City Manager Frank Babinec delivers remarks at a 9/11 Ceremony as Commissioner Nancy Metayer Bowen looks on. {City of Coral Springs}
Coral Springs City Manager Frank Babinec, who served as fire chief before managing the city’s government during a period of unprecedented growth, is retiring after more than 30 years of service, Coral Springs Talk has learned.
Babinec served as chief of the Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department from February 2014 to December 2019, when he was hired as city manager. The longtime public servant notified city staff and the commission of his plans to retire in early January 2025, city spokesperson Lynne Martzall confirmed Tuesday.
Overseeing a sprawling system of municipal government serving more than 136,000 residents with around 920 full-time employees, Babinec helped fuel the city’s growth and dramatically expand its tax base, with thousands of new apartment units, homes, and businesses opening during his tenure.
The city also bolstered its police and fire department services on his watch while improving its parks and expanding local cultural events.
In a message to employees, Babinec said he was “confident that as I leave my role as city manager, the city of Coral Springs is in a better place than when I accepted the position.”
“This is something I take tremendous pride in and is a credit to the leadership team and employees who strive to make Coral Springs the premier community in which to live, work, and raise a family,” Babinec said. “As I reflect on my career, I do so with tremendous gratitude because it has truly been my honor to serve alongside and lead such a dedicated team of public service professionals.”
A native Floridian and Coral Springs resident since 1991, Babinec joined the city’s fire department in 1992 as a volunteer and was hired full-time in 2000 as the agency’s training officer, according to his online biography. He spent seven years as an assistant chief – serving as shift commander – as well as seven years as deputy chief of operations.
Babinec, who earned his bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and an MBA in public administration, also served 12 years as a lead instructor at the Coral Springs Regional Institute of Public Safety.
During Babinec’s tenure as fire chief, he improved the department’s safety, health, and wellness programs while enhancing its fleet and facilities, his biography states. The department was named EMS Provider of the Year by the Florida Department of Health in 2017.
Babinec was named the Florida Fire Chiefs Association Fire Chief of the Year in 2017. In 2018, he was recognized as Fire Chief of the Year by the Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs. He also received the 2018 Community Leadership Award from the Broward Council of Professional Firefighters.
In October 2020, Babinec received the Florida Fire Chiefs Association’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in Firefighter Safety and Health – an award now named in his honor.
He also served as president of the Fire Chiefs’ Association of Broward County and chaired the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association Safety and Health Section, among other leadership roles.
“When I applied to become a volunteer firefighter in December of 1992, not in my wildest dreams would I have thought it would culminate in me serving as your city manager,” Babinec said in an email to city employees. “I will never be able to repay the city of Coral Springs for what it provided to me and my family. And for my family, I could never repay them for their sacrifices so that I could excel in my public service career.”
The city commission will be tasked with replacing Babinec, officials said.
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