Former town manager Alex Rey selected as St. Pete Beach manager

Alex Rey, who was the town manager in Miami Lakes for 16 years, has been selected for a new job in west Florida.
The St. Pete Beach City Commission in Pinellas County last week named Rey the next city manager, where he will replace Wayne Saunders.
The City Commission picked Rey among several candidates who interviewed for the job, and the appointment comes just days after Rey’s resignation as Miami Lakes top executive administrator became effective.
Rey retired from Miami Lakes to take advantage of the government Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP), and he applied and interviewed for several government and consultant jobs.
During his public interview with the commission, Rey cited his oversight of construction of a permanent government center and redevelopment of commercial town center project in Miami Lakes as among his accomplishments.
St. Pete Beach is a 19-square mile coastal city in Pinellas County which is famous for its status as a tourist destination.
It was formed from the town of Pass-a-Grille, Belle Vista, St. Petersburg Beach and unincorporated Pinellas County.
At the time of its incorporation in 1957, its name was St. Petersburg Beach, and in 1994, locals voted to officially change the name to the shorter version of St. Pete Beach to distinguish it from the city of St. Petersburg a few miles to the east.
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 9,346.
Unlike Miami Lakes, Rey will be the chief executive officer for a much larger city with responsibility for the overall daily operations of the city and for the delivery of high quality services through the combined efforts of the community development, city clerk, police, fire, public services, finance and information technology departments.
He will supervise more than 200 employees and manage an estimated $100 million operating budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
Rey will also be responsible for preparing and presenting the annual operating budget, the capital improvement plan and any other reports requested by the city’s commission.
According to St. Pete Beach policies, the city manager has an open door policy with the public and city employees to maintain a good working relationship.
Rey’s new administration includes two staff members who assist him in providing professional leadership and sound administrative direction to ensure the continued progress of the community.
Before his tenure in Miami Lakes, Rey spent nearly 20 years as one of Miami-Dade County’s top executive administrators, and he was building director for Miami Beach.
“Alex is a talented public administrator and his 16 years in Miami Lakes were a success,” said Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid, who worked with Rey since 2012.