EPC Bids a Fond Farewell to Water Division Senior Environmental Managers Paula Noblitt and Tom Ash

Article written by Daniel Moore and Chris Pratt

Paula Noblitt

Paula Noblitt came to the EPC in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology and 15 years of seasoned Industrial Wastewater work for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). She began her 20 years of dedicated service with the Agency as an Industrial Wastewater Engineering Specialist and quickly worked her way up to the Water Division's Compliance and Enforcement Senior Environmental Manager/Assistant Director position.  

The majority of the Water Division's complaints are conducted by compliance staff and during her management over 3,200 complaints were investigated and about 100 enforcement actions were initiated, resulting in the collection of nearly $500,000 in penalties. It is important to note that administrative penalties obtained through enforcement for the necessary correction of pollution violations are credited to the Agency's Pollution Recovery Fund (PRF) and are made available in the form of grants to restore polluted areas, mitigate the effects of pollution, and otherwise enhance pollution control activities within Hillsborough County. Paula additionally performed several key roles for the Agency's Water Division including Port of Tampa liaison, phosphate facilities inspector for joint FDEP inspections, and in more recent years, as the Chair of the EPC Complaints and Warning Notice Committee. The committee identifies improvements to policy, makes policy changes as approved by senior staff, identifies database needs, and works with MIS to resolve issues and make needed improvements. Under her leadership, the committee was responsible for assisting with database beta testing for EPC's MIS staff while improvements to the system were under development. The committee also implemented agency-wide training related to important agency policy changes.

Recognizing her skills as a presenter, Paula was selected to make key presentations before the EPC Commission and participate as a subject matter expert for various professional environmental panels and community meetings. Always a consummate professional, she approached every situation with grace, efficiency, and calm. Her technical abilities and penchant for numbers made her the natural choice to track and report performance metrics for the Water Division and made her a valuable member of the EPC's Sterling Management LEAN team, which is dedicated to identifying and implementing agency-wide process efficiencies and improvements.  On a personal level, Paula is always kind and thoughtful of others. She is known for her skills as a talented artist and for her dedication to her husband Brad and two daughters, Jessica and Sarah. 

In-Service award presentation with Janet Lorton, Paula Noblitt and Sam Elrabi

Paula's Artwork

Paula served the citizens of Hillsborough County with distinction and professionalism.  We wish her the very best during retirement and look forward to seeing more of her artistic works!

Tom Ash

Tom Ash recently retired from EPC after a stellar 35-year career serving the citizens of Hillsborough County. Tom started his career at EPC in 1987 with an entry-level position in the Water Division and progressed through the ranks to retire as General Manager IV/Assistant Director of the Water Division.

Early in Tom’s career he was involved with EPC’s newly created Artificial Reef Program, which started in 1986. He quickly advanced to Artificial Reef Coordinator for Hillsborough County and was instrumental in the creation of 8 artificial reefs in Tampa Bay. Artificial reefs provide hard-bottom habitats that otherwise would not be available in the area, thereby increasing the diversity of marine species in the Bay including over 60 different species of fish. A Florida Sea Grant study found the reefs contributed an annual economic benefit of over $30 million to Hillsborough County alone and provided approximately 285 full-time and part-time jobs supporting the local fishing and diving community.

Tom was an avid photographer and videographer, and used these skills to document the construction and monitoring of the artificial reefs.  He wrote, produced, and directed many videos for the  EPC Artificial Reef YouTube Channel and did the same for numerous presentations on behalf of EPC. His talents were also used in support of the Agency’s outreach program. Tom was invited to appear on the “Talk to Your Government” television broadcast, a government access show hosted by Commissioner Jan Platt, to discuss regional environmental issues.

Additionally, Tom represented EPC on various boards and committees, serving as Chair in many instances. These include the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council’s Agency on Bay Management, the Manatee Awareness Coalition, the Tampa Bay Estuary Program’s Management Board, the Technical Advisory Committee, and the Tampa Bay Nitrogen Management Consortium. He was also a past president of the Florida Local Environmental Resource Agencies (FLERA), representing EPC when interacting with elected officials and aides at the local, state, and federal levels regarding environmental issues in the Tampa Bay area. As a result of his service, Tom fostered many partnerships that proved beneficial to the Agency and to the Tampa Bay region as a whole that will continue well into the future.

Tom’s leadership and legacy at EPC are unparalleled. Throughout his 35 years of service, Tom oversaw the creation of 8 artificial reefs, deploying over 50,000 tons of material and creating over 125 acres of habitat. Over 58,000 sampling visits were made to water monitoring stations, more than 5,800 benthic samples were collected, over 15,000 citizen complaints were investigated by the Water Division, and over $8,000,000 in Pollution Recovery Fund grants were awarded for projects in Hillsborough County designed to benefit the environment. 

"A Great Day at the Office!"

Tom is much-loved and will be missed by all. In retirement, he intends to spend time fishing in Tampa Bay and traveling in his RV with his wife Jan and their two pugs, Gregg and Wilma. We wish Tom a happy and well-deserved retirement!