SEBASTIAN —Sebastian will add a big feather to its cap when the Indian River Lagoon Council establishes its headquarters in the Historic Old Sebastian Elementary School next month.
The decision by the 7-member Council is quite a coup for the City and its mayor, Richard Gillmor, who made the offer to the Council’s new Executive Director Duane DeFreese. Several other entities, including Harbor Branch-FAU, had offered space to the Council, says Gillmor.
Because the IRC Board of Commissioners refused to participate in the council, which is composed of a representative from each of the five counties along the 156-mile lagoon, our county is represented by a coalition of representatives from Sebastian, Fellmere and Vero Beach, with Gillmor serving as chair.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) are the other two members of the Lagoon Council, which will be empowered to make decisions on how best to spend lagoon restoration and protection funds.
“We are very excited about this partnership,” says DeFreese. “The offer from the City of Sebastian was not just gracious, it fit all our criteria: it is centrally located and close to the lagoon, with public accessibility.”
DeFreese explained the importance of being able to take people out on the lagoon, allowing them to see for themselves the issues it faces.
Another factor in the decision was Sebastian’s “historic context.
“It is the home of the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge – appropriately symbolic. And Sebastian has the Working Waterfront, and its history as a mom-and-pop fishing village.”
The agreement between Sebastian and the Lagoon Council should be executed by Nov. 1, and DeFreese hopes to be in the office by the next Council meeting, Nov. 13.
He’ll build his staff in stages “to be sure we have the right skill sets.” During the first quarter, he’ll bring in a COO, project manager and senior administrative assistant; and later, a communications and outreach coordinator and a science and policy coordinator.
“We’ll only grow as much as we need, to be efficient and effective. I want to run this like a business,” DeFreese said.
He went on to explain the restructuring that is currently under way among the various agencies involved: The Indian River Lagoon Council is now a Special District of the State of Florida.
With a structure and process in place, hopefully within 30-60 days, the governing board of St. Johns (SJRWMD) will offer the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program to the Indian River Lagoon Council.
The Council will then act to accept, and it will have to be blessed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as the grant agency under the EPA Clean Water Act.