Since Gov. Jeff Landry took office in 2024, a once-insulated flood-protection agency has seen board members resign and its police budget increase.
Landry refuses to advance the committee’s unanimous civil-engineer pick, the first crack in the post-Katrina nominating process.
Committee chair Jay Lapeyre says the refusal “negates the function” of the independent vetting process.
Roy Carubba, tied to Guidry contracts, becomes board president; AG opens a probe as director Chandler is placed on leave.
Chandler resigns amid a dispute over expanding the levee police force.
In an interview, unelected adviser Shane Guidry confirms he’s shaping the agency’s overhaul, comparing himself to Elon Musk.
Four board members quit in protest weeks before hurricane season, citing a diluted flood-protection mission.
Landry-backed bill would scrap the independent nominating committee and require a police officer on the board.
Levee police budget jumps $3.7 million, nearly 50%, even as Rondeno claims savings.
Legislature rewrites the bill, preserving the nominating committee and most post-Katrina safeguards.
A public meeting nearly turns physical; Guidry says he missed it because he was “on my big yacht.”
Landry ousts Carubba as president and installs contractor Peter Vicari.
Internal memo invites officers onto a SWAT-trained, rifle-equipped unit inside the levee police.
Rondeno files a misdemeanor battery charge against 68-year-old commissioner Deborah Settoon.
The battery charge is dropped the same day Settoon resigns from the board.
Quietly approved chief’s contract: guaranteed 6% raises, firing protection, term through 2029; engineering dept. at 12 of 18.