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The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is inviting the public to comment on proposed minimum and guidance levels for Lake Wimauma at a public workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 20. The workshop will be held from 6 p.m. to approximately 7:30 p.m. at SouthShore Regional Library, 15816 Beth Shields Way in Ruskin.Minimum levels are established to protect lakes from impacts associated with groundwater and surface water withdrawals… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum and guidance levels for Lake Marion in Levy County.A public workshop will be held Wednesday, Oct. 11, at the Williston Community Center, 50 Northwest Main Street, Williston. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m.A minimum flow or level (MFL) is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and/or environment. The District Governing… Read more

A change in the global weather pattern in 2016 meant residents also saw a change in rainfall patterns. Most areas of the District saw above-average rainfall in the first part of the year caused by a mild El Nino. But the development of a La Nina cycle caused drier-than-normal conditions the second half of the year. The La Nina event is expected to dissipate by February, and climatic conditions are expected to turn to neutral conditions. That means rainfall patterns aren’t… Read more

A Low Impact Development (LID) workshop will be featured on Sept. 6 during Florida’s 31th Annual Conference on Water Management at the Westin Innisbrook Golf Resort in Tarpon Springs. The conference is being held Sept. 6-8.The LID workshop will provide builders and developers an open forum with government stormwater regulators. The workshop will also allow builders and developers to learn from their contemporaries who have successfully implemented LID practices.Paul… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum levels for Lake Marion in Levy County.A public workshop will be held Monday, Dec. 12, at the Williston Community Center, 50 Northwest Main Street, Williston. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m.A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and/or environment. The District Governing Board sets these limits as… Read more

table(webalert). |Who:|Conservation-minded volunteers and Southwest "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ staff.||*What:*|"National Public Lands Day(National Public Lands Day)":http://www.publiclandsday.org/ volunteer cleanup event of the District's "Potts Preserve(Potts Preserve)":/recreation/areas/potts.html in Citrus CountyVolunteers will trim branches from walking trails and pick up trash in and around the River… Read more

Water Wise Winners Two homebuilders each walked away with the equivalent of an “Academy Award” for incorporating water conservation landscaping into their designs. The Gibraltar Homes’ Caterina III model received the Water-Wise Landscaping Award in Manatee County and the Lee Wetherington Homes’ Opal model received the top prize for Sarasota County. The winners were each presented with a plaque at the 2004 Parade of Homes Awards Gala of the Home Builders… Read more

The confluence of Flint Creek and the Hillsborough River provides a beautiful setting for John B. Sargeant Park. The park is best known for boating access to the river. Downriver, the Hillsborough River State Canoe Trail is a winding, verdant jungle of hardwood trees, lilies and birds. Upstream, the river widens to flow through the broad hardwood swamp known as the Seventeen… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a workshop on Thursday, April 27 at 5 p.m. at Crystal River Middle School, located at 344 N.E. Crystal Street in Crystal River. The purpose of the workshop is to allow for public comment on the proposed minimum flow for the Crystal River/Kings Bay system in Citrus County. The Florida Legislature requires the District to set minimum flows and levels for priority water bodies within the District.… Read more

Gov. Charlie Crist recently appointed a new member to the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Ronald E. Oakley of Zephyrhills was appointed to succeed Talmadge G. “Jerry” Rice. His term began June 29 and ends March 1, 2011. Oakley is the executive vice president of Oakley Groves, Inc. He will also assume responsibility as chair ex officio of the District’s Withlacoochee River Basin Board.Governing Board members are unpaid, citizen volunteers… Read more

District leaders recently attended the dedication of Water Works Park in the City of Tampa, which included the restoration of Ulele Springs. The 5-acre park is part of the city’s plan to revitalize the Riverwalk District and Tampa Heights. Ulele Springs is a unique natural spring systems within downtown Tampa. Initiated in 2012, the Ulele Springs Restoration project is a  cooperative funding partnership between the District, city and Ecosphere Restoration… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during June, July, August and September on the District's "Upper Hillsborough Tract(Upper Hillsborough Tract)":/recreation/areas/uh-upperhill.html property in Pasco and Polk counties.The Upper Hillsborough Tract is located approximately five miles east of Zephyrhills. Approximately 1,000 acres of land… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us will be conducting ""controlled, prescribed burns"(Prescribed Fire - a Tool of Nature)":/publications/files/prescribed_fire.pdf during June and July on the District's Annutteliga Hammock property in Hernando County.The "Annutteliga Hammock (Annutteliga Hammock)":/recreation/areas/annuteligahammock.html property is located in the Royal Highlands area of… Read more

District staff is asking agricultural and recreational water use permit holders for their input on how the District can make the online permit data submittal process more user-friendly. Reported permit data is used by the water management district to help manage the state’s water resources and can be used by permit holders to conserve water and energy. The District’s goal is to streamline this process and make information easily accessible for the public and District… Read more

The Florida Senate has confirmed the appointments of five Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board members.

• Jack Bispham represents Manatee County and his term ends March 1, 2021.
• Joel Schleicher represents Charlotte and Sarasota counties and his term ends March 1, 2023.
• Kelly Rice represents Citrus, Lake, Levy and Sumter counties and his term ends March 1, 2023.
• Roger Germann represents…

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Left: Governing Board Members Sallie Parks, seated, and Ron Oakley, standing to her left, review the project map. Right: Manny Lopez, left, a senior environmental scientist, and Oakley examine lead shot deposits. District staff and Board members recently toured Sawgrass Lake in Pinellas County to view the site of an upcoming restoration project. The restoration project… Read more

Governor Rick Scott appointed David Dunbar to the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/. Dunbar replaces Jennifer Closshey whose term ended on March 1st of this year. The Governing Board seat is a joint Pinellas/Hillsborough seat.Dunbar, of Palm Harbor, is a commercial banker with Synovus Bank of Florida. He received his bachelor's degree in finance from Florida State University. Dunbar's… Read more

According to the National Weather Service, parts of the Tampa Bay area are expected to have below freezing temperatures Sunday and Monday morning. This has prompted the Southwest Florida Water Management District to advise residents who live near Plant City and Dover and who have well pumps without automatic cutoff switches to turn off the pumps before temperatures dip. During a freeze or near-… Read more

On Tuesday, the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District adopted a FY2016-17 millage rate of 0.3317 mill, 4.9 percent lower than the current fiscal year. For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the District tax would be $33 a year, or about $2.76 per month. The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1, 2016, through Sept. 30, 2017. The total FY2016-17 proposed budget for the District is $180.1 million.The budget reflects the… Read more

h2. First Test This Saturday, July 2 at 12:30 p.m. The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ will begin monthly audible testing on Saturday, July 2, of an emergency siren located at a water control structure on Jack Creek in Lake Placid. The audible testing will occur the first Saturday of each month at 12:30 p.m. to ensure the siren performs properly. During testing, the siren will sound once for approximately 15… Read more