Three reappointed members of the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Peace River Basin Board took their oaths of office during the Basin Board’s August meeting.
Rufus Lazzell, Paul Samuels and Fred Trippensee were all reappointed by Governor Charlie Crist in June.
Lazzell is from Punta Gorda. He is a retired US Army Brigadier General and former mayor of Punta Gorda. His term ends March 1, 2012.
Trippensee is from Avon Park. He is the president of Trippensee & Co. Inc. His term ends March 1, 2012.
Paul Samuels is from Bowling Green. He is a land lease manager for the Mosiac Company. His term ends March 1, 2011.
The Peace River Basin Board area includes portions of Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee Highlands, 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.