Howard Wanamaker 

The mission of the County Manager's Office is to manage and direct all activities of the county government as outlined by the County Charter, Code of Ordinances, and as directed by the Board of County Commissioners. The County Manager's Office strives to provide the residents of Clay

County with efficient, effective services that meet their needs through customer service-based delivery.

The County Manager is the executive officer of the County government. He is appointed by and is directly accountable to the Board of County Commissioners. The County Manager is responsible for implementing and executing the policies, ordinances, and budgets adopted by the Board and directly oversees the management and operations of several county government departments to ensure the County is operating efficiently and effectively.

About Howard Wanamaker

A native of Miami, Florida, Howard Wanamaker graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering. He completed NROTC training and was commissioned in the United States Navy as a Naval Flight Officer. He holds an Executive Master of Business Administration with distinction from Naval Postgraduate School and received the Rear Admiral Thomas R. McClellan Award for Academic Excellence.

Throughout his 26 years in the U.S. Navy, Howard served in numerous E-2C Hawkeye squadrons and commands. He commanded an E-2C squadron, VAW-123 “Screwtops,” served as Human Factors & Cognitive Science Section Head at NATO Supreme Allied Command Transformation, and became the 46th Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, the largest installation in Navy Region Southeast and the 3rd largest installation in the United States. He also deployed on numerous east coast aircraft carriers and accumulated more than 3,000 flight hours, participated in over 75 combat missions, and completed over 470 arrested landings on five different aircraft carriers.

After retiring as a Captain from the U.S. Navy, Howard joined Hanania Automotive Group as the Director of Human Resources and Chief Strategy Officer. He was responsible for over 800 team members and 21 dealerships in four states. He was then selected by the Clay County Board of County Commissioners to serve as County Manager. Under his leadership, County infrastructure improvements were addressed through the Bonded Transportation Program, a multi-million dollar program to enhance six existing roadways and create a new extension to the First Coast Expressway; community quality of life was enhanced through the opening of two new recreational facilities: the Outdoor Adventure Park and the Regional Sports Complex; and working with the Clay County Economic Development Corporation, employment opportunities were increased with new companies like Niagara Bottling and IKO and expansions like Chemours, HCA Florida, and MOBRO Marine. These projects combined have brought more than $400 million in investments and more than 400 high-wage jobs to Clay County.