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The Southwest Florida Water Management District is providing children the opportunity to participate in a free youth camping trip at the District’sGreen Swamp Wilderness Preserve — West Tract in Pasco County.Thecamping trip is scheduled for Sept. 19-20. All campers must be accompanied by at least one adult.… Read more

Who: The Tarpon Springs chapter of Scubanauts International and their adult supervisors, Citrus County Parks and Recreation Department, volunteers from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Boy Scout Troop 302 from InvernessWhat: District staff will volunteer with the Tarpon Springs Scubanauts during an underwater cleanup of the Chassahowitzka RiverWhen:Sunday, May 31, 9 a.m.Where:The youth dive group, lead by adult supervisors, will remove trash and light debris… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Thursday washonored by the Pasco-Hernando Jobs and Education Partnership Regional Board, Inc. as one of the best places to work in Hernando County for the second year in a row.“It is a privilege for the District to be honored two years in a row,” said Pam Baldwin, SPHR, District senior human resources generalist. “I appreciate the Jobs and Education Partnership recognizing the District’s… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hampton Tract, which is part of the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve, will be reserved Nov. 18-20 for an event that allows disabled hunters the opportunity to experience the outdoors. The property will be closed to the public during this time.The Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve’s Polk County entrance is at the intersection of Rockridge Road and Deen Still Road.The hunt is a joint effort between the District and… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the city of Bradenton on a project that will reduce flooding along Wares Creek.The Wares Creek Bridge Replacement project involves replacing four bridges and improving the existing stormwater management systems at three locations. The bridges being replaced are at 9th, 12th, 14th and 17th Avenues West. The stormwater management facilities being improved are at 9th and 20th Avenues West and at Riverview… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be holding a feral hog management hunt on the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve in Hillsborough County Jan. 29-31. The property will be closed to the public from dusk until dawn during the hunts. Normal daytime operations in the park will not be affected. Only permitted hunters will be allowed nighttime access on the property during these dates. All permits for these hunts have been sold.… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns June through September at the following Pasco County properties:

• Starkey Wilderness Preserve
• Cypress Creek Preserve
• Upper Hillsborough Preserve
• …

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While the winds and rain of Hurricane Irma could be felt across the District for three days, the preparation and response went far beyond that time frame for District staff. As part of the District’s core mission of flood protection, staff immediately jumped into action to meet the needs of the community in a variety of ways. The District’s Emergency Operations Center was activated Sept. 5, days before the history-making storm would make landfall in Florida.… Read more

An award-winning video produced by the Southwest Florida Water Management District will be featured on the Bay area public television station WUSF.“Bringing Back the Bay” is a 30-minute video that looks at the recovery of Tampa Bay and some of the challenges ahead. The improved status of Tampa Bay is the result of a cooperative effort among many agencies in the region.The video can be seen in the Bay area on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 9 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 3 at 12… Read more

  This October the District is collaborating with the Hillsborough River Watershed Alliance to raise watershed awareness by declaring Oct. 20–27 as Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week. The Hillsborough River originates in the Green Swamp and is approximately 54 miles long. Part of the river is designated as an Outstanding Florida Water. The Hillsborough River watershed encompasses approximately 950 square miles. The watershed is located within… Read more

Gene Schiller, deputy executive director; Elaine Kuligofski, human resources director; Steve Uebel, human resources manager; and Pam Baldwin, senior human resources generalist, are proud of the District’s distinction. The Southwest Florida Water Management District was recently honored, for the second year in a row, by the Pasco-Hernando Jobs and Education Partnership Regional Board, Inc., as one of the best places to work in Hernando County. “It is a… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns January through March on Potts Preserve, Flying Eagle Preserve and Chassahowitzka River and Coastal Swamps in Citrus… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be holding a feral hog management hunt on the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve in Hillsborough County Nov. 30 – Dec. 2. The property will be closed to the public from dusk until dawn during the hunts. Normal daytime operations in the park will not be affected. Only permitted hunters will be allowed nighttime access on the property during these dates. All 20 permits for these hunts have… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state's wildfire emergency last spring. That's why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns March through September 2018 on Potts Preserve and the Two Mile Prairie Connector parcel in Citrus County. Potts Preserve is located approximately two miles east of the City of Hernando… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns October through December on Potts… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a series of public workshops to gather feedback about the preliminary results of 19 model scenarios for the Withlacoochee River Watershed Initiative. These scenarios were evaluated to better understand how past or future changes may affect the Withlacoochee River and its surrounding watershed.The public is invited to provide input at any of five scheduled regional public information workshops. These… Read more

This past rainy season proved to be one of the busiest in recent history for the District’s Structure Operations staff.  “It was definitely one of the most difficult seasons in the last 10 years,” said Mike Bartlett, chief structure controls analyst. “And that’s including the 2004 hurricane season.”  What made it so difficult was the steady rain this season from frequent thunderstorms caused by the sea breeze. These type of storms often produce a lot of… Read more

Who's Who at the District At a time when most people often begin planning for their retirement, Betty Rushton was beginning her career in environmental science. “This is my second career,” said Rushton. “My first was a homemaker.” After raising four sons, Rushton went back to school at age 50 to finish her undergraduate degree in environmental studies at New College in Sarasota. But Rushton didn’t stop there, she continued on until she received her master’s in… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) will hold a series of public meetings for the 2013 Recreation Evaluation process.District staff has conducted a review and evaluation of recreational opportunities on District-managed lands. The public is invited to review staff's preliminary findings and provide input at any of four scheduled regional public information meetings. These meetings will be an open house format and take… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a feral hog management hunt on the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve in Hillsborough County Jan. 12-14. The property will be closed to the public from dusk until dawn during the hunts. Normal daytime operations in the park will not be affected. Only permitted hunters will be allowed nighttime access on the property during these dates. All permits for these hunts have been sold.… Read more