Water For Fighting

In this episode, Brett sat down with his friend and fellow Southwest Florida Water Management District alum, Eric Sutton.  Before his current role, Eric has spent his entire career in public service.   He’s worked for Sarasota County; the water management district where he and Brett met; and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, where he would eventually get to serve as the organization’s Executive Director.  He’s currently a Vice-President with Garcia Land Management and Environmental Services. 

They discuss his family’s deep roots in rural Western Kentucky; a childhood spent outdoors; how he changed paths at the University of South Florida and wound up working in the natural sciences; his desire to learn, improve, and take on new challenges; his management philosophy as his responsibilities grew; the love he had for his staff, board, and organization – and when he knew it was time to move on; his new role with Garcia and the challenges of working in the private sector; and a flirtation with the “RV Life”.  

They also share a glass of whiskey from the Green River Distillery, an historic institution in Owensboro, Kentucky, near walking distance from his childhood hometown of Henderson.  Did we mention that Eric is a long-time musician and jingle writer, and a one-time professional elephant washer (we mean, zoologist) at Busch Gardens as well?  Well, he is.

Special Note: To our fellow Floridians (and even to our listeners and readers in Georgia and North Carolina) who are recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, our hearts are with you, and we won’t forget you in the hard months to come.  The Florida Specifier/Water for Fighting team is pulling for you and hoping for a safe and speedy recovery for your families and communities.  If you’d like to share your story with us, we’d love to hear from you.  Just reach out to Brett at [email protected] or Patrick Gillespie at [email protected].

To visit the Garcia Land Management and Environmental Services website, go here.

To check out the Green River distillery, go here.

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Resource Environmental Solutions (RES)

RES is the nation’s leader in ecological restoration, helping to restore Florida’s natural resources with water quality and stormwater solutions that offer communities guaranteed performance and outcomes. Check them out at www.res.us 

This episode is also brought to you by our friends at Sea and Shoreline.  

Sea and Shoreline is the Southeast’s leading innovator in protecting coastal communities from devastating storms and restoring ecosystems that once faced ecological collapse. Visit their website at www.Seaandshoreline.com.  

Water for Fighting is part of the Specifier media family – Florida’s home for environmental news, discussion, and personalities.  Please be sure to check out the Florida Specifier Podcast hosted by Ryan Matthews and Brett as part of the environmental news and discussion brought to you by the Florida Specifier.  To learn more about our flagship print publication, weekly newsletter and more, visit The Florida Specifier.

You can follow the show on LinkedIn and Instagram @flwaterpod, and you can reach us directly at [email protected] with your comments and suggestions for who Brett should be talking with next.

Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.  

And finally, a very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band for giving permission to use his music for this podcast.  The song is called Doing Work for Free, and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold. 

For this episode, Brett sat down with his friend, colleague, and fellow DEP alum Andrew Ketchel as Hurricane Helene barreled toward its collision with the Southeast United States.  Andrew is a former Legislative Affairs Director for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; college football player for the University of South Florida; and an Eagle Scout.  He’s currently a partner with Capital City Consulting, one of the largest lobbying firms in the state of Florida. 

They discuss his parents’ forays into national and local politics; growing up in a military town; why he chose USF for college; the challenges of a student athlete who sees a life after football; how he ended up in the “family business”; how lobbying government is different than lobbying for government; and his philosophy for how to be an effective, and more importantly - ethical, lobbyist. 

Special Note: To our fellow Floridians who are recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, our hearts are with you.  The Florida Specifier/Water for Fighting team is pulling for you and hoping for a safe and speedy recovery for your families and communities. 

To visit Capital City Consulting’s website and find out how to reach Andrew, go here.

Watch Andrew score a touchdown versus the Florida Gators here.

This episode is brought to you by my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions (RES)

RES is the nation’s leader in ecological restoration, helping to restore Florida’s natural resources with water quality and stormwater solutions that offer communities guaranteed performance and outcomes. Check them out at www.res.us 

This episode is also brought to you by my friends at Sea and Shoreline.  

Sea and Shoreline is the Southeast’s leading innovator in protecting coastal communities from devastating storms and restoring ecosystems that once faced ecological collapse. Visit their website at www.Seaandshoreline.com.  

Please be sure to check out the Florida Specifier Podcast hosted by Ryan Matthews and myself as part of the environmental news and discussion brought to you by the Florida Specifier.  To learn more about our flagship print publication, weekly newsletter and more, visit The Florida Specifier.

You can follow the show on LinkedIn and Instagram @flwaterpod, and you can reach me directly at [email protected] with your comments and suggestions for who I should be talking with.

In this episode, Brett has a conversation with Mark Merkelbach, the CEO of Green Earth Operations and COO of Sustainable Water Infrastructure Group (SWIG).  Mark has dedicated his career to water quality improvement all over the world including India, Mexico, Haiti, and China.  He’s now using his creativity and experience to solve water quality problems right here in Florida. 

They discuss growing up around the Jersey Shore; a love of the outdoors passed down from his father; a professional wanderlust that has taken him all over the globe; his need to solve environmental problems; the secret sauce that he and SWIG are using to impact water quality in Florida; and of course, they talk about the Merkelbach family’s rescued one-eyed and three-tooth Shitzu name Button.  

To visit SWIG’s website and find out what Mark and his team are doing to make Florida (and the world) a better place, head here. 

To see more information about SWIG’s Doctor’s Lake project as reported in the Florida Specifier, head here:

To read the Florida Specifier article that introduced the work of SWIG to Florida’s environmental scene, go here.

This episode is brought to by my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions (RES)

RES is the nation’s leader in ecological restoration, helping to restore Florida’s natural resources with water quality and stormwater solutions that offer communities guaranteed performance and outcomes. Check them out at www.res.us 

This episode is also brought to you by my friends at Sea and Shoreline.  

Sea and Shoreline is the Southeast’s leading innovator in protecting coastal communities from devastating storms and restoring ecosystems that once faced ecological collapse. Visit their website at www.Seaandshoreline.com.  

Please be sure to check out the Florida Specifier Podcast hosted by Ryan Matthews and myself as part of a new venture where we’re striving to become Florida’s first source for environmental news, educational tools, and unique perspectives on our state’s natural environment and the events that shape it.  To learn more about its flagship print publication and more, visit The Florida Specifier.

You can follow the show on LinkedIn and Instagram @flwaterpod, and you can reach me directly at [email protected] with your comments and suggestions for who and/or what you’d like to know more about.

Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.  

And finally, a very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band for giving permission to use his music for this podcast.  The song is called Doing Work for Free, and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold. 

The Season 4 kickoff features Brett sitting down with his friend and former boss, David Rathke.  David is currently the Executive Director of Resiliency Florida and Executive Director of Florida Association of Mitigation Bankers, but he has decades of experience working in many facets of state government.  That experience includes working for former Congressman, Dan Miller; working as an aide for former Senate President, John McKay; a community affairs role with The Peace River Manasota River Water Supply Authority; a sixteen-year stint at the Southwest Florida Water Management District, culminating in his service as chief of staff; and leadership roles at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Florida Department of Management Services.

They discuss his early life in the outdoors; the gift of music given to him by his mother and grandmother; the winding path that led him to government service; how he has used his experiences to learn and create successes later; his theory for success in government relations which includes community and the importance of friendship; how he has overcome life-threatening strokes to end up better than ever; and of course, Brett makes David explain what a Hammer Dulcimer is.  

You still have time to attend the 3rd Annual Florida Resilience Conference starting on September 11.  To learn more and get registered, go here: https://floridaresilienceconference.org

To get involved in Resiliency Florida’s mission, visit their website here: https://www.resiliencyflorida.org

To learn more about the Florida Association of Mitigation Bankers, why not visit their website here: https://floridamitigationbanking.org

And because we know you’re going to look it up anyway, here’s the Smithsonian Institutes page on the Hammer/Hammered Dulcimer. 

This episode is brought to by my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions (RES)

RES is the nation’s leader in ecological restoration, helping to restore Florida’s natural resources with water quality and stormwater solutions that offer communities guaranteed performance and outcomes. Check them out at www.res.us 

This episode is also brought to you by my friends at Sea and Shoreline.  

Sea and Shoreline is the Southeast’s leading innovator in protecting coastal communities from devastating storms and restoring ecosystems that once faced ecological collapse. Visit their website at www.Seaandshoreline.com.  

Please be sure to check out the Florida Specifier Podcast hosted by Ryan Matthews and myself as part of a new venture where we’re striving to become Florida’s first source for environmental news, educational tools, and unique perspectives on our state’s natural environment and the events that shape it.  To learn more about its flagship print publication and more, visit The Florida Specifier.

You can follow the show on LinkedIn and Instagram @flwaterpod, and you can reach me directly at [email protected] with your comments and suggestions for who and/or what you’d like to know more about.

Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.  

And finally, a very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band for giving permission to use his music for this podcast.  The song is called Doing Work for Free, and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold. 

In this episode, Brett closes out Season 3 with former Deputy Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and current Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District – Drew Bartlett.

While Drew was born and raised in Georgia, he has made a real name for himself in the water management and environmental restoration world here in the far superior state of Florida.  He was pivotal in the creation of Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs), and a new path to success, in some of Florida’s most impaired waters. He’s also been a catalyst in the continuing effort to restore iconic places like the Florida Everglades, Biscayne Bay, and the Indian River Lagoon.

They discuss his pedigree for public service passed down from his parents; how his career brought him to Florida; his need to be challenged and overcome challenges; the challenges he’s tackling with his incredible staff, board, and wide array of communities and stakeholders; what South Florida looks like with a rising ocean and aging flood control system; and how he leans on science, experience, confidence, and boundless optimism to face the future.

Drew is one of the absolute best at what he does, and we’re happy that he agreed to share his experience and insights with us.

We hope you enjoy the conversation!

To learn more about what the South Florida Water Management District is doing to serve its communities and make the world a better place, go here:  https://www.sfwmd.gov

To learn more about Drew’s work at DEP, especially as it relaltes to Basin Management Action Plan, head here:https://floridadep.gov/dear/water-quality-restoration/content/basin-management-action-plans-bmaps

This episode of Water for Fighting is brought to you by my friends at Sea and Shoreline.  

Sea and Shoreline is the Southeast’s leading innovator in protecting coastal communities from devastating storms and restoring ecosystems that once faced ecological collapse. Visit their website at www.Seaandshoreline.com.  

This Episode is also thanks to my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions.

RES is the nation’s leader in ecological restoration, helping to restore Florida’s natural resources with water quality and stormwater solutions that offer communities guaranteed performance and outcomes. Check them out at www.res.us 

Please be sure to check out the Florida Specifier Podcast hosted by Ryan Matthews and myself as part of a new venture where we’re striving to become Florida’s first source for environmental news, educational tools, and unique perspectives on our state’s natural environment and the events that shape it.  To learn more about its flagship print publication and more, visit The Florida Specifier.

You can follow the show on LinkedIn and Instagram @flwaterpod, and you can reach me directly at [email protected] with your comments and suggestions for who and/or what you’d like to know more about.

Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.

And finally, a very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band  for giving permission to use his music for this podcast.  The song is called Doing Work for Free, (Apple Music | Spotify) and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold.

This week, Brett goes on a deep dive with a friend who exemplifies what this podcast is all about – Ansley Tilley.  Ansley is one of the most talented engineers in Florida who has a wide array of experience from her time with the United States Air Force, the City of Palm Beach Gardens, and the South Florida Water Management District.  But her real talent and passion is for service and problem-solving, so they discuss how her experiences have culminated in her current role as the Director of Alternative Delivery Solutions with our friends, Resource Environmental Solutions (RES).  

They delve into the “milk story”, and how her parents sacrificed to provide her with the tools to succeed in later life; her dream of being an astronaut and the early disappointments surrounding that dream; a change in heart while attaining massive success in ROTC at the University of Miami; her brief but poignant experience serving her country in Ukraine; the love of family and the heartbreaking losses that have brought her back home over the years; her philosophy for work and service that have carried her since childhood; and how a brain built for problem-solving approaches the challenges of an ever-changing environmental landscape. 

This conversation was very emotional at times and dealt with some sensitive subjects, but the lessons that can be drawn from it on a personal and professional level are priceless.  We hope you find it as meaningful as we did. 

To learn more about Ansley’s work and how she can help solve your environmental problems too, go here:  www.res.us or email her at: [email protected]

This Episode is brought to you by our friends at Collins Land Services.

When it comes to your disaster recovery and land management needs, you’re looking for the perfect combination of competence, reliability, and affordability.  And that means you’re looking for Collins Land Services.  Check them out at www.collinsland.com

Please be sure to check out the Florida Specifier Podcast hosted by Ryan Matthews and Brett as part of a new venture where they’re striving to become Florida’s first source for environmental news, educational tools, and unique perspectives on our state’s natural environment and the events that shape it.  To learn more about its flagship print publication and more, visit The Florida Specifier.

You can follow the show on LinkedIn and Instagram @flwaterpod, and you can reach me directly at [email protected] with your comments and suggestions for who and/or what you’d like to know more about.

Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.  

And finally, a very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band  for giving permission to use his music for this podcast.  The song is called Doing Work for Free, (Apple Music | Spotify) and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold.