MANATEE COUNTY, FL (September 12, 2023) – The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) has made a pair of appointments to County leadership positions, selecting Charles (Charlie) Bishop as Manatee County Administrator and Bryan Parnell as Deputy County Administrator.
Bishop had been the acting Administrator for Manatee County since August 2023 after serving as a Deputy County Administrator for two years. He started with Manatee County as a Project Manager in 2001 and has been the Facilities Services Manager, Infrastructure Division Manager, Construction Services Division Manager, and for almost 12 years, the Director of Property Management. The motion to make Bishop the permanent administrator passed 6-1, with Commissioner George Kruse casting the dissenting vote.
“Thank you, and I am up for the challenge,” said Bishop, addressing the Board and thanking County colleagues who have worked with him. “We have a great team."
“I strongly feel we found the right person for the job,” said Commission Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge. An employment contract will be negotiated with the County Attorney and brought back to the BOCC for approval at a future meeting.
Parnell is a registered Professional Engineer in Florida and a Certified Energy Manager. He has a Bachelor’s in Architectural Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s of Engineering in Project Management from the University of Maryland.
He is retiring from the U.S. Navy, where he most recently served as the Assistant Regional Engineer for Navy Region Southeast. In that position, he was responsible for programming and execution of a $925M annual budget across 18 naval installations which include 24,000 facilities and 170,000 acres of property.
“I am excited and thrilled to serve this community as I’ve served the Navy,” said Parnell, adding that he and his wife, Lindsay, are excited about relocating here from the Jacksonville area with their two sons, Jack (8) and Luke (4). “Manatee County is the location where we want to settle. This is a great place for us to be.”
Parnell’s appointment was unanimously approved by the BOCC. His first day with the County is scheduled for October 16, 2023.