Eastwood’s appointment effective date of Spencer Anderson’s departure
On Oct. 15, Carolyn Eastwood, who has been serving for more than eight years as director of the Sarasota County Capital Projects Department, was named interim director of the Transportation Department, effective Nov. 6.
That was the news that County Administrator Jonathan Lewis conveyed to the county commissioners that day via email.
As The Sarasota News Leader has reported, Spencer Anderson, who has been serving as director of the Transportation Department, has resigned, effective Nov. 6, to take a job with Monroe County Government.
Lewis added in his Oct. 15 email, “Carolyn’s expertise and historical knowledge will allow us to keep your transportation priorities moving. This advanced notice will also allow her to coordinate closely between now and November 6th with the Transportation Department team. Carolyn will serve in this capacity until I have completed the recruitment process.”
Then Lewis noted, “This obviously creates a void in the Capital Projects Department. Greg Johnson will serve as the Interim Director of Capital Projects until such time as Carolyn returns to her normal position.”
In response to a News Leader inquiry, county Public Information Officer Emily Blaine provided details in an Oct. 19 email about Eastwood’s and Johnson’s tenure.
“Eastwood has been with the county for 28 years, since July 1998,” the email said. “She has been the director of Capital Projects since September 2018,” it added.
“Johnson has been with the county for almost 16 years, since January 2011” the email continued. “He has worked in Capital Projects since 2013 in various capacities” and was promoted to his current role in November 2016.”
The email also noted that Johnson’s working title is manager of the Capital Projects Management Office.
In August 2022, a bio of Eastwood on the website of the Florida LTAP Center (Florida Local Technical Assistance Program, which is a division of the Federal Highway Administration) explained that, as director of Capital Projects, she provides leadership, management and supervision of all elements of the county’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for all departments and CIP areas, “including but not limited to Utilities, Transportation, Stormwater, Facilities, Emergency Services and Parks and Recreation.”
It added that she holds a license as a professional engineer in the State of Florida, noting that she began her engineering career with the New York State Department of Transportation. She earned a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Florida, that bio also pointed out.
As of Oct. 20, the News Leader found no job posting on the county website for the position of Transportation director. When the publication inquired about that, the Human Resources Department responded the same day: “The county’s top priority upon the director’s departure was maintaining uninterrupted operations and leadership for the team. Appointing Carolyn Eastwood, who has served in this department for years, allows the county to immediately fulfill that goal with someone who already knows the work inside and out. Decisions regarding the recruitment strategy and long-term posting will be addressed once this initial transition is complete.”