Mitt Tidwell, a veteran utilities manager with vast public and private sector experience, has accepted the position of Utilities Director with the City of Sarasota.  He will begin work on Monday, February 25, 2013.

Mr. Tidwell currently is the Utilities Director for the City of Daytona Beach.  He has served in that position since 2005.  In 2011, the City of Daytona Beach was awarded the prestigious gold medal for best tasting water in the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition.

“I am excited to be a part of the Sarasota Utilities Department as we continue to improve the infrastructure and daily operations to provide the best possible service to our customers, while protecting the environment,” said Mr. Tidwell. 

Mr. Tidwell has more than 20 years of experience working in the field of water and wastewater utilities, including serving in utilities management positions for the City of Dallas and the City of Austin, Texas.   He also has private sector experience.

“We have an accelerated Capital Improvement Project plan that will be implemented over the next five years and we need a seasoned veteran professional to oversee the Utilities Department,” said City Manager Tom Barwin.  “Mitt has run a utilities system as large or larger than the City of Sarasota for the past 20 years.  I look forward to him becoming part of our team and guiding our utilities systems to provide the best water and wastewater service possible for our residents as we continue to upgrade our utility systems.” 

This is the third major department head position City Manager Barwin has filled since starting work as City Manager in September 2012.   Chief of Police Bernadette DiPino joined the City of Sarasota three weeks ago and Finance Director John Lege will begin work next month.  Mr. Barwin soon will announce a replacement for Human Resources Kurt Hoverter who is retiring at the end of the month.