Veteran Capt. Paul Valentino was appointed Wildwood police chief Monday night by the City Commission.
He replaces Chief Eddie Reeser, who is retiring in July after eight years in the post.
In making the appointment, the city chose to stay within the department rather than searching for outside applicants.
The new chief soon will have a new station as the commission also approved a $3.6-million loan to build the station at U.S. 301 and County Road 462 west.
Valentino often has served as a department spokesman, attending commission meetings and handling contacts with reporters. His appointment was applauded by about 20 officers and other department employees who attended the meeting.
In recommending the appointment, City Manager Bill Ed Cannon said Valentino meets all of the criteria for a new chief. The city did not search for applicants outside the department.
Mayor Ed Wolf said he respects Valentino and would go along with the will of the commission, but wanted to conduct a search for applicants.
“I have a problem with the process,” he said. “What would we have gotten? We’re probably the plum of cities in central Florida. We’re not the city we were when we were half the size.”
Cannon said even if the city had sought outside candidates, he still would have recommended Valentino.
Commissioner Don Clark, a former Wildwood police chief, also endorsed the appointment
“I believe in giving our employees the opportunity to better themselves,” he said.
Reeser said Valentino has the education, ability and institutional knowledge superior to any other applicant.
“You can open this up, but you’re not going to find somebody who’s going to knock off all these checklists,” he said, adding that the appointment ensures a “smooth transition.”
Commissioners also approved a proposal by Branch Banking & Trust (BB&T) to borrow $3.6 million at a 15-year interest rate of 2.61 percent to build the new police station. The loan will be repaid with sales and property tax revenue.
The city had planned to seek a U.S. Department of Agriculture loan for the project, but decided that a commercial lender could offer better terms with less paperwork. The equivalent USDA loan interest rate is 3.75 percent, according to the city’s financial adviser James Gollahan.
Last year, Wildwood paid about $500,000 for a seven-acre site at U.S. 301 and County Road 462 west for the station.
At Monday’s meeting, commissioners also voted to spend $66,845 on law enforcement safety equipment, including shields and ballistic helmets. The equipment is needed due to an increase in violent occurrences, according to the department.
