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March 14, 2019
SFWMD's New Governing Board Elects Chairman, Vice Chairman and Names Executive Director
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Click on the image to watch video of SFWMD's new Governing Board electing its new Chairman Chauncey Goss and new Vice Chairman Scott Wagner and naming SFWMD's new Executive Director Drew Bartlett.
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West Palm Beach, FL - The South Florida Water Management District's (SFWMD) new Governing Board today chose its leadership to fulfill the District's flood control, water quality projects, environmental restoration and water supply missions. The new Governing Board elected member Chauncey Goss as the Chairman and member Scott Wagner as the
Vice Chairman. They are part of a completely new Governing Board appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to serve the 8.1 million residents of South Florida.
"I appreciate the trust my fellow Board members have in me and I look forward to serving in the position by working with scientists, engineers, restoration experts and the public to fulfill the Governor's vision of this District," said Chairman Goss.
Vice Chairman Wagner added: "As Vice Chairman, I am proud to represent the citizens of South Florida as we make tremendous progress on restoring the environment and protecting our natural resources in the coming years."
The new Governing Board also named
Drew Bartlett, Deputy Secretary for Ecosystem Restoration at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), as the SFWMD's Executive Director responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations of the District as the nine-person Board makes policy decisions.
"I am honored that Gov. DeSantis and the Governing Board have placed their confidence in me. I am committed to working with all stakeholders to get the job done," said Bartlett, who will officially take over as Executive Director on April 1. "
It is up to this District to knock down all obstacles to ensure comprehensive Everglades restoration is implemented quickly."
About the Chairman
Chauncey Goss is the founder and managing partner of Goss Practical Solutions, a firm that provides federal fiscal policy analysis and budget
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SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Chauncey Goss
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forecasting. Prior to starting the firm, Goss served as Dep
uty Staff
Director and Director of Budget Review for the House Budget Committee under U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan.
Before working on Capitol Hill, Goss worked for the Executive Office of the President in the Office of Management and Budget's National Security Division where he was instrumental in ensuring the Department of Defense and intelligence community were properly resourced. Prior to that, he worked as a strategic planner under contract to the Air Force, Navy and intelligence community.
As a long-time resident of Southwest Florida, Goss first became involved with water quality issues when he worked as the Executive Director of the Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association on Boca Grande in the early 1990s.
Goss grew up on Sanibel Island and currently lives there with his wife and three sons. He is active in his community and served as an elected member of the Sanibel City Council. He is past Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Canterbury School in Fort Myers. He serves on the boards of Captains for Clean Water (Treasurer); the Southwest Florida Community Foundation (Executive Committee); the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation; and the United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee counties. He has served as an appointed member of the Lee County Coastal Advisory Council and as an appointed member to the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program's Management Committee.
He received a B.A. Degree (Area Studies - Political Science, Environmental Studies, English) from Rollins College and a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University.
About the Vice Chairman
Scott Wagner, an attorney from Miami, is the president and owner of Wagner Legal, which he founded in 2018. He has specialized in maritime and aviation law for the past 15 years. Wagner has appeared in more
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SFWMD Governing Board Vice Chairman Scott Wagner
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than 150 federal court actions both at the trial and appellate levels including cases involving global business disputes, construction defects, fraud and civil racketeering and corruption claims.
Wagner lives in Miami Beach with his wife and two daughters. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in history from Yale University and his Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Miami. He is heavily involved in giving back to his local community, including serving on the Orange Bowl Committee in Miami and previously serving on the Mt. Sinai Medical Center founders' board. He has also served in various roles at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce and Miami Children's Hospital.
About the Executive Director
Drew Bartlett currently serves as DEP's Deputy Secretary for Ecosystem Restoration. In this position, he is responsible for overseeing statewide water supply; restoring and protecting Florida's aquatic ecosystems
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SFWMD Executive Director Drew Bartlett
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including the Everglades; managing aquatic research, monitoring, and laboratory analysis; funding water and wastewater infrastructure and governing coastal protection and resiliency.
Bartlett previously served as Director of the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration, responsible for setting water quality standards, monitoring and assessing surface water quality, establishing restoration goals and adopting restoration plans. Prior to his service at DEP, Bartlett spent 17 years implementing the federal Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Mr. Bartlett holds a B.S. Degree in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and received a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Georgia State University.
For more updates on SFWMD's work:
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The South Florida Water Management District is a regional governmental agency that manages the water resources in the southern part of the state. It is the oldest and largest of the state's five water management districts. Our mission is to protect South Florida's water resources by balancing and improving flood control, water supply, water quality and natural systems.
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