When Pinellas Couty began talking about hiring a new administrator last September, Bill Horne’s name was tossed around among some commissioners, but Horne said he did not apply for the position, which recently quit taking applications.

“The reason I did not apply was very simple,” he said in an email to staffers and City Council members. “Council members, staff and citizen feedback expressed a desire for me to stay in my current position as city manager.”

He said county interest in him as a candidate “was virtually nonexistent” and the requirements asked for someone with county manager experience in a county with at least 500,000 residents. “I am completely content to stay where I am appreciated,” wrote Horne at the end of the email.

--Mike Donila, Times Staff Writer