SUN-SENTINEL.com

May 4, 2007

 

 

Chairman of South Florida Water Management District resigns

 

By Dianna Cahn

 

 

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-54waterheadquits,0,4992781.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

 

 

 

South Florida Water Management District Chairman Kevin McCarty tendered his resignation this week amidst a severe drought, to make room for the new governor's appointment, McCarty said on Friday.

 

McCarty, who has just completed his first four-year term, had hoped to stay on for a second term and submitted his application to the governor's office. But last week he learned that Gov. Charlie Crist wants to install his own appointments on the board.

 

"I made the decision last Thursday or Friday and I sent in a letter on Monday withdrawing my application," McCarty said. McCarty's position is unpaid as are all the district's governing board positions. He remains on the job until the governor appoints a replacement.

 

McCarty's resignation comes at a time of strain for the water management district, which is facing the most severe drought in south Florida in decades with Lake Okeechobee levels dropping to a historic low. The district is responsible for balancing the region's demands for water with protecting the public's water resources.

 

With over a has over a billion-dollar budget, the district is in charge of all water supply and flood control and partners with federal agencies in the Everglades restoration.

 

McCarty was appointed to the board by former Gov. Jeb Bush in 2003 and was elected chairman by his fellow governing board members in 2005. His four years have coincided with a tumultuous time for the district, beginning with controversial Everglades legislation, then two-years of heavy rainfall that flooded the lake, a season of powerful hurricanes and now the drought.

 

"So enough's enough," McCarty said. "I feel like I've been liberated."