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The Southwest Florida Management District and the City of Belleair Bluffs are working together on a project that will improve stormwater drainage within the Belleair Bluffs watershed.The project will also upgrade the stormwater system by adding storm piping and constructing roadway curbs and curb inlets to control stormwater runoff.It also involves installing a Continuous Deflective Separation (CDS) unit to remove sediments and pollutants, which will improve the water… Read more

District staff helped community leaders celebrate the completion of the Lutz Lake Fern Road Trailhead and new section of the Upper Tampa Bay Trail, which now connects to the Suncoast Trail. Hillsborough County recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new segment. The 4.35-mile section marks the completion of the northernmost segment of the Upper Tampa Bay Trail.  Colleen Kruk, the District’s lead land use specialist, spoke at the event, noting this… Read more

Workshop to follow at 9:30 a.m.The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. After the Governing Board meeting, the District will hold an informational workshop on water related issues. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during April on the District’s Cypress Creek property in Pasco County. The property is approximately 3 miles east of Land O’ Lakes. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 250 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love,… Read more

Emergency Operations Center to OpenSouthwest Florida Water Management District officials began preparations today to activate its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in anticipation of the possible landfall of Hurricane Wilma in Florida.District officials today discussed coordination of activities with staff, state coordinators and the other water management districts.The District plans to fully activate its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Brooksville Friday or Saturday… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) announced changes to rules governing camping reservations on District lands after the draft rules were submitted to the Florida Legislature during the 2021 legislative session. These rules went into effect June 23 and will be enforced beginning Oct. 1, 2021. The updated rules provide more fair opportunities for all users and create greater consistency with the other water management districts. Some changes to… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ approved the acquisition of "Boat Spring," which is part of a second magnitude spring system, located in the historic community of Aripeka, on the Gulf of Mexico at the Hernando and Pasco County line. The Hammock Creek spring system includes Boat, Magnolia, Aripeka 1 and 2 springs which all flow into Hammock Creek that connects with the Gulf of Mexico. The… Read more

All Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 10, due to potential impacts from Tropical Storm Nicole. District offices are scheduled to be closed Friday for Veteran’s Day. Information regarding District-related meeting cancellations will be provided to the media and made available on the District’s website at… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District,) in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be treating a boat access trail along the western shoreline (Outlet River side) of Lake Panasoffkee to improve boat access and navigation through areas of dense aquatic plants.The 4-mile-long, 100-feet-wide trail on the 3,300 acre lake will be treated the week of June 16-20, 2014. The treatment involves the application of the aquatic… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org and Manatee County are giving residents a chance to learn about local water resource issues and how to make a difference during the Manatee County Extension Water School.The District believes citizens need to become actively engaged in water-related issues including conservation, protection and preservation. The school motivates communities to get involved in protecting their water resources. The… Read more

h2. District Seeking Public Input on Proposals for Four PropertiesThe "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ recently completed an evaluation of eight District-managed lands to determine if additional hunting opportunities are available. Draft proposals for four of these lands will be presented at a public meeting on Monday, Dec. 5. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and will be held at the Hillsborough Community College… Read more

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 Haines City.The permit is being issued for a term of 20 years for 5.9 million gallons per day.The increased quantities are based on population projections, which are predicted to increase from 27,233 to 44,858 people over the next 20 years. The permit term reflects the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted Tuesday to elect officers for the 2023-2024 term. Ed Armstrong was elected chair of the Governing Board. Armstrong represents Pinellas County and is an attorney with Hill Ward Henderson in Clearwater. Armstrong was appointed to the Governing Board in June 2014 and was reappointed in October 2020 and June 2022. His term expires March 1, 2026. Michelle Williamson was elected vice chair of the… Read more

Left: Aerial photo of hog damage at the District’s Myakka River—Schewe Tract in Sarasota County. Right: Hog damage on District’s Upper Hillsborough—Alston Tract in Pasco County. Beginning Oct. 13, prospective hunters can purchase permits for these hunts on the District’s web site at WaterMatters.org/hoghunts/. Permits will be available through 5 p.m.… Read more

Tom Campbell, Green Swamp marathon winner, planned to bike to Sarasota County after the race. A group of extreme runners known as “Dances With Dirt” (DWD) are considering a return to the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve after holding a series of runs in the swamp in February. “We enjoyed the Florida hospitality and the area’s natural beauty,” said Randy Step, event director. “We hope to make the extreme DWD run in the Green Swamp an annual winter break event,… Read more

Gov. Charlie Crist on March 22 appointed Richard Matassa and Fritz Musselmann to the Southwest Florida Water Management District's "Coastal Rivers Basin Board(Coastal Rivers Basin Board)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/basinboards/coastal.php.Matassa is from Spring Hill in Hernando County. He is the managing director of A Civil Design Group, and was appointed to succeed Elaine Perry. His term ends March 1, 2012. Musselmann is from Spring Hill in Pasco County. He was the… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org is reminding residents to check the timers on their irrigation system controllers this weekend, which is the beginning of Daylight Savings Time. Saturday night is when we will turn our clocks ahead one hour. The time change is also a good time to make sure your irrigation system timer is set correctly to ensure that your system operates consistently with… Read more

Polk County Utilities customers may be eligible for a $50 rain sensor rebate from the utility and the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org, which could save them up to 100 gallons of water per day. The District and Polk County Utilities have joined forces to offer rebates to Polk utility customers who add a rain sensor to their irrigation system. The rain sensor rebate is intended to help 1,295… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the rest of March and April on the District’s Halpata Tastanaki Preserve. The property is approximately six 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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will open Phase 2 hog hunt registration on Monday, Dec. 18 at 9 a.m. The District holds a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the wild hog population. What you need to know about Phase 2 hunts:

• Phase 2 will include six hunts that occur in January and February 2018.
• Permits are transferable.
• The single top producer on each hunt of Phase 2 will…

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