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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 March 5 at WaterMatters.org/Floodplain…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during January and February on three District sites in Pasco County. The sites are the Upper Hillsborough property, the Conner Preserve, and the Starkey property.The Upper Hillsborough property is approximately 3 miles east of Zephyrhills. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 300 acres of…

 Proximity to the Charlotte Harbor estuary is reflected in the tidal nature of the river and its associated floodplain wetlands. The Peace River is highly braided in these lower reaches and the name of the property is derived from a prominent branch of the river, known historically as "Deep Creek," which parallels the eastern boundary of the site.About half of the property is pine flatwoods consisting of longleaf pines and a diverse mixture of native shrubs and herbs. A…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in the Gamble Creek watershed.The District is serving as a cooperating technical partner for the "Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)(Federal Emergency Management Agency)":http://www.fema.gov on its national effort to "update and modernize the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs)(Federal Flood Map…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be removing vegetation near a portion of the "Flatwoods Park Trail":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/lh-flatwoods.html starting Dec. 11.The work, which involves some tree removal, is required to put the Lower Hillsborough Levee in compliance with requirements of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Failure to meet the requirements would mean a loss of possible federal funding in an emergency.Vegetation…

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 (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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a virtual public workshop at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, to discuss updates to the District’s land use and management rules and processes. The purpose of this workshop is to update outdated rules and processes governing the use of District lands to create efficiencies. One of the major changes includes an annual limit on the number of nights campers can reserve per year, which will provide more fair…

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Hernando County Task Force meeting.The meeting is Tuesday, July 7, 3:30 p.m. in Conference Rooms A & B of the Southwest Florida Water Management District Headquarters, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Hernando County. Examples of…

The Southwest Florida Management District recently signed an agreement with the City of Venice to participate on a project that will help reduce flooding associated with heavy rains in the Hatchett Creek watershed.The Hatchett Creek basin spans approximately 5.2 square miles in Sarasota County and includes the Eastgate area. During heavy rains, stormwater runoff leads to street flooding and threatens to enter residential structures.The project will alleviate standing water…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently signed an agreement with Pinellas County to move forward on a project that will reduce erosion and flooding along Bear Creek Channel.The Bear Creek watershed is approximately 4.4 square miles in Pinellas County. Part of the watershed is in St. Petersburg and part in South Pasadena. The area was developed before the current land use and stormwater management regulations were implemented.This project involves reshaping…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board approved an agreement today that will allow rowing teams more access to the Tampa Bypass Canal.The agreement with the Tampa Bypass Canal Rowing Council, Inc., which is a not-for-profit organization created to help college and high school rowing teams train, will allow the organization to construct and maintain a training facility downstream from Harney Park on the southern portion of the canal.The Tampa…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 3 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North.A public hearing on the FY2026 budget is scheduled for 5:01 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office.To view the Governing Board meeting and the public hearing on the FY2026 budget…

Workshop to follow at 10:30 a.m. The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. After the Governing Board meeting, the District will hold an informational workshop on water resources planning and financial projections. Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding fully…

At its August 6 meeting, the Southwest "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us Peace River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) millage rate of 0.1827 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The "Peace River Basin Board(Peace River Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/peace.php area includes Hardee, DeSoto and portions of Polk, Highlands and Charlotte counties.This millage…

At its Aug. 5 meeting, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us Alafia River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) millage rate of 0.2163 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The "Alafia River Basin Board(Alafia River Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/alafia.php area covers the southern portion of Hillsborough County and the southwestern portion of Polk County. This…

Environmental education took a leap forward in Hernando County with the recent dedication of the Springs Coast Environmental Education Center. A ceremony and plaque presentation was held recently to honor the partnership among the District, its Coastal Rivers Basin Board and the Hernando County School Board, which contributed to the opening of the center. “This is one more excellent example of bringing together local governments and the District to promote water…

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Hernando County Task Force meeting.The meeting is being held Monday, July 7, 3:30 p.m. in the Governing Board Room at the Southwest Florida Water Management District Headquarters, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Hernando County. Examples of…

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Hernando County Task Force meeting.The meeting is being held Monday, Jan. 7, 3:30 p.m. in the Governing Board room of the Southwest Florida Water Management District Headquarters, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Hernando County. Examples of…

Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Nancy Watkins and reappointed Ashley Bell Barnett, Kelly Rice, and Joel Schleicher to the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board. Watkins represents Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, Bell Barnett represents Polk County, Rice represents Citrus, Lake, Levy and Sumter counties and Schleicher represents Charlotte and Sarasota counties. Watkins, of Tampa, is a certified public accountant at Robert Watkins & Company…