For Immediate Release: August 16, 2011
DEP SECRETARY
APPOINTS GREGORY M. MUNSON AS DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR WATER POLICY AND ECOSYSTEM
RESTORATION
~Secretary Vinyard also appoints Dr. Ann B. Shortelle
as Water Policy Director~
 Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park
TALLAHASSEE — Florida
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr.
today announced the appointments of Gregory M. Munson as Deputy Secretary for
Water Policy and Ecosystem Restoration and Dr. Ann B. Shortelle as Water Policy
Director. Deputy Secretary Munson and Dr. Shortelle will coordinate state water
policy development and implementation, specifically as it relates to the Water
Management Districts. Deputy Secretary Munson will start at DEP on August 22
and Dr. Shortelle will start at DEP on August 30.
“One
of my top priorities is getting Florida’s water right, and DEP is committed to
helping Florida’s Water Management Districts focus on their core mission
responsibilities,” said Secretary Vinyard. “This means that DEP will take
a more active role in Water Management District water supply program
development, protection of water resources and regulatory policies.”
On
April 12, 2011, Governor Rick Scott directed DEP to exercise statutory
obligation to supervise activities of the state’s five Water Management
Districts, including their water supply and regulatory activities, to ensure
statewide consistency is achieved. Further, DEP is directed to ensure that the
core responsibilities of the Districts are consistent with Chapter 373, FS for
managing the state’s water resources.
“It
is my intention to collaborate with the Water Management Districts on these
types of discussions and decisions as they are being made,” said Deputy
Secretary Munson. “I fully anticipate sitting down with each district and
discussing priorities and budget options, so that there is a common
understanding of what the focus is going forward.”
The
Deputy Secretary for Water Policy and Ecosystem Restoration is a new title
within DEP. Previously, DEP had a Deputy Secretary for Policy and Planning.
Those duties have been divided up between the Deputy Secretary for Water Policy
and Ecosystem Restoration and the Chief of Staff. The modification of
this position confirms Governor Scott’s desire to focus on water and ecosystem
priorities. In addition to working with the Water Management Districts, the
Deputy Secretary for Water Policy and Ecosystem Restoration will also oversee the
DEP’s Office of Ecosystem Projects, which coordinates and assists with the policy
development and implementation of a variety of restoration projects, including
Everglades restoration.
“I
look forward to working with the Water Management Districts to develop clear
and consistent policies to effectively manage our water resources across
district lines,” said Dr. Shortelle. “By opening a regular, two-way dialogue
with the Water Management Districts, I know we can work together to address
flood protection, water supply and quality, and resource protection in a
fiscally responsible manner.”
The
Water Policy Director is a new position that will work directly with Secretary
Vinyard and Deputy Secretary Munson on overseeing Water Management District
activities, including water supply, water quality, management
and resource regulation, guiding rulemaking activities and evaluating land
acquisition programs. The Water Policy Director will also promote statewide
water management consistency taking into account the differing, regional
characteristics of Florida’s water resources.
About
Gregory M. Munson
*Photo available upon request*
Deputy
Secretary Munson began his career in the U.S. Air Force after graduating from
the United States Air Force Academy in 1989. He earned several Aerial
Achievement Medals as a Mission Director on the RC-135 intelligence-gathering
aircraft, and resigned from the Air Force as a Captain in 1995. He attended
Vanderbilt University Law School. In 1998, Mr. Munson clerked for the Honorable
J.L. Edmondson on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Mr.
Munson moved to Florida in 1999 to become an Assistant General Counsel to
Governor Jeb Bush, where he served until 2002. In 2002, Mr. Munson became an
assistant United States Attorney for the United States Department of Justice in
Miami, Florida. Mr. Munson became General Counsel for the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 2004. As the state's chief
environmental lawyer, he was involved in litigation and negotiations
surrounding America's Everglades, Total Maximum Daily Load program, and the
tri-state water dispute between Georgia, Alabama,
and Florida. He personally participated in the defense of Florida's rules to reduce
emissions from utility plants, and the defense of Florida's beach restoration program,
ultimately resolved in favor of FDEP by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010, in Stop
the Beach Renourishment Inc. v. Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
He
became General Counsel for WRS Infrastructure & Environment, Inc., now
WRScompass, in February, 2007. WRScompass is a full-service environmental remediation
firm that performs large scale environmental remediation and civil construction
projects, including restoration work in the Florida Everglades, cleaning up
Superfund sites on behalf of the United States Environmental Protection Agency,
expanding levees in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and performing
technologically complex remediation for several Fortune 500 clients.
About
Dr. Ann Shortelle
Dr.
Shortelle has over 25 years of professional experience in lake, riverine, and
reservoir management for water quantity and quality, surface water/wetlands
restoration enhancing water quality and source water protection, surface water
modeling, permitting and environmental assessments. Since receiving her
Ph.D., Dr. Shortelle has worked in the private sector as a consultant, serving
recently as MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc.’s (now AMEC E&I, Inc)
Chief Scientist in Florida, and Water Practice Leader. She joined MACTEC
in 1988 and has served as a chief scientist, senior principal and senior
project manager.
She
has managed numerous projects related to restoration, siting/licensing,
mitigation planning, source water evaluation, and natural resource damage
assessment. She has served as a technical expert and reviewer, and has served
as an expert witness. She has conducted, participated in, managed,
directed, and provided technical oversight for hundreds of projects in the
State of Florida, the United States, and Puerto Rico. She has conducted
trainings and workshops related to water quality, quantity, and sustainability,
and given numerous papers at professional conferences. Shortelle has authored/
co-authored more than 40 publications and presentations on environmental and
ecological topics.
Dr.
Shortelle is a member of the North American Lake Management Society, the
American Water Resources Association, and other professional organizations. She
is currently serving on the North American Lake Management Society’s Board of
Directors, and was a former two term member of the Florida Lake Management
Society Board of Directors and served on the policy advisory committee to DEP
for designated use and classification refinement for surface waters. She
holds a Ph.D. in limnology from the University of Notre Dame and a B.S. in
biology from Mercer University.
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