Carol Ann Wehle
Executive Director

Carol Ann Wehle was named Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District effective June 1, 2005. Ms. Wehle is the first woman to hold the top leadership position at any of Florida's five water management districts.

As head of the state's largest regional water management agency, she oversees a staff of 1,800 and a FY2009 budget of $2.97 billion. The District mission is to manage and protect water resources by balancing and improving water quality, flood control, natural systems and water supply for a 16-county area. A key effort is the joint state-federal partnership to revitalize America's Everglades.

Ms. Wehle previously served as Assistant Executive Director for two years. In this second-in-command position, she created the District Leadership Team – based on similar management models employed by major corporations – and was responsible for day-to-day operations.

A civil engineer, Ms. Wehle originally joined the South Florida Water Management District in November 2001 as director of the agency's Lower West Coast Service Center in Fort Myers. A year later, she was asked to assume additional responsibilities as Director of the newly-created Greater West Coast Department in order to provide a stronger presence and commitment to water resource issues and concerns from a broader, more regional perspective. This expanded role included oversight of agency service centers located in Fort Myers, Naples and Okeechobee.

In addition to her South Florida District service, she brings extensive public and private sector water resource knowledge and executive-level expertise to her current position. For nine years, she was with the St. Johns River Water Management District where she held several positions, including Deputy Executive Director. Her public service experience also includes a four-year term as a Brevard County Commissioner and five years on the Sebastian Inlet Tax District Commission. She has also worked as a civil engineer for NASA and for private-sector firms, and was a state-certified building contractor.

Ms. Wehle is a "Leadership Florida" graduate and has served on numerous appointed and elected civic boards. She is active in the American Water Resources Association and other professional organizations.

She attended Harvard University and Northeastern University, and received her B.S. in engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.