25193 honoring David Gwynn retirement

23:02And now we will do res resolution two. Right.

23:10All right. So the next uh resolution is for David Gwen. So Mr. Gwynn, if you can come to the podium.

23:20All right. So uh by the Board of County Commissioners resolution number 25193, a resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, honoring David Gwynn for his service to Pasco County and congratulating him on his retirement. Whereas David Gwyn is a nineteen eighty-three graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he earned a bachelor's in engineering degree. From during his military

23:50service, he served as a field artillery officer in the U.S. Army as well as the Florida National Guard. David holds a Master of Transportation Engineering degree from the University of Florida. And whereas David spent 30 years in the private sector providing consulting services to the transportation industry before joining the Florida Department of Transportation in January 2016. And whereas David was appointed as FDOT District 7 Secretary in July of

24:202017, prior to this appointment, David served as Director of Transportation Operations for FDOT District 1 in Bartow. And whereas during the span of his career, David co-founded TEI Engineers and Planners. In 1991, and led the growth of the firm from two employees to over 125 employees throughout Florida and Georgia. Served in senior executive roles for several large engineering consulting firms, where

24:51he led business units of up to 1,000 people, started FDOT's first district safety office. and facilitated inter-county coordination for regional transportation issues. And whereas as the F DOT District 7 Secretary, David provided administrative oversight for the planning, development, and operations for all transportation modes within Citrus, Hillsborough, Hernando, Pinellas, and Pasco County. And

25:21whereas David oversaw the development of the F DOT Tampa Bay Next program to help modernize Tampa Bay's regional infrastructure and continue to prepare the region for the future. And whereas David was involved in numerous major accomplishments that directly impacted Pasco County, such as the completion of Interstate 75 at State Road 56 Diverging Diamond Interchange, the State Road 52 extension and realignment. The State Road

25:5156 extension, the I-75 at Overpass Road Interchange, and the US-98301 Road Widening. And whereas David is looking forward to spending his retirement traveling with his family, including his five children and three grandchildren. Now therefore be it resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, that said Board hereby honors David Gwyn for his dedication and service to the citizens of Pasco County and congratulates him on his

26:21retirement. Done and resolved in regular session with a quorum present in voting this twenty-second day of April, twenty twenty five.

26:29Move approval. Second. All in favor? Aye. Commissioner Oakley.

26:35Mr. Wynn, Sec secretary. Um I was voted in right prior in November prior to you coming in in January of of sixteen, I guess it is, or Well you came in in sixteen and I was voted in in sixteen, so But you've been my district seven commission uh secretary of F D O T the entire time of my two first two terms. And just now you're leaving but Uh We we're so grateful

27:05here in Pasco County and the citizens are so grateful for your leadership. And all that you've done for Well Pasco County and its citizens. Okay. Just say enough. When I say thank you for all that you did for Pasco County. We definitely uh Have had a lot of monies from F D O T in the state of Florida coming to us to build roads. You're actually built the first road from east to west. On fifty six, the version diamond and the rest

27:35of fifty four that goes on from One side of the county to the other. So It was really um a great task that you've done and tasks that you've been doing. We have something in common a lot of people don't know, but we both went to Port Sill, Oklahoma for Hell trying to train to how to shoot a eight inch gun switch

27:56was

27:56pretty big. So which was a lot of fun,

27:59right?

27:59Oh yeah it was a lot of fun, but they wouldn't let us loose with it very much, so But uh a great place at the time. I was there during the winter. It was pretty cold out in Port Sill, Oklahoma in that time. All the trees lean like this to the side. You'd think they just had one of our storms, but They have wind like that all the time. The trees grow at an angle. So But I certainly appreciate you uh everything you've done for all our citizens so and for us and that working with our board. the way you have and our s our staff. It's

28:29been very, very good for our county and our citizens. I'll turn it over to you.

28:35All right. Well thank you very much, Commissioner. And um When I got a call that said to come over here and um and that you wanted to do this, I was very proud. Um the uh relationship I think we've developed between DOT and the county, especially Of course I only know the time I've been here, but um it's been a great relationship. Several of you have been on the board the whole time I've been here and whenever I needed something I could call and you would do your best to to help. A lot of times I wasn't even

29:05calling you about something in Pasco County. I just needed your help on something regionally. And you always did because you know that uh that we're a region, not just a bunch of counties that happen to be next to each other. Um I'm gonna miss Florida, um, but not so much that I'm willing to miss my wife and m my kids and my grandkids who are already all up in North Carolina. And uh so I'll be heading up there but I can tr uh hope you trust that uh uh before I decided to leave I made sure there was somebody that

29:35could step in and it would be seamless transition, gonna have a great district secretary in Justin. and uh he knows just as well as I do how important it is for the relationships between our customers and our stakeholders, fellow stakeholders and a and the DOT, so You might uh think you're gonna miss me, but I think you're gonna like this guy even better. So I can guarantee

29:56you thank you all very much. I can guarantee you that we're gonna miss you. But I can also guarantee you we're gonna enjoy having Justin serve here with us in the county for the future. So Uh it's very good. I've been work along with working with you sometimes. I got to where I said, Oh, I don't wanna bother the secretary, I'll call Justin and and stir him up. So I even mentioned that to you one day that I've been using Justin to do the hard work, so Yeah. So he's done a good job. He actually is the one I called out for before

30:26an M P O meeting. and ask him at Wire Road and three oh one about a uh traffic signal there 'cause we had lost six citizens of that traffic signal or no traffic signal. uh during last year and it it was definitely needed. And by the time the M M PO meeting ended in two hours, he gave me the answer that it started engineering, which is unheard of. So but it's really uh the way we work together and and get things done the right way. And I always know that F D

30:56O T's always been standing behind safety and if there's a safety issue you you get out there and do it right away. It which reminds me to go back to ninety eight when we had a young man killed there. Uh ninety eight Dribbury Road there. And you came within six or eight months we put in a roundabout there that I had some of my citizens out there telling me, Oh, that's the wrong thing to do, that's the wrong thing to do. to they come back to me after it was done and say that's one of the best things we did is put that round about. So But it was great work

31:26that we were able to do together. So thank you. Thank you.

31:30Commissioner Weightman.

31:31Thank you, Chairman M Yeah, Secretary Winnet Appreciate you taking a rookie commissioner like me. And spending time and giving us a tour of your office and Meeting your team and working with Justin. It's um your demeanor that you've led your office with under your tenure and and the way that you've managed all your customer base and and working collaboratively with Pasco and just different various departments. Um just just sh goes

32:01to show uh that no matter what you do, you're gonna be successful. and um just excited to continue to work with the department that you've built in Justin. Uh, no pressure, Justin. And uh I wish you the best retirement and safe travels to North Carolina and uh hopefully we see you in Florida Sometime again. But um Glad you're here today.

32:27Thank you.

32:28Well, thank you for everything you did for the county and congratulations on this next chapter. I can't even believe you're here. I think I'd already be in North Carolina with your your kids and grandkids. But um just enjoy this time. You you worked for it and Um it's gonna be great. Thank you. Yeah, Commissioner Ye

32:46Mr. Gwynn, I'm gonna miss you. Um I'm I'm gonna say before you got into office, uh into the position the struggles we had with D O T were just like unbelievable. Just like no non just nonsensical things we had to go battle with. What you have done coming in and working with us in the whole region has been absolutely phenomenal. You've changed the culture. To me. From all the people I work with in every single department, uh from any government agency, you are the ultimate public servant. Uh and the best thing is, as

33:16you said, you've got a great leader coming in behind you. The culture that you had to develop, the customer service you've implemented with everybody, is just the it's the way government's supposed to work. And I will tell you for someone who's been through some r rough roads with different things going on. What you have done has just been phenomenal every step of the way. Um I'm I'm glad you feel that as you step away you've got good leadership coming behind you because what you have done has just been phenomenal every step of the way and I I can't thank you enough and I wish you all the best with your uh your wife and kids and

33:46grandkids and you've enjoyed it. So have a great time.

33:50Uh well I you know, I'm I'm very happy for you that you're retiring, but I'm very sad for all of us that you're going, but Um, I I agree with Commissioner Mariano. I think you're my favorite public servant. Um and I so enjoyed working with you on T BART all those years. and your um quiet, strong leadership, um And helping to say that transportation is regional. It's it's not just local, but it's very important to have that regional perspective. And boy, we had some challenges.

34:20Um but I think we're gonna get there. I and and we wouldn't have done it without your leadership, you know, talking at the TMA. about um calming everyone's fears about the funding that there will be Local funding, it's not gonna hurt your you know, your local uh projects but we can't we have to speak with one voice and Justin those are the big shoes you're gonna have to fill because um all the counties need to hear that from D O T and so um I uh I

34:51I I know you've trained Justin well, but um my gosh, I d I don't know how anyone fills your shoes. So please come back and visit us. Um enjoy North Carolina but um Yeah, it's a very sad day for me. I really enjoyed working with you.

35:04Same here.

35:05All right, um who uh who has the I'll have it. Okay, so let's all go down and take a picture.

35:19Yeah. Yeah. Center

35:22stage. Right in the middle.

35:26I miss you already. Is it reci is it reciprocal?

35:34I hope so. Yes, it could be reciprocal.

35:43Well my son is still at USF so I'll probably be down here. There you go.

35:47I did

35:48yet.

35:48Right.

35:52we're

35:53all in safe uh

35:57He has to send it to his wife to prove his work.

36:00Oh yeah. Do that, because we were together in the uh national door.

36:18Yeah, reading on that computer. Yeah, right. All right. Thank you very much.

36:27Our best or something needs to keep up to do work in the

36:33I won't be calling about overpass uh bike bike overpass funding.