After almost a decade at the helm of Florida’s capital city, City Manager Reese Goad is stepping down.
Goad, 54, announced his retirement the morning of April 28 in a letter to commissioners, thanking them for their “leadership, guidance and steadfast commitment to our community.”
“I’m immensely proud of what we have accomplished as a team,” Goad wrote. “It has been inspiring to witness the collaboration and shared purpose that define the city’s workforce.”
The announcement is a political bombshell that is sure to reverberate through the 2026 elections. The move also comes two weeks after Goad told a Tallahassee Democrat reporter he wasn’t planning to resign as rumors swirled to the contrary and the city announced a voluntary severance program.
He told the Democrat at the time that he wouldn’t be taking the severance program and rumors of his retirement were likely because he had entered the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP), which allows Florida Retirement System (FRS) Pension Plan members to stop earning service credit and “retire” for up to 96 months while continuing to work.
However, Goad made clear Tuesday that he will be stepping down from his role atop City Hall.
Minutes after City Hall announced Goad’s resignation, City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, who has consistently criticized Goad’s management and given him scathing annual reviews, posted on social media, saying the timing of his resignation is “suspicious,” but is a “great day” for the city and an opportunity “to move on to a brighter future.”
“For the last six years I’ve raised warnings of the mismanagement and toxic culture created by Reese Goad after his appointment by a lame duck city commission in the height of the Maddox Corruption era,” Matlow wrote. “In the interim we are in very capable hands with DCM (Deputy City Manager) Karen Jumonville who will bring stability during a national search for the next City Manager.”
Timing opens door to sitting commission choosing the next city manager ahead of pivotal elections
The announcement said Goad’s retirement will officially go into effect Sept. 30, or when a new city manager is appointed.
If the position isn’t filled before then, his retirement is set about five weeks before the November election that could change the balance of power in City Hall from moderate to progressive control. Mayor John Dailey — a leading voice within the commission’s majority voting bloc — is not running for re-election, leaving the city’s top elected post open.
One of the leading candidates is Goad’s political nemesis, Matlow, who has long called for the city manager to be fired.
The timing opens the door to the sitting commission appointing a new city manager ahead of the general election. It is unclear whether a search for a new city leader will be conducted nationally or internally.
“The timeframe and details for hiring a new city manager will be determined by the City Commission,” a city staffer wrote while announcing Goad’s retirement.
Reese Goad’s tenure spans more than two decades of service with the city
Goad started working with the city in 2000, working his way through the ranks.
He rose to the top in 2017 after serving two years as a deputy city manager and previously overseeing Electric and Underground Utilities, Solid Waste, Tallahassee International Airport and StarMetro.
The City Commission voted 4-1 in September 2018, on a motion from then City Commissioner Scott Maddox, to hire the veteran administrator as its new manager — a job he held on a temporary basis for almost a year.
Years later, Maddox was sentenced to five years in federal prison for taking bribes from vendors and undercover FBI agents in exchange for his official help with their projects.
In his tenure, Goad was responsible for bringing the city’s annual budget to roughly $1 billion, leading the city to its third All-America City title, as well as helping bring home numerous other accolades for the city. He also generated plenty of controversy, which fueled a deep divide within the city commission that continues into the 2026 elections.
Division was at its peak under several complex real estate deals that unfolded during Goad’s last year of leadership. He guided city staff and commissioners through negotiations to sell Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to Florida State University, which sparked heated community debates over how to bring a full-fledged academic medical center to fruition.
The enterprise, patterned off of UF Health, offers bold promises to patients seeking better healthcare but came together under a cloud of controversy as hospital officials accused city leaders and FSU of holding secret meetings to engineer a hostile takeover of the hospital.
He also oversaw the sale of the city-owned land that the Capital City Country Club used to lease, which drew opposition from community members and commissioners who feared the sale would open the door to development. Shortly after the commission approved the sale, the country club moved to hand over the golf course to outside investors who have pledged to revive the aging course.
“Together, we have navigated challenges, embraced opportunities, and consistently strived to deliver the highest level of service to our residents,” Goad wrote in a letter sent to commissioners and City Hall staff.
Goad, whose last reported salary was $292,930, was also a driving force behind public investment and growing city infrastructure, including a new Tallahassee Police Department headquarters, a second senior center in Welaunee and the Southside Transit Center.
“These are just a few of the many accomplishments that reflect Goad’s strategic vision and effective implementation and have helped shape Tallahassee’s trajectory and landscape,” a city spokesperson wrote in the announcement.
Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: City Manager Reese Goad announces resignation ahead of pivotal election
Reporting by Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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