Eva Rey becomes new executive director of Lakewood Ranch Town Hall

LAKEWOOD RANCH — From a seat in her living room, Eva Rey smiles and waves a hand toward her front window, which presents her with a picture-perfect, bird’s-eye view of Lakewood Ranch Main Street.
Since moving into the condo about two weeks ago, Rey already has visited several restaurants and shops in the plaza and made her way to the Lakewood Ranch Cinemas for an evening show.

But as of Monday, not only does Rey get to live and play in Lakewood Ranch, but also she gets to work here as well.

Rey started Aug. 1 as the new executive director of Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. The former Summerfield (Florida) resident moved to a condominium on Lakewood Ranch Main Street July 15 and has relished every moment since as she has prepared to step into her new role.

“It was a whirlwind,” Rey said of leaving her post as director of purchasing and support services for The Villages Center Community Development District. “It was a really warm send-off. I miss my friends and my relationships, but I’ve just been consumed with all these thoughts and ideas for here. I’ve been looking forward, not backward.”

Rey was selected as the new director for Town Hall by the Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority Board in June and completed her last day of work July 1 at The Villages.

“I’ve never had this much time off work,” she said. “It’s been odd not to have to be somewhere.”

Rey admits the nearly month-long hiatus from work has been relaxing, but she also has kept busy immersing herself in the community as much as possible. She attended the recent barbecue bash on Main Street and the Lakewood Ranch Humane Society’s Dog Days of Summer fundraiser and spent much of her time packing up her home, moving and preparing for her new post.

“I really want to submerse myself,” Rey said, noting she’s already identified many of the local service providers she plans to use. “I’ve really tried to meet people.”

Prior to starting her job, Rey picked up documents such as the Ranch’s Community Development District budgets, agenda packets and miscellaneous policies to review.

She attended a mandatory staff meeting last week to meet her staff and share with them her vision for the organization.

Rey spent much of her first day meeting with staff members and hearing their ideas, as well.

“I think we have some great people here with great ideas and a great energy level,” Rey said at the end of her first day. “I’m really looking forward to working with this team.”

Rey said she intends to meet with CDD supervisors, as well as homeowners association representatives, to hear their expectations for her work, and she already had lined up several meetings for this week before she started work.

Although Rey won’t divulge all of her plans and ideas, she said she does hope to improve customer service both to residents and employees alike, examine employee training opportunities and improve transparency of Town Hall’s operations, possibly with a new website. Creating a unique and unified identity for the Ranch’s CDDs will be one of her priorities moving forward, she said.

“As a public agency, that’s something that’s very important to me,” Rey said. “We need to be able to tell our story.”

Rey said she also hopes to create more educational programs for residents to learn about the districts’ structure and operations.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

REY’S FIRSTS IN THE RANCH
FIRST FLICK. The first movie Rey saw after moving to the area was “Horrible Bosses” at Lakewood Ranch Cinemas. “It was actually very funny, but it’s not for everyone,” Rey says. “The language is pretty intense.”

FIRST FARE. The first restaurant Rey tried in Lakewood Ranch is the one almost immediately below her new home — Main Street Trattoria. Her first week in Lakewood Ranch, she also visited MacAllisters Grill & Tavern and said she is eager to try other local eateries during the coming months.

FIRST FILLET. The first meal Rey cooked for herself after moving to the area was one she picked up from Publix — a bourbon-marinated salmon fillet. That, along with a salad, proved to be the perfect meal for the night.

FIRST CLASS. Although Rey hasn’t taken a cooking class yet, she’s already signed up for a few at the new Viking Cooking School on Lakewood Ranch Main Street. Her three must-have classes are culinary basics, pasta and chocolate.