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The District’s Water Conservation Hotel and Motel Program (Water C.H.A.M.P.) is being noticed throughout the southeast for its success. Governing Board member Watson Haynes II and Melissa Roe, a District senior communications coordinator, will represent the District when they accept a Gulf Guardian Award in Corpus Christi, Texas. Water C.H.A.M.P. received second place among government programs that help protect the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf Guardian Awards are…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted today to modify its existing Phase I water shortage, expanding it to cover the District’s entire 16-county area beginning May 8.  Under Phase I, water utilities and their local governments are expected to review and revise water restriction enforcement procedures, begin monthly enforcement reporting and…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard last week voted to help fund $1.9 million in projects that will help reduce groundwater withdrawals in eastern Hillsborough County by 550,000 gallons per day and 18 million gallons for frost/freeze protection.All five projects are located on strawberry farms within the proposed Dover/Plant City Water Use Caution Area.…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s water conservation restroom trailer will make its Pasco County debut when it appears at the 3rd Annual Pasco County Extension Service Open House and Plant Sale. The event is being held October 23 at the Pasco County Fairgrounds in Dade City.This popular and practical water conservation restroom trailer has appeared at more than half a dozen community festivals within the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River and…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s water conservation restroom trailer will make its Pasco County debut when it appears at the 3rd Annual Pasco County Extension Service Open House and Plant Sale. The event is being held October 23 at the Pasco County Fairgrounds in Dade City.This popular and practical water conservation restroom trailer has appeared at more than half a dozen community festivals within the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River and…

At its August 19 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Peace River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.195 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2006 is $13,321,519, which is an increase of $3,126,709 from the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to an increase in property values, increases in funding from local governments for Cooperative Funding projects, and…

At its August 17 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.160 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2006 is $20,235,533, which represents an increase of $5,859,524 from the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to an increase in property values, an increase in carryover funds from prior years as compared to FY2005 and…

At its June 10 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Peace River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.195 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The tentative budget for FY2006 is $10,488,788, which is an increase of $293,978 from the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to an increase in property values. FY2006 will run from Oct. 1, 2005, through Sept. 30, 2006.For…

Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District Basin Board members and staff, Friends of the Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve, Yankeetown School middle-grade students, Mayor Dawn Clary and other Yankeetown representativesWhat:The groups are celebrating the grand opening of the Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve, which includes 413 acres of publicly owned land managed by Yankeetown, a boardwalk, hiking trails and an educational building.The event will include a dedication ceremony,…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) invites the public to a workshop on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 6:00 p.m. at the Lake Wales City Hall Commission Chamber located at 201 West Central Avenue in Lake Wales. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on proposed Minimum and Guidance Levels for Lakes Starr and Wailes. The Florida Legislature requires the District to set minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for…

Water conservation will be a focal point at this year’s Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival with the addition of the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s water-conserving restroom. The restroom station will be at the annual event Jan. 13-14 at Al Lopez Park in Tampa.“The water-conserving restroom station is a practical and effective tool to spread the word about water conservation,” said Melissa Roe, project manager for the District. “Seeing the restroom station at…

Dozens of Pinellas County homeowners are taking part in the second phase of landscaping irrigation research project that will help homeowners conserve water while maintaining their lawns. The project will test soil moisture sensor technology on residential landscapes, quantify irrigation water savings and monitor and document landscape quality.The project is a joint effort by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Pinellas County and the University of Florida…

At its June 6 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Peace River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) 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 proposed millage rate combined with a reduction in taxable property values as estimated by the five county property appraisers, will result…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will use a water conservation restroom trailer to spread the word about water conservation this year at the Florida State Fair, February 10-21.“Special events like the Florida State Fair allow us to bring our water conservation message to a wide audience,” said Beth Bartos, communications manager for the District. “Thousands of people will be exposed to our message each day.”The trailer features air…

Two Charlotte County teachers and one private school teacher are among the educators who were awarded Splash! school grants through the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.This year 206 "Splash! grants(Splash! School Grants)":/education/schoolgrants were awarded to educators across "the District's 16-county region":/data/map.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the effectiveness of the grant…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will hold aPublic Meeting for Pending Permit Applications on Aug. 5, 9 a.m., at the District’s Tampa Service Office.The monthly meetings will afford the public an opportunity to comment on pending permits prior to a final decision being made by the District.The…

Efforts to restore Lake Panasoffkee are progressing well as almost half of the 1,977-acre dredging portion of the Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Council’s four-step, multi-million dollar restoration plan is complete.According to the Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Council’s annual report, which was recently accepted by the Southwest Florida Management District and will be submitted to the Legislature, approximately 956 acres have been dredged.The restoration plan, which is being…

Dazed But Not Defeated   West-central Florida was rocked against the ropes by a one-two punch combination — Hurricanes Charley and Frances. Charley was a quick, compact, uppercut with winds in excess of 145 mph ramming into the underbelly of the Southwest Florida Water Management District and ripping through the rural Peace River Basin. Then, still reeling from Charley, the area was slammed by Frances, a large, infuriatingly slow but devastating roundhouse…

District land managers plan to hold a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population. Prospective hunters can purchase permits for Phase I hunts beginning at 9 a.m. Oct. 1, on the District’s website WaterMatters.org/HogHunts. Permits will be available on a first come, first serve basis until they are sold out. The cost is $75 for each permit. A complete list of hunts with locations and dates is also…