St. Augustine's city manager is retiring after 25 years with the city.
City Manager John Regan submitted his resignation Monday, effective June 2. The City Commission will discuss steps to replace him after his accepting his resignation next week.
Regan joined the city in 1998 as utilities director, coming from Gainesville. He was promoted to chief operations officer in 2003 and then city manager in 2010.
Several major projects were completed during Regan's tenure, including the Downtown Historic Parking Garage and Avenida Menendez Seawall.
He also was responsible for major events and initiatives such as Mumford and Sons: Gentlemen of the Road, the 450th Commemoration; response to Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, Dorian, Ian and Nicole; COVID-19; relocation of the Confederate memorial from the Plaza de la Constitución to private land; and the land conservation initiative to retain Fish Island Preserve.
“My time with the city has been filled with so many challenges and opportunities, but I would have to say the accomplishments I’m most proud of were those that were not overnight successes, but took many years to achieve,” Regan said in a news release. He cited resilience mitigation, the Fire Department's ISO-1 rating, Police Department accreditation and financial procedures to ensure fiscal responsibility.
In his retirement letter, he said he and his wife, Felicia, look forward to "a new life experience — the ability to have the freedom to be in complete control of our time."
"While I traveled every day across the Bridge of Lions in anticipation of an exciting day at work, I am now looking forward to each day of a new chapter in my life with the same enthusiasm," he said.
He commended often-unheralded city employees and said, "It has been an incredible journey, and I would not trade it for anything."
