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The Land Management Section of the "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of June, July and August on the Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and neighboring Schewe Tract.Deer Prairie Creek Preserve, which is jointly owned and managed by the District and Sarasota County, lies between Interstate 75 and US Highway 41. The Schewe Tract, which lies north and south of Interstate 75 just… Read more

h2. Rate Reduced to Meet $108 Million Ad Valorem CapThe "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard Tuesday adopted its proposed fiscal year 2012 (FY2012) millage rate.The proposed FY2012 millage rate of 0.3928 mill takes into account the merger of the budgets of the District's eight Basin Boards into the Governing Board, and the $108 million cap on ad valorem… Read more

SWIM Success Story An ugly duckling was transformed into a pollution-removing swan through a District Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) project. The “ugly duckling” in this story was a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) borrow pit that was turned into a stormwater pond to improve the water quality of 600 acres of runoff that flows into Tampa Bay. While the project may not sound like a big deal to someone who doesn’t know anything about… Read more

At its June 7 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alafia River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.240 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.Further, in the event that a tax reduction is mandated by the Legislature during its special session later this month, the Basin Board has authorized the Executive Director to recalculate its millage rate to reflect the change in revenue prescribed by the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted Tuesday to elect a new slate of officers for the 2019-2020 term. Mark Taylor was elected chair of the Governing Board. Taylor represents Hernando and Marion counties and is president of TTG Properties, Inc., a real estate management, investment and development firm. Taylor was appointed to the Governing Board in August 2016. Michelle Williamson was elected vice chair of the Governing Board.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the rest of March and April on the District’s Weekiwachee Preserve and the Annuteliga Hammock.The Weekiwachee Preserve is approximately one mile west of Spring Hill. Approximately 300 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Annuteliga Hammock tract is approximately three miles south of Chassahowitzka. Approximately 800 acres of land… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the months of October through December on the District’s Deer Prairie Creek property. The property is located north and south of I-75 between mile markers 186 and 190. The property’s southern border is U.S. 41 between Myakka River and the North Port. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the purchase of a parcel of land in connection with the Lake Hancock Project. The property is an important part of the creation of a greenway link.The parcel is approximately 590 acres of land and is located along the eastern shore of Lake Hancock. Located west of Thornhill Road, south of the Polk Parkway and State Road 540, the property is being purchased for $5,225,000 from Tom and Tham… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during October and November on two District sites in Hillsborough County. The sites are the Alafia Reservoir property and the Lower Hillsborough property.The Alafia Reservoir property is approximately 3 miles southwest of Lithia. Approximately 25 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Lower Hillsborough property is approximately 4 miles northeast… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the purchase of a 5,484-acre parcel of land in Citrus County. This acquisition will be added to the 11,454 acres that the District either owns or holds an interest within the Flying Eagle project.The property, commonly known as the McGregor Smith Scout Reservation,is located south of S.R. 44 in Citrus County, approximately 6 miles east of the City of Inverness.The land is being purchased for $… Read more

Agricultural permit holders can now utilize a new element of the District’s Water Management Information System (WMIS). The WMIS is being designed to centralize information from the District’s well construction permitting, resource data, water use permitting and environmental resource permitting databases, making it easily accessible for both the staff and the public. Upon completion, the WMIS will increase the amount of information online, facilitate online… Read more

Sunday marked the start of another hurricane season and the 10th anniversary of one the most destructive  and costly seasons in Florida. During the 2004 hurricane season, four storms – Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jean – crisscrossed the state bringing major destruction and devastation including many parts of the District. That hurricane season changed how the District responded to emergencies. Staff worked in numerous capacities in the recovery efforts from… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during August and September on the District's "Flatwoods Park(Flatwoods Park)":/recreation/areas/lh-flatwoods.html in Hillsborough County.Some entrances or trails at Flatwoods Park may be temporarily closed on weekdays during August and September to facilitate the safe execution of prescribed burns. The entrance at 13630 Morris… Read more

Understanding the Lake Hancock Projects Local government representatives and members of the District’s Governing Board and Alafia River, Hillsborough River, Manasota and Peace River basin boards recently braved the elements to tour the Lake Hancock project area. Several local officials, including Polk County Commissioners and a representative from Rep. Dennis Ross’ office, also attended the tour, which allowed participants the chance to gain a better understanding… Read more

Worth the Wait A project in the works for more than a decade is revitalizing Lake Maggiore and its 2,290-acre watershed in southern Pinellas County. “This project attempts to set back the clock on a long history of water quality problems at Lake Maggiore,” said Manuel López, project manager and senior environmental scientist with the District’s environmental section. “We think residents who live near the lake, as well as visitors, will eventually see conditions… Read more

Are you looking for a quiet place for a bike ride, a hike or just a peaceful picnic? The Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve is a great choice. The District’s sole Marion County property with regular public access, the preserve is named after Seminole leader Hálpata Tastanaki (Chief Alligator) who, along with Osceola, Jumper and approximately 1,000 warriors, took part in the largest battle of the Second Seminole Indian War in 1836. The preserve is located on the… Read more

Left: Mark Hammond, resource projects director, shows the Lake Hancock property and project areas. Right: District Governing Board members and staff visit the current outfall at Lake Hancock. (From left to right, Board Members Ron Oakley, Paul Senft and Carlos Beruff with District staff members Mark Hammond and Chuck Lane.) District staff and Governing Board members recently toured Lake Hancock in Polk County for an update on the progress of several projects… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a public workshop Tuesday, June 11, to share information about the proposed minimum flow reevaluations for the Chassahowitzka and Homosassa River Systems. The meeting will take place at the College of Central Florida, Citrus Campus, Citrus Conference Center Building C4, located at 3800 S. Lecanto Highway… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during July, August, and September on both the "Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and neighboring Schewe Tract(Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve)":/recreation/areas/myakka-deerprairie.html.Deer Prairie Creek Preserve, which is jointly owned and managed by the District and Sarasota County, lies between Interstate 75 and US… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org will be conducting ""controlled, prescribed burns"(Prescribed Fire - a Tool of Nature)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/publications/files/prescribed_fire.pdf during February and March on both the "Deer Prairie Creek Preserve(Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/myakka-deeerprairie.html and neighboring… Read more