KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – City Manager Charlie Van Zant surprised city officials when they learned he accepted the job as the interim city manager of Treasure Island on June 24. If he meets performance standards, the council said he could assume full-time duties.

Many in Keystone Heights learned of the decision by reading it on social media a day later. Van Zant said it all happened quickly.

He and his wife, Stephanie, were visiting their son near Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle when a city commissioner from Treasure Island called him about the vacancy. Hurricane Helene ravaged the city near St. Pete Beach in Pinellas County and has struggled to rebuild. The commissioner reached out to Van Zant due to his experience as the Clay County Superintendent of Schools and his 32 years of service in the U.S. Army.

He eventually spoke with two other council members and the mayor, and the council voted 4-0 to offer him the job.

“I'm a prayerful man,” Van Zant said. “My wife and I drove down there two weekends ago and spent the weekend and met some of the people. They needed someone to solve the devastation from Hurricane Helene, which experienced a seven-foot storm surge. They literally just needed leadership. They have professionals in place; they've got financial resources.”

Van Zant said Keystone Heights will always be his hometown. In fact, he’s not selling his home.

“This is my hometown, where I've lived since I was 10 years old,” he said. “My kids are 19 and 22. You know, my father's almost 82. My mother-in-law lives on our property in a small cottage is 77, so Keystone will always be my hometown. You can have deep roots and spread your wings, right?”

The Keystone Heights City Council held an emergency meeting on June 30 and appointed recently retired Col. Jamie Booth, an engineer with the U.S. Army Corps, as its interim city manager.

Van Zant’s final day as city manager at Keystone Heights will be July 14. The City Council of Keystone Heights hired him in January 2024.

“Jamie is a recently retired Colonel,” Van Zant said. “His last command was in Jacksonville for the Army Corps of Engineers for all of Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. All of the upcoming projects for the Keystone roads, sidewalks, stormwater drainage, Lake Geneva restoration and $120 million pipeline have been completed waiting for the Black Creek to get to a high enough level where we can turn those pumps on (State) Highway 16, he's uniquely fitted to do the Keystone job. He's a fabulous leader.”

Van Zant said the task of getting Treasure Island back on its feet is daunting. But he believes he is uniquely qualified for the challenge.

“I mean, I was only in the National Guard 32 years, 11 months and 17 days, so we've been through a few hurricanes,” he said. “I got pulled out of college during Hurricane Andrew. And experienced every other hurricane through 2022 – Michael and Ian, you name them, from the position of private to Lieutenant Colonel in the Army.

“I've done a lot of planning for hurricanes. What are you going to do as soon as the storm passes? What they need is recovery. They also need stronger plans; better stormwater drainage be nourishment. This uses my years of leadership in the Army. The National Guard has probably prepared me to be somewhat uniquely compared to your average city manager.”