Search Content

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Highlands County. The District will provide a virtual public comment now through Sept. 30, at WaterMatters.org/Floodplain for the public to view preliminary data for flood prone areas within the Jack Creek… Read more

Citrus County residents are invited to attend the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Get Outside!" event at "Potts Preserve(Potts Preserve)":/recreation/areas/potts.html on Saturday, Oct. 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.The free event includes guided nature hikes, a native animal presentation, an archery adventure for all ages, children's activities, waterless fishing and more. Scenic boat tours of the Withlacoochee… Read more

The Florida Senate has confirmed the appointments of Southwest Florida Water Management District Executive Director Robert Beltran and seven Governing Board members. H. Paul Senft, Jr., representing Polk County, was first appointed to the Governing Board in 2008 and reappointed in 2012 by Governor Rick Scott. His term expires in March of 2019.Jeffery M. Adams, representing Pinellas County, was first appointed to the Governing Board in 2010 and reappointed by Governor Rick… Read more

Passing the Torch     This spring the Governing Board “passed the torch” to a group of new leaders. The April elections brought about a change in each of the four offices. Thomas “Tom” G. Dabney was elected chair. “It’s an honor to be chosen chair by this Governing Board,” Dabney said. “We face many water resources challenges in our District. Serving as chair, I look forward to working with this excellent Governing Board and District staff… Read more

At its Aug. 4 meeting, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board reduced its millage rate to 0.2600 mill for fiscal year 2011 (FY2011), which is 0.06 mill less than the current fiscal year. This lowered millage rate, combined with a reduction in property values as certified by the Pinellas and Pasco county property appraisers, will result in a $5.7 million… Read more

At its August 27 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board reduced its millage rate to 0.3200 mill for fiscal year 2010 (FY2010), which is .0400 lower than the current fiscal year. The Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board area includes Pinellas County and the southern portion of Pasco County.This lowered millage rate, combined with a reduction in property values as certified by the Pinellas and Pasco county property… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering information to improve identification of flooding risks for two Marion County watersheds.This information is being developed as part of the *Gum Swamp* and *Big Jones Creek* watershed management plans. The plans were cooperatively funded by the District and Marion County.The District is holding an open house in Marion County to present preliminary floodplain… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering information to improve identification of flooding risks for three Marion County watersheds.This information is being developed as part of the *Flemington*, *Hog Prairie* and *Northwest Ocala* watershed management plans. The plans were cooperatively funded by the District and Marion County.The District is holding an open house in Marion County to present preliminary… Read more

Three members of the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board took their oaths of office Tuesday.Judith C. Whitehead of Brooksville was reappointed to succeed Patsy C. Symons. Last year the state Legislature reassigned Symons’ seat to represent Hernando and Marion counties and added two new seats to the Governing Board for a total of 13 members. Whitehead, the owner of Residential Appraisal Service, was first appointed to the Governing Board… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Polk County. The District will provide a virtual public comment period now through April 29 at WaterMatters.org/Floodplain for the public to view preliminary data for flood prone areas within the Davenport Watershed. The… Read more

In April, the Southwest Florida Water Management District will celebrate the Peace River and the Peace River watershed with a series of events along the river.The District’s Peace River Basin Board has declared the week of April 14 through April 21 as “Peace River Watershed Awareness Week.” Participating county governments also plan to recognize this first-of-a-kind event.In conjunction with the awareness week, four events are planned within the Peace… Read more

A multimillion-dollar cooperative project among three government entities is cleaning up a watershed that eventually empties into Tampa Bay. The creation of McIntosh Park began when Hillsborough County purchased the 400-acre plot through its Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP) for Plant City. The land is adjacent to the downstream segment of the Eastside Canal, which was built in the late 1930s to drain the 6,000-acre Eastside Canal… Read more

Heidi B. McCree was selected during the spring election by unanimous vote as the first female Governing Board chair in the 44-year history of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Other Board officers elected include Talmadge G. “Jerry” Rice, vice chair; Judith C. “Judy” Whitehead, treasurer; and Patsy C. Symons, secretary. “I want to thank the Board for this honor and look forward to carrying on an important legacy,” McCree said. “We have achieved great… Read more

The Hillsborough River will get a dose of spring cleaning this Sunday, April 22 when Lowry Park Zoo’s Boy Scouts of America Zoo Troop 47 holds its annual cleanup from 8 a.m. until noon. The cleanup will focus on the Lowry Park Boat Ramp area and River Park by the Sulphur Springs water tower.Other volunteer groups, including Cub Scouts and their parents, Orange Grove Middle School volunteers, and teachers from the Lowry Park Zoo’s “Zoo School,” will… Read more

Some Areas Show Significant Gains Scientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) completed the latest round of seagrass mapping along Florida’s Springs Coast. The results of the aerial imagery collected show 586,511 acres of mapped seagrass habitat along the Springs Coast, up slightly from the previous total of 577,920 acres in 2016. The open water nature of the area and the largely undeveloped and expansive coastal wetlands… Read more

A cooperatively funded project between the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Lakeland will restore Lake Morton shoreline, which in turn will prevent erosion, improve water quality and provide natural habitat.Lake Morton is a 40-acre lake with approximately 1 mile of shoreline. The lake, located in a highly urbanized part of Lakeland, is a headwater lake in the Peace River system that discharges into Lake Hollingsworth. Its water quality and… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a virtual workshop Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 5:30 p.m.The purpose of the virtual workshop is to allow for public comment on recommended minimum flows for Horse Creek and Charlie Creek. Horse Creek and Charlie Creek are located in portions of DeSoto, Hardee and Polk counties and are two tributaries of the Peace River.Members of the public may join the meeting via Microsoft Teams through this link… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during October and November on three District sites in Pasco County. The sites are the Upper Hillsborough property, the Connerton property, and the Starkey property.The Upper Hillsborough property is approximately 3 miles east of Zephyrhills. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Connerton property is approximately 7 miles… Read more

Gov. Rick Scott recently appointed Wendy J. Giesy-Griffin to the District’s Governing Board. Giesy-Griffin of Lithia is a former environmental consultant. She was appointed to succeed Hugh M. Gramling and her term ends March 1, 2016. Giesy-Griffin consulted with Metis Environmental Services beginning in 1996. Prior to that, she was an environmental administrator with the Florida Department of Transportation from 1979 to 1985, and an environmental technician and… Read more

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects when the Citrus/Hernando Waterways Restoration Council meets on Oct. 19.The Citrus/Hernando Waterways Restoration Council will meet at 3 p.m. in Conference Rooms A & B, 1st Floor, at the Southwest Florida Water Management District Headquarters, 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville.The Citrus/Hernando Waterways Restoration Council was formed by the state Legislature in 2003. The… Read more