The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville.

To view the Governing Board meeting online, visit WaterMatters.org and 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 meeting materials are posted one week before the meeting, and can be found online at WaterMatters.org by clicking on the “Boards, Meetings & Events Calendar” link.

On Tuesday, the Southewest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board adopted a $202.7 million budget for FY2020, including more than $81 million for the Cooperative Funding Initiative 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 FY2020 budget include:

• $25.7 million for development of alternative water supplies to ensure an adequate supply of water resources for all existing and future reasonable and beneficial uses.
• $20.8 million for springs initiatives to restore springs and spring-fed rivers to improve water quality and clarity as well as restore natural habitats.
• $5.7 million for water quality improvements to treat stormwater runoff before discharging directly or indirectly to water bodies.
• $24.4 million for Watershed Management Program plans and projects to reduce flooding and improve water quality based on a comprehensive evaluation of a watershed’s historical and existing features.

Through cooperative funding partnerships, District funds are matched up to 50 percent and will result in a total regional investment of more than $146 million for sustainable alternative water supply development, water quality improvements and other water resources management projects.

The adopted FY2020 millage rate is 0.2801 mill, 5.2 percent lower than the current fiscal year which will help lessen the tax burden for Florida residents by saving taxpayers approximately $6.5 million in property taxes. For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the District tax would be $28.01 a year, or about $2.33 per month. The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1, 2019, through Sept. 30, 2020.

District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population.

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.

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

• Registration will occur 9 a.m. Oct. 1, 2019.
• Includes six hunts that occur November through December 2019.
• A $75 nonrefundable fee must be paid for each permit.
• Permits are transferable.
• The top producer of each Phase 1 hunt will be placed on the District’s “top producer” list and will be awarded participation in the District’s Phase 3 hunts, free of charge. We no longer award free admission into Phase 2 for our top two producers of the Phase 1 hunt.

Phase 2 Hunts

• Registration will occur 9 a.m. Dec. 17, 2019.
• Includes six hunts that occur January and February 2020.
• A $75 nonrefundable fee must be paid for each permit.
• Permits are transferable.
• The single top producer of each hunt of Phase 2 will be placed on the District’s “top producer” list and will be contacted between March and October 2020 to take part in feral hog management hunts on an as-needed basis, free of charge.

Phase 3 “As-Needed” Management Hunts

• Includes management hunts that may occur March through October 2020.
• Only those registrants that qualify as “top producers” following the Phase 1 and 2 hunts will be contacted to take part in management hunts during this period.
• Management hunts offered to “top producers” will be free of charge and non-transferable.
• All 12 Phase 2 top producers will be offered participation in a minimum of two management hunts throughout the non-hunting season.

The District-managed properties will be temporarily closed to the public during the hog hunts. Only permitted hunters will be allowed access.

Prospective hunters can purchase permits for Phase I hunts beginning at 9 a.m. Oct. 1 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.

This is the 11th consecutive year for the hunts. Last year’s hunts removed 447 hogs on 10 different tracts of land throughout the District.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 3 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North.

A public hearing on the FY2020 budget is scheduled for 5:01 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office.

To view the Governing Board meeting online, visit WaterMatters.org and 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 meeting materials are posted one week before the meeting, and can be found online at WaterMatters.org by clicking on the “Meetings & Events Calendar” link.

Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Roger Germann and reappointed Kelly Rice to the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board. Germann represents Hillsborough County and Rice represents Citrus, Lake, Levy and Sumter counties.

Germann, of Tampa, is the president and chief executive officer of The Florida Aquarium. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois. Germann is appointed to a four-year term.

Rice, of Webster, is the owner of Prime Property Resources, Inc. and the president of Rice Cattle Company. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of South Florida. Rice is reappointed to a four-year term.

The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

Governing Board members are unpaid, citizen volunteers who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. The Governing Board sets policy for the District, whose mission is to manage the water and related resources of west central Florida to meet the needs of current and future water users while protecting the environment.