Chief of Staff John Bennett sent a memo to council on Tuesday announcing the retirement of Jean Duncan after more than 23 years with the city effective June 5, 2026. Duncan who earned both a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science Degree in Engineering Management from the University of South Florida joined the city in 2003 after 12 years in the private sector with her own engineering firm. Prior to that she worked with the Florida Department of Transportation. Mayor Bob Buckhorn appointed her Director of Transportation and Stormwater Services Department in 2014 with Mayor Jane Castor appointing her to her current position in 2020.

The mayor has nominated Deputy Administrator of Infrastructure Brad Baird to be interim Administrator. Also a USF graduate, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering degree. Baird has been with the city for 43 years working his way from Deputy Director for Wastewater Department to being Director of the Water Department from 2006-2014. In 2020 Castor appointed him to his current role overseeing Contract Administration, Water and Wastewater Departments. He has also led the $2.9 billion Progressive Infrastructure Planning to Ensure Sustainability (PIPES) program.

Duncan’s retirement comes one year after Vik Bhide left his role as Director of Mobility. Issues within the Mobility Department started surfacing 3 years ago when the Tampa Bay Times reported accusations of a hostile work place. Six months later, several of former employees spoke during a workshop item related to whistleblower complaints . The fissures in the community over the South Howard Flood relief project and infrastructure failures during Hurricane Milton certainly factored into his departure.

In the year since, the contention over the South Howard project has only grown with threats of lawsuits while price tags increase. Questions were raised about the use of stormwater staff to assist with barricades for special events. Most recently Creative Loafing recently reported the city paid a $350,000 settlement related to allegations of discrimination, retaliation and nepotism by Duncan.

During Thursday’s city council meeting, Bennett will be giving a presentation during staff reports on the city’s policy and procedures for whistleblowers and retaliation. In it he states “Legal findings of retaliation – zero to date.”