Brown named governmental affairs director of Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce

Former manager of City of Sarasota retired from that position in October

Marlon Brown. Image courtesy City of Sarasota

Former Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown has been named the new director of governmental affairs for the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce (GSCC), the Chamber has announced.

The appointment was effective on Jan. 17, a news release said.

“The organization’s action comes with the fullest confidence that Brown will be an excellent steward of the Chamber’s mission, a leader and advocate for our region,” the release added.

The afternoon of Aug. 15, 2024, Brown announced first to City of Sarasota employees and then to the city commissioners that he was giving the 60 days of notice required in his contract about his plans to retire.

Although he specified that the date would be Oct. 15, he ended up extending that in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton’s strike on the county. The initial city damage estimate, as of Oct. 16, was between $7 million and $10 million, city staff told The Sarasota News Leader.

In a letter stating his intent to retire, Brown pointed out that, beginning in the fall of 2023, he had “shared with my family, close friends and associates … timelines and decision related to [his] continued employment” with the city. Brown added that he had conveyed the same information to “key staff” in December 2023 before broaching the topic with the city commissioners “at the beginning of [2024].”

Further, Brown wrote in a letter to the board members that he had shared with them at the start of last year “both professional challenges never experienced in my career and life challenges that I continue to face that led to my decision.”

He also noted that he had been in government service for 31 years, which was one year more than the goal he had set for himself. He cited that factor in making his decision, “coupled with witnessing very close family, friends and colleagues leave us unexpectedly without having accomplished other lifelong career and personal opportunities/goals/dreams.”

Brown continued, “I realized now is the time for me to pursue other opportunities. Although I do not have a specific plan in place or another career opportunity, I am ready and excited to discover and fully embrace new challenges that may arise and to begin my next chapter.”

During his final meeting with the City Commission, Brown said, “I hope I have served this community and this commission with dignity and pride,” adding, “I’ve never put myself first.”

The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce news release noted that Brown began serving as city manager in January 2021. Brown’s appointment to the position followed the retirement of Tom Barwin, who had been city manager for about eight years.

Brown was deputy city manager for more than 11 years, the Chamber release added.

“His achievements over the 15+ years of his service to the city of Sarasota are impressive and parlay perfectly to continue his policy work representing the 1,450+ members of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce,” the release continued. “Brown’s work will be to advance the legislative agenda of the chamber, focusing on issues that are of most importance to business owners such as affordable housing, talent and workforce issues, lack of childcare options for working parents, smart economic development, transportation and water quality.”

This is one of the rotating banners on the website of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.

In the release, Heather Kasten, president and CEO of the Chamber, pointed out, “His regional experience in working with both city, county and state government, as well as his work with many community organizations, makes him a solid fit for this role. We are thrilled and honored to have him join our team.”

The release also quoted Brown: “I am joining an organization that I consider one of the best of the best in the state of Florida, the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, especially at a time when public policy decisions have become critical to the success (or failure) of Sarasota’s vibrant business sector and are specifically impactful to our small business sector that do not necessarily have the resources to represent their interests. Secondly, I am excited and ready to fully embrace this new challenge and to begin my next chapter as the Chamber’s new Director of Government Affairs.”

The release also included comments from Chamber board Chair Joe Hembree: “Marlon’s expertise and passion for community building enable him to champion our public policy and governance initiatives. We’re confident his leadership will not only amplify our advocacy efforts but also translate into tangible improvements in Sarasota’s quality of life.”

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