City of St. Augustine City Manager John Regan submitted his letter of retirement to City Commissioners, effective June 2, 2023.
Regan joined the City of St. Augustine on May 28, 1998, as the Utilities Director, coming from the City of Gainesville, where he had been the Senior Environmental Engineer for 10 years. In 2003, he was promoted to Chief Operations Officer, which is equivalent to the current position of Assistant City Manager.
When former City Manager Bill Harriss announced his retirement, the City Commission appointed Regan as City Manager in May 2010. He assumed his current position on July 1, 2010.
Of Regan’s 25 years with the City of St. Augustine, 13 were as City Manager. Several major projects were completed under the direction of Regan, including the Downtown Historic Parking Garage, the Avenida Menendez Seawall and construction of the reverse osmosis Water Treatment Plant.
As City Manager, Regan was also responsible for the oversight and operations of many major events and city initiatives such as Mumford and Sons: Gentlemen of the Road; the 450th Commemoration; Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, Dorian, Ian and Nicole; the COVID-19 response; the land conservation initiative to retain Fish Island Preserve and the relocation of the Confederate memorial from the Plaza de la Constitución to private land.
“My time with the City has been filled with so many challenges and opportunities, but I would have to say the accomplishments I’m most proud of were those that were not overnight successes, but took many years to achieve,” Regan said. “We are a nationally recognized municipality when it comes to Sea Level Rise and Resiliency mitigation, our Fire Department achieved an ISO-1 Rating, our Police Department is now fully accredited, and we have implemented financial policies and procedures that ensure fiscal responsibility across all departments of the City, which contribute to keeping us in excellent standing with our credit ratings, year after year. This is the legacy that I am proud to leave behind.”
David Birchim Appointed as City Manager
The St. Augustine City Commission unanimously appointed David Birchim, Assistant City Manager, as City Manager effective June 2, 2023. Birchim was selected from three candidates to take the helm of the city’s municipal government.
Birchim has 25 years of experience with the City in professional urban planning and public administration, of which 20 years are in a supervisory position. He brings extensive knowledge of the City’s operations to this role. Birchim’s understanding of all aspects of the city’s operations and initiatives, his commitment to excellence and his precise leadership style made him the Commission’s choice to fill this position.
“I am honored to have been appointed as the new City Manager of St. Augustine,” said Birchim. “In this role, I will continue to serve the community and ensure that the City of St. Augustine thrives and grows in a sustainable and equitable way, all while preserving history. I am excited to work with the City Commission and staff to ensure that St. Augustine remains a great, historical place, as well as a livable City today. I look forward to building on the City’s past successes and working collaboratively with the community to address the challenges ahead.”
Birchim holds a Master of Science in planning from the University of Tennessee. He is accredited by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and Florida Public Pension Trustee Association (FPPTA).
