MANATEE COUNTY — This week, Manatee County Government said goodbye to a 20-year employee, and in three weeks, an additional official will also serve their last day with the organization. Both employees served as deputy directors with the county’s Utilities Department.
On Friday, Utilities Deputy Director Katie Gilmore reported to her office at Lake Manatee Water Treatment Plant for her final day. Gilmore was the department’s deputy director overseeing water and potable water. September 30 would have marked Gilmore’s 20th anniversary of service with the county’s Utilities Department.
Gilmore’s colleague, Utilities Deputy Director Kevin Morris, has also announced his upcoming departure from the department. Morris serves as deputy director overseeing wastewater. His last day with the department will be October 4.
Given the qualifications and experience of the two employees and the roles they filled, the two resignations are certain to be felt within the department.
Responding to an email request for comment, Manatee County Utilities Director Patrick Shea expressed gratitude for both officials' leadership, hard work, and contributions to the department, adding that their service “will be greatly missed.”
“In any career, we work alongside many colleagues who come and go,” Shea wrote, “but there are always those who leave a lasting impact—people whose dedication and passion make a real difference in the workplace and to those they serve.”
Gilmore joined the Utilities Department in 2004. After four years as a senior chemist in water, she advanced to laboratory supervisor, where she served another six and a half years.
Gilmore was named Water Division Manager in 2018 before being named Deputy Director in January 2023.
During her years of service, Gilmore was committed to providing Manatee County residents with safe and reliable drinking water. Beginning in 2009, Gilmore worked with staff to pilot a biological filtration system to combat blue-green algae outbreaks at Lake Manatee.
Having obtained a Master of Science in Analytical Chemistry before embarking on her 20-year career with Manatee County Government, Gilmore’s expertise isn’t limited to potable water, she also has extensive knowledge of the county’s reservoir and dam which are necessary to collect and store the county’s water supply.
At a recent “Dam 101” event organized for local media, Gilmore confidently answered questions about the dam’s operations and function, its history, and safety, including detailing projects undertaken to the structure beginning in 2014.
Deputy Director Morris is newer to the department, hired in 2021 after serving over 21 years as a Manager of Engineering and Projects at the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority.
Morris obtained a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering before beginning his career with the Authority. He later furthered his education, receiving a Masters in Business Administration.
Just as he transitioned to public service with the county’s Utilities Department, Morris was recognized by a resolution of the Board of Directors of the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority for his “Distinguished Service” to the Authority. The resolution received unanimous approval.
When he separates from the county on Oct. 4, Morris will have served just over three and a half years as a Deputy Director of Manatee County Utilities.
Records show that Gilmore and Morris each tendered their resignations within days of one another—Gilmore having submitted her letter of resignation on August 23, and Morris submitting his on August 26.
Though records also appeared to show the resignations were unanticipated by department administration, both Morris and Gilmore cited separate personal reasons for their decisions.
“After thoughtful consideration,” Gilmore’s letter began, “I have decided to end my employment with Manatee County Government.”
Gilmore wrote that she would be forever grateful for the personal and professional growth she was provided during her time and career within the department and government organization, but added “I feel the time has come to move in a different direction.”
“I am proud of the accomplishments achieved during my time here and honored to have played a small part in building this Utilities System into what it is today,” she wrote. “I have worked with some of the most dedicated, intelligent, and service-oriented people and know the Utilities Department is in good hands with the caliber of staff we have in the Water Division.”
Closing her letter, Gilmore offered her assistance in facilitating a smooth transition.
In his letter, Morris also expressed his appreciation for the opportunity and his time with the county.
Writing personally to Utilities Director Shea, Morris wrote, “You have been a good supervisor and friend. I have enjoyed getting to know you, serving under you, and learning from you.”
“You are also a good listener,” Morris included. “A trait that is sadly in short supply these days. Your brand of leadership is just what the department needs as we face the challenges of our time. My admiration for you makes this resignation letter difficult to write.”
After sharing about a personal loss, Morris wrote that he and his wife had decided to relocate to another state.
“The wastewater division has many strong leaders who are more than capable of stepping into what small void my departure might create. Change is good, I have no doubt that fresh eyes will be able to see opportunities that I was blind to and they bring fresh vigor and energy to the position,” Morris concluded while offering to stay on through October 4 to aid in a smooth transition.
Utilities Director Shea shared in his comments to TBT that while Morris and Gilmore’s departures from the county “may feel unexpected,” the department has been preparing transitions to ensure continued stability.
“Our team remains strong and fully committed to moving forward without disruption to our services,” Shea wrote. “We are confident in the leadership and talent within the organization and view this as an opportunity to build on the solid foundation that Gilmore and Morris have helped to create.”
Circumstance of Timing
Though Gilmore and Morris shared separate personal reasons for resigning from their positions, the resignations came just weeks after Storm Debby impacted the area.
Debby brought significant rainfall and flooding, as well as public confusion and concern about the safety of the dam which spread after IPAWS alerts initiated by county Emergency Management officials warned of “strategic dam releases” to cause “imminent flooding.”
County officials have since acknowledged communications shortfalls, while staff of the Utilities Department were left to reassure the public that flash flooding in a majority of the impacted neighborhoods was not caused by the dam, that the dam remains safe and stable, and that it operated as designed during the storm.
Though Debby has passed, Florida’s Hurricane Season has just reached its mid-point, with the official end of the season not arriving until Nov. 30.
TBT asked Director Shea about the timing of the Utilities Department transitioning to fill two deputy director vacancies amid storm season and how the county is positioned to meet the challenge.
Shea offered that the county administration had already identified and is preparing experienced department leaders to step into storm response roles to ensure continuity of operations and oversight during the critical time.
“The County is fortunate to have a remarkable group of public servants in leadership roles within the Utilities Department,” wrote Shea in his emailed response. “As part of delivering essential services, it is crucial to have redundancies in place to ensure 24/7/365 delivery of those services.”
The Utilities Director added that the areas of responsibility previously managed by Gilmore and Morris would be distributed among the other leaders in the department until the vacancies are filled.
“Additionally, our teams have been cross-trained,” added Shea, “and emergency response plans are in place to address storm or infrastructure-related challenges.”
Shea wrote that the county wanted to reassure the public that safeguarding essential services—particularly during hurricane season—is a top priority.
“The systems we have in place, combined with our team's expertise, will ensure our focus remains on maintaining the high standards of safety and reliability that the community expects," he explained.
Transitions in Leadership
While Gilmore's and Morris's departures will bring changes to department leadership, those transitions will not be the first significant changes the Utilities Department has faced within the last two years—and the Utilities Department is not alone.
The county administrator position itself has turned over five times between acting and permanent appointments since 2021.
After newly elected commissioners moved to fire then 30-year county employee and administrator Cheri Coryea in early 2021, Scott Hopes was named acting administrator. After roughly two months of serving as acting, Hopes was named permanent county administrator and began his effort to restructure the public organization.
At the time, Hopes was quoted by the Observer that he was taking “a very deliberate and strategic approach to redesigning the organization.”
Throughout the reorganization led by Hopes, the county saw many longtime employees and even department directors part ways with the county—the Utilities Department was one.
In August 2022, Manatee County’s former director of Utilities, Mike Gore, resigned from the county after being given the choice of resignation or termination. Gore had loyally served in the organization’s Utilities Department for more than 38 years.
Just months prior, Hopes had also appointed Courtney De Pol—who had been hired earlier that year as the Director of Development Services—to also serve as a deputy county administrator over the Utilities Department.
Upon Gore’s departure, then-deputy director of utilities Jeff Goodwin was made interim director of the department. Like Gore, Goodwin had a long career with Manatee County Utilities, having served nearly 25 years in the department.
In Oct. 2022, Hopes announced the hiring of a new Utilities Director, Evan Pilachowski. Weeks after the announcement, Goodwin tendered his resignation.
Turnover in county administration continued and after Hopes’ termination in early 2023, Manatee County’s current County Administrator Charlie Bishop ultimately landed in the position.
One of Bishop’s early actions as the newest administrator was to fill his administrative cabinet with a total of four deputy county administrators—one existing from Hopes’ tenure, Courtney De Pol—and one filled by Pilachowski who was taken from his position as Director of Utilities.
With Pilachowski appointed to the role of a deputy county administrator and with his having served a previous year as the director of utilities, he was placed over the department, while De Pol was given other department assignments.
With Utilities again without a director, in Jan. 2024, county administration hired Patrick Shea to lead the department. At the time of his hire, Shea was the third director of Utilities the county had seen within less than two years.
Shea came to the county from Minnesota, with a resume that included a Bachelor's in Science/Chemistry and a Master’s in Public Administration. He also served the City of St. Cloud, Minnesota, as the Public Services Director and was a Manager for St. Paul, Minnesota’s Regional Water Services.
In his emailed comments to TBT, Director Shea offered personal compliments of the employees and public servants he had come to know in Morris and Gilmore, sharing that their commitment to the community and their colleagues was “remarkable.”
“Their problem-solving abilities, collaborative spirit, and attention to detail have left a positive and lasting impression on the entire team,” Shea shared. “We are truly saddened to no longer work with them on a daily basis, but we are grateful for the foundation they’ve helped build, and we are confident that their legacy will continue to benefit the department long into the future.”
Shea concluded by adding that he and the county administration wish Gilmore and Morris nothing but success in their future endeavors, “Their absence will certainly be felt, but their impact and contributions will continue to resonate within the department and throughout the county."
Dawn Kitterman is a staff reporter and investigative journalist for The Bradenton Times covering local government news. She can be reached at dawn.kitterman@thebradentontimes.com.
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mcems1986
With the BOCC budget discussion and suggested tax roll backs, maybe with the two Deputy positions being vacant the Countu Administrator can just eliminate those positions. It seems over the past 3 years for a board and administration that preached conservatives, we have seen no cut backs but growth. Vehicles with wrapping unnecessary and many Departments that gained one or even two Deputies making over 100K. This could be away to rollback.
The story is accurate loosing tenured employees does hurt County Government and a lot of institutional knowledge.
4 days ago Report this
andreart
Two resigning within weeks is telling. Katie Gilmore is a hugh loss. We need institutional knowledge and its walking out the door.
Mike Gore did not “resign” he was walked out the door and was forced to sign something to not comment or would lose a deal county gave him. Administration told me he refused to wear a suit and continued to wear jeans so he could be at the landfill or 66th St with the actual workers. He was in shock when I called him the next day. Gore will not talk but I can. Jeff Goodwin left due to the caustic leadership and the BOCC.
3 days ago Report this
rjckeuka4
More fallout from the election disaster of 2020! Anyone with any executive experience and sense could have predicted this as soon as KVO and wrecking crew moved to fire Cheri Coryea. And then the fiasco and disaster of Scott Dopes! If one couldn't see that coming, the tooth fairy is for real! The County was well run and managed until 4 years ago and then destroyed by the clown wannabe dictators. It will take years to rebuild, and Katie and Kevin's loss has been preceded by many and will be followed by more. The new Commission has a monster job of putting all the parts back together and it starts right at the top! Hopefully, they will be up to it.
3 days ago Report this