Despite Senate diss, Swiftmud rehires chief

TAMPA -- Although warned that they were defying powerful senators, the Tampa Bay region's state water board voted unanimously Tuesday to rehire as its executive director the same man passed over by a Senate committee last week.

Three senators had blocked confirmation of Southwest Florida Water Management District executive director Dave Moore, a move that could have put him on the unemployment line in June. So the board voted to rehire him for one year, giving next year's Legislature another shot at confirming him.

When Moore asked if such a rehiring was legal, the water board's attorney, Bill Bilenky, said, "This has never happened before with an executive director."

Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lakeland, said he and two colleagues, Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Plant City, and Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness, had blocked the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee from even considering Moore's confirmation during a meeting last week where the executive directors of the state's other four water districts all passed easily.

They had a number of concerns with Moore, Alexander said, particularly questions about whether Moore was blocking a proposal to pipe Hillsborough County's reclaimed water to phosphate mining giant Mosaic and a TECO power plant in Polk County -- a project that Alexander supports.

--Craig Pittman and Jennifer Liberto

Comments

Typical coastal area trying to screw the heartland. Moore needs to stop pandering to Tampa Bay and start taking care of the whole district for once.

God forbid Polk County get anything but projects that no one else wants.

It's about time for Dockery to start bashing JD for helping THEIR county. She only hurts her own district.

This is a slap in the face of every Senator because if "any" senator had been responsible for this concern the agency has shown how they would respond. This should send a clear message to the legislature just how arrogant these Water Districts have become. The senate should respond by recinding "all" the Water districts ED confirmations and hold an emergency meeting with the Governors staff and call all the five agency board leaders to a meeting in Tallahassee. There is protocol and process and these agencies should be reminded they are NOT "oligarks". The question now is will the senate accept this diss or will they send a clear message.

Can someone tell me why the senated REALLY doesn't like this guy?

"senate" - sorry

[Buzzard]

Don' mess wid Swiffmud.

looks like swiftmud just "dissed" the senate-ha!. Bet they just sit there and take it!

[Donald Lance]

4:23. Because he doesn't work for Nestle N. America S.A. better known as Zephyrhills.

why didnt swiftmud at least wait until "after" the session was over to rehire the guy. It at least wouldn't look like such a spit in the eye to the senate. I would be very surprised if the senate does just sits there and takes this very public "diss" to its body.

4:02-
you're right. Everybody should be as reliable and upstanding as JD.

Interesting that these Senators did exactly that which the citizens tried to circumvent when the Districts were created. Allow political influence to force the decision making process about water matters.

It's about taking care of the entire district, not just Tampa's rich folks on Bayshore.

Other agencies should use this as example to tell the Legislature to sit and spin!!!

Thank goodness the Gov Board stood their ground and made sure we didn't loose a very important part of the SWFWMD. The Florida State Senate has been an absolute joke this entire session. In passing over Dave Moore's confirmation it is just another example of their idiocy. Let's hope the Senate prospers under the guidance of Senator Atwater.