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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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Sumter County. The District will provide a virtual public comment period now through Oct. 19 at WaterMatters.org/Floodplain for the public to view preliminary data for flood prone areas within the Nichols Pond Watershed.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Manatee County. The District will provide a virtual public comment period now through June 24 at WaterMatters.org/Floodplain…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Manatee County. The District will provide a virtual public comment period now through Nov. 30 at WaterMatters.org/Floodplain…

 Gov. Rick Scott (right) with new Governing Board appointee George Mann. Gov. Rick Scott recently appointed George Mann to the District’s Governing Board. Mann, of Polk City, is a retired business development manager at Treatt USA, which processes citrus products. Mann was appointed to succeed Neil Combee, and his term ends March 1, 2013. Mann is currently serving as a board member of Anchor House Ministry. Previously, he served on the Florida Citrus…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering information to improve identification of flooding risks for six Marion County watersheds.This information is being developed as part of the *Blichton*, *Martel*, *SR 200* and *Cotton Plant 1, 2 and 3* 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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program to determine the potential environmental impact of mucky sediments in the Safety Harbor area of Old Tampa Bay.The Safety Harbor watershed, located within Pinellas County, has changed significantly over the past 100 years. The watershed has gone from being primarily rural to primarily urban. In addition, the construction of the Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal increased the size of the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is currently developing new minimum flow standards for the Upper Peace River. Minimum flows are intended to prevent significant harm to the water resources or ecology of an area that may be caused by water withdrawals. The draft minimum flows report for the Upper Peace River,…

Governor Charlie Crist recently appointed Kelly S. Rice to the Withlacoochee River Basin Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Rice was appointed to succeed Paul M. Mazak. He lives in Webster and is president of the Rice Cattle Company. His term began Feb. 9 and ends March 1, 2011.The Withlacoochee River Basin includes portions of Citrus, Hernando, Marion, Pasco, Levy and Sumter counties.The District has seven regional Basin Boards that provide guidance…

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…

Southwest Florida Water Management District Executive Director David L. Moore issued an emergency order for all areas within the District that were impacted by Hurricane Frances.The District’s emergency order allows staff and District equipment to be available to carry out emergency operations for Division of Emergency Management and any other government agency in managing any emergency resulting from Hurricane Frances.The emergency order also allows field…

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…

Kendra Antoine and Sylvia Durell, senior communications coordinators, with their Crystal Awards. Kendra Antoine and Sylvia Durell, senior communications coordinators, received top honors from the Florida Government Communicators Association. Two District communications projects were recognized at the annual Florida Government Communicators Association (FGCA) Awards Banquet. The Crystal Awards recognize businesses, community groups, individuals and agencies…