City manager mentions resignation during City Commission’s paid-parking discussion on July 20
On July 9, Broxton Harvey, general manager of the City of Sarasota’s Parking Division, submitted his resignation to city Planning Department Director Steve Cover, The Sarasota News Leader has learned.
City Manager Karie Friling brought up the topic during the July 20 City Commission meeting, as the board members were discussing backlash they have received since they agreed to the implementation of longer paid-parking hours in downtown Sarasota. (See the related article in this issue.)
“He is gone after this week,” Friling reported. “He is going back home to Atlanta, Ga.”
In response to a News Leader inquiry, Jan Thornburg, general manager of the city’s Communications Department, wrote in a July 21 email, “[Harvey is] returning home to the Atlanta area for a new position.”
In his letter of resignation, a copy of which the News Leader obtained through a public records request, Harvey wrote, “I truly enjoyed the duties … I performed and the relationships that have been built that will last a lifetime. However, my journey here has come to an end as I move into other aspects and advancement opportunities in my career.”
He added, “I am leaving the Parking Division in what I believe is a great position to continue to operate in a successful capacity … with a strong financial outlook along with a dedicated management and supervisory team that is built for success.”
Harvey’s resignation came just three days after the July 6 regular City Commission meeting, when the board members launched a debate on the longer paid-parking hours that went into effect on June 29. They reprised that debate during their July 20 meeting.
Harvey had addressed the commissioners in late March about the need to increase the metered parking hours or increase the fees, so his division could cover its expenses, as it was designed to do.
During the board’s regular meeting on May 18, Vice Mayor Kathy Kelley Ohlrich asked him to talk about the fact that the Parking Division was established as an “enterprise fund,” meaning it should be able to pay its annual costs with the revenue it receives, instead of needing a subsidy from another city budget source to ensure it has no deficit.
Harvey joined city staff in January 2023, then-Mayor Liz Alpert noted in the March 1, 2024 city newsletter.
Marlon Brown still was serving as the city manager when Harvey was hired.
In a profile written in May for the Florida Parking and Transportation Association, Harvey noted that, as general manager of the Parking Division in Sarasota, he oversaw “9,000 parking spaces throughout the city with a mix of paid on-street, timed, city owned lots, garages, and residential parking.” He added, “In Sarasota, the Parking Division is focused on leveraging technology to bring forth new and innovative parking solutions to our citizens and customers.”
In response to a question from the Association about what drew him to the industry, Harvey explained, “I started out working in parking first in the valet parking hotel industry. Seeing how parking was significantly tied to the user experience, it gave me a desire to improve upon operational challenges whenever the arose. This took form in many fashions, but mainly in the creating and updating of standard operating procedures. We strived to provide every guest with an exemplary experience and this all began by ensuring that all staff were trained correctly and in the same manner. I realized that in parking we are truly the first impression and the last impression. This mindset has followed me from the private sector to now working in a municipality. While a great profit and loss statement is key to operating a thriving parking program, we should not forget that customer service and guest experience are tools as well that should be used to measure how successful a program has become.”
In response to another question, about how he addressed “seasonal demand, tourism, or special events” in his operation, Harvey replied, “The ability to utilize seasonal demand gave me the necessary data needed when recommending the extension of paid parking hours in the city of Sarasota.”