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The District offers many recreational opportunities for everybody to get outside. The District and its partners provides recreational opportunities for the mobility-impaired. Many of the lands listed in this guide have accessible facilities such as paved trails, boardwalks, fishing piers, picnic areas or restrooms that meet the standards established by the ADA. The District also provides opportunities for mobility-impaired fishing and hunting on some… Read more

Level 3 Activation – MONITORING ONLYEither a specific situation has been detected that must be monitored or a general state of monitoring exists, as during the hurricane season. The District’s Incident Commander and key Emergency Operations Organization staff monitor the situation during normal business hours and under normal operating conditions.Level 2 Activation – PARTIAL ACTIVATIONA situation expands to a point whereby the District may be adversely affected… Read more

 With nearly 30 percent of the watershed being conservation lands, there are many opportunities for recreation throughout the Withlacoochee River watershed. Many people enjoy visiting public conservation lands obtained by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and its partners to protect Florida’s water resources. The lands are open to the public for family activities such as hiking, bicycling, hunting, horseback riding, fishing, camping, nature study, paddling… Read more

It’s morning on the Peace River. Life comes to the river, and the river comes to life... One may hear the cry of a limpkin or see little blue herons wade with outstretched wings. Slider turtles balance on a tree snag, while alligators creep nearby. It’s a scene repeated daily. The river is of importance to more than wildlife too. People have used the river for thousands of years. The Native Americans… Read more

Weeki Wachee Springs has an extensive underwater cave system and is known for its world-famous mermaids. About the SpringsThe Weeki Wachee River is a first-magnitude spring system originating in Hernando County. The headspring is home to … Read more

AGENDA ITEMS

• Hydrologic Conditions Summary
• Summary of May 2025 DEP/WMD/DOH/FGWA Workgroup Meeting
• Water Use Permitting Introduction and Intersection with Well Construction Permitting
• Dual Rotary Well Construction and its Benefits to the Region
• Variable Frequency Drive Pumps

The meeting will offer three continuing education credits in Rules/Well Construction Practices. 

The Fraud and Compliance Hotline is an anonymous hotline to report fraudulent, unethical or other dishonest behavior.The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) provides an anonymous hotline to report fraudulent, unethical or other dishonest behavior.The District defines fraud as involving a willful or deliberate act or omission with the intention of obtaining an unauthorized benefit, service, property or something of value by deception, misrepresentation or… Read more

View the WAP plant identification training video: Strata: Trees 2:47, Shrubs and Small Trees 37:31, Ground Cover 44:08About the ProgramThe purpose of the Wetland Assessment Procedure (WAP) is to characterize the ongoing biological condition and health of wetlands by collecting information on vegetation, hydrology, soils, and other pertinent variables in monitored wetlands to accurately characterize the ongoing biological condition and health of each wetland.The WAP… Read more

Mangroves are crucial to the health of the Charlotte Harbor estuary. They stabilize shorelines, prevent erosion during storms and provide perches for nesting seabirds. But their greatest contribution occurs when they shed their leaves, which sink and rot, supplying nutrients to a huge variety of microscopic creatures and forging links in a multitude of food chains. Falling at an average rate of 3.5 tons per acre, mangrove leaf litter sustains fungi, bacteria, protozoans… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, June 24 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… Read more

The watershed includes a rich mosaic of natural habitats: hardwood swamps, pine flatwoods, sandhills, oak hammocks, salt barrens and cypress domes. Saw palmetto thrives in the watershed’s flatwoods and sandhills where the sandy soil is well-drained. It forms dense colonies with ground-hugging, serpentine trunks and clusters of green, fanlike fronds. A variety of trees also make their home here, including sweet gum, water locust, laurel oak, slash pine and the bald… Read more

Four rivers impressively emerge from the Green Swamp. They are the Hillsborough, Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha and Peace rivers. These rivers provide much of central Florida’s water supply. Check out these stats and visit our other virtual watershed excursions to learn more about these rivers.Hillsborough River 

• Total length: 55 miles
• …

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Following the Governor’s directions to reduce public gatherings and practice social distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19, in-person attendance will be limited. With the exception of the Governing Board chair, all other Board members will be participating remotely. Only staff that are necessary for the meeting are attending in person at the Brooksville Headquarters, and all cooperators and members of the public will participate remotely. Fiscal… Read more

This property contains relatively unaltered natural land. The dominant natural communities are pine flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods, scrub, freshwater marsh and hardwood hammocks. The pine overstory in the flatwoods was logged by prior owners, but a high diversity of natural understory species remain. The northern portion of the tract has a higher elevation and drains into the Manatee River. The southern portion contains the freshwater marsh that gives the tract its name. The… Read more

Why does the District surplus land?The District’s Governing Board policy 610-4 requires an assessment of District lands every two years for potential surplus opportunities. The objective of the assessment is to identify and sell lands that no longer meet the original acquisition purposes of providing substantive water resource benefits. Proceeds from the sale of land may only be used to purchase lands meeting the Districts land acquisition goals or debt service associated… Read more

These plants are all NATIVE to Florida, so if you put them in the right spot, they probably won’t need fertilizers, chemicals or regular watering to grow. Some have become rare so you’ll be helping them out by planting them. As a bonus, these were chosen because they’re especially valuable to Florida's birds, bees, butterflies and other animals. Planting a few in your yard will help with the natural water cycle — and… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Marion County. The District will provide a virtual public comment period now through July 12 at … Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted Tuesday to elect officers for the 2025-2026 term. John Mitten was elected chair of the Governing Board. Mitten represents Hernando and Marion counties and is the franchise owner of Chick-fil-A in Spring Hill. Mitten was appointed to the Governing Board in October 2020 and was reappointed in August 2024.Jack Bispham was elected vice chair of the Governing Board. Bispham represents Manatee County and is… Read more

As more than 1,000 people move to Florida each day, it’s more important than ever to protect the natural resources that make our state so special. One small action – how you fertilize your lawn – can have a big impact on water quality in your neighborhood and beyond.That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) launched Fertilizing 101, a seasonal campaign based on UF/IFAS fertilizing best practices. It’s designed to help… Read more

 To learn how to better manage the Withlacoochee River watershed, the District studied how a variety of natural environments and man-made alterations have affected the river’s behavior as well as the effects of extreme high and low water levels in the river caused by natural fluctuations in rainfall and groundwater.Years of intense research have helped scientists at the District develop a comprehensive computer model of the entire river. The model has been used to test… Read more