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The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the consolidation of three water use permits (WUP) for Sarasota County Utilities.The consolidated permit does not include an increase in quantities. The three permits that were consolidated allowed an annual average permitted quantity of 13,737,400 gallons per day (gpd). Additional quantities needed during the term of the permit will be met by the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a virtual public meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 28, to review and solicit public feedback on the 2023 surplus lands assessment, which identified three properties for surplus in Hernando and Polk counties.The surplus lands assessment identifies lands that no longer meet the original acquisition purpose, or do not provide water resource benefits, such as flood control, recharge, water storage, water…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board voted to decrease property taxes by adopting a proposed rolled-back millage rate of 0.2801 mill for the proposed fiscal year 2020 budget. The millage rate is more than 5.2 percent lower than the current fiscal year adopted millage rate of 0.2955 mill, a savings to taxpayers of approximately $6.5 million. For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the…

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 June through August at Annuteliga Hammock and Weekiwachee Preserve in Hernando County. Annuteliga Hammock is located east of U.S. Highway 19, north of Centralia Road and south of the county…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District has developed a new conservation program to incentivize utilities, institutions and commercial water users to reduce their water use. This 50 percent cost-share reimbursement program, known as Water Incentives Supporting Efficiency or WISE, will support water conservation efforts Districtwide. WISE will award applicants up…

Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials will deactivate the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) from a Level 2 to a Level 3 at 6 p.m. today. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities before, during and after an emergency weather event. District officials had raised the activation level of the EOC Oct. 8 as Hurricane Michael moved through the Gulf of Mexico. Level 3 activation is a general state of monitoring used during…

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 last year. That’s why the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during November and December on the Jack Creek property in Highlands County.The Jack Creek property is located in the Leisure Lakes area, approximately one mile west of US 27, three miles south of SR 66 and six miles northwest of Lake Placid. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the rest of January through March on the Prairie-Shell Creek property in Charlotte County.The site is west of U.S. Hwy. 17 and east of the Peace River, approximately eight miles northeast of Punta Gorda. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, controlled burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the group “Outdoors Without Limits,” to provide disabled outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to go hunting on District lands.“Outdoors Without Limits” is an organization built around communities creating opportunities for disabled individuals to enjoy outdoor activities. The group organizes hunting and fishing events, as well as recreational shooting and other outdoor activities.Here…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored Brenda Rogers from the Manatee County Extension for organizing the Manatee County Water School. A total of 26 water resources education projects were recognized Wednesday during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Crowne Plaza Tampa East Hotel.The 2008 Manatee County Water School reached 50 community, county and municipal decision-makers. The two-day educational program included a…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the remaining days in November and December on the Prairie-Shell Creek property in Charlotte County.The site is west of U.S. Hwy. 17 and east of the Peace River, approximately eight miles northeast of Punta Gorda. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, controlled burns are a part of routine maintenance of…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the rest of November and throughout December and January on the District’s Upper Hillsborough property in Pasco County.The Upper Hillsborough property is approximately one mile east of Zephyrhills. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 500 acres of land will be burned in small,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during September and October on the District’s Jack Creek property in Highlands County.The property, which is in the Leisure Lakes area, is approximately one mile west of U.S. Hwy. 27, three miles south of S.R. 66 and six miles northwest of Lake Placid. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.…

The District offers a variety of free camping opportunities across our 16 counties. Starting Oct. 1, new rules will be enforced to create a more consistent and efficient system and increase availability to more campers.  The Florida Legislature updated camping rules during the 2021 legislative session. These rules govern camping reservations on District lands. Here are some of the key changes:  Making Reservations

• Reservations…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during July and August on the District’s Halpata Tastanaki Preserve. The property is approximately five miles east of Dunnellon. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 1,000 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will close all District-managed lands throughout its 16-county region on Wednesday, Sept. 6 in anticipation of impacts from Hurricane Irma.The following properties will be closed until further notice:•Annutteliga Hammock•Chassahowitzka River – Burnt Bridge Road entrance•Chito Branch Reserve•Conner Preserve•Cypress Creek Preserve•Deep Creek Preserve•Ed Chance Reserve- Coker Prairie Tract•Ed Chance Reserve- Gilley…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during October on the District’s Halpata Tastanaki Preserve. The property is approximately eight miles east of Dunnellon. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 400 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns are…

For the sixth year in a row, the Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board voted to decrease property taxes by adopting a rolled back millage rate of 0.3131 mill for the proposed fiscal year 2018 budget.The millage rate is more than 5.6 percent lower than the current fiscal year adopted millage rate of 0.3317 mill, a savings to taxpayers of $6.7 million.For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the District tax would…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is encouraging people to log onto its web site to take the Watershed Pledge.The Watershed Pledge was created to encourage people to make a commitment to protecting their watershed. Making simple changes in and around their home can positively impact our water resources.A watershed is an area of land that water flows across as it moves toward a common body of water, such as a stream, river, lake or coast. A watershed is where…