Search Content

The "Land Management Section of the Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/documents/plans/landusemgmt/ (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of February and March on the Prairie/Shell Creek Preserve in Charlotte County. The Prairie/Shell Creek Preserve is located to the west of US Highway 17, north of Shell Creek. Approximately 80 acres will be burned, in small, manageable units. According to Will VanGelder,… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a public workshop Tuesday, April 16, to share information about the Weeki Wachee Channel Restoration Project. The meeting will take place at the Coast Guard Auxiliary Meeting Hall, located at 4340 Calienta St. in Hernando Beach. The workshop will be an open-house style allowing the public to arrive at their convenience between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Staff will give a brief presentation about the project at… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has scheduled maintenance work to the Lake Keystone water conservation structure. The District will build a temporary dam around the structure to dewater or “dry out” the work area. The work will take place between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and is scheduled to begin Feb. 18 and should be completed by March 8. During that time, drivers may experience occasional short-term traffic congestion as equipment is moved in and out… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding fully vaccinated people, wearing masks and social distancing will be optional at the meeting. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the… Read more

Canal Prevents Flooding  The gates are partially closed at Structure 155, allowing only minimal flow downstream. Behind the structure, the river is going over a spillway into the Tampa Bypass Canal. "Bad things happen in threes.” Not many people in west-central Florida would argue with that old saying. After suffering through Hurricanes Charley and Frances, the region bore the fury of Hurricane Jeanne, the storm ripping across the central peninsula… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $108,937 in grants to 51 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 awareness… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. The meeting is open to the public. Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding fully vaccinated people, wearing masks and social distancing will be optional at the meeting. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the… Read more

  For Trisha Neasman, growing up was anything but ordinary. Raised in a military family, Neasman has lived in a variety of places, including New Jersey, Mississippi, Texas and Japan. “Moving around helped me to become more independent and allowed me to experience living in cities of all sizes,” said Neasman. With each move, she embraced all that each city had to offer. Her favorite place to live was in Lorman, Mississippi, where her father was a… Read more

Most of the Tampa Bay area will see freezing temperatures tonight. The Southwest Florida Water Management District is once again advising residents who live near Plant City and Dover to switch off the pumps on their wells at night and leave the pumps off until the temperatures warm up tomorrow morning.During a freeze or near freezing temperatures, farmers pump additional water from their wells to protect their crops, causing aquifer levels to drop temporarily. Once aquifer… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday renewed and modified a water use permit (WUP) for Temple Terrace.The modified permit increases the permitted quantities for the city. The previous annual average permitted quantity was 5,098,000 gallons of water per day (gpd.) The new permitted quantity is 5,150,000 gpd, which is an increase of 52,000 gpd.The quantity was increased to meet the potable water demands of the city through 2018.The permit is… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board voted to decrease property taxes by adopting a proposed rolled-back millage rate of 0.1909 mill for the fiscal year 2025 budget.The millage rate is 6.6% lower than the current fiscal year adopted millage rate of 0.2043 mill, a savings to taxpayers of approximately $9.5 million.For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the District tax would be $19.09 a year, or… Read more

A freeze warning is in effect tonight for most of the Tampa Bay area. This warning has prompted the Southwest Florida Water Management District to advise residents who live near Plant City and Dover to switch off the pumps on their wells tonight and leave the pumps off until the temperatures warm up Thursday morning.During a freeze, farmers pump additional water from their wells to protect their crops, causing aquifer levels to drop temporarily. Once aquifer levels fall… Read more

Sharing Science With Students Joseph Haber, staff hydrologist, accompanied Dunnellon Middle School students on a trip to Rainbow Springs where he instructed them on how to test for water quality. More than 100 students at Dunnellon Middle School participate in the PAWS (Promoting Awesome Watershed Stewardship) Legacy Program, a District-funded project that receives matching grant funds from Florida Learn and Serve. The program is a hands-on learning experience that… Read more

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 January through March on the Prairie Shell Creek Tract in Charlotte County. Prairie Shell Creek is located at 3081 Duncan Road (U.S. Highway 17), Punta Gorda. Approximately 115 acres will be burned… Read more

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 January through March on the Deep Creek Preserve in DeSoto County. Deep Creek Preserve is located at 10797 Peace River Street in Arcadia, east of State Road 769. Approximately 272 acres will be… Read more

h2. Rainy Season Not Productive Enough for Resources to RecoverThe "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard voted today to extend "Phase I water shortage restrictions ":/conservation/restrictions/swfwmd.php for "the District's entire 16-county area(Map of the District)":/data/map/ through Feb. 29, 2012, because of a disappointing summer rainy season and an… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District has a new Community Affairs Coordinator for the District’s Sarasota Service Office. Terri Behling, APR will serve as a liaison between the District and the constituents of Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties. She will work closely with the city and county governments and coordinate the District’s Cooperative Funding Initiative. The Sarasota Service Office is located at 6750 Fruitville Road. Behling… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Aug. 24, at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. The meeting is open to the public. Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding fully vaccinated people, wearing masks and social distancing will be optional at the meeting. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is advising residents who live near Plant City and Dover that they should switch off the pumps on their wells tonight and leave the pumps off until the temperatures warm up Tuesday morning. During a freeze, farmers pump additional water from their wells to protect their crops, causing aquifer levels to drop temporarily.Once aquifer levels fall below a well’s pump level, the pump can burn out if it is not shut off.… Read more

 Whitehead was recognized at the November Governing Board meeting. Judy Whitehead was recently recognized for her years of service on the Governing Board. “Everyone on this Board is fully dedicated and passionate about what they do,” Whitehead said during the recognition. “I’m very honored to have worked with them.” Whitehead was appointed to the Governing Board in March 2003 and has served as Governing Board chair, vice chair and secretary. She… Read more