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District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population. Feral hogs, which are not native to Florida, can cause damage with their broad snouts and can leave an area looking like a plowed field. They also prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for food and transmit diseases to other wildlife, livestock and humans. Additionally, hogs may facilitate the spread of exotic plant…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board voted today to extend one-day-per-week watering restrictions again for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties until Dec. 31 due to ongoing efforts to refill the regional reservoir.Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Manatee, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and Lake counties; the City of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County; and the portion of Gasparilla…

At its June 4 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alafia River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2010 (FY2010) millage rate of 0.2163 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Alafia River Basin Board area covers the southern portion of Hillsborough County and the southwestern portion of Polk County.This proposed millage rate combined with a reduction in taxable property values as estimated by the county property…

Four Southwest Florida Water Management District projects will help DeSoto County agricultural operations reduce groundwater pumping by an average of 50 percent or more.These projects are part of the District’s Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program, which is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.Because three of these projects are expected to reduce withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer…

At its June 5 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alafia River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) millage rate of 0.2163 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Alafia River Basin Board area covers the southern portion of Hillsborough County and the southwestern portion of Polk County.This millage rate combined with a reduction in taxable property values as estimated by the county property appraisers will…

At its July 27 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Peace River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.1827 mill, which is .0123 less than the current fiscal year. This reduction is in accordance with the tax reduction mandated by the Florida Legislature.The FY2008 millage rate has been set equal to 97 percent of the rolled-back rate in compliance with House Bill 1B, the tax reform legislation signed into law by Gov.…

At its July 25 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.3701 mill, which is .0299 less than the current fiscal year. This reduction is in accordance with the tax reduction mandated by the Florida Legislature.The FY2008 millage rate has been set equal to 97 percent of the rolled-back rate in compliance with House Bill 1B, the tax reform legislation signed into law…

At its July 24 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.1885 mill, which is .02 less than the current fiscal year. This reduction is in accordance with the tax reduction mandated by the Florida Legislature.The FY2008 millage rate has been set equal to 97 percent of the rolled-back rate in compliance with House Bill 1B, the tax reform legislation signed into law by Gov.…

At its June 15 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.285 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.Further, the Basin Board authorized the executive director to recalculate its millage rate to reflect the mandated changes in revenue prescribed by the Legislature.The proposed budget for FY2008 is $17,609,836, which is a decrease of $3.46 million…

At today’s meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) millage rate of 0.285 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2007 is $21,078,998, which is an increase of $5,203,443 from the approved FY2006 budget. The increase is primarily due to proceeds from the sale of surplus land and increased property values. FY2007 will run from Oct. 1, 2006, through…

At its June 14 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) millage rate of 0.160 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The proposed budget for FY2007 is $22,943,451, which is an increase of $2,707,918 from the approved FY2006 budget. The main reason for this increase is additional revenue anticipated from the state Water Protection and Sustainability program for alternative water…

At its June 13 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) millage rate of 0.285 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The proposed budget for FY2007 is $18,453,013, which is an increase of $2,577,458 from the approved FY2006 budget. The increase is primarily due to proceeds from the sale of surplus land. FY2007 will run from Oct. 1, 2006, through Sept. 30, 2007.…

District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population. Prospective hunters can purchase permits for Phase I hunts beginning at 9 a.m. Oct. 1, on the District’s website WaterMatters.org/HogHunts. Permits will be available on a first come, first serve basis until they are sold out. The cost is $75 for…

The District celebrated successful water conservation education grant projects and recognized the volunteers that make them happen at the spring conference, “Water Conservation: Reflect, Connect, Celebrate.” Approximately 140 people involved with school and community water conservation education grant projects participated in the conference, held at the Pinellas County Extension office in Largo. Besides recognizing successful projects and volunteers, District…

Attention-Grabbing Exhibit A unique exhibit aimed at getting the word out about water conservation will hit the road again in 2004. “The water conservation restroom trailer proved to be an effective tool in getting our message out to a wide variety of people,” said Beth Bartos, communications manager for the District. The District set up the trailer, funded by the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board, at five community festivals within the basin last year.…

 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…

Above: This culvert/riser, which is an example of the types of items available for cost-share through the Mini-FARMS program, is used for water control on an agricultural site in southern DeSoto County. Right: Weather stations are funded through FARMS and Mini-FARMS as a way to irrigate more precisely, based on weather conditions. A good example is using a weather station for frost-freeze protection. The farmer has exact data for that area of the farm and can turn on…

This grid map is an example of what Reality Check participants will use during the workshop. The Tampa Bay region is about to get “real,” but we’re not talking about a new reality television series being taped in the area. Reality Check Tampa Bay is a one-day exercise designed to analyze and develop alternative growth scenarios through 2050 for our rapidly growing region. The Tampa Bay region includes Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk…

District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population. Feral hogs, which are not native to Florida, can cause damage with their broad snouts and can leave an area looking like a plowed field. They also prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for food and transmit diseases to other wildlife, livestock and humans. Additionally, hogs may facilitate the spread of exotic plant…