Business Plan 20152020

FINAL DRAFT Executive Summary

Budget

Strategic
Plan

Policies
and
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Business
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Business Planning Process Overview
Business Planning Process
Drivers
Changing Workforce
Resource Requirements
Recommendations

Business Plan Final Draft Executive Summary

INTRODUCTION
The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is a science-based organization responsible for managing and
protecting water resources in west-central Florida. The District facilitates the provision of adequate quality water supplies to meet
the needs of current and future users while protecting and restoring water and related natural resources.

Relationship between Strategic Plan and Business Plan

The strategic and financial groundwork for the District are established in the Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan defines four Areas
of Responsibility (AOR): Water Supply, Water Quality, Natural Systems and Flood Protection. Each AOR is dedicated to
achieving strategic initiatives specific to its discipline, as outlined in the Strategic Plan. Together, the four AORs have direct
influence on the Strategic Initiatives. The development of the business plan was based on this influence to determine future needs
to achieve the strategic initiatives and the impact to District resources.
This Business Plan Executive Summary references the resources needed by each
AOR to implement the Districts Strategic Plan, with a particular focus on:

Expertise (People)
Tools (Assets)
Project Capacity (Funding)

Each AOR developed a Business Plan specifically for that AOR. Those plans
contain detailed recommendations for consideration by District management. This
Executive Summary highlights the major recommendations from the four AOR
plans that have broader implications for the District.

Purpose of Plan and Summary

District Mission Statement

The mission of the District is to
manage water and related natural
resources to ensure their continued
availability while maximizing the
benefits to the public. Central to the
mission is maintaining the balance
between the water needs of current
and future users while protecting
and maintaining water and related
natural resources which provide the
District with its existing and future
water supply.

The analysis was conducted using District staff members who are subject-matter
experts (SMEs) with support, facilitation and guidance by Brown and Caldwell.
Four Business Planning Teams dedicated to the four AORs were assigned and a
Team Leader was designated for each. The AOR Business Planning Teams
(Teams) explored a five-year horizon and determined what resources are necessary
to implement the Strategic Plan, where resources should be located, and considered
opportunities for resource synergy over the five-year horizon. A 10-20 year
horizon was used to set the long-term direction of the District. More specifically,
the Teams accomplished the following: mapped workload allocation of effort; conducted a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and
Threat (SWOT) Analysis; employed the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) for the entire process; conducted a Stakeholder Analysis;
drafted Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as they relate to specific issues of each AOR, and evaluated succession planning and
staffing demographics to meet the Districts strategic initiatives.

Acknowledgements
The effort was guided and supported by the Districts Executive Team Sponsor Brian Armstrong and Project Management Office
Lead James Fine. The development and completion of the four AOR Business Plans and the Executive Summary Business Plan
could not have been done without the dedication and insight from the following people, whose combined effort exceeded 2,000
hours during the planning process:

Natural Resources
Earl Rich (Team Leader) Carmen Sanders Jennette Seachrist John Emery

Water Supply
Brian Starford (Team Leader) Darrin Herbst Eric DeHaven Terri Behling

Business Plan Final Draft Executive Summary

Water Quality
Michelle Maxey (Team Leader) Roberta Starks Veronica Craw Sandie Will

Flood Protection
JP Marchand (Team Leader) Michelle Hopkins Jason Hopp Robyn Felix
And a special thank you to the 20+ District staff who were involved in the SWOT analysis.

Role of Consultant
Brown and Caldwell (BC) provided leadership and facilitation of the Business Planning Teams through a series of facilitated
workshops and meetings, reviewed/analyzed District homework, and conducted supporting research. BC helped coordinate
activities and encouraged collaboration within and between Teams. This document is intended to serve as an independent review
and executive summary of the plans. The recommendations in this document represent the opinion of BC gained through direct
engagement with the development of the four AOR Business Plans.

Business Plan Final Draft Executive Summary

BUSINESS PLANNING PROCESS OVERVIEW

The Business Planning Process included industry best practices, a cross-section of District personnel, and close collaboration.

Business Plan Final Draft Executive Summary

BUSINESS PLANNING PROCESS

The District Business Planning Process included numerous people from across the organization; a structured, best practice driven
and repeatable process; and culminated in a comprehensive Business Plan. The elements of the Business Plan and the significance
to the process are discussed below.

Area of Responsibility Teams

The four AORs included in the Strategic Plan were selected as the primary method to structure the development of each Business
Plan. Personnel were assigned to the four AORs, with the intention of both selecting individuals that had knowledge of the specific
area and had broad understanding of the Districts Core Mission. AOR Team Leaders were voted on by the Team members. Each
leader was the point of contact for coordination, collaboration and assignments.

The four AORs worked together to produce area-specific plans, with District-wide overarching recommendations and outcomes.

Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat Analysis

A SWOT Analysis is a structured planning method used for determining the
overall strategic position of an organization within its environment. Its
purpose is to highlight avenues for goal-setting and improvement areas to be
considered in a Business Plan. The key definitions for a SWOT analysis
include:

Strengths: qualities that enable the organization to accomplish its

mission.
Weaknesses: qualities that prevent the organization from
accomplishing its mission and achieving its full potential.
Opportunities: presented by the environment within which the
organization operates. An organization needs to recognize and grasp
relevant opportunities whenever they arise.
Threats: arise when conditions in the external environment
jeopardize the reliability of an organization and/or its products and
services.

The SWOT analyses performed by each AOR Team and approximately 25

additional District staff was combined with other exercises and workshops,
which led to the identification of the key recommendations presented
throughout this document.

Business Plan Draft Executive Summary

SWOT factors include internal and external, favorable

and unfavorable.

Balanced Scorecard
The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is an industry standard approach to developing,
managing and tracking performance measures and goals. The BSC looks at
organizational performance through four components: Customers/Stakeholders,
Business Processes, Employee Development/Learning and Growth, and Financial.
Maintaining a vision of the four dimensions of the BSC helps to provide a broader
industry-accepted perspective and is consistent with the goals and initiatives
presented in the Districts Strategic Plan (2014-2018).

Customer/
Stakeholder

Each goal included in the Business Plan was assigned to one of the four
dimensions of the BSC. This helped maintain a balanced perspective of District
goals and make sure that nothing was overlooked during the planning process.

Financial

Business
Process

Employee
Learning &
Growth

Workforce Allocation by Bureau and AOR

Allocating District personnel time to each of the AORs was conducted through
workshops and discussions. Each Team estimated percentages of time assigned to
each AOR at the Bureau level. For future business plan updates, District timesheets
will be analyzed for a detailed estimate of time allocation.

The four components of the BSC help focus

attention on all areas of an organization.

Financial Analysis
Florida Statutes Chapter 373 authorizes the District to direct a wide range of initiatives, programs, and actions. These
responsibilities can be grouped under the four AORs: Water Supply, Water Quality, Natural Systems, and Flood Protection. In
addition to managing operating resources such as staff, supplies and equipment, the District manages the immense financial
resources associated with each AOR. This is accomplished on an ongoing basis paying particular attention to recurring versus nonrecurring spending and the use of efficiencies and accountability.

Key Performance Indicators

Through the planning process, the Teams identified Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) linking both the strategic initiatives and
BSC perspectives. Identifying KPIs allowed the Teams to determine which activities were most important to assess and how to
quantifiably measure them. This is an essential part of determining the progress and success of the Strategic Plan. The KPIs were
developed and selected to: (1) have the potential to produce significant results, (2) allow for straightforward communication and (3)
be achievable in the short- and medium-term. Examples of Districts KPIs include the following:

Are District structures maintained on schedule?

Are Environmental Resource Permits (ERP) reviews completed on schedule?
Are Cooperative Funding Initiative (CFI) projects completed on schedule and budget?
Are responses to public flooding inquires timely?
Business Plan Final Draft Executive Summary

DRIVERS
Understanding, acknowledging and learning about what influences
the Districts mission was critical to developing a Business Plan
that would work for the District now and into the future. The
primary drivers for initiating the Strategic and Business Plans has
been, and are anticipated to be: changing workforce, population
growth, water resource challenges, regulations and legislation.

Changing workforce. District staff retirement and turnover

along with technology changes/advancements that may require
very different skillsets in the future can have a significant impact
on the number of available personnel and the types of skills they
will be required to possess. Retirement of the baby boomers,
smaller size of the millennial workforce and the shrinking pool of
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) talent will
be major considerations in the Districts future.

Population growth. As shown in the graphic to the right,

population in the Districts four regions is projected to increase
significantly over the next 40 years. This growth will put
increased pressure on District resources to respond to stakeholder
demands.

Water resource challenges. The Central Florida Water

Initiative (CFWI) and focus on springs will present additional
planning and implementation requirements for the District.

Regulations. Upcoming and anticipated changes in regulations

(i.e. Minimum Flows and Levels [MFL], Total Maximum Daily
Loads [TMDL], Federal requirements) may require new
technologies, additional personnel and time to meet the
requirements.

Projected population increase for the District areas.

Source: 1900-2010 is US census data; 2000 and 2020-2040 data is Bureau of Economic and
Business Research and Florida office of Economic and Demographic Research

Legislation. The State Legislature can modify the Districts

priorities through legislation. Recently, Florida voters
overwhelming passed Amendment 1 (Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative) which requires that one-third of tax proceeds
from certain real estate transactions be applied to water and land conservation. Because the legislature appropriates monies that
Amendment 1 mandates, it will have a direct influence on how and where the money is spent. Legislation implementing
Amendment 1 may fund management and restoration of natural systems. This could have significant impacts on the District
programs including various aspects of the springs related initiatives programs. This could include strategic land acquisition,
establishing minimum flows and levels, natural systems restoration and water supply development and permitting.

Business Plan Final Draft Executive Summary

CHANGING WORKFORCE
Over the next 10 years, if the average staff turnover rate (non-retirement related) is 5 percent per year (it has ranged from 3.5% to
25.5% over the last 11 years and is 3.5% in 2015 to date), 290 positions will turn over across the District. Additionally, 265 people
are eligible for retirement within the next 10 years. This totals 555 potential vacancies and new employees over this period. Current
staffing is 577 employees. This represents a potential for 96 percent turnover in 10 years and provides the District with both
challenges and opportunities.
The retirement of the baby boomers, smaller size millennial workforce and the shrinking pool of Science, Technology, Engineering
and Math (STEM) talent will have a substantial impact on the management and operations of the District. District retirement
numbers and potential losses in key areas are displayed below.
There is increasing competition for the skills required by the District. The American Institutes for Research data show that
recruiting and hiring students with science, technology, engineering and mathematics will be more difficult over the next five to ten
years as illustrated below.

Source: Change the Equation http://vitalsigns.changetheequation.org/#fl-Florida-Overview

Retirement Statistics
The following graphs highlight the significant staff changes that could occur over the next 10 years, and also present skill sets that
are associated with the retirements (BAOF: Bartow office, BROF: Brooksville office, SAOF: Sarasota office, TAOF: Tampa
office).

Business Plan Final Draft Executive Summary

Potential staffs total retirement by location in the next 5 and 10 years.

The figure below shows the job categories that will be the most impacted by retirements over the next 10 years. The three highest
impact categories are Civil Engineers, Life, Physical and Social Science Technicians and Hydrologists.

Key skill sets with highest retirement levels in the next 5 and 10 years.

Education and Population Statistics

The following graphs show population and education levels in Tampa and the surrounding areas. Tampa is projected to grow at a
faster pace than the surrounding areas. Demographics in Tampa also show an availability of higher levels and percentages of people
with post high school education compared to other regions in the District. This projected increase in population along with
education levels translates to a larger potential labor pool for projected shortages in workforce, specifically in STEM positions
which accounts for a significant portion of the estimated positions at the District eligible to retire in the next 5-10 years.

Business Plan Final Draft Executive Summary

10

Population areas surround District offices (as of January 2015).

Source: 1900-2010 is US census data; 2000 and 2020-2040 data is Bureau of Economic and
Business Research and Florida office of Economic and Demographic Research

Graduate degree

Brooksville

Bachelors degree

Tampa

Associate degree

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

2012 highest education level attained (population age 25+) for Brooksville and Tampa.
Source: CLRSearch.com

Assets and Service Areas

District lands and assets cover a wide area of west central Florida. The distribution of the lands dictate the way in which staff
respond to stakeholder needs. The changing locations of the stakeholders (as population shifts occur over time, and assets are
acquired or removed) may have an impact on how the District staffs offices, builds assets, and operates and maintains existing
assets.

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Business Plan Final Draft Executive Summary

District lands are spread out over a large service area requiring staff committed to servicing and maintaining the distributed assets.

District Office Accessibility

The following map provides a visual representation of the District offices and their proximity to local universities known for STEM
programs along with ease of accessibility to the major highways such as I-4, I-75 and I-275. The map clearly shows the Districts
Tampa office as centrally located and the easiest access via I-4, I-75, and I-275 to its stakeholders, the Tampa International Airport,
and other District offices.

Business Plan Final Draft Executive Summary

12

RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS
Due to the impacts of the changing workforce, population growth, water resource challenges, regulations and legislation, and
following through on the recommendations and desired outcomes presented in the Business Plans, additional resources may be
necessary. The data presented below are based on an estimated cost analysis which included comparing Fiscal Year 2014 Bureauwide staffing and budget expenditures to staffing and budget expenditures needed to support the strategic initiatives as defined in
the Strategic Plan (2014-2018) over a five-year horizon.

Expertise

10

Water Use Permit

15

Water Resources

Regulatory Support

Total*

District Wide
Staff Need

Public Affairs

Operations & Land

Management

Office of General
Counsel

Natural Systems &

Restoration

Information
Technology

Human Resources &

Risk Management

General Services

Finance

Environmental
Resource Permit

AOR
Personnel
Needs

Data Collection

The number of staff and the likely classification of staff that may be needed by each of the AORs was discussed and evaluated.
Potentially 8 percent more staff may be required over the next five years to achieve the Districts Business Plan goals.

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Total
Additional FTEs

10

47

Total % Increase

12%

11%

11%

5%

20%

2%

13%

20%

15%

3%

3%

4%

6%

8%

$507,000

$416,000

$150,000

$80,000

$95,000

$98,000

$344,918

$190,000

$408,102

$65,956

$85,000

$83,918

$110,925

$2,634,819

Total Base
Salary $$

*Executive, Office of Inspector General, Ombudsman Office, Land Management, and Project Management Office Bureaus not shown since no change in
personnel was noted.

The potential for additional District resources shown in the table above is being impacted by the Drivers listed earlier such as:

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Population Growth
Water Resource Challenges (CFWI, springs)
Regulations (i.e. Army Corp of Engineer Requirements)
Legislation (Amendment 1)

Business Plan Final Draft Executive Summary

Operating Tools/Equipment
Each of the AOR Teams evaluated the short- and long-term goals and needs over the next 5 years to develop estimates of additional
necessary resource needs based on the specific AOR. The results of these evaluations are summarized below. The Teams also
worked together to determine where resources could be shared across AORs and Bureaus. The following equipment costs are
anticipated in part with expenditures associated with the Districts long-term financial plan, assuming expected implementation of
Amendment 1. Equipment costs include items for office space, furniture, equipment and supplies, miscellaneous field and heavy
equipment and required attachments. Advancements with technology will also impact equipment costs. New and more robust
computers and software will be required to support more sophisticated models. Staff will continue to update these estimates on an
annual basis.

Equipment Needs

Description

$48,000

Equipment needed to support additional staff.

$324,000

Equipment needed to meet Water Quality Assessment and Planning Goal of collecting and analyzing data to determine local and regional water quality
status and trends to support resource management decisions and restoration initiatives and to meet goal of Water Quality Maintenance and Improvement,
in development and implementation of programs, projects and regulations to maintain and improve water quality.

$133,200

For many purposes, but especially the management of lands requires functioning heavy equipment to perform land management and restoration
activities. Implementation of the 5-year equipment replacement plan, via the Equipment Sinking Fund, is critical to the success of land restoration goals.

$435,600

Equipment costs will be required for office space, furniture, equipment and supplies, and miscellaneous field equipment, as well as heavy equipment and
associated attachments which are needed to meet continuing and new structure and levee maintenance requirements.

Projects
The economic downturn in 2008 had a profound negative impact on the District and its cooperating stakeholder communities.
Recent and forecasted population growth, along with the associated increase in economic activity will elevate the demand for
District resources over the next 5 years across many programs. This influence will be especially pronounced within the Water
Supply AOR, and could drive the need for increased cooperator project funding and related District support over a longer time
frame, above and beyond currently planned Central Florida Water Initiative funding levels.

Additional Project Needs

$16,550,000

Description
Additional project funds necessary are approximately $16,550,000. These projects costs are above and beyond future anticipated costs associated with the
Polk County Partnership which are already included in the Districts long-term financial plan.

$6,430,000

Address impacts/in-fill gaps for existing long-term monitored wells in the Coastal Groundwater Network.
In-fill gaps in existing monitor well networks for groundwater nutrient assessments/re-establish the Districts lakes water quality monitoring network.
Implement an ongoing District-wide monitor well maintenance and repair process.

$202,000

Maintenance of 260,000 acres of conservation lands.

Maintenance of 25,000 surface acres of lakes and rivers.
Maintenance of 10,000 to 20,000 additional acres of conservation lands (with Amendment 1).

$0

Project needs are anticipated to stay at the $12M average experienced over the past six years. Projects can be generally divided into two major types:
planning and analysis of stormwater systems and flooding, and design and construction of flood protection improvement projects.

Business Plan Final Draft Executive Summary

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RECOMMENDATIONS
These recommendations represent the opinion of BC gained through direct engagement with the development of the four AOR
Business Plans. Primarily, BC recommends the District continue to adapt the Business Plan to fully support the Boards directions
contained in the Strategic Plan. In turn, the District should allow the Business Plan to inform and adapt the Strategic Plan through a
continuous improvement feedback loop. Continue the use of District staff in the Business Plan development process. District staff
are knowledgeable and dedicated to achieve the vision of the District and gain additional perspective of the challenges facing the
District through purposeful involvement of District subject-matter experts in the process.
The magnitude of the expected total turnover from retirements and voluntary separations creates an opportunity for the District to
evolve with future changes. Recruiting pressures will be high for STEM talent which is at the heart of the Districts core mission.
The Tampa area offers a larger and better educated talent pool and should be more attractive to recruits. Moving the Districts talent
base more to Tampa over time will improve the ability to recruit and retain STEM talent.
The table shown below represents recommendations from the business planning process for each AOR to meet its Strategic
Initiatives.

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Area of
Responsibility
Goals

Area of
Responsibility
Strategic Initiatives

Recommendations
for the Application
of District Core Values

Recommendations for
Enhancing District Core
Business Processes

Water Supply: Ensure an

adequate supply of the
water resource to provide
for all existing and future
reasonable and beneficial
uses while protecting and
maintaining water
resources and related
natural systems.
Water Quality: Protect
and improve water quality
to sustain the water,
environment, economy and
quality of life.
Natural Systems:
Preserve, protect and
restore natural systems to
support their natural
hydrologic and ecological
functions.
Flood Protection:
Minimize flood damage to
protect people, property,
infrastructure and
investment.

Regional Water Supply Planning

Alternative Water Supply
Reclaimed Water
Conservation

Service Excellence: Proactively address the changing

workforce through effective succession planning, recruiting and
employee retention and training programs to create an
opportunity to evolve with future changes.
Teamwork and Collaboration: Continued investigation and
implementation of efficiencies through application of enhanced
technology and business processes is critical to maintaining
and improving the levels of service the District provides to its
stakeholders.
Continue participation in the CFWI as the initiative enters a new
phase of implementation.
Self-Management: To fully implement the initiatives defined
in the Strategic Plan (2014-2018), additional expertise, tools
and project capacity will be needed. Fill approximately 47
additional staff over the next 5 years and make adjustments to
staff and resources annually through the normal budgetary
process. Based on previous and current financial and political
consideration it is estimated that the District could purchase
10,000 to 20,000 acres of land in a five-year period. This has
the potential to impact the Field Operations, Vegetation
Management, Land Resources, and Real Estate Services
Section. Through assessment of current staffing needs and
evaluation of existing vacant positions it was determined that
one staff position can be re-assigned to this Section
immediately.
Professional and Technical Excellence: Train toward
subject-matter expertise, fortified with tools to manage project
capacity.
Continue to improve the efficiency of the contract development
and execution process.
Provide more favorable ranking to cooperative funding projects
that address a TMDL impairment or support BMAP
implementation.
Develop water quality modeling/impact analyses to assess and
plan for sea level rise.

Water Resources Planning: Increases in

population and economic activity will drive
increased demand for District resources. Impacts
are being felt now and this trend, if continued, is
likely to generate more impacts over the 5- to 10year horizon. The District should monitor this trend
and the demand for cooperative funding.
In the years after the Central Florida Water
Initiative is largely implemented new demands for
cooperative funding may arise due to population
growth and increased economic activity.
Innovative Projects: Pursue emerging
technologies for advanced water supply options,
especially in water conservation.
Long-Range Financial Planning: Develop a 10to 20-year refurbishment and replacement (R&R)
plan for the Districts fixed assets including water
control and conservation structures. This plan is
critical for identifying and quantifying these needs
and the associated timing so that a feasible and
affordable financial plan can be developed over
time.
Land and Structure Operations: Enhance
programs to protect/improve springs water quality
including strategic land acquisition, FARMS and
partnering with FDEP on related wastewater issues
and partnering with other agencies and
stakeholders to address nutrient inputs to springs.
Knowledge Management: Continue to develop
and implement existing service levels for MFL
Establishment and Recovery and Natural Systems
Conservation and Recovery.
Public Engagement: Enhance the Districts
brand with stakeholders by reinforcing the
fundamental relationship between the Districts
core mission and the quality of life factors that
benefit stakeholders and support the local
economy.

Water Quality Assessment and

Planning
Water Quality Maintenance and
Improvement
Minimum Flows and Levels
Establishment and Recovery
Natural Systems conservation
and Restoration
Floodplain Management
Emergency Flood Response

Business Plan Final Draft Executive Summary