Brevard Soil and Water Conservation District

Brevard Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors
Business Meeting Minutes

The Brevard Soil and Water Conservation District met in regular public session on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at 4:00 p.m., in the conference room of the UF/IFAS Extension Brevard Co., at 3695 Lake Drive, Cocoa, FL.

Chairman Bud Crisafulli noted there was a quorum and called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.

Board members present:
Bud Crisafulli, Chairman, Supervisor Group 5
Jonathan Schuman, Treasurer, Supervisor Group 4
Jim Sloan, Secretary, Supervisor Group 2

Staff members present:
Mike Engelgau, Staff Soil & Water Engineering Technician
Joe Walter, Agricultural Extension Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Brevard Co.
Beth Shephard, Extension Director, UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County

Guests present: Karen Heriot, Supervisor, Seminole Soil & Water Conservation District

Presented Documents.

* Seminole Soil & Water Conservation District Resolution 2022-003, Support of the Right to Clean Water Amendment. Adopted 12th Day of July 2022. With attached Constitutional Amendment Initiative Petition Form – Volunteer, titled Right to Clean and Healthy Waters.
* Email, July 13, 2022, from: Lisa Wishe, to: Crisafulli, Bud, Subject: Extension Services Agents Presenting at Upcoming Board Meetings.
* Candidates for the 2022 Election: Soil and Water Conservation Subdistricts Group 1 -5; Website www.votebrevard.gov/Candidates/2022, 7/12/2022.

Reported for Public Records.

* Brevard Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors Business Meeting Minutes, Dated: June 8th of 2022.
* Brevard SWCD Treasurer’s Report, June 1st to June 30th of 2022.
* Letter, Resignation from the Brevard Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors, to: Lori Scott, Supervisor of Elections Brevard County; From: James E. Sloan, Supervisor Group 2; Dated: June 22, 2022

Guest Presentations.

Karen Heriot a guest supervisor from Seminole Soil & Water Conservation District presented their Resolution 2022-003 in support of the 2024 Florida constitutional amendment ballot initiative known as “The Right to Clean Water”. She provided petition forms for voluntary support of the constitutional amendment “Right to Clean and Healthy Waters.

She also mentioned that several current supervisors, on the Seminole District board, have been able to qualify with their supervisor of elections for the 2022 election by taking a liberal interpretation of the agricultural categories listed in Chapter 99 of the Florida Statutes.

Review and Approval of the Current Treasurer’s Report.

The board treasurer, Jonathan Schuman, provided the treasurer’s report for June 1st to June 30th , 2022, to the board. Balance of the account on June 30th was $49,000.38.

The motion by Jim Sloan to approve the June 1st to June 30th of 2022, Treasurer’s Report was
seconded by Jonathan Schuman. The motion passed without amendment by unanimous vote of the supervisors present. A file copy has been provided by email to Mike Engelgau for upload to the BSWCD website.

Review and Approval of Minutes for the prior Board of Supervisors meeting.

The board secretary, James Sloan, presented the business meeting minutes for the previous public business meeting held on Wednesday, June 8th, 2022. Chairman Crisafulli accepted the minutes as presented by the board secretary, Jim Sloan. A file copy has been provided by email to Mike Engelgau for upload to the BSWCD website.

Staff Update

USDA NRCS Cocoa Service Office District Conservationist Report

There was no District Conservationist Report provided to this Brevard SWCD Supervisors business meeting. Mike Engelgau announced that Derrick Wyle was selected by the USDA/NRCS to fill the Brevard/Osceola District Conservationist position at the USDA NRCS Cocoa Service Office . He is a resident of Cocoa Beach Florida and will be at his office in the UF/IFAS Brevard Extension building after August 1, 2022.

Mike Engelgau, Staff Soil & Water Engineering Technician, announced his retirement date as October 31th of 2022.

UF/IFAS Brevard Extension Report

Beth Shephard briefed on changes to the Extension’s 4H Program. The 4H Program director is leaving for a promotion and new job, so a search is on to find a 4H Program director. One of the 4H program assistants is also moving and looking on to a new job internally in August. This will impact the disposition of the $2500 educational grant given to the Brevard Extension 4H program. The grant money will be used to establish a Master Gardeners Class on agricultural processes management.

The following schedule lists the meeting dates with the Brevard Extension agents who will be presenting to their subjects to the Brevard District Board business meetings. The monthly agendas should reflect presentations by:
1. September 14th, 2022 – Bonnie Wells, Commercial Horticultre
2. October 12th, 2022 – Sally Scalera, Urban Horticultre
3. November 9th, 2022 – Holly Abeels, Marine Sciences.

Old BSWCD Meeting Business

Update on “Education Issues for District Support”

Supervisor Schuman is researching additional ideas on how the District Supervisors can sponsor educational programs that provide agricultural sciences information and skills through Extension services and Brevard School board facilities. He will present his findings at the August Board Business Meeting on how the District Board can support administration and funding of his proposals for educational programs. Joe Walter emphasized that the Board provided previous support to the ENVIRATHON competition though the channels of the Brevard Extension Service. A camp for high school students is being planned to help them decide which field of agricultural pursuits they might enter upon high school graduation or after further education studies. It is rumored that Palm Bay High School may establish a program of student agricultural study and participation to help them upon entry into agricultural careers.
New BSWCD Meeting Business

New Business Meeting Agenda Item

Supervisor Sloan contacted the Brevard Supervisor of Elections office to determine the status of Brevard District supervisor eligibility and candidacy, as well as whether their representative could attend our July business meeting. His initial contact led to a conversation on July 12th with Tim Bobanic, Director of IT and Election Services at Brevard Supervisor of Elections office. Director Bobanic stated that the FL Department of State’s Division of Elections has established the five county commission districts as the 2022 Soil and Water Conservation candidate qualification subdistricts for the Brevard County 2022 election cycle. The Supervisor of Elections office has qualified by residency the following candidates for those subdistrict positions.
1. Soil and Water Conservation District, Group 1: Brian Andrew Fleming qualified 6/17/2022.
2. Soil and Water Conservation District , Group 2: Joseph “Bud” Crisafulli qualified 6/17/2022.
3. Soil and Water Conservation District, Group 3: James Hay Fletcher qualified 6/17/2022.
4. Soil and Water Conservation District, Group 4: No qualified candidates.
5. Soil and Water Conservation District, Group 5: No qualified candidates.
The qualification forms submitted by the candidates will not be verified by Supervisor of Elections office, as long as, the candidate has certified by signature that each individual’s stated agricultural category and experience complies with the governing Chapter 99 of the State of Florida Statutes. Since there are no incumbents for the 2022 soil and water conservation district election; and only one candidate has qualified for each of subdistricts 1 through 3, those candidates are automatically elected without balloting. That ensures that the Brevard Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors will have a quorum of three for their first meeting in January 2023. When the new board convenes it may appoint qualified Group 4 and 5 supervisors, in compliance with the governing statutes of the State of Florida.

Supervisor Sloan announced resignation from his elected office to the Brevard Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors. He stated that the new voting subdistrict residency requirements for Brevard County, as well as new subdistrict supervisor candidate qualification requirements, will prevent all current supervisors from properly seeking incumbent reelection this year. The demonstrated animosity of the Republican led Florida Legislature and Governor of Florida toward all district officers left him with only one choice, to resign from his elected office serving a subdivision of the Florida government. He regrets not being able to finish his term of office on the second day of January 2023, and not successfully complete his public service to all the voters of Brevard County. Supervisor Sloan closed out his duties as secretary by delivering the Board’s public record files to Chairman Crisafulli. Those files included CY 2017 to June CY 2022 records in paper copy binders along with the digital backup records on a USB storage device. Jim Sloan will also prepare the minutes for the July 13th meeting and provide them to the board members for review and approval.

Upon conclusion of all business agenda items, Chairman Crisafulli accepted the resignation letter of Supervisor Group 2 James Sloan.

With consensus of the Board, the Chairman then adjourned the meeting at 5:05 PM on July 13th, 2022.

Prepared for board review and approval by,

James E. Sloan
Staff Secretary
Brevard Soil & Water Conservation District