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Judith C. Judy Whitehead was unanimously elected Tuesday by her peers to serve as Governing Board chair of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Other Governing Board officers selected today include C.A. “Neil” Combee, Jr., vice chair; Todd Pressman, secretary; and Jennifer E. Closshey, treasurer.Chair Judy WhiteheadWhitehead of Brooksville was first appointed to the Governing Board in March 2003, and was elected the Boards Secretary in May 2004. Whitehead served… Read more

Three DeSoto County projects were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. 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 overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to… Read more

Members of the District’s Governing Board and Withlacoochee River Basin Board recently celebrated with the City of Webster’s Mayor Stephen Croft and city officials as Senator Paula Dockery presented a $500,000 check to assist with funding of the city’s stormwater project. City officials expect significant development and growth in Webster over the next years. The stormwater project will help develop a watershed management plan that will address flood protection… Read more

Sixteen Manatee County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received Splash! mini-grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators totaling more than $413,000. That’s 72 more grant recipients than last year.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the increase in awardees to an increase in promotion among the District’s school… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently approved an agreement to continue funding the St. Petersburg Toilet Replacement Program.The program, which began in 1997, is a cooperatively funded effort between the City of St. Petersburg and the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board. The goal of the ninth phase of the project is to promote water conservation by providing toilet rebates of up to $100 for each high-volume toilet replaced with a low-flow… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Tarpon Springs are working on a project that will increase reclaimed water storage, allowing the city to effectively manage reclaimed water production and supply throughout the year while adding more reclaimed water customers.The project consists of the design and construction of a 3-million-gallon ground storage tank and the piping needed to efficiently control flow of reclaimed water from the plant to the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday adopted proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 millage rates. The District’s proposed millage rate remains the same as last year for the District’s General Fund. The proposed millage rates for eight District Basin Boards also remain the same.The eight Basin Boards will meet in August to adopt their final FY2006 millage rates. The final millage rates may decrease from the proposed amounts adopted, but by law… Read more

In preparation for Hurricane Dennis, the Southwest Florida Water Management District is removing a large tree and several smaller trees that are blocking the Peace Creek Canal in Bartow. The trees recently fell into the creek because the area is so saturated.The District has budgeted $10,000 to complete the work today. Hess Construction Company is the contractor removing the debris. The company is one of the contractors the District used to remove hurricane-related debris… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently recognized 14 Hillsborough 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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently recognized 14 Hillsborough 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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Dunnellon recently signed an agreement for a project to improve water quality within the Dunnellon watershed.The watershed includes approximately five miles within the City of Dunnellon.The city’s stormwater runoff currently flows to Route 40 and Cedar Street. The untreated runoff flows through a stormwater collection system that discharges directly into the Withlacoochee River. This project designs and… Read more

Name: Terry England Basin Board: Pinellas–Anclote River Term: First appointed Aug. 4, 1999; currently in his third term, which expires March 1, 2009 Occupation: General contractor, commercial and industrial projects Town of residence: Indian Rocks Beach Hometown: Avon Park, FL Reason you applied to be a Basin Board member… Read more

During the District’s 60-year history, new laws established through the decades have helped the District protect water quality and natural systems. Here’s a look at some of the key legislation and programs established: Save Our Rivers: The program, established in 1981, allowed the District to acquire lands for the purposes of water management, supply and protection. The first major land acquisition using Save Our Rivers funding was the Green Swamp West… Read more

The Florida Legislature included $15 million in its 2008–09 state budget for the District’s West-Central Florida Water Restoration Action Plan (WRAP), which will help restore water quality and natural systems and create sustainable water supplies in the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA). “In this incredibly tight budget year, we are extremely grateful that the WRAP was funded, which will aid in the District’s efforts to recover the Southern Water Use Caution… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ voted today to declare a Phase II Water Shortage and implement one-day-per-week watering restrictions in the Tampa Bay area, due to reduced river levels and increasing water supply concerns.The Governing Board enacted Phase II restrictions for lawn watering throughout Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. The tighter restrictions begin December 26 and… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing board approved a joint land management plan with Sarasota County for the 6,439-acre Deer Prairie Creek Preserve, which will allow for public access to the preserve.The preserve is in southeast Sarasota County within the Myakka River watershed. It is bordered by the Myakka River on the west, I-75 to the north and U.S. 41 to the south. The District and the county jointly purchased the land in April 2000.The… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the University of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (IFAS) will host two workshops aimed at sharing the latest information about frost and freeze protection with the agricultural community.The workshops, which will be held in Manatee and Hillsborough counties, will focus on understanding different types of cold events and how to protect plants with minimum water use. The workshops will cover the… Read more

This month marks the 20th anniversary of Water Conservation Month. This month is traditionally one of the driest of the year and peak demand season for public water suppliers. The District works with our local government partners to share the importance of water conservation and to increase efforts to conserve water.  Thanks to all our partners who joined the District in proclaiming April as Water Conservation Month. The following local governments and partners… Read more

Today is the last day of Water Conservation Month, and April is traditionally one of the driest of the year and peak demand season for public water suppliers. The District works with our local government partners to share the importance of water conservation and to increase efforts to conserve water. Thanks to all our partners who joined the District in proclaiming April as Water Conservation Month. The following local governments and partners have declared… Read more

As the weather gets cooler, now is the time for Floridians to get outside and enjoy a variety of recreational activities. Each issue of WaterMatters features a different District property ready for you to explore. These public lands are close to home and are free or very inexpensive to use. This issue features the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve (Preserve) in Hillsborough County. The 16,000-acre Preserve… Read more