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The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Manasota Basin Board Wednesday adopted a fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) millage rate of 0.1484 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Manasota Basin Board area includes Manatee and Sarasota counties.This millage rate, combined with a reduction in taxable property values as certified by the county property appraisers, will result in an estimated 12.7 percent decrease in ad valorem property tax revenue.The… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board Monday adopted a fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) millage rate of 0.2547 mill, which is the same rate as the current fiscal year. The Hillsborough River Basin Board area covers portions of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties.This millage rate, combined with a reduction in taxable property values as certified by the county property appraisers, will result in an estimated 3.8 percent decrease in… Read more

In October, the District launched a comprehensive education program, “Know Where It Flows,” to enhance the District’s ongoing efforts to improve the water quality in Crystal River/Kings Bay and the surrounding areas. “Kings Bay and other Citrus County areas have been particularly susceptible to water pollutants in ground water as a result of the area’s growth,” said Lizanne Garcia, Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program manager. The District has… Read more

  If you have young children, you may have already heard the District’s fresh perspective on water resources issues. Annaliese Delgado is the District’s “kidcaster” on Radio Disney. She is featured in 60-second water education reports on topics like conservation, sustainability and Florida-friendly landscaping. The reports will air three times a day each weekend through January 1, 2006. “Using a kidcaster to report on our area’s water resources will help… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the third phase of a project that will reduce groundwater pumping at a citrus grove in Charlotte County.TRB Groves, LLC is a 1,113-acre citrus grove located just north of Myrtle Slough which is in the Shell Creek watershed and the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA).The project, which was implemented in three phases, includes the construction of a 68-acre surface water irrigation reservoir,… Read more

Scientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program released the results of the 2014 seagrass mapping study showing a 5.2 percent increase in seagrass coverage in Charlotte Harbor. The District maps seagrass in five estuaries spanning the five coastal counties of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte. Charlotte Harbor is Florida's second largest open water estuary, and provides some of… Read more

The District’s Governing Board recently voted to begin the process of adding three first-magnitude spring systems — Weeki Wachee River, Chassahowitzka River and Homosassa River — to the Surface Water Improvement Management (SWIM) Program priority list.  The existing SWIM Program priority list includes two first-magnitude spring systems – Rainbow River and Crystal River/Kings Bay. Today’s action initiates bringing all five onto the SWIM Program priority list.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board approved a nitrogen reduction goal for water discharging from Lake Hancock and a preliminary treatment plan to achieve those goals.Lake Hancock is in the headwaters of the Peace River watershed that extends 120 miles downriver to Charlotte Harbor, an estuary of national significance and a Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) priority water body. Water quality leaving the 4,500-acre lake has… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday adopted its proposed Fiscal Year 2009 (FY2009) millage rates for the General Fund and the eight Basin Boards.The Governing Board adopted a proposed FY2009 millage rate of 0.3866 mill for the District’s General Fund, which is the same as the current fiscal year. FY2009 will run from Oct. 1, 2008, through Sept. 30, 2009.The total proposed FY2009 budget for the District is $375.8 million, 4.9 percent… Read more

Scientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Surface Water Improvement and Management, or SWIM program, released the results of its 2016 seagrass mapping study showing Tampa Bay now supports 41,655 acres of seagrass beds. This increase continues the success of the previous mapping efforts reported in 2015, supporting the largest amount of seagrass measured since the 1950s.This increase in seagrass has surpassed the recovery goal of 38,000… Read more

One of the District’s agricultural cooperative funding programs may have a positive impact on the health of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. A group of Australian sugar cane growers interested in improving water quality recently traveled to Sarasota to meet with staff to discuss the District’s Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) Program. A sugar cane industry representative discovered the program while surfing the Internet. “I have to admit… Read more

table(webalert). |Who:|Area landscaping professionals, the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association and the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/.||*What:*|Landscape professionals will compete in a circuit of challenges testing their knowledge about landscaping best management practices that will help protect water quality in springs.Competition areas include Sizing It Up for fertilization, Right Plant, Right… Read more

At its June 1 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2006 (FY2006) millage rate of 0.400 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year.The tentative budget for FY2006 is $29,276,923, which is a decrease of $2,763,519 from the approved FY2005 budget. The decrease in the FY2006 budget is primarily due to a reduction in carryover funds from prior years as compared to FY2005.… Read more

Small general permits and general water use permit holders can now take care of all their permitting needs on the District’s Water Management Information System. The system is being designed to centralize information from the District’s well construction permitting, resource data, water use permitting and environmental resource permitting databases, making it easily accessible for both staff and the public. Upon completion, the system will increase the amount of… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board approved the recommended minimum and guidance levels for select lakes in Highlands, Pasco and Polk counties. The Highlands County lakes include Angelo, Denton, Placid, Tulane and Verona. The Pasco County lakes include King, King-East and Linda. The Polk County lake is Crooked Lake.A minimum flow or level (MFL) is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources… Read more

At its June 12 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board adopted a proposed fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) millage rate of 0.1885 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Coastal Rivers Basin Board covers portions of Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties.This millage rate, combined with a reduction in taxable property values as estimated by the county property appraisers, will result in an estimated 12 percent… Read more

Polk County Utilities customers may be eligible for a $50 rain sensor rebate from the utility and the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org, which could save them up to 100 gallons of water per day. The District and Polk County Utilities have joined forces to offer rebates to Polk utility customers who add a rain sensor to their irrigation system. The rain sensor rebate is intended to help 1,295… Read more

 District staff and contractors discuss floodplain concerns with residents. District Governing Board members and staff recently got a firsthand view of a successful agricultural alternative water-use project built through the District’s Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) Program. The project involved constructing a surface water tailwater recovery system that was built at Lallymix Farms’ Poucher Road farm in Hardee County. The… Read more

Emergency Operations Center at Level 1 Activation Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials have raised the activation level of the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 1 as they continue to monitor Hurricane Ian. The EOC provides direction regarding District activities during an emergency weather event. The District is monitoring storm forecasts associated with Hurricane Ian throughout its 16-county region. In response… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ voted today to begin the process of adding three first-magnitude spring systems -- Weeki Wachee River, Chassahowitzka River and Homosassa River -- to the Surface Water Improvement Management (SWIM) Program priority list. The existing SWIM Program priority list includes two first magnitude spring systems – Rainbow River and Crystal River/Kings Bay… Read more