Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown announces his retirement

After serving more than three decades in government service throughout the state, Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown has announced his retirement. 

Brown, who became deputy city manager in 2009, succeeded Tom Barwin as city manager in January 2021. The retirement is effective Oct. 15, but he has offered to remain at the post for another 60 days if needed until a replacement can be named.

“I have been in government service for over 31 years, and in those 31 years I have delivered with excellence wherever I have been, including my 15 years with the city of Sarasota,” Brown said in a statement. “This is solely my decision and no one else’s. Now after 31 years, I can pause, and I am going to take advantage of this time to reflect on my past and to map out my future. This is now a time of discovery for me to explore the next chapter in my professional career.”

Among his career highlights was a promotion to assistant to the city manager of Tallahassee in 1999, which led to him being appointed as the county administrator for Gadsden County in 2005, where he served four years before coming to Sarasota.