City Manager Friling also announces division of duties in regard to departments
In a June 18 email to the Sarasota city commissioners and city staff members, new City Manager Karie Friling announced that she had appointed Jennifer Jorgensen “the permanent Deputy City Manager for the City of Sarasota.”
Jorgensen served as interim city manager from March 7 through May 29. Those dates cover the period from the time when former interim City Manager Dave Bullock’s stepped down from the position until Friling’s start of work in the municipality, when Jorgensen became the interim deputy manager. As the interim city manager, Jorgensen received an annual salary of $228,000, as The Sarasota News Leader reported.
Friling added in the email, “The city has many opportunities and challenges facing us both short and long-term. During the last 4 months, Jennifer and I have worked closely together on many of these competing priorities and have developed a relationship built on mutual respect and trust. I am confident this relationship will only strengthen over time, resulting in our office providing the best support we can to the Commission, our city departments, and the public.”
Then Friling explained, “[W]e have divided up areas of responsibilities and reporting as follows:
The departments reporting directly to the city manager are Development Services, Planning, Finance, Parks & Recreation, the Sarasota Police Department and the Independent Police Panels, Emergency Services, Communications and Human Resources.
Those reporting directly to the deputy city manager are Utilities, Public Works, Information Technology, Governmental Affairs/Legislative
Procurement, Grants, Homelessness Response/Services, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and Special Events.
Friling added, “As I finish up my third week, I truly believe this appointment and organizational alignment will help us stay focused on the needs of both our community and our internal organization/team. Please let me know if you have any questions.”
The only response that The Sarasota News Leader found from a city commissioner came from Liz Alpert on June 19. “Great news! Congratulations to Jennifer!” Alpert wrote.
The city commissioners were on vacation for the month of June. Their first regular meeting following that period will be conducted at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 6, at City Hall in downtown Sarasota. This will be the first session for Friling in her new role.
The city’s website does provide a brief biography for Jorgensen.
It notes that she has more than “15 years of leadership and legal experience in government, corporate affairs, and legislative advocacy.” As interim deputy city manager, it adds, she continued to serve as the director of governmental affairs, in which capacity she led federal and state legislative strategies, and she provided “executive oversight for the Purchasing, Special Events, and Grants divisions.”
Further, it says, “Her background includes management roles at The Walt Disney Company, where she oversaw global vendor strategies and multi-million-dollar contract negotiations for the Disney Institute and technology sectors.
“Earlier in her career,” the bio points out, “Jennifer served as Legal Counsel for the Nebraska Association of School Boards, where she was a registered lobbyist and successfully drafted state legislation. She holds a Juris Doctor (with Distinction) from the University of Nebraska College of Law and a [Bachelor of Arts] from the University of Minnesota. A licensed attorney, Jennifer is recognized for her ability to navigate complex regulatory environments while fostering strong relationships with the City Commission, staff, and the Sarasota community.”
Former Deputy City Manager Patrick Robinson retired as of May 26, as the News Leader reported. He had served in the position since December 2020.