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The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is inviting the public to comment on proposed "minimum flows and levels(Minimum Flows and Levels)":/mfl (MFLs) for the Homosassa River and associated springs at a public workshop on Wednesday, Oct. 13. The workshop will be held from 6:30 to approximately 9 p.m. at the Homosassa Civic Club, 5530 S. Mason Creek Road in Homosassa.The state Legislature requires the District to set…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is inviting the public to comment on proposed "minimum flows and levels(Minimum Flows and Levels)":/mfl (MFLs) for the Chassahowitzka River at a public workshop on Wednesday, Oct. 6. The workshop will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the "District's headquarters(Google map)":http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=2379+Broad+Street,+Brooksville,+FL+34604, 2379 Broad Street in…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is releasing additional water from the Medard Reservoir into the Alafia River to protect the structural integrity of the reservoir.In preparation for potential impacts from Hurricane Milton, the District released water and the Medard Reservoir was below normal operating level. However, the Medard Reservoir received nearly 7 inches of rainfall in the watershed and the reservoir rose 6.5 feet as a result of Hurricane…

2025-2026 Hunting SeasonCamping at District-managed campgrounds is prohibited during Wildlife Management Area hunt dates. Please visit MyFWC.com for more information on hunting. Please refer to the individual property page for available recreation.Chito Branch Reserve…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a series of virtual meetings to discuss the District’s Land Management Plans. The purpose of these meetings is to inform the public about updates to these plans, to solicit input from stakeholders and to incorporate feedback from the public and stakeholders into the development of the new 10-year plans. The District adopts land management plans to ensure its public conservation lands are being…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $97,640.28 in grants to 43 educators within the District as part of the Splash! school grant program. The program provides up to $3,000 per school to enhance student knowledge of freshwater resources in grades K-12. Splash! grants encourage hands-on student learning through STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities as well as engagement of the greater school community through…

Nature enthusiasts who visit the District’s Potts Preserve from late July through October should keep an eye out for a rare orchid first discovered on this Citrus County land. Joel DeAngelis, a District senior land management specialist, discovered the orchid in October growing in the open grassland of Potts Preserve. DeAngelis brought Paul M. Brown, a research associate with the University of Florida Herbarium, to the site in November. “When Paul saw it, he…

Members of the Calusa Lakes & Woodland Trail Homeowners Association in Venice are briefed on how to install Florida-friendly landscaping and a micro-irrigation system. Before clearing a pond of unwanted, invasive plants, residents from Pelican Cove in Sarasota learned how fertilizer and pesticide use affects local stormwater ponds. If you are interested in organizing a project that provides your neighborhood, community group or the general public…

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, July 28, at 9 a.m. remotely. In-person attendance by Board members and staff will be limited in accordance with the directive in the Florida…

Two Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) projects received funding from the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) conservation cost-share program. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) will provide $151,758 to pay for these projects. The following projects, located in Polk County, are estimated to save approximately 49,500 million gallons per day:

• The Polk Regional Water Cooperative’s rebate program will offer various…

Won-Seok Kim, University of South Florida graduate student, second from left; Jeff Cunningham, USF assistant professor, third from left; and Anthony Andrade, District senior water conservation analyst, fourth from left, meet with the South Korean delegation at the USF Marshall Student Center. A delegation from the Environmental Research Institute of South Korea, the country’s equivalent of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, toured Pinellas County, Dunedin…

The District has made it easier for job seekers to find and apply for career opportunities at the District thanks to a new streamlined system.  The new system, launched this month, allows potential job applicants to create a profile with the District even if jobs aren’t posted in a specific field. Job seekers can visit WaterMatters.org/Careers and click on “view current…

Eric Miller (top left) chose to build a wheelchair accessible dock at Serenova for his Eagle Scout project. An Eagle Scout project has made it possible for disabled anglers to cast their lines at the District’s Serenova Tract. Eric Miller chose to build an accessible dock for his Eagle Scout project after he and his sister volunteered on the property during a disabled hunt last year. “He wanted to do something for the disabled and he likes to fish, so he…

April is Water Conservation Month. This month is traditionally one of the driest of the year and marks the peak demand season for public water suppliers.  The District especially encourages conservation throughout April on top of year-round conservation. District residents can participate by being mindful of water use in their everyday household activities.  Here are some tips on saving water indoors: 

• Use the home’s water meter to check…

A change in the global weather pattern in 2016 meant residents also saw a change in rainfall patterns. Most areas of the District saw above-average rainfall in the first part of the year caused by a mild El Nino. But the development of a La Nina cycle caused drier-than-normal conditions the second half of the year. The La Nina event is expected to dissipate by February, and climatic conditions are expected to turn to neutral conditions. That means rainfall patterns aren’t…

Sometimes someone’s trash can be a treasure. Members of the District’s Springs Team came up winners by finding an orange couch cushion while participating in a cleanup Saturday at the Rainbow River. About 175 volunteers participated in the event. The “cushion catch” earned the Springs Team the award of “Most Colorful Item.” Recognized as the “largest item” was an eight-foot-long wooden plank with large nails sticking out. Some of the other items collected were a cell…

Homeowners and gardeners looking to perk up their yard can learn a lot about landscaping at the Green Thumb Festival in St. Petersburg. In fact, they can even pick up Florida-friendly landscaping tips when they use the restroom!The Southwest Florida Water Management District is bringing its water conservation restrooms to the festival being held April 29-30. Community festivals allow the District to spread the word about water conservation to a variety of audiences.In…

Something special happened this November in the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve. Thirteen of fourteen disabled hunters participating in a deer/hog hunt were successful. The event was organized by the National Wild Turkey Federation/Wheelin’ Sportsmen on land managed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.The hunters harvested ten deer and seven wild hogs during the two-day event. One young man who battles the effects of cerebral palsy was successful in…

On Top of the World (OTOW), an active adult community in Ocala, plans for all future homes to achieve Florida Water Star℠ (FWS) certification over the next 20 years, saving residents millions of dollars and millions of gallons of water.   Nearly 5,000 FWS-certified homes will be constructed, using about 240 million gallons of water less per year than traditional construction. In addition, homeowners will spend approximately $530 less on utility bills annually for…

The District is nearing completion of its effort to upgrade the datum, or starting point, used to record water level elevation. The upgrade will improve accuracy of water elevation, which is measured in feet above the mean sea level.Staff are projected to finish the upgrade by completing the southern regions of the District in 2016.  The datum is being upgraded from the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988…