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Bob Martinez Feb 26, 2024

Show notes

This week, Brett had the privilege of sharing some time with Tampa and Florida legend – Governor Bob Martinez. He was Tampa’s 54th mayor and Florida’s 40th governor; both positions held as the first of Spanish descent. He also has deep roots in Tampa, his grandparents having immigrated from Spain at the turn of the 20th Century during a great boom in the cigar industry there. His father worked in the restaurant business, including as a long-time employee at the famed Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, and then later at the family-owned Café Sevilla in West Tampa.

Martinez was a star athlete at Jefferson High School, a graduate of the University of Tampa, and got his professional start as a classroom teacher before becoming the Executive Director of the Hillsborough County Classroom Teachers Association. He was called upon by Governor Ruben Askew to serve on the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District and chair three Basin Boards there: The Hillsborough River, Northwest Hillsborough, and Alafia River.

They discuss his childhood in Old Tampa where he enjoyed school, excelled at sports, and spent his free moments fishing with his father and his friends; how Café Sevilla became the birthplace of a mayor’s race and the campaign to be Governor of Florida; how his service as head of the teachers union gave him his first taste of real politics; his time at Swiftmud gave him a taste for the water and environmental needs of a region; and a mayorship that gave him the opportunity to restore, innovate, and move his home city forward.

His term as governor would be marked by enacting some of the most consequential environmental policy in Florida history including the enactment of the Preservation 2000 conservation land acquisition program, the Growth Management Act, and the Surface Water Improvement and Management Act. He also implemented the Florida Lottery, created Florida’s Turnpike Authority, and created Space Port Florida.

There are a few other achievements in particular that hold a more personal value to Brett including Martinez’s restoration of the Lowry Park Zoo from the ground up as mayor; the creation of Florida Prepaid College; the rebirth of Nature’s Classroom in Hillsborough County; an amazing nearly 70-year (and counting) partnership with his beloved wife Mary Jane; and of course, his analysis of why the Tampa Cuban sandwich is superior to the one from Miami (it’s the bread).

He’s still as active as ever, serving on many boards and clubs, is a Senior Policy Advisor with the Holland & Knight Law Firm, and at 89 years-old, you can still find him on his daily walks or on the tennis court.

We hope you enjoy the conversation!

To visit Governor Martinez’s page at the Holland & Knight law firm, go here: https://www.hklaw.com/en/professionals/m/martinez-bob

To see his useful, but woefully incomplete Wikipedia page, head here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Martinez

To see a decent history of Florida’s land conservation programs, including Governor Martinez’s efforts which led to Preservation 2000, go here: https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/IR/00/00/19/42/00001/FE33100.pdf

To see an image of the menu from the Governor’s family restaurant, check it out here: http://ciadigitalcollections.culinary.edu/digital/collection/p16940coll1/id/14253

The Governor was a star athlete at the University of Tampa, and the sports facility there is even named in his honor. To get a look at that, head to their site here: https://www.tampaspartans.com/information/athletic_info/facilities/Martinez/index

This episode of Water for Fighting is brought to you by my friends at Sea and Shoreline.

Sea and Shoreline is the Southeast’s leading innovator in protecting coastal communities from devastating storms and restoring ecosystems that once faced ecological collapse. Visit their website at www.Seaandshoreline.com.

This Episode is also thanks to my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions.

RES is the nation’s leader in ecological restoration, helping to restore Florida’s natural resources with water quality and stormwater solutions that offer communities guaranteed performance and outcomes. Check them out at www.res.us

Please be sure to check out the Florida Specifier Podcast hosted by Ryan Matthews and myself as part of a new venture where we’re striving to become Florida’s first source for environmental news, educational tools, and unique perspectives on our state’s natural environment and the events that shape it. To learn more about its flagship print publication and more, visit The Florida Specifier.

You can follow the show on LinkedIn and Instagram @flwaterpod, and you can reach me directly at FLwaterpod@gmail.com with your comments and suggestions for who and/or what you’d like to know more about.

Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.

And finally, a very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band for giving permission to use his music for this podcast. The song is called Doing Work for Free, (Apple Music | Spotify) and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold.

Hugh Thomas Feb 12, 2024

Show notes

This week, Brett got to share some time with a true gentleman, friend, and public servant – Hugh Thomas. Hugh has been the Executive Director of the Suwannee River Water Management District for over seven years, and he has brought a wealth of experience to that role which was earned in the private sector as well as his various roles at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. He’s a big believer in the innovative work of the Suwannee River Partnership, and he shares some insights on how the “Fifth Largest Water Management District in Florida”, is tackling the water quantity and quality challenges of today and tomorrow. They talk about his family’s roots in Gilchrist County; the shocking news that Hugh was born in Tampa; how his professional path has crossed a few times with mutual friend and guest of the podcast, Ann Shortelle; his philosophy for partnership with the agricultural community; his appreciation for governing boards, and his in particular; his questionable advice on whether to build a house with your spouse as a young couple; and of course, his likeness to the mythical lumberjack – Paul Bunyan. Hugh was generous with his time and insights, and we hope you enjoy the conversation. To find out more about the Suwannee River Partnership, head here: https://suwanneeriverpartnership.com To learn about the Suwannee River Water Management District, go here: https://www.mysuwanneeriver.com To see the cost-share opportunities available through the District’s portal, go here: https://www.mysuwanneeriver.com/366/Agricultural-Cost-Share-Program and here: https://www.mysuwanneeriver.com/374/RIVER-Cost-Share-Program And because you probably don’t know where Bell, Florida is (or that the town was named after the winner of a beauty contest, Bell Fletcher), check out the town’s website here: https://www.townofbellflorida.com This episode of Water for Fighting is brought to you by my friends at Sea and Shoreline. Sea and Shoreline is the Southeast’s leading innovator in protecting coastal communities from devastating storms and restoring ecosystems that once faced ecological collapse. Visit their website at www.Seaandshoreline.com. This Episode is also thanks to my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions. RES is the nation’s leader in ecological restoration, helping to restore Florida’s natural resources with water quality and stormwater solutions that offer communities guaranteed performance and outcomes. Check them out at www.res.us Please be sure to check out the Florida Specifier Podcast hosted by Ryan Matthews and myself as part of a new venture where we’re striving to become Florida’s first source for environmental news, educational tools, and unique perspectives on our state’s natural environment and the events that shape it. To learn more about its flagship print publication and more, visit The Florida Specifier. You can follow the show on LinkedIn and Instagram @flwaterpod, and you can reach me directly at FLwaterpod@gmail.com with your comments and suggestions for who and/or what you’d like to know more about.Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance. And finally, a very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band for giving permission to use his music for this podcast. The song is called Doing Work for Free, (Apple Music | Spotify) and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold. Transcript 00:00:00:00 – 00:00:28:02Speaker 1Welcome to water for fighting, where you discuss the past, present and future of water Florida with the people who make it happen. I’m your host, Brett Cyphers. This week’s discussion is brought to you by Sea and Shoreline and Resource Environmental Solutions. Since shoreline is the southeast leading innovator in protecting coastal communities from devastating storms and restoring ecosystems that once faced ecological collapse.00:00:28:04 – 00:01:01:12Speaker 1Visit their website at blue Dot. Seeing shoreline.com. And of course, rez. Rez is a nation’s leader in ecological restoration, helping to restore Florida’s natural resources with water quality and stormwater solutions that offer communities guaranteed performance and outcomes. Check them out at rescues. All right. This episode’s a real treat for me, because I get to sit down with a true gentleman and my friend Hugh Thomas, in addition to being an all around great guy.00:01:01:12 – 00:01:23:21Speaker 1Hugh is the executive director of the Suwannee River Water Management District, where he has been since 2016. In fact, he served Floridians throughout North Florida for over 20 years, including 14 years with the Florida Department of Consumer Services in the Office of AG Water Policy. Hugh and I overlapped our service to North Florida at adjacent water management districts for five years.00:01:23:21 – 00:01:30:05Speaker 1He had Suwannee in me at northwest, and I’m happy to get to hang out with him again today. Hugh, welcome to the show.00:01:30:07 – 00:01:32:08Speaker 2Thanks, Brett. I appreciate the opportunity to be here.00:01:32:10 – 00:01:51:23Speaker 1Yeah. It’s great. It’s great to have you. I’m going to come in with the first big curveball, because it’s kind of like someone telling you that the Pace Picante sauce is from New York City. You’re a North Florida guy at heart. That’s all I’ve ever known you in the context of is North Florida. But you were actually born in Tampa.00:01:52:04 – 00:02:00:11Speaker 1In fact, in a hospital that no longer exists. So the question is, what did you do to break the Good Samaritan hospital?00:02:00:13 – 00:02:22:17Speaker 2Well, my memory doesn’t go quite that far back, but I do remember actually going to the hospital when I was about five years old to get some stitches. I get three brothers and a sister. And growing up as the youngest of the family, you know, I often encountered physical ailments from that one time that I needed stitches. So I do remember going back there, but thankfully hadn’t been back since then.00:02:22:17 – 00:02:35:16Speaker 2But I had no clue what happened. I think it was just progress. and that area, it’s over on the western side. Or was on the western side of Tampa. And, like the remainder of the state, it has grown. They needed something else here.00:02:35:18 – 00:02:54:19Speaker 1I assume is like a Paul Bunyan esque story. Like, if you don’t know, Hugh Thomas, Hugh is about the size of Paul Bunyan. He looks like a lumberjack. And so my assumption is that they couldn’t handle him at the hospital. But we’ll take we’ll take his story as a as the gospel there. But like I said, you’re a Norfolk guy through and through.00:02:54:19 – 00:03:00:14Speaker 1So I mean, tell me about your parents. Like where are they from? And then what took them to Tampa?00:03:00:16 – 00:03:25:17Speaker 2Well, what I would say I do call North Florida home and kind of a fifth generation Floridian. And so my parents were actually from North Florida. They moved away for about 30 years and then moved back up into that area. and so they were gone. And North Florida, Gilchrist County, primarily, and they’re in Bell, Florida. It’s a very rural area, very small county.00:03:25:22 – 00:03:50:12Speaker 2They moved for work and they live down in the Lithia Springs area. Okay. But at one point my dad worked on the dairy farm and opportunity presented itself after three of my brothers moved out. Opportunity presented itself for my parents to move back up to North Florida. I’m glad they did. And we got a lot of relatives that part of the state, so it’s enjoyable for us.00:03:50:12 – 00:03:56:02Speaker 2My wife and I’ve been able to raise our three kids there, and we’ve really enjoyed living in North Florida.00:03:56:04 – 00:04:13:15Speaker 1So you use Tampa in the same way most people do with, say, Tampa, Orlando or Atlanta, which means you didn’t live in Tampa. I you know, I do the same thing if somebody doesn’t know where Stephanie is, and if you’re talking to somebody, they almost never do know where Stephanie is. It’s actually a little bit north of Lithia.00:04:13:15 – 00:04:20:06Speaker 1I grew up going to Lithia Springs as a kid. Was it the the Carey Cattle Company back in those days or someone else over there?00:04:20:09 – 00:04:22:22Speaker 2I’ll be honest, my memory doesn’t go that far back either.00:04:23:00 – 00:04:24:01Speaker 1That’s our that’s I.00:04:24:01 – 00:04:38:16Speaker 2Don’t recall what the name of the cattle company was that they that he worked at there. He had already quit by the time I was born. Think he was. Oh, he was working for Altman truck lines down through there. And, he was able to retire from there. And we moved to North Florida.00:04:38:18 – 00:04:41:14Speaker 1So how long did your family live down in under?00:04:41:18 – 00:05:02:14Speaker 2They left of North Florida. They were going for about 30 years. They lived in the Tampa area there at our residence on Walters Avenue of all places. Wow. They were there for, I want to say it was about 18 years. Okay. They had lived over in Lithia Springs. The notice assets at the time, my dad was working at the dairy there.00:05:02:16 – 00:05:19:15Speaker 2My mom was a stay at home mom, you know, with five kids. You know, that lot in that time frame? Yeah. I mean, we’re talking 50 years ago or longer and it it was a lot in that area. Yeah, I’m glad to. Nothing wrong Brian. With the Tampa area. But I like to think I’m more influenced about North Florida.00:05:19:19 – 00:05:25:00Speaker 1Yeah. No that’s in that’s great because you I mean your parents graduated high school in Bell, right?00:05:25:05 – 00:05:26:13Speaker 2Oh yeah.00:05:26:15 – 00:05:32:20Speaker 1How many kids? I mean, your dad’s a question. I know it’s rules. Like how many kids were in a in their class in those days. You even know. I mean.00:05:32:23 – 00:06:01:00Speaker 2There were six kids whenever my parents graduated in high school. Conversely, when I graduated in 80 from Bell, there were 33 in my graduating class. You you tell someone that nowadays. And I mean, but that’s just speaks to the rural nature. And sure, in Bell and, Gilchrist County, we I think Bell got a caution light probably about for somewhere close to about 45 years ago.00:06:01:02 – 00:06:22:01Speaker 2And that’s all they still have right now. But if you look at the school system, they’re they’re an A-rated school. They have been for several years. Both school systems. you have Trenton and Bell, both school systems. They are rated very highly. And when you speak to people that have moved into the area now, that’s one of the the criteria that they’re looking for are good school systems.00:06:22:07 – 00:06:27:23Speaker 1Yeah. I mean let’s talk about that a little bit. First. Were you always the size of Paul Bunyan?00:06:27:23 – 00:06:50:12Speaker 2No I wasn’t yeah. Like I said I am I will tell you I am the tallest of any of my siblings. Okay. That unfortunately didn’t do me much good until after they had already moved out. But it’s, you know, growing up in a rural area, I was really able to enjoy a lot of the outdoor activities. Gilchrist was and still is primarily agriculturally based.00:06:50:14 – 00:07:17:19Speaker 2And so I did grow up on working on a lot of farms. We had cows at our place ourself and, you know, just grew up in high school. That was the thing at the time is you spend your summers working on the farm, whether it was harvesting peanuts, it may be pitching watermelons. It’s interesting you think about it, I remember and Short Tail and and I went out to a watermelon grower one time when she was director Swanny and I took her out on a tour.00:07:17:19 – 00:07:38:07Speaker 2And now the majority of what are grown are small, personal size melons. Well, back then you had 50 and 60 pound gres or crimson sweets that were grown, and it was a workout. And it was great for the football team for prepping for fall football practice because you got to work out during the summer. That is a, you know, it was enjoyable.00:07:38:07 – 00:07:44:17Speaker 2I really enjoyed my childhood and I’ve tried to preserve some of that for my kids growing up because I think it’s a it’s a good lifestyle.00:07:44:18 – 00:07:48:08Speaker 1Let me ask you this. You met your wife there, right in in Belle.00:07:48:08 – 00:07:48:20Speaker 2I did.00:07:48:20 – 00:07:51:14Speaker 1Right it. Was she in your graduating class?00:07:51:20 – 00:08:19:09Speaker 2No, she was not. I ironically, her oldest brother and I were classmates, and she was a nuisance. And I’ve told her this. She was a nuisance then. But after I graduated and went to community college, my now brother in law, he went to school over at the university right away and just kind of lost touch with him. Didn’t see her for probably about 2 or 3 years.00:08:19:11 – 00:08:34:14Speaker 2And all of a sudden whenever I was back in the area more often, it regained my, my interest. And has held that ever since. So now she is she does have a lot of family in the area there. Okay, girl, having grown up, since she was a young child as well.00:08:34:19 – 00:08:41:05Speaker 1Yeah. And you eventually get married around the time you were at the Lake City Community College, right?00:08:41:07 – 00:08:44:18Speaker 2Actually, it was shortly after I finished up at Lake City.00:08:44:18 – 00:09:02:17Speaker 1I mean, the reason I asked is really to talk about the two of you. Talk about you two as a couple later on. So after you get together, whether it be, you know, just before marriage or getting married, you talk about starting, starting that family in that place. That’s a small one that you’re working to preserve.00:09:02:19 – 00:09:26:23Speaker 2We had a nice, long honeymoon. It lasted about 12 years, and that was by choice. We wanted to do some traveling. She always enjoyed camping, as did I. Growing up. We did a lot of a lot of camping up in the Smokies, and we had a good time with that. During that time frame, we built our first house over on the east side of the county there in Gilchrist County, and then kids came along.00:09:26:23 – 00:09:45:09Speaker 2You know, kids always change your outlook from then on. But, you know, we worked together a lot. She’s a great work partner. We built the house ourselves, contracted out some of the specialty work that was done, but that was a good exercise. I highly recommend it for couples to build a house. You probably never do it again. Well.00:09:45:11 – 00:09:53:05Speaker 1I mean, I read the you were actually in construction in some of those early days. Was that at that time that you were building the house or did you that before?00:09:53:06 – 00:10:20:06Speaker 2Actually, the working construction predated us building our house and had been in construction for about two years, and then prior to us getting married, I had actually purchased some property, over on the eastern side, seven acres. And, we decided that we wanted to build a house over there. So we did over the course of about probably about 8 or 9 months, we constructed the house, and I was still working in construction at the time.00:10:20:06 – 00:10:47:20Speaker 2And then I actually left private construction and went to work over at the University of Florida and worked there for a couple of years with the Division of Housing and Construction. Edward got to work with Edward Foster. He’s now retired from over there. Great gentleman. He taught me a lot about masonry work such that at the time, and it had come in handy several times, actually, even up until last year of doing tile work and renovations, interior renovations.00:10:47:22 – 00:11:06:22Speaker 2So that’s that’s still handy. I enjoy doing that. I enjoy working with my hands. Woodworking is a hobby of mine as well, so it worked out very well. While I was at the, the division of housing ther…

Full show notes at the publisher

Ansley Tilley Feb 05, 2024

Show notes

This week, Brett goes on a deep dive with a friend who exemplifies what this podcast is all about – Ansley Tilley. Ansley is one of the most talented engineers in Florida who has a wide array of experience from her time with the United States Air Force, the City of Palm Beach Gardens, and the South Florida Water Management District. But her real talent and passion is for service and problem-solving, so they discuss how her experiences have culminated in her current role as the Director of Alternative Delivery Solutions with our friends, Resource Environmental Solutions (RES).

They delve into the “milk story”, and how her parents sacrificed to provide her with the tools to succeed in later life; her dream of being an astronaut and the early disappointments surrounding that dream; a change in heart while attaining massive success in ROTC at the University of Miami; her brief but poignant experience serving her country in Ukraine; the love of family and the heartbreaking losses that have brought her back home over the years; her philosophy for work and service that have carried her since childhood; and how a brain built for problem-solving approaches the challenges of an ever-changing environmental landscape.

This conversation was very emotional at times and dealt with some sensitive subjects, but the lessons that can be drawn from it on a personal and professional level are priceless. We hope you find it as meaningful as we did.

To learn more about Ansley’s work and how she can help solve your environmental problems too, go here: www.res.us or email her at: atilley@res.us

This Episode is brought to you by our friends at Collins Land Services.

When it comes to your disaster recovery and land management needs, you’re looking for the perfect combination of competence, reliability, and affordability. And that means you’re looking for Collins Land Services. Check them out at www.collinsland.com

Please be sure to check out the Florida Specifier Podcast hosted by Ryan Matthews and Brett as part of a new venture where they’re striving to become Florida’s first source for environmental news, educational tools, and unique perspectives on our state’s natural environment and the events that shape it. To learn more about its flagship print publication and more, visit The Florida Specifier.

Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.

Ernie Barnett Jan 29, 2024

Show notes

This week, Brett sits down with his friend and Executive Director of the Florida Land Council, Ernie Barnett. Ernie has a wealth of experience from his days in leadership positions at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, as well as the South Florida Water Management District.

They discuss his long and consequential public service career; how a scientist ends up as an effective communicator and policy expert; his eventual shift into a successful career in the private sector; and Florida’s shifting understanding of the science behind water quality impairment in South Florida and beyond.

Oh, and did we mention that Ernie grew up in a friend group that included dolphins? More on that, too.

To learn more about Everglades restoration, head here: https://www.evergladesrestoration.gov

To see how the dolphins in Ft. Walton Beach are doing today, check out the Gulfarium’s website here: https://gulfarium.com

This episode of Water for Fighting is brought to you by my friends at RES.

This episode is also thanks to my friends at Collins Land Services.

Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.

Estus Whitfield Jan 22, 2024

Show notes

This week, Brett shares some time with friend and Florida’s Environmental Curmudgeon-in-Chief, Estus Whitfield. Estus has a wealth of experience working for SIX Florida governors where he played an integral role in the creation of the Save Our Everglades, Save Our Rivers, and Preservation 2000 programs – just to name a few. In addition to his service to Florida, he also spent over thirty years serving his country in the Florida National Guard, U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Navy Reserves where he retired at the rank of Captain.

Estus offers a unique perspective from his time serving so many governors and provides his thoughts on them; the dawn of widespread environmental restoration programs; some thoughts on current water quality issues related to septic tanks; and his somewhat pessimistic view of the future of the environment in Florida.

Agree or disagree – Estus is never shy about his thoughts, pulls few punches, and is always generous with his time. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

To find out more about the Save Our Everglades Program and other Everglades restoration initiatives, head here

To learn about the history of the Preservation 2000 (P2000) land acquisition program, head here

To learn more about the Conservation and Recreational Lands (CARL) program, go here:

Because we know you want more Boggy, Florida history:

This episode of Water for Fighting is brought to you by my friends at Sea and Shoreline.

This Episode is also thanks to my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions.

Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.

And finally, a very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band for giving permission to use his music for this podcast. The song is called Doing Work for Free, and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold.

Pepper Uchino Jan 15, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Brett sits down with his good friend and Anfield alumnus, Pepper Uchino. Pepper is now the President of the Florida Shore and Beach Preservation Association, but he has a wealth of experience from his days as the staff attorney, and then Staff Director, of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee.

Pepper is unique in that he’s the direct descendant of Japanese Samurai as well as Mayflower passengers who landed at Plymouth Rock. They discuss his early life in New England as the son of an environmental activist; the health struggles that nearly derailed his future early on; the successful and growing Resiliency Conference he hosts; and they commiserate on the life of legislative committee staff and how laws are made from the perspective of someone on the “inside”. Did we mention his childhood home was haunted? More about that as well.

To find out more about FSBA’s 37th Annual Conference on Beach Preservation Technology National Conference coming up in February, head here: https://www.fsbpa.com/tech-conference.html

And save the date for the 3rd Annual Florida Resilience Conference coming in September. To learn more and get registered, go here: https://floridaresilienceconference.org

To keep up with Pepper’s old Senate Committee and their deliberations, visit the Senate’s website here: https://www.flsenate.gov/Committees/Show/EN/

Pepper talked about his work with the Trust for Public Land before he joined the Senate. To find out more about what they do, go here: https://www.tpl.org/state/florida

When you’re in Connecticut, why not visit some of New Haven’s most haunted sites? Perhaps Pepper’s childhood home is on the list somewhere. To learn more about that, go here: https://blog.gardencommunitiesct.com/blog/most-haunted-places-new-haven-county-ct/

This episode of Water for Fighting is brought to you by my friends at Sea and Shoreline.

This Episode is also thanks to my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions.

Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.

Elizabeth Fernandez and Doug Manson Jan 08, 2024

Show notes

The long-awaited return of Water for Fighting is here!

In the first episode of Season 3, Brett travels to Tampa to record live in front of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary’s (NAALJ) National Conference. His conversation partners were Elizabeth Fernandez and Doug Manson. Elizabeth is the Deputy General Counsel at the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Doug is President of the Manson, Bolves, Donaldson, Tanner Law Firm.

They discuss Western versus Eastern Water Law, and where Florida’s water resource philosophy fits on that spectrum. They also talk about the genesis of conflict as it relates to water resources in Florida, and more importantly, the path to conflict resolution when stakeholders disagree.

To learn more about what Elizabeth’s great organization is up to and how they’re working to protect West Central Florida’s water resources, head here:

https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us

To find out how Doug and his partners can put their decades of legal expertise in water resource regulation and conflict resolution, visit them here:

https://www.mansonbolves.com/attorneys/douglas-manson/

A special thank you goes out to Judges Brian Newman, Bruce Culpepper, Francine Ffolkes, and Bill Horgan from the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings for inviting me to the conference and for supporting the mission of the show. To learn more about my gracious hosts from the NAALJ, please visit their website here:

https://www.naalj.org

To learn more about the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) with Swiftmud, go here:

https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/projects/southern-water-use-caution-area

Brett and his guests talk about the Polk Regional Water Cooperative (PRWC) and its goal of meeting water resource needs and protection goals in a place where the demand for water has outpaced supply. To learn more about that, go here: https://prwcwater.org

West-Central Florida has been a hotbed for water resource conflict over the decades, but the path to cooperative resolution really culminated with the creation of Tampa Bay Water over 25 years ago. To find out more about its creation, go here: https://www.tampabaywater.org/about-tampa-bay-water

This Episode of Water for Fighting is brought to you by my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions.

Please be sure to check out a relatively new podcast Brett hosts with his friend and colleague, Ryan Matthews, called the Florida Specifier Podcast. It’s part of a new venture that is striving to become Florida’s first source for environmental news, educational tools, and unique perspectives on our state’s natural environment and the events that shape it. To learn more about its flagship publication and more, visit The Florida Specifier.

If you’re enjoying this show, please be sure to subscribe on whatever platform you use, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star rating and review.

Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.

A very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band for giving permission to use his music for this podcast. The song is called Doing Work for Free, and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold.

Mary Szafraniec Jul 24, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Brett gets to talk with Mary Szafraniec, a Florida scientist with a remarkable personal story. They talk about her grandparents’ survival in Nazi work camps during World War II and her parents’ eventual escape from communism in Europe to arrive in the United States, ready to start a new life; how a chance meeting at a music festival changed her career path toward environmental issues and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; how she moved into the Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program at the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the importance of mentorship there; how her time in government created value in the private sector; and of course, her new role at Resource Environmental Solutions (RES) and how she strives to do good by creating accountability in her work and measuring long-term outcomes for Florida’s natural systems. To check out the things Mary and her colleagues at RES are doing to restore and protect water quality and habitat all over the U.S., visit their website here: res.us To find out what Mary can do to help you and your community, email her at this address: mszafraniec@res.us While Mary is batting cleanup for Season 2 of Water for Fighting, there’s a connect between her work partners and the first guest of this season, Steve Hawley. In Steve’s book, Cracked, he discusses the restoration of the Klamath River out west. To see what RES is doing to bring life back to that natural treasure, go here: https://res.us/home/restoring-at-scale/klamath-river-restoration/ and here: https://res.us/news/res-swiftwater-films-release-restoring-balance/ To learn more about Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) planning and implementation are going at Mary’s old stomping grounds at the Southwest Florida Water Management District, go here: https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/projects/swim Please support our sponsors, RES and Sea & Shoreline. Sea & Shoreline is a Florida-based aquatic restoration firm that is on a mission to restore Florida’s water bodies and to protect our coastline communities against severe storms. You can check out their projects at www.seaandshoreline.com RES is a national leader in ecological and hydrological restoration, offering nature-based solutions with guaranteed performance through innovative delivery options. Discover more about their work and commitment to Florida and its environmental challenges by visiting www.res.us. Our theme song is “Doing Work For Free”, by Bo Spring Band (Apple Music) (Spotify) (Pandora) Transcript [Music](…)Welcome to Water for Fighting where we discuss the past, present, and future of water in Florida with the people who make it happen. I’m your host, Brett Cyphers. This week’s discussion is brought to you by Sea and Shoreline. Sea and Shoreline is a Florida-based aquatic restoration firm that’s on a mission to restore Florida’s water bodies and to protect our coastline communities against severe storms. You can check out their projects at seainshoreline.com. All right, I’m really anxious to get into this week’s conversation with my friend and one of my favorite scientists working today, Dr. Mary Szafraniec Mary is a veteran of state government and private practice throughout the state of Florida, including at one of my old stomping grounds, the Southwest Florida Water Management District.(…) She’s now the director of water quality initiatives at Resource and Environmental Solutions.(…) She also has an incredible life story that really captures the imagination. So let’s get right to it. Mary, thanks so much for being on the show today. Thanks so much for having me. I’m very excited to talk to you today. Yeah, I apologize if I sound sniffly throughout. That’s a warning to other folks as well, but these things happen. So you were born in Chicago, but your life story begins much earlier and across the world in Poland, doesn’t it? Yes, it does. It actually did with my parents actually coming from Poland and my grandparents being in concentration camps, essentially in work camps.(…) There was a lot that went on during that time in the 40s and World War II that actually brought about the whole story of myself and my family.(…) Yeah, were your grandparents Polish? I mean, I know the camp was in Poland, but were they Polish?(…) Yeah, my parents and grandparents all from Poland, they all came from there. My grandparents actually were taken to a concentration camp. It was a work camp in Linz, Austria, and they were there for five years. And that’s actually where my grandparents have met during the war.(…) Incredible.(…) Talk about them personally. I guess maybe the thing that I want to know most is, did they ever talk about how they rebuilt their lives after the war? Because I think your parents met during that time. But I want to hear a little bit about them first and in those circumstances, if you don’t mind.(…) Oh, sure. No. And I think it’s actually interesting. The time while they were in the camp is quite interesting because they always talk about the men being the breadwinners back then. But in effect, my grandmother was the “breadwinner” because she was bringing kind of smuggling food over to my grandfather after they had met. If he was kind of trapped in an area that he wasn’t able to get out. So he was working in an area like more of a machine type shop. She was actually kind of a farmer. So she was a growing the wheat, making the food for the Nazi. And then she actually would smuggle some and take it to him because they had met in the camp, actually. So I think it’s absolutely amazing that children were created in the camps. And somehow my namesake, my aunt Marisha, which is how you say my name is Polish, who I’m named after, she was conceived right after the war ended. So something went on during the camp. There’s some way that people were still able to do that. But my grandparents actually, after they were released from the camp after five years, they went back to Poland. And they sort of had a makeshift wedding near the Krakow town. So very large town in Poland, beautiful, if anyone definitely should go see it. But he kind of built a shack style house with a dirt floor that he had built with his own hands, essentially, basically no tools, just kind of built this thing and started their lives there with my aunt. And then my mom was born about two years after that. So this is 1947, two years after the war had ended. In total, they had about six kids. And my grandfather just started their lives in total disruption, you know, everything’s recently been bombed. And he became a postman and started delivering mail on a bicycle in a small village near the big city. And then my grandmother just started farming a few hectares in the area and was tending to all the livestock, pigs, cows and what not. And I think they had some chickens and things. But yeah, so she was the breadwinner. And essentially, my grandfather was the postman. So they just started this life. And they moved to another town in Poland on the west side and kind of had a bigger house there. So everything started to move along. However, communism got set in place. And that’s sort of where my family, my parents derived from that part of the time frame.(…) Yeah, talk a bit about that as well. You had a funny story, Yusa, I think you told me about how your father came to be really interested in your mom in those days. Can you talk about that? Yeah, so my parents, this is in the mid 60s, right? And in Poland, it’s full communism time, there was one theater within about a hundred mile area. And it happened to be in the town that my dad lived in, where my mom was working as a telecommunication specialist. So she was at the movie theater by herself, just standing in line very far back in line to the point where she wasn’t going to get in. And my dad being a little bit of a macho man walked up to her, essentially picked her up and said, I can get you a ticket. So he got her a movie ticket. And it was basically from there, you know, he was kind of showing off his motorcycle and all the things. So she saw that he was someone that she would be interested in. And they started dating. But they both came from farming families, my dad had a really large farm. And my mom basically came from a small farming family. So they kind of started helping each other with doing the farming. But yeah, that was pretty funny word. My dad just came in kind of swooped in, knight shining armor, got her into the movie. And then story goes on from there. Do they remember what movie it was? I don’t know. I don’t know. I’d have to ask my mom. I don’t know the movie.(…)I’m sure it’s something in Poland. Yeah, probably Polish. I doubt it’s an American movie.(…) So your parents eventually get married and you have an older brother, right? And he was born, was he born in Poland? Yes, he was born in Poland in the late 60s. He had passed about four or five years ago. But he was born there and in Poland during that time frame. And then they ended up kind of living there. I think he was about five years old or so before they decided that they wanted to move on and leave there because of the political climate, which is not conducive to for them to raise him in that area. So they were ready to leave and ended up leaving to go to Denmark and Copenhagen through a travel visa, sort of like an escape route, first phase of the escape route for when they left Poland to go there. It was one of those things where it’s like a real defection or is this like escape in the middle of the night kind of situation? Yeah, it was a defection. Essentially, I mean, they had a travel visa to go visit for two weeks in Copenhagen because my mom had an aunt that lived there. So they said, we’re going to be back. And then once they weren’t back, people started coming after them. So they ended up leaving there. And then there’s a pretty crazy story that happened after that for them to move to Germany to leave to go to Germany. So there’s quite a bit of events that went through for them to be able to go there. Yeah, it sounds like this one was fascinating cloak and dagger stories from the old days. How long had they been in Denmark before realizing that they’re going to have to take off? I think you mentioned before, like the KGB was even involved. Yeah, they had, you know, so basically the communist government, soon as somebody is essentially defecting or not returning upon the time frame that they’re supposed to with their visas, they start to go after them and search for them. And then they would have probably ended up in jail. But they I think they were there for less than a few months. Like it was like a couple months. My dad had gotten a job working, kind of handing out flyers and things like that. And they my mom and brother were just essentially hiding in my aunt’s house. And at some point, she felt very uncomfortable with the situation and told them that they had to leave or would cause her issues. They ended up leaving after a couple months being there. And again, my father being a very good negotiator, and really good at kind of getting getting what he needs done, he actually got some papers for them. So this is all not real papers. It’s kind of stuff you see in the movies where there was some other Polish people that lived in Denmark. And this guy, he met this guy, and he gave him some papers for my mom and dad only. And they couldn’t get it from my brother, unfortunately. So my brother was still really young. He’s only five years old. And what they ended up having to do was take my brother and shove him underneath the front bench of a truck of these trucker guys that were offering to drive them over across the border from Denmark to Germany. So my dad had one foot apparently on my brother’s chest, the other foot on his leg, and squeezing him as they’re speaking to the security officers that were evaluating all the papers and wanting them to get out to like check the truck and they didn’t thankfully, but they made it across the border safely. But it was, it sounds like a very traumatic experience, my brother, and just super intense and dangerous. So they made it through though. They got to Germany, which is amazing, to freedom essentially. Yeah, it’s incredible. I mean, were all those worries gone when they made to Germany? I mean, there were parts of Germany, obviously, in those days where it was not safe. I don’t think the worries were gone. I think they’re full intent from the very beginning was to get to America. These other places were just like pastures. They wanted to they knew they had to make some different challenging stops. So Germany was another stop. However, Germany really did. They had a really good life there. He was trained as a German auto mechanic while they were there for five years. They almost received their citizenship. But at that point, they realized they’d made a decision. Do we stay in Germany? Or do we go to America? And they said, America’s a place. So they ended up packing up and leaving within five years. My dad, he was working and fully paid well and everything. And they had a house and everything. And my mom was a checkout girl in a grocery store called Super Spy Thousand, which means 2000 in German. So they had a good life. And my brother was in school and everything. So they just said, America’s a place. And my dad says, let’s pack up tips and suitcases. And they went to Chicago. Yeah, I guess the the training part that comes into play later on when your dad’s looking for for work, you know, going to third, completely new country and this one across the Atlantic. Him being an auto mechanic helped you and your mom start their new life in the US, didn’t it? Yes, very much so. I mean, especially in Chicago when they came, he learned German engineering. So basically the fancy cars, Porsche’s, and all the BMW’s. And they needed people for that. So luckily in Chicago, there’s a very large population of Poles. Basically, at the time, I think they said there was more Pollocks there than in Warsaw. So lots of Polish people, they were able to kind of integrate really easily and get work right away. People, they started their lives there. And I was born about a year after they moved to America in the mid to late 70s. But yeah, I think that that part of their story is nice because they actually were able to root in a community, you know, that was similar to theirs, not speaking English is was very difficult still, but it was a lot easier than if they had come to like straight to Florida or, you know, another state. Right. But that’s what happened after, right? So what, what takes you from, you know, such a large Polish community in the US, but you grew up on opposite coasts, you grew up in California and Florida, right? Well, how did that happen, first of all? Well, we, so we were in Chicago until about, I was six years old, I think, when we moved. And at that time, I think they also had some questioning entities that were appearing at the house, and they wanted to move on a little bit. So there was still issues with the whole collection and the asylum and all of that stuff. So without being a citizen right away, it is, it was difficult for a lot of families, they had to keep kind of moving along. But I was six years old, as far as I remember, when we left Chicago area, we’re in the suburbs, I just remember being really cold there. And I didn’t really speak English at all. And I just was hanging out my friends that were Polish, you know, my friends, parents, and their kids that were Polish. I think we did a road trip or something, and my parents saw California, and then that was it. That’s where they wanted to go. Because they just really wanted to get away from the cold and everything that could have, that I don’t know the details on as far as the legality of staying there. But I was an American citizen. So since I was born here, I was able to k…

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Jeff Littlejohn Jul 17, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Brett heads to the empire headquarters of Florida’s most prolific environmental professional, Jeff Littlejohn. Jeff is a principal at the National Stormwater Trust, OnSyte Performance, and the Florida Environmental Network (host of the Environmental Permitting Summer School in Marco Island); a Senior Advisor with the Adams and Reese Law Firm; and the Founding Editor of the newly revamped Florida Specifier. They talk about growing up the son of Florida environmental royalty; how Top Gun and his step-father influenced his decision to attend the U.S. Naval Academy; what brought him back to Florida to work as an engineer; his sometimes controversial tenure at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; and whether he’s the Nicolas Cage of Florida environmental entrepreneurs. To check out The Florida Specifier – Jeff’s latest endeavor, visit the website here: Floridaspecifier.com To learn more about what Jeff is doing at the National Stormwater Trust, go here: Nationalstormwater.com To find out how if Jeff can help you from his chair at the Adams and Reese Law Firm, email him here: Jeff.littlejohn@arlaw.com If you’re looking to see how Jeff and his team at OnSyte Performance are innovating the way we think of wastewater management in Florida, go here: www.onsyte.com If you want to see what’s going on at the 37th Annual Environmental Permitting Summer School, look here: www.floridaenet.com Please support our sponsors, RES and Sea & Shoreline. Sea & Shoreline is a Florida-based aquatic restoration firm that is on a mission to restore Florida’s water bodies and to protect our coastline communities against severe storms. You can check out their projects at www.seaandshoreline.com RES is a national leader in ecological and hydrological restoration, offering nature-based solutions with guaranteed performance through innovative delivery options. Discover more about their work and commitment to Florida and its environmental challenges by visiting www.res.us. Our theme song is “Doing Work For Free”, by Bo Spring Band (Apple Music) (Spotify) (Pandora) Transcript [Music](…)Welcome to Water for Fighting, where we discuss the past, present, and future of water in Florida, what the people will make it happen. I’m your host, Brett Cyphers. This week’s discussion is brought to you by Sea and Shoreline and Resource Environmental Solutions.(…) Sea and Shoreline is a Florida-based aquatic restoration firm that’s on a mission to restore Florida’s water bodies and to protect our coastline communities against severe storms. You can check out their projects at seanshoreline.com. And of course, REZ. REZ is a national leader in ecological and hydrological restoration, offering nature-based solutions with guaranteed performance through innovative delivery options. Discover more about their work and commitment to Florida and its environmental challenges by visiting www.res.us.(…) Alright, I’m happy to introduce this week’s conveniently timed guest, Jeff Littlejohn. Now, when I met Jeff, he was the Deputy Secretary for Regulatory Programs at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. He’s now a principal at, and this is a long list everyone, National Stormwater Trust, a principal at On-Site Performance, Senior Policy Advisor at the Adams and Reese Law Firm, part owner of the Florida Environmental Network, and is now the founder of the Relaunch Florida Specifier. Now, that’s a mouthful, and we’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get right to it. Jeff, welcome to Water for Fighting. Thanks a lot, Brett. I’m really excited to be here. I typically move from birth forward with podcast guests, but part of your childhood, and nearly every year since, is intertwined with the events of this week. It’s Environmental Permitting Summer School Week in Marco Island, or as I sometimes refer to it as, the Super Bowl of Environmental Professionals here in Florida. Your father, Chuck Littlejohn, started it all. And now you’re carrying that torch all these years later. Talk about summer school’s inception and what it means to you. It’s really meaningful to me and my whole family, Brett. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be in this position now to kind of carry the torch that my dad lit so many years ago when he started this whole thing with the chamber back in 1986 or 87, I believe. You’re right. It’s been part of my life for almost as long as I can remember. It was always billed as a family-friendly event. A lot of people that have been down there many years, if you’ve gone through a part of your life where you’re having kids, it’s a great place to bring them. And I think a lot of people have taken advantage of that. And we’ve really encouraged that over the years. And I was certainly part of that from the very beginning. I think the very first year would have been 1987 because I was 16.(…) And I remember that summer getting to go down there, and I got to hang out at the pool and the beach. And I never really understood what my dad did. So he was inside doing his thing, and I was just out by the pool. But there were always a lot of kids there, and it was always easy to meet other kids who had parents at the event. And it was really cool. I don’t remember Ryan Matthews early on, I think, in those first couple of years that I went before I went off to college. Because I think he was a lot younger than me, so he might have been in the kiddie pool. But I do remember, I just remember thinking, as Ryan and I have been talking about this lately, how cool it is that he remembers growing up there too as a kid and his dad going. And we’ve had those experiences and kind of bonded over that shared experience. And it’s really meaningful that we get to do it together now, knowing that our fathers were involved from the very beginning. And now we’re doing it together. It’s pretty cool. Yeah, I think that is cool. And myself off and on for the last 21, 22 years have gone. I find myself not on the beach or in the pool because obviously we’re down there to work more. When it comes to you, was there a point when you were younger, what was that point when you started to pay attention to what was going on inside of the building rather than out back? Oh, it wasn’t until I came back later as an environmental professional and went as an attendee. I mean, as a kid, it was just a fun place to go. Nice. Okay. Let’s press the rewind button a bit. Now back to standard operating procedure. You were born in Melbourne here in Florida, but you grew up in a bunch of different places, right? Yeah, that’s right. See, yeah. And I want to talk about not just your parents, but I also want to talk about your step parents a little bit. Because based on your choices of career, it seems like they’ve had a significant impact to you all the way around. First, let’s start with your dad and mom. Where are Chuck and Donna from and how did they get to Florida? Yeah, that’s an interesting story. I ended up calling my mom this week to make sure I had all the details right. She’s going to listen to this, I’m sure, and she’ll fact check me if I’m wrong about something. So my dad’s family is from Western South Carolina, Greenville, Clemson area. And if yes, if you Google it or didn’t know the Little John Coliseum, they’re at Clemson University is a relative. Oh, yeah. But anyway, that must of my family’s from there. But my little John Klan originated from there. But my grandfather moved my dad and his two sisters and my grandmother down to Fort Lauderdale in would have been the fifties for work. He was a World War Two Navy guy and ended up working for Sears as a store manager and opened up a lot of different Sears stores for the company. And one of those brought him to Fort Lauderdale. And that’s where my dad grew up mainly in his kind of middle school, high school years, graduated from high school down there. And and even after he went off to college and I got older and started coming home. And when I visit my parents, I got to go see the house where he spent most of his life down in Fort Lauderdale. It was pretty cool. My mom is from Waco, Texas. She’s from a large Catholic family. She was one of eight siblings. She’s got a very interesting story, too. She’s the oldest. So she tells me that growing up there, she almost felt like she didn’t have much of a childhood. She became a babysitter as far back as she can remember. So I think by the time she got ready to graduate high school and look for what to do next, it was get as far away from Waco as possible and have a different life. So after high school volunteered to go on a U.S.O. tour and she ended up going to Europe and all kinds of places, sing for GIs around around the world. At some point, she met a boy and followed him to Atlanta, Georgia, and he ended up being a roommate of my dad’s.(…)He also ended up having a fiance. Oh, yeah. But anyway, this was I forgiven him because it got my mom to meet my dad and they ended up hitting it off. And she might say he was a rebound. I don’t know. I think that’s probably accurate.(…)They started dating and she got a job there. And when he graduated, he took her back to Waco to get married in her hometown and home church. And then after that, they went down to Florida. Is your dad Catholic or no? No, it was my mom’s family. OK, they went back to Waco, Texas to get married. At what point you were I think you were. Oh, I wasn’t born yet. Yeah, no, they they just got married and then my dad got a job. This was in the late 60s, maybe 70. And he got a job at Harris Corp. Working in the Apollo program. So that’s what got them to Melbourne. That’s that’s how I ended up being born in Melbourne is he was working at Harris Corp. At the time as an engineer, you know, he just graduated from tech. He was doing kind of that industrial engineering thing. And I learned later from him that that just wasn’t just didn’t it wasn’t interesting to him. I think he thought he wanted to do that, but he didn’t like it for some reason. He ended up going back to college, went to UF to study environmental engineering. And so that’s where you know, you said I moved around a lot. I did. I think I moved two or three times while I was still in diapers. So went from Melbourne to Gainesville. He got his master’s there, I think, either right after he graduated or maybe even right before he was he graduated. He was recruited in the Law and Child Administration to come up to Tallahassee and join. I don’t think it was DER was his first job. I think he he was at a predecessor agency, but he was there right near the very beginning of the establishment of DER with some of those other old timers you’ve heard about Jay Landers and that he worked for Jay Landers. Okay. And so that brought us all up to Tallahassee. So I was still very young boy and up here in Tallahassee. He had the state job. My mom was going to FSU trying to get a get a degree in nursing. That’s kind of I think when the wheels fell off and our little family. Not that those types of things are fortuitous necessarily, but it does bring your stepfather Mac into the story. Sounds like an interesting guy. I know your dad. I do not know Mac, but I think he’s part of why you spent a lot of time moving around and also your attachment to the Navy, right? Yeah, that’s right. So he is very different from my father. He had been a corpsman in Vietnam deployed with the Marines. He was definitely his big guy, tough guy, wore a lot of that experience on his sleeve. He was a Navy guy for sure. So he came back from there and went to FSU on the GI Bill. His family is from the Panhandle. So I think he just FSU was a natural place to go. He was also in the nursing program. So yes, he was a Navy nurse. But I think if you were to try to imagine what that’s like, he was more his personality was a lot closer to the to the door gunner in full metal jacket than to like Gaylord Fokker. All right. That’s a picture. Yeah. Yeah. So a little closer to the door gunner. They both were in the same nursing school.(…)Class.(…) And so they knew each other only because they were going to school together, taking classes together. But they were not together until after my my mom and dad had separated and divorced and a couple years later. And they were getting close to graduation. And I think that I made a connection. And it wasn’t long after that that we all got shipped off to San Diego, which was his first duty station after graduating became an officer. And they got married out in San Diego. And I went with them.(…) Well, let’s let’s try to contextualize your life in the middle of that now, because I mean, all that’s like, I love family dramas and and how how where people come from. And it informs how their their minds work a lot. But I want to focus on you a little bit in the midst of that. What were you like as a kid? What activities did you enjoy? I remember not having a lot of close friends. We moved a lot. You know, I was in San Diego as a six or seven or eight year old. We went to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, nine, ten, eleven, went to Pensacola, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and went out to Houston, Texas for the rest of high school. And so I never really stayed in one place long enough to have very close friends. I’d meet some people in school or neighbors or whatever. And I end up having some friends. But I think because maybe because of all of the moving around or just my personality, I was kind of a bookish type. Right. I like to read books. I like I had an Atari 2600 and a Commodore 64 and an Intellivision and a Betamax. So like I was in the like that’s the that’s your house was the place to be. Oh, in the 80s, we had all the all the latest tech. So but I played a lot of games. I read a lot of books and I don’t think you should cut this out. But I played Dungeons and Dragons. I mean, I was definitely a nerd. Yeah, I think it’s cool. But the academics, I think, was a huge part of how you ended up at Naval Academy. Right. I mean, they don’t let people like me in the Naval Academy.(…)Yeah, I didn’t get a Dungeons and Dragons scholarship. No, I also didn’t put that on my application, though. I think that might have been a negative with my dad and my stepdad in the in the Navy and mom always working as a nurse. I was a latchkey kid and I don’t remember a lot of vacations. So yeah, schooling was was always relatively easy for me. I think I probably in a lot of places like my teachers more than I liked most of the kids I was going to school with. I wasn’t terribly outdoorsy. I did play soccer growing up and I was good enough to be kind of a bench warmer on the varsity team and in high school. And I think that helped round me out just enough to maybe be socially acceptable at some point later in high school. And that helped that helped with my application Academy.(…) Did you already know before you went to the Academy what you want to study in college?(…) The path that brought me there, obviously I was experienced or had some exposure to the Navy through my stepdad, of course, but it was really the summer of eighty six when Top Gun came out that I that I got the bug. Right. I just knew I wanted to be a pilot in the Navy and I wanted to have I wanted to be an engineer and and I wanted to relive that movie. Right. I mean, it was just it was a childhood fantasy for a 15 year old at that at that point in your life. I got a chance to go to summer camp for nerds basically at the at the Naval Academy the next year. And that just sealed the deal for me. I got to see the campus and it was a great experience. And but yeah, so I came home that next year going back to high school and immediately applied. I was appointed in eighty eight and then graduated from high school in eighty nine. Yeah. You mentioned the pilot thing and I think I’m not sure any 15 year old or or in that age range that saw Top Gun when we were kids had any other idea and they wanted to be a fighter pilot for the Navy…

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Carter Henne Jul 10, 2023

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In this episode, Brett gets a visit from his friend and President of Sea & Shoreline – Carter Henne. They talk about growing up outdoors and on the water in Polk County; how his desire to create sustainable marine ecosystems drew him first to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and then Sea & Shoreline founder Jim Anderson; the things we’ve been getting wrong about seagrass restoration in the past and how that’s changed; and a look at some of the work he’s doing to now to protect coastlines and natural systems that extend far beyond just seagrasses.On a lighter note, they also discuss the importance of securing boat’s motor before reaching the middle of a lake as well as the world of competitive underwater bicycle racing (yes, that’s a real thing). If you want to hear Carter’s alligator stories, you’ll have to ask about those in person.To check out the things Carter and the good folks at Sea & Shoreline to make Florida better, visit their website here: https://seaandshoreline.comTo check out some stories about the great work Sea & Shoreline are doing to restore manatee habitat in the Crystal River, go here: https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/full-circle/saving-our-springs-a-day-with-the-underwater-gardeners-at-sea-and-shoreline and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HscircgSUFU and here: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/gma3/video/rehabilitation-efforts-protect-dying-groups-manatees-98730763 and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwANZ9GOI2Y and here: https://www.chronicleonline.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-l-state-officials-tour-waterways-under-restoration/article_bd29bf3b-bcca-5cf4-9900-c35af44b7d40.htmlWant to see Carter’s team feed manatees? Go here: drive.google.com/file/d/1QmpruTsRWwX8TsejsopOgj0-Hhf6EH5C/viewYou can also see what the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are doing to restore vital habitat here: https://floridadep.gov/dear/water-quality-restoration/content/impaired-waters-tmdls-and-basin-management-action-plansWhat is the Southwest Florida Water Management District doing to help this habitat? Plenty – so check out their partnering efforts here: https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/projects/swim/crystal-river-kings-bay Please support this episode’s sponsor, RES. RES is a national leader in ecological and hydrological restoration, offering nature-based solutions with guaranteed performance through innovative delivery options. Discover more about their work and commitment to Florida and its environmental challenges by visiting www.res.us.Our theme song is “Doing Work For Free”, by Bo Spring Band (Apple Music) (Spotify) (Pandora) Transcript [Music](…)Welcome to Water for Fighting, where we discuss the past, present, and future of water in Florida, where the people make it happen. I’m your host, Brett Seifers.(…)This episode of Water for Fighting is brought to you by Resource Environmental Solutions. Res is a national leader in ecological and hydrological restoration, offering nature-based solutions with guaranteed performance through innovative delivery options. Discover more about their work and commitment to Florida and its environmental challenges by visiting www.res.us.(…)Alright, I think you’re all going to like this week’s guest a lot, Carter Henney. He’s a Polk County guy who I describe as a cross between Jacques Cousteau and Steve Irwin. He’s a marine biologist with an entrepreneurial spirit. He spent some time in his early professional life working at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. Carter’s now the president of Sea and Shoreline, and I’m psyched he agreed to give me some time while he was in town.(…)Carter, it’s great to see you here in Tallahassee. Welcome, sir. Hey, happy to be here. Thank you. So, you were born in Winterhaven, and we have a lot of Polk coming through this, I’m using my quote fingers here, studio. But your story, like many people’s, like my family’s as well, did not begin in Polk County necessarily. Talk to me about your parents a little bit. They’re from Indiana, or at least they met in Indiana? That’s right, and it’s not surprising that you’d have people from Polk. It’s pretty much the center of the universe, according to us. Yeah, so family, my parents met at Indiana University. My dad was going there for optometry school at the time, and my mom was going through law school. And, you know, just like every good college romance, they met in the laundromat and struck it up, and that was it. I want to go back just a little bit further, just because it’s an interesting story, and I’ll tell people as well, it’s like, it’s a long winding tale for you. But I liken you kind of to a mix I was thinking about the other day, I was like, how to describe Carter Henning. I think it’s a cross between Jacques Cousteau and Steve Irwin. And we’ll get to some of that later. But I think some of that personality comes probably from your grandfather. He was a professional baseball player and a bunch of other things as well. Tell me about him a little bit. Yeah, that’s right. And that’s actually how my dad was born and grew up in Polk County. My grandpa was hired on as the first faculty member of Polk State College, Polk Community College at the time, now Polk State College. He went on. So my dad grew up in Polk County, went to Winter Haven High School, went to the same high schools as my dad. My dad actually went to Polk State College or Community College at the time, then to USF. And then I guess there was only two or three optometry schools in the country at the time. And one of those was at Indiana University. And that’s how he ended up there. And then my mom, she’s from, I think it’s Kindleville. My little sister’s Kindle. And then she grew up basketball fans, whole family, big Bobby Knight folks. And it just was a natural fit for her to go to Indiana. Yeah. And it’s funny. It’s like obviously, you know, basketball is life up there. But you and I talked not long ago about yourself. And you played some sports, but basketball wasn’t one of them. Is that sacrilege? Like was your mom heartbroken?(…)Yeah, no, she wasn’t heartbroken because my older brother, he was good at it. So he played basketball. I played some sports, obviously, baseball, basketball growing up. And we would go, my grandpa would take us up to the University of Kentucky where he played for basketball camp. I remember just long, long, long road trips going up to Kentucky with him in the fast lane, everyone going around us in Atlanta traffic.(…)But we got to play with the players and because of his relationships at the time, I think Calipari was the coach there. And just got to see the behind the scenes aspect of it, which was really nice. Nice. But let’s get to you a little bit. You mentioned a little bit of sports, but I want to talk about what you were like as a kid. Beyond the sports, you had to spend a lot of time outdoors. So I’m the middle child. My mom or my parents had three children and she affectionately refers to us as the three black sheep of the family. I’d say I’d probably take most of that honor. Yeah, she wanted us outside. So I was the youngest kid in the neighborhood. I was the middle child of our own family. And all the other neighborhood kids were, I don’t know, probably two to 10 years older than us and or older than me. And so it was just general goofing off. There was a cul-de-sac. And at the time in central Florida, not every lot was developed. Some had trees on it and there was some swamps behind it and some retention areas. And we go back in and tree forts and just general little kid stuff. It was on a big hill. Surprisingly, it was on the edge of Eagle Ridge. And so we’d get skateboards or bicycles or roller blades and figure out how fast we could go and what we could break and just general messing around. At some point, though, I think you’d mentioned I think you were about maybe 11 or 12. You said you moved to live on a lake itself. Which one was that? Yeah, that was Lake Daisy. So that was awesome. So growing up on a neighborhood off the lake was fun. My dad would take us down fishing to the local boat ramps. But then it was in your backyard and you could do it. And then that’s when it became something that I not only liked to do, but I could do it whenever I wanted to. And I could get good at it. And so I was just constantly in the water. Started out with a John boat. Had a John boat with a motor for about three days and or see me three hours and the tiller handles PSA. If you put a motor on a boat, make sure it’s all the screws are tightened down so it hangs on to the transom.(…) But yeah, so sank the motor and I was back down to Ores. So now it’s like I’ll skip I’ll skip board real quick for that. It’s like, do you the folks that you work with now, you all spend a lot of time on boats. Did they have to double check when when you’re in charge of a boat that you use draft motor on? Right. Absolutely. Absolutely. I’ve been known to mess one up. Right. So speaking of water, speaking of fishing, speaking of being on the boat, you actually started you say the first fishing club ever. And it was in Florida or is it beyond that? So going back to sports,(…) I always our entire family is incredibly competitive at weird things. And I’ve got that competitive gene. All my friends were going to play football in high school. And I said, well, I’ve never played football before. All the cool kids are doing it. There’s cheerleaders. Let’s let’s do it. So bad idea. I remember being on special teams of defensive end and special teams. I really just defended the water bottle mostly. But the special teams was just a kick in the pants. And I remember going south. This is ridiculous. You better pick a sport that you’re good at. And the only thing I was good at was fishing. And so I went to the I think it was Dean of Students at the time and a couple of buddies. And we started the first high school fishing team or club in the country at the time, which was just a ton of fun. We would go out anyone from canoes kayaks to full scale bass boats. We had cheerleaders the way the fish in the Dean of Students would boil peanuts and drink Bushlight on the edge of the bank. And it was just really, really good. And it went from just our high school to the following year. We got other schools in Polk County and then regional and then statewide. And then some of the folks actually that were original members went on to professional bass fish. And some started teams in colleges. And now it is where it is today, which is really cool to see. Yeah. I mean, we talked about that a little bit on the phone. I was most astounded by how much the purse was of this fishing competition. You said some guys wanted to be pros. Like being pro at fishing happens to be pretty lucrative if you’re any good at it, right? Yeah, it’s crazy.(…) You’re in high stakes. I mean, it’s just man versus beast out there. And it’s just it’s awesome. What was that? What was that first, like three and a half million dollars? Two point eight. Two point eight. Two point eight.(…) So you can read more about it on it’s been all over Barstool Sports. It’s been over all kinds of different magazines lately and a couple lawsuits filed out of it. But we’ll see.(…)So speaking of your time on the wire, this is in high school, even a little bit before, did that have an impact on your mindset? Was there something going on at the time where you’re like, hey, this may be something that I want to do for a living, not just the fishing itself, but in terms of how you saw the natural world around you? Yeah, that’s a great question. So I’ve always been a little bit quirky and always excited about the outdoors and really curious and trying to understand it. And when you’re fishing, fishing isn’t hard. It’s just recognizing patterns and then recognizing with enough conviction that you’re changing what you’re doing. So it’s just really repetitive. And growing up in Polk County, the mantra was we had 100 lakes within city limits and you would see lakes in some sort of development or natural or whatever the case may be. And you got to see these repetitious cycles of clean water and habitat being overly developed and poorly managed. And so you get to see all these different cycles. And that was always really curious to me. I knew I wanted to work outside. I didn’t know what that looked like. But just the beauty of what we do and working in the environment is there’s really no right answers. There’s less wrong answers and then just figuring out teasing away the gray. And that’s what I love to do. Is that what took you to USF then? You studied biology at USF, right? Right. Was that something that fed you into that or was it still, hey, biology gives me some options in terms of just being in a scientific field? Yeah, so my dad’s an optometrist.(…) There was a heavy campaign pressure to become an optometrist. There’s nothing wrong with the sport or the profession. I’m sorry, dad. It just wasn’t for me. And I knew that in my heart of hearts, but I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to be outside. And one of the smartest things I’ve ever done was a ridiculously stupid thing is just sit in my dorm room by myself, probably with a couple libations. And just like every other college student trying to figure out what they want to do with their life. And what I did was I started with a blank sheet of paper and started at the top. And I kind of wrote what my attributes and what I was good at and what I was passionate about. And then on the next line, I would try to write jobs that I thought had those qualities. And then I just kept going down into a triangle, upside down triangle, lower and lower.(…) And I got to the end and became a professional fisherman or a farmer. I really didn’t have a conviction on whether I wanted to be one or the other. So I just googled fish farming and just fell in love with aquaculture and farming fish. And I knew it would take me outside. I knew it would feed my creativity side. I knew it would from my intellectual side. And it was a growing industry and I thought I could make a mark at it. And so through school, I didn’t specialize in marine bio or botany or environmental. It was kind of, hey, if I can’t get this aquaculture thing going, then I can fall back and become an optometrist. And really that helped me out in my career because I took a lot of intensive chemistry, biochem and a lot of those courses. And also I was like, I’ll tell people, if you see Carter in person somewhere, I want to get into too much for now. But I asked a question because I’m talking about your time in college. And I talked to one of your colleagues before you and I sat down to talk. And they said, hey, ask Carter about the alligator story. And I said to you on the phone, hey Carter, tell me about the alligator story because I want to talk about that. And you said which one?(…) And so folks out there, if you get a chance to, I don’t know what the statute of limitations is for alligators situations. But if you see them, make sure you ask Carter about to tell you about at least one of them.(…)So back to the story of large, you’re finishing up at USF. You’ve decided the kind of person you want to be professionally.(…) And then it took you to, was that Fish and Wildlife right out of college? So it was actually during college. My second junior year, I was reading the high school news or the college newspaper. I saw that there was a scuba diving tournament that was coming up. So I participated in this scuba Olympics tournament. And there I met a lady that was, her name’s Maki. So shout out to Maki. That was the microbiologist at FWC down in St. Pete. She introduced me, just kind of telling her what I wanted to do, like big picture. And she says, oh, my roommate is the intern coordinator for FWC’s fish hatchery down in Port Manta T. I’ll introduce you. And I just kind of sleep at night. I was ju…

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