Veronica Miller, who has worked for the City of St. Cloud for 19 years, was given the nod by St. Cloud Council members on Thursday night during a special meeting to become the next City Manager, and to replace current city manager Bill Sturgeon, who has served the city since 2013 and served as City Manager since 2017, and is retiring effective today, Sept. 2. Miller would be the first Hispanic female to serve as St. Cloud City Manager.

During Thursday’s special meeting Deputy Mayor Linette Matheny made the motion to hire Miller, which was seconded by Council Member Dave Askew. It passed 3-2, with Mayor Nathan Blackwell and Council Member Keith Trace voting against it. Blackwell supported Deputy County Manager Darren Grey, citing his expertise in commercial development, and Trace said he would prefer that the City conduct a wider search before making a selection.

Matheny, Askew and Council Member Kolby Urban, however, noted that Miller has demonstrated integrity and stability, working at the city for the past 19 years.

“Ms. Miller has run almost every department in the city,” Matheny said. “She has a wealth of knowledge. It’s time for Ms. Miller to get her shot at being the city manager.”

After working as a Planning Tech for both the city of Oviedo and the city of Kissimmee, Miller came to work as a Planner for St. Cloud in 2003, just as the city was on the cusp of a growth surge that would make St. Cloud one of the fastest-growing communities in the nation.
In St. Cloud, she rose through the ranks, assuming leadership roles in numerous departments, before being named Deputy City Manager in 2017. As deputy city manager, Miller serves as Chief of Staff for the City, and directly oversees several departments.

A Central Florida native, Veronica holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Rollins College, with a concentration in Government and Policy. She is a Certified Public Manager, a Florida Redevelopment Association – Redevelopment Administrator (FRA-RA), and a qualified member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. She also is an ICMA Credentialed Manager.

Her community involvement includes the Main Street Economic Restructuring Committee, the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee, Trustee on the City of St. Cloud General Employees’ Pension Board, Osceola County Director for the Orlando Metro Section Executive Committee of the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association, and the Osceola Horticultural & Natural Resources Extension Advisory Committee. She currently serves on the Osceola County on Aging Board of Directors as the Secretary of the Osceola Council on Aging Senior Housing Management Board of Directors.

After the 3-2 vote, City Council directed City Attorney Dan Mantzaris to work with Human Resources to negotiate a contract with Deputy City Manager Veronica Miller to become the new City Manager. The negotiated contract would then come to City Council for approval.