Governor Charlie Crist recently appointed one and reappointed two other members to the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Hillsborough River Basin Board.
John Nicolette is the owner of Crooked Creek Ranch in Dade City. He was appointed to succeed Gary Reckart. His term ends March 1, 2011. He served on the Coastal Rivers Basin Board before being reassigned to the Hillsborough River Basin Board.
George R. Burt is a self-employed investor who lives in Auburndale. He was first appointed to the Board in March 2002. His current term ends March 1, 2011.
Renee Benton-Gilmore is the president of Tampa Bay WorkForce Alliance Inc. and lives in Tampa. She was first appointed to the Board in March 2006. Her current term ends March 1, 2012.
The Hillsborough River Basin area covers Hillsborough County and portions of Pasco and Polk counties.
The District has seven regional Basin Boards that provide guidance for local programs that are specific to the basins they protect. The District's eighth basin, the Green Swamp, is administered by the Governing Board. Basin Boards work with local governments and other entities on water resource projects that have an impact in local communities. Basin Boards often provide partial funding for these projects in partnership with a local government or local cooperator.
Basin Board members are unpaid citizen volunteers appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. They serve three-year staggered terms. Each of the Basin Boards includes a minimum of one person from each county within the basin, and there must be at least three members on each board. Each Basin Board has at least one of the 13 members of the District's Governing Board that serves as the Board's chair.