The FCCMA Podcast

Nick Marano, Village Manager of Palmetto Bay, talks abouthow his military leadership shaped his approach to local government. Nick served in Iraq in 2006, where he met regularly with competing leaders and learned that sharing a meal can turn a confrontational meeting into a collaborative one. He applies the same lesson today with meals before council meetings.Nick also shares his philosophy on seeking unanimous consensus over split votes, communicating in person rather than by email or text, and building a team through clear leadership guidance documents. He explains how empowering his department directors allowed the village to run smoothly during his two-month absence for surgery.

Karie Friling, newly appointed City Manager of Sarasota,joins host Steve Vancore to discuss how she approaches difficult situations. Just four months into the job, Karie has faced the implications of Amendment 3 from the start. She describes her approach to staying calm, actively listening to stakeholders, and making data-driven decisions, drawing on her 33-year career in local government and her Lean Six Sigma background. Karie reflects on her move from Illinois to Florida and the differences in home rule and revenue authority between the two states. The conversation turns to the challenges of social media and division, and to why public service remains a deeply rewarding career centered on improving communities.

Joe Halman Jr., City Manager of Haines City, joins hostSteve Vancore to share his journey from a 32-year career at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, where he retired as Chief of Law Enforcement in 2016, to leading a growing Central Florida city. Joe also brings six years of Florida National Guard service to a role that draws heavily on his public safety background and his belief that strong law enforcement is foundational to a thriving community.Joe discusses Haines City's economic development strategycentered on sports tourism and how the revitalization of Myers-Wiley Park with a new synthetic turf field has positioned the city as a destination for tournaments and out-of-town visitors. Joe closes with a reflection on what draws him to city management: Haines City’s growth, affordability, and strong sports culture make it a community he is proud to serve.

Port St. Lucie Assistant City Manager Kristina Ciuperger and Director of Communications Sarah Prohaska and join host Steve Vancore to share how the city has been proactively educating residents about the potential budgetimpact of Amendment 3.  Facing an estimated $49 million reduction to its general fund over two years, the citylaunched a series of Community Conversations at locations throughout the community to help residents understand how their property tax dollars are allocated and what cuts could follow.Sarah and Kristina walk through the city's multi-channeloutreach strategy, including e-blasts, texts, press releases, and homeowner association outreach. It is a practical and candid look at how one city is tackling the challenge of making complex budget information accessible and meaningful to everyday residents.

Jason Davis, City Manager of Fort Walton Beach, and Wyatt Wagner, a former FCCMA intern turned full-time IT systems administrator, join host Steve Vancore to discuss the power of paid internship programs to build the next generation of local government professionals. Jason traces his passion for mentorship back to a formative experience with an intern at Palm Beach County, which inspired him to develop paid internship programs across multiple jurisdictions.The conversation covers how the FCCMA internship program provided Wyatt with a paid position and real-world experience that helped him transition from technical college student to full-time employee, and how the program offers college credit for mentors and covers travel to the annual conference. Jason also shares his broader workforce development efforts, including partnerships with local colleges.

In this special episode, host Steve Vancore delivers an urgent message to Florida's city and county leaders about Amendment 3 and its threat to home rule and local governance. Recent polling reveals a dangerous knowledge gap: most voters cannot name the basic services their local tax dollars fund.But there is reason for optimism. When voters learn what local government actually does, support for the amendment drops from 59% to just 27%. Steve outlines a clear strategy for closing that gap: lead with services rather than government, highlight the tax shift that would hit renters and first-time homeowners hardest, and broaden the conversation around public safety.

Steve sits down with Mike Crow, Assistant General Manager for Power Delivery at the City of Tallahassee, for a timely conversation recorded in April 2026 as hurricane season preparations ramp up. They open with a proud local note: Tallahassee's recent win at the FMEA Florida Lineman Competition. Mike pulls back the curtain on what utility hurricane preparedness looks like day-to-day, walking through thetabletop exercise process and why the "cone of uncertainty" demands flexibility. A storm can shift at any time, and being a responsible mutual aid partner means staying ready regardless. He also draws a clear distinction between preparing for a hurricane versus a tornado, two threats that require very different playbooks. With 20 years in the industry, Mike reflects on the biggest shift he's seen: customers now expect real-time information during outages, and communication has become a core part of the restoration process, not an afterthought.

Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), discusses the 2026hurricane season with a straightforward message: "Be ready for your one."Guthrie unpacks Florida's "Let's prepare to recover" philosophy, covering the practical steps that bring it to life: filling out forms correctly,  providing required documentation, and F-ROC (Florida's Recovery Obligation Calculation), a toolaimed at making recovery more proactive and the public assistance program faster and more streamlined. He also clarifies what FMEA members should and should not do to prepare for hurricane season.Guthrie closes with a reminder that often gets overlooked: don't forget about your employees.

Brooks Williams, City Manager of Ferris, Texas, joins hostSteve Vancore to share one of the more remarkable turnaround stories in recent local government memory. When Brooks arrived, Ferris had cycled through 12 citymanagers in 10 years, council members had come to blows, and a widely read article had dubbed it "the town where everyone hates each other." Despite sitting alongside a major Texas interstate, the city was not growing.Brooks walks through the approach he took to change theculture, including getting out of the office and into the community to build relationships, using plain language to rebuild public trust, breaking down organizational silos, and requiring every public employee to complete a basic public administration course. He reflects on the importance of having people willing to stand with you when difficult, unpopular decisions must be made, and what it takes to transform division into momentum.

Steve Williamson, Village Manager of Key Biscayne, joinshost Steve Vancore to discuss the unique infrastructure challenges of managing a barrier island community of 15,000 residents on just one square mile, accessible only via a seven-mile causeway. Williamson shares how Key Biscayne completed a decades-long project to remove all septic systems in 2024, an initiative that began in 2005 and reflected residents' genuine understanding of the connection between water quality and how waste is managed on small lots.The conversation explores what Williamson calls the "soft side of infrastructure" and the village's ResilientInfrastructure and Adaptation Program (RIAP), which organizes community resilience around five lines of operation: stormwater system improvements, roadway upgrades, undergrounding utilities, shoreline protection, and the policy and zoning work that ties it all together. It is a thoughtful look a how small but complex communities can take a comprehensive, strategic approach to long-term infrastructure planning.