The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will host a career and internship fair to share information about the many career fields and employment opportunities at the District.

The fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 22 at the District’s Sarasota Service Office, located at 78 Sarasota Center Blvd. in Sarasota.

The District offers a wide variety of careers and student internships, including administrative, business, accounting, finance, maintenance and trades, engineering, information technology, procurement, legal, environmental science and more. District staff will be on-site and available to speak with individuals interested in opportunities. 

The District is a government agency that employs a diverse workforce from across a wide variety of disciplines, including administrative, business and finance, trades work, mechanical, heavy equipment operation, well drilling, natural sciences and engineering, and many more. 

To see available opportunities, please visit WaterMatters.org/Careers.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board voted to decrease property taxes by adopting a proposed rolled-back millage rate of 0.1831 mill for the fiscal year 2026 budget.

The millage rate is 4.1% lower than the current fiscal year adopted millage rate of 0.1909 mill, a savings to taxpayers of more than $5.9 million.

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 total fiscal year 2026 proposed budget for the District is $256.2 million and includes $114.3 million for Cooperative Funding Initiatives and District grants.

Through these cooperative funding partnerships, District funds will be leveraged resulting in a total regional investment of approximately $217 million for sustainable alternative water supply development, water quality improvements and other water resource management projects. The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026.

The District will hold a tentative budget hearing on Sept. 9 at 5:01 p.m. at the Tampa Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301.

The Governing Board will vote on the final budget on Sept. 23 at 5:01 p.m., at the Tampa Office.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, July 22 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.” 

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 Prairie Shell Creek Tract in Charlotte County.

Prairie Shell Creek is located at 3081 Duncan Road (U.S. Highway 17) in Punta Gorda. 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 recently began emailing and/or texting prescribed burn alerts directly to members of the public who sign up through the District’s website. The prescribed burn alerts explain where and when the burns will take place and how many acres will be burned. You can sign up to receive email and/or text alerts about scheduled prescribed burns in your region and learn more about the process of a prescribed burn by visiting WaterMatters.org/PrescribedBurns. 

The District conducts prescribed fires on approximately 35,000 acres each year.