Nikki Fried names Chris Pettit as Florida's newest agricultural water policy director
Tyler TreadwayWEST PALM BEACH — Florida has a new agricultural water policy director.
Chris Pettit replaced Steve Dwinell, who retired as leader of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Office of Agricultural Water Policy.
Pettit's hiring was announced today at a South Florida Water Management District workshop in West Palm Beach by Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.
Fried referred to Pettit as the state's "water czar" and said he would "bring everybody to the table" — farmers, industries, state officials and environmental groups — to clean the state's water.
Citing red tide and blue-green algae blooms, Fried called cleaning the state's water "the challenge of our generation."
Promising to "continue a collaborative effort," Pettit said he and his office will work to develop and implement best management practices, known as BMPs, for agriculture.
Fried defended the BMP system, which has been criticized for a lack of enforcement.
"We have undertaken site visits and collaborated with landowners," she said. "You're going to see more collaborative work with (the Florida Department of Environmental Protection) to help farmers understand why BMPs are important. Farmers are some of the best conservationists."
According to Pettit's LinkedIn profile, he has worked for the:
- Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department as a policy and legislation manager since March 2013
- Southwest Florida Water Management District as an attorney in 2012
- University of Florida Water Institute as a law and policy fellow
- South Florida Water Management District as an attorney from February 2008 to June 2011.
His profile says his educational credentials include:
- Law degree, University of Florida, 2001-04
- Master of Laws, University of Cape Town, 2005
- Post graduate studies in institutional implementation of environmental and water law
Pettit's first day was April 29 and his annual salary is $110,000.
The Agricultural Water Policy office is "staffed by professionals with expertise in disciplines including soil and water conservation, resource management, environmental regulation, biology, ecology, engineering and geographic information systems," its website says.
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The agency has field staff "located in or near key agricultural areas and, in many cases, co-located with the regional water management districts. The office also contracts with soil and water conservation districts to provide technical support to fulfill the mission of the office. The co-location of Office of Agricultural Water Policy staff with the districts is financially efficient and helps facilitate communication between the districts, the Office of Agricultural Water Policy and the agricultural community," its website says.
Field offices are in Okeechobee, Highlands, Wauchula, Trenton, Palatka and Live Oak.
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TCPalm staffer Cheryl Smith contributed to this report.
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