From the Desk of Garry Brumback
120 108^th Avenue
Treasure Island, Florida 33706

Dear Treasure Island Colleagues & Community:

After three and a half years of serving the citizens of this amazing beach community, I will be retiring as city manager of Treasure Island effective June 2021. Since I joined the Treasure Island team in December 2017, I have enjoyed working with the mayor, the commissioners, the city staff, local business owners and our energetic community and volunteers. 

When it comes to the power of positivity and innovative thinking, the Treasure Island community should be proud of its achievements and improvements. Visitors love us, locals brag about the city and I’ve never met a more can-do group of movers and shakers who make every week just another day in Paradise. I will miss you all.

In my term as Treasure Island city manager, we have achieved notable successes in so many areas thanks to the diligent teamwork and dedication of the commission, city staff and community. Every department contributes to making Treasure Island a great place to call home and do business, and I could not be more proud of our teams achievements.

During my time serving the city of Treasure Island, I hope you will remember me for my transparent management style and good listening skills. I hope and know that the integrity, trust and respect between the City Commission and the management team will continue.  I’m proud to have made succession planning part of the SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) and implementing a successful Emerging Leaders Program to mentor future city employees.

Thanks to every department, the mayor, commissioners and the people of Treasure Island for helping me deliver so many improvements. Here are some of our most memorable projects.

Human Resources/Risk Management Department

• 2020 Gold HIRE Vets Medallion Award Winner- the City is a nationally recognized employer by the US Department of Labor for recruiting and employing American military veterans
• The City has successfully implemented an Employee Wellness Program
• Through the dedicated and engaged Safety and Wellness Committee who have advocated for and helped cultivate a higher awareness of workplace safety, have dramatically reduced the severity of the City's workers' compensation claims over 3 years

Finance Department

• Issuance of a $8M non ad-valorem revenue note used for the purchase of property to be renovated to be used for the new City Center
• Adoption of a new FY 2020 - 2024 City Strategic Plan that included a city-wide community survey and a community workshop
• Repaid B&T Beach Trail loan early
• Continued to refine the City’s metered parking system to become a major revenue source to help keep taxes lower
• A complete revision of the Purchasing Ordinance

Recreation Department

• Mobi Mat
• John Morroni Memorial Dog Park
• Master Park Plan
• Isle of Palms Park Purchase
• COVID-19 and City Programming– Summer Camp, Sanding Ovations, Treasure Bay
• Rosselli Park Playground
• VSPC Elite Funding Grant for Sanding Ovations Masters Cup
• ESPN Gasparilla Bowl Battle at the Beach

Public Works Department

• Adoption of a Watershed Management Plan to address sea level rise
• Sunset Beach stormwater improvements and pervious parking lots
• Dune management program to remove invasives and reestablish a recreation area behind Treasure Sands
• City Center building renovation design completion
• Established a multi-family recycling program
• Obtained a state grant and completed a design of the East Causeway roadway and drainage improvements
• Obtained a grant for a living shoreline grant at Treasure Bay; design underway
• Completed wastewater pipe lining and lift station rehabilitations
• Updated the City’s coastal lighting ordinance to better protect sea turtles

Police Department

• Completed requirements for state accreditation
• Launched the Lift Program
• New portable radios and new in-car computers for officers

Fire & Rescue

• Treasure Island Fire Rescue (TIFR) bring Brush 24 (Brush Truck/High Water Vehicle) in service to the community.   Due to the no cost loan by the Florida Department of Forestry and a generous donation from American Legion Post 158, TIFR’s total investment in this multi-purpose vehicle: only $1670
• The primary purpose in obtaining and restoring this piece of equipment was to provide an all-terrain vehicle capable of operating in flood conditions. TIFR also equipped the high-water vehicle with off-road brush and wildland firefighting capabilities as part of our loan agreement with the Florida Division of Forestry, thus the identifier “Brush 24”. The city utilized a rehabilitated portable wildland firefighting pump and purchased two 275-gallon water storage tanks from a local supplier, giving Brush 24 a 550-gallon water capacity.
• TIFR upgrade the fire inspector position to Fire Prevention Officer, allowing the development of a comprehensive fire prevention program with a greater degree of latitude in decision making when responding to the citizen’s and business owner’s needs.
• The fire prevention officer has revamped our training and fire prevention programs.
• As Treasure Island’s Fire Prevention Officer, Captain Logsdon has overseen the implementation of new software programs and related procedures to make our fire inspection process more efficient. He has doubled the number of buildings inspected every month since taking over this responsibility. As a result of the fire prevention officer’s collaboration with the shift officers, Treasure island is once again conducting pre-fire planning operations in our high hazard occupancies. 
• Addition of three additional personnel to the staff of TIFR.
• Treasure Island Police Department partners with the TI Police Dept to have the Marine unit available for water rescue by Fire Department on duty crews when the PD is not using it for patrol.
• Treasure Island upgraded the rescue ski with a grant from the County.

Information Technology

• Green IT project reduced power consumption from computers by replacing retiring PC’s with Mini HP systems. Reduced the carbon footprint in the server room by retiring aging hardware and implementing more efficient servers. Recently upgraded to new servers that will cut server power usage in half while increasing available storage space and resources.
• Upgrading the internet connection from 100mb to 600mb in anticipation of the new city hall project
• Complete overhaul of wi-fi increasing speed to 500mb and able to handle hundreds of simultaneous connections.
• New ADA Compliant website
• Closed Caption on the City’s TV (Cablecast) and streaming broadcast
• Migration to the highly secure Microsoft Government 365 Cloud
• Implemented a GIS  Division in IT to provide GIS Services for all city departments
• Upgraded telephone communications system from an outdated analog phone system to a VoIP system. (Voice over IP)
• Upgraded the city’s dated server platform to a new and robust server technology, HP Simplicity.

Community Development

• Created Development Review Committee- The DRC is an administrative and technical committee which reviews policy and technical issues raised by development and redevelopment projects within the City.  The DRC is an informal and staff level preliminary plan review.   The DRC reviews all proposed new structures, remodels and additions on commercial, multifamily and single‐family projects and is a requirement for Planning and Zoning Board site plan applications.
• Enhanced the building permitting process by creating a centralized email that gives customers the ability to upload permit application packets, document submittals, ask questions, and receive inspection results.
• Created five permit applications and 25 permit application forms to help customers know what to submit for a permit application
• Fully implemented Energov, a department-wide software application
• 92% compliance Rate Code Compliance during 2020 and averaging 97% compliance in current year
• Shortest ISO/Community Rating System audit verification visit on record (43 minutes!)

In my work experience, I will always consider Treasure Island’s economic development, upgrades and revitalization to be some of my favorite experiences, and the people I’ve worked with and known here at one of America’s Finest Beach Towns will never be forgotten.  Thank you for everything that you've accomplished so far, and good luck to everything you will in the future.

                                       In Gratitude,