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The Southwest Florida Water Management District is joining forces with the Hillsborough River Watershed Alliance to celebrate the Hillsborough River and its watershed by declaring Nov. 15 through 22 as “Watershed Awareness Week.”The District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board is co-sponsoring Watershed Awareness Week in an effort to foster good watershed stewardship.The Hillsborough River Watershed Alliance is a public-private, non-profit organization that… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is about to begin a three-year restoration project at J.B. Starkey Wilderness Preserve. The project will restore 951 acres of uplands, including degraded scrub and sand hill communities.Sand pine has taken over much of the area due to the lack of fire, which naturally maintains the quality of a habitat. In addition, decades of vegetative debris has built up, leaving the area at risk for uncontrollable wildfires.This… Read more

Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF)/Wheelin’ Sportsmen representatives, disabled hunters and volunteer guidesWhat:The District has partnered with the NWTF/Wheelin’ Sportsmen to organize this turkey hunt, which allows disabled men, women and young adults to experience the outdoors. Participants will only use shotguns during the hunt.When:Saturday, March 24, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.Where:The hunt will be held on the District’… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently celebrated the contribution of hundreds of volunteers to the improvement of District lands with a Volunteer Appreciation Day.Approximately 300 volunteers are involved with the District’s Land Resources Volunteer Program. These volunteers play an important role in maintaining the District’s many recreational trails and campgrounds.“District volunteers have put in hours and hours of time helping develop… Read more

Southwest Florida Water Management District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District land this fall and winter to help reduce the wild hog population. Beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 8, prospective hunters can purchase permits for these hunts on the District's website at "HogHunts.WaterMatters.org":http://HogHunts.WaterMatters.org. Permits will be available on a first-come, first-served basis through 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, or until they are sold out.… Read more

Volunteer Contribution  Terry Yoder of the Citizen Support Organization, far right, receives an award from District Governing Board Chair Watson L. Haynes II, Governing Board member Janet D. Kovach, and Governing Board Vice Chair Heidi B. McCree. We always feed our volunteers well. If anyone wants to sign up, call me!” That’s one of the selling points Karen Michalak makes when she’s trying to recruit people to join the Pasco County Sheriff’s Mounted… Read more

Left, The intricate designs of two freshly planted intertidal lagoon systems mimic Mother Nature, incorporating various estuarine habitats. The design includes high-marsh and transitional zones in anticipation of rising sea levels, which will allow wetland platforms to migrate up the slopes over time. Top right, a tidal lagoon starts to take shape in place of an Australian pine forest that previously occupied the site. Bottom right, volunteers work to install 34,000… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is hosting an online webinar to discuss the Cooperative Funding Initiative (CFI) for fiscal year 2026. During the webinar, District staff will review the application process, discuss policy and program changes, and answer specific project-related questions. The webinar is open to the public and anyone thinking of applying for cooperative funding is encouraged to attend. All attendees must register ahead of time using… Read more

Judith C. Judy Whitehead was unanimously elected Tuesday by her peers to serve as Governing Board chair of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Other Governing Board officers selected today include C.A. “Neil” Combee, Jr., vice chair; Todd Pressman, secretary; and Jennifer E. Closshey, treasurer.Chair Judy WhiteheadWhitehead of Brooksville was first appointed to the Governing Board in March 2003, and was elected the Boards Secretary in May 2004. Whitehead served… Read more

AGENDA ITEMS

• Hydrologic Conditions Summary – Steve DeSmith, P.G.
• Life Without Light: An Introduction to Geomicrobiology – Dr. Madison Trowbridge
• Summary of May 2024 DEP/WMD/DOH/FGWA Workgroup Meeting – David Arnold, P.G.
• Summary of Well Setbacks in Table 1 of Chapter 62-532, F.A.C. – David Arnold, P.G.
• Observed Changes to Water Quality in Coastal Sarasota and Manatee Counties – Tony Guest
• Development of Ageda…

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Jarrod Bonnick says being able to participate in the hunt helped his rehabilitation. Hunters and volunteers celebrate the end of a successful day of hunting. A partnership between the District and the Outdoors Without Limits group provided a “soulful boost” to a former employee. Jarrod Bonnick worked as an environmental scientist in the District’s Bartow Service Office before joining the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2005… Read more

They pedaled, paddled and paraded through the pristine property. Dubbed the bayou beyond boundaries, the newly restored Clam Bayou exemplified the success of multiple agencies coming together to restore and protect vital resources. The District, along with officials from the Department of Transportation and the cities of Gulfport and St. Petersburg, recently held a dedication ceremony for the Clam Bayou Restoration and Stormwater Project, and Skyway Trail Extension… Read more

Land use specialists have completed the first phase of a major retooling of trail markings to make it easier for people to use trails on District properties. “We needed a standardized marking system for our trails,” said Carmen Sanders, District senior land use specialist. “Developing a standardized marking system will help us lay a solid foundation as we improve the trail systems on our properties. We want to improve the experience for visitors to our properties and… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the wild hog population. Wild hogs, which are not native to Florida, feed on roots, tubors and grubs by rooting with their broad snouts and can leave an area looking like a plowed field. They also prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for food and transmit diseases to… Read more

"Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District land during the 2013-2014 feral hog dog hunt season to help reduce the wild hog population. The District will implement a three-phase hunting system. The first two phases of hunts will have separate registration processes. Top producers from Phase 1 will be awarded free hunts for Phase 2; top producers from Phase 2 will be asked to… Read more

Two additional events are being added to the list of hands-on activities and workshops taking place during Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week, which runs Nov. 15-22.The new events include a shoreline cleanup on Nov. 15 and a Frog Listening Network presentation on Nov. 20. Details for all of the week’s events are listed below.The Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week is a cooperative effort between the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s… Read more

Volunteers who take part in the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Land Resources Volunteer Program are a valuable resource. In fact, three groups who were honored for their voluntary efforts during last week’s Governing Board meeting in Brooksville saved the District between$50,440 and $91,044.According to the Points of Light Foundation, a nationwide volunteer network clearing house, volunteers save the District between $10 and $18 an hour in labor… Read more

C.A. “Neil” Combee, Jr., was unanimously elected Tuesday by his peers to serve as Governing Board chair of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Other Governing Board officers selected today include Todd Pressman, vice chair; Jennifer E. Closshey, secretary; and Ronald E. Oakley, treasurer.Chair Neil CombeeCombee of Lakeland was appointed to the Governing Board in April 2005. He is also co-chair ex officio of the District’s Peace… Read more

Who: Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, University of Central Florida researchers, and volunteers from the local chapters of the Audubon Society and the Florida Ornithological SocietyWhat: This is the second year the District is coordinating a bird banding day at the Weekiwachee Preserve, which is located along the Hernando County Coast, west of the Weeki Wachee River. The volunteers will help District staff net sparrows and… Read more

Animal Assistance Some people panic when they hear disaster is heading their way; others mobilize and see what they can do to help. When Leigh Rogers, a regulation processing specialist at the District’s Sarasota Service Office, heard that Hurricane Charley was going to hit Florida’s west coast, she began looking for ways she could lend a hand. “I have always been interested in volunteer work,” said Rogers, who first looked into volunteering for the District’s… Read more