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Above: “Before” and “after” photos show Florida-friendly landscaping installed. Right: Angela Maraj, District regional builder/developer landscape education specialist, met with Stephen Bissonnette (left), Alafia River Basin Board secretary, and Scott Coulombe (right), Polk County Builders Association executive director, at a recent builder/developer workshop in Polk County. A change is taking place in the Florida homebuilding industry. As public and industry…

Tampa Bay Water Service Area Remains at Highest Alert Level The District’s Governing Board voted in June to continue the Modified Phase IV (or Critical) water shortage restrictions for potable water use in the Tampa Bay Water service area until July 31, 2009. “While the region is out of the immediate crisis, we are still contending with the effects of the long-term drought,” said David Moore, District executive director. “The May rainfall helped, but the summer…

Area Returns to Phase III Water Restrictions In August the District’s Governing Board voted to reduce the water restrictions in the Tampa Bay Water service area from Modified Phase IV (or Critical) to Modified Phase III (or Extreme) for potable water use. The Board voted to ease the water restrictions because Tampa Bay Water has been able to store 8.3 billion gallons of water in the 15-billion-gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir. However, District staff…

Volunteers are a valuable resource for the District, which is why several groups and one individual who take part in the District’s Land Resources Volunteer Program were recognized at the Governing Board’s August and September meetings. The Flatlanders, Southcreek Equestrians, Florida Trail Association, Withlapopka Community Volunteers, West Central Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of America and Kyle DeVary were presented with the President’s Volunteer Service Award — a…

Fifteen Sarasota County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received Splash! mini-grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators totaling more than $413,000. That’s 72 more grant recipients than last year.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the increase in awardees to an increase in promotion among the District’s…

Nine Citrus County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received Splash! mini-grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators totaling more than $413,000. That’s 72 more grant recipients than last year.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the increase in awardees to an increase in promotion among the District’s school…

Eight Polk County projects were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The grants, which are up to $5,000 each, will help fund projects that provide communities the opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 49 grants Districtwide for a total of $171,444. This is the 10th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is announcing the recipients of the 2005 Community Education Grant Program. The grants, which are up to $5,000 each, will help fund projects that provide communities the opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 29 grants Districtwide for a total of $107,667.The overall goal of the Community Education Grant Program is to actively engage adults in water-related issues pertaining to conservation,…

Fourteen Sumter County teachers 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 program in Sumter County to…

When Governor Charlie Crist announced his Green Initiative this summer during the climate change summit in Miami, the District’s managers heard him loud and clear. “The District is already a leader in water conservation,” said David Moore, District executive director. “Incorporating energy-efficient practices into the District’s day-to-day operations makes sense and fits into our focus on sustainable growth and environmental responsibility.” The District’s goal is…

Fellowship, Day in the Woods Highlight Hunt It doesn’t matter if you go home with game or not,” said Jay Leonard, a hunter from Crawfordville, Florida. “I just enjoy getting out in the woods.” Leonard’s sentiments were echoed by the other hunters participating in the first National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF)/Wheelin’ Sportsmen event hosted on District land. The Wheelin’ Sportsmen group is dedicated to providing people with disabilities the opportunity to…

A group of kayakers armed with gloves and garbage bags launched their vessels from the Clam Bayou Nature Park. The volunteers, led by Kurt Zuelsdorf, were on a mission to collect trash from the mangrove-lined Clam Bayou. Zuelsdorf was able to bring together this eco-minded band of volunteers through a District Community Education Grant he applied for and received this spring. The $3,512 grant was used to pay for the volunteers’ kayak rentals, trash bags and equipment…

Hernando County residents who completed a rain barrel class at the county Extension office each took home their own rain barrel. Darcy Paust used to collect rainwater in buckets placed around her Spring Hill home to water her plants. Then she read about a rain barrel class in the paper and thought having a rain barrel would be easier than collecting the water from her buckets. Paust joined the thousands of residents who attend rain barrel classes at their…

Just in time for National Public Lands Day, the District is launching its “Get Outside!” campaign on September 26 to promote the District’s lands to the public. “Get Outside!” is a communications campaign based on research that focuses on what would make people more likely to get outside on District lands. The goal of the campaign is to promote the value of ecosystem protection through recreation on conservation lands. The District has…

Twelve Hernando County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received Splash! mini-grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators totaling more than $413,000. That’s 72 more grant recipients than last year.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the increase in awardees to an increase in promotion among the District’s school…

Sixteen Manatee County teachers are among the record number of educators who applied for and received Splash! mini-grants through the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This year the District awarded Splash! mini-grants to 209 educators totaling more than $413,000. That’s 72 more grant recipients than last year.Mary Margaret Hull, lead communications coordinator, attributes the increase in awardees to an increase in promotion among the District’s school…

At its June 12 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Withlacoochee River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) millage rate of 0.2308 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Withlacoochee River Basin Board area covers portions of Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Sumter, Marion, and Levy counties.This millage rate, combined with a reduction in taxable property values as estimated by the county property appraisers, will…

At its July 26 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.2421 mill, which is .0259 less than the current fiscal year. This reduction is in accordance with the tax reduction mandated by the Florida Legislature.The FY2008 millage rate has been set equal to 97 percent of the rolled-back rate in compliance with House Bill 1B, the tax reform legislation signed into law…

At its June 7 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.268 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.Further, in the event that a tax reduction is mandated by the Legislature during its special session later this month, the Basin Board has authorized the Executive Director, with the concurrence of the Basin Board chair ex officio, to recalculate its…

Who:Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing and Basin Board members and staff, hundreds of volunteersWhat:District volunteers awards presentation, exhibits, picnic lunch and nature hike. Speakers include Governing Board chair, Heidi McCree; and Martha Garcia, Tampa Bay Watch environmental scientist.When:Saturday, April 8, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The award ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m.Where:Green…