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For the second year in a row, the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pinellas County Parks & Recreation Department will join forces to “Perk Up a Park.”The “Perk Up a Park” cleanup and interpretive sign unveiling will happen Saturday, June 25 at Philippe Park, located in Safety Harbor on Philippe Parkway between Main Street and State Road 580.This event is open to anyone who would like to volunteer. The volunteers will be asked to…

Hotels and motels in Manatee and Sarasota counties now have the opportunity to participate in a successful water conservation program known as Water Conservation Hotel and Motel Program (Water C.H.A.M.P.)As part of the program, the Southwest Florida Water Management District invites hotel and motel owners, operators and management to participate in a “linens and towels reuse program.” The District supplies printed materials for guest rooms and educational…

Fifteen Sarasota 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…

At its August 17 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.160 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2006 is $20,235,533, which represents an increase of $5,859,524 from the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to an increase in property values, an increase in carryover funds from prior years as compared to FY2005 and…

On Tuesday, May 24, Heidi B. McCree was selected by unanimous vote as the first female Governing Board chair in the 44-year history of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.“I want to thank the Board for this honor and look forward to carrying on an important legacy,” McCree said. “We have achieved great things in west-central Florida, but there are many challenges yet to face to ensure an environmentally sustainable water resource. The keys will be maintaining our…

Paddling down the calm flows of the Chassahowitzka River, you might come across a barge humming with machinery. All seems calm on the surface to the casual boater floating nearby. But in the depths below the water line, divers are hard at work restoring a portion of the treasured waterway in Citrus County. Workers are removing sediments that have accumulated in the springs. It’s part of the District’s Chassahowitzka Springs Restoration Project.  Sand and…

h2. District Seeking Public Input on Evaluation of PropertiesThe "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering information to determine if public lands that are owned and managed by the District should be considered for surplus.As part of that information-gathering effort, the District is holding public meetings to explain the assessment process and receive public comment. The first two meetings are scheduled for…

"Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District land this fall and winter to help reduce the wild hog population. Beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 10, prospective hunters can purchase permits for these hunts on the District's website at "WaterMatters.org/HogHunt/":/recreation/hoghunt/. Permits will be available on a first-come, first-served basis through 5 p.m. Monday,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board has teamed up with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Pinellas County Animal Services, and the Humane Society of Pinellas to sponsor "Pooches for the Planet," which kicks off with an event this weekend.Started by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, the campaign promotes proper disposal of dog waste to prevent water pollution. Just like human waste, dog waste poses a threat to both public health and…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Hernando County are working together to gather input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in the county.The information will be used to update area floodplain information and develop preliminary Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday approved an agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for the restoration of the Sawgrass Lake Park Water Management Area.The 36-acre restoration site is located near the Skyway Trap and Skeet Club in southern Pinellas County. Tests conducted by the District and the FDEP indicate increased levels of lead and arsenic in the area the gun club used as a drop zone.In…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with Pinellas County on two projects that will treat stormwater within the Lake Tarpon watershed, which will improve water quality discharging to the lake.The Lake Tarpon watershed consists of 52.4 square miles, extending from northern Pinellas County into northwest Hillsborough County. The watershed consists of three major drainage basins, including the Brooker Creek, South Creek and Lake Tarpon basins.Both…

Hotels and motels can celebrate National Tourism Week by signing up to participate in the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s successful water conservation program known as Water Conservation Hotel and Motel Program (Water C.H.A.M.P.)National Tourism Week is May 13 through May 20. According to VISIT FLORIDA, the states official tourism marketing organization, approximately 85.8 million people visited the state last year. That translates to more than $57…

Fourteen Sumter County teachers are among the educators who were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.This year 206 "Splash! grants(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants were awarded to educators across "the District's 16-county region":/data/map.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant program in Sumter County to…

h3. Old World climbing fern threatening the Green SwampWith threats from new invasive plants and animal species continuing to rise in Florida, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is battling to keep a new invasive vine from infesting the "Green Swamp(Interactive Green Swamp)":/education/interactive/greenswamp/greenswamp.html."Old World climbing fern(Old World Climbing Fern)":/projects/invasives/old-world-fern.php…

The City of Lakeland and the District have taken significant steps toward improving the water quality in Lake Parker. The first phase of a project was recently completed to reduce pollutants discharging into the lake. Prior to the completion of this project, stormwater runoff from this 530−acre drainage basin discharged to the lake without any form of treatment. Due to its dense urban development, this basin is particularly susceptible to common pollutants like…

Name: Rufus C. Lazzell Basin Board: Peace River Term: First appointed Dec. 3, 2001. Currently in his third term, which expires March 1, 2009. Occupation: Retired Brigadier General, U.S. Army Town of residence: Punta Gorda Hometown: Huntington, West Virginia Reason you applied to be a Basin Board member: …

Governing Board Secretary Doug Tharp, left, awards the Florida Water StarSM certification to Kenneth D. Colen, president of On Top of the World Communities, Inc. The developer of a major community in Marion County was recently certified as a builder of Florida Water StarSM (FWS) homes. Governing Board Secretary Doug Tharp presented the certification to On Top of the World Communities during the community’s conservation expo in September. The…

Terra Ceia Preserve State Park will become habitat for many threatened animals, thanks to its recently completed restoration efforts. The 217-acre restoration effort, located in the southeastern reaches of Tampa Bay in Manatee County, is the third phase of a larger 2,308-acre restoration project. “We don’t often have the chance to work on projects of this size, especially in the Tampa Bay area,” said Stephanie Powers, District environmental scientist. “The numerous…

Top: David Moore, District executive director, talks to Pasco County students before the ceremony. Bottom: Rep. Will Weatherford and Ronald Oakley, Governing Board member, discuss land preservation. The District and more than 150 members of the community celebrated the grand opening of Conner Preserve in January. The District purchased the 2,980-acre property in 2003 to preserve and restore this important natural…