Flagler County Commission Appoints Adam Mengel Interim County Administrator

The Flagler County Commission on Monday voted to appoint Adam Mengel to the position of interim county administrator. Mengel will serve in the role until a permanent new county administrator is hired, a process which the Commission is just beginning to undergo. A vacancy was created at the county administrator position when Heidi Petito gave her resignation at the end of February. Her most recent evaluations from the commissioners saw three of the five describing her as falling short of expectations. Kim Carney motioned for Petito’s firing in January, but was unsuccessful. Adam Mengel has worked with Flagler County since September 2006, when he was hired as the county’s planning director. He stayed on when that position was changed to growth management director in 2019, he’s now approaching 20 years working in Flagler. Under this new arrangement, Mengel will be paid a salary of $194,602.88 per year with benefits. His contract as interim county administrator lasts until September 30, the hiring of a new permanent county administrator, or the decision of the County Commission to end his tenure, whichever comes first.  Mengel’s hiring is listed as being effective as of Monday, April 6. Prior to his Flagler County tenure, Mengel started in government administration as a planner for Putnam County in 1996. He remained there until 1999 when he became the City of Palatka Planning Director. From 1999 to 2014 Mengel also worked part-time as a coordinator/trainer at Walt Disney World, his personal resume says. This coincided with his roles in Palatka and Flagler County.