Holly Hill City Manager Joe Forte is retiring after serving 29 years of his 36-year government career with the city.
City commissioners have high praise for the work Forte has done, particularly in his second go-around with Holly Hill, which has included the development of a major sports facility, the Pictona pickleball complex and its 1,200-seat MetroHealth Championship Stadium that frequently draws visitors for national tournaments.
Forte’s retirement announcement came at a May 12 City Commission meeting, where he became emotional after reading his retirement letter, which lays out a plan to continue working through Aug. 14, so he can provide a “smooth and orderly transition,” and train Assistant City Manager Brian Walker and other staff members.
“I want to thank you again for the opportunity to serve this community. … Holly Hill will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will leave this position with immense pride in all we have accomplished together,” Forte said, before pausing for 20 seconds to gather himself.
City Manager Joe Forte started as Holly Hill firefighter
Forte, 62, started in Holly Hill — a city of 13,000 — in 1990 as a firefighter. Within five years, he was fire chief, and in 1999 he was named acting city manager. He was later promoted from interim status and served until 2008, when he left to become deputy county manager in Seminole County.
Commissioners convinced him to return to Holly Hill as manager in 2014.
At that time, the nation was still coming out of the Great Recession.
“I brought a lot of ideas that I had gotten from Seminole County and implemented them in the city. … The economy within Holly Hill has certainly improved,” he said.
Pictona, which opened in 2020, was a big part of that.
“That was a huge boost for the city of Holly Hill,” Forte said. “Pictona really gave us not just state recognition and national recognition, but there are people that come from around the world and show up in Volusia County. … That was certainly a big feather in my cap to have been able to accomplish that project, which turned out to be the true public-private partnership between Rainer and Julie Martens, this city and county, and the ECHO program. … It’s proven to be a phenomenal project.”
Holly Hill commissioners praise job Joe Forte has done
The city, with a median income nearly 30% lower than the state, has made strides in the intervening years, commissioners say.
Mayor John Penny said Forte has put “intentional, steady pressure” on initiatives that improve the city, its U.S. 1 corridor and residents’ lives.
“I think his words were, you know, if you look at a ladder: One rung at a time,” Penny said.
The $3.1 million construction of Fire Station 96 at 1030 Daytona Ave. was one of Forte’s proudest accomplishments, Penny said. The Legislature covered $1.25 million of that with a budget appropriation.
Just as important, Penny said the city manager has steered the budget to plan for maintenance and replacement of big-ticket items, such as the next fire truck purchase, which might cost upwards of $1.5 million.
“Our budgeting process is so that we won’t have to borrow money to do that,” the mayor said. “We’ll be ahead of that, and also when it comes to fleet maintenance, replacing police trucks or police cars and utility equipment because we have plans in place. So that’s one of the best things I think that he’s done.”
Vice Mayor Penny Currie, who has been a commissioner since 2012, said Forte inherited a major project — underground power lines — that was “a bit of a mess,” and turned it around.
That project is on track to be completed this summer, Forte said.
“He is always very informative about a situation, good or bad. … Just very transparent with the community,” Currie said.
Forte’s reputation across Volusia County and Florida has served Holly Hill well, particularly when it comes to seeking funding from the ECHO program and other grants, Penny and Currie said.
“People have made comments that they trust that Joe Forte is gonna get this project on time and on budget, and he does it time and time again,” Penny said.
How will Holly Hill replace Joe Forte?
Penny described Forte as someone equally comfortable in business meetings talking about multimillion-dollar deals and talking with a homeless person on the front steps of City Hall.
“He is just a great guy,” Penny said. “It’s going to be big shoes for us to fill.”
Holly Hill resident Phillip Wahby expressed concern about the loss of Forte.
“I’m in fear for this city, because this man — anytime I’ve had a problem — this man has been able to take care of it. … I’m in fear for how things will be so black and white moving forward. We need somebody that can see the different scales of gray and move forward to help the city grow as Joe Forte did.”
Penny said the City Commission will have to meet in a workshop and discuss how to proceed with replacing Forte. The mayor’s preference is to hand the reins over to Walker, the assistant city manager, for a few months on an interim basis.
“This will get us through the (Aug. 18) election,” he said. “The new commission can make that decision after the first of the year. That’s kind of how I would envision it, but I have no authority to speak for the commission as a whole.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Holly Hill manager Joe Forte is retiring. What will his legacy be?
Reporting by Mark Harper, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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