Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Office of Water Policy & Ecosystem ProjectsMelissa L. Meeker, Deputy Secretary

Or

Executive Director, SFWMD

The State’s Water Policy Future

Governor Scott’s Direction

May 19, 2011 | 2

• April Letter to Secretary Vinyard

• Core Responsibilities• Water supply• Flood protection• Resource protection

• Chapter 373.026(7), FS - general supervisory authority

Fiscally responsible

May 19, 2011 | 3

Issues Specifically Called Out

• Budgets and Debt

• Rulemaking• ERP, CUP, UMAM and MFLs

• Meaningful and measurable regulatory streamlining

• Consistency

• Coordination of land acquisition

• Coordination of lobbying, policies, etc.

May 19, 2011 | 4

Strategic Objectives

• WMD Implementation of Core Mission: flood protection, water supply, resource protection

• Consistency in water supply management and resource regulations

• Clear, consistent streamlined rules for ERP, CUP, UMAM, MFLs

September 25, 2007 | 5

Regulations ALONE cannot protect or

enhance resources.

Partnerships build success.

May 19, 2011 | 6

Action Items• Hire OWEP Team

• Budget

• Guidance Memos– Permitting inquiry, DEP RAI directive

(4/25)– Correspondence Coordination (4/25)– Lobbying/Federal Coordination (4/25)– ERP/CUP Plan (4/25)– Land Acquisition (4/25)

May 19, 2011 | 7

Short Term Goals – Budget

• Governor’s 25% Ad valorum budget cut• Focus on core mission responsibilities• Reduce/Eliminate non core mission duties• Salary/Benefits adjustments• Work off reserves but don’t focus solely on this

Legislative Twist

• Conforming Bill

May 19, 2011 | 8

District Gov Reduction

% Senate Reduction

%

SFWMD $101,225,967

25%

$128,000,000

30%

SWFWMD $41,941,739

25%

$60,000,000 36%

SJRWMD $28,833,905

25%

$30,000,000 26%

SRWMD $1,478,169 25%

$500,000 8%

NWFWMD $986,742 25%

$0 0%

• Conforming Bill• Requires the EOG do analysis of each

district’s budget for LBC• Legislative Budget Commission

• Veto authority

May 19, 2011 | 9

Legislative Twist

ERP

• Statewide ERP – 1 year• Districts can have basin-specific rules• DEP to take lead on UMAM training and

guidance• DEP to take lead on evaluating how

districts process an application• Theoretical project? Review of process for

similar projects?

• NWF rule and good starting point, but not perfect.

| 10

ERP cont.

• US ACOE challenges• Wetland line• Bank first• Avoid, minimize, mitigate• ESA – Commenting Agencies

| 11

ERP cont.

• Workload and streamlining• Exemptions

, NGPs

• Full ERP delegation to WMDs?• Single

Family regulation

| 12

District Year

No. of Applications

Received

Average No. of Days in Processing

(Date of Application Receipt Until

Agency Action)

No. of Permit Processors

(FTE)

NWFWMD2005 279 11 2

NWFWMD2010 497 18 11.17

SFWMD 2005 2503 146 44

SFWMD 2010 1710 183 40

SJRWMD 2005 3168 127.6 39

SJRWMD 2010 1445 172.5 35

SRWMD 2005 581 33 7

SRWMD 2010 239 76 7

SWFWMD 2005 3816 110 51

SWFWMD 2010 1742 97 44

Consumptive Use Permitting

District Year

No. of Applications

Received

Average No. of Days in Processing

(Date of Application Receipt Until Agency Action)

No. of Permit Processors (FTE)

NWFWMD2005 163 85 2

NWFWMD2010 86 92 2.3

SFWMD 2005 2146 137 25

SFWMD 2010 2791 124 30

SJRWMD 2005 277 295.5 21

SJRWMD 2010 402 164.2 24

SRWMD 2005 588 16 1

SRWMD 2010 75 305 3

SWFWMD 2005 684 61 19.3

SWFWMD 2010 978 90 20.7

| 13

Consumptive Use Permitting• Incentive based process – partner with

utilities to meet goals.• Duration• Compliance Reports

• State-wide rule in 2 years – certainty and consistency…• Encourage innovation

• Basin specific rules

• Sustainable Permit

| 14

Sustainable Permit concept cont.

• Sustainable Permit concept• Conjunctive Uses – multiple sources in

single permit• Coordinated management of surface water

and groundwater supplies to maximize the yield of the overall water resource for sustainable use.

• Optimization of sources – utilities know best• Mutual goal of resource protection

| 15

Sustainable Permit concept

• Benefits• Stewardship• Control• Certainty/ flexibility• Reasonable

assurance

• Challenges• Trust• Set priorities -“right

water in the right place”

• Resource protection• Oversight

| 16

Reuse

• What is it? Who regulates? Thoughts:• "The definition of "water" and waters in

the state"  as defined in Chapter 373, F.S. does not include reclaimed water. 

• Reclaimed water is defined by department rule and is defined by statute as an alternative source of water.

• Is a critical piece of the water resource pie… and is part of the solution for management of water resources.

| 17

Reuse cont.

• Commodity• Offsets and Credits• Reuse Feasibility Study• Reuse Working Group consensus

• No restriction of the use of reclaimed either by permit or by water shortage order;

• No allocation of reclaimed water and • No requirement of a permit for reclaimed

water.

| 18

MFLs

• Black Box Modeling• Who or What is driving the process?

• Current law “endorses” adopting a recovery and prevention strategy at the same time the MFL is adopted.• Need to know the effect• Need to know the cost

• Challenge in previously set MFLs and how the recovery and prevention strategy will play out.

| 19

Other ideas

• Public Private Partnerships• Limited funds, let’s partner!

• Regional Utilities• Get past politics and let’s work together

(distribution)

• New Water• Going to tide and lost forever

| 20

Increased agency coordination

• DEP/WMD Executive Meeting

• ERP/CUP Anti-Drift Meeting(s)

• ED bi-weekly call(s)

• Cross Boundary Leadership

| 21

Contact info

Melissa Meeker

mmeeker@sfwmd.gov

561-686-8800

June 3, 2011| 22

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

SFWMD’s Future

Day 3 on the job…

Budget Challenges

• 30% reduction equates to about $128M

• Structural and Functional Analysis• Functional Division

• Bottom up resource analysis

| 24

Achieve 30% revenue reduction and:

• Provide flood control and hurricane response, including maintenance of sufficient contingency reserves

• Continue progress of Everglades environmental restoration & water quality projects (C-111 spreader canal, Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands, Lakeside Ranch, Kissimmee River restoration, STA expansions)

• Meet on-going water supply development needs• Streamline existing regulatory programs• Meet on-going debt service payments

June 3, 2011| 25

No Brainers

• Leadership/management team

• Salary adjustments above a certain amount

• Benefits

• Death by meetings• Set direction• Empower staff

| 26

General CounselGeneral Counsel Assistant Executive Director

Assistant Executive Director

Executive DirectorExecutive Director

Everglades Policy & Coordination

Everglades Policy & Coordination

New Executive Management Organization

Administrative Services

Administrative Services Water ResourcesWater Resources

Chief of StaffChief of Staff Operations, Maintenance & Construction

Operations, Maintenance & Construction

RegulationRegulation

Administrative Services

Water Resources Operations,

Maintenance & Construction

Water Supply

Modeling

Real Estate

Engineering

Restoration Sciences

Field Ops North

Field Ops Central

Field Ops South

Operations & Hydrodata

Management

Vegetation & Land Management

Finance & Administration

Information Technology

Procurement

Human Resources

Environmental Resource Regulation

Water Use Regulation

Organizational StructureRegulation

CFO & Office of Management

& Budget

Emergency Mgmt, Safety & Security

Construction

Everglades Regulation

Compliance & Enforcement

Regulatory Support

Regulatory Service Centers

Office of Everglades Policy & Coordination

Office of the Chief of Staff

Office of the General Counsel

IntergovernmentalPolicy & PlanningPolicy & Coordination

Public Information

Board & Executive Services

Legislative, Federal & Tribal Affairs

Organizational Structure

Service Centers

Ombuds & Open Government

Stormwater

Hard Decisions

• Non Mandated, non core function• BUT stakeholder favorites

• Level of Service

• Prioritization of projects

• Staff reductions

June 3, 2011| 30

Schedule

• June – budget conformance with state

• June Board Meeting• Guiding principles for budget cuts

• July Board Meeting• Budget approval

• August 1 – submit to state

June 3, 2011| 31