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Members
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Rick Baker, Chair
Mayor, City of St. Petersburg
City of St. Petersburg, Office of the Mayor
P.O. Box 2842
St. Petersburg, FL 33731
(o) 727.893.4111
mayor@stpete.org
Rick Baker received a B.S in management, M.B.A. and Juris Doctor Degree with honors from Florida State University, and served as the FSU Senior Class President. He studied comparative law at Oxford University and as Law intern with Florida Supreme Court Justice Ben Overton.
Rick practiced corporate and business law for 20 years, serving as President of Fisher and Sauls, P.A., a law firm in St. Petersburg founded in 1936. He is the author of Mangroves to Major Leagues, a historical account of St. Petersburg from 3,000 B.C. to 2000 A.D.
Elected Mayor of the City of St. Petersburg in 2001, Rick has also distinguished himself in other community service. He has served as President of the Suncoast Children’s Dream Fund, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Florida International Museum, Chairman, Leadership St. Pete. In addition, he participated in the YMCA Neighbor to Neighbor Christmas Program, and the CONA Neighborhood Leadership Program.
Mike Bennett
State Senator
3653 Cortez Road West
Wildewood Professional Park, Suite 90
Bradenton, FL 34210
(o) 941.727.6349
Bennett.Mike@flsenate.gov
Senator Bennett was elected State Senator in 2002 and subsequently re-elected in November, 2004. He represents District 21, which includes parts of Charlotte, DeSoto, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota Counties. His prior legislative service was in the House of Representatives from 2000-2002.
Senator Bennett serves on the following committees: Chair, Community Affairs; Alternating Chair, Joint Administrative Procedures, Agriculture; Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, and Transportation. Additionally, the President of the Florida Senate appointed Senator Bennett to serve on the National Conference of State Legislatures’ standing committee on Communications, Technology and Interstate Commerce; the Southern States Energy Board; the Southern Legislative Conference’s Energy and Environment Committee, as well as the Boating Advisory Council.
Senator Bennett is past president of the Greater Sarasota Sertoma Club, Electric Council of Florida, American Subcontractors Association, and Manasota Specialties Contractors.
Bob Bullard
Former Highlands County Commissioner
1202 Conservancy Drive, East
Tallahassee, FL 32312
(o)850.893.4978
bcbullard@comcast.net
Robert Bullard was elected to the Highlands County Commission in 1998, and subsequently re-elected in 2002 without opposition. He served three years as vice president of a major Florida investment company, overseeing the operations of thirteen adult mobile home communities, six RV resorts, a water and sewer utility company, an office building and a shopping center.
Commissioner Bullard served eight years as president and CEO of the BullEk Corporation with real estate holdings and business operations in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Kentucky. He is the only person to ever serve as president of both the Florida State Firefighters’ Association and the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association. Deeply involved in community service, Robert has been Chairman of the Central Florida Regional Planning Council, on the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of Counties, Liaison to the Children’s Services Council, and a member of the Highlands County Rotary Club of Lake Placid and the former City Manager of Fort Meade, Florida.
Robert is the recipient of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Big Brother of the Year Award, Recipient of the Dal Hall Memorial Good Government Award. In January, 2005, Commissioner Bullard was appointed by Governor Bush to serve on the Florida Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental Relations.
Lula Butler
Director of Community Improvement
City of Delray Beach
100 NW 1st Avenue
Delray Beach, Florida 33444
(o) 561.243.7203
CIDirector@MyDelrayBeach.com
Lula Butler has been the Director of the Community Improvement Department for the.City of Delray Beach since 1988. She earned her B.A. in Business Administration from.the Florida Atlantic University (1971) and is also a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (1995).
Ms. Butler has won many awards, including "Women Who Make a Difference" in 1998 and the Florida League of Cities' "Employee of the Year" in 2004. She is a graduate of Leadership Florida.
Her list of community activities includes Founder/Mentor of Delray Beach Youth Council, the Board of Directors of the Community Child Care Center and Old School Square, She has served as a Board member for the Bethesda Hospital Foundation, the Caring House Project, and the "I Have a Dream" Foundation.
Donald J. Cuozzo, Jr.
Houston Cuozzo Group, Inc.
2400 SE Federal Highway
Suite 310
Stuart, Florida 34994
(o) 772.221.2128
dcuozzo@hcgdesign.com
Donald Cuozzo received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Technology in 1979 from the Florida Institute of Technology. Don co-founded Houston Cuozzo Group (HCG) in November of 1993 to provide planning, design, and government oriented strategic planning services for private and public sector clients in South Florida. Don has over twenty years experience in the planning, execution, and implementation of many varied projects throughout the region.
Don began his career in the public sector before working with a number of regional and national development companies. He was also a principal with a large Palm Beach County based engineering firm and has extensive experience in the area of project engineering, coordination, environmental permitting, governmental approvals and project management.
Don has served on the boards for the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, Martin County Business Development Board, Treasure Coast Builders Association, and The Board of Zoning Adjustment. Additional accomplishments include serving as Chairman for the Martin County Economic Council and founding and continuing director for First Peoples Bank.
Ron Edwards
Evans Properties, Inc.
660 Beachland Blvd., Suite 301
Vero Beach, Florida 32963
Tel: (772) 234-2410 Ext. 217
Fax: (772) 234-3690
redwards@evansprop.com
Ron Edwards has spent over 30 years in the Florida agri-business sector. A native Floridian from Jacksonville, Edwards received his BSBA in Accounting from the University of Florida in 1970. From 1971-1975 he was a CPA with “Big 8” accounting firm Ernst & Ernst auditing agri-business and beverage companies such as Tropicana Products, Inc. and the Coca Cola Company.
In 1975 he joined Tropicana as Chief Accountant and rose to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer during an eleven-year span. In 1986 he joined ConAgra, Inc. as President of their Juice Division seeking international acquisitions and trading opportunities.
In 1987 Edwards joined Evans Properties, Inc. as President and Chief Executive Officer. Evans is a closely held family owned agri-business based in Vero Beach with cattle and citrus operations in eight Florida counties encompassing 40,000+ acres.
Edwards has served on numerous citrus industry committees and organizations throughout his career. He has recently served a term on the Atlanta Federal Reserve’s Small Business, Agriculture and Labor Advisory Committee and prior to being appointed to the Century Commission served as Chairman of the Agricultural/Rural Lands Technical Advisory Committee of the Florida Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida. Edwards is a member of the Florida Land Council, and also serves on the Board of several agricultural co-operatives including Florida Family Growers Association, Florida Grapefruit Marketing Association and Sealdsweet Growers, Inc.
Dennis Gilkey
President, The Gilkey Organization
9220 Bonita Beach Road
Suite 215
Bonita Springs, FL 34135
(o) (239) 498-7840
Degilkey@gilkeyorganization.com
Dennis Gilkey, raised in Fort Pierce, Florida, received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida in 1973, and is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Florida.
Dennis has over 30 years of experience in various land development, highway, building and utility projects throughout Florida. He is the former President and CEO of the Bonita Bay Group companies, headquartered in Bonita Springs, which is the developer of over 13,000 acres of master planned communities and amenity projects throughout Lee and Collier Counties.
In 2007, after 23 years with the Bonita Bay Group, Mr. Gilkey resigned his position and launched the Gilkey Organization, LLC, headquartered in Bonita Springs, where he currently serves as CEO and Managing Principal of the company.
Douglas L. Mannheimer
Partner, Broad and Cassell
Sun Trust Bank Building
215 South Monroe Street
Suite 400
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(o) 850-681-6810
Mr. Douglas L. Mannheimer is a Partner in the Tallahassee office of Broad and Cassel. He is Chairperson of the Firm's Governmental Relations Practice Group and is a member of the Health Law Practice Group.
For the past 25 years, Mr. Mannheimer has represented businesses and individuals before most of Florida's state agencies, including the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Departments of Insurance, Health, Transportation, Business and Professional Regulation, Banking and Finance, Education, and Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
His significant experience and background with state agencies helps clients to solve bureaucratic problems. Mr. Mannheimer is also a veteran registered lobbyist who vigorously represents his clients' positions before the state legislature and
state agencies.
Mr. Mannheimer holds an AV rating with the Martindale Hubbell publication (only five percent of attorneys are awarded this rating), a rating denoting the highest accolade an attorney can receive for his "legal ability" and "adherence to professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability and diligence."
Mary McCarty
County Commissioner, Palm Beach County
301 North Olive Ave., 12th Floor
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
(o) 561.355.2204
(m) 561.654.1109
(h) 561.278.0155
mmccarty@pbcgov.com
A thirty-three year resident of Palm Beach County, Ms. McCarty received a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Florida in 1977. In 1974, during her internship she served in the office of U.S. House Majority Leader, Thomas “Tip” O’Neil. She became a Certified Civil Court Mediator in 1996. Elected to the Palm Beach County Commission’s District IV in 1990, Ms. McCarty served as Chair from 1992 – 1994. She also served as Vice Mayor and City Commissioner in the City of Delray Beach.
Prior to being elected to the Palm Beach County Commission, Ms. McCarty was a selfemployed promotional consultant. She has served the community in a variety of positions, including the Investment Policy Committee, Courthouse Arts Committee, Education Commission, Education in Government Program, Florida Association of Counties, and the Joint Committee to Increase County Government Efficiency, to name a few.
Some of the awards Ms. McCarty has received during her distinguished career include, the 2002 Buster Musgrave Award, Old School Square, Delray Beach, 2002 CEO Magazine – Top 100 Most Powerful People in South Florida, the 2002 Sun Sentinel’s – Power Brokers of Palm Beach County, and the 1999 Angel of the Year award from the Angels of Charity. In 1997 she received an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity in Christian Humanitarian Service.
Andrew H. McLeod
Director, Government Affairs, The Nature Conservancy
625 North Adams Street
Tallahassee FL 32301
850-222-7911, #114
amcleod@tnc.org
Andy McLeod has served as director of government affairs for the Florida chapter of the Nature Conservancy, the international land conservation nonprofit, since January 2008.
Previously McLeod served in several positions, including national conservation finance director, for the nonprofit Trust for Public Land (1999-2008); as director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (1997-99); as deputy and assistant secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency (1991-97); and as press secretary to US Senators John Chafee of Rhode Island (1987-89) and Lowell Weicker of Connecticut (1984-86).
McLeod posseses a BA from George Washington University, MA from Georgetown University, and MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In addition to serving on the Century Commission, he is on the boards of the Florida Earth Foundation and Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation.
Charles Pattison, AICP
Executive Director, 1000 Friends of Florida
P.O. Box 5948
Tallahassee, FL 32314-5948
(o) 850.222.6277 ext. 103
cpattison@1000fof.org
Mr. Pattison is a North Carolina native and an Eagle Scout. He received an undergraduate degree from North Carolina State in Raleigh and a Masters in Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina.
Since 1998, Mr. Pattison has served as the Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Florida. Previously, he was the Director for the Division of Resource Planning and Management at the Department of Community Affairs from 1992 to 1998.
Mr. Pattison worked as a Field Representative for The Nature Conservancy’s Virginia Coast Reserve from 1989 to 1992. Between 1983 and 1989, he opened the DCA Florida Keys Field Office in Key West, served as the Monroe County Planning, Building and Zoning Director.
Charles was the first Executive Director of the Monroe County Land Authority. He has served as a Planning Director in coastal North Carolina and spent five years with the North Carolina Office of Coastal Management in beach access and coastal permitting work. He spent six years working on coastal development issues in North Carolina before moving back to Florida.
A member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, Mr. Pattison serves on the Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium Advisory Council, Council for Sustainable Florida, Tallahassee/Leon County BluePrint 2000 Citizen Advisory Committee, the Apalachee Land Conservancy, and is currently serving on the Steering Committee that is working on the update of the 2020 State Transportation Plan.
James A. Paulmann, FAICP
Senior Vice President, WilsonMiller, Inc.
6900 Professional Parkway East, Suite 100
Sarasota, Florida 34240-8414
(o) 941-907-6900
jimpaulmann@wilsonmiller.com
Jim Paulmann is Corporate Manager of WilsonMiller’s Development Planning & Approvals Business Unit and is responsible for coordinating the firm’s land use entitlements, including master planned communities and major commercial developments. He is an expert in the management and oversight of sustainable development, including the coordination of regulatory, planning, engineering, and environmental activities.
Previously, during his 33-year career in both public and private sector planning, Mr. Paulmann was Chief Operating Officer of the award-winning Palmer Ranch community in Sarasota, as well as Manatee County’s first Land Use Hearing Officer and Sarasota County’s Chief Planner. A charter member of the American Planning Association (APA) and an inductee to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners — one of the profession’s highest honors — he currently serves on the Urban Land Institute’s Sustainable Development Council. Mr. Paulmann is credited with developing Florida’s first DRI Certification Program and is recognized for his innovations in environmental systems planning.
Julio Robaina
Mayor, City of Hialeah
14160 Palmetto Frontage Road
Suite 21
Hialeah, FL 33016
(o) 305.883.5800
juliorobaina@yahoo.com
Born to Cuban parents, Julio Robaina has been a resident of Hialeah for more than thirty years. Julio graduated from Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School and attended the University of Miami where he served as President of his fraternity.
As an active real estate and mortgage broker for 20 years, he served as President of Operations for one of the largest residential developers in Florida and as President of the Northwestern Dade Association of Realtors. In 1997, Julio Robaina was elected Councilmember for the City of Hialeah where he served for two four-year terms. During his terms as Councilman, he was named Chairman of the City of Hialeah Charter Review Board and served as the Council’s Representative on the City of Hialeah Elected Officials Retirement Board. In addition to the responsibilities as Council President, Robaina served simultaneously as President on the Board of Directors for the Florida League of Cities and the Miami-Dade League of Cities from 2002-2003.
In 2005, with overwhelming support from the citizens, Julio Robaina was elected Mayor of the City of Hialeah, where he continues to serve to this date.
Gary Schraut
President, Schraut and Associates
702 South Broad Street
Brooksville, FL 34601
(o) 352.799.3000
(m) 352.279.7124
gary@schraut.com
Mr. Schraut is currently President of Coldwell Banker Schraut & Associates where he specializes in Commercial/Industrial land sales, re-zonings and development. He has served his profession and his community at every level. As a realtor, he has served locally as the President of the Hernando County Association of Realtors in 1999. He also served on the Associations Board of Directors for 12 years, three of those years as Secretary and Treasurer. In addition, Gary worked on the Education, Grievance, Professional Standards and Political Affairs Committees.
Gary has over 20 years of experience handling all aspects of agricultural, commercial, industrial and residential land sales. He has successfully orchestrated numerous trust and LLC land purchases, and has participated in numerous re-zonings of transitional properties. He is one of the few realtors recognized nationwide by the National Association of Realtors as a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) and Certified as a Commercial Investment Specialist (CCIM).
Mr. Schraut currently serves as Director for the Florida Association of Realtors (FAR), a post he first held in 1999. He is also key contact for Florida State Representative David Russell, and has recently been appointed by FAR President-Elect Michael Dooley to serve in 2006 as one of the thirteen trustees of the FAR RPAC Trust. In 2001, Gary was appointed to the Withlachoochee Regional Planning Council for term of two years by Governor Jeb Bush.
On a national level, Gary represents the National Association of Realtors (NAR) as Federal Political Coordinator (FPC) for US Congressional District 5 and is liaison to United States Congresswoman Ginny Brown Waite.
Steve Uhlfelder
Uhlfelder and Associates
519 East Park Blvd.
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(o) 850.201.0888
(m) 850.980.6435
steve@sulaw.net
Stephen Uhlfelder earned his B. S. and J.D. from the University of Florida where he was the Student Body President and was selected as a member of the University of Florida’s Hall of Fame.
Mr. Uhlfelder is a lawyer who specializes in public and administrative law and is an Arated lawyer in Martindale Hubbell. He represents some of the nation’s largest companies including Pearson Education; and Kaplan Education. In 2004, he was selected by Florida Trend Magazine as one of Florida’s most influential citizens.
His active role in organizations throughout the nation reinforces his commitment to education and encouraging sound public policy. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him to the prestigious Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, and he was elected as Chair in 2003. Governor Jeb Bush selected Uhlfelder to serve on both the Florida Board of Governor’s State University System and the Board of Trustees for Florida State University.
His work with state and local organizations is widely recognized. The Governor named him volunteer CEO of the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund in 2004. The fund successfully raised over 20.5 million dollars. Mr. Uhlfelder currently co-chairs Florida Campus Compact, an organization which promotes service on Florida college campuses.
In 1999, Uhlfelder was named by Governor Jeb Bush to chair the Governor’s Mentoring Initiative, an effort that includes over 200,000 volunteers being recruited to work with Florida’s at-risk children. For years, Steve has been a tutor and mentor in the public schools in Leon County.
Century Commission Staff
Tim Center, Executive Director
1415 E. Piedmont Drive, Suite One
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(o) 850.219-0082, ext. 104
(m) 850.212-2684
tcenter@collinscenter.org
A Florida native and resident of Tallahassee for nearly 25 years, Tim Center is the Vice President of Sustainability Initiatives for the Collins Center for Public Policy – an independent, non-profit policy think tank with offices in Miami, Tallahassee and Venice.
Tim serves as the Director of Sustainable Florida, an alliance of private and public partners committed to economic growth and environmental stewardship to create a higher quality of life for this and future generations. He is also the Executive Director of the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida.
He is senior-level administrator with 20 years of leadership experience in public, private, and not-for-profit settings reflecting expertise in aligning human, physical, and financial resources with an evolving organizational vision.
He has worked for the Florida Legislature, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Home Builders Association and the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. He is a member of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals.
He is committed to creating stronger communities and has served on several not-for-profit Boards of Directors.
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