Neighborhood services director confirmed as deputy county administrator

Manatee County Neighborhood Services Director Cheri Coryea was confirmed as deputy county administrator Tuesday, with unanimous support by the board of county commissioners.

Coryea has been neighborhood services director for 10 years, and has also served as interim deputy county administrator after former deputy county administrator Karen Windon left her position in July after 37 years with the county. She will be joining Deputy County Administrator Dan Schlandt.

She has experience overseeing health care, children’s services, libraries, veterans services, probation and criminal justice. Having been in a management position with the county for 26 years, Coryea also saw the merger of community services into the neighborhood services department, managed an annual budget of more than $44 million and created relationships with nearly 150 non-profits.

“I drove across the Skyway with my middle sister. And I said, ‘Oh I’m going to live here.’ And the dolphins were swimming beside me,” Coryea recalled, holding back tears. “And I didn’t know a soul. Not a soul. About a month later I came to work for the county and this is my family.”

Since then, Coryea has been involved with the Manatee Millennial Movement, the creation of the Southwest Tax Increment Financial District, renovations to the Rubonia Community Center and the Economic Development Incentive Program. She also was named 2012 Tampa Bay Business Journal Business Woman of the Year for government and won the award for NAACP Government Humanitarian in 2009. But she said it was all thanks to the staff who supported her.

“They certainly, like all of the directors would say, you cannot do the job that we do without the amazing county employees that we have,” she said. “So really I’m just going to keep working with them.”

Library services manager Ava Ehde, who was named the 2017 Librarian of the Year by the Florida Library Association, will take over Coryea’s position in the neighborhood services department.

Commission Chairwoman Betsy Benac said that although the chamber was packed full with people, the entire county government was behind her.

“You go, girl,” Commissioner Priscilla Whisenant Trace said.

This story was originally published December 12, 2017 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Neighborhood services director confirmed as deputy county administrator."