Key West Commission To Weigh Contract That Would Make Barroso Among Florida’s Highest-Paid City Managers
Proposal would raise base salary to $295K, extend term to 2029 and increase severance protections.
The Key West City Commission on Wednesday will consider an amendment to City Manager Brian Barroso’s employment agreement that would make him one of the highest-paid city managers in Florida, raising his base salary to $295,000 and extending his contract through January 2029 while increasing severance protections if he is terminated without cause.
The amendment appears on the consent agenda and is sponsored by the city manager. Unless a commissioner pulls the item for discussion, it would be approved alongside routine matters in a single vote, allowing the revised contract terms to take effect with little public debate.
If approved, the amendment would increase Barroso’s base salary from $215,000 to $295,000 annually, extend the contract term from two years to four years, increase the monthly vehicle allowance to $950 and add a $500 monthly expense stipend. The measure also adds language allowing the mayor to temporarily suspend the city manager with pay if arrested for a criminal offense pending a hearing before the full commission.
The proposed jump to $295,000 would amount to roughly a 37% increase from the original $215,000 base salary approved in 2025, coming in a fiscal year when city police and fire personnel received comparatively modest cost-of-living adjustments.
Barroso’s original 2025 contract set a starting salary of $215,000, rising to $230,000 after six months of service, and allowed the commission and manager to reopen compensation discussions after one year.
Severance Provisions
Under the proposed amendment, if the city manager is terminated without cause during the contract term, he would be entitled to severance equal to 20 weeks of salary and benefits, paid within 15 days of separation. During the initial probationary period, severance would be limited to six weeks.
At the proposed $295,000 salary, a 20-week severance payout would total roughly $113,000 in salary alone, not including benefits and accrued leave, potentially increasing the financial impact on a future commission seeking to change administrative leadership.
Workforce Size and Peer Comparisons
The proposal comes as Key West continues to operate with a municipal workforce that exceeds most Florida cities of comparable population. The city employs north of 500 workers across police, fire, utilities, transit, port and administrative departments. Cities with about 25,000 residents typically operate with 250 to 400 employees.
Comparable coastal and tourism-driven cities offer a wide range of salaries for similar positions. In St. Augustine, with a population of about 15,000 and a municipal workforce of roughly 300 to 350 employees, the city manager earns about $215,000 to $225,000. Punta Gorda, population about 20,000 with roughly 325 employees, pays its city manager about $190,000 to $210,000. Naples, population about 20,000 with roughly 650 to 700 employees, pays about $250,000 to $270,000, while Sarasota, population about 55,000 with roughly 1,000 employees, pays about $240,000 to $260,000.
Across Florida, city manager salaries tend to track workforce size and operational complexity more closely than population. Managers overseeing workforces of more than 500 employees commonly earn base salaries in the $220,000 to $250,000 range. The proposed $295,000 salary would place Barroso at the top of that range statewide.
Comparison to Florida’s Largest Cities
Even when compared with Florida’s largest municipalities, the proposed compensation stands out. Miami, Tampa and Orlando each serve populations several hundred thousand strong and oversee municipal workforces many times larger than Key West’s, yet their chief administrators earn base salaries generally in the low-to-mid $300,000 range. The Key West proposal would place Barroso’s pay within striking distance of executives running cities more than ten times larger.
2025 Directives, Grand Jury Context
Supporting materials attached to the agenda include a 12-month performance summary and a detailed tracking report of City Commission directives issued throughout 2025.
According to those documents, the city manager’s office reported completing a majority of commission directives during the year, with several others listed as partially complete or ongoing. Completed items include a reorganization of the City Manager’s Office, completion of a marina market-rate survey, cross-training of permit technicians to create a customer-service “one-stop shop,” coordination of a commission retreat and delivery of capital improvement and budget reports.
Among the grand-jury-related items tracked by the city, a recommendation calling for the resignation of Commissioner Lissette Carey is listed as 100% complete, though Carey remains on the dais.
Fiscal Uncertainty and Election Season
The proposed pay increase comes as state leaders, including the governor and lawmakers in Tallahassee, continue to explore eliminating or severely limiting local ad valorem property taxes, the primary revenue source for cities like Key West.
The amendment also lands months before August municipal elections that could change the composition of the commission.
Current District II City Commissioner — now running for Mayor against incumbent Danise Henriquez — had this to say to voters via email on Wednesday:
“The proposal would increase the City Manager’s base salary to $295,000. When additional benefits and allowances are included, the total annual cost to the City is estimated to be closer to $350,000. This represents an increase of approximately $80,000 from the base salary in place when the City Manager was hired just over a year ago,” wrote Kaufman.
The commissioner, who has been a vocal critic of Barroso, said he was concerned about the ramifications of the proposed revisions.
“In addition to compensation, the proposed amendment would extend the contract term from two years to four years,” wrote Kaufman. “This timing is notable because City elections are approximately six months away.
“If approved now, the next City Commission would not have the opportunity to review or reconsider the contract for more than two years into its term, effectively binding a newly elected commission to decisions made before voters weigh in.
“The amendment also expands the severance provisions. The original agreement provided for 15 weeks of severance under certain circumstances; the proposed amendment increases that amount to 20 weeks. This raises policy concerns given the City’s past experience with costly severance payouts and prior efforts to avoid so-called “golden parachute” provisions for senior officials.”
Kaufman also pointed out a provision from the original contract that he believes has been overlooked. That agreement required the City and the City Manager to reopen discussions on salary, benefits, and health insurance after the first successful year of employment, contingent on substantial progress toward recognized municipal management certification.
He said the original intent was to encourage professional training and certification in municipal governance, but mentioned that it is unclear what progress has been made toward those certifications, and was concerned that the proposed amendment doesn’t appear to rely on or enforce that incentive structure.
“Finally, the proposed compensation level would place the City Manager among the highest paid city managers for similarly sized cities in Florida, despite the fact that he entered the position without prior municipal management experience or professional certifications in this field,” wrote Kaufman. “Many city managers across the state with decades of experience earn significantly less.”
Kaufman said that welcomed thoughtful dialogue on the subject, including comparisons to salaries and contract terms for city managers in similar-sized Florida cities, in order for the agreement to be evaluated in proper context.
“I believe these issues merit careful public discussion,” wrote Kaufman. “Decisions about compensation, contract length, severance, and professional qualifications should be guided by transparency, fairness, and long-term institutional stability, especially during an election year.”
Chris Massicotte, a District V City Commission candidate currently running unopposed, submitted public comment sharply criticizing both the substance and timing of the proposal.
The current appointed District V commissioner and former city manager Greg Veliz has said he does not plan to run and now serves as executive director of the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority.
“The proposed changes to the city manager’s contract are being framed as stability. But with the August election fast approaching that could change the composition of the commission,” said Massicotte. “Approving this contract extension and increase, that’s not even budgeted for, appears designed to constrain a future commission. Compounding that concern, it is being placed on the consent agenda, to try and limit public discussion and transparency on a decision with significant long-term financial consequences.
“It intentionally raises the financial and legal barriers to making changes in city management at the exact moment the city’s ability to rely on property tax revenue is uncertain. Where is this money going to come from? This is not prudent fiscal planning or good governance. It is another attempt at insulating the corrupt status quo from voters who will get their say in August.”
Sarah Compton, a District IV commission candidate running against Commissioner Carey, also urged commissioners to pull the item from the consent agenda for full public debate. Carey has not announced whether she will seek reelection or higher office.
The proposed amendment was reviewed and approved for legal sufficiency by City Attorney Mayanne Downs, the handpicked successor for (and by) disgraced and felony-indicted former City Attorney Ron Ramsingh.
The commission meets at 9 a.m. Wednesday at City Hall, 1300 White St., with an evening session scheduled for 5 p.m.
Hard to believe that this is real… Totally out of control.