Scott returns Miklos to water board
St. Johns reassignment comes despite protests
John Miklos, who recently withdrew his name from consideration to an Orange County advisory board after residents and environmentalists protested his conflicts of interest, was re-appointed Friday by Gov. Rick Scott to another four-year term on the St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board.
Miklos, 48, of Orlando, is the president of Bio-Tech Consulting Inc., an environmental consulting company whose clients have included developers who apply for permits from the water district to drain or fill wetlands.
He was first appointed to the water-management board by Scott in 2010 and elected its chairman in 2013.
This month, Miklos was considered for a post on the Orange County Development Advisory Board, which reviews proposed land-development regulations and proposes changes to county commissioners.
However, several conservationists and residents protested Miklos being considered, calling it an insult to the board to name someone whose company works for developers.
The protests grew loud enough that Chadwick Hardee, who nominated Miklos for the county panel, ended up asking commissioners to reject him, calling it “probably a very bad fit for that board.”
Besides Miklos, Scott also reappointed Janet Price, 62, to the water management district’s governing board. Price, of Fernandina Beach, is the manager of environmental affairs at Rayonier Inc., a timberland realestate investment trust.
The nine-member St. Johns governing board sets the policies for the 17-county water management district. Members serve four-year terms and are not compensated.
Miklos’ and Price’s new terms will end March 1, 2022.