By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Recognized in the fields of ecology, hydrology and water resource management, with special expertise in rivers, estuaries and their contributing watersheds, Michael S. “Sid” Flannery has been named this year’s Theodore Roosevelt Hillsborough Forever Conservation Award recipient.
Hillsborough County Government
Michael Flannery’s work included efforts to protect the Little Manateer River flowing through southern Hillsborough County.
“I’m very grateful for receiving this award, as I love the natural resources of Hillsborough County and appreciate that my environmental work, which has been pretty technical at times, has been recognized by the county,” said Flannery, upon receiving the award at the April 16 meeting of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC).
The award, since its 2017 inception, honors an individual or group that exemplifies dedication to preserving county natural resources. It is presented annually at a BOCC meeting that coincides with National Arbor Day, which this year is April 25.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Christine Miller, who hails from Plant City, presented the award. Her District 4 seat includes representation of Riverview, Ruskin, Sun City Center and Wimauma.
She noted Flannery’s 35-year career, including more than 29 years with the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFMD), where, as chief environmental scientist, he was instrumental in developing the widely recognized “percent-of-flow method” for minimum-flow regulations from waterways, including the Alafia and Little Manatee rivers. He also was instrumental in establishing environmentally protective withdrawal schedules for the Hillsborough River and Tampa Bypass Canal.
“His work in this area is a significant contribution to our county and the region, enabling an adequate supply of water for the public without harming natural resources that we all cherish,” Miller said.
Noted also were Flannery’s conservation accomplishments as a private citizen, including that he nominated lands along the Little Manatee River for ELAPP acquisition, and that he worked with staff to write sections of the Hillsborough County Land Development Code for minimum setbacks near streams and rivers.
Since his retirement in 2014, Flannery has been a member of the SWFWMD Environmental Advisory Committee and on the Environmental Feedback Group for the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County (EPC).
According to a 2021 University of South Florida library post, the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP), established by Hillsborough County voters in the 1980s, has since protected more than 61,000 acres of rare county habitat. The citizen-led program in 2014 was officially renamed in honor of Jan K. Platt, who supported and advocated the program during her tenure as a commissioner from 1978-2002.
Last year’s Theodore Roosevelt award recipient, Stacy White, a former Hillsborough County commissioner who grew up in Gibsonton, was recognized in part for his ELAPP support. Pat Kemp, another former commissioner, credited this support for leading “the way in securing record ELAPP funding levels that were the highest in decades.”
As for Flannery, “the numerous technical reports he has authored and the biological data he has collected have been immensely valuable in the protection of the Lower Hillsborough River, Morris Bridge Sink, Sulphur Springs and Little Manatee River,” Miller said.
The Morris Bridge Sink is a sinkhole in the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve that is used to supplement the river’s water supply. Sulphur Springs, likewise, is a complex of sinkholes that feeds into the river.
Flannery gave a shout-out to members of the Sierra Club Tampa Bay group, of which seven members were in attendance at the April 16 meeting, “as we are very close to many environmental issues the county faces.” He then recounted a few facts, that three main rivers feed into Tampa Bay (Alafia, Hillsborough and Little Manatee) and that the system contains “hundreds of miles of beautiful habitats for numerous aquatic and wetland plant and animal species, as many of the most important fishery species in the Bay, such as Snook, Tarpon, Red Fish and Blue Crab, use the tidal portion of these streams as part of their lifestyles.”
Michael S. “Sid” Flannery receives the 2025 Theodore Roosevelt Hillsborough Forever Conservation Award at the BOCC’s Aug. 16 meeting.
With the ease of a teacher, backed by a decades-long career in, as he put it, the “pretty technical” stuff, Flannery summed up the nature of his conservation work and passion in 31 words. As he put it, “Protecting the flows, habitats and water quality of the creeks and rivers in Hillsborough County has important benefits for maintaining the ecology and environmental quality of the entire Tampa Bay Region.”
As part of his recognition, which included a framed photo of the Little Manatee River, Flannery is able to choose an enhancement projected valued at $2,000 for a Hillsborough County nature area of his choosing. His name also will be etched for permanent recognition on a plaque that hangs in a second-floor showcase at the Frederick B. Karl County Center in Tampa. Last year White applauded the late Gus Muench for funding the Theodore Roosevelt Hillsborough Forever Conservation Award, noting that Muench is “a conservation legend” who supported ELAPP’s establishment.