Mark Twain is said to have quipped, “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting." And in Florida, the subject of water can bring out the strongest of opinions. The Water for Fighting podcast will discuss the past, present, and future of water in Florida with the people who make it happen. The host, Brett Cyphers spent over 20 years working throughout Florida government getting to know the people who’ve made water their life’s work and created this podcast to allow you, the listener, to get to know them as well. The object of this show is to get beyond the abbreviated soundbites and two-line quotes to provide a format that allows us to get to know the guest, not just serve an agenda. Guests are encouraged to talk about their experiences and opinions as they wish to express them. We hope you’ll enjoy the conversations.
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Mark Twain is said to have quipped, “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting." And in Florida, the subject of water can bring out the strongest of opinions. The Water for Fighting podcast will discuss the past, present, and future of water in Florida with the people who make it happen. The host, Brett Cyphers spent over 20 years working throughout Florida government getting to know the people who’ve made water their life’s work and created this podcast to allow you, the listener, to get to know them as well. The object of this show is to get beyond the abbreviated soundbites and two-line quotes to provide a format that allows us to get to know the guest, not just serve an agenda. Guests are encouraged to talk about their experiences and opinions as they wish to express them. We hope you’ll enjoy the conversations.
The long-awaited return of Water for Fighting is here!
In the first episode of Season 3, Brett travels to Tampa to record live in front of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary’s (NAALJ) National Conference. His conversation partners were Elizabeth Fernandez and Doug Manson. Elizabeth is the Deputy General Counsel at the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Doug is President of the Manson, Bolves, Donaldson, Tanner Law Firm.
They discuss Western versus Eastern Water Law, and where Florida’s water resource philosophy fits on that spectrum. They also talk about the genesis of conflict as it relates to water resources in Florida, and more importantly, the path to conflict resolution when stakeholders disagree.
To learn more about what Elizabeth’s great organization is up to and how they’re working to protect West Central Florida’s water resources, head here:
https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us
To find out how Doug and his partners can put their decades of legal expertise in water resource regulation and conflict resolution, visit them here:
https://www.mansonbolves.com/attorneys/douglas-manson/
A special thank you goes out to Judges Brian Newman, Bruce Culpepper, Francine Ffolkes, and Bill Horgan from the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings for inviting me to the conference and for supporting the mission of the show. To learn more about my gracious hosts from the NAALJ, please visit their website here:
https://www.naalj.org
To learn more about the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) with Swiftmud, go here:
https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/projects/southern-water-use-caution-area
Brett and his guests talk about the Polk Regional Water Cooperative (PRWC) and its goal of meeting water resource needs and protection goals in a place where the demand for water has outpaced supply. To learn more about that, go here: https://prwcwater.org
West-Central Florida has been a hotbed for water resource conflict over the decades, but the path to cooperative resolution really culminated with the creation of Tampa Bay Water over 25 years ago. To find out more about its creation, go here: https://www.tampabaywater.org/about-tampa-bay-water
This Episode of Water for Fighting is brought to you by my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions.
RES is the nation’s leader in ecological restoration, helping to restore Florida’s natural resources with water quality and stormwater solutions that offer communities guaranteed performance and outcomes. Check them out at www.res.us
Please be sure to check out a relatively new podcast Brett hosts with his friend and colleague, Ryan Matthews, called the Florida Specifier Podcast. It’s part of a new venture that is striving to become Florida’s first source for environmental news, educational tools, and unique perspectives on our state’s natural environment and the events that shape it. To learn more about its flagship publication and more, visit The Florida Specifier.
If you’re enjoying this show, please be sure to subscribe on whatever platform you use, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star rating and review.
You can follow the show on LinkedIn and Instagram @flwaterpod, and you can reach me directly at FLwaterpod@gmail.com with your comments and suggestions for who and/or what you’d like to know more about.
Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.
A very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band for giving permission to use his music for this podcast. The song is called Doing Work for Free, and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold.
Water For Fighting
Mark Twain is said to have quipped, “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting." And in Florida, the subject of water can bring out the strongest of opinions. The Water for Fighting podcast will discuss the past, present, and future of water in Florida with the people who make it happen. The host, Brett Cyphers spent over 20 years working throughout Florida government getting to know the people who’ve made water their life’s work and created this podcast to allow you, the listener, to get to know them as well. The object of this show is to get beyond the abbreviated soundbites and two-line quotes to provide a format that allows us to get to know the guest, not just serve an agenda. Guests are encouraged to talk about their experiences and opinions as they wish to express them. We hope you’ll enjoy the conversations.
