Search Content

 Mark Brown, senior environmental scientist, and Paul Miselis, senior environmental engineer, were recognized for their work on the Fort DeSoto Ecosystem Restoration Project. The project restored the natural flow between two back bays at Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County. In May, the District’s Governing Board recognized two staff members for their roles on a successful restoration project that received national recognition. Mark Brown, District senior…

Left photo: David Moore, executive director, and Jerry Rice, Governing Board chair, chat before an employee meeting in Brooksville. Right photo: David Moore, executive director, answers a question from Malcolm Hudson, senior tradesworker, between employee meetings in Brooksville. In May, the District’s Governing Board recognized two staff members for their roles on a successful restoration project that received national recognition. Mark Brown, District senior…

Charlotte Post, administrative supervisor, and Tammy Antoine, employee committee chair, presented Debbie Harper with the Shining Star award. Debbie Harper, the most recent shining star recipient, has made contributing to her community a way of life. While raising her two daughters, Harper was involved in numerous organizations such as the Parent Teacher Organization, Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps and athletic booster clubs. She…

District Accepting Applications for Community Education Grants Community members who want to make a positive impact on the water resources in their area may apply online for a District Community Education Grant. Funded by the District’s Basin Boards, the program is intended to motivate communities to get involved in watershed protection through various educational activities. These grants offer up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide…

Tampa Bay Water Permit Renewed for Additional 10 Years The Governing Board has renewed Tampa Bay Water’s 90-million-gallon-per-day northern Tampa Bay consolidated water use permit for 10 years while requiring the water supplier to continue extensive environmental monitoring. The consolidated permit renewal includes extensive environmental controls, monitoring and reporting. Some of the key components of the permit include:

• Requirements for when the…

Scott Reappoints Three to Governing Board Gov. Rick Scott recently reappointed Albert Joerger, H. Paul Senft and Doug Tharp to the District’s Governing Board. Joerger is from Sarasota and is the founder and president of The Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast. His new term ends March 1, 2015. Joerger is also Governing Board treasurer. Senft is from Haines City and is a self-employed business and insurance consultant. His new term ends March 1, 2015. Senft is…

Splash! Grants Awarded to Area Schools in District This year, 94 Splash! grants were awarded across the District’s 16-county region to educate students on water resources. Splash! grant projects include student monitoring of local water quality, environmental field studies and school or community outreach campaigns designed to encourage water conservation. The goal of the Splash! school grant program is to provide teachers with funding to enhance student knowledge of…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will receive a portion of $50 million in the state budget for projects that help restore area springs. Gov. Rick Scott announced the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the water management districts have identified 40 springs projects that will receive $50 million as part of the 2017-2018 Fighting for Florida’s Future budget. The $50 million in Legacy Florida funding for springs restoration projects was…

Residents Urged to “Skip a Week” of Irrigation During Cooler Months The District’s Governing Board voted in December to modify the tightened turfgrass restrictions for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, which will allow builders to sod and residents to replace lawns under a specific set of conditions. The move comes after District staff met with members of the sod industry to discuss solutions to the extreme water shortage in the Tampa Bay area and the…

About 70 volunteers recently spent a morning cleaning invasive algae out of Weeki Wachee Springs in Hernando County. The volunteer event was a coordinated effort by the District and local rotary clubs to remove a blue-green algae known as Lyngbya. This event was part of a long-term maintenance plan for a District restoration project completed in 2009 designed to help keep the river healthy. While not all algae are bad, this quick spreading species can rapidly…

Lakeland restaurants can conserve water with the help of two programs offered by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Lakeland Water Utilities.The District’s Water Program for Restaurant Outreach (Water PRO) and Lakeland’s pre-rinse spray valve replacement program are designed to help restaurants conserve water through training and retrofitting.Water PROWater PRO is a free program that helps restaurants conserve water by educating staff…

State Sen. J.D. Alexander presented the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board with a ceremonial check for $15 million for the District’s West-Central Florida Water Restoration Action Plan (WRAP.)Gov. Charlie Crist included WRAP in his budget request to the Legislature and Sen. Alexander and Rep. Bill Galvano carried the budget request successfully through the legislative process.“Without the support of the Governor, Senator Alexander…

WhoPasco County teachers and students who received Splash! mini-grants; Laura Hill, Pasco County instructional supervisor; and Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Youth Education staffWhatThe District is holding its annual sharing day for recipients of its Splash! mini-grants in Pasco County. District Youth Education staff and Pasco County’s Instructional Supervisor will visit five sites throughout the day. Each class will showcase their water…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday approved an agreement between the District and the St. Johns River Water Management District that will provide uniform lawn and landscape irrigation measures throughout unincorporated Marion County. The measures address both drought and normal conditions.Marion County is divided between the two water management districts, with the boundary roughly being Interstate 75. The two agencies currently…

A Citrus County builder, landscaper and irrigation contractor are being recognized for incorporating water conservation and water-wise landscaping into a model home’s design with the county’s first Water-Wise Landscape Award.Rusaw Homes, The Greenery Landscaping and Coast to Coast Irrigation took first place for the Oakdale Anniversary model in the Citrus County Fall Parade of Homes. The Parade of Homes is being held through Oct. 28, 10 a.m. 5 p.m. weekdays and…

The Marion County Spring Festival will be more “Florida-friendly” because of the addition of a water conservation restroom station. The Southwest Florida Water Management District is bringing the water conservation restroom station to the event, which is being held Mar. 11-12 at the Extension Service Office in Marion County.This festival, which is expected to attract approximately 15,000 people, includes workshops, exhibits, and a plant sale. Workshop topics…

Five Polk County projects expected to reach up to 250,000 people were recently awarded Community Education Grants from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant program is to actively engage adults in water-related issues including conservation, protection and preservation. Funded by the "District's Basin Boards(Basin Boards)":/about/basinboards/, the program is intended…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District "Governing Board(Governing Board)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard today proclaimed April as Water Conservation Month. Each year the "District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org designates April as Water Conservation Month because April is traditionally one of the driest months of the year and typically marks the peak demand season for public water suppliers. Many residents…

Did you know that a three-person household can save 675 gallons of water a month by simply turning off the faucet when brushing teeth and shaving?Making these kind of simple changes to your daily routine make a big difference. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District is sharing its top outdoor and indoor water-saving tips during Water Conservation Month.Outdoor tips

• A garden hose without a shutoff nozzle can waste up to 530 gallons of water in…

Modified Phase I Water Shortage Order remains in effect DistrictwideThe Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board voted today to extend one-day-per-week watering restrictions for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties until July 1. This extension mirrors 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…