By HENRY FREDERICK
Headline Surfer
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. -- The European Union has invited 12 water policy leaders from the United States to participate in a Water Management Summit this month.
Seminole County Commissioner Lee Constantine is the only Floridian and elected official invited to the summit.
The summit will explore EU policy, EU-US technology and showcase the innovative water management technologies of Member States. The program will offer an opportunity for a mutual exchange of best practices.
“Given the recent challenges we Floridians have experienced with hurricanes, flooding, beach erosion, and water quality, this summit will give me a unique opportunity to study alternatives and possible solutions with other Americans,” said Seminole County Commissioner Lee Constantine explained.
“Given the recent challenges we Floridians have experienced with hurricanes, flooding, beach erosion, and water quality, this summit will give me a unique opportunity to study alternatives and possible solutions with other Americans,” said Seminole County Commissioner Lee Constantine explained.
The summit, sponsored and funded by the European Union, will begin in Brussels with an introduction to EU water policies and technical presentations by Member States. Participants will then depart for site visits in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Finland. The program includes meetings with German, French, and Hungarian delegations, as well as other Member Countries. The summit will focus on a wide range of water management activities, such as water resource management, port management, water reclamation/purification, flood control and coastline protection.
About the organization:
The EU is represented in the United States by the Washington, D.C. Delegation of the European Union, which works in close coordination with the Embassies and Consulates of the 28 EU Member States. It is a full-fledged diplomatic mission and represents the European Union in dealings with the U.S. government in areas that are part of the EU’s remit.
FAST FACTS:
Seminole County Commissioner Lee Constantine, a graduate of the University of Central Florida, has represented Florida as a public servant for 38 years. In 1978, he was elected the youngest person in the City of Altamonte Springs history, serving as Commissioner and Mayor for 14 years.
In 1992, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives where he served for eight years. In 2000, Constantine was elected to the Florida Senate representing the citizens of Orange and Seminole counties. He served until November 2010, due to term limits. In 2012, Constantine was elected to the Seminole County Commission, District 3.
Former State Senator Constantine is one of Central Florida's most powerful and influential individuals, acknowledged for his outstanding talent for brokering compromise, leadership in higher education and mastery of the complicated state budget process. He currently writes a weekly excerpt for the Orlando Sentinel’s section where he is named one of “100 of Central Florida's most influential people in government, politics and culture.”
Throughout his legislative career, Lee Constantine has sponsored numerous ground-breaking bills and has brought many pivotal achievements to Florida including:
- Save Our Everglades (1997-2001)
- Florida Unified Building Code (1998, 2000)
- Florida Forever Program (1999)
- Payday Loans Reform (2001)
- Affordable Housing-Front Porch Florida (2002)
- Pre-K Education & Class Size Reduction (2003)
- Wekiva Parkway & Protection Act (2004)
- Physical Education in schools (2004, 2007-08)
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- Medical school at UCF (2006)
- Public Service Commission Reform (2006)
- Florida Energy Act (2006, 2008)
- Election Reform (2007)
- Missing Persons Act (2008)
- SunRail for Central Florida (2009)
- Florida Waters & Springs Protection (2010)
- Florida Recycling Act (2010)
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Commissioner Constantine is serving his fourth term as chairman of the Wekiva River Basin Commission, honoring his commitment to protect the Wekiva River while building the beltway around Central Florida. He also is the vice chairman of the Florida Conservation Coalition (FCC) and on the Executive Board of 1,000 Friends of Florida. Constantine also is the chairman of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council and the president of the Florida Regional Planning Councils.
Constantine’s passion for community service is best displayed as founder and chairman of Charity Challenge, Inc., established in 1987. Since its inception, Charity Challenge has evolved from a small backyard event into the largest independent charity in Central Florida, raising over $6 million for hundreds of Florida charities. Professionally, Constantine also serves as a business consultant on a wide range of issues for high level corporations and government agencies.
