On tomorrow morning’s 9AM Board Consent Agenda is acquisition of ten acres on the Withlacoochee River in Hamilton County near Georgia. The toll roads (M-CORES) are on the Workshop agenda for after the board meeting, along with Water Quality Review, Poe Springs, and Rum Island Park. There’s nothing about Nestlé, but that doesn’t have to stop you talking about it in Public Comments.

News reports say seven of nine positions have been filled, but their own Current Governing Board Members web page only shows five for the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) Board. That page says Virginia H. Johns is still the Chair, but last month she handed the gavel to Richard Schwab, even though he is still listead as the Vice Chair.

Board, Drufner Tract

You can attend tomorrow morning’s meeting from anyway. If you want to speak, you must sign up on the public comment form as well as for the webinar and the voice call-in number.

The Meeting will be conducted via GoTo Webinar for Presentations Only

GoTo Webinar Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6241426543382591502

Separate Call-In Number for Audio

Toll Free 1-888-585-9008 – Conference Room Number: 704-019-452 #

Public Comment Form Link: www.MySuwanneeRiver.com/Comments

Who’s the Chair? Who’s the Board?

Interesting note in the minutes from the 3PM September 8, 2020, meeting:

Chair Johns opened the Board meeting and handed the gavel to Mr. Schwab to conduct the Board meeting.

Current Governing Board Members

Yet according to SRWMD’s web page on Current Governing Board Members, Virginia H. Johns is still the Chair, Richard Schwab is still the Vice Chair, Charles Keith is Secretary/Treasurer, and Virginia Sanchez and Harry Smith hold no offices. Governor Rn DeSantis appointed Harry Smith the same day as that previous meeting. Curious he’s listed as an active board member for that day, even though Seán Kinane for WMNF reported that day that “The governor’s office points out that Smith’s appointment has to be confirmed by the Florida Senate.”

According to a press release from the governor’s office, “Smith, of Lake City, is the Vice President of Feed Operations for Central States Enterprises. An avid outdoorsman, his work revolves around businesses that need water to operate and grow. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Florida.”

Florida Politics wrote 10 October 2020:

Suwannee River Water Management District Governing Board — DeSantis appointed Alphonas Alexander and Larry Sessions to the SRWMD this week. Alexander, of Madison, is a Consultant with The Forestry Company of Perry. He is a former vice-chair of the SRWMD Governing Board and a current member of the Florida Forestry Association. Sessions, of Live Oak, is the Administrator of the Suwannee Valley Transit Authority. Previously, he was a Suwannee County Commissioner and a member of the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council.

Since Alexander was previously the board representative for the Upper Suwannee Basin, we can guess he is again. Sessions we can guess could be the rep. for Lower Suwannee Basin, recently vacated by Donald J. Quincey Jr.

At seven of nine, that still leaves the two seats for the Aucilla Basin and the Santa Fe & Wacc. Basins vacant.

And there is still no environmentalist and no geologist.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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