Carlos Beruff voted onto Sarasota-Manatee MPO as Moore, Spencer join airport authority
MANATEE -- A month after resigning from one public board and stating his desire to end some of his public responsibilities, homebuilder Carlos Beruff has won an appointment to the organization planning the next 25 years of transportation projects in Manatee and Sarasota counties.
Beruff, an appointed member of the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority since 2008, was unanimously elected Monday by his fellow authority members to represent the body on the Sarasota Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization. He succeeds Jack Rynerson on the MPO, whose term with the airport authority expired earlier this month.
Beruff resigned from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, or Swiftmud, governing board on Aug. 25, the same day he led a vote to approve a water resource permit for fellow homebuilder Pat Neal. Also in August, he stated that he expects to be a "short timer" as a trustee with the State College of Florida. His term on that body ends in May.
Beruff was not present at Monday's airport authority meeting. He has previously attended MPO meetings on Rynerson's behalf, most recently in July.
He did not return a request for comment Tuesday.
The MPO is an 18-member body tasked with developing a transportation and mobility plan for the two-county area aimed at the year
2040. With the exception of the airport authority's representative, all voting members of the organization are elected county and city officials. Billy Hattaway, secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, is also a member, but only in an advisory capacity. The representatives meet eight times a year.
Beruff took his new position as the lineup of the airport authority shifts. On Sept. 4, Gov. Rick Scott appointed Ann Moore and Robert Spencer of Bradenton to the body. They were confirmed as members of the authority on Monday. They take the place of Rynerson, a Bradenton resident, and Leslie Wells, a self-employed real estate professional based in Parrish.
Moore, 57, is a real estate broker with Michael Saunders & Co. She previously served as a State College of Florida trustee and with the college's foundation. Her term ends Nov. 17, 2018.
Spencer, 55, is the owner of West Coast Tomato. He currently serves as the president of the Florida Tomato Exchange and the Bradenton Christian School Foundation. His term also ends in November 2018.
Former state Rep. Doug Holder of Sarasota is also a relatively new member of the airport authority. He was appointed in February to succeed Henry Rodriguez.
Scott named Beruff's replacement on the Swiftmud board last week, appointing John Henslick of Myakka City. Henslick, 64, of Myakka City, is an environmental consultant. His term with Swiftmud ends March 1, 2017. He will represent Manatee County on the board.
The governor also appointed Kelly Rice to fill a vacancy on the board. Rice, 47, is a real estate broker and president of Rice Cattle Company. A Webster resident, he represents Citrus, Lake, Levy and Sumter Counties. His term ends March 1, 2019
The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
Matt M. Johnson, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7027 or on Twitter @MattAtBradenton.
This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 11:45 PM with the headline "Carlos Beruff voted onto Sarasota-Manatee MPO as Moore, Spencer join airport authority ."