- May 2, 2024
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Flagler County Administrator Jerry Cameron plans to step down on July 3, leaving the county administration in the hands of his chief of staff, Jorge Salinas, who will serve until the County Commission decides whether to appoint Salinas to the permanent administrator position.
Cameron announced his end date during the commission's June 7 meeting while telling the commission that the administration had chosen a new fire chief: Michael Tucker, the superintendent of the Florida State Fire College and the former fire chief of The Villages. Tucker's projected start date is July 7, a few days after the administration's planned leadership shift.
"We are presently engaged in transition," Cameron told commissioners at the commission meeting. "You have every reason to be confident that there will be very little notice of my leaving: You have some very competent people that are already up to speed, already doing a great job. ... I’m looking forward to reading about great things continuing to happen in Flagler County."
Salinas introduced Tucker at the meeting, saying the county administration selected Tucker from over 30 applicants for the position after interviewing the top five.
The county made a conditional offer to Tucker on June 2. The County Commission will hold a vote to ratify Tucker's appointment at its meeting on June 21.
Tucker spoke briefly at the meeting, saying he'd been impressed by Flagler County Fire Rescue when, while working for the state Fire Marshal's Office, he saw it in action during the response to Hurricane Michael in the Panhandle.
"The staff was absolutely professional and a joy to work with," Tucker said. "So given this opportunity, I look forward to being able to help the organization continue to move forward, and hopefully help the organization become stronger."
The county government has asked that the city of Palm Coast's deputy fire chief, Bradd Clark, serve as the county's interim fire chief until Tucker begins.
Commissioner Andy Dance was the only commissioner to vote against the proposed interim agreement with the city for Clark's appointment, saying that he felt the county administration hadn't given commissioners enough time to due their due diligence on the agreement and that he didn't think the month-long period before Tucker's arrival warrants bringing in someone from the city government.
The city will consider the request at a special meeting on June 8.
