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St. Petersburg man chosen to run state wildlife agency
By JULIE HAUSERMAN, Times Staff Writer TALLAHASSEE -- A respected St. Petersburg marine biologist was named Friday to run Florida's wildlife agency. Ken Haddad, 50, will head the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which oversees all of the state's marine and land creatures. He was chosen unanimously by the seven-member commission after a nationwide search. Since 1993, Haddad has been director of the Florida Marine Research Institute in St. Petersburg, which is part of the commission. He replaces Allan Egbert, who has headed the agency for the past eight years. Haddad has lived in St. Petersburg since 1975. He got his graduate degree at the University of South Florida. Environmentalists and the commercial fishing industry supported Haddad for the post. He edged out these other finalists: Rudolph Rosen of Arizona, the past director of Safari Club International; Larry Shannon, a past fish and wildlife director in Minnesota; and Curt Kiser, a former Pinellas lawmaker who is now a Tallahassee lobbyist. Kiser lobbied hard for the job but didn't make the cut because he "had a salary requirement that we weren't comfortable with," said commission Chairman John Rood, a Jacksonville real estate developer. Kiser wanted $145,000, Rood said. The salary range for the FWCC director is $100,000 to $114,000. Haddad's salary hasn't been set, but it will fall within that range. Kiser could not be reached for comment Friday. Haddad likely will start at the end of April. His appointment is subject to confirmation by the Senate next year. After 27 years in St. Petersburg, Haddad and his wife, Sharon, will move to Tallahassee. Haddad last worked in the capital in June 2001. He was brought in during the summer of 2000 as interim director of the agency's Division of Marine Fisheries after a scandal ousted its longtime director, Russ Nelson. Nelson resigned after agency investigators discovered that he and other senior staff members viewed pornography on the Internet in their state offices. Haddad had the difficult job of running the division after the scandal, then returned to St. Petersburg to his position at the Marine Research Institute. Laurie Macdonald, who monitors the commission for the Defenders of Wildlife, applauded Haddad's appointment. "I've always had a great deal of respect for Ken," Macdonald said. "I certainly hope that he will bring a basic scientific foundation to the policy decisions that are ultimately made by the commissioners." The commission has control over fresh and saltwater fishing, hunting, protecting endangered species, and enforcing conservation laws. The agency has about 1,800 employees and an annual budget of about $160-million.
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From the Times state desk Lucy Morgan
From the state wire
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