Staff Spotlight - Kurt Gremley
STAFF SPOTLIGHT –
KURT GREMLEY
Even if you go hiking, riding, bird watching or kayaking in our conservation parks, you may not have had the opportunity to speak with our staff. More than 140 staff members staff and manage Hillsborough County's Conservation Parks and Nature Preserves, which are spread out throughout our county. This is an opportunity to meet and learn about the people who work hard to keep the County's conservation parks and nature preserves thriving and beautiful for all to enjoy. Our staff do everything from mowing and fence construction to prescribed fire, invasive species removal, ecological restoration, guided programs and more!
This month's staff spotlight is Kurt Gremley who will be retiring as ELAPP Acquisition Manager on
April 15th. In 2018, after 28 years of service, Kurt had a
total of almost 190 transactions approved by the Board of County Commissioners,
most on the consent agenda. He has been an integral player in 99% of all ELAPP
land acquisition purchases and has received grants to recoup over 30% of the
dollars spent. Additionally, he has negotiated many parks acquisitions and
other land deals that set land aside for preservation, recreation and safety.
Kurt was born in Evanston, Illinois. His family moved frequently
due to his father’s career in Land Development which was an inspiration for his
future career. The family rarely stayed in one place more than two years. In
his youth, Kurt did not spend a lot of time outdoors. His parents weren’t big
into camping. He did visit beaches on vacations to Florida, the Virgin Islands
and Hawaii and frequently stayed at a farmhouse in Richmond, Illinois on a lake
which he enjoyed. Kurt was a cub scout, but lost interest and did not continue
into boy scouts. His family moved to Questa, Florida in 1973, then Kurt
graduated from Jupiter High School in June of 1975.
Kurt earned his undergraduate major in Real Estate, then entered
the MBA program at the University of South Florida in 1985 and finished in
1988. Thereafter, he took a job with the City of St. Petersburg which was short-lived
because he did not enjoy the work atmosphere. Seeking something different, Kurt
applied for the ELAPP Land Acquisition Manager with Hillsborough County in
1988.
Kurt began his career with Hillsborough County in February
of 1989. He says he’s “the best Acquisition Manager they’ve ever had for this
program because I’m the only one”. Kurt was told he was the best candidate for
the job because he had a real estate background, but understood the many
constraints involved in working for the public sector. Kurt thought the job
would be interesting because he would go out and buy large tracts of land for
preservation as opposed to acquiring drainage easements. The job was only
supposed to be a four-year job under the referendum.
The analogy Kurt uses to explain how he came to this career
path is the question, “What catches the fish? It’s the fish. If the fish
doesn’t take the bait, you never catch the fish.” He also knows well that if a
property owner is unwilling to do the deal, there is nothing to do in a voluntary
situation. Negotiations must entice the landowner into a deal and meet County
requirements. It takes trust and time spent working individually with each
landowner to resolve issues. Many property negotiations are straightforward and
simple. Others are unique requiring analysis of objectives and anticipation of
potential hurdles such as access, personal issues and timing. Economic aspects
of the property are not important to the program because the focus is on
retaining the habitat and a recreational benefit. Working with each property
owner takes a custom approach.
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| Kurt presenting at a public meeting for proposed Gibsonton YMCA 2/8/18 Osprey Observer |
Kurt says, “many people talk—when they’re talking about
their jobs—in a hundred years, none of this will matter”. His hope is that the
ELAPP program will carry out its purpose ensuring greenspace for future
citizens. Kurt remained with the County for more than thirty years because he
knew his work was making a difference.
One of the challenges Kurt navigated was learning to walk away
from a property. He believes when a buyer falls in love with a property, they
lose their edge. Each property is considered as a business deal only. For
example, the Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve was highly coveted because it had the
largest area of scrub in Hillsborough County. Fortunately, this property was
obtained by the ELAPP program. One of Kurt’s tricks of the trade when going to
view a property is to put on a poker face. He and his wife used the term
“adequate” as a code word if a property was in alignment with the program. This
word did not clue in the sellers to the value of the property. He has walked
away when deal was unsuitable. This tactic made County offers more appealing to
landowners when other better offers did not immediately present.
Over the years, locating joint funding has been a pressing
issue. Potential land acquisitions can move up the priority list if there is
another entity willing to invest. In 2008, up to 42 percent of expenditures
were funded by other sources. Volusia County was years ahead of Hillsborough
County in their partnership with the St. John’s Water Management District on
their local program. Volusia County was the mentor for our county on how things
can work. Oakridge was the first joint acquisition with Southwest Florida
Management Water District.
One struggle Kurt had to overcome was that people were
concerned that the County was taking too much property off the tax rolls. Later
staff began hearing that properties abutting preserves were actually worth
more.
The ELAPP program has adapted through the years and changed
drastically from an acquisition standpoint. From the beginning, there was not
enough funding for staff. At the start of the program, employees also wondered
how to obtain funding for management, and this is still a conversation had in
conferences today. Kurt believes that land should be purchased when available
because if acquisitions is held up for management funding, the land will never
be purchased because it will not be available. If not purchased when the seller
wants to sell, the land may be purchased by another buyer for a different
purpose.
Kurt thinks the department has evolved over time in many
ways. The idea of setting fire to public land was crazy years ago, but now
prescribed fires are common practice in land management. There are more
invasive exotic species now than ever before. A few years ago, a beetle was
introduced that only eats air potato and has been an effective solution to an
overwhelming management issue.
Kurt’s advice to other employees is to teach others to
respect and care for land, to not be wasteful, to do their part to ensure the
beauty and function of natural environments is maintained. He thinks, “it is
important to have part of our identity in Hillsborough County be reflected in
these natural areas”.
Kurt has a long-lasting legacy here in Hillsborough County
and will be sorely missed. Happy trails Kurt!
To learn more about Kurt’s fascinating career, click the
source material for this article below.
"Kurt Gremley oral history interview" by Gremley Kurt (usf.edu)
https://digital.lib.usf.edu/?e21.11
