User:Donald J. Polmann

Donald J. Polmann, Ph.D., P.E., was appointed to the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) by Governor Rick Scott for a term beginning January 2, 2017.

Prior to his appointment to the PSC, Commissioner Polmann served as Director of Science and Engineering for Tampa Bay Water, the largest wholesale drinking water supplier in the Southeastern United States. Commissioner Polmann was responsible for strategic planning, engineering and permitting; future needs analysis incorporating risk and reliability; capital, energy, and conservation plans; water-use and environmental permits and compliance; resource management and supply development; and regulatory agency relations. He also served as a primary negotiator on complex permits, rules, settlements, and contracts. Commissioner Polmann had a major role supporting the agency’s public-private partnership engagements for alternative supplies and regional infrastructure. The regional water supply authority meets Tampa Bay's drinking water needs with a diverse, flexible supply network, and state-of-the-art water quality monitoring; the region's water is blended from three different sources: groundwater, surface water, and desalinated seawater.

Commissioner Polmann also served as a consulting engineer in private practice for a decade, most recently at ATKINS as Senior Project Director for public sector clients concerning water and environment. Before this, at AMEC in environmental and water resource engineering for a broad set of public and private clients.

His undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering, with a Minor in Economics, is from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Commissioner Polmann holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering Sciences from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a member of the External Advisory Board for the University of Florida Engineering School of Sustainable infrastructure and Environment. He was named Florida Government Engineer of the Year and is a current member of the Florida Engineering Society, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and the American Geophysical Union. Commissioner Polmann is a past member, Board of Directors, WateReuse Research Foundation. He is a graduate, Class of 2004, of the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute. Dr. Polmann’s special interests include volunteer work in public schools.

Commissioner Polmann has lived in Florida since 1969. He is married with two children.