Gov. Jeb Bush recently reappointed one member and appointed two new members to the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
*Todd Pressman of Clearwater was reappointed for a term beginning March 3, 2006 and ending March 1, 2010. He has served on the Governing Board since April 2005. Pressman is president of Pressman and Associates, Inc.
*Sallie Parks of Palm Harbor was appointed to succeed Watson L. Haynes II, whose term expired March 1, 2006. Parks is retired. She is also a former Pinellas County Commissioner. Parks was appointed for a term beginning March 3, 2006 and ending March 1, 2010.
*Maritza Rovira-Forino of Tampa was appointed to succeed Janet D. Kovach, whose term expired March 1, 2006. Rovira-Forino, a community volunteer, has been a member of the Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board since June 2002. She was appointed to the Governing Board for a term beginning March 3, 2006 and ending March 1, 2010.
The appointments require confirmation from the Florida Senate. The new appointments leave the 11-member board with a female majority for the first time in its history.
Governing Board members are unpaid, citizen volunteers who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. The Governing Board
sets policy for the District, whose mission is to manage the water and related resources of west central Florida to meet the needs of current and future water users while protecting the environment. Each Governing Board member also serves as chair ex officio of a Basin Board.
The District has eight regional Basin Boards that provide guidance for local programs that are specific to the watershed basins they protect. The District’s ninth 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.