Search Content

The Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) adopted a proposed 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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during July and August on the District’s Weekiwachee Preserve. The property is approximately one mile west of Spring Hill. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 400 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns are…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during October on the District’s Weekiwachee Preserve. The property is approximately one mile west of Spring Hill. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 200 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns are implemented to…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during July and August on the District’s Weekiwachee Preserve. The property is approximately one mile west of Spring Hill. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 300 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns are implemented to mimic…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during March on the District’s Weekiwachee Preserve. The property is approximately one mile west of Spring Hill. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 300 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns are implemented to…

Members of the District’s Springs Team were among the collection of speakers at the recent Springs into Action workshop. The all-day event, hosted by the Hernando County Groundwater Guardian, aims to educate community leaders and other residents about issues surrounding area springs. Some of the topics were springs protection, recreation and restoration. The District’s…

A five-year project funded by the Southwest Florida Management District and Hillsborough County will help predict flooding and water quality problems through updating the county’s topographical maps.This aerial mapping project, which is in its final phase, is providing detailed topographic maps that show the area’s physical features. From these maps, floodplain boundaries and watersheds may be determined to help predict future flooding and water quality problems…

Senator Paula Dockery will be in the City of Webster Thursday to present a $500,000 check to city officials for the city’s stormwater plan.The presentation will be held at 3 p.m. at Webster City Hall, east of S.R. 471.Members of the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing and Basin Boards will also attend the presentation.The state, city and the District’s Withlacoochee River Basin Board, are cooperatively funding this project.The City of Webster’s stormwater…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during October and November on the District’s Weekiwachee Preserve. The property is approximately 1 mile west of Spring Hill. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 300 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns are…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board voted to decrease property taxes by adopting a proposed rolled-back millage rate of 0.2801 mill for the proposed fiscal year 2020 budget. The millage rate is more than 5.2 percent lower than the current fiscal year adopted millage rate of 0.2955 mill, a savings to taxpayers of approximately $6.5 million. For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is inviting the public to comment on revised "minimum flows for the Chassahowitzka and Homosassa river systems":http://www.WaterMatters.org/SpringsCoastMFL/ at a public workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 2. The workshop will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lecanto Government Building, 3600 W. Sovereign Path, Room 166, Lecanto.The state Legislature requires the District to set minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for priority water…

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…

 Acquired in 2003 for preservation of natural systems, groundwater recharge, water quality and flood protection, the preserve offers a stunning landscape of steep sandhill ridges, expansive marshes, dense cypress sloughs and lush pine flatwoods. The District manages the preserve's resources to protect and restore the natural and altered ecosystems when possible. This includes extensive restoration to areas that were converted to pasture when it was privately owned and…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will hold aPublic Meeting for Pending Permit Applications on Aug. 5, 9 a.m., at the District’s Tampa Service Office.The monthly meetings will afford the public an opportunity to comment on pending permits prior to a final decision being made by the District.The…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted Tuesday to elect a new slate of officers for the 2018-2019 term. Jeffrey M. Adams was elected chair of the Governing Board. Adams represents Pinellas County and is an attorney and partner with the law firm of Abbey, Adams, LLP, in St. Petersburg.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is inviting residents who live near Lake Hancock to an open house concerning the Lake Hancock Lake Level Modification Project. The open house is being held Tuesday, Aug. 21, at the District’s Bartow Service Office from 3 until 7 p.m.Residents who own property within the Lake Hancock area that may be impacted if the project is implemented are encouraged to attend so they can discuss the project with District staff.The Lake…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the rest of November and throughout December and January on the District’s Upper Hillsborough property in Pasco County.The Upper Hillsborough property is approximately one mile east of Zephyrhills. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 500 acres of land will be burned in small,…

   James Fine, office chief of the Project Management Office A new office at the District aims to improve the consistency and efficiency of District water resource projects. The Project Management Office (PMO) was recently created to support the cooperative funding process and other District initiatives. By reviewing and refining the current procedures, the PMO will find ways to improve the process, said James Fine, the new office chief of the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during July and August on the District’s Halpata Tastanaki Preserve. The property is approximately five miles east of Dunnellon. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 1,000 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns…

For the sixth year in a row, the Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board voted to decrease property taxes by adopting a rolled back millage rate of 0.3131 mill for the proposed fiscal year 2018 budget.The millage rate is more than 5.6 percent lower than the current fiscal year adopted millage rate of 0.3317 mill, a savings to taxpayers of $6.7 million.For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the District tax would…