Dec. 13, 2011

The district’s Governing Board voted to approve consumptive use permitting changes that will save applicants time and money while maintaining the district’s commitment to environmental protection. District staff identified several areas for enhancements to permitting rules, including expanding the modification of permits by letter, reducing reporting requirements for small water users, and simplifying the water use type categories.

Nov. 8, 2011

The St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board unanimously elected Lad Daniels of Jacksonville to serve as Board chairman for the upcoming year. The Board also elected John A. Miklos of Orlando to serve as vice chairman and Douglas C. Bournique of Vero Beach as secretary. Maryam H. Ghyabi of Ormond Beach was re-elected as treasurer.

Oct. 12, 2011

George W. Robbins of Jacksonville was appointed to the district Governing Board to fill an unexpired term, representing the lower St. Johns River region of the district. The term runs until March 1, 2012.

Headshot of George W. Robbins

George W. Robbins

Oct. 11, 2011

Hans G. Tanzler III was hired by the Governing Board as the agency’s new executive director. Tanzler had served as the district’s general counsel since July 2011, after having served three years on the district’s Governing Board. Governing Board Chairman Leonard Wood said of the new executive director: “Mr. Tanzler brings extensive experience leading large organizations with a well formulated and fiscally conservative approach. He has a very balanced background in the public and private sectors, and I am pleased that we will be able to benefit from his leadership skills and experience.”

Oct. 3, 2011

District Executive Director Kirby B. Green III retired after serving for 10 years as the district’s top executive, which followed 23 years of service with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Following the retirement announcement, District Governing Board Chairman Leonard Wood said, “Kirby has worked his entire career to ensure a sustainable balance between the needs of the people of Florida and the needs of the environment.”

Headshot of Kirby B. Green III

Kirby B. Green III

Sept. 27, 2011

The district’s Governing Board gave final approval to a budget that reduces its property tax revenue by 26 percent for the 2011–2012 fiscal year and lowered taxes for property owners while effectively funding the agency’s core missions and highest priorities. At a public meeting, the Board approved a 0.3313 millage rate that was expected to generate $85.3 million in revenue for a $204.7 million budget.

Sept. 1, 2011

The district relocated its Altamonte Springs Service Center to the Maitland Green office complex at 601 S. Lake Destiny Road, Suite 200, in Maitland. The lease on the new Maitland Service Center will save the district approximately $500,000 over the term of the lease and the new location allows the district to continue to serve the public in central Florida and enhance efficiencies for district staff.

July 12, 2011

The district Governing Board selected Hans G. Tanzler III as director of the district’s Office of General Counsel. The General Counsel is responsible for providing legal counsel to the Governing Board, executive director and district staff, while also managing the agency’s legal staff.

May 2, 2011

The district began holding a series of public meetings to develop prevention and recovery strategies for water bodies within the district where minimum flows and levels (MFLs) are currently not being met or are projected not to be met within 20 years. The focus of the meetings will be lakes and springs in Brevard, Clay, Lake, Marion, Orange, Putnam, Seminole and Volusia counties. The district’s goal is to work collaboratively with stakeholders throughout the region to develop long-term comprehensive strategies to achieve the MFLs.

April 22, 2011

The district enhanced its use of social media to connect with the public and stakeholders, launching a Facebook page and other electronic communications. Facebook and the electronic communication Water News join the district’s use of other social media, such as Twitter, a blog, a YouTube channel and RSS feeds to share information and engage the public and stakeholders.

April 22, 2011

Florida Gov. Rick Scott made two appointments to the district’s Governing Board. They were Lad Daniels, 72, of Jacksonville, who was appointed to the at-large seat and Chuck Drake, 52, of Orlando, who was appointed to represent a region that extends from southern Putnam County to southern Indian River County. Mr. Daniels is president of Daniels and Associates Inc., and president of the First Coast Manufacturers Association. Mr. Drake is a senior manager for Tetra Tech Inc.

Headshot of Lad Daniels

Lad Daniels

Headshot of Chuck Drake

Chuck Drake

Nov. 9, 2010

The St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board voted to rename the Bull Creek Conservation Area in Osceola County in honor of former Board member Hersey A. “Herky” Huffman. The 23,400-acre property is now known as the Herky Huffman/Bull Creek Wildlife Management Area. “The naming of any district property for an individual is the highest honor that the district can bestow and I think it is fitting that we do this to honor Herky for all he has meant to both the water management district and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC),” said W. Leonard Wood, District Governing Board chairman. “Herky has a real passion for the environment.” Huffman was appointed to the Governing Board in 2007 and was elected as the Board’s secretary in 2008 and re-elected as secretary in 2009. He left the Board in August 2010 for health reasons. From 1999–2007, Huffman was a commissioner with the FWC, serving as chairman in 2005.

Oct. 12, 2010

Board members elected officers to serve for the 2010–2011 fiscal year. W. Leonard Wood of Fernandina Beach will continue to serve as the St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board’s chairman. The Board also elected Hans G. Tanzler III of Jacksonville to serve as vice chairman, Maryam H. Ghyabi of Ormond Beach as treasurer, and John A. Miklos of Orlando as secretary.

Sept. 28, 2010

The St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board adopted its budget for fiscal year 2010–2011, maintaining the current 0.4158 millage rate for the fourth year in a row. The district’s total budget for fiscal year 2010–2011 is $254.69 million, which is $58.5 million — or 18.7 percent — less than the 2009–2010 budget. The decrease is a result of reductions in property tax revenues, and reductions in state, federal and other funding sources, resulting in reduced expenditures in most district programs. As a result of an overall decline in assessed property values, maintaining the current millage rate means a 9.9 percent reduction — a drop of about $12 million — in property tax revenue to the district and a tax decrease for many property owners.

Aug. 10, 2010

The St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board approved up to $1.45 million for water conservation projects throughout northeast and central Florida, encouraging local government and utility partners to develop and implement innovative water conservation initiatives. The 12 cost-share award recipients approved for funding were the cities of DeLand, Jacksonville, Fruitland Park, Groveland, Palatka, Palm Coast and Port Orange; the town of Penney Farms; Alachua, St. Johns and Volusia counties; and JEA.

Aug. 10, 2010

The St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board approved $5.7 million in cost-share funding for St. Johns County Utility Department and Clay County Utility Authority for reclaimed water infrastructure to meet the state’s nutrient reduction standards for the St. Johns River and to reduce the use of fresh groundwater. Reuse and treatment projects provide significant water quality improvements to waterways, and using treated wastewater to meet non-drinking water needs also can extend the fresh groundwater supply.

Aug. 10, 2010

In response to changes in state law, the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board voted to revise the district’s current process for taking action on water supply permits. Under the revised delegation, the Board will take action to approve or deny individual consumptive use permit (CUP) applications for water allocations exceeding 500,000 gallons per day on an average annual basis, applications for water use below this threshold that have received a timely substantial objection, and CUP applications that were subject to an administrative hearing. The Board will continue to act on all CUP applications district staff recommend for denial. In 2009, amendments to Chapter 373 of the
Florida Statutes required that the Governing Board delegate its authority to approve CUP and environmental resource permit (ERP) applications to the district’s executive director and other district staff.

June 8, 2010

Five individuals who have provided a variety of volunteer services to the St. Johns River Water Management District were recognized with the 2010 Bob Owens Award. Jim Escoffier of Merritt Island contributed thousands of hours developing and maintaining hiking trails throughout Florida, including the Florida National Scenic Trail, which crosses portions of district lands. Vince Lamb of Merritt Island has assisted with the Jay Watch program since the district began participating in 2007 to help monitor the threatened Florida scrub jay across the state. Judy Benson of Winter Springs was recognized for her assistance to the Florida Water StarSM program by contributing to criteria development for efficient irrigation design and how best to accomplish efficiency with minimal economic impact. Dr. Joseph Branham of Okahumpka was recognized for conducting flow measurements and associated water level measurements of Bugg Spring. Trina Raether of Lake County volunteered her time and expertise to assist with water resource education teacher workshops in Lake, Seminole and Marion counties. The annual district award is named for the late Bob Owens of Ormond Beach, a vocal supporter of environmental programs who attended nearly every District Governing Board meeting from the mid-1970s until his death in 1991.

People holding awards

The Bob Owens Award was presented to the 2010 winners at the district Governing Board’s June meeting. The award was presented by Dave Fisk, district assistant executive director, on behalf of the Board and district. Winners with Fisk (far right) are, from left, Judy Benson, Jim Escoffier, Trina Raether, Vince Lamb and Joseph Branham.

April 13, 2010

Encouraging partners to develop and implement innovative water conservation initiatives, the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board approved up to $2.1 million for water conservation projects throughout northeast and central Florida. Cost-share award recipients were: Gainesville Regional Utilities, St. Johns County Utility Department, city of Leesburg, Orange County Utilities, city of Sanford, Marion County Utilities, Clay County Utilities, Fruitland Park, Home Depot USA, and the University of Florida/IFAS. “The district has promoted and helped implement water conservation programs in agriculture, industry, education and the environment,” said Leonard Wood, Board chairman. “Today, there are many new methods and technologies that offer significant savings. This program seeks to identify new methods for using water efficiently within local utilities and the district.”

March 31, 2010

Gov. Charlie Crist reappointed W. Leonard Wood of Fernandina Beach and appointed John A. Miklos of Orlando to four-year terms on the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board. Wood is president of Jowett and Wood Inc., a forestry consulting firm. He was first appointed to the Governing Board in April 2005, and represents Baker and Nassau counties and a portion of Duval County. Miklos is president and senior project manager of Bio-Tech Consulting (BTC) Inc., an Orlando-based environmental consulting firm. He was appointed to an at-large seat, replacing Susan N. Hughes of Jacksonville, who served on the Board for seven years.

Headshot of W. Leonard Wood

W. Leonard Wood

Headshot of John A. Miklos

John A. Miklos

Feb. 12, 2010

The district launched a new website, www.sjrwmd.com, making it easier to locate and access water resources information. Using feedback the district received from web visitors and changing industry and technological trends, the site was reorganized into subject areas that are more intuitive, streamlined and simplified. In its six-month redesign, the district reorganized information into more user-friendly categories, redesigned pages to improve navigation, and added more video and graphic elements to the site. Another major change was the website’s address, www.sjrwmd.com, which has been featured in the district’s annual water conservation campaign since 2002.

Feb. 9, 2010

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) were recognized for their efforts during a winter 2010 sea turtle rescue operation in the Indian River Lagoon. Layne Hamilton, refuge manager at the Merritt Island NWR, and John Shaffer with NASA’s Environmental Planning Office, accepted the 2010 Lagoon Leadership Award on behalf of their organizations. The award honors those who provide a shining example of stewardship for the lagoon through advocacy, education and implementation of the Indian River Lagoon Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan.

Feb. 1, 2010

The St. Johns River Water Management District began conducting an experimental project to improve Newnans Lake’s water quality by reducing the number of gizzard shad in the lake. Removing large numbers of bottom-feeding gizzard shad may improve water quality in degraded lakes by reducing resuspension of lake sediments, reducing recycling of nutrients from the lake bottom, and removing nutrients contained in the fish bodies. The three-year experimental shad harvest will determine if harvesting shad will improve water quality in Newnans Lake.

2010

Florida’s population reached 18.8 million.