Mike Hardin
Geosyntec Consultants
Principal Engineer

How long have you been a member of FSA (years)?
I have been a member for more than nine years.

Have you served FSA in the past?
Yes, I have been on several committees, am a current Board member (2 years), and am the Conference Committee Chair (1 year).

What abilities and attributes can you bring to the Board?
I believe that I have both strong leadership traits and technical abilities that can be leveraged to serve the FSA membership. Based on the experience that I have gained over the course of my career I think that I am in a unique position to have a deep understanding of the issues facing municipalities as well as other members. As a native to Florida, I have a passion for protecting surface water and natural habitats in the state, which are directly impacted by stormwater discharges. I have dedicated my career to addressing these issues and finding solutions to address these problems. As a current Board member, I frequently advocate for the FSA membership and help identify ways to maximize the benefits that members get from their participation with FSA. I have been honored to serve this group for the past two years and hope that I can continue to do so moving forward.

What background and experience do you have in the stormwater industry?
My background is both in academia and industry as a consultant. In academia, I worked for the Stormwater Management Academy at UCF for about nine years performing researching and mentoring on stormwater BMPs from a quality and quantity aspect. This includes stormwater BMPs, LID practices, GSI practices, and erosion & sediment control practices. I have performed research on many innovative practices that are starting to become more common in today's practice such as pervious pavements, green roofs, bioretention, stormwater harvesting, BAM, and other practices. In industry, I am a consultant with Geosyntec Consultants where I specialize in surface and stormwater quality and quantity issues. The vast majority of my work is with municipal clients where I perform watershed assessments, develop water-quality master plans, conduct hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and water quality monitoring, and provide stormwater quality enhancement designs. I sample stormwater (with grab and flow-weighted sampling), assess surface water sediment, evaluate the water quality performance of BMPs, and optimize nonstructural BMPs for water quality improvement. In addition, I provide GIS data analysis, conduct microbial source tracking, and conduct surface water hydrologic studies and nutrient budget studies.

Why do you want this Board position?
It has been an honor to serve on the Board these past two years and I would like to continue my role to advocate for the FSA membership and continue to help protect our incredible natural resources in Florida.