The FCCMA Podcast

Jason Davis, City Manager of Fort Walton Beach, and Wyatt Wagner, a former FCCMA intern turned full-time IT systems administrator, join host Steve Vancore to discuss the power of paid internship programs to build the next generation of local government professionals. Jason traces his passion for mentorship back to a formative experience with an intern at Palm Beach County, which inspired him to de...

In this special episode, host Steve Vancore delivers an urgent message to Florida's city and county leaders about Amendment 3 and its threat to home rule and local governance. Recent polling reveals a dangerous knowledge gap: most voters cannot name the basic services their local tax dollars fund. But there is reason for optimism. When voters learn what local government actually does, support...

Steve sits down with Mike Crow, Assistant General Manager for Power Delivery at the City of Tallahassee, for a timely conversation recorded in April 2026 as hurricane season preparations ramp up. They open with a proud local note: Tallahassee's recent win at the FMEA Florida Lineman Competition.   Mike pulls back the curtain on what utility hurricane preparedness looks like day-to-day, walking...

Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), discusses the 2026hurricane season with a straightforward message: "Be ready for your one." Guthrie unpacks Florida's "Let's prepare to recover" philosophy, covering the practical steps that bring it to life: filling out forms correctly,  providing required documentation, and F-ROC...

Brooks Williams, City Manager of Ferris, Texas, joins hostSteve Vancore to share one of the more remarkable turnaround stories in recent local government memory. When Brooks arrived, Ferris had cycled through 12 citymanagers in 10 years, council members had come to blows, and a widely read article had dubbed it "the town where everyone hates each other." Despite sitting alongside a major...

Steve Williamson, Village Manager of Key Biscayne, joinshost Steve Vancore to discuss the unique infrastructure challenges of managing a barrier island community of 15,000 residents on just one square mile, accessible only via a seven-mile causeway. Williamson shares how Key Biscayne completed a decades-long project to remove all septic systems in 2024, an initiative that began in 2005 and reflect...

Dr. James Poag, City Manager of Florida City, joins hostSteve Vancore to discuss his first seven months leading a city that recently transitioned from a strong mayor form of government to a commission/manager structure. Drawing on his Ph. D. in Organizational Leadership and Higher Education Management and his prior experience as Strategic Administrative Officer at Miami Gardens, Dr. Poag shares wh...

Mark Nutsch, featured speaker at the 2026 FCCMA Conference,joins host Steve Vancore for a conversation about leadership under the most demanding conditions imaginable. A former U.S. Army Special Forces commander, Mark led a 12-man Green Beret team that was among the first deployed toAfghanistan in the days following the 9/11 attacks, an experience later portrayed in the film 12 Strong , where he w...

Norton Bonaparte, City Manager of Sanford, joins host SteveVancore to share lessons from nearly 15 years of leading the city. Norton is passionate about volunteerism and serves on numerous community boards, viewingthat engagement not as an add-on but as a core responsibility of being city manager — meeting residents where they are rather than always expecting them to come to city hall. The convers...

Carolyn Stone, Deputy Town Manager of Palm Beach, joins hostSteve Vancore for a conversation about leadership, talent, and what it means to build a thriving government culture. Now in her fourth year as deputy town manager, Carolyn brings a background in parks and recreation and a deep passionfor performance management and talent recruitment. Carolyn reflects on why parks and recreation are often...

Jessica Savidge, Administrative and Communications Manager for the Town of Palm Beach, joins host Steve Vancore to discuss how the town has professionalized its communications strategy to reach residents on their own terms. Jess shares how the town uses tools like the Axios "Smart Brevity" model and the CivicReady app, which uses geolocation technology to notify residents of emergencies....

Mike McGlothlin, City Manager of Palm Coast, discusses the opportunities and pressures that come with explosive growth. Palm Coast has grown from 32,000 to over 115,000 residents since 2000, and Mike shares how the city recently completed a $300 million utilities bond project to help keep pace with that demand. Drawing on his experience managing hurricane recovery in Redington Shores, where he ove...

Michael Dammer, Manager of Emerging Technology at Lakeland Electric, joins host Steve Vancore to discuss his role evaluating new technologies that fall outside traditional utility operations. Mike shares details on two current projects: a solar field partnership with Williams Company set to provide 12% of Lakeland Electric's portfolio, and a pilot with American Independent Power using thermal...

Chuck Anderson, City Manager of Apalachicola and formerly City Manager of Treasure Island, joins host Steve Vancore as part of the podcast's emergency management series. Chuck stepped into the Treasure Island role on August 1st, 2024, and almost immediately faced three major storms in the span of roughly three months. His takeaway is straightforward: there is no such thing as being overprepare...

Chuck Anderson, City Manager of Apalachicola and formerlyCity Manager of Treasure Island, joins host Steve Vancore as part of the podcast's emergency management series. Chuck stepped into the Treasure Island role on August 1st, 2024, and almost immediately faced three major storms in the span of roughly three months. His takeaway is straightforward: there is no such thing as being overprepared...

Zerry Ihekwaba, City Manager of Homestead, and Jaime Hernandez, Emergency Manager, join host Steve Vancore to share how Homestead dramatically improved its Florida FROC scores, which measure readiness in debris removal and emergency protective measures, climbing from the high 30s to 51 in both categories. They break down the city's debris management strategy, including pre-identified debris si...

Zerry Ihekwaba, City Manager of Homestead, and Jaime Hernandez, Emergency Manager, join host Steve Vancore to share how Homestead dramatically improved itsFlorida FROC scores, which measure readiness in debris removal and emergency protective measures, climbing from the high 30s to 51 in both categories. They break down the city's debris management strategy, including pre-identified debris sit...

Commander CKMoore, Planning Section Chief of Hillsborough County's Office of Emergency Management, joins host Steve Vancore to share hard-won insights from a career spanning 27 years in the Coast Guard and three years with Hillsborough County. CK walks through what makes tabletop exercises truly effective, emphasizing the importance of bringing the right stakeholders together and using realist...

Dana Souza, City Manager ofSanibel, joins host Steve Vancore to walk through the critical steps cities must take before a storm makes landfall. Having started as city manager in September 2021, Dana led the city through the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Ian in 2022, and he draws on that experience to share practical advice on storm preparedness. Dana describes the tabletop exercises and communi...

In this episode, Crystal River City Manager Audra Curts shares her deep experience in hurricane preparedness and disaster recovery, with a special focus on the unique challenges small cities face. Audra reflects on being hit by Hurricane Helene just two days into the job, followed by Hurricane Milton a week later, and the flooding of City Hall from Hurricane Idalia before her arrival. Audra draws...

Suzanne Sherman, the City Manager of Palm Bay, discusses the complexities of ethical decision-making in local government. As Palm Bay has rapidly grown to nearly 100 square miles with a population increase from 20,000 to 140,000 in just 20 years, Suzanne has focused on restoring public trust following past ethics violations and investigations. She emphasizes the importance of continuous ethics tra...

Mike Carballa, County Administrator of Pasco County, joins host Steve Vancore to share the leadership philosophy driving his tenure. Mike walks through his "people, purpose, and performance" framework — prioritizing employees, connecting them to the organization's mission of serving the community to create a better future, and empowering staff with autonomy and support. He details ho...

Chad Edwards, Borough Manager of Breckenridge, PA, joins host Steve Vancore to recount one of the most extraordinary disaster recovery challenges in recent municipal history. Before his current role, Chad served as village manager of East Palestine, Ohio, stepping into the position in the immediate aftermath of the 2023 train derailment that sent toxic chemicals spilling across the community, just...

Heidi Siegel, Town Manager of Jupiter Inlet Colony, joins host Steve Vancore to offer a window into one of Florida's most unique municipalities. Founded in 1959 on the northern edge of Palm Beach County, the town is entirely residential — 267 homes and between 400 and 600 residents depending on the season — with a small but dedicated staff and a concierge-level approach to local government. He...

Michael Pleus, City Manager of DeLand, joins host Steve Vancore to share his experience as an ICMA scholarship recipient for the Senior Executive Program for State and Local Government at Harvard University. Michael describes the month-long program in Cambridge, where participants spend the first two weeks building a leadership toolkit before applying it as consultants to real-world case studies b...