Shakeup at Miami City Hall as three administrators submit resignations in one week
Three high-level administrators in Miami City Hall have submitted their resignations in the span of one week, marking significant shifts in the city government’s leadership.
Sandra Bridgeman, an assistant city manager and the city’s chief financial officer, and Planning Director Francisco Garcia submitted their resignations within a few hours of each other Monday. Bridgeman will leave the city on Oct. 30. Garcia will depart Nov. 6.
Daniel Rotenberg, the director of Miami’s department of real estate and asset management, submitted his resignation Oct. 13. His last day is Oct. 30.
The changes came as a shock to some city staffers, while others had predicted there might be changes under the administration of City Manager Art Noriega. Noriega, who formerly ran the city’s parking authority, was hired as the municipal government’s chief executive Feb. 24, a few weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic altered daily life and triggered a response from all levels of government.
Newly hired city managers sometimes install their own leadership teams, leading to departures or other personnel shifts. The flow of change can begin at the highest level of government, as it did with Noriega’s ascendance and the resignation of his predecessor, Emilio González. Commissioners Joe Carollo, Alex Díaz de la Portilla and Manolo Reyes urged González’s ouster.
Tuesday morning, Noriega told the Miami Herald he would not go into details on any of the resignations.
“I have a longstanding personal perspective that personnel decisions need to be confidential out of respect for those employees,” he said. “The city will be managed in a professional manner and as such, I wish them all well in their future endeavors. All three made contributions to the city that are very much appreciated.”
When asked if he had requested these resignations from his employees, Noriega responded: “Not getting into any of the details.”
Bridgeman joined the city in April 2018, shortly after González was hired as city manager. The two previously worked together at Miami-Dade County’s aviation department. Bridgeman, who is of Haitian descent, is the highest-ranking Black woman in the city administration.
Rotenberg has been with the city since 2014 after working in private real estate. García has served as Miami’s planning director for a decade, his second stint with the city since the late ‘90s. During García’s time at a private planning firm, he helped author the city’s Miami 21 zoning code.
The three administrators did not immediately respond to the Miami Herald’s request for comment Tuesday.
Some commissioners have previously expressed their displeasure with some of these employees or the operation of their respective departments. Carollo, in particular, has publicly criticized Rotenberg, at times berating the director for what Carollo perceived as poor judgment and an inability to aggressively negotiate real estate deals. The friction between politicians and the city’s workforce, which is supposed to remain apolitical, can underscore personnel changes.
Noriega did make one change at the senior administrative level early on. On April 24, the city manager fired Steve Williamson, who was hired as director of capital improvements by González in 2018. His termination was effective May 15.
This story was originally published October 20, 2020, 1:30 PM.
