Santa Rosa County Administrator Hunter Walker.

A current Santa Rosa County department head and a former interim Escambia County administrator are among the eight finalists vying to become Santa Rosa’s next top manager.

This week, the Santa Rosa County Commission received a list of finalists, whittled from 56 by a committee of experts from the Florida Association of County Managers. The county paid the association $5,000 to help with the selection process.

County Administrator Hunter Walker announced earlier this year that we would retire on Dec. 31 following 20 years on the job. He has said he may stay longer if the commission needs more time to get a replacement on board.

Today, commissioners decided that they will shorten the list at their Oct. 22 meeting, setting interviews for Nov. 4. They hope to make a selection on Nov. 9.

Walker’s current salary is $132,412 annually. The county advertised a salary range $115,000 to $145,000 based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience. The FACM’s list included nine people, but Jim Walker, of McDonough, Ga., dropped out of consideration after taking another job.

The eight finalists include:

— Parrish Barwick, of Monticello, Fla., where he is the county coordinator of Jefferson County. He also served as county administrator for Wakulla County, Fla., and Brantley County, Ga., among other government jobs. He holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from Florida State University.

— Michael Brillhart, of West Barnstable, Mass., where he is county administrator of Barnstable County. He has administrative experience in several local governments, including some in Florida. He holds a master’s of public administration from the University of South Florida.

— Randall Dowling, of Hoschton, Ga. He was county administrator of Barrow County, Ga., until recently. He has also served as county administrator for Gordon, Lee and Berrian counties in Georgia, among other local government jobs, including some in Florida. He holds a master’s of public administration from the University of North Texas.

— Tony Gomillion, of Jay, who is the current public services director of Santa Rosa County. He was also the county’s former environmental control officer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of West Florida.

— Ted Lakey, of Graceville, Fla., where he serves as the administrator of Jackson County. He is the former superintendent of the Escambia County public works department, and a former correction’s lieutenant in Birmingham, Ala. He holds a master’s of public administration from the University of West Florida.

— Jonathan Lewis, of Navarre. Currently, he is the asset availability leader/reliability engineer for Georgia Pacific Paper in Brewton, Ala. Formerly, he served as executive officer at Whiting Field Naval Air Station, as well as in administrative capacities at other military bases around the world.

— Larry Newsom, of Milton. Newsom has twice served as interim county administrator for Escambia County, as well as several other positions with Escambia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in geology, building technology and civil engineering from the University of Southern Mississippi.

— David Recor, of Ocean City. Md., where he served as city manager until recently. He was also be city manager for Fort Pierce, Fla., along with several other jobs in local government. He holds a master’s of public administration from George Mason University.