Last month, Sebastian City Manager Paul Carlisle applied for another position in Collier County. However, we found out today that he will stay with the City of Sebastian.
Carlisle exclusively told Sebastian Daily that there are 67 of these positions available in the state, and they don’t come up that often. The opportunity was a chance of a lifetime. The job paid a lot more, but in the end, he made it to the top 3 finalists out of 39 candidates.
Making the top 3 is pretty impressive. Mayor Ed Dodd said it’s difficult for Sebastian to compete with large counties for talent. He also said Carlisle is a valuable City Manager who weathered the political storm last year that led to the Sebastian recall.
Sebastian has been in a good place since the recall. Business is getting done promptly, and most of the drainage issues have been resolved after a poorly planned moratorium by three previous councilmembers who were removed from public office by the recall.
Carlisle has strong public support in Sebastian. Many citizens expressed their sadness about losing him for a more significant county position. However, they would congratulate him if he left.
Also, every single councilmember supported Carlisle on whatever he decided to do. We now know he will continue in Sebastian.
Carlisle has more than 35 years of experience working in municipal government and has worked for Wellington, Lake Park, and Glades County. He also worked in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
He joined the City of Sebastian in 2018.