A familiar face is the District’s newest leader.
Robert Beltran is now the District’s executive director. He replaces Blake Guillory who became the executive director of the South Florida Water Management District.
The Florida native and Polk County resident joined the District in March 2012 as the assistant executive director where he oversaw the District’s Regulation, Resource Management, Operations, and Maintenance and Construction divisions.
Some of the major District initiatives under Beltran’s direction include:
• Focusing District resources to protect and restore first-magnitude springs
• Evaluating the success of recovery efforts in the Southern Water Use Caution Area
• Restoration of habitat in order to preserve, protect and restore natural systems
• Reducing timelines for issuing permits while maintaining environmental protections
• Improving customer service and expanding online permitting availability
• Working toward statewide permitting consistency
Beltran also leads the Solutions Team for the Central Florida Water Initiative, a multi-jurisdictional effort to ensure an adequate water supply in a five-county region.
Beltran is a professional engineer with nearly two decades of experience helping clients to design and permit solutions for their water and wastewater needs. He has worked throughout Florida helping municipalities and private companies on water-related initiatives including stormwater, wastewater, reclaimed water, drinking water and alternative water supply projects.
Prior to joining the District, many of his projects required working with the District, the Department of Environmental Protection and other water management districts on various water and permitting issues.
Beltran holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and master’s degree in environmental engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans. He is a diplomate of environmental engineering. Beltran also is a member of various professional associations and is a past president of the Florida Engineering Society Ridge Chapter.