Meet Longboat Key’s new town manager

Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton is reveling in what he considers a dream career move — working in paradise. 

Tipton took over from Tom Harmer, who held the position for five years. Prior to his move to the barrier island, Tipton had served as the St. Lucie county administrator since 2014. When Harmer announced to the Longboat Key Town Commission his plans to retire, commissioners tasked him with finding his own replacement — someone he believed would be a good fit to fill his own shoes. 

Harmer was given criteria the commission hoped the chosen candidate would meet. This included someone who was a seasoned public administrator, had experience working in a coastal area in Florida and who could continue developing the relationship between Sarasota and Manatee counties. Howard Tipton checked off every box. 

Previous work experience in Brevard County led to the pair knowing each other for over 20 years even without formally working side by side. 

Tipton’s first day on the job was Jan. 30. When he’s not working, he says he likes to fish, swim and travel. Since starting his new life on the island, he has been measuring the success of his weeks by the number of sunsets he gets to see. So far, he has averaged five per week. We recently sat down with Tipton to discuss his background, plans and first impressions. 

First impressions of your team? 

I continue to be impressed. They are all strong, talented people. The commissioners are motivated for the right reasons, and they’re incredibly bright and intelligent. We’ve been able to have good conversations. I’ve run out of superlatives, but it's a marvelous place. I’m fortunate because many of our team members don’t have a chance to live here. It’s one thing to work in paradise; it’s another to get to work and live in paradise. 

What goals are on your mind?

It’s a great time to just ask questions and listen. Are there any course corrections to make to technology, efficiency, goals and values? There’s a plaque outside of Town Hall that says: “Longboat: Key to Happiness.” Another sign says: “Premier community, exceptional service.” It’s kind of a vision statement, which had me thinking: What does that mean for us? It’s one of the things I want to talk through in the budget process. How do we resource appropriately to provide that exceptional service?

How are you approaching hurricane season as it nears? 

We want to get everybody in the chair we need them in and identify roles that everybody can play — and then ensure everybody has been trained to do those jobs. We want to make sure our utilities are in good shape, our water tanks, our storage, our backup generators — all those things. When the storm hits, or right after the storm hits, is not the time to make sure plans are in place and relationships with contractors are still good. It’s kind of like training for a marathon. You’re not going to show up on the day of the race and that be the first time you’re putting running shoes on. 

You often sign your emails as “Tip.” Where did that nickname come from? 

Tip is a name my father and grandfather have gone by. My dad was Howard Tipton and so was my grandfather. It was a family nickname that was handed down. I love it because “Howard” to me always meant I was in trouble. “Tip” is just much more relaxed.

Tell me about your family. What did they think of your decision to move to Longboat Key?

My wife, Marion, and I have been married for 38 years. She knew we were eventually going to make a change in something, we just didn’t know what it was yet. She’s always been supportive. We hadn’t spent much time on Longboat Key, so our level of excitement got higher after being here. It started with it sounding like a good idea to becoming more: Holy cow, this is great.