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Janey Baldwin, secretary of the Withlacoochee River Basin Board, left, talks with Jay Yingling, District senior economist, at the Regional Water Supply Plan public workshop for the Northern Planning Region. In an effort to plan for future water supplies and demands in our area, the District is updating the 2006 Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP). This document was first published in 2001, in accordance with Florida Statute 373.0361, and is… 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

The District’s Governing Board voted Tuesday on a new slate of officers for the 2020-2021 term. Governing Board members are unpaid, citizen volunteers who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. The Governing Board sets policy for the District, whose mission is to protect water resources, minimize flood risks and ensure the public’s water needs are met. The new officers are:… Read more

New Leadership Look up “energy” in the dictionary and more than likely there’ll be a picture of David Moore. Sightings of the District’s new executive director have been reported in every District department and in multiple cities, often simultaneously. Moore is seemingly everywhere, sharing an endless enthusiasm and boundless energy that he uses to address every task, big and small. “Life is too short and time too precious to waste,” Moore said. Moore’s energy… Read more

Who's Who at the District At a time when most people often begin planning for their retirement, Betty Rushton was beginning her career in environmental science. “This is my second career,” said Rushton. “My first was a homemaker.” After raising four sons, Rushton went back to school at age 50 to finish her undergraduate degree in environmental studies at New College in Sarasota. But Rushton didn’t stop there, she continued on until she received her master’s in… Read more

Worth the Wait A project in the works for more than a decade is revitalizing Lake Maggiore and its 2,290-acre watershed in southern Pinellas County. “This project attempts to set back the clock on a long history of water quality problems at Lake Maggiore,” said Manuel López, project manager and senior environmental scientist with the District’s environmental section. “We think residents who live near the lake, as well as visitors, will eventually see conditions… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Brooksville office has been certified by the Hernando County Florida Yards and Neighborhoods (FYN) Program as a Florida-friendly yard.The Florida-friendly yard certification recognizes landscapes that save water, reduce the use of fertilizer and pesticides, as well as reduce runoff and provide native habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife.Work to obtain the certification began about two years ago when Jeff… Read more

From left: Kevin Stover, 33 years, Field Technician Supervisor, Resource Data & Restoration. Richard Gant, 34 years, Field Technician Supervisor, Resource Projects. Kevin Love, 35 years, Manager, Land Resources. Mike Holtkamp, 35 years, Director, Operations, Maintenance & Construction Division Five Staff Members Share Memories at a Roundtable Interview How would you describe the District when you first started working here? … Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ voted to let Modified Phase II water shortage restrictions expire today for Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties due to improvements in the region's water resources.This means those counties will return to the District's "year-round water conservation measures":http://www.watermatters.org/restrictions/ unless a stricter local ordinance applies. The… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is joining with the Science and Environment Council (SEC) to celebrate Sarasota’s watersheds and promote watershed awareness by declaring Oct. 13 through 19 as “Watershed Awareness Week.”The District’s Manasota Basin Board is co-sponsoring Watershed Awareness Week in an effort to foster good watershed stewardship.The SEC is a group of nonprofit and government organizations that operate to support… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently recognized six Polk County projects as outstanding school, community grant or volunteer programs that focus on water resources education. A total of 52 projects were recognized during the October 7 Reflect, Connect, Celebrate Water Resources Education Conference at the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center in Tarpon Springs.To select the awardees, District staff reviewed grants applied for by teachers… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ voted to let Modified Phase III water shortage restrictions expire today for Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Levy, and Sumter counties as well as the City of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County due to improvements in the region's water resources.This means those counties will return to the District's "year-round water conservation measures":http://www.… Read more

Judy Whitehead, Governing Board chair and chair ex officio of the District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board, and her husband, Don, enjoy spending time with their grandsons, Pierson and Daniel. Judy Whitehead was surprised and gratified that her fellow Governing Board members thought enough of her to elect her as their chair. “I’m not particularly brilliant or knowledgeable. I’m just a small-town grandma,” she said. Despite her modesty, her fellow Board members… Read more

The District’s Governing Board voted Tuesday for the latest slate of officers for the 2021-2022 term. Governing Board members are unpaid, citizen volunteers who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. The Governing Board sets policy for the District, whose mission is to protect water resources, minimize flood risks and ensure the public’s water needs are met. The new officers are:… Read more

Safety First  Gary Kuhl, left, Operations Department Director, accepted an award from Stephen H. Partney, P.E., Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) Program Administrator at a recent banquet in Arizona. The District’s Operations Department has been recognized on a national level for its commitment to safety. The Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) recently presented the District with the Southeast Region Award of Merit for… Read more

Doris Heitzmann, a horticulturist and community outreach coordinator with the Pinellas County Extension office, evaluates the landscape at Venetian Bay. Members of the Venetian Bay Homeowners Association (HOA) wanted to do their part to conserve water, so they looked to the City of St. Petersburg and the Pinellas County Extension office for help. The Venetian Bay community consists of 22 waterfront and 51 nonwaterfront townhomes in St. Petersburg. In August… Read more

  For Trisha Neasman, growing up was anything but ordinary. Raised in a military family, Neasman has lived in a variety of places, including New Jersey, Mississippi, Texas and Japan. “Moving around helped me to become more independent and allowed me to experience living in cities of all sizes,” said Neasman. With each move, she embraced all that each city had to offer. Her favorite place to live was in Lorman, Mississippi, where her father was a… Read more

Above, plantings at the Tampa office are beyond the building eaves, requiring less irrigation.  Below, fixture supply lines are required to be reinforced. As in most District offices, water-saving fixtures are used.  The Tampa Service Office campus has the first water management district building to be certified under the Florida Water StarSM commercial standard. It’s also only the second government building in the state to be certified… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is encouraging residents who irrigate their lawns to “watch the weather, wait to water” during the months of July, August and September.According to research by the University of Florida, an average of three-quarters of an inch of water every three to five days is enough to replenish the grass during the summer. In fact, Florida receives an average rainfall of 53 inches a year, and most of that falls between June… Read more

Six projects in the Manasota Basin were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Manasota Basin includes Manatee and Sarasota counties. The grants, which are up to $5,000 each, will help fund projects that provide communities the opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 49 grants Districtwide for a total of $171,444. This is the 10th year Community Education Grants have been available.The… Read more