Name: Mike Britt
Age: 51
Family: Wife, Sue; two daughters, Katie, a senior, and Kelly, a sophomore, both at Lake Region High School.
Residence: Longtime resident of Winter Haven.
Education: Master's degree in urban and regional planning from Florida State University. There was an emphasis in environmental planning at FSU when I attended. I also took four law classes while I was there, and I say that because it is really playing a part in my career now that it didn't play in the previous parts of my career.
Career: Natural Resources Division director and professional engineer for the city of Winter Haven.
How many years have you worked for the City of Winter Haven? 20 years.
What sparked your interest in Natural Resources? I've known since I was a junior in high school that I wanted to be in water management. There was an article in Sports Illustrated magazine about water resources in Florida. I remember reading that and saying, "That is what I want to do." I spent most of my childhood in the swamp. Water has always been a big part of my life, and I have the fondest memories of my childhood in the water. Now I see that water is becoming more limited. The competition for water and the natural environment, as well, are becoming more defined. Most people think that water supply is just for humans, but we need it for the natural environment as well.
As the Natural Resources director for the city of Winter Haven, how are the water resources being handled? We have a different view of water here in Winter Haven. We manage our resources differently because our ecology here is very much water dependent, and we are seeing depleted resources, such as how much supply comes from aquifers. We see the effects of it. We see that first, over other communities, because of our lakes here.
It seems as though this is more than just a job to you. It is a passion. I tell people that I would do this for free if I could. It is so challenging and complex. There are a lot of decisions to make. Somebody has to really understand water in this job. You have to really dig deep on "How do we manage the water here?" And we are really working hard on this. I feel very lucky to have been chosen for this job. I feel very fortunate that we have the leadership in Winter Haven that encourages this kind of activity with water issues.
What brought you to Winter Haven? I worked for the Southwest (Florida) Water Management District and then when I took this job, I moved to Winter Haven from Lakeland.
What is a typical day in your position? I come in a little after 7 a.m. and I work on water plans and water-quality projects. I work in the office a lot now on these plans. I used to get to work out in the field a lot, but now I am doing these plans.
What's makes you the most proud to work here? The people have just been outstanding. I feel like I have got a lot of latitude, and they have really supported some of the different directions that we have explored over the years. I have learned a lot from the citizens of Winter Haven and I have also learned that I can count on the people of Winter Haven, and I appreciate that. I'm proud that they would hire me to maintain a full-time position as Natural Resources director for a city our size. We have a very qualified staff in our water resources department. Certainly, there have been a lot of projects accomplished that I am very proud of, too. One of the projects that I love is the South Lake Howard Nature Park. That set us in motion for a lot of things we will be doing in the future.
What are your plans for the future? The Water Resource Sustainability Plan for the city of Winter Haven and the Peace Creek Watershed are our plans. This plan will change the way we think about water in Winter Haven. It looks at water as one resource versus individual resources as we have in the past. In the past, we looked at flooding, wetlands and utilities in separate ways, and this plan looks at water as one. Another thing this plan does is that it gives us a reason for making water resources a priority in economic growth.
What is the toughest thing about your job? Trying to manage some very complex related issues, technically and politically, and then trying to wrap my head around that, and also running the day-to-day operations and going back and forth between all of those. The mental gymnastics just baffles me sometimes. I take a lot of work home, because I run out of time in the office.
What's the most exciting thing about your job? The community is so supportive. A lot of people out there have a feel for water resources and they appreciate everything that we do. Taking everybody's input and making it work. People from the city, making it work, to me that is very exciting.
What do you do in addition to your job? I help with my daughters' sports, and ball teams. We take folks on trips on city-owned kayaks down the Peace River looking for fossils. The city got a grant to buy these kayaks. The project is called UPKEEP. We also go to Circle B Bar Reserve about two to three times per week. I play tennis, and we also go to the beach.
What do you do to relax? I love to take canoe camping trips. I read some.
What do you like the most about Polk County? It is a great place to raise my family. I am so glad we located here. It is centrally located and it's a small town. If you want to go to Tampa or Orlando, they're not too far away. I feel like I am in the perfect place at the perfect time.
