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Gov. Jeb Bush recently appointed Jack Bispham to the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board.Bispham, who is from Sarasota, is the owner and president of Bayside Sod, Inc. He succeeds Evelio Sardina. Bispham’s term began May 8 and ends March 1, 2008.The Manasota Basin Board area includes Manatee and Sarasota counties, which are each represented by a minimum of three people. A Governing Board member presides as the chair ex officio of…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday recognized Talmadge G. “Jerry” Rice for his dedication to public service as an outgoing member of the Governing Board and the Withlacoochee River Basin Board.Rice was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush in March 2003. He served as the Governing Board chair from June 2006 until May 2007. Before serving as chair Rice was also the Board’s vice chair and treasurer. As a Governing Board member…

The Florida Greenways and Trails Council has agreed to include three Southwest Florida Water Management District properties in the state’s designated system of greenways and trails.The properties include the 18,000-acre Starkey Wilderness Preserve in Pasco County, the 16,000-acre Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention Area in Hillsborough County and the 31-mile segment of the Florida National Scenic Trail that goes through the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve.The goal of…

Nestled just north of the Inverness city limits in Citrus County is 8,500 acres of pristine Florida wilderness with more than 30 miles of trails and four camping areas where you can hike, camp, bike, boat, fish — even bring your horses. Freshly restored to its historic natural flow patterns, Potts Preserve is bordered by the Hernando pool of the Tsala Apopka Lake system to the west and the Withlacoochee River to the east. Purchased by the District to protect the area’…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the live video stream link. The video stream link becomes active and the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Citrus County. Residents living in the Chassahowitzka River watershed are invited to attend an open house Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Citrus County Government Building, located at 3600 W. Sovereign Path in Lecanto. District representatives will present preliminary data for flood prone areas,…

Members of the District’s Governing Board and Withlacoochee River Basin Board recently celebrated with the City of Webster’s Mayor Stephen Croft and city officials as Senator Paula Dockery presented a $500,000 check to assist with funding of the city’s stormwater project. City officials expect significant development and growth in Webster over the next years. The stormwater project will help develop a watershed management plan that will address flood protection…

At its August 7 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Peace River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2010 (FY2010) millage rate of 0.1827 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Peace River Basin Board area includes Hardee, DeSoto and portions of Polk, Highlands and Charlotte counties.This millage rate combined with a reduction in taxable property values as certified by the five county property appraisers will result in an estimated…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Brooksville and Tampa offices will be on a two-hour delay opening due to Hurricane Hermine. The Bartow and Sarasota offices will open at their regular times.All staff should check the emergency hotline after 8 a.m. Friday morning for the latest updates.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during September on the Upper Myakka River Watershed in Manatee County.Upper Myakka River Watershed is located in Myakka City. Approximately 134 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to Land Management Supervisor Will VanGelder, burns are conducted to…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during August on the District's "Lake Panasoffkee property":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/lakepanasoffkee.html in Sumter County.Lake Panasoffkee is located in west of Interstate 75 in Wildwood. Approximately 150 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during August on the District's "Weekiwachee Preserve":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/weekiwachee.html in Hernando County.Weekiwachee Preserve is located one mile west of Spring Hill. Approximately 200 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during July, August and September on the District's Weekiwachee Preserve in Hernando County.Weekiwachee Preserve is located one mile west of Spring Hill. Approximately 400 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to Land Management Supervisor Will VanGelder,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during July on the Upper Myakka River Watershed in Manatee County.Upper Myakka River Watershed is located in Myakka City. Approximately 134 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to Land Management Supervisor Will VanGelder, burns are conducted to mimic…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during July on the District's Starkey Wilderness Preserve in Pasco County.Starkey Wilderness Preserve is located in the western portion of Pasco County. Approximately 1,000 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to Land Management Supervisor Will VanGelder…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during July on the District's Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County.Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve is located five miles east of Dunnellon. Approximately 120 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to Land Management Supervisor Will VanGelder, burns are…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during July on the District's Green Swamp West property in Pasco County.Green Swamp West is located in Dade City. Approximately 600 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.According to Land Management Supervisor Will VanGelder, burns are conducted to mimic natural…

Through the crystal waters of the Chassahowitzka, guests could spot schools of fish swimming near the spring vent and even a young manatee swimming nearby. The wildlife at the beloved Citrus County waterway are benefitting from the first phase of the Chassahowitzka Springs Restoration Project. About 120 people attended a…

The public is invited to attend the Citrus/Hernando Waterways Restoration Council meeting and the Hernando County Task Force meeting, both being held Monday, Oct. 1.The meetings will be at the Southwest Florida Water Management District Headquarters, on the first floor in Conference Rooms A and B, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville.The Citrus/Hernando Waterways Restoration Council meeting begins at 2:45 p.m. Discussion will focus on council business.The Hernando…

At today’s meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2007 (FY2007) millage rate of 0.400 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2007 is $41,385,128, which is an increase of $2,729,817 from the approved FY2006 budget. The main reason for this increase is higher property values and balances carried over from the prior year. FY2007 will run from Oct. 1, 2006,…