Managing Paradise: A Fifty Year Journey

"As someone who understands the realities of public service and community leadership, I found Managing Paradise strikingly relevant."--Tom Markert, city commissioner, Delray Beach, and author of bestselling thriller, Death Watch"I have watched Roger Carlton become one of the finest public servants I have known."--Stephen N. Zack, past president of the American Bar Association"As someone who lives in Miami and has undergone hardship, I know paradise isn't always easy to manage. Roger Carlton delivers an insightful, grounded leadership guide for navigating complexity with heart, clarity, and accountability."--Lesley Yvonne Hunter, author of Madness to Manifestation, speaker and model"A public administrator of the highest order."--David Lawrence Jr., retired publisher, Miami Herald, and chair, The Children's Movement of FloridaManaging Paradise is the smart, gripping story of how one man learned to lead in the real world where politics collide with people, crises arrive without warning, and doing the right thing is rarely the easy thing. From a childhood shaped by responsibility to the front lines of Miami's most defining battles-civil rights, censorship fights, environmental showdowns, police controversies, hurricanes, and the nonstop pressures of a world-class resort city-Roger Carlton reveals the hard-won lessons that every entrepreneur, elected official, and civic leader needs to succeed. With candor, humor, and a lifetime of navigating impossible situations, Carlton shows that great leadership is about steadiness under fire. For anyone who hopes to build a business, run for office, step into public service, or simply lead with more courage, Managing Paradise delivers a master class in resilience, strategy, fairness, and the quiet power of doing what's right, especially when the stakes are highest. Foreword by Claudia Cataldi.