Government Digest: June 3

Moore resigns Swiftmud post
BROOKSVILLE — David Moore, the executive director of the Southwest Florida Water Management District since March 2003, resigned his position May 26. In a letter addressed to Paul Senft Jr., chairman of the district board, Moore stated he wished to spend more time with his family, and also offered to continue to serve during a transition period.

The district, known as Swiftmud, manages water resources for a 10,000-square-mile area covering 16 counties of west-central Florida. Moore began his career with Swiftmud in 1984 as a hydrologist.

Moore's management had received some criticism recently from board members for allowing cash balances to increase from $268 million in 2001 to $674 million last year. (See “Muddy Waters,” in the May 13 issue of the Business Review.) The Legislature passed a bill this year to cut Swiftmud's property tax revenue by $60 million, part of a measure reducing property tax revenues of four of the five water management districts by $210.5 million.