The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will keep District-managed recreation lands open for individual and small group day use in its 16-county region to provide the public with a place to get outside and exercise. However, all campgrounds and campsites remain closed.

(Please note, some lands are managed in partnership with other agencies. Please visit the individual property’s webpage to see if it is managed by another agency, and check property closings with that agency before visiting the property.)  

Recreational users are reminded to follow the direction of Governor Ron DeSantis and to uphold CDC guidance to practice social distancing by avoiding gatherings larger than 10 people and distancing themselves a minimum of six feet from others.

As long as recreational users follow this guidance, the District will be able to provide recreational opportunities while protecting public health and safety associated with the spread of COVID-19, unless otherwise directed by an emergency order. 

The District and its partners have acquired more than 450,000 acres of conservation lands primarily through the state's land acquisition programs to protect the 16-county region's water resources. Approximately 99 percent of this land is open for public recreation. Many of these lands are maintained directly by the District and offer a more natural experience, while some of these properties are managed as county and state parks and offer a broader range of amenities.

For more information on District recreation lands, visit WaterMatters.org/Recreation.

The Southwest Florida Water Managemet Distrit (District) in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be treating hydrilla on the Lake Panasoffkee Outlet River March 31 and April 1, weather permitting.

Hydrilla will be controlled on the Outlet River, which flows from Lake Panasoffkee to the Withlacoochee River. The aquatic herbicide Aquathol K will be applied. There are no restrictions on the use of treated water for swimming, fishing or irrigating turf, ornamental plants and crops. Do not use Aquathol K treated water for chemigation. Notices of the treatment will be posted at public access points along the river.

Hydrilla is a troublesome, invasive aquatic plant from Southeast Asia that was introduced into Florida lakes and rivers during the late 1950s. It is a fast-growing submerged plant that expands quickly and produces dense mats at the water surface, which impacts boating, recreation, water flow, native plant communities and dissolved oxygen levels. This treatment has been scheduled to control dense stands of hydrilla, which may impede water flow.

For more information, please call the District at (352) 796-7211 or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at (352) 726-8622.

For general waterbody information, aquatic plant control operation schedules and annual workplans, fishing forecasts, virtual tours, boat ramp information and more, visit the “What’s Happening on My Lake” website at myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/habitat/invasive-plants/.

Public participation will be provided through online viewing or conference call options

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, March 24, at 10 a.m. remotely.

Following the Governor’s directions to reduce public gatherings and practice social distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19, in-person attendance by Board members and staff will be limited. With the exception of the Governing Board chair, all other Board members will be participating remotely. Only staff that are necessary for the meeting will attend in person at the Brooksville 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.

For any members of the public who wish to provide input to the Governing Board, call in at 1-888-585-9008, then enter conference room number 551-666-434. You will also be able to hear the proceedings there. If possible, please use a landline for the best connection. Please do not use speakerphone or put your phone on hold. Please be sure to mute your phone when you are not providing comment. During the conference call, *2 will mute or unmute your call.

If you are calling in to provide input but also want to see the meeting presentations, we recommend you use the Skype option available on our website at WaterMatters.org rather than our traditional livestream. The livestream is slightly delayed so it wouldn’t be in sync with the phone call. When logging in to Skype, you must select “Don’t join audio.” Make sure to also mute your Skype device audio to avoid feedback loop. Use the telephone numbers listed above to listen to the meeting.

The meeting agenda and meeting materials are posted one week before the meeting, and can be found at WaterMatters.org by clicking on the “Go to District Calendar” link.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will close all campgrounds throughout its 16-county region to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

Beginning Wednesday, March 18, at 1 p.m., all District campgrounds and campsites will be closed for 30 days. Recreational day use activities will still be allowed at this time.

The health of our staff and stakeholders is our main priority. Call 1-800-423-1476 or visit WaterMatters.org should you have questions.

Consistent with direction provided by Governor DeSantis, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has canceled all nonessential travel and implemented social distancing to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

All District offices will be closed to the public beginning March 17 until further notice.

During this time, our staff will continue to conduct business and provide quality service from alternative work locations. We respectfully request that our constituents also conduct business with our staff remotely (by phone, email, Skype, teleconference, etc.).

Currently, the health of our staff and stakeholders is our main priority. Reducing face-to-face contact is one way the District is doing its part to help our communities recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Call 1-800-423-1476 or visit WaterMatters.org should you have questions or need contact information for a staff member.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is reminding residents to check the timers on their irrigation system controllers this weekend, which is the beginning of daylight saving time.

Saturday night is when we will turn our clocks ahead one hour. The time change is also a good time to make sure irrigation system timers are set correctly to ensure that the systems operate consistently with year-round water conservation measures.

All 16 counties throughout the District’s boundaries are currently on year-round water conservation measures, with lawn watering limited to twice-per-week unless your city or county has a different schedule or stricter hours. Local governments maintaining once-per-week watering by local ordinance include Hernando, Pasco and Sarasota counties.

Know and follow your local watering restrictions, but don’t water just because it’s your day. Irrigate your lawn when it shows signs of stress from lack of water. Pay attention to signs of stressed grass:

• Grass blades are folded in half lengthwise on at least one-third of your yard.
• Grass blades appear blue-gray.
• Grass blades do not spring back, leaving footprints on the lawn for several minutes after walking on it.

For additional information about water conservation, please visit the District’s website at WaterMatters.org/Conservation.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Sarasota Service Office (SSO) will relocate to a new facility effective Monday, March 9.

To facilitate this move, the SSO will be temporarily closed to the public Friday, March 6. Normal office hours will resume Monday, March 9 at the new location.

The address of the new SSO is 78 Sarasota Center Blvd. in Sarasota. All other contact information including email and phone numbers will remain the same.

Please see the map below for reference.

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns February and March at Annuteliga Hammock and Weekiwachee Preserve in Hernando County.

Annuteliga Hammock is located east of U.S. Highway 19, north of Centralia Road and south of the county line. Approximately 300 acres will be burned in small, manageable units.

Weekiwachee Preserve is located west of U.S. Highway 19 between Spring Hill and Hernando Beach. Approximately 400 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 plant diversity

•           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 for a quick look at what it’s like along the fire line.