The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Highlands County.

The District will provide a virtual public comment period now through Nov. 27 at WaterMatters.org/Floodplain for the public to view preliminary data for flood prone areas within the Sebring Watershed. The website will present preliminary data for flood prone areas and the public will have the opportunity to submit comments.

After addressing the public comments, information will be finalized and presented to the District’s Governing Board for approval to use the data for regulatory purposes. This information is not currently being incorporated into the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs); however, it may be used in future DFIRM updates. 

The information, which identifies areas prone to flooding, can be used by local governments for land use and zoning decisions, to help manage development in and around floodplains and wetlands, to reduce flood risks, to preserve land and water resources, and for emergency planning. It will also provide valuable information to the public for decisions about purchasing and protecting property.

For more information or to find out which watershed you live in, please visit WaterMatters.org/Floodplain or call the District’s WMP Info Line at (352) 415-0974.

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. 1, on the District’s website 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 

• Registration will occur Oct. 1, 2025, at 9 a.m.
• Includes six hunts that occur October through November 2025.
• A $75 nonrefundable fee must be paid for each permit.
• Permits are no longer transferable.
• The top producer on each Phase 1 hunt will be placed on the District’s ‘top producer’ list and will be awarded participation in our Phase 3 hunts, free of charge.
• Failure to follow regulations or poor behavior issues will disqualify registrants for incentive consideration at the sole discretion of District staff. Participants will be provided the opportunity to refute the decision. 

Phase 2 Hunts

• Registration will occur Dec. 3, 2025, at 9 a.m.
• Includes six hunts that occur in January 2026.
• A $75 nonrefundable fee must be paid for each permit.
• Permits are no longer transferable.
• The top producer on each Phase 2 hunt will be placed on the District’s ‘top producer’ list and will be awarded participation in our Phase 3 hunts, free of charge.
• Failure to follow regulations or poor behavior issues will disqualify registrants for incentive consideration at the sole discretion of District staff. Participants will be provided the opportunity to refute the decision.

Phase 3 “As-Needed” Management Hunts 

• Includes management hunts that can occur between March through October 2026.
• 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.
• Phase 1 and Phase 2 top producers, without rule violations, will be offered participation on a minimum of four management hunts occurring March through October 2026.

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 17th consecutive year for the hunts. Last year’s hunts removed 879 hogs on 10 different tracts of land throughout the District.

On Tuesday, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board adopted a $256.2 million budget for fiscal year (FY) 2026, including $114.3 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 FY2026 budget include:

• $102.9 million for development of alternative water supplies to ensure an adequate supply of water resources for all existing and future reasonable and beneficial uses.
• $14.2 million for the management and improvement of critical flood control and water conservation structures, canals, culverts and levees.
• $9.9 million for surface water restoration initiatives and water quality improvement projects to treat stormwater runoff before discharging directly or indirectly to water bodies.
• $7.5 million for watershed management planning and implementation of projects to address potential and existing flooding issues.

Through cooperative funding partnerships, the District will leverage funds for a total regional investment of approximately $217 million for sustainable alternative water supply development, water quality improvements and other water resource management projects. 

For the 14^th year in a row, the District’s Governing Board has adopted a millage rate equal to or less than the rolled-back millage rate, for a cumulative rate reduction of 53%. The adopted FY2026 millage rate is 0.1831 mill, 4.1% lower than the current fiscal year, which will help lessen the tax burden for Florida residents by saving taxpayers more than $5.9 million in property taxes. 

For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the District tax would be $18.31 a year, or about $1.53 per month. The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026.

Today, the District’s Governing Board voted to return the operation, maintenance and management of the Chassahowitzka River Campground back to Citrus County while retaining ownership of the property. This 40-year agreement will allow the County to holistically manage both the boat ramp and parking area as well as the campground. Residents and visitors will be able to continue to enjoy this popular recreation area with convenient access to the river as they have for the previous 30 years that it was managed by the County. The District will continue to move forward with a comprehensive third-party assessment to determine the extent of repairs and improvements needed and has pledged to contribute up to $200,000 for capital improvements.