Governor Scott Reappoints Local Developer to SWFMD

BRADENTON – Governor Rick Scott has reappointed developers Carlos Beruff and George Mann to the Southwest Florida Water Management Board. Manatee County officials recently contested a bill reducing the number of seats in SWFWMD's governing board, from 13 to 9. Questions as to what has rendered so many of the Water Management Districts ineffective continue to surface.

Beruff  was first appointed to the governing board in 2009 to succeed former Manatee County Commissioner Patricia Glass, with a term that was to expire in March of 2013. Mann was first appointed to the board in November of 2012 to succeed Neil Combee, for a term that would also expire in March of 2013.

Beruff, a Miami native and Parrish resident, owns Medallion Homes Gulf Coast Inc., which he founded in 1984. He sits on the board of trustees of State College of Florida, serves as a commissioner for the Sarasota-Manatee Airport Authority, and is a member of both the Home Builders of Manatee County and National Association of Home Builders.

Mann (Citrus County) is a retired developer who is currently serving as a board member for Anchor House Ministry. He was once on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Citrus and Vegetable Magazine and sat on the Florida Citrus Processors Association Committee.

Developers are in a business that impacts water use and "sprawl" is second, only to mining when it comes to "wetland" destruction. As both development and mining have had friendly relationships with SWFWMD (often referred to as "swiftmud"), the reappointment of two developers obviously raises eyebrows among environmentalists who contend that regulatory commissions respond to corporate needs over those of the environment.

If confirmed by the Florida State Senate, both Beruff's and Mann's new term will end on March 1, 2017. SWFWMD's Governing Board sets policy for the district, who is responsible for managing the water and related resources of west central Florida, in order to meet the needs of current and future water users, while protecting the natural environment.