- April 25, 2024
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Ormond Beach Planning Director Ric Goss began his career in planning in 1977.
Fresh out of the Army with a History degree and with the help of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, Goss walked into a planning department in York he'd heard had a job opening. He hadn't scheduled a job interview and he didn't have a resume, but the planning director still agreed to meet with him, and he asked Goss all sorts of questions about planning.
“I had no idea what he was talking about," Goss said. "He asked me about the census—I didn’t know anything about the census. And then he said: ‘You’re hired.’”
He also told Goss he would "go far in this business."
Fast forward to 2017, the chance that planning director took on Goss has paid off. With 40 years of experience under his belt, including the last 10 he's spent as Ormond Beach's planning director, Goss retired at the end of 2017.
Goss said he'll be sticking around town for a little while though.
As for who will replace him as the city's planning director? That's still to be determined, but Goss said whoever the city hires will run the department well. That person will also likely get the task of updating Ormond Beach's current downtown plan, which Goss said is now outdated. He or she will also be the person dealing with the future transportation changes resulting from development.
Goss added that the city will likely see an increase in redevelopment in the coming years. While there aren't many vacant lots available, Goss said, there are parcels that can be redeveloped or combined.
“For example, wherever you have all these office buildings like on West Granada, I see that being redeveloped at some time,” Goss said.
He bets that will happen sometime in the next five years.
Ormond Beach is one of the better places he's worked in during his career, Goss said. His only challenge was overcoming the feeling of being an "outsider," since he wasn't born and raised in town like many people who still live here.
“I’ve wondered why the city manager hired me, to tell you the truth," Goss said.
Though Goss never got an answer, he did receive recognition for his decade of work before the City Commission on Dec. 5.
Now that he's retired, Goss said he's looking forward to spending more time with his wife and having more freedom. He also said he's not likely to attend another planning board meeting anytime soon.
