Key West officials this week voted 4-3 to direct the city attorney to negotiate an “amicable separation agreement” with city manager Brian L. Barroso.
Mayor Sam Kaufman and commissioners Donie Lee, Chris Massicotte and Monica Haskell voted in favor of the negotiations. Commissioners Mark Rossi, Lissette Carey and Aaron Castillo were opposed.
Lee had proposed the resolution, which states “disputes and disagreements have arisen between the mayor and the city manager; and the continuation of such disputes is disruptive to the effective functioning of city government, creates uncertainty for city employees and undermines public confidence in the operation of the city. The city commission finds that it is in the best interest of the commission, city employees and the community at large for the city and the city manager to part ways on mutually agreeable terms … and delay in addressing these matters risks further disruption to city operations, staff morale and public trust, and therefore warrants prompt and time-sensitive action.”
City attorney Mayanne Downs was directed to report back to the commission at its Oct. 1 meeting about the progress of negotiations.
“I really think you two guys (Kaufman and Barroso) need to bury the hatchet and get some good things done,” Rossi said. “I won’t vote to get rid of Brian because it’s gonna cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars. Is Brian rough? Yes. Is he emotional? Yes. You’re two grown men. Let’s work this out.”
Kaufman on Sept. 9 drafted a 13-page summary of his concerns about the manager that had “developed over a period of months.” He detailed a loud verbal exchange with the city manager on Sept. 1.
“During the exchange, the city manager raised his voice and called me a ‘child’ and a ‘coward.’ … I ultimately asked him to leave my office. By 9:30 a.m., Mr. Barroso sent an email response to over 400 city employees and less than an hour later, I received email confirmation that our regularly scheduled weekly mayor-city manager meetings had been canceled,” Kaufman wrote.
“During a recent budget review meeting … the finance director offered more than once to provide me with written materials responsive to questions I was asking. I personally heard the city manager respond that he had instructed her not to send those materials to me. Whether information responsive to requests from elected officials has been withheld … should be reviewed,” the mayor wrote.
“Current and former city employees have communicated concerns to me regarding management and the working environment at City Hall. I am not presenting those concerns as established facts. They should, however, be taken seriously enough to determine what the evidence shows. Relevant exit interviews, employee complaints and other available information should be independently reviewed to determine whether there are recurring … concerns and to fairly assess the current state of employee morale,” Kaufman wrote.
Barroso has not responded publicly to Kaufman’s individual concerns, and none was discussed specifically at the Sept. 22 meeting, where Kaufman disputed labels of personality conflicts and questioned whether some commissioners had even read his 13 pages of concerns. Barroso did say at the Sept. 22 meeting that he wants to stay in his job.
“I’m not looking to my leaders to get attacked,” Barroso said. “And could I be better? Absolutely. I believe I’ve expressed that I want to be here. But do I want to do it under these circumstances? Who would?”
Barroso began work as city manager in January 2025. His contract is slated to end in January 2029. He and Kaufman, who was a city commissioner for 10 years until elected mayor last month, have had a publicly contentious relationship since Barroso began the job.
