Flagler County commissioners agree to more vetting for finalist Erin Van Cleet

Flagler County commissioners met Sept. 4 for a special session to deliberate three finalists for county administrator and stopped short of making an appointment, saying the 20-minute finalist interviews did not give the board enough information to reach a unified decision. Chair opened the meeting saying it was solely dedicated to board deliberation and a possible selection.

"20 minutes is not enough for me to know," the Chair said, summarizing a repeated view that the short interview format limited the board’s ability to vet key topics such as budget experience, relationships with constitutional officers and leadership temperament. Commissioners praised the hiring process and the human resources team but raised specific concerns about each finalist’s fit: one candidate’s finance background, another’s strength at strategic planning, and a third’s energy and operational breadth from Volusia County.

Rather than reopen a full public search or immediately appoint any finalist, the board agreed by consensus to provide additional time for the leading candidate, Erin Van Cleet, to answer follow-up questions and to participate in one-on-one interviews with each commissioner. The chair asked HR to compile targeted follow-up questions and to coordinate either brief one-on-one sessions or a public workshop so the public and constitutional officers could participate. "If we're at least getting consensus to set up time with him individually, have HR vet our questions," the Chair said.

The next procedural step is scheduling those follow-up interviews; commissioners discussed holding an hour-long session or separate one-on-one meetings before the next regular board meeting so the panel can decide whether a full public search is necessary.