Talk on the Wild Side
with Charlette Roman

Transcription

Vikki Locke

I am Vikki Locke with C2 Communications and this is Talk on the Wild Side. It’s all about jobs in conservation and is brought to you by the Florida Wildlife Federation, and I’m really happy to tell you about our guest today, Charlette Roman. Hey, how are you?

Charlette Roman

Ok, Vikki, how are you doing today?

Vikki Locke

And you know how I remember your name? Because when we first met you told me your sisters are Annette and Genette, right?

Charlette Roman

That’s correct!

Vikki Locke

And you’re Charlette!

Charlette Roman

I’m Charlette, my dad named the girls. How cool is that?

Vikki Locke

I love that!

Charlette is with the South Florida Water Management District but she spent 26 years in the Army. 26 years. She retired as a full Coronel. She has worn so many hats, but today we’re going to talk about the hat that you’re currently wearing which is that of a champion in the environment so why don’t you tell us a little bit about how you started or how do you went from being in the Army to becoming a champion of the environment.

Charlette Roman

Well, I think there has always been something in me that has always loved being outdoors and being in the environment and certainly the Army gave me a lot of opportunities to do that. But I thought that started much earlier in my life when the enjoyment that I would have with my mother to go to a park and look at the trees and look at the stream and look at the little critters that lived in the stream and I think that from an early age I’ve always been exposed to everything outdoors and certainly the Army introduced me to a lot of outdoor living. And then when I retired I chose to place here in Southwest Florida where I could be close to a critical wildlife area and learn more about the marine environment and get to know this ecosystem. So, I think it’s always been there but it wasn’t until I retired that I actually got to create my entire time and my life to that.

Vikki Locke

So, in your job, can I ask you this question, is Florida running out of water?

Charlette Roman

I don’t know how to answer that but I will tell you that when we plan for water supply in the outgoing years, we see plenty of drinking water available, for all the citizens who would move to Florida or who are here now.

Vikki Locke

So exactly what is your job? Your job is to protect the resources that we have?

Charlette Roman

Well, I serve as a member of the governing board of the South Florida Water Management District and the governing board is responsible for directing the agency and setting the policy for the agency. There are nine members of the board and I serve in the seat for the at-large lower west northern central area which includes 10 counties and Collier County. In that particular capacity, I also chair the Big Cypress Basin Board here in Collier County. All the members of the governing board are unpaid and they’re appointed by the governor of Florida and confirmed by the Florida senate.

Vikki Locke

So, how do you arrive at decisions? How does that process work?

Charlette Roman

Well, decisions come from a nine-member board having discussions on the various issues and when it’s required that it’ll be a voting decision, we actually take a vote. We have a monthly meeting, sometimes we have a workshop the day before the meeting when we really need to get into the details about a particular water-related issue.

Vikki Locke

So what’s on the table right now? What issues are you dealing with?

Charlette Roman

Well, in our last meeting this month, we took action on a long-standing discussion that finally led us (this board) to make a decision on an 8 1/2 square mile area. There’s a little area in Miami-Dade County that’s adjacent to Everglades National Park and in order to restore the Everglades, we need to get more water south. And taking some steps to complete projects, to move more water south, but at the same time, we cannot flood adjacent property owners when we do that. So the board approved a seapitch wall construction in the 8 1/2 square mile area to keep the water that would do send south into the park there. Because we wanted to do is restoration benefits and at the same time, balance that with protecting the residents from flooding from their properties.

Vikki Locke

Somebody listening to this right now. What kind of education, what kind of background is needed to learn everything that you know about the water situation in the State of Florida?

Charlette Roman

Well, I’ve been in my position for two years and I’m still learning. It is a very complex set of issues, which really I love, but it takes a lot of study and learning from folks who have been following Everglades restoration for many years. I work with some of the finest scientists and engineers and other professionals at the District and they are just impressive to me. They have such a wide variety of skills and expertise that really help you understand the issues and get as much education as you can take on.

Vikki Locke

Do you suggest that students listening become interns or volunteers or what path would you suggest?

Charlette Roman

I think one of the important things for an individual is to figure out is where is their passion, and it may take one job, two jobs, it may take a whole career before you figure out that maybe you’d like to do something else but whatever it is you have to find your passion, and you know it because work is then fun, and it doesn’t take any effort at. And at the District, I was so impressed for example when I went into the water quality lab. We take water samples throughout our entire 16 County District and those water samples are analyzed by our lab, and when I walked into our lab, when I was getting my orientation, I couldn’t believe how many young people were in there. And then I thought, my goodness, what are the qualifications? Are these volunteers? You know, who’s in there working? And I found out these young people of diverse backgrounds who came from all over, were chemists, and they were so highly trained scientists to be in there to do that work. 

But we have other jobs, Avian Ecologist is one that I can relate to, as a 1000-hour volunteer with Rookery Bay National Estuarine and Research Reserve, I did a lot of bird monitoring for our nesting shorebirds and seabirds. Our Avian Ecologists at the District actually goes out and monitors the bird flocks and our bird nesting season and how it’s doing, and how water is factoring into that. There are a lot of interesting careers in the district and I think you just put your toe on the water and you go for it. If it’s a great fit, you’re going to find your passion sooner than most, but if not, keep trying, because when it comes is awesome.

Vikki Locke

Why don’t you give us the website for more information?

Charlette Roman

Well, the South Florida Water Management District has a wealth of information on sfwmd.gov. You can find as much information there about all of the various projects for Everglades restoration and everything that we do. I also have a Facebook page as the governing board member, Charlenne Roman Governing Board Member of South Florida Water Management District where I post the current things that I’m involved with and various field visits that I do. There’s a lot of ways to get the information and the district website has a wealth of information. I recommend you start with our 2021 South Florida Environmental Report which gives you a snapshot of everything that we’re doing and I think you can go from there to learn everything you’re interested in, including jobs!

Vikki Locke

Thank you so much for your time today and a wealth of information and good luck to you. I’m sure that the water is safe in your hands.

Charlette Roman

Thank you very much. I’m certainly enjoying the honor of serving at the governor’s pleasure in this capacity and I want to thank governor De Santis for this opportunity.

Vikki Locke

And we also want to thank the Florida Wildlife Federation for sponsoring Talk on the Wild Side and keeping the wild in Florida since 1936. You can get more information at floridawildlifefederation.org.