123 SFWMD Employees, Including Bob Howard, Take Buyout Before They Get the Chop

One hundred and twenty-three South Florida Water Management District employees who worried their jobs were on the chopping block did what probably was the smart thing: They accepted the district's contract buyout before the ax fell. This is their last day of work -- Thursday, June 30.

New SFWMD Executive Director Melissa Meeker took less than a fortnight after her appointment to cobble together a severance package that will trim some of the $128.3 million the district needs to cut from its $1.1 billion budget. The budget cut is due to a new state law that reduces property tax the district can collect by nearly one-third.

According to a story in the Palm Beach Post, Meeker called the severance offer "the most human thing we can do to take a step in reducing personnel numbers and to give our great staff this option while we can."

There is nothing stingy about this deal for the 123 employees involved, all of whom feared they would be laid off in August anyway and get nothing.

Here is some of what reporter Christine Stapleton explains in her story:

"It is not known how many of the 123 vacant positions will be filled or eliminated. However, the savings could be substantial. Nearly 27 percent of those leaving earned salaries over $100,000, according to a Palm Beach Post analysis of district data. In total, the annual salaries of those taking the buyout are over $10 million, plus $1.4 million in benefits and about $367,000 in deferred compensation.

"Among those leaving are Bob Howard, the boyfriend of former executive director Carol Wehle who worked as an engineering auditor, and John Williams, the district's internal auditor who hired Howard. Wehle left the district this spring after The Post reported Howard's hiring and as Gov. Rick Scott was calling for at least 25 percent cuts in the property taxes collected by the state's five water management districts.

"The top paid worker who took the buyout is Sheryl Wood, the district's general counsel who earned $178,152. The district's chief financial officer, Paul Dumars ($130,686), chief engineer, Chau Hwa ($130,769) and chief pilot, Michael Piccone ($123,843) are also leaving."