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The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the purchase of a perpetual conservation easement for a 300-acre parcel of land located within the District’s Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve. This property will be added to the 142,000 acres protected by the District through ownership or conservation easements within the preserve.The conservation easement is being purchased for $1.125 million with funds from the Florida Forever Trust… Read more

Gov. Jeb Bush recently reappointed one member and appointed two new members to the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.*Todd Pressman of Clearwater was reappointed for a term beginning March 3, 2006 and ending March 1, 2010. He has served on the Governing Board since April 2005. Pressman is president of Pressman and Associates, Inc.*Sallie Parks of Palm Harbor was appointed to succeed Watson L. Haynes II, whose term expired March 1, 2006.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alston Tract, which is part of the Upper Hillsborough Preserve, will be temporarily closed to the public for hog hunts Nov. 17-19.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All of the permits for these hunts have been sold.The Alston Tract is located at 42144 Deems Road southeast of Zephyrhills in Pasco and Polk counties.The hunt is one of a series of hog hunts being held on District… Read more

Gov. Jeb Bush recently reappointed one member and appointed three new members to the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Edward W. Chance of Palmetto, retired, was reappointed for a term beginning April 14 and ending March 1, 2009. He has served on the Governing Board since September 2000.C. A. Neil Combee, Jr. of Lakeland was appointed to succeed Ronald C. Johnson whose term expired March 1, 2005. Combee is a cattleman and realtor with… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is assisting the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) in performing maintenance on the Inglis Bypass Spillway water control structure located in Levy County on the Inglis Bypass Channel. The work is scheduled to take place from Feb. 28 to March 9.During that time, the water control gates will need to be partially or fully closed. Closings are anticipated to occur during daylight hours and for a… Read more

The District’s Governing Board elected new officers to the board.  Randall S. Maggard was elected chair of   the Governing Board. Maggard represents Pasco County and is vice president of Sonny’s Discount Appliances Inc. in Dade City. Maggard was appointed to the Board in October 2011.  A native of Dade… Read more

More than 850 miles of trails to explore!The Southwest Florida Water Management District is inviting the public to get outside and celebrate National Trails Day by exploring some of the trails located on District land.The American Hiking Society’s 17th Annual National Trails Day is Saturday, June 6. A long-standing celebration of America’s magnificent trail system and its countless supporters and volunteers, National Trails Day is celebrated in all 50 states and… Read more

Gov. Charlie Crist recently appointed a new member to the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Albert J. Joerger of Sarasota was appointed to a newly created seat. The Governing Board was previously made up of 11 seats. Last year the State Legislature added two new seats for a total of 13.His term began Feb. 13 and ends March 1, 2011. Joerger is president of the Sarasota Conservation Foundation. He will also serve on the District’s… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is partnering with the "Science and Environment Council (SEC) of Sarasota County":http://www.secsc.org to teach area residents about watersheds.Sarasota County's Fourth Annual WOW! Water Opportunities Week Nov. 5–13 will be filled with fun, nature-based activities for the whole family that teach awareness and good stewardship of watersheds."Watersheds ":/education/watersheds are… Read more

A series of workshops aimed at familiarizing seasonal residents of Crystal Springs and Zephyrhills with Florida habitat and Florida-friendly landscape practices will begin March 6 at the Crystal Springs Preserve.The series of “Welcome to Our Watershed” workshops will encourage residents to take an active role in protecting the portion of the Hillsborough River watershed that travels through their neighborhoods. Participants who complete the workshop series will… Read more

A Hardee County project expected to reach up to 2,000 people was recently awarded a Community Education Grant from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/. The overall goal of the Community Education Grant program is to actively engage adults in water-related issues including conservation, protection and preservation. Funded by the "District's Basin Boards(Basin Boards)":/about/basinboards/, the program is intended to… Read more

A Marion County project expected to reach up to 30,000 people was recently awarded a Community Education Grant from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.This year the District approved 29 grants Districtwide for a total of $120,471. This is the 14th year "Community Education Grants(Community Education Grant program)":/business/communitygrants have been available. These grants offer reimbursement up to $5,000 to help… Read more

This summer a group of international visitors spent time learning about the District and sharing ideas with District staff. Ed Hobin, outreach projects coordinator for the District and a Rotarian, hosted a group of New Zealanders. Henry Davies, a member of the Wellington North Rotary Club, led the group. Davies is a banker specializing in online services. Accompanying Davies on the tour were a clinical psychologist, a police officer and two hospitality and tourism… Read more

_*Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 Activation*_Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring a series of wildfires throughout our 16-county region and have raised the activation level of the District's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2. This action is consistent with the State of Florida's level of EOC activation, and the District will coordinate with the State Emergency Response Teams to direct District resources and… Read more

Scientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program released the results of the 2014 seagrass mapping study showing a 5.2 percent increase in seagrass coverage in Charlotte Harbor. The District maps seagrass in five estuaries spanning the five coastal counties of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte. Charlotte Harbor is Florida's second largest open water estuary, and provides some of… Read more

Left: Brenda Kerrick, District senior human resources generalist, displays the Corporate Plus Award presented to the District. Below: Daryl Pokrana, District finance director; David Otto, District buyer; and Dave Moore, District executive director, with the Lorian Williams Award. The District recently received three top honors for efforts to improve diversity among its employees and vendors. INROADS Corporate Plus Award The… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted Tuesday to elect Michelle Williamson as the new secretary for the 2021-2022 term. Williamson represents Hillsborough County and is operations manager of G&F Farms in Dover. Williamson was appointed to the Governing Board in December 2020, and her term expires March 1, 2024. Williamson previously served on the Board from August 2016 to August 2020, during which time she held the offices of… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be holding a feral hog management hunt on the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve in Hillsborough County Nov. 30 – Dec. 2. The property will be closed to the public from dusk until dawn during the hunts. Normal daytime operations in the park will not be affected. Only permitted hunters will be allowed nighttime access on the property during these dates. All 20 permits for these hunts have… Read more

Scientists with the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program(SWIM)":/projects/swim/ recorded an 11 percent increase in seagrass growth in "Tampa Bay(SWIM Priority Water Body: Tampa Bay)":/projects/swim/tampabay.php since 2008, the largest increase in seagrass growth since the District began the seagrass mapping program. The "District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ study also shows gains in St.… Read more

The Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve West Tract is an ideal place for visitors to explore some of central Florida’s flora and fauna in their natural state. Rainwater drains across the Green Swamp region’s 560,000 acres of wetlands, flatlands and low ridges to form the headwaters of four major rivers: Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha, Hillsborough and Peace. The West Tract’s 37,350 acres of unspoiled habitat is transected by the Florida National Scenic Trail. More than… Read more