Governor Charlie Crist recently reappointed Jack Bispham and Frank Strelec to the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board.
Paul J. “Jack” Bispham is the owner of Bayside Sod and lives in Sarasota. His term ends March 1, 2011.
Frank E. Strelec is a retired attorney who lives in Sarasota. His term ends March 1, 2011.
The Manasota Basin Board area includes Manatee and Sarasota 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.