Robert A. Swett

School of Forest Resources and Conservation

Robert A Swett
Assistant Professor
and Florida Sea Grant Extension Specialist

Ph.D. Department of Geography,
University of Florida

M.A. Center for Latin American Studies,
University of Florida

B.S. Forest Management,
University of Maine at Orono

Bob Swett is coordinator of the Boating and Waterway Management Program and serves as the Florida Sea Grant specialist on boating and waterway management issues within Florida’s Cooperative Extension Service. Dr. Swett’s programmatic mission is to build a comprehensive extension and research program designed to foster the responsible use and management of Florida’s waterways. Strategic goals are achieved through a combination of extension activities and applied research supported by extramural funding and achieved through collaborative partnerships.

Dr. Swett and Boating and Waterway Management Program staff and students provide science-based information, resource management applications and models, and innovative tools and methods that incorporate geographic information technologies designed to balance use of Florida's waterways with resource sustainability. An important component of their programmatic efforts is the application of geographic information technologies (GIT), such as geographic information systems, global positioning systems, geographic information science, and remote sensing.

The primary focus of Dr. Swett’s extension program is to develop information and methods that governments and others can use to plan for and manage surface water uses. Planners, managers, regulators, and policymakers are the principal target audiences. In addition, he develops and implements training in the use of geospatial information technologies for natural resource management for audiences both within and external to UF. Dr. Swett, staff, and students also create informational products to promote stewardship and responsible and safe behavior among recreational waterway users.

Dr. Swett’s research program is applied and it is designed to support and enhance the surface water use planning and management activities of governmental entities. Research is conducted to: (a) understand the behaviors and characteristics of recreational waterway users, (b) acquire spatial and temporal information on recreational use patterns within and among boating regions, and (c) develop and improve management practices.

E-mail: rswett@ufl.edu

Phone: 352-392-6233

Curriculum Vitae June, 2006 -(pdf) includes all publications

Alternate Address:

Robert A. Swett
Florida Sea Grant
PO Box 110405
University of Florida
Gainesville, Fl 32611

Selected Publications:

Swett, R.A., Listowski, C., Fry, D., Boutelle, S., and D.A. Fann. In review. A regional waterway management system for balancing recreational boating and resource protection. Environmental Management.

Swett, R.A., Sidman, C., Fik, T., and B. Sargent. In review. Spatially locating vessels using Florida’s vessel title registration system. Coastal Management.

Swett, R.A., Coffin, A., Sidman, C., and D.A. Fann. Accepted. Stakeholder education about the designation of coastal zones for the protection of the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris): the Manatee awareness and protection resource. Journal of Extension.

Frazer, T.K., Notestein, S.K., Jacoby, C.A., Littles, C.J., Keller, S.R., and R.A. Swett. 2006. Effects of storm-induced salinity changes on submersed aquatic vegetation in Kings Bay, Florida. Estuaries and Coasts, 29(6A), 943-953.

Sidman, C.F., Swett, R.A., Fik, T., Fann, S., and W. Sargent. 2006. A recreational boating characterization of Sarasota County (Sea Grant Technical Paper 152). Gainesville, FL: University of Florida, IFAS, Cooperative Extension Service. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/SG080.

Swett, R.A. and D.A. Fann. 2005. Navigational, historical, and environmental perspective of St. Augustine waterways (Sea Grant Extension Bulletin 59). Gainesville, FL: University of Florida, IFAS, Cooperative Extension Service. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/SG066

Fik, T.J., Sidman, C.F., Sargent, W., and R.A. Swett. 2005. A methodology for delineating a primary service area for recreational boaters using a public access ramp: A case study of Cockroach Bay. The Florida Geographer, 36, 23-40.

Swett, R.A., Fann, S.M., and J. DeLaney. 2005. An assessment of Florida boaters and their awareness of the Clean Vessel Act and Clean Marina Program (Sea Grant Technical Paper 151). Gainesville, FL: University of Florida, IFAS, Cooperative Extension Service. http://nsgl.gso.uri.edu/flsgp/flsgps05005.pdf.

	Coastal communities face a critical challenge: how to balance the use and protection of their waterway resources. Boating is one of Florida’s most popular waterway activities and it is big business. In 2005, Florida’s marine industry had an economic impact of $18.4 billion and employed 220,000 people. In 2006, over 1 million boats were registered in Florida—more than any other state—and estimates are that an additional 350,000 transient vessels were used on state waters. A challenge that growth in waterway use presents to users, elected and appointed officials, resource managers, and planners alike is how to sustain and protect the environment without isolating people from nature. (Photo credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
	Equipment that was used to conduct bathymetric surveys for 1,400 miles of southwest Florida waterways and to inventory over 55,000 boats. The information was processed using a geographic information system to develop comprehensive waterway management plans for county governments. The resulting knowledge base is a powerful tool for efforts to preserve and increase access by citizens to the boating infrastructure maintained by their tax dollars. The data and information on channels and vessels facilitate management decisions that are technically sound, environmentally acceptable, and economically justified. Taxpayer savings in permitting and project design costs to date in two southwest Florida counties have exceeded $2.5 million dollars (Charles Listowski, Director West Coast Inland Navigation District, personal communication, March 24, 2008).
	Decision support tools and information products are developed to guide public policy and to support coastal management applications. Training in their implementation is provided to coastal resource managers and policy-makers.
	Drs. Swett, Lindberg, and Andreu instruct university personnel and their collaborators from local and state agencies in the use of Geographic Information Technologies (GIT), which consist of powerful tools for managing natural resources and guiding growth and development processes.

Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 7922 NW 71st St., Gainesville, FL 32653
UF PO: 110600 Phone: 352/392-9617 Fax: 352/392-3672

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