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other NEPs, which was never presented to the subcommittee. The minutes <br /> of the meeting show that the subcommittee was given six specific duties: <br /> a. Create structure of NEP <br /> b. Determine Policy Board Members <br /> c. Consider Management Board Members. <br /> d. Draft Inter-local agreement. <br /> e. Draft Mission statement <br /> f. Determine appropriate funding level for NEP. <br /> 3. August 18, 2014 — First meeting of subcommittee. Before the meeting an <br /> inter-local agreement was drafted by staff for discussion, with no <br /> subcommittee input and sent to the Subcommittee members. <br /> Minutes of the meeting suggest that the subcommittee began by <br /> discussing the draft agreement. This is false. It was a two- hour meeting <br /> and the first hour was basically me asking multiple foundation questions <br /> and asking for the response to be in writing. The questions were basically <br /> sidestepped and there was never a written response from staff. The <br /> subcommittee did not address five of the six duties charged to us by the <br /> Advisory Board, Interestingly, during the discussion the subcommittee was <br /> told that "The Governor spoke with DEP" and was told to make it more <br /> locally responsive, that it was to be a "locally driven program at the grass <br /> roots level". The IRL-NEP Interim Director Maurice Sterling said at the <br /> meeting: "Your Advisory Board voted unanimously to move the Tampa Bay <br /> model." I recall no such vote, the minutes reflect no such vote, and the <br /> statement is contradicted by the fact that the minutes clearly show that the <br /> AB charged the subcommittee to "Create structure of the NEP". <br /> The subcommittee did discuss, during the review of the staff drafted inter- <br /> local agreement, one of the six duties that it was given. It discussed the <br /> Policy Board Members that staff had presented in the draft. I said that the <br /> three agencies listed, FDEP, the SJRWMD and SFWMD should not be <br /> voting Board members. Henry Dean an advisor to the SJRWMD <br /> responded saying; "I can say with some assurance...they need a voice..." <br /> if they are to contribute such a "substantial number of their ad valorem <br /> dollars". He then made a stronger statement: "Neither department nor two <br /> districts will participate if they are not voting members." This statement <br /> persuaded the subcommittee to leave the agencies as voting members of <br /> the Policy Board. <br /> However, a subsequent public information request shows Mr. Dean's <br /> statements to be false. The minutes of the September 9, 2014 Governing <br /> Board meeting of the SJWMD, which authorized "the Executive Director or <br />