Eric M. Soroka innovates with private sector approaches to running a young but increasingly diverse Aventura
A career-long city manager, with jobs at Miramar and North Lauderdale under his belt, Eric Soroka was the City of Aventura's first employee. Now, as city manager of the 13-year-old municipality, he oversees 177 others.
Starting from scratch allowed him to experiment with innovative practices such as creating a business plan and privatizing services, he says. He's seen the city grow from a "haven for senior citizens" to a young, diverse community. The assessed value of property in Aventura was about $2 billion when the city was founded. Now, it's $9.4 billion.
And it's Mr. Soroka's job to wrangle with the budget. Though the city is experiencing its first-ever reduction in assessed property values, as well as feeling the effects of state-mandated cuts, he says he has no plans to lay off employees or reduce services to residents. Mr. Soroka was interviewed in his City Hall office by Miami Today staff writer Risa Polansky.
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