Photos for Headline Surfer / Top (left to right): New Snyrna Beach Mayor Fred Cleveland, City Manager Kevin Cowper, and Police Chief Christopher Kirk knew the new top cop's salary of $165,000 on Tuesday before that night's city commission meeting but said nothing about and still haven't acknowledged it publicly. Headline Surfer had to wait three days for a public records request to find out Kirk's interim and permanent police salaries. So much for transparency - or, as this exercise shows - a complete lack thereof. LEFT: Personnel records from the City Clerk's Office received on Friday by Headline Surfer clearly show Kirk's interim salary was $136,335, and on Tuesday, April 9, his pay was increased to $165,000. The document shown here clearly has signatures from the city manager and police chief on Tuesday prior to that night's city commission meeting. Yet nothing was said to the citizens in the meeting hall, and nothing was asked about the police chief's pay by the elected leaders on the dais (left to right): Commissioners Valli Perrine, Lisa Martin, Mayor Fred Cleveland (middle), and Commisioners Jason McGuirk, and Brian Adshley.
BELOW: Screenshot from Headline Surfer video: Chris Kirk waves to the citizens in the meeting hall at Tuesday's City Commission meeting but nothing was mentioned of his pay raise. IINFOGRAPHIC: Chronology of pay raises for Kirk since 2021; VIDEO: Portion of the meeting Tuesday on Chris Kirk's promotion with nothing said save for the city manager's PR. intro.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Christopher Kirk, New Smyrna Beach's new top cop, is getting paid $165,000.
That's a pay increase of $26,665, or 19.27 percent, over what he has been making as the interim police chief since January when he was named interim prior to his predecessor's exit earlier this year.
Eric Feldman, the previous police chief, was paid $141,574.
City Manager Kevin Cowper announced Kirk's promotion to permanent police chief at Tuesday night's City Commission meeting, but his salary was not mentioned.
The next day, Headline Surfer contacted Kirk and Cowper to inquire about how much Kirk was being paid as the interim and what his pay as the new chief would be, as well as any comments on the promotion. Despite repeated emails and calls, neither responded.
Similar inquiries were made to Mayor Fred Cleveland but he also did not respond.
Headline Surfer posted a story at 7 a.m. Wednesday about the city's lack of response and updated the story throughout the morning, including a public records request at 8 a.m. for the salary figures and the number of sworn personnel in the police department.
The city sent out a press release at 10:33 a.m., complete with prepared quotes for its new police chief and city manager. The release issued by Phillip Veski, identified as the city's PIO, did not include information about Kirk's salary either as the interim or newly promoted police chief.
“I’m truly humbled to be our first home-grown chief of police in at least the quarter century,” Kirk was quoted in the city-issued press release. “I wouldn’t be here without significant support from the community and from all of the men and women of our department. I look forward to continuing our people-first approach to service.”
The city manager's quotes were a regurgitation of what he said during the city commission meeting: "This is really the result of a nationwide search that we’ve undertaken. We got many, many great applicants. Chris, as you know, has served as interim chief for the last couple of months and has done an outstanding job. We’ve successfully navigated through Spring Break, Bike Week, and many other community events. He has strong support from the police department, from the sworn officers, and from the civilian employees there. Strong support from the police union, from the police foundation, and many, many other members of the community.”
The City Clerk's Office finally released Kirk's interim and permanent police chief salary figures on Friday - three days after they were first requested.
Three days after the fact, the question of why the interim and permanent salary figures for the city's top cop were kept secret remains unanswered. New Smyrna Beach City Manager Kevin Cowper has been unresponsive. Chris Kirk, named the permanent police chief, has remained silent throughout, as has Mayor Fred Cleveland.
Certainly, Kirk was aware of his interim salary since he signed paperwork for it on Jan. 21; according to personnel records Headline Surfer received in a public records request from the City Clerk's Office on Friday. The same personnel records showed Kirk and the city manager signed off on his hefty raise the day of the city commission meeting,. There was no discussion on the dais. City hall insiders told Headline Surfer that the mayor certainly knew ahead of Tuesday night's city commission meeting.
Three days after the fact, the question of why the interim and permanent salary figures for the city's top cop were kept secret remains unanswered. New Smyrna Beach City Manager Kevin Cowper has been unresponsive. Chris Kirk, named the permanent police chief, has remained silent throughout, as has Mayor Fred Cleveland.
Certainly, Kirk was aware of his interim salary since he signed paperwork for it on Jan. 21; according to personnel records Headline Surfer received in a public records request from the City Clerk's Office on Friday. The same personnel records showed Kirk and the city manager signed off on his hefty raise the day of the city commission meeting,. There was no discussion on the dais. City hall insiders told Headline Surfer that the mayor certainly knew ahead of Tuesday night's city commission meeting.
Kirk supervises 55 sworn personnel (cops) and 30 civilian employees.
New Smyrna Beach Police Department's Operating Budget for the current fiscal year is $12.4 million.
Multimedia video
Headline Surfer video / Announcement of Chris Kirk's promotion from interim to the permanent police chief of the New Smyrna Beach Police Department near the beginning of the New Smyrna Beach City Commission meeting on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The announcement was made by City Manager Kevin Cowper, but what the newly-promoted police was being paid was not mentioned by the city manager, and there was no discussion on the dais by the elected leaders.
NEW SEGMENTS FOR NSB COVERAGE
Double-digit pay raises for top managers:
City commissioners voted unanimously last month to give massive pay raises to City Manager Kevin Cowper and City Attorney Carrie Avallone. Cowper's pay went from $195,000 to $233,000, a 19% salary increase after just six months on the Job. Avallone's pay went from $189,000 to $220,000, a 16% increase. What's the rationale for these pay hikes with so many people struggling in this economy?
Police Department upheaval with the mayor right in the middle of it:
Two sworn cops are no longer with the New Smyrna Beach Police Department under circumstances that have not been fully explained - Officer Jessica Schuchardt and Sgt. Robert Claudio - from circumstances that spiraled out of control last year involving the two now-former cops with Mayor Fred Cleveland, who interjected himself in the middle of it. Headline Surfer will try to sort it all out in an upcoming special report and the turmoil it caused in the police force, which is shorthanded.
Bike Week 2025 was anything but routine, with a melee between rival gangs and two bikers shot at an NSB gas station:
Daytona Bike Week 2025 was far from routine. A melee erupted at the RaceTrac gas station in New Smyrna Beach, involving dozens of bikers and led to shots fired during fisticuffs between two rival biker gangs. New Smyrna Beach cops were only able to make one arrest because most of the bikers took off before the cops could get there. Was law enforcement caught off guard? Was there any advance sharing of intel? The incident occurred on Saturday, March 8th, during the final weekend of Bike Week, which was taking place in neighboring Daytona Beach. The brawl erupted over a dispute between rival biker gangs, the Mongols and the Warlocks.
About the Headline Surfer Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is an award-winning journalist who launched Headline Surfer in 2008, which serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando via HeadlineSurfer.com in Lake Mary, Florida. Frederick earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in Orlando. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade, and before that, he had a similar metro beat with The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, (1989-1996). Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high-profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Bio: https://henryfrederick.com.