The Atlantic Beach City Commission voted unanimously Aug. 22 to hire Bill Killingsworth, director of the Jacksonville Planning and Development Department, as its city manager.
He starts Sept. 26 and must relocate to Atlantic Beach within the first six months of his employment.
As city manager, Killingsworth will be in charge of the day-to-day operations of Atlantic Beach city government. He will have an annual base salary of $218,500.
The hiring comes after Newberry City Manager Mike New was chosen over Killingsworth for the position Aug. 7 in a 3-2 vote. However, New turned down the job.
“Unfortunately, negotiations weren’t successful,” New told Alachua County Today.
“I have submitted only one job application in the past five years and that was for the City of Atlantic Beach. I’m really happy at the City of Newberry. I couldn’t work for a better city commission.”
Killingsworth replaces Shane Corbin, who in February took a job as New Smyrna Beach’s director of development services.
Former City Manager Joe Gerrity was hired as an interim city manager when Corbin left. He will leave the post Sept. 8.
Deputy City Manager Kevin Hogancamp will assume the duties until Killingsworth comes on board.
The city of Jacksonville recently posted the job for director of the Planning and Development Department. The pay range is $139,867 to $180,000 annually.
“We value Bill Killingsworth’s significant contributions to the City of Jacksonville and look forward to working with him in his new role," Mayor Donna Deegan said in an email reply for comment.
"The search is on for an interim director to lead the Planning and Development Department, and we will have an update on that soon.”
Improving efficiency and streamlining Jacksonville’s building permit process was a key part of Mayor Deegan’s campaign. Her budget includes $21.72 million to pay for four new staff positions and to upgrade technology.
Killingsworth was director of Jacksonville’s Planning and Development Department from 2009 to 2011 under then Mayor John Peyton and returned to that position in 2015 under then Mayor Lenny Curry.
From February 2013 through November 2015, he was director of Community Development in the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity in Tallahassee.
He has a bachelor’s degree in real estate and urban analysis from the University of Florida.