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The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) announced changes to rules governing camping reservations on District lands after the draft rules were submitted to the Florida Legislature during the 2021 legislative session. These rules went into effect June 23 and will be enforced beginning Oct. 1, 2021. The updated rules provide more fair opportunities for all users and create greater consistency with the other water management districts. Some changes to…

Governor Rick Scott appointed two new board members to the District’s Governing Board and also re-appointed a board member. Mark Taylor and Michelle Williamson were appointed to the board. Taylor represents Hernando and Marion counties and Williamson represents Hillsborough County. Taylor, 57, of Brooksville, is the president of TTG Properties Inc. Taylor received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. He is appointed for a term from Aug. 26, 2016…

Whether your favorite outdoor activity is camping, kayaking, hiking or horseback riding, the District has the place for you to get outside and do your thing. The District owns a variety of properties that include more than 343,000 acres of land open for public recreation. And while about 2.5 million people visit these properties each year, many people don’t realize these recreational opportunities are located just minutes from their homes. That’s why WaterMatters…

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…

All Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 10, due to potential impacts from Tropical Storm Nicole. District offices are scheduled to be closed Friday for Veteran’s Day. Information regarding District-related meeting cancellations will be provided to the media and made available on the District’s website at…

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":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Sumter County's Gant Lake watershed. Most of the currently available floodplain information is 10 to 30 years old and is outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development and erosion.Residents living in the Gant Lake watershed are invited to attend an open house on Wednesday,…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Polk County's Mulberry watershed. Most of the currently available floodplain information is 10 to 30 years old and is outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development and erosion.Residents living in the Mulberry watershed are invited to attend an open house on Tuesday, January…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Sumter County's Big Prairie watershed. Most of the currently available floodplain information is 10 to 30 years old and is outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development and erosion.Residents living in the Big Prairie watershed are invited to attend an open house on Thursday,…

Long Distance Assistance As of Friday morning, August 13, Hurricane Charley was still projected to strike the Tampa Bay area. That’s when Garry Flood’s supervisor, Dale Ravencraft, asked him to travel to Tallahassee and serve in Florida’s State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). “I had to leave my wife and two teenage kids here in order to help out,” said Flood. “It was a hard situation, but I just had to pray that they would be safe while I went to help other…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Brooksville office will be closed on Wednesday, Sept. 13 due to impacts from Hurricane Irma. All other District offices will be open. Information regarding District-related meeting cancellations will be provided to the media and made available on the District's website at WaterMatters.org. As a reminder, you can find the latest information on…

Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard calls it “another gem in the crown of Clearwater,” but Kapok Park wasn’t always a beautiful public green space, home to roseate spoonbills, wood storks, sandpipers and many other shorebirds. In December, Representative Gus Bilirakis joined members of the District’s Governing and Pinellas-Anclote River Basin boards, along with the Clearwater mayor and several city staff members, in celebrating the completion of a $19.3 million floodplain…

John Parker (left), his wife Leslie, daughters Melissa and Jessica, and son-in-law Dylan Nugent gather near “Other Man Lake” in Quetico Provincial Park. Sadness spread across the District’s Brooksville Headquarters as coworkers learned about John Parker’s death in a car accident in May. “When you spend more than 20 years working with someone on projects that define your life, and when you share in a common goal, you have a bond, even if you didn’t hang out…

Chassahowitzka Property Offers Much to Do at an Outstanding Waterway Camping, hiking, boating, freshwater and saltwater fishing; a full range of outdoor activities are available at the District’s Chassahowitzka River and Coastal Swamps property in southwestern Citrus County. Purchased in the early 1990s, the…

FY2012 Budget Is 44.4 Percent Below FY2011 Levels The District’s Governing Board adopted a FY2012 millage rate of 0.3928 mill and a budget of $155.5 million at its September final budget hearing. The millage rate and budget take into account the merger of the budgets of the District’s eight Basin Boards into the Governing Board and the $107.8 million cap on ad valorem property taxes levied, which was passed by the Florida Legislature. This millage rate, combined…

Governor Charlie Crist recently reappointed William Bunch and appointed Candy Nathe to two Southwest Florida Water Management District Basin Boards.William Bunch is the owner of Oysters Restaurant and lives in Crystal River. He was reappointed to the Coastal Rivers Basin Board. Bunch was first appointed to the Board 2001. His current term ends March 1, 2011. The Coastal Rivers Basin Board area includes the coastal regions of Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties.Candy Nathe…

The Southwest Florida Management District recently signed two agreements with Sarasota County to move forward on projects that will help reduce flooding associated with heavy rains in the Hudson Bayou and Matheny Creek watersheds.Hudson Bayou WatershedThe Hudson Bayou Watershed spans approximately 3.8 miles in Sarasota County and includes the South Pelican Drive area, which experiences chronic flooding.The project will construct a pond downstream of the area to provide…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the rest of January through March on the Jack Creek property in Highlands County.The Jack Creek property is located in the Leisure Lakes area, which is approximately one mile west of U.S Highway 27, three miles south of State Road 66 and six miles northwest of Lake Placid. There is the potential to burn more than 150 acres of land in small, manageable units.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the remaining days of November and December on the Jack Creek property in Highlands County.The Jack Creek property is located in the Leisure Lakes area, which is approximately one mile west of U.S Highway 27, three miles south of State Road 66 and six miles northwest of Lake Placid. There is the potential to burn more than 150 acres of land in small,…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the July and August on the Jack Creek property in Highlands County.The Jack Creek property is located in the Leisure Lakes area, which is approximately one mile west of U.S Highway 27, three miles south of State Road 66 and six miles northwest of Lake Placid. There is the potential to burn more than 250 acres of land in small, manageable units.The scheduled,…