Sarasota hires Manatee County official

SARASOTA — Sarasota County named longtime procurement executive Melissa Wendel its new procurement official.

Wendel, with more than 20 years of experience in procurement, had been the purchasing official in Manatee County since 2011, according to a statement. Wendel replaces Ted Coyman, who left Sarasota County last year to take a position as director of procurement services with Collier County.

"I'm very excited for the opportunity to join the team at Sarasota County and to continue to serve the local community," Wendel says in the release. "I can't wait to get to work and help further the procurement team's mission of transparency, fiscal responsibility and providing excellent service."

Wendel helped lead Manatee County to its first national recognition of excellence in public procurement, earning the National Procurement Institute's (NPI) Achievement of Excellence award four times in a row. Manatee also earned the Florida Association of Public Procurement Officials' excellence award for the first time in its history under Wendel's leadership, the release adds.

At Sarasota County, Wendel will lead a division also been recognized with the NPI's excellence award for the past three years. The accreditation reflects a wide list of changes executed within the department under Coyman, after a scandal rocked that unit in the late 2000s. (Outside audits ultimately found at least 250 deficiencies in the county's procurement department, from lax management to a lack of basic rules and ethics. Millions of dollars in vendor contracts were voided.)

"We're very proud of the strides Sarasota County has made in recent years in the area of procurement, and we are continually seeking to improve," says Sarasota County Administrator Tom Harmer in the release. "Melissa's extensive background in government purchasing in the state of Florida, her understanding of the industry and her commitment to excellent customer service will allow us to continue to evolve as an innovative organization."

Wendel's first day with the county will be Aug. 7.