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Above: This culvert/riser, which is an example of the types of items available for cost-share through the Mini-FARMS program, is used for water control on an agricultural site in southern DeSoto County. Right: Weather stations are funded through FARMS and Mini-FARMS as a way to irrigate more precisely, based on weather conditions. A good example is using a weather station for frost-freeze protection. The farmer has exact data for that area of the farm and can turn on… Read more

 Brandt Henningsen, District chief environmental scientist, center, and Dr. Kate Spencer, right, with her students from the University of London. Each winter for the past eight years, Dr. Kate Spencer, a University of London professor, has brought a group of her students to the Tampa Bay area to tour District coastal ecosystem restoration projects and the TECO Manatee Viewing Center. Spencer has been bringing student groups to Florida since 2000, and she… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will receive a portion of $50 million in the state budget for projects that help restore area springs. Gov. Rick Scott announced the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the water management districts have identified 40 springs projects that will receive $50 million as part of the 2017-2018 Fighting for Florida’s Future budget. The $50 million in Legacy Florida funding for springs restoration projects was… Read more

The District adopts plans to ensure its public conservation lands are used and managed in ways that are consistent with Florida Statutes and the District’s mission.Land Use and Management PlansDistrict lands are open to the public and community input is vital in determining how these lands are managed and used. Each of the following plans includes the natural resource and public use strategies and objectives established for these lands over the 10-year period for… Read more

Educational tools for teachers and studentsSplash! School Grants: Provides up to $3,000 per school to enhance freshwater resources education. Water Education Videos: Short videos with coordinating teacher’s guides. Topics include: the water cycle, wetlands, watersheds,… Read more

The District uses an extensive combination of research and analysis when assessing aquifer water level changes and the impacts to the state's springs, rivers and wetlands. A computer model is one of those tools used in that research and analysis. The District uses porous media models to monitor and regulate groundwater withdrawals and the impacts to resources. Porous media models are mathematical representations of a groundwater system made up of sand, clay and… Read more

  H. Paul Senft Jr., Governing Board Chair This edition of WaterMatters Magazine celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Created in 1961 through legislative action to serve as the local sponsor for a series of federal flood control projects, the District’s responsibilities have grown dramatically over time. Recognizing that our water resources — our coasts, rivers,… Read more

A Sarasota condominium association received statewide recognition for a project it completed with the help of a Southwest Florida Water Management District Community Education Grant.The Pelican Cove Condominium Association was one of nine condominium and homeowners associations recognized at the Florida Community Association Journal’s Florida Communities of Excellence Awards. The associations were honored for their achievement in addressing the needs and concerns of… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District honored four outstanding Pinellas County water resources education projects. A total of 26 projects were recognized Wednesday during the “Partners in Watershed Education Conference” at the Crowne Plaza Tampa East Hotel.

• Kurt Zuelsdorf, Kayak Nature Adventures owner, was recognized for his “Bringing Back the Bay” community education grant project. Through a 2007 Community Education Grant, Kayak…

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The Southwest Florida Water Management District "Governing Board(Governing Board)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard today proclaimed April as Water Conservation Month. Each year the "District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org designates April as Water Conservation Month because April is traditionally one of the driest months of the year and typically marks the peak demand season for public water suppliers. Many residents… Read more

Left: Rep. Richard Glorioso, R-Plant City; Robert Brown, Plant City Commissioner; Heidi McCree, Governing Board member; Hugh Gramling, Hillsborough River Basin Board member; Fred Johnson, former Hillsborough River Basin Board member; and Devon Higginbotham, Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board member, visited the McIntosh Park site. The District’s new Governing Board chair knew early in life that his future lay in the citrus industry. Born in Avon Park and… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will participate in a joint workshop with St. Johns River and South Florida water management districts, on the draft 2024 minimum flows and levels (MFLs) priority list and schedule. This workshop is an opportunity to solicit stakeholder input on each district’s annual update of their priority list and schedule for the establishment of minimum flows and water levels as well as water reservations.Microsoft TEAMS meeting Link:… Read more

  The drowning of thousands of chickens at several Masaryktown chicken farms was one of the catalysts for the creation of the District. From devastating flooding caused by hurricanes to severe droughts to an unprecedented freeze, major weather events have played an important role in shaping the District’s policies and procedures during the last 50 years… Read more

Drilling more than half a mile below ground to find new sources of water in the Lower Florida aquifer (LFA). Finding new ways to reuse reclaimed water. Combining stormwater and reclaimed water to build a sustainable supply. These are some of the innovative projects the Central Florida Water Initiative is developing to meet the growing water needs of the five-county Central… Read more

Twenty-one Polk County teachers and four private school 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… Read more

Who: Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing and Basin Board members and staff, hundreds of volunteersWhat: District volunteers, awards presentation, youth educational activities, picnic lunch, games, hay ride, and live music.When: Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The award ceremony begins at noon.Where: Green Swamp West Meeting Facility, 13345 Ranch Road, Dade City, 33525Why: Volunteers play an important role in the District’s efforts to improve… Read more

Water Stewardship of the Year Award Winner And the nominees for water stewardship are…” While the District’s Water Stewardship Awards program may not be as big as the Oscars, the program is like the Academy Awards because it recognizes excellence. In this case, excellence is in the form of outstanding stewardship of Florida’s water resources. The District’s Governing Board chose Virginia Frissell as the Water Stewardship of the Year Award winner for her project “… Read more

Hispanic Outreach Nearly 10 percent of the people who live in the District are Hispanic, and for many, Spanish is their first language. To reach that audience with a water conservation message, the District developed the Hispanic Outreach Program. The idea behind the campaign began with the Governing Board’s Diversity Committee, said project manager John Walkinshaw. Spanish-speaking District employees also showed an interest in promoting the outreach. Alberto… Read more

Defining Moment In an effort to make conservation more “user-friendly,” the Governing Board has adopted the term “Florida-friendly” to use in the District’s landscape management outreach and education projects. Florida-friendly will replace the terms “Xeriscape™” and “water-wise.” Why the change? Two reasons: concept and consistency. While Xeriscape landscapes are defined as landscaping that conserves water and protects the environment, some people still… Read more

A site in Charlotte County named after Florida’s best-known reptile is undergoing a transformation. The District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program, in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), is presently undertaking a multiphase ecosystem and hydrologic restoration project in the Alligator Creek Addition of the Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park. The 1,600-acre Alligator Creek Addition is owned by the FDEP… Read more