Bill Johnson leaves county nest just as billions get ready to fly

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From the timing-is-everything department.

Water and Sewer Department Director Bill Johnson, who used to be director of the Port of Miami, has been tapped by Florida Gov. Rick Scott as head of Enterprise Florida, which recruits corporations to relocate to Florida and tries to retain companies that are thinking of moving.

It’s a really soft landing and cushy job that is basically PR traveling the country and selling the Sunshine State.

And, wait, wasn’t that what he was going to do for Miami-Dade at the Beacon Council in a job he eventually was not offered because they found someone better?

Johnson, 60, had also shown early interest in the city manager’s position at Coral Gables and was seemingly just dying to get out of the county. Some say he was unhappy in his new position — or maybe with his new boss. Sources tell Ladra Johnson doesn’t always toe the line laid out by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos “Cry Wolf” Gimenez and that he certainly won’t play ball with special interest insiders who want a piece of the multi-billion dollar water and sewer procurement pie.

Or maybe that latter part made Gimenez unhappy with him.

While the job is publicly spinned to be the result of a relationship that developed between the guv and Johnson over the construction of the Port tunnel, longtime county observers told Ladra that Johnson may have been reverse recruited. In other words, the 35-year county bureaucrat may have been surreptitiously pushed out by Gimenez.

Sure, the mayor’s public written statement issued Thursday is all lovey dovey.

“Governor Scott and the Enterprise Florida Board made a great choice hiring Bill Johnson as CEO. Bill has been a public servant in Miami-Dade County for nearly 35 years. He has led key departments in the fourth-largest municipal government in the country which included times as director of PortMiami during the approval and construction process of the PortMiami tunnel, and most recently leading the Water and Sewer Department.

“Although Bill’s departure is a loss for Miami-Dade County, it is a win for Florida. Congratulations to Bill. We look forward to working with him and Enterprise Florida.”

But las malas lenguas say Gimenez was privately working to get Johnson an offer he couldn’t refuse. Maybe Gimenez whispered into the governor’s ear: “Hey, Ricky, ol’ boy. Take this guy off  my back, will ya? I need to put a crony in there to do what I want.”

Then, lo and behold, the water and sewer chief’s job goes to Internal Services Director (read: Procurement Director) Lester Sola, who was also the former Elections Supervisor and whose visitor’s log last year showed he chatted almost daily with lobbyist Jorge Luis Lopez, the mayor’s travel buddy and BFF who has “preferred lobbyist status” at County Hall. This was while they were negotiating the sweet deal that Lopez got for his client, The Miami Heat, for use of our arena.

Johnson leaves a $275,000-a-year job for one that payst $265,000 a year but with a potential $100,000 bonus.

And it’s interesting that this move happens a few months before Johnson was set to retire anyway and just as the county is set to spend millions, maybe billions, this year and next as it begins the largest public infrastructure system modernization in Miami-Dade history, in accordance with a judicial mandate to fix our broken water and sewer facilities.

Read related story: Lobbyists hungry for that $1.6 billion job meet with mayor

“I have great confidence in Lester’s ability,” the mayor wrote in his statement. I just bet he does.

So, now, who does Gimenez have “great confidence” in to put in procurement to be his friendly ally there? Might we expect Elections Supervisor Penelope Townsend or Transit Director Ysela Llort or Alex Muñoz, director of Animal Services, get the juicy procurement post?

Oh, wait, I know: Airport Director Emilio Gonzalez, who is seen everywhere with the mayor these days.

It’s almost a predictable game of musical chairs.

And how much will the lobbyists who have complained about Johnson not playing ball with them, how much will they weigh in on the matter?

  Bill Johnson, Carlos Gimenez, lobbyists, procurement issues, Rick Scott, water and sewer