Miami Beach city manager will leave job two months early, a ‘surprise’ to some leaders
In a move that surprised some Miami Beach commissioners, City Manager Jimmy Morales said Monday that he will leave his role as the city’s top administrator two months ahead of schedule.
Morales, who submitted his resignation in October, will join the administration of newly elected Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava as the chief operations officer for the county.
In his resignation letter, Morales told the mayor and City Commission his last day at work would be Feb. 1, 2021. On Monday evening, after Levine Cava announced his appointment, Morales informed the city he will now be leaving Dec. 11 to begin his new job Dec. 14.
That change of plans means the commission must appoint his replacement in a little over two weeks, much sooner than they had anticipated. In an email to city leaders Monday evening, Morales said the interim city manager will be appointed at the Dec. 9 commission meeting. A search firm will help the city find a permanent replacement.
“I did not let you know earlier since I felt this was her announcement to make,” Morales wrote, referring to Levine Cava. “I will, of course, be available to the interim city manager as a resource and will make myself available to the new city manager once one is selected next year. Thank you and I will certainly continue to work hard in the remaining weeks.”
Commissioner Ricky Arriola, who wished Morales well in his new position, said the commission was caught off guard by Monday’s news.
“This announcement took us by surprise since Jimmy had told us that he would remain in his current position until February 1st to give us time for a smooth transition,” Arriola said in a statement.
He cautioned against appointing a Morales “crony” as interim city manager and said he hoped the commission is afforded an “open selection process” to find a suitable replacement until the time comes to appoint the next city manager.
By leaving his current position prior to a 90-day notice period, Morales will forfeit a 12-week severance package worth about $70,000 before taxes. Morales, whose current base salary is $305,736, was approved for a four-year contract extension in 2019.
In his Oct. 7 resignation letter, Morales noted that his “agreement requires a minimum 90-day notice,” but he chose the Feb. 1 termination date to “afford additional time for the city to have a smooth transition.”
At the time, he told city leaders he was not leaving his position to “accept another job offer,” but instead to chase a new adventure while he was still young.
In his new government role, Morales, 58, will oversee a host of county functions, from the water and sewer system to transportation. The former county commissioner has worked as city manager since 2013.
“One of the attractions of this new post is that I will be able to continue to work with city leadership on many issues of importance given the portfolio I will be overseeing, including the beaches, public transportation, traffic and pedestrian/bicycle safety, resiliency, environmental issues (including the health of Biscayne Bay) and elections,” Morales wrote in Monday’s email.
Commissioner Michael Góngora said he looked forward to working with Morales on the county level, but his fast-approaching termination date will rush the appointment process.
“He just told us last month that he was leaving, and said not to pursue another job and that he would stay until February,” he wrote in a statement. “Now we will be rushed to appoint an interim manager on Dec. 9th while we continue to work to find a permanent replacement.”
