EDITORIAL: A quiet departure during a very loud week
City Manager Brian Barroso’s late notice holiday absence during one of Key West’s busiest weeks raises questions about leadership timing and transparency, even as no one disputes his right to it.
To be clear at the outset, no public servant should be denied vacation time they are entitled to, nor time with loved ones during the holiday season.
That principle matters.
It deserves to be stated plainly.
At the same time, timing matters too — especially in a city like Key West, where the calendar can turn routine absences into consequential ones.
City Manager Brian Barroso notified commissioners by email shortly after 7 p.m. on Dec. 18 that he would be out of the jurisdiction from Dec. 19 through Jan. 4, returning to City Hall the day before the next City Commission meeting.
The email — obtained and reviewed by Above the Fold through a public records request — designated Assistant City Manager Rod Delostrinos as acting city manager but made no mention of Barroso remaining available by phone or remotely.
The notice arrived one day before his departure and a full week after the city’s strategic planning meeting, where leadership schedules, coverage and contingencies are typically discussed.
Barroso did not raise the upcoming absence during that session.
That omission has fueled concern not because the absence is unlawful — it is clearly permitted under the city charter — but because of when it occurs.
Late December through New Year’s Day, sometimes referred to informally by the service industry as “Hell Week,” is among the most demanding operational periods of the year.
Depending on the season, it can rank as the third- or fourth-busiest tourism stretch in the city, trailing only Fantasy Fest, Mini-Lobster Season and Race Week.
Tens of thousands of visitors descend on the island. New Year’s Eve events dominate the calendar. Public safety, sanitation, utilities and emergency services operate under sustained pressure.
Leadership presence during that window is not just administrative. It is symbolic.
Barroso is scheduled to return on Jan. 5 — the day before a City Commission meeting expected to address unresolved and politically sensitive issues, including the city’s water-quality monitoring contract, solid-waste collection, cemetery operations and other matters that typically require days of briefings between the city manager and commissioners.
Commissioners have privately questioned whether the compressed timeline would leave them without customary preparation and whether too much responsibility was being handed off at once during a peak period.
Then again, preparation would require reading the agenda and back up materials, something highlighted in a scathing grand jury report released earlier this year that also showed significant concerns about transparency and leadership at both the city and commission levels at 1300 White Street.
None of this suggests that delegating authority to an acting city manager is improper.
It is both legal and often necessary. But leadership is not defined solely by what is allowed.
It is defined by what is anticipated, communicated and planned for in advance.
Taking earned leave is reasonable.
Doing so with minimal notice, no public discussion at a strategic planning meeting, and no stated availability during one of the city’s most sensitive weeks raises legitimate questions about leadership, transparency and forethought under the current administration.
Whether the decision proves inconsequential will depend on what happens while the city manager is away.
But the questions it has triggered — about expectations, preparedness and trust — are already part of the conversation, and they are unlikely to disappear when the calendar turns.
Your description “Doing so with minimal notice, no public discussion at a strategic planning meeting, and no stated availability during one of the city’s most sensitive weeks“ seems to be in concert with how Mr. Barroso operates… entitled.