- November 15, 2024
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The emergency manager who helped guide Flagler County's response to the Twilight Tornado, 2014 Palm Coast flooding and the search for a downed small airplane has resigned.
Kevin Guthrie, the county's public safety emergency manager, submitted his resignation letter to Flagler County Jan. 29, writing that he has been offered a position as emergency management director in Pasco County, and plans to take it.
"After careful consideration I have accepted the Pasco County position," he wrote.
Guthrie's last day with the county will be Feb. 26, but Pasco County is prepared to let him stay on longer in the form of county-county mutual aid if an emergency happens before Flagler finds a replacement, he wrote.
"I have enjoyed my time here in Flagler County and wish you continued success as a county government," Guthrie wrote in the letter.
Guthrie was hired on Sept. 30, 2013 with a salary of about $65,000 per year, and now makes about $82,600 per year, according to county records.
His employment file with Flagler County includes letters of commendation from County Administrator Craig Coffey and former undersheriff Rick Staly for Guthrie's handling of the search and recovery of a missing plane that crashed near Pellicer Creek in 2014, killing its pilot.
"Kevin coordinated all recovery efforts and his organizational skills played an intricate role in this endeavor which subsequently resulted in the recovery of the aircraft and pilot and gave closure to a grieving family," Staly wrote. "His commitment to providing assistance and support to our agency is to be commended."
Before coming to Flagler County, Guthrie spent 24 years with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, serving in his last eight years there as Duval County's Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.
He has multiple certifications in the field of emergency management and has been presented with numerous awards, including the Chad Reed First Responder Award from Florida Governor Rick Scott and the Presidential Call to Service Award from President Obama, according to the Flagler County government's online staff directory.