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J.D. Durham, behavioral specialist at Moore-Mickens Education Center, shows Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, and Mary Alice Makoid, communications coordinator, the hydroponics garden her students built with funding from a mini-grant. District youth education staff recently visited more than 30 schools to observe student water resources projects developed with Splash! mini-grant funds. The District’s youth education sharing days are held… Read more

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… Read more

WhoSusan Roberts, Brookside Middle School teacher; eighth-grade students; and Southwest Florida Water Management District Youth Education staffWhatDistrict Youth Education staff will visit Brookside Middle School to observe a water education project funded through its Splash! mini-grant program.Eighth-grade students will demonstrate their project, Water The Adventure Begins. As part of their water education project, the students were given a… Read more

An annual Marion County event is growing! This year the 3rd Annual Springs Festival will be held Sept. 24-26, in three different locations. In past years the festival was a one-day event.“We are excited about being able to engage more children in learning about the spring’s preservation with programs such as our art show and our community outreach efforts,” said Criss Specht, Environment, Government & Tourism Director, Ocala/Marion County Chamber of… Read more

On Tuesday, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board adopted a $211.7 million budget for fiscal year (FY) 2023, including approximately $90.6 million for the Cooperative Funding Initiative and District grants for water resources projects. The budget reflects the District’s commitment to protect Florida’s water resources and to… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) awarded $108,937 in grants to 51 educators within the District as part of the Splash! school grant program. The program provides up to $3,000 per school to enhance student knowledge of freshwater resources in grades K-12.Splash! grants encourage hands-on student learning through STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities as well as engagement of the greater school community through awareness… Read more

Twenty-two Pinellas County teachers and seven 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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is announcing the recipients of the 2005 Community Education Grant Program. 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 29 grants Districtwide for a total of $107,667.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to actively engage adults in water-related issues pertaining to conservation,… Read more

Ian Smith, Learning Gate Community School student, and Heidi McCree, former Governing Board member, admire the trailer billboard featuring Smith. Volunteers who give their time to help the District maintain and improve public lands, as well as restore Tampa Bay, were honored in April during the District’s Annual Volunteer Appreciation Day. Volunteers play an important role in the District’s efforts to improve recreation on District lands, restore valuable… Read more

At its September 10 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Peace River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2005 (FY2005) millage rate of 0.195 mills, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget forFY 2005 is $10,194,810, which is a decrease of $5,839,024 from the approvedFY2004 budget. The decrease is due primarily to a reduction in Florida Forever funding for the Lake Hancock Outfall project, which was part of theFY 2004 budget.FY2005… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved a project that will reduce groundwater pumping at LallyMix Farms in Hardee County.The farm recently converted from growing citrus to blueberries.The project involves installing a weather station, soil moisture sensors and automated pump controls in addition to constructing a surface water reservoir and the associated water control structures and ditches for an irrigation system.Using a surface… Read more

Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Land Resources Department staff and volunteersWhat:The District’s Land Resources Department is coordinating a volunteer work day at the District’s Jack Creek property. Volunteers will help install trail signs and pick up trash.When:Thursday, Feb. 21, 11 a.m.Where:The Jack Creek property is located south of Sebring near Josephine Creek in Highlands County. Volunteers will meet at the property gate at Grand… Read more

Dozens of Pinellas County homeowners are taking part in the second phase of landscaping irrigation research project that will help homeowners conserve water while maintaining their lawns. The project will test soil moisture sensor technology on residential landscapes, quantify irrigation water savings and monitor and document landscape quality.The project is a joint effort by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Pinellas County and the University of Florida… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering information to improve identification of flooding risks and to evaluate stormwater improvements for the Peck Sink watershed in Hernando County.The District is asking for help from residents with identifying local flood risks and stormwater issues. If residents have any knowledge of flooding and/or stormwater issues in the area (experiences or photos) or have any… Read more

_More than 272,000 acres of dense seagrass digitally mapped_The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently completed a seagrass mapping project to monitor the long-term health of seagrass beds along the Springs Coast. The project involved digitally mapping more than 525,000 acres of submerged land from the mouth of the Anclote River near Tarpon Springs to the mouth of the Withlacoochee River. Seagrass generally grows in waters less than 14 feet deep and is an… Read more

On Tuesday, the Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board  adopted a $198 million budget for fiscal year (FY) 2022, including approximately $63.5 million for the Cooperative Funding Initiative and District grants for water resources projects. The budget reflects the District’s commitment to protect Florida’s water resources and to improve Florida’s economic vitality. Some of the key initiatives in the District’s FY2022 budget… Read more

At its June 15 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.160 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The tentative budget for FY2006 is $15,625,419, which represents an increase of $1,249,410 from the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to an increase in property values and an increase in carryover funds from prior years as… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the renewal and modification of a water use permit (WUP) for the City of Eagle Lake to meet the projected population growth through 2013.Eagle Lake is located approximately four miles south-southwest of the intersection of State Road 542 and U.S. Highway 17 in Polk County.The renewed permit increases the permitted quantities. The previous annual average permitted quantity was 380,000 gallons of… Read more

Teachers interested in securing a Splash! mini-grant through the Southwest Florida Water Management District can begin applying online. The application is available on the District’s web site at WaterMatters.org/mini-grants.This year the District improved the online application process and will no longer have printed applications.“Last year we received 110 applications and only two of them were submitted on paper, the rest were all submitted online,” said… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) will hold a series of public workshops to gather feedback for the biennial assessment of surplus lands. The meetings will take place at the following times and locations:•March 19, 2015 at 5:30 p.m.*Bartow - Carver Recreation Center*, 520 Idlewood Avenue S, Bartow, FL 33830 •March 24, 2015 at 5:30 p.m.*Sarasota Service Office*, 6750 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, FL 34240•April 1, 2015 at… Read more