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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

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 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 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

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ will hold a night hog hunt on the Flatwoods Park Portion of Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve on February 11-13.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All of the permits for these hunts have been sold.Flatwoods Park is located at 14302 Morris Bridge Road in Temple Terrace.The hunt is one of a series of hog hunts being held on District lands in an effort… 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

Who:Representatives from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Land Resources Department, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Hernando County Planning Department, Hernando County Audubon Society and volunteersWhat:As part of the 15th Annual National Public Lands Day, the District’s Land Resources Department is coordinating a volunteer work day at the Weekiwachee Preserve, which is located along the Hernando County Coast, west of the… Read more

Who:Canterbury School of Florida teachers and students, Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Coast Guard, the Pinellas County Science Center and Tampa Bay WatchWhat:The Canterbury School of Florida is celebrating the grand opening of the Marine Studies Education Center at its Knowlton campus.District staff will be among the guest speakers. The school received a Splash! mini-grant for a project that focused on learning about native… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board recently approved minimum flows (or MFLs) for both the Rainbow River and the Crystal River/Kings Bay systems. A minimum flow is the limit at which withdrawals will cause significant harm. Some recent guest editorials and letters have suggested the water management district arbitrarily sets these limits and offers a "blank check" to pump unlimited amounts of water out of the aquifer. In fact, MFLs are an… 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 Jan. 29-31. 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 permits for these hunts have been sold.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's "Little Manatee River Southfork Tract":http://www2.swfwmd.state.fl.us/hoghunt/littlemanatee.php will be temporarily closed to the public for wild hog hunts Nov. 6-8.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All of the permits for these hunts have been sold."Little Manatee River Southfork Tract":http://www2.swfwmd.state.fl.us/hoghunt/littlemanatee.php is located at 29400 SR 62, Duette in… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's "Alston Tract":http://www2.swfwmd.state.fl.us/hoghunt/alston.php, which is part of the Upper Hillsborough Preserve, will be temporarily closed to the public for wild hog hunts Oct. 30-Nov. 1.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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's "Coker Prairie Tract":http://www2.swfwmd.state.fl.us/hoghunt/coker.php, which is part of the Edward W. Chance Reserve, will be temporarily closed to the public for wild hog hunts Oct. 30-Nov. 1.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the Coker Prairie Tract during these dates. All of the permits for these hunts have been sold.The Coker Prairie Tract is located at 34300 East SR 64 in Myakka City, east of Lake Manatee.This… Read more

h2. Rate Reduced to Meet $108 Million Ad Valorem CapThe "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard Tuesday adopted its proposed fiscal year 2012 (FY2012) millage rate.The proposed FY2012 millage rate of 0.3928 mill takes into account the merger of the budgets of the District's eight Basin Boards into the Governing Board, and the $108 million cap on ad valorem… Read more

A Highlands County project expected to reach up to 5,000 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… Read more

A Hernando County project expected to reach up to 150 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

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday approved a revised agreement with the St. Johns River Water Management District to provide uniform lawn and landscape irrigation measures throughout unincorporated Marion County and the City of Ocala during both temporary drought and normal year-round conditions.Marion County and Ocala are divided between the two water management districts, with the boundary roughly being the path of Interstate… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Hampton Tract, which is part of the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve, will be temporarily closed to the public for hog hunts Dec. 8-10.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All of the permits for these hunts have been sold.The Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve Hampton Tract's entrance is at the intersection of Rock Ridge Road and Deen Still Road in Polk County.The hunt is one of a series of… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be treating water hyacinth and water lettuce on portions of the Peace River during the weeks of June 8-12 and June 15-19.District staff will treat the portion of the river from Bartow to Ft. Meade during June 8-12. The portion of the river from Ft. Meade to Zolfo Springs will be treated during June 15-19.Treatment involves the spot application of the aquatic herbicide Reward to scattered infestations. Treatment areas will… Read more