Mr. Drake is a Florida licensed professional geologist (# 37) and certified professional geologist (CPG) obtaining his B.S. in Geology from the University of Florida. He started his career in Palatka at the St. Johns River Water Management District in 1982 in the resource management department reviewing consumptive use permit applications for agricultural and public supply type water use, when the entire district staff was around 150 people.
He has 43 years of experience in hydrogeology, water resources and water supply planning, primarily in Central Florida. His expertise is in groundwater resource evaluations for water supply, water supply master plans; wellfield development, aquifer testing; groundwater flow modeling and water use permitting. Mr. Drake has been qualified as an expert witness in these areas and has provided testimony in several Department of Administrative Hearings and one circuit court proceeding.
He is a founding member of and is active in the Florida Association of Professional Geologists and is President of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG).
In 2011 he was appointed by Governor Rick Scott to the St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board, where he served until 2019. During that time, he reviewed and voted to approve the first Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) Regional Water Supply Plan.
