South Florida Water Management District names veteran Barnett as interim replacement for departing Meeker Palm Beach Post - by Christine Stapleton, Staff Writer June 13, 2013 Key Biscayne — The governing board of the South Florida Water Management District today decided against appointing a new executive director to replace Melissa Meeker but voted veteran water manager Ernie Barnett as interim head of the beleaguered agency. Meeker, who resigned suddenly earlier this month to accept a job at a private company, was not present at the standing-room-only meeting. However, board members praised her two years of leadership. Meeker cut the district staff by 300 employees and cut the agency’s billion-dollar budget in half. Meeker is also credited with returning the district — widely viewed as a bloated-bureaucracy — to its core mission of water supply, flood control and restoration. Everglades restoration efforts moved forward on both the ground and in court under Meeker, as she fulfilled mandates from Gov. Rick Scott to settle decades of costly litigation by setting pollution standards for water flowing into the Everglades. Barnett, considered a candidate for Meeker’s position, has worked for the district for nearly 30 years as both a biologist and director of legislative affairs. Governing board members agreed to immediately begin interviewing candidates and take up the matter — and possibly appoint a new director — at its next meeting in July.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:44:51 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015