The Sarasota City Commission on Monday evening appointed Marlon Brown as interim city manager and moved to transition him into that role permanently. Brown has served as Sarasota’s deputy city manager since 2009. He will succeed city manager Tom Barwin, who is retiring at the end of this month. The commission officially accepted Barwin’s retirement transition plan on Monday and unanimously supported the drafting of an employment agreement for Brown to become Sarasota’s next city manager; he will be the first BIPOC to serve in that role.

Before moving to Sarasota, Brown served as county administrator for Gadsden County. He currently serves on the board of United Way Suncoast and chairs the United Way’s Community Impact Committee.