By Mary Hladky
City Manager George Brown’s long tenure as a top city administrator is coming to a close.
Brown, who announced in April that he would be retiring at year’s end, attended his final City Council meeting on Sept. 25 and became City Manager Emeritus four days later.
In that role, he will be available to provide his deep knowledge of Boca Raton and its operations to his successor. His retirement is effective on Jan. 4.
Mayor Scott Singer thanked Brown for his outstanding service and presented him with a key to the city as a token of gratitude.
“We appreciate your leadership. We appreciate your dedicated service,” he said.
Brown said he had attended about 2,100 public city meetings during his time with the city.
“It has been my honor to work for the city and to feel that I have made a difference,” he said.
His successor is Mark Sohaney, who retired as a captain from the U.S. Navy in 2024. He officially started the job on Sept. 29.
Sohaney is the former chief executive officer of Joint Air Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii and previously served as chief executive officer of Naval Air Station Key West, but has no experience running a city.
The City Council hired him on Aug. 12, saying he brings executive experience and a fresh perspective on moving Boca Raton forward. Under his employment agreement with the city, Sohaney will earn $300,000 a year, or $10,000 more than Brown. As is standard, he will get a car allowance, health and life insurance and will participate in the city’s executive retirement plan.
Brown’s career with the city spans 43 years. He joined the building inspection division in 1977 and rose through the ranks to become assistant city manager. He left for about five years, but was recruited to return and became deputy city manager in 2004.
He has handled many of the city’s most complex matters, including the sale of its western golf course in 2021 and the lease of city land in Mizner Park that cleared the way for construction of the Center for Arts and Innovation. That project fell apart early this year when TCAI was unable to meet city-set fundraising deadlines.
Most recently, he has steered the city as leaders are attempting to create a public-private partnership with Terra and Frisbie Group to redevelop 30 city-owned acres in the downtown campus where City Hall and the 17-acre Memorial Park are situated.B
But that project has drawn strong opposition from vocal Save Boca activists who want it scrapped.
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