NEWS

January 15, 2020

Syd Kitson SPECIAL TO BABCOCK RANCH TELEGRAPH

Real estate developer Syd Kitson was elected last week as chairman of the Florida Board of Governors, succeeding outgoing Chairman Ned Lautenbach. The board is the 17-member governing body for the State University System of Florida.

Fourteen board members are appointed by the Florida governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate for a term of seven years. The remaining members include the chair of the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates, the Florida Commissioner of Education and the chair of the Florida Student Association. The board oversees the operation and management of the Florida public university system’s 12 institutions (for which total student enrollment was estimated at 341,000 in the 2017-18 academic year).

Mr. Kitson, chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners, has served on the board since June 2017, including chairing its Budget and Finance Committee. His two-year term as chairman began Jan. 1.

“We’ve made incredible progress in these past few years, and I couldn’t be more excited about the potential we have in front of us,” Mr. Kitson said in a prepared statement. “I look forward to building on the great work of my predecessors while also moving forward with some new strategies to make the state university system even stronger.”

The board operates according to a strategic plan with a commitment to achieving excellence in the tripartite mission of teaching, research and public service for the benefit of Florida’s citizens, their communities and the state economy.

Brian Lamb, executive vice president and head of wealth and asset management at Fifth Third Bank, was elected vice chairman of the Board of Governors.

Kitson & Partners is the developer of the 18,000-acre Babcock Ranch in Charlotte and Lee counties. It offers a wide spectrum of residential housing options and commercial opportunities. Community infrastructure and both residential and commercial buildings feature environmentally friendly designs and technology.

Additionally, an on-site 75-megawatt solar power plant and smart-grid technology ensure that Babcock Ranch generates more clean and renewable energy than it consumes.