MARATHON, Fla. — Marathon’s City Council approved a $289,881 annual salary for Steve Williams on Tuesday, elevating its interim manager to the permanent job after considering a contract that would allow him to return to city attorney if the council removes him.
The council voted 3-2 to approve the agreement. Council members Kenny Matlock and Lynn Landry dissented, citing concerns about the contract and the hiring process, according to The Key West Citizen.
Williams’ base salary exceeds Key West City Manager Brian Barroso’s $265,000 by $24,881, or 9.4%. His compensation also includes a $650 monthly vehicle allowance, health insurance and retirement contributions.
The salary is the highest municipal figure in Above the Fold’s comparison of documented local pay, although some communities’ available records cover earlier years. Monroe County Administrator Christine Hurley’s previously reported $313,755.35 base salary remains higher.
A Permanent Appointment With a Return Provision
Williams has served as interim city manager since March, following the departure of George Garrett.
The agreement presented to the council gives Williams a route back to his former legal position. Keys Weekly reported before the vote that his previous city attorney contract would resume if the council terminated his service as manager.
That arrangement could complicate the city’s next attorney appointment. A replacement would be taking a position to which Williams retains a contractual right to return. If the council later removed Williams as manager, it would need to fill the administrative vacancy while addressing his return to the legal office.
The uncertainty concerns succession in both offices. Tuesday’s appointment fills the manager’s position; it does not leave Williams serving as interim manager.
At the Aug. 11 council meeting, Landry noted that Williams could not permanently hold both jobs. Williams said he would ask Assistant City Attorney Alli Heller whether she would consider taking over his legal duties, according to the city’s draft minutes.
Compensation Extends Beyond Salary
Four Votes to Fire Him
The agreement requires four of the five council members to remove Williams, compared with the previous three-vote threshold.
Matlock opposed that change. Landry objected to the selection process after two other candidates withdrew and the council proceeded with Williams. Both said they believed Williams could serve the city well, the Citizen reported.
Williams said the additional protection was intended to preserve his employment through changes in the council following next year’s election.
Severance From Two Positions
The proposed terms reported by Keys Weekly provide 20 weeks of severance for termination without cause. They also provide severance for both positions if Williams returns as attorney and is removed from that job within one year.
ANALYSIS: Hunting Season For Florida Keys City Managers
MARATHON, Fla. — It is hunting season for municipal administrators in the Florida Keys — and taxpayers are picking up the tab.
At the new manager salary, 20 weeks of base pay equals approximately $111,493. The amount associated with the attorney position cannot be established without reviewing that agreement and the applicable salary.
Florida law generally limits contractual public-employee severance to 20 weeks of compensation and prohibits severance for misconduct. Whether the two-position arrangement complies requires review of both contracts and the circumstances of any termination. The language alone does not establish that two payments would be lawful. Florida’s severance statute.
These provisions appear in the agenda-packet contract. Its signatures and vote totals are blank.
Any payment for completed interim service also warrants examination under Florida’s restrictions on extra compensation after services have been rendered. The signed agreement and the council’s final motion are needed to determine whether an additional payment was authorized and on what basis. Florida’s compensation statute.
Where Williams Fits Locally
Saunders’ reported package includes a $48,000 annual housing allowance, bringing salary and housing to $248,000 before benefits. Williams’ salary and vehicle allowance total $297,681—about $49,681 more.
Key Colony Beach’s adopted budget supersedes the older $75,000 figure used for Bartus. Young’s figure comes from 2024 payroll reporting; Layton lists her duties as city clerk, planning and zoning director and other administrative responsibilities.
The comparison places Williams above the documented municipal figures shown and below Hurley’s county salary. Different reporting years, working hours, duties and benefits prevent treating the list as a complete ranking of current total compensation.
Don’t want to become a paid subscriber?