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The "Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard voted Tuesday to begin the rulemaking process to increase its share of costs for projects that reduce groundwater pumping for frost/freeze protection in the Dover/Plant City area.The increase will be part of the "District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems, or FARMS, Program. "FARMS (FARMS Program)":/… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's ":http://www.WaterMatters.org Governing Board yesterday approved funding for a project that will reduce groundwater withdrawals in DeSoto County by an estimated annual average savings of 160,000 gallons per day.J.R. Paul Properties, Inc. will be reimbursed up to $128,000 for a surface water irrigation reservoir and tailwater recovery system at its 1,833-acre citrus grove and 17-acre field nursery. The property is located… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday adopted Fiscal Year 2007 (FY2007) millage rates. The District’s millage rate remains the same as last year for the District’s General Fund. The millage rates for seven District Basin Boards also remain the same. The Coastal Rivers Basin Board lowered its millage rate.Downloadsample projects by county.For the… Read more

A study of Flatford Swamp in Manatee County could lead to a project that could help improve groundwater levels, reduce saltwater intrusion and benefit the 3,000-acre habitat.District staff will conduct a feasibility study to recover groundwater levels by recharging millions of gallons per day of naturally-treated surface water from the swamp into the Upper Floridan aquifer. This is the most impacted area of the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA), a designation given to… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board recently approved minimum flows (or MFLs) for both the Rainbow River and the Crystal River/Kings Bay systems. A minimum flow is the limit at which withdrawals will cause significant harm. Some recent guest editorials and letters have suggested the water management district arbitrarily sets these limits and offers a "blank check" to pump unlimited amounts of water out of the aquifer. In fact, MFLs are an… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board approved minimum and guidance levels for 11 lakes in Citrus, Levy and Sumter counties.Once approved, these levels will become part of the Florida Administrative Code and the District’s rules and will be used as guidelines in District permitting programs, for development of water resource projects, as information for development bordering lakes and in the management of water control structures.The… Read more

The District’s response team jumps into action to help the Suwannee River Water Management District with flooding in its area. (Photo courtesy Paul Buchanan) As Tropical Storm Debby churned in the Gulf of Mexico in June, it brought record rainfall, flooding and damage to various areas of the District. As part of the District’s core mission of flood protection, staff immediately responded to the needs of the community in a variety of ways. The… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Tuesday voted 7-4 to approve a settlement agreement with Tampa Bay Water that resolves a dispute over how much water a seawater desalination facility must produce. The agreement also promotes environmental restoration.This agreement allows the District and Tampa Bay Water to move forward with its partnership to ensure a sustainable water supply for the Tampa Bay area and expedite environmental recovery in areas where water… Read more

Nearly a decade of public workshops, water resource analyses, and policy debates culminated this week in approval of the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) Recovery Strategy by the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board.This is an historic moment for the District, the public and the water resources, said Executive Director David L. Moore. Many years of labor and collaboration by Board members, staff, representatives of all the types of water users… Read more

A Hardee County project expected to reach up to 2,000 people was recently awarded a Community Education Grant from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/. The overall goal of the Community Education Grant program is to actively engage adults in water-related issues including conservation, protection and preservation. Funded by the "District's Basin Boards(Basin Boards)":/about/basinboards/, the program is intended to… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard Monday appointed Blake C. Guillory to serve as the District's executive director.Guillory replaces David L. Moore, who resigned on May 26. District General Counsel William S. Bilenky has been serving as interim executive director."This was a unanimous choice by the Board. Blake is the right person at the right time for… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board today approved a project to reduce groundwater pumping up to 197,000 gallons per day (gpd) at a Charlotte County citrus and cattle company.The Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) program is a cost-share reimbursement program that conserves water and protects water quality.The FARMS project, proposed by Diner Citrus & Cattle Company and OSS, LLC, is located upstream from the City of… Read more

Applications are available for teachers interested in applying for the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s 2005-2006 Splash! Mini-Grant Program. These grants provide teachers with funding for classroom projects on water quality, water conservation, alternative sources, water supply, flood protection or watersheds. The goal of the mini-grant program is to promote hands-on water education that teaches students about their local watersheds and the water resources… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday unanimously approved the fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) budget and reduced millage rates. The total FY2008 budget for the District is $395 million, which is an $11.7 million increase over the FY2007 budget of $383.3 million. $1.4 million of the budget increase is due to additional ad valorem tax revenue. The balance of the increase includes additional state funding, interest earnings and balances available… Read more

A familiar face is the District’s newest leader. Robert Beltran is now the District’s executive director. He replaces Blake Guillory who became the executive director of the South Florida Water Management District.  The Florida native and Polk County resident joined the District in March 2012 as the assistant executive director where he oversaw the District’s Regulation, Resource Management, Operations, and Maintenance and Construction divisions. Some of… Read more

On Friday, February 12, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org will certify the first home in Hernando County to meet the criteria of the "Florida Water StarSM Gold(Florida Water Star Gold)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/florida_water_star_gold program. The District has partnered with Diamond Construction to certify the home in Hernando County's Riverdale neighborhood as part of the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s new public awareness campaign will encourage residents who irrigate their lawns to “skip a week” during the cooler months.According to research by the University of Florida, as temperatures grow cooler, grass doesn’t need to be watered as often. The “skip a week” campaign will use radio and print advertisements to encourage reduce outdoor irrigation.The ads highlight the following tips… Read more

At its August 11 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.268 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The budget for FY2006 is $9,108,165, which is an increase of $3,064,078 over the approved FY2005 budget. The increase in the budget is primarily due to an increase in property values and revenue from the state’s newly created Water Protection and… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the Manatee County Extension Service and Manatee County Utilities on a rebate program aimed at promoting outdoor water conservation.As part of the program, Manatee County Utilities Operations customers who live in the western unincorporated service area of Manatee County and the cities of Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach are eligible to participate in a rain sensor rebate program.Residents or… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.watermatters.org and the City of St. Petersburg are offering city water customers a free sprinkler system checkup.St. Petersburg water customers who have an operating in-ground sprinkler system with a timer are eligible for the free program. Customers who irrigate with reclaimed, well or drinking water can apply for the program. Properties previously evaluated as part of the program in 2006 or after are not… Read more