Last fall, when Seminole County commissioners looked at their slate of potential candidates for county manager, they made one of the toughest — but smartest — decisions elected officials can make.
All three of the options had solid backgrounds in local government, and would have been defensible choices. But the right person wasn’t there.
So, despite the fact that they’d spent $21,129 on a Georgia headhunter, they decided to go back to the drawing board with a different search firm. On the second round, commissioners seemed confident they’d found a winner: Darren Gray, Osceola’s deputy county manager. It’s easy to see why they felt that way, especially for those who also know Gray well from his stints as the top executive for Lake County and the city of Clermont and other positions.
Because Gray has a track record. He’s widely seen as a consensus-builder who’s not afraid to challenge the status quo, as someone who sees what’s going right — and asks how it can be better.
That’s the kind of manager a county like Seminole needs. On the surface, it’s a solidly prosperous, well-managed, midsized county run by a thoughtful, Republican-dominated group of elected officials who value consensus over controversy and work to keep their 420,000-plus residents happy. But it faces significant challenges, and the County Commission doesn’t seem content to rest on its laurels.
Neither is Gray. He’s familiar with the issues Seminole County will be wrestling with in the near future — starting with the looming re-authorization of its one-cent sales tax in 2024. Most residents seem content with the way Seminole County has managed the funds from this tax — perhaps because they are frequently reminded by discreet but widely visible signs on roadways that were improved by funds from that levy. But, as Commission Chairman Amy Lockhart observes, nobody is willing to take approval for granted: Orange County’s efforts to pass a one-cent sales tax were soundly defeated in 2022, and local leaders are now governed by a new law that restricts their ability to get the message out about the benefits (and drawbacks) of reauthorization.
But Osceola County also had a sales tax vote in 2022 — and it passed.
Another big challenge: Ensuring that Seminole’s other transportation priorities — including its funding of the regional commuter line, SunRail, and the never-ending quest to maintain and (where necessary) expand its highways and streets — will also be met. Gray’s connections across the region will be useful in the effort to make sure Seminole County gets its due share of resources.
The final cloud on the horizon may be the darkest. Seminole County faces a quiet but inimitable struggle to find workforce housing that is affordable. In an urban county like Orange, it’s easier to focus efforts on building attainable options for the thousands of teachers, police officers, health-care workers and other working-class people communities need. But a suburban county like Seminole fights a constant war against NIMBYism, especially when multifamily dwellings are being considered.
Even as Gray prioritizes housing, commissioners should make it clear that he’s expected to uphold the county’s commitment to smart growth, including the near-sacred status that restricts development on nearly 75,000 acres of land demarcated by an invisible line known as the rural boundary. Seminole residents see this green space as essential to their quality of life. Gray will be expected to lead the county accordingly.
Apart from those tangible goals, we appreciate one quality that Commissioner Lee Constantine singled out for notice. Gray, he says, will not be afraid to tell commissioners no when he thinks they are headed in the wrong direction, or trampling boundaries that keep politicians from meddling in the day-to-day business of county government.
That’s an important quality for any county government CEO in a jurisdiction governed under a manager-commission structure. But it’s a particularly delicate balance to maintain in a county where so much is going right. Even the most competent, well-intentioned politicians need to be challenged. It will be part of Gray’s job to do that.
Seminole County residents and elected officials are right to be optimistic about Gray, and should be prepared to give him the support he needs to fulfill that optimism.
The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Contact us at insight@orlandosentinel.com
