- February 7, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
Port Orange City Manager Jake Johansson didn't start out his career behind the desk in a Central Florida office.
The path that led Johansson to the community of Port Orange started with his 35 year career in the Navy. It wasn't until the tail end of his time in the military as a commanding officer while at a base in Norfolk, Va. that he began working with area city managers. As he got to know the city officials he found there were similarities between what he did as a commanding officer and what the city managers did for the cities where they worked.
"They indicated to me that it might be something I'd be interested in post navy career," Johansson said.
Johansson took this to heart and, through a mutual friend, was able to connect with a Newport city manager who would become his mentor for the next two and a half years. As Johansson began learning about the ins and outs of city government, he also received his Master's degree in public administration with the goal to become a city manger after retirement.
Then, in August 2015, Johansson was brought on as the city manager for Port Orange.
Since joining the Port Orange team Johansson has been working to bring the city forward, whether that is working on economic progress in the new Riverwalk District or ensuring the city is well respected.
"My main challenges have been getting the organization to trust themselves, trust each other and to be trusted by the citizenry in Port Orange, " Johansson said. "And I believe we're getting better and better every year."
After seeing how Norfolk and the surrounding cities functioned, Johansson said he wasn't surprised by the challenges that came up in his new role. Johansson describes Port Orange as being in a "state of turmoil" when he first started, adding that he was met with opposition at times.
"There was a period of time where we were not well respected and people kind of joked around that we had been going through some problems," Johansson said.
But for the former commanding officer, some pushback didn't deter him and instead he made sure to, in his words, "stay the course" and keep moving forward. Johansson said to do this he had to stick with his decisions but be adaptive at the same time.
Johansson said his goal is to work toward making Port Orange a force to be reckoned with, a good place to live while also being economically and culturally developed. He noted that part of that comes in the form of the new and old, such as the the Riverwalk Park and the history that the city has been built upon.
Now, more than two years into his position, Johansson wants to make Port Orange a marketable community while also maintaining a local charm among the roughly 61,000-plus residents. Johansson describes it as everyone knowing their neighbors and seeing familiar faces at events such as Family Days and the Holiday Parade.
"I want to continue that trend to be well respected as a great community that's got that small town feel," Johansson said.
