Water conservation is a key tool for balancing today’s water needs with tomorrow’s future demands. Water is one of our most valuable resources, supporting our environment and way of life and every water user plays a role in protecting it.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board approved the purchase of the C&D Ranch and Rock Bend Ranch conservation easements. The approximately 1,270-acre acquisition will provide four miles of frontage along the west side of the Peace River in DeSoto and Hardee counties.
These important property purchases are located within the Lower Peace River Corridor Project and span the lower basin of the Peace River, incorporating surrounding tributaries, connected headwaters, and floodplain swamps. This acquisition will protect rich plant life and moist soil habitats, improve water quality flowing into the Charlotte Harbor estuary, and safeguard regional water resources.
The C&D Ranch conservation easement is located in Hardee and DeSoto counties and is 623.66 acres. It consists of approximately 48% wetlands and 52% uplands. C&D Ranch is situated in the Peace River Valley, which leads to Charlotte Harbor estuary and protects 1.9 miles of river frontage on the Peace River.
The Rock Bend Ranch conservation easement is adjacent to C&D Ranch to the immediate south in DeSoto County and is 646.8 acres. It consists of approximately 60% wetlands and 40% uplands. The property has been used for agriculture and its natural communities remain in an undisturbed state. This property has approximately 2.2 miles of frontage along the west side of the Peace River.
The parcels are being purchased for a combined total of approximately $7.5 million with money from the Florida Forever Trust Fund. These acquisitions meet all four of the District’s Areas of Responsibility, which are water supply, water quality, flood control and natural systems.
The properties are located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and within two miles of other District and state conservation lands.
On Tuesday, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board adopted a $251.5 million budget for fiscal year (FY) 2027, including $86.2 million in Cooperative Funding Initiatives and District grants for water resources projects.
The budget reflects the District’s commitment to protect Florida’s water resources and to improve Florida’s economic vitality. Some of the key initiatives in the District’s FY2027 budget include:
Through cooperative funding partnerships, the District will leverage funds for a total regional investment of more than $160 million for sustainable alternative water supply development, water quality improvements and other water resource management projects.
For FY2027, the District’s Governing Board has adopted a millage rate of 0.1831 mill, which effectively allocates resources in support of mission critical functions such as flood control infrastructure.
For every $100,000 in taxable property value, the District property tax would be $18.31 a year, or about $1.53 per month. The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2027.
All residents remain under one-day-per-week watering restrictions with strict watering hours through March 31, 2027
The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board voted today to extend the Modified Phase III “Extreme” Water Shortage through March 31, 2027, due to ongoing drought conditions throughout the region, which requires all residents, including those on private wells, to continue following one-day-per-week watering restrictions with strict watering hours. This is the second extension to the Modified Phase III Water Shortage Order and there are no changes to the restrictions.
The District received below-average rainfall during both its 2025 and 2026 summer rainy seasons. The 12-month rainfall deficit through August 2026 is 15.4 inches. Area rivers and lakes as well as public water supplies have not been replenished due to the lack of summer rainfall. Tampa Bay Water’s C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir only has 7.87 billion gallons in storage as of Sept. 20, which is about half its storage capacity.
Modified Phase III Water Shortage Summary
Unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, watering hours remain reduced from midnight to 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Properties less than one acre in size may only use one of these windows. Properties one acre or larger may only water before 4 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
The restrictions apply to all of Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and Lake counties; the City of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County; and the portion of Gasparilla Island in Charlotte County.
Outdoor water use accounts for more than 50 percent of water consumed by households and residents should know and follow their local watering restrictions as well as conserve water wherever possible. Residents should check with their city or county for their allowable day and times as many have different schedules or stricter hours in effect. Below is the standard schedule:
Other restrictions listed in the Modified Phase III Water Shortage Order include:
Restaurants are required to only serve water upon request.
Public Water Supply Utility Requirements:
The order also requires local utilities to continue implementing water conservation efforts, including customer education about the current water shortage and ways to conserve water. Water utilities and other local enforcement officials must continue their enforcement efforts, including responding to citizen complaints and monitoring water use through patrols or customer records. Utilities and other local enforcement officials are to continue issuing citations first without issuing a warning.
The District continues to monitor the drought conditions and is coordinating with its utility and regional water supply partners such as Tampa Bay Water and the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority.
The District also issued an additional emergency order to Tampa Bay Water this month to modify its permit to allow additional withdrawals from the Tampa Bypass Canal to ensure water supply availability during the ongoing drought. The order expires March 31, 2027.
For additional information about the Modified Phase III Water Shortage Order, visit the District’s website WaterMatters.org/Restrictions. For water conserving tips, visit WaterMatters.org/Water101.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District will hold a Preliminary Evaluation Committee Meeting on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. (local time) to evaluate responses to RFP 26-5092 Medicare Advantage Insurance for Eligible Retirees. The committee members will discuss their review of the responses and may select a firm to award, select firms to be shortlisted for further evaluation, or reject all responses.
District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population.
Prospective hunters can purchase permits for Phase I hunts beginning at 9 a.m. Oct. 6, on the District’s WaterMatters.org/HogHunts. Permits will be available on a first come, first serve basis until they are sold out. The cost is $75 for each permit. A complete list of hunts with locations and dates is also available online.
The District has a three-phased hunting system. The first two phases of hunts will have separate registration processes. The single top producer from each Phase 1 and Phase 2 hunt will be asked to participate in hog management activities for Phase 3.
All hunts will adhere to the hog-dog format. No still hunts will be available. The program works like this:
Phase 1 Hunts
Phase 2 Hunts
Phase 3 “As-Needed” Management Hunts
The District-managed properties will be temporarily closed to the public during the hog hunts. Only permitted hunters will be allowed access.
Feral hogs, which are not native to Florida, can cause damage with their broad snouts and can leave an area looking like a plowed field. They also prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for food and transmit diseases to other wildlife, livestock and humans. Additionally, hogs may facilitate the spread of exotic plant species by transporting seeds and/or providing germination sites through rooting.
This is the 18th consecutive year for the hunts. Last year’s hunts removed 795 hogs on 14 different tracts of land throughout the District.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a meeting Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 5 p.m. at the Lake Wales Public Library located at 290 Cypress Garden Lane in Lake Wales to collect public comment on the proposed reevaluation of minimum levels for Lake Wailes.
During the meeting, District staff will review the technical basis for the recommended minimum levels for Wailes. Please visit WaterMatters.org/projects/mfls/lake-wailes-minimum-level-reevaluationto find recommended minimum levels for Lake Wailes summarized in draft reports and to submit public comments through the webpage. Minimum levels for Lake Wailes were previously established in 2015, and currently, Lake Wailes is meeting its Minimum Lake Level.
All public comments are summarized and shared with the District’s Governing Board for its consideration. District staff anticipate presenting the recommended minimum levels for Lake Wailes at the Oct. 27, 2026 Governing Board meeting. Governing Board meetings are open to the public and brief oral comments are permitted on meeting agenda items.
The Florida Legislature requires the District to set minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for priority water bodies within the District. Minimum flows are established to prevent significant harm to streams and rivers from impacts associated with groundwater and surface water withdrawals, while minimum levels are established to prevent significant harm to lakes and wetlands. The District’s scientists use numerous tools to collect, develop and analyze data before recommending a minimum flow or level. MFLs serve as guidelines for the District’s permitting programs and for development of water resource projects.
For questions regarding the recommended MFL, please contact Jason Patterson, lead scientific modeler with the District’s Natural Systems and Restoration Bureau at (352) 269-6243. Written comments regarding the proposed minimum levels are also welcome and can be submitted via mail or email no later than Oct. 9 to 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34604 or Jason.Patterson@WaterMatters.org.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 3 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North.
A public hearing on the FY2027 budget is scheduled for 5:01 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office.
To view the Governing Board meeting and the public hearing on the FY2027 budget online, click on the live video stream link. The video stream link becomes active and the live video feed begins approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled meeting time.
The meeting agenda and materials are posted one week before the meeting, and can be found online at WaterMatters.org by clicking on the “Meetings & Events Calendar” link.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District will hold a Final Evaluation Committee Meeting on Tuesday, November 10, at 2:00 p.m. (local time) to evaluate responses to RFP 26-4972 Real-Time Flood Forecasting (RTFF) Software Solution.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District will hold a Preliminary Evaluation Committee Meeting on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. (local time) to evaluate responses to RFP 26-4972 Real-Time Flood Forecasting (RTFF) Software Solution. The committee members will discuss their review of the responses and may select a firm to award, select firms to be shortlisted for further evaluation, or reject all responses.
