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The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be treating water lettuce on the Rainbow River Dec. 12Dec 15. Infestations of water lettuce along the river in Marion County will be treated.Treatment involves using the aquatic herbicide Reward. Treatment areas will be posted with warning signs displaying treatment dates and applicable restrictions. Restrictions on Reward include no livestock watering for one day, no irrigation of crops for five days and treated river…

Applications are available for teachers interested in applying for the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s 2005-2006 Splash! Mini-Grant Program. These grants provide teachers with funding for classroom projects on water quality, water conservation, alternative sources, water supply, flood protection or watersheds. The goal of the mini-grant program is to promote hands-on water education that teaches students about their local watersheds and the water resources…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Wheelin’ Sportsmen are inviting disabled anglers to participate in a fishing derby.The derby takes place May 14 at the District’s Edward Medard Park and Reservoir, which is managed by the Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department. The Edward Medard Park and Reservoir is located in Hillsborough County on South Turkey Creek Road.The event is open to men, women and young adults who are disabled.…

Three Manatee County projects expected to reach up to 148,000 people were recently awarded Community Education Grants 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…

_More than 272,000 acres of dense seagrass digitally mapped_The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently completed a seagrass mapping project to monitor the long-term health of seagrass beds along the Springs Coast. The project involved digitally mapping more than 525,000 acres of submerged land from the mouth of the Anclote River near Tarpon Springs to the mouth of the Withlacoochee River. Seagrass generally grows in waters less than 14 feet deep and is an…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a virtual workshop Thursday, Nov. 13, at 5:30 p.m. to collect public comment on the proposed minimum levels for Lake Angelo and Lake Denton in Highlands County.Members of the public may register to join prior to the workshop at https://bit.ly/LakesAD…

District Restructures to Support Focus on Core Mission A new executive director and leadership team is in place to move the District forward in meeting its core mission under the new budget realities. Executive Director Blake Guillory Executive Director Blake C. Guillory will serve as the District’s executive director. “This was a unanimous choice by the Board. Blake is the right person at the right time for this District and…

2007 marks the 20th Anniversary of the Surface Water Improvement and Management ActThe Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today passed a resolution announcing October 2007 “Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Month” to recognize 20 years of improving water quality and restoring habitats in 10 priority water bodies.In 1987, the Florida Legislature created the SWIM Act to protect, restoreand maintain Florida’s surface water bodies…

 Veronica Craw, District environmental section manager, accepts the award from Blake Guillory, Florida Stormwater Association (FSA) president, and Kurt Spitzer, FSA executive director. The Florida Stormwater Association (FSA) recognized District stormwater and restoration projects at the group’s annual conference in June. The Weeki Wachee Springs Stormwater, Sediment Removal, and Revegetation Projects are improving water quality in Weeki Wachee Springs…

This is a reminder that the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has prohibited campfires and other sources of open flames in all District campgrounds because of dry conditions and prolonged freeze. This is also in conjunction with numerous county burn bans.Lack of rainfall has made grasses and other light vegetation extremely dry and volatile, increasing the potential for wildfires. Burning is prohibited on these District properties with camping…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard Tuesday renewed and modified a water use permit for the City of Clearwater.The permit increases the permitted quantities for the city. The previous annual average permitted quantity was 6.2 million gallons of water per day. The new permitted quantity is 8 million gallons per day.The increased quantities are based on…

The District’s birth was prompted by a hurricane. Its initial mission was to provide flood protection; however, by the end of the decade, the fledgling agency was already maturing to address broad-based water management needs. During the 1960 hurricane season, Hurricane Donna hammered Florida with 128-mph sustained winds and massive flooding. Donna caused storm surges of up to 13 feet in the Florida Keys and 11-foot surges along the southwest coast of Florida. Portions of…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the live video stream link. The video stream…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will open Phase 2 hog hunt registration Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 9 a.m. The District holds a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population.What you need to know about Phase 2 hunts:

• Phase 2 will include six hunts that occur in January 2025.
• Permits are transferable.
• The single top producer on each hunt of Phase 2 will be placed on the District…

New environmental regulations recently went into law aimed at streamlining the state’s permitting process and giving applicants more options for authorization. Some provisions of the new law include:

• Required action on permit applications within 60 days of receipt of last timely requested material.
• Precludes government agencies from delaying action because of pending approval from other local, state or federal agencies.
• Provides for the…

According to the National Weather Service, parts of the Tampa Bay area are expected to have near to below-freezing temperatures Thursday evening and Friday morning. There is a chance the area also could experience below-freezing temperatures Sunday evening and Monday morning so residents should continue to monitor local weather reports.The Southwest Florida Water Management District advises residents who live near Plant City…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will hold a Preliminary Evaluation Committee Meeting on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. (local time) to evaluate responses to RFP 25-4847 Digital Accessibility Solution. The committee members will discuss their review of the responses and may select a firm to award, select firms to be shortlisted for further evaluation, or reject all responses. 

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during March and April on the District's "Prairie/Shell Creek property(Prairie/Shell Creek)":/recreation/areas/prairie_shell_creek.html in Charlotte County.The Prairie-Shell Creek property is located to the west of US Highway 17, north of Shell Creek. Approximately 200 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The…

The first in a series of public workshops on the effects of the January 2010 record freeze is scheduled for 6-9 p.m. Feb. 17 at the "Hillsborough Community College Trinkle Center in Plant City(Plant City Campus of Hillsborough Community College)":http://www.hccfl.edu/pc.aspx. "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org officials are looking for feedback from the public at the workshops. The District is…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org will be conducting ""controlled, prescribed burns"(Prescribed Fire - a Tool of Nature)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/publications/files/prescribed_fire.pdf during February and March on the District's "Prairie-Shell Creek(Prairie-Shell Creek)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/prairie_shell_creek.html property in Charlotte County. The Prairie-…