Hillsborough County commissioners voted 6-0 March 19, to hire Plant City Manager Greg Horwedel as their deputy county administrator.
“I especially want to welcome Greg to our family,” said Commissioner Kevin Beckner. “(I) got to know Greg working on the transportation, as well as the violence prevention collaborative.”
Horwedel will be County Administrator Mike Merrill’s No. 2 and a critical component to a complete reorganization of Merill’s office.
“Organizations have to evolve to match up with the mission, and that’s what this is about,” Merrill said. “The mission is three-fold. Very simply, continued improvement in customer service — that never ends. Innovation: giving employees greater ability for innovation. And agility and performance — looking for areas to continue to be more agile in bringing service.”
Merrill said Horwedel’s work in Plant City exemplified the kind of assets he feels will be important as the county progresses.
“I felt that what was needed was an experienced city manager-type of individual, who could focus on municipal services,” Merill said. “We provide municipal services to 800,000 people in this county. The three cities — Temple Terrace, Tampa and Plant City — as a relative proportion, provide (municipal services) to fewer people, and so he will be responsible for those things, which are typically municipal services, code enforcement, animal services, fire rescue and medical examiner, etc., and consumer protection.
“Greg brings a lot of experience to the county, and you all know him from his work in Plant City,” he said to commissioners. “He’ll also be helping me oversee day-to-day operations to help look for ways to bring services together to expedite services.”
