Last month, the Santa Rosa Island Authority Board selected local attorney Mike Burns as its new executive director.
Burns was chosen from a field of 39 candidates, who were then narrowed to 14 on April 16 and five finalists on May 1. The candidates appeared for in-person interviews with the individual SRIA board members on May 21 and made public presentations at the May 22 SRIA meeting.
After the presentations, the Board reduced the field to three. After a public discussion, Board Member Bubba Peters motioned to offer Burns the job. The motion passed unanimously.
- Burns has been involved in Pensacola and Florida politics for three decades. He served under Charlie Crist when Crist was the Attorney General and then the Governor. Burns played a significant role in helping us deal with the BP Oil Spill.
Outgoing SRIA Executive Director Leigh Davis announced in January that she did not intend to renew her employment contract in April. The Board extended her contract until June 28 while it searched for her replacement.
The Board directed staff and legal counsel to negotiate the employment contract with Burns. The contract will be presented to the Board at its June 12 meeting.
Read the Island Times article.