Florida Water Environment Association Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237127443
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Orlando, FL, USA
Phone
3523781331
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Water Resource, Wetlands Conservation and Management

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,007,383
Expenses
$813,723
Assets
$1,681,263
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MIKE SWEENEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • JOSEPH PATERNITI (PRESIDENT)
  • DAVID HERNANDEZ (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • JOAN FERNANDEZ (PRESIDENT-ELECT)
  • SUZANNE MECHLER (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • KEVIN CARTER (UTILITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • MIKE SWEENEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • JOSEPH PATERNITI (PRESIDENT)
  • DAVID HERNANDEZ (VICE PRESIDENT)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Florida water environment association is dedicated to promoting a clean and sustainable water environment by supporting and uniting our members with the public through public awareness and outreach; providing professional development and networking opportunities for our members; and creating alliances to promote sound science-based public policy.

What it reported doing in 2024

Public education/outreach - the association provides instructional videos and materials to middle school through graduate level students. These materials are designed to increase awareness of the global water environment and to stimulate interest in the various water environment professions. The association has developed two scholarship programs: (a) norm casey scholarship - awards a scholarship annually to the university student chapter winning the association's annual design competition held at the Florida water resources conference; (b) gabe delnecky scholarship - awards an endowed scholarship at the university of central Florida. Funding for scholarships is provided through solicitation held throughout the state and an annual golf tournament.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 96% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 66
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 75
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 63%; rating input score 63
  • Program expense ratio: 77.6%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Fail
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 71.8%; rating input score 72; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 19.2%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.07; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 63% of revenue deployed · 77.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $631K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 18 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $182K reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and grants
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 8 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.