Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Brandon Patty as St. Johns County Clerk of Court and Comptroller on Monday.
Patty is the chair of the St. Johns County Republican Party.
He has been the director of operations of Defenshield, Inc. since 2016. He previously was a senior consultant at Deloitte. Patty has been a U.S. Navy Reserve Officer since 2008 and was deployed during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Patty was appointed to the position of clerk following the resignation of Hunter Conrad, for the term ending in November 2020.
Conrad stepped down to become the interim county administrator after the County Commission decided to terminate the contract of Michael Wanchick following a dispute over his handling of beach access at Mickler’s Beachfront Park — among other issues.
The Commission and Conrad reached an agreement for employment at a special meeting on Dec. 9. Commissioners agreed that Conrad will be paid a base annual salary of $195,000.
Conrad will also receive $625 per month in deferred compensation and seven days of vacation time upon starting the job, in addition to 20 days accrued vacation leave per year. If he is fired without cause, Conrad will receive 60 days of severance pay.
At the Dec. 9 meeting, Conrad indicated that he plans to run for reelection as clerk in 2020.
Commissioners have not yet announced a timetable for selecting a permanent county administrator.