On July 17th, Robert Beltran sent another memo to SWFWMD employees explaining that the Headquarters of SWFWMD will not be moved to Tampa due to the ample feedback they received from cities, counties and organizations against the move. Beltran wrote, “After completion of our budget process and further discussions with our Business Plan consultant, local officials and community leaders, staff concurs with the Governing Board’s action to approve the Business Plan except for the designation of the District headquarters.”
However, many are not breathing a sigh of relief since there has already been a significant reallocation of resources out of the Brooksville location to Tampa such as all legal and regulatory staff. Additionally, most governing board meetings and all advisory committee meetings take place in Tampa. Former Executive Director of SWFWMD, Sonny Vergara, stated, “The move to Tampa has already been completed. Clearly, the issue will not be permanently settled until the current Brooksville HQ is more than just a title and the near-empty, 4-story brick monument to 50 years of excellence it is becoming.”
At the May 19th presentation, staff indicated that all Environmental Resource Permitting staff, all Water Use Permitting staff, all Well Construction Permitting staff, all Regulatory Production and Administrative staff, all Legal and Executive staff will be moved to Tampa. The title may not moving to Tampa, but resources are. Both Senator Simpson and Blaise Ingoglia have expressed desire for resources to remain in Brooksville.