The District wants to hear from you.
Do you visit District lands? Do you use the available recreation opportunities?
The District is conducting a recreation evaluation of its lands to determine whether current recreational opportunities are consistent with recreation trends.
The District’s recreation program covers about 225,000 acres of land and consists of 472 miles of trails, nine primitive campgrounds, 10 backcountry campsites and 12 equestrian campgrounds. Recreation uses include hiking, biking, horseback riding, birding, hunting, picnicking, camping, fishing and nature study/wildlife viewing.
In order to compare recreation trends and demands in the region, the District developed a survey to gain a better understanding of how the District’s lands are being used. Survey participants will be asked questions like which District properties they visit, which type of recreation activities they do and whether there are enough opportunities in certain regions.
Participants can take the online survey until Nov. 10.
In addition to the online survey, the District will present the initial results of its evaluation at four upcoming public meetings where the public can provide additional input. Those meetings are:
- Oct. 3 – Brooksville Headquarters, 6-8 p.m.
- Oct. 17 – Sarasota Service Office, 6-8 p.m.
- Oct. 24 – Tampa Service Office, 6-8 p.m.
- Nov. 5 – Bartow Service Office, 6-8 p.m.
For the evaluation, the District will be divided into four regions: Northern, Tampa Bay, Heartland and Southern. Staff will analyze each region using a statewide process developed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Once the regions are analyzed and public input is received, staff will develop preliminary recommendations. The Recreation Ad Hoc Committee will consider those and make final recommendations to the District’s Governing Board for final review and approval.
Visit WaterMatters.org/RecreationEvaluation for more information.