A puzzling choice for water district

We have to wonder what’s up with Gov. Rick Scott and John Miklos. Miklos, who may be the most controversial board chairman the St. Johns River Water Management District has ever had, keeps getting reappointed by Scott (most recently, last month).

And it makes no sense. Miklos has become a lightning rod for criticism for his glaring conflicts of interest. His consulting business, Bio-Tech Consulting, makes big money steering developers through the permitting process, including permits from the district (which includes parts of Alachua County).

He abstains from voting on projects that involve his clients, but that’s like picking the pepperoni off a pizza and declaring the whole pie is gone. District staffers are well aware of which projects belong to Bio-Tech clients, and they’re also aware that the governing board writes the budgets that include their salaries.

Certainly, there’s been a sharp increase in the number of permits Bio-Tech is involved in since Miklos became governing board chairman, both at the St. Johns River and South Florida water management districts, as documented by The News-Journal. And recent history suggests some Bio-Tech clients feel they can operate with a certain degree of impunity.

Earlier this year, the News-Journal documented three situations where Bio-Tech clients cleared land or altered wetlands without the required permits, the most notable being Geosam, the developers of the Coastal Woods community in New Smyrna Beach. Records show that Geosam’s contractors were caught clearing land on multiple occasions without permits, and kept clearing even though the district’s compliance officer told them to stop. One unauthorized clearing led to a 204-acre wildfire in March that closed down Interstate 95 for 18 hours.

The city of DeBary also hired Miklos in a bid to gain control of 102 acres of district-owned conservation land it wanted to use in its SunRail-oriented development. That deal collapsed after details became public.

So why does the governor keep reappointing him?

It’s a serious question, and the stakes are high. Responsibility for the health of Florida’s springs lies mostly with the water management districts, and major springs within the St. Johns district’s boundaries are showing signs of distress. Yet the legally mandated plans the district has put forward to restore Volusia County’s Blue Spring, Gemini Springs and DeLeon Spring to health have been widely criticized. The district is also a key player in the effort to save the Indian River Lagoon from a slow-moving ecological disaster.

These are issues that Scott — who is challenging U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in the fall — can expect to be asked about on the campaign trail. By leaving Miklos in place, Scott significantly undermines any environmental credentials he plans to lay claim to.

There is one more chance to turn this bad decision around. Miklos’ re-appointment is subject to state Senate confirmation. Senators should educate themselves, and acknowledge that without their intervention, Miklos will be on the district’s board for another four years. And voters should press Scott to explain why he thought that would be a good idea.