The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday for Jim Zervis, the deputy city manager and CFO, to run the city until a permanent manager is hired. No search timeline yet.

Jim Zervis, Boca Raton’s deputy city manager and chief financial officer, is now running the city. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to make him interim city manager after Mark Sohaney’s resignation.

The city announced the vote Wednesday in a news release. Zervis “will oversee the City’s day-to-day operations and ongoing initiatives during the transition,” the city said.

How the handover works

The council’s Resolution No. 140-2026 sets out the terms. It has three dates and conditions that matter:

  • From 12 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, Zervis exercises the city manager’s powers. Sohaney designated him to do so during his absence, under the City Charter.
  • At 12 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, Sohaney’s resignation takes effect. The council formally accepted it in the same resolution, and Zervis’s interim appointment starts then.
  • Zervis keeps his own job as deputy city manager and CFO while he fills in. His base salary rises 20% for as long as he does both roles, starting Oct. 28.

He serves until the council hires a permanent city manager, or until his interim service ends sooner. The resolution does not set a date for either.

No search process yet

The council has not said how or when it will pick the next city manager. The resolution says the interim appointment is “separate and distinct” from that decision. The council keeps full control over “the timing, manner, criteria, and process” of the search, it says, “including the persons who may be considered.”

That wording leaves open whether Zervis could be a candidate. The council “may address the selection and appointment of a City Manager by separate action,” the resolution says.

Who Zervis is

Zervis has overseen the city’s finances. He has also had executive oversight of Public Works and Engineering, Utility Services and Management Services, the city said.

Before Boca Raton, he was chief administrative officer of Kern County, California. There, he managed a $3.5 billion budget, according to the city. The city said he has more than 20 years of executive experience in local government, including as a city manager and as a finance director. He is a credentialed manager with the International City/County Management Association, a certified public accountant and a certified public finance officer.

“Jim brings extensive municipal leadership experience and a strong understanding of our City’s operations and priorities,” Mayor Andy Thomson said in the release.

“My focus will be on supporting our employees, maintaining continuity in City operations, and ensuring we continue delivering the services our residents rely on,” Zervis said.

What it means for you

City services, permits and bills carry on as normal, the city said. The City Manager’s Office number is unchanged, at 561-393-7703. Our City Hall contacts page lists the other main numbers.

The search for a permanent manager will be decided at a public council meeting. The council usually meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month, which would make the next regular meeting Tuesday, Nov. 10. The city had not posted that agenda by Wednesday evening. Agendas are posted days ahead on the city’s agendas page, and anyone can speak for up to three minutes during public comment.

The change comes at a busy time at City Hall. Council member Yvette Drucker’s resignation takes effect Nov. 10, leaving Seat C empty until the March 9 city election, according to the city’s Boca Brief recap of the Oct. 13 meeting. The same ballot is due to carry a proposed police headquarters bond.

Updated Nov. 10: the council has since reopened Seat C to a temporary appointment. Applications close Nov. 17; see our Seat C story. The Nov. 10 council agenda carries no item on the permanent city manager search.