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Gov. Charlie Crist recently appointed a new member to the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Ronald E. Oakley of Zephyrhills was appointed to succeed Talmadge G. “Jerry” Rice. His term began June 29 and ends March 1, 2011. Oakley is the executive vice president of Oakley Groves, Inc. He will also assume responsibility as chair ex officio of the District’s Withlacoochee River Basin Board.Governing Board members are unpaid, citizen volunteers…

District leaders recently attended the dedication of Water Works Park in the City of Tampa, which included the restoration of Ulele Springs. The 5-acre park is part of the city’s plan to revitalize the Riverwalk District and Tampa Heights. Ulele Springs is a unique natural spring systems within downtown Tampa. Initiated in 2012, the Ulele Springs Restoration project is a  cooperative funding partnership between the District, city and Ecosphere Restoration…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during June, July, August and September on the District's "Upper Hillsborough Tract(Upper Hillsborough Tract)":/recreation/areas/uh-upperhill.html property in Pasco and Polk counties.The Upper Hillsborough Tract is located approximately five miles east of Zephyrhills. Approximately 1,000 acres of land…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us will be conducting ""controlled, prescribed burns"(Prescribed Fire - a Tool of Nature)":/publications/files/prescribed_fire.pdf during June and July on the District's Annutteliga Hammock property in Hernando County.The "Annutteliga Hammock (Annutteliga Hammock)":/recreation/areas/annuteligahammock.html property is located in the Royal Highlands area of…

Governor Rick Scott appointed David Dunbar to the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/. Dunbar replaces Jennifer Closshey whose term ended on March 1st of this year. The Governing Board seat is a joint Pinellas/Hillsborough seat.Dunbar, of Palm Harbor, is a commercial banker with Synovus Bank of Florida. He received his bachelor's degree in finance from Florida State University. Dunbar's…

The Florida Senate has confirmed the appointments of five Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board members.

• Jack Bispham represents Manatee County and his term ends March 1, 2021.
• Joel Schleicher represents Charlotte and Sarasota counties and his term ends March 1, 2023.
• Kelly Rice represents Citrus, Lake, Levy and Sumter counties and his term ends March 1, 2023.
• Roger Germann represents…

Left: Governing Board Members Sallie Parks, seated, and Ron Oakley, standing to her left, review the project map. Right: Manny Lopez, left, a senior environmental scientist, and Oakley examine lead shot deposits. District staff and Board members recently toured Sawgrass Lake in Pinellas County to view the site of an upcoming restoration project. The restoration project…

h2. First Test This Saturday, July 2 at 12:30 p.m. The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ will begin monthly audible testing on Saturday, July 2, of an emergency siren located at a water control structure on Jack Creek in Lake Placid. The audible testing will occur the first Saturday of each month at 12:30 p.m. to ensure the siren performs properly. During testing, the siren will sound once for approximately 15…

On Tuesday, the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District adopted a FY2016-17 millage rate of 0.3317 mill, 4.9 percent lower than the current fiscal year. For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the District tax would be $33 a year, or about $2.76 per month. The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1, 2016, through Sept. 30, 2017. The total FY2016-17 proposed budget for the District is $180.1 million.The budget reflects the…

Governor Rick Scott reappointed Bryan K. Beswick, Mark C. Taylor and Michelle Williamson to the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board. All three have been appointed for a term beginning May 25, 2017 and ending March 1, 2020 and the appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.Beswick, of Arcadia, represents DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands counties. He is a grove manager with Premier Citrus Management LLC. Taylor, of Brooksville,…

Sometimes Florida yards need fertilizer to help keep them healthy, but applying the wrong kind can cause water pollution. You can use "Florida-friendly fertilizing(Florida-Friendly Fertilizing)":/yards/fertilizing practices to help protect water quality while having a beautiful lawn.Most home lawn fertilizers contain some slow-release nitrogen. It takes a little longer for your yard to benefit from slow-release nitrogen, but the effects will last longer. Many of these…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Governing Board voted to decrease property taxes by adopting a proposed rolled-back millage rate of 0.1909 mill for the fiscal year 2025 budget.The millage rate is 6.6% lower than the current fiscal year adopted millage rate of 0.2043 mill, a savings to taxpayers of approximately $9.5 million.For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the District tax would be $19.09 a year, or…

At its June 8 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alafia River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) millage rate of 0.240 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The proposed budget for FY2007 is $7,141,180, which is an increase of $428,016 from the adopted FY2006 budget. The main reason for this budget increase is due to increased property values. FY2007 will run from Oct. 1, 2006, through Sept. 30, 2007.The Alafia…

The Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Council will meet to discuss the completion of the Lake Panasoffkee Restoration project on Monday, Sept. 8, 5 p.m. at the Lake Panasoffkee Recreation Center’s West Wing, 1532 CR-459, Lake Panasoffkee.During the meeting the council will receive status updates on the lake dredging project, canal cleanup and the sale of shell at the spoil area. The public is also invited to share comments.The Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Council was…

The Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Council will meet to discuss the status of the Lake Panasoffkee Restoration project on Thursday, June 19, 2 p.m. in the Commission Board Room at the Sumter County Government Offices, 910 North Main Street, Bushnell.During the meeting the council will receive status updates on the lake dredging project, canal cleanup and the sale of shell at the spoil area. The public is also invited to share their comments.The Lake Panasoffkee Restoration…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum and guidance levels for selected Highlands County lakes.A public workshop will be held to discuss proposed levels for Lakes Angelo, Anoka, Denton, Placid, Tulane and Verona. The meeting will be held Tuesday, Nov. 20, 6:30 p.m. at the Highlands County Agri-Civic Center, 4509 George Boulevard, Sebring.A minimum flow or level (MFL) is the limit at which further water withdrawals will…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum and guidance levels for Crooked Lake in Polk County.Two public workshops will be held Monday, Nov. 5, at Weber International University in the Rex Yentes Conference Center, 1201 North Scenic Highway, Babson Park, FL 33827. The workshops will be held at 2:30 and 6:30 p.m.A minimum flow or level (MFL) is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about the assessment of minimum levels for the Intermediate Aquifer System.A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and/or environment. The District Governing Board sets these limits as part of achieving a balance between meeting human water needs and those of Florida’s natural systems.A public meeting will be held…

The Marshall Hampton Reserve was acquired by the District in 2008. The Polk County Environmental Lands Program entered into a management agreement with the District in 2010 to oversee the management of the property. The acquisition of this property protected a significant amount of shoreline and floodplain swamp on the edge of Lake Hancock. Lake Hancock is often referred to as the headwaters of the Peace River. At times the property can be extremely wet, often…

Board Elects New Officers During the spring election, the Governing Board chose four people to provide the Board’s leadership during the next year. Watson L. Haynes, II was elected chair. Haynes was appointed to the Governing Board in March 1999 and previously served as the Governing Board’s vice chair and treasurer. Haynes is the first African-American to be elected to serve a full-term as Governing Board chair. He thanked the Governing Board members for their…