) commission that voted me in and the neighbors and business owners that make this community thrive. Thank you again for the remarkable opportunity.”

Chavarria, who serves at the will of the commission, was due for a raise last year.

Commissioner Warren Sturman requested several delays. Finally, the prospect of a pay increase for the city manager made it onto the commission agenda on Jan. 9.

More than 20 community leaders lined up that evening to say Chavarria deserved at the very least the same 3% raise the commission had given the city auditor and city clerk months earlier.

But three of the five commissioners — John Herbst, Pamela Beasley-Pittman and Sturman — said Chavarria didn’t deserve one.

“In some areas he performed well,” Herbst said before the vote. “There are some other areas where he has not met my expectations. He did not perform to my level this year. So I would not be in favor of a raise.”

Glassman said he was not entirely surprised by Chavarria’s resignation.

“I think he was pretty worn down,” Glassman said, referring to the fact that three commissioners had denied Chavarria a raise.

“He had resistance from a majority of the commission,” Glassman added. “It was not an easy tenure. I appreciate his love of our city and his dedication to service. He is a good man, a good listener, and has a huge heart. Witness all the community leaders who spoke on his behalf just a few months ago during his performance review. He deserved better.”

After the meeting, the mayor said he was worried about attracting the best applicants with elections coming up.

“It will be very hard to replace him, especially during an election year,” Trantalis said. “I don’t know what kind of talent we’re going to be able to attract.”

Fort Lauderdale had a tough time finding a replacement for the former city attorney after he was fired just weeks after the 2022 election, Trantalis noted.

“People were very concerned about the volatility of the commission,” he said. “And we have an election coming up.”

In the coming months, the city will likely conduct a wide search for a new manager, the mayor said.

“We as a commission need to move forward and figure out our next step,” Trantalis said.

Local developer Charlie Ladd said he was not happy with the news that Chavarria is leaving.

“It’s a damn shame,” Ladd said. “We have so much positive stuff going on in our city right now. And it’s a very difficult time to put someone else in place to finish it. A new City Hall, a new police department, a new water plant, a new federal courthouse. The list goes on and on and on.”

But Ladd says he holds out hope the city will find a strong leader to guide it forward.

“Hopefully we can find somebody special,” Ladd said. “In a perfect world, find a star. Some people see problems. Some people see opportunity.”

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan

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