County Wetlands Manager Suspended; Blog Posting Cited

By MIKE SALINERO The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jun 28, 2007

TAMPA - Seeing her beloved wetlands department on the brink of elimination, Jadell Kerr vented her frustrations on a local blog Sunday afternoon.

On Tuesday, the 15-year Hillsborough County environmental regulator paid for it with a two-week paid suspension.

"We need the two weeks to sort things out with her," said Rick Garrity, Kerr's boss at the county Environmental Protection Commission.

Garrity attributed the suspension to "management issues," including the blog posting. He would not elaborate, except to say the wetlands division manager has no other marks on her record.

Kerr, who makes about $116,000 a year, has been a lightning rod for criticism from developers who think her department is unreasonable about granting permits to destroy wetlands.

Developers have lobbied for years to get rid of the county wetlands program. Their efforts may have paid off June 21 when county commissioners voted to eliminate the department, citing budget concerns. The move, which has not been finalized, caught Kerr, Garrity and several commissioners by surprise.

Kerr excoriated the commissioners for the vote in her posting on the blog Sticks of Fire. She called the vote "rigged" and accused EPC Chairman Brian Blair of orchestrating "a circus."

Kerr said Blair's goal is to remove the wetlands unit from reviewing permits for new developments. For years, developers have complained that EPC wetlands reviews duplicate work done by state or federal agencies.

Blair and Kerr could not be reached for comment.

In the posting, Kerr also criticized the Southwest Florida Water Management District, a regional water regulatory agency also known as Swiftmud. The water district issues wetlands permits and often works with the EPC.

Blair invited Richard Owen, head of Swiftmud's regulatory programs, to attend the meeting last week to explain how the agency protects wetlands. Kerr said in her blog posting that Owen "knew the questions that were going to be asked of him."

Kerr also accused Todd Pressman, a member of the Swiftmud board, of pressuring the district staff to cooperate with Blair. Pressman is a consultant who sometimes represents Stephen Dibbs, a Hillsborough County developer and one of the EPC's loudest critics.

Owen and Pressman denied Kerr's accusations.

"We went there at their request to describe our programs, and that's what I tried to do," Owen said.

Pressman said he was shocked that Kerr had aired her accusations on a blog. He denied having spoken to Owen or any other Swiftmud employees about Hillsborough County's wetlands division.

"And statements made in that regard are false, inappropriate, and, quite frankly, I'm shocked by it," Pressman said.

County Commissioner Mark Sharpe, a supporter of Kerr and the wetlands division, said he was dismayed by her comments about the water management district.

"I'm just concerned about the ability of Swiftmud and us to work together," Sharpe said.

Commissioner Rose Ferlita said the blog posting was unfortunate but that she understood Kerr's frustration.

"When she left [the meeting], she just realized that in one fell swoop her division was gone and everything was gone," said Ferlita, who voted to keep the division. "I think because of that whole process, she needed a venue to vent."

County Commissioner Ken Hagan, who voted to eliminate the wetlands division, called Kerr's post a "typical antigrowth sentiment that's echoed during every development application."

Kerr's blog posting has made her name a rallying cry for county environmental groups that say they will fight to preserve the local wetlands protections.

"Clearly she felt her only hope for saving our county wetlands was for the citizens to know what's going on," said Mariella Smith, an activist from Ruskin. "Jadell's primary concern is our natural resources, not her job."

Reporter Anthony McCartney contributed to this story. Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303 or msalinero@tampatrib.com.