EDGEWATER, Fla. – The Edgewater City Council fired City Manager Glenn Irby Friday night during a special meeting, despite concerns from residents and some council members that firing Irby during a critical time would leave a vacuum in leadership.
The council voted to conduct a nationwide search for a new city manager.
Irby was hired in 2019 after the council suddenly ousted its previous city manager in 2018. Irby had held various positions in city governments around Central Florida for more than 20 years.
The council held a special meeting on Monday, Sept. 16, but it was overtaken by frustrated residents who have been dealing with flooding issues in the Florida Shores neighborhood.
At that meeting, several people defended Irby. One person said he was simply executing the vision of the council, and if the council voted for bad policy, there wasn’t much he could do.
Another person said this was not the right time to replace Irby.
“It’s the wrong time for our community, the wrong thing to be doing,” the resident said. “Do I think Mr. Irby has done a perfect job, or that he has held some of his subordinates accountable for their actions, or lack of actions? No. But again, this is not the right time for our community to be doing this. We have much bigger issues at hand, and this is just going to delay or impede these issues from being addressed.”
“I have to agree with most of you, this is not the time, we’re in a crisis right now, this is not the time to get rid of a city manager,” said Councilwoman Gigi Bennington. “Not even to start looking for a city manager. The least we need is an assistant city manager for when he has time off or he isn’t here.”
Councilwoman Debbie Dolbow said the problem was she felt that it was part of the city manager’s to nurture and guide the council, and she didn’t always feel that way.
“I don’t know what I don’t know,” she said.
Irby will get a total severance package of $131,790.01.
Another resident complained that it was a waste of money to spend thousands of dollars to search for a city manager, on top of his severance package. She suggested creating an action plan and working with Irby to solve issues.
The decision to end Irby’s contract was made independently of the flooding issue.
During a four-hour city council meeting on Friday night, residents from the Florida Shores neighborhood voiced their concerns about flooding they allege is caused by new subdivisions, prompting the council to take action.
The meeting, packed with residents and lengthy public comment, resulted in the council instructing city staff to draft a moratorium on new home construction. However, no official decision has been made, and the council will discuss the ordinance at a later time.
Homeowners in the Florida Shores neighborhood claim that newer subdivisions are being built at higher elevations than existing homes, causing stormwater to flow into older areas.
Last Saturday, some residents posted videos online showing streets flooded to the point where kayaks were being used.
Many residents expressed their frustration and fear during the meeting, urging the council to act.
“I have lived here 26 years, and I’m scared,” one resident said during the public comment period. “If it rains for two hours, it’s going to be in my house.”
Another resident, who has lived in the area for eight years said, “I have never seen standing water like I do now, even after hurricanes.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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