The Flagler County Commission voted on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2026, not to hire one of three finalists for county administrator. The board agreed to further evaluate one of the candidates, Aaron Van Cleek, and decided whether to hire him or begin the search over again. The meeting started at 9:11 a.m.
The county had interviewed three finalists for county administrator, Tracy Miller, Richard Reed, and Van Cleek, after the fourth candidate, Sean Boatwright, accepted another job. Commissioners started the meeting with opening remarks.
Commissioner Andy Dance received a call from former Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson, and Johnson spoke highly of Van Cleek, calling him “a good man” who “was ready for the role.” Commissioner Greg Hansen felt that Van Cleek was the right pick to manage Amendment 3, a state tax measure, because of his “leadership style.”
However, Commissioner Kim Carney had favored a professional search firm and felt that the county had handled the process fairly and that she preferred Tracy Miller more, but added “I do believe we need a 5-0 decision on this. We can’t split and conquer.” Later in the meeting, Carney expressed concern that bringing in Van Cleek would make the county feel like “an extension of Volusia County” because his references and potential deputy would be from there.
Commissioner Pam Richardson felt that none of the three finalists were a perfect match for the position and would rather stick with the current interim administrator than make a bad decision, stating “I’d rather hold on to what we have now than make an error and have to suffer the consequences later.” The chair of the board also expressed concern, as the reference forms for Van Cleek had repeatedly listed “aggressiveness” and “intensity” as a weakness.
No second go
The commissioners discussed whether they would get better candidates if they started the search over. Several commissioners pointed out that a state group had winnowed down 81 applicants to roughly 30 qualified applicants, who were then further narrowed down to a shortlist, before the board named their finalists. They also noted that Van Cleek is not actively looking for a job and would like to stay in the area.
However, Hansen moved to hire Van Cleek, but had no second. The members felt they would need at least a 4-1, preferably a unanimous decision, for the new administrator to have a supportive board. “His success depends on a supportive board,” one member remarked.
At times the meeting was light-hearted. One commissioner likened Van Cleek to the TV coach Ted Lasso, saying he was “curious, not judgmental,” and the commissioners quipped about whether a captain “runs a boat or a ship.”
Moving forward
The board unanimously decided to further vet Van Cleek rather than lose him or start over, and the members agreed that they wanted to spend more time with him to ask follow-up questions, such as who he would pick as a deputy, and to have a better public presentation, with more residents and the county’s elected “constitutional officers” in attendance as very few showed up for the first round.
County Attorney Michael Rodriguez reminded the board that under open-meeting law, only one commissioner can meet with the candidate at a time, but only one open public meeting is allowed. The board agreed to schedule the extra interviews as soon as possible, and then return to either hire Van Cleek or to start a professional search. The meeting was adjourned.
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