Water industry veteran Gary Hubbard joined Winter Haven as water department director in 2018 as the city was updating its utility master plans. He had a suggestion: What if staff joined forces to work on water-related projects, from environmental restoration to utility management to stormwater infrastructure, instead of working in separate silos?
He gathered a representative from every city department to form an integrated water management team. It was among the first in Florida modeled after the One Water movement, a holistic approach to water management that treats all water — drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and recycled water — as a single, interconnected resource.
Hubbard presented a One Water Master Plan to the Winter Haven City Commission in January, but his efforts aren’t finished. In 2023, he created a One Water coalition for the state. By the end of its first year, monthly meetings hosted more than 100 people. It eventually morphed into the Florida One Water Commission with Hubbard as chair. Its 14 commission members include the University of South Florida, the state chapter of the American Planning Association, the Florida Farm Bureau and Hillsborough County. The Florida DEP and its five water management districts are among the group’s advisers.
The Florida Senate last year passed a resolution expressing support for the One Water approach. The commission’s goal is to weave One Water best practices into city codes, ordinances and comprehensive plans across the state.