Water-Related News

Charlotte County to hire new utilities director

MURDOCK – Charlotte County commissioners are expected to approve a new utilities director this week, their sixth in the last 15 years.

The appointment of Cuban-born Julian Deleon is set to become effective March 21. He will make an annual salary of $120,000.

For the past six years, Deleon was city manager of Avon Park, a town of roughly 10,000 residents and the oldest city in Highlands County. He supervised about 50 people in that position.

In his job application, Deleon cited "the difficult politics in Avon Park" as his reason for wanting to change employment.

Deleon succeeds Travis Mortimer, county capital projects manager, who was named interim CCU director following the resignation of Gary Hubbard.

Hubbard was the most recent utilities director to resign the post, following Terri Couture in 2015, Jeffrey Pearson in 2009 and David Schlobohm, who quit in 2007.