Sarasota County Area Transit hires new director

Sarasota County Area Transit will be under new leadership four months after its previous director was fired.

Rocky Burke of Lexington, Ky., accepted the county’s $103,000 annual salary offer. His first day is set, tentatively, Dec. 29.

Sarasota County had 36 candidates for the SCAT director position.

Burke is the general manager of the Lextran transit system in Lexington, and has served in that position since 2008. The program had 75 routes, more than 200 employees and a $21 million budget.

One of Burke’s shining accomplishments in Lexington was increasing ridership by 15% and installing a trolley downtown, according to a press release from Sarasota County.

Besides Lexington, Burke worked for transit industries in Arizona, Kansas and Mississippi. He earned his master's degree in public administration at the University of Daytona in Ohio. He also retired from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel after 28 years of service.

Burke replaces Glama Carter at SCAT. Despite positive scores on her November 2013 evaluation and a 3% pay increase, Carter was fired from her position in July for reasons undisclosed by the county. Rob Lewis served at interim.

Burke will make the same salary that Carter was paid before her termination.