DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
FICE WATER RESOURCES COMMITTEE (WRC)
Purpose ─ As the representative of Florida’s privately practicing engineers, work with water
resource agencies to establish and maintain a model program of public/private partnership for the
enhancement of procurement, delivery, and quality of water resources engineering services.
Objectives ─
1. Provide a regular forum for FICE and constructive dialog between private engineering
firms and governmental agencies dealing with water resources in Florida to improve and
strengthen the conduct of their mutual business.
2. Establish relationships of trust and mutual respect between agencies and private
practitioners based upon an open communication of issues and concerns central to the
missions of both parties.
3. Improve and strengthen the process by which water resource engineering services are
procured and performed, and elevate the quality of engineering services delivered
governmental agencies dealing with water resources in Florida.
Appointments to the committee shall be as follows:
The Chairman of the FICE Water Resource Committee is appointed by the President of FICE.
Subcommittee Chairmen are appointed by the Chairman of the Water Resource Committee.
The Chairman of the Water Resource Committee should have previous experience as a
subcommittee Chairman, and should have a history of service on the Water Resource Committee
in order to be knowledgeable of the history and background of Water Resource Committee
activities and public agency issues. It is desirable that individuals appointed as Liaison
Committee Chairmen have previous experience serving on a subcommittee.
Service on subcommittees should be premised on a willingness and desire to contribute to the
improvement of the Water Resource Industry in Florida, particularly as it impacts the Engineering
Consulting Profession. Appointment as Chairman of a subcommittee should be based on hard
work and contribution to the successful function of the subcommittee. Service as a subcommittee
Chairman is an activity that is intended to promote Leadership within the FICE Organization, and
to prepare an individual for service in a more responsible position.
The Chairman will be appointed by the incoming FICE President, and will serve for a 1 year
period (not to exceed three consecutive terms), coinciding with the FICE fiscal year. The
Chairman will lead all Water Resource Committee meetings and will be responsible for selecting
subcommittee chairs and directing the activities of the subcommittee chairs. The Chairman will
report to the FICE President through the Environmental Director of the FICE Board of Directors.
The Chairman will be responsible for attendance at the FICE Water Resource Committee
meetings, as well as all FICE Board meetings. The Chairman will also be required to attend the
annual FICE Leadership Conference. Other meetings may also require the Chairman’s presence,
including Agency meetings and other meetings requested by either the FICE Environmental
Director or the FICE President.
The Chairman is to maintain communication with the FICE Environmental Director in order to
keep the Board apprized of the Chairman’s and/or Committee’s activities. From time to time, the
Chairman may elect to convene the Water Resource Policy Council to deal with sensitive issues
or to obtain guidance for future FICE Water Resource Committee actions. The membership of
the Water Resource Policy Council will be determined on an as-needed basis by the FICE Water
Resource Committee Chairman and FICE Environmental Director jointly, but may include the
following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
FICE Water Resource Committee Chairman
FICE Environmental Director
One or more of past FICE Water Resource Committee Chairman
FES Conservation and Environmental Quality Committee Liaison Member
FICE Executive Director
FICE Legislative Consultant
FICE Legal Consultant
Subcommittee Chairs that may be directly involved with the issue at hand
Other FICE members practicing in the Water Resource area with specialized
knowledge and/or interest
Subcommittees:
At a minimum, the Chairman will continue standing liaison subcommittees with the South
Florida Water Management District (WMD), the Southwest Florida WMD, the St. Johns River
WMD, and the ACOE Jacksonville District. When appropriate, the Chairman will initiate liaison
subcommittees with the Northwest Florida WMD and Suwannee River WMD. The Chairman
shall consult with the FICE Environmental Director at a minimum, and the full Board when
required, to seek approval for the formation of new subcommittees and/or other initiatives.
Liaison Subcommittees:
The Liaison Subcommittees are established to provide an effective means of communication
between FICE and the noted public agencies on matters of mutual interest, and provide a forum
for discussion of policy issues that have an impact on the consulting community (see Statement
of Purpose and Objectives).
Each Liaison Subcommittee will be co-chaired by a representative of the respective public agency
and a representative of FICE. Each subcommittee will (ideally) be composed of five to seven
high-ranking representatives from the public agency and five to seven representatives from FICE,
including the co-chairs. The FICE representatives shall be the FICE Liaison Subcommittee cochair, and principals of other FICE member companies involved in the water resource arena.
Efforts should be made to represent small, medium, and large FICE member companies on each
liaison subcommittee. Size, composition, and terms of office are established by mutual
agreement of the liaison subcommittee.
Meeting Sequence and Purpose:
The FICE members of each Liaison Subcommittee will meet at least semiannually to discuss
issues brought up at the previous full Liaison Committee meeting, and to develop new issues
proposed for presentation to the public agency members of the full Liaison Subcommittee. The
FICE Subcommittee Chairman will request agenda items from the public agency for inclusion on
a meeting agenda. The full Liaison Committee will then meet to discuss all agenda items (at least
semiannually). Other meetings as agreed upon by the full Liaison Subcommittee may be
scheduled to address specific issues of importance to the Subcommittee members.
The full Water Resource Committee will meet subsequent to the Liaison Subcommittee meetings
(at least semiannually) to hear subcommittee reports and recommendations, and to take actions to
refer to the FICE Board, Liaison Committees, Executive Director, General Counsel, etc, as
appropriate.
The full Water Resource Committee meetings should include speakers of interest to the
membership, including those from the public agencies involved in liaison subcommittees, as well
as the FICE Executive Director, the FES/FICE legislative consultant, the FES/FICE legal
consultant, or others deemed relevant by the membership.
Relationship with FES Conservation and Environmental Quality Committee:
The Florida Engineering Society (FES) Conservation and Environmental Quality Committee is
established to study and make recommendations to the FES Board with respect to the
improvement and preservation of Florida's environment, on policies or positions that would be
appropriate for FES to adopt, and for evaluating, screening, and preparing FES comments and/or
positions on proposed rules and regulations of State regulatory agencies having conservation and
environmental responsibilities. The CEQ Committee will also establish contact and provide
liaison with civic groups and governmental agencies which have a vital interest in or
responsibility for conservation and environmental quality.
As such, from time to time there may be issues of common interest among the FICE Water
Resource Committee and the FES CEQ Committee. In order to facilitate ongoing communication
between the two committees, the FICE Water Resource Committee will have a standing position
for an FES CEQ Liaison member. This Liaison member will be invited to participate in FICE
Liaison Subcommittee meetings, will be copied on all FICE Water Resource Committee
correspondence, and will provide a report of FES CEQ activities to the FICE Water Resource
Committee at its meetings. The Liaison member will be responsible to bring forward to the FICE
Water Resource Committee Chairman any issues or concerns of potential conflicts between the
FICE Water Resource Committee and the FES CEQ Committee so that they may be addressed in
good order.
The Liaison member will be chosen by the FES CEQ Committee leadership and will serve a oneyear term (not to exceed three consecutive terms).
FICE WRC Taking Positions:
Per the FICE Board of Directors, the Environmental Director, will represent the FICE Board and
decide what the committee should move forward on quickly, and what needs to be sent to the
FICE Board for a decision.
Updated – January 10, 2011