Gov. DeSantis appoints new board members to Big Cypress Basin

After nearly four months with only a single board member, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed three people to the Big Cypress Basin Board.

The announcement, made Dec. 18, fills most of the vacancies left on the board that oversees water management within the Big Cypress Basin boundaries. The basin, under the South Florida Water Management District, oversees about 144 miles of canals and 35 water control structures while providing flood protection in Collier and part of Monroe County.

Nanette Rivera, Andy Hill and Dan Waters will join chairwoman Charlette Roman on the board, still leaving two vacant seats. Waters was one of two members whose appointment ended over the summer.

"I'm ecstatic to have new board members and I'm looking forward to working with them," Roman said.

The chairwoman said the new members are joining the board at an exciting time with all that's happening at the basin. 

"The citizens are so interested in improving water quality and Everglades restoration," she said. "We have the momentum now and we need to keep moving it forward."

Rivera, Hill and Waters still need to be confirmed by the state Senate but can still work with the volunteer board prior to confirmation.

“Board members have to be confirmed at the next following session, which is March of next year,” district spokesperson Sean Cooley said. “If the Senate does not take action, they fall off the board.”

Previously:Water management board loses two members, one remains

Rivera, who lives on Marco Island, recently ended a 40-year career in the pharmaceutical industry. She worked for Johnson & Johnson, Bristol Myers Squibb and Abbott Laboratories and served with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, a volunteer unit focused on promoting boater safety.

"As a resident of Marco Island, I know just how important our waterways are to our economy, our community, and our natural environment," Rivera said in a news release. “I want to thank Gov. DeSantis for the honor of serving on the Big Cypress Basin Board and for his leadership to improve statewide water quality and restoration of our natural resources.”

Hill, a Naples resident, is the president and co-founder of Andrew Hill Investment Advisors and was a former vice chair on the board for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

"In addition to the important water quality improvements for the region, there are significant economic benefits of environmental restoration for Southwest Florida,” Hill said in the release. “I’m grateful to Gov. DeSantis for appointing me to serve on the Big Cypress Basin Board and I will champion local environmental projects for the benefit of both our economy and our ecology.”

Waters, who previously served on the basin board from 2017 until his term expired this year, is a project manager at Barron Collier Companies.

More:State managers tackle water quality issues near Everglades restoration site

When Waters’ last term ended, he told the Naples Daily News in September that water quality for the whole Southwest Florida region is a big interest for him. His highlight from his former tenure was the work the basin did following Hurricane Irma.

"It’s been an honor to serve on the Big Cypress Basin Board, and I thank the governor for allowing me to serve its people again,” Waters said about his new appointment. “Our Basin is home to some of Florida’s most diverse natural resources, and I’m proud to be a part of the effort to protect our land and water."

The appointees’ terms are for three years and typically are staggered to avoid large vacancies on the board. The governor's appointment office did not respond to questions about the length of the new appointments. Chairwoman Roman’s term expires in March.

Board members are given a 180-day extension at the end of each term, and Roman said she intends to resubmit her application to the district.

Preparations for new board members begin immediately following the governor’s appointment, Cooley said. New appointees do not have to wait for Senate approval before getting to work.

During a new member orientation, basin staff tries to gauge the board member’s interests and passions to best inform them of the basin’s activities.

“They all get really strong briefings on the current state of our system, how the agency operates and what is happening with restoration in the basin,” he said.

The basin board met once with only Roman on the dais. During the Nov. 18 meeting, staff updated the chairwoman about a potential basin boundary redrawing. A completed staff study and recommendations must be submitted to Gov. DeSantis and the state legislature by Feb. 1.

More:Finishing touches on Picayune restoration moving through permitting process

During the boundary meeting, district staffer Jeff Iudicello said the redrawing was based on physical laws such as environmental features and land elevation.

“The main driving factor that resulted in red lines (changes) was updated data,” he said at the November meeting. “We simply have better topographic data, higher resolution topographic data. In some cases, there has been some development and land-use changes.”

The board’s next meeting is set for Feb. 25 at 1:30 p.m..

“These are really great additions to the board and they’re coming in at a time with a lot of energy in restoration work,” Cooley said. “I look forward to them moving the ball forward with restoration issues.”

Karl Schneider is an environment reporter. Send tips and comments to kschneider@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @karlstartswithk