The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, July 23 at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. 

To view the Governing Board meeting 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.

Public comment will be taken only at the meeting location. Public input for issues not listed on the published agenda will be heard shortly after the meeting begins.

The meeting agenda and materials are posted one week before the meeting and can be found online at WaterMatters.org by clicking on the “Meeting & Events Calendar.” 

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a virtual public meeting at 4 p.m., Wednesday, July 24, to discuss updates to the Weekiwachee Preserve Land Management Plan.

The District adopts land management plans to ensure its public conservation lands are being managed in ways that are consistent with Florida Statutes and the District’s mission. District lands are acquired to preserve and protect water resources and natural systems while also providing public access for recreation. The purpose of this meeting is to inform the public about updates to this plan, to solicit input from stakeholders, and to incorporate feedback from the public and stakeholders into the development of the new 10-year plan. 

Members of the public may participate in the meeting via Microsoft Teams at https://bit.ly/weekiwacheeLMP. A draft of the management plan update and a virtual comment submission form are available at WaterMatters.org/LMPUpdates. The public comment period will be from July 15-29.

The 11,206-acre Weekiwachee Preserve is part of a regional system of conservation lands that preserves numerous habitats, including coastal hardwood hammocks, hardwood swamps, freshwater and saltwater marshes, and sandhills. In addition, the preserve protects and provides a buffer to several miles of the Weeki Wachee River.

District policy requires management plans for District-owned conservation lands be reviewed and updated every 10 years, unless otherwise directed by the District’s Governing Board. District lands are open to the public and community input is vital in determining how these lands are managed and used. The proposed land management plan for the Weekiwachee Preserve will be presented to the District’s Governing Board in August for consideration.

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through September on Annutteliga Hammock and Weekiwachee Preserve.

Annutteliga Hammock is located east of U.S. Highway 19, north of Centralia Road and south of the county line. Approximately 200 acres will be burned in small, manageable units. 

The Weekiwachee Preserve is located west of U.S. Highway 19 between Spring Hill and Hernando Beach. Approximately 200 acres will be burned in small, manageable units. Some trails may be temporarily closed during prescribed burn events.

Some major benefits of prescribed fire include:

• Reducing overgrown plants, which decreases the risk of catastrophic wildfires. 
• Promoting the growth of new, diverse plants.
• Maintaining the character and condition of wildlife habitat.
• Maintaining access for public recreation.

The District conducts prescribed fires on approximately 30,000 acres each year. 

Click here to see aerial footage from a prescribed fire in the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve where District land management staff burned 320 acres.

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through September on the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve and Chito Branch Reserve.

The Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve is located south of Cross Creek Boulevard between U.S. Highway 301 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard near Thonotosassa. Approximately 500 acres will be burned in small, manageable units. 

Chito Branch Reserve is located west of County Road 39 and east of Boyette Road near Lithia. Approximately 100 acres will be burned in small, manageable units.

Some major benefits of prescribed fire include:

• Reducing overgrown plants, which decreases the risk of catastrophic wildfires. 
• Promoting the growth of new, diverse plants.
• Maintaining the character and condition of wildlife habitat.
• Maintaining access for public recreation.

The District conducts prescribed fires on approximately 30,000 acres each year. 

Click here to see aerial footage from a prescribed fire in the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve where District land management staff burned 320 acres.

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through September on Starkey Wilderness Preserve, Conner Preserve and Cypress Creek Preserve.

Starkey Wilderness Preserve is located east of New Port Richey, west of the Suncoast Parkway, north of State Road 54 and south of State Road 52. Approximately 700 acres will be burned in small, manageable units. 

Conner Preserve is located south of State Road 52 and west of Ehren Cutoff. Approximately 700 acres will be burned in small, manageable units.

Cypress Creek Preserve is located east of Ehren Cutoff, one mile south of State Road 52. Approximately 300 acres will be burned in small, manageable units.

Some major benefits of prescribed fire include:

• Reducing overgrown plants, which decreases the risk of catastrophic wildfires. 
• Promoting the growth of new, diverse plants.
• Maintaining the character and condition of wildlife habitat.
• Maintaining access for public recreation.

The District conducts prescribed fires on approximately 30,000 acres each year. 

Click here to see aerial footage from a prescribed fire in the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve where District land management staff burned 320 acres.

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through September at Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract in Sarasota County.

Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract are located west of North Port, east of the Myakka River, and north and south of Interstate 75. Approximately 600 acres will be burned in small, manageable units. 

Some major benefits of prescribed fire include:

• Reducing overgrown plants, which decreases the risk of catastrophic wildfires. 
• Promoting the growth of new, diverse plants.
• Maintaining the character and condition of wildlife habitat.
• Maintaining access for public recreation.

The District conducts prescribed fires on approximately 30,000 acres each year. 

Click here to see aerial footage from a prescribed fire in the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve where District land management staff burned 320 acres.

Modified Phase I Water Shortage Order remains in effect Districtwide

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board voted today to extend one-day-per-week watering restrictions again for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties until September 1. This also includes the existing water shortage order currently in effect for Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Manatee, 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 Lee County.

The District Governing Board declared a Modified Phase I Water Shortage Order in November 2023 and voted to extend that order in February.

Despite having Districtwide above-average rainfall during the winter months (Nov.-Jan.), we still have a Districtwide 12-month rainfall deficit of about 7.4 inches (based on data through May). The 12-month rainfall total through May in the Northern Region of the District matches the historical average, while it is below average in the Southern and the Central regions, which includes the Tampa Bay area. June rainfall through June 19 is near the historical average in the Southern Region of the District, while it is below average in the Northern and Central regions. Additionally, Tampa Bay Water’s 15.5-billion-gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir is still approximately 12.5 billion gallons below its capacity.

As a reminder, the Modified Phase I Water Shortage Order does not change allowable watering schedules for most counties, however, it does prohibit “wasteful and unnecessary” water use and twice-per-week lawn watering schedules remain in effect except where stricter measures have been imposed by local governments. Residents are asked to check their irrigation systems to ensure they are working properly. This means testing and repairing broken pipes and leaks and fixing damaged or tilted sprinkler heads. Residents should also check their irrigation timer to ensure the settings are correct and the rain sensor is working properly.

Once-per-week lawn watering days and times are as follows unless your city or county has a different schedule or stricter hours in effect (Citrus, Hernando and Sarasota counties, and the cities of Dunedin and Venice, have local ordinances that remain on one-day-per-week schedules):

• If your address (house number) ends in...
• ...0 or 1, water only on Monday
• ...2 or 3, water only on Tuesday
• ...4 or 5, water only on Wednesday
• ...6 or 7, water only on Thursday
• ...8 or 9*, water only on Friday

            * and locations without a discernible address

• Unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, properties under two acres in size may only water before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
• Unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, properties two acres or larger may only water before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
• Low-volume watering of plants and shrubs (micro-irrigation, soaker hoses, hand watering) is allowed any day and any time.

The order also requires local utilities to review and implement procedures for enforcing year-round water conservation measures and water shortage restrictions, including reporting enforcement activity to the District.

For additional information about the Modified Phase I Water Shortage Order, visit the District’s website WaterMatters.org/Restrictions. For water conserving tips, visit WaterMatters.org/Water101.