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Caring For Our Communities This fall marks the 9th year of coordinated efforts for the District’s employee committee holiday season benevolent activities. The District supports a variety of charitable organizations during the holiday season, but the main goal of the benevolent efforts is to help employees, their families, and their friends and neighbors who are in need. Families are recommended by anonymous referral forms, then “adopted” by individuals, departments or…

Generous Spirit District staff opened their hearts and wallets during the holiday season to help those less fortunate. This is the tenth year the employee committee has coordinated the District’s efforts for the holiday season’s benevolent activities. The District supports a variety of charitable organizations, but the main goal of the benevolent efforts is to help employees, their families and their friends and neighbors who are in need. Families are recommended…

Water Wise Winners Two homebuilders each walked away with the equivalent of an “Academy Award” for incorporating water conservation landscaping into their designs. The Gibraltar Homes’ Caterina III model received the Water-Wise Landscaping Award in Manatee County and the Lee Wetherington Homes’ Opal model received the top prize for Sarasota County. The winners were each presented with a plaque at the 2004 Parade of Homes Awards Gala of the Home Builders…

Community leaders in Sarasota County kick off the construction of the Dearborn Street Stormwater Project. Michael Peck, professional engineer with the District, recently helped community leaders in Sarasota County kick off the construction of the Dearborn Street Stormwater Project. The low-impact design (LID) project for the Englewood Community Redevelopment area will incorporate environmentally friendly “green” features such as bioswales, prepared or mixed…

The Tampa Service Office held a recycled art contest to raise money to buy a modified bicycle for a disabled person. District employees made a mark on the community during 2010, helping churches give away food and clothing, giving elementary students jackets and gifts, helping the disabled achieve mobility and sponsoring foster children. Staff members reached out to the community through Districtwide benevolent events, service office auctions and personal…

Guest speakers, songs and outdoor activities will be featured at the 7th Annual Marion County Springs Festival, which is being held Saturday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Silver River State Park. On Sunday, Sept. 21, several guided hikes and paddling trips are planned.On Saturday a variety of experts will speak about Florida’s aquifer system, as well as Florida’s springs and springs protection. Speakers include Fay Baird, a senior hydrologist with…

The District’s new public awareness campaign is encouraging residents who irrigate their lawns to skip a week during the cooler months. According to research by the University of Florida, as temperatures grow cooler, grass doesn’t need to be watered as often. The “Skip a Week” campaign is using radio and print advertisements to encourage reduced outdoor irrigation. The ads highlight the following tips people can use to determine when their grass needs water. Your…

The Agricultural Advisory Committee of the Southwest Florida Water Management District on August 22 passed resolutions honoring the late Edward W. Chance and Dr. James T. Griffiths for their outstanding service in the agricultural community.Chance, who died in June, served on the District’s Governing Board and as Co-Chair of the Manasota Basin Board from 2000 until 2006. He was a member of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association, the Florida Farm Bureau Federation…

Pursuant to Section 112.3261, Florida Statutes, starting July 1, 2014, a person may not lobby a water management district until such person has registered with that district. A person wanting to lobby the Southwest Florida Water Management District is urged to read the full…

Three Marion County projects expected to reach up to 11,000 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org. These grants offer up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about water resources. This year the District awarded "35 grants Districtwide(2010 Community Education Grant Projects)":http://www.swfwmd.state.…

Judy Whitehead, Governing Board chair and chair ex officio of the District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board, and her husband, Don, enjoy spending time with their grandsons, Pierson and Daniel. Judy Whitehead was surprised and gratified that her fellow Governing Board members thought enough of her to elect her as their chair. “I’m not particularly brilliant or knowledgeable. I’m just a small-town grandma,” she said. Despite her modesty, her fellow Board members…

The District is in the process of raising the levels of Lake Hancock to meet the minimum flows for the upper Peace River. During the 1990s, the District identified, planned and executed a number of programs and partnerships to implement changes necessary to protect our precious natural resources for future generations. It was a decade of proactive measures to promote the sustainability and growth of our area. Preservation 2000 The 1990s began with…

Phyllis Young, senior administrative assistant, gives barbecue customers service with a smile. Clyde Sesler cooks up some mouth-watering chicken and ribs. Frances Sesler, senior administrative assistant, serves Lou Kavouras, executive coordinator, during a recent barbecue fundraiser. Displaying the afghan being auctioned to raise funds for the Relay for Life are (from left): Phyllis Young, senior administrative assistant; Frances Sesler, senior administrative…

Left: Judy Whitehead, Right: Patricia Glass. Governor Charlie Crist made two appointments to the District’s Governing Board in April. Judy Whitehead and Pat Glass were sworn in at the April Governing Board meeting. Judy Whitehead was reappointed. She is the current Governing Board vice chair and chair ex officio of the District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board. She was first appointed to the Governing Board in March 2003. Her term ends March 1, 2011.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is reminding residents who irrigate their lawns to “Skip a Week” or more of watering during the cooler months of January and February. According to research by the University of Florida, grass doesn’t need to be watered as often during the cooler months. One-half to three-quarters of an inch of water every 10–14 days is sufficient. In fact, if your lawn has received any significant rainfall, then you can turn…

Throughout the year Southwest Florida Water Management District employees volunteer their time and donate money to help support a variety of charitable organizations, but the greatest support comes during the holiday season.The District’s employee committee coordinates the holiday season benevolent efforts, which begin in the fall with an auction to raise funds for the “adopt-a-family” program that helps employees, their families, and their friends and neighbors. Families…

Pledge to conserve during one of the driest months of the year The Southwest Florida Water Management District is urging residents to join their family and friends in pledging to conserve water during the state's annual Water Conservation Month in April. Each year local governments and water management districts throughout the state declare April as Water Conservation Month…

*WHO:* Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard, Jr., Department of Environmental Protection State Representative Jimmie T. Smith, District 43 Chairman Carlos Beruff, Southwest Florida Water Management District Dennis Damato, Citrus County Commission, District 1*WHAT:* The Chassahowitzka Springs sediment removal project began in May 2013 and resulted in the removal of approximately 3,000 cubic yards of material from the…

Water will now flow naturally between the Hernando pool of Lake Tsala Apopka and Potts Preserve thanks to a restoration project by the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us.The District removed more than 15,000 cubic yards of fill material at 15 locations to restore the historic natural flow patterns of water between the preserve's marsh and the lake system."We're glad to have this final stage…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s new public awareness campaign will encourage residents who irrigate their lawns to “skip a week” during the cooler months.According to research by the University of Florida, as temperatures grow cooler, grass doesn’t need to be watered as often. The “skip a week” campaign will use radio and print advertisements to encourage reduce outdoor irrigation.The ads highlight the following tips…