Search Content

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is gathering input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in Citrus county. The District is serving as a cooperating technical partner for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on its national effort to update and modernize the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development and…

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 in July and August at the Deep Creek Preserve in DeSoto County. Deep Creek Preserve is located in southwest DeSoto County, east of Kings Highway. Approximately 542 acres will be burned in…

Douglas B. Tharp was sworn into office at the District’s September Governing Board meeting. Tharp, a retired industrial engineer who lives in The Villages, was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist to represent Citrus, Lake, Levy and Sumter counties on the District’s Governing Board. He will also serve as the co-chair ex officio of the Withlacoochee River Basin Board. Tharp joins the Governing Board with a strong interest in the environment as…

At its June 16 meeting, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us Manasota Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) millage rate of 0.1484 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The "Manasota Basin Board(Manasota Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/manasota.php area includes Manatee and Sarasota counties.This millage rate, combined with a reduction in property…

Nineteen Pasco County teachers are among the educators who were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.This year 206 "Splash! grants(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants were awarded to educators across "the District's 16-county region":/data/map.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant program in Pasco County to the…

Eight Hillsborough County projects expected to reach more than 175,000 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.…

According to the National Weather Service, parts of the Tampa Bay area may see freezing temperatures during early morning hours on Sunday. This 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 Saturday night and leave the pumps off until the temperatures warm up in the morning. Temperatures are expected to drop below 34 degrees for several hours early Sunday morning.…

To see how staff are cleaning up District managed properties click here: https://youtu.be/Ir-hYWT1biQ Feel free to use this video on your website or newscasts. The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has reopened the majority of District-managed lands throughout its 16-county region. The Districted closed all District-managed lands in September in…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently approved an agreement to continue to help fund the St. Petersburg Sensible Sprinkling Program, which focuses on outdoor water conservation.As part of the program, approximately 300 residents may participate at no charge. Those who participate will receive an irrigation system evaluation, site-specific recommendations, rain sensor installation if an operable sensor is not present, Florida-friendly landscaping…

Eileen Hart recently received special recognition from the Southwest Florida Water Management’s Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board for her commitment to water resources.Hart received a special recognition award for her role as a citizen advocate for the protection of water resources. Hart has regularly attended the Governing Board meetings to speak out about the issues impacting the wellfields, lakes and wetlands in her neighborhood.Her advocacy played a role in the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has released as much water out of Lake Tarpon as possible, however storm surge from Hurricane Debby is overtopping the structure and water cannot be released until the storm surge recedes.The Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal is one of 84 water-control structures throughout the District’s 16-county area. The three-mile canal extends from the south end of Lake Tarpon and empties into Old Tampa Bay. The structure is designed…

Polk County's Local Governments No Longer Need to Go It Alone Guest Editorial How to meet the water needs of a growing region when your main water source is reaching its limits? That's the challenge facing Polk County. Developing new water supplies is costly and can be especially difficult for smaller communities. It makes sense for the various local governments in the county to work together, share the cost and ensure a water supply for future…

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 January through March on the Deep Creek Preserve in DeSoto County. Deep Creek Preserve is located at 10797 Peace…

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 Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve in Hillsborough County. The Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve is located south of Cross Creek Boulevard between U.S.…

Carlos Beruff Newly appointed Governing Board member Carlos Beruff took his oath of office in August. Beruff was appointed by Governor Charlie Crist to succeed Patricia Glass and represents Manatee County on the Board. His term ends March 1, 2013. Beruff also serves as the co-chair of the District’s Manasota Basin Board, which covers Manatee and Sarasota counties. The native Floridian lives in Parrish and is owner and…

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 October through December on the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve. The Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve is located south of Cross Creek Boulevard between U.S. Highway 301 and Morris Bridge Road near…

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 October through December on the Starkey Wilderness Preserve. Starkey Wilderness Preserve is located east of New Port Richey, west of the Suncoast Parkway, north of…

  Left: Kaylee Meadows, a student from Wiregrass Ranch High, plants longleaf seedlings; center: Sheila Hollahan helps volunteer Felix Renta. How long does it take to plant 1,000 trees? Only an hour if you are the 51 volunteers who recently came out to Conner Preserve to plant longleaf pine seedlings. The District donated the thousand trees, which were planted on an 11-acre restoration site in the preserve to help restore the ecosystem. Volunteers were…

Beltran Appointed New Assistant Executive Director Assistant Executive Director Robert Beltran Robert Beltran recently joined the District as the new assistant executive director. Beltran will report to Executive Director Blake Guillory and oversee the District’s Regulation, Resource Management, and Operations, Maintenance & Construction divisions. Beltran is a professional engineer and has worked for 16 years as a…

During the dry season, many homeowners are tempted to over-water their lawns and gardens. The Southwest Florida Water Management District would like to remind homeowners that more water is not the answer to their landscaping dilemmas.“Proper irrigation will conserve water and maintain a beautiful Florida-friendly landscape,” said Lou Kavouras, District deputy executive director.Make sure your sprinklers are watering the lawn, not the driveway and street and…