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Who: Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) staff, state and City of Winter Haven elected officials and staffWhat: The District will host an event on the Winter Haven Chain of Lakes to celebrate 20 years since the Florida Legislature passed the Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Act. The District will provide a tour starting at Lake Hartridge Nature Park and heading south to Lake Howard. The tour will cover…

Left: District Governing Board Chair Todd Pressman speaks at the ceremony celebrating the 20-year restoration effort at Lake Maggiore. Center: Housh Ghovaee, District Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board member, releases fish into Lake Maggiore. Right: Aerial view of Lake Maggiore. St. Petersburg’s largest lake, Lake Maggiore, was recently restocked with 100,000 fish to mark the successful completion of a 20-year restoration effort. The restoration of the lake,…

School Tackles Water Issues The Tri-County Water School is now open for registration. The school, held Sept. 11–12, tackles critical water issues facing Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties. The school is run by the University of Florida IFAS Extension along with the District and the three county governments. Courses are designed to educate community leaders, natural resource managers and decision makers about current issues and future concerns regarding water…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted Tuesday to elect officers for the 2024-2025 term. Michelle Williamson was elected chair of the Governing Board. Williamson represents Hillsborough County and is the operations manager of G&F Farms. Williamson was appointed to the Governing Board in August 2016 and reappointed in December 2020. John Mitten was elected vice chair of the Governing Board. Mitten represents Hernando and Marion…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during August on the District's "Weekiwachee Preserve(Weekiwachee Preserve)":/recreation/areas/weekiwachee.html in Hernando County.Weekiwachee Preserve is located one mile west of Spring Hill. Approximately 360 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during August on the District's "Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve(Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve)":/recreation/areas/halpata.html in Marion County.Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve is located five miles east of Dunnellon. Approximately 1,535 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during August on the District's "Conner Preserve(Conner Preserve)":/recreation/areas/conner.html in Pasco County.Conner Preserve is located four miles north of Land O' Lakes. Approximately 830 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by…

It’s official. District employees in Tampa now have a new home. While the subject of maintaining flood control structures caught the nation’s attention after Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans, structures have always been at the top of the District’s priorities. Flood protection is one of the District’s areas of responsibility. The District’s goal is to minimize the potential for damage from floods by protecting and restoring the natural water storage and…

Taking Top Honors The District received four Crystal Awards at this year’s Florida Government Communicators Association Award Banquet. The FGCA Crystal Awards recognize excellence in government communications. The District won three first-place awards. The awards are for the following categories: • Internet Web Page, “Interactive Green Swamp Web Site” • External Publication, “Sprinkles” • Single Topic Publication, “Florida Waters” The District also…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum flows and levels (MFL) for Citrus and Levy County lakes.The first public workshop will be held to discuss the Fort Cooper Lake and the Floral City Pool of Tsala Apopka Lake in Citrus County and Lake Marion in Levy County. The meeting will be held Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the District’s Brooksville Headquarters, 2379 Broad Street.The second public workshop will be held to discuss…

Gov. Rick Scott reappointed five members of the District’s Governing Board: Jeffrey Adams, 56, of St. Petersburg, is an attorney with Abbey, Adams, Byelick, and Mueller LLP. He is reappointed for a term ending March 1, 2018. Elijah “Ed” Armstrong, 58, of Dunedin, is an attorney with Hill Ward Henderson. He is reappointed for a term ending March 1, 2018. Randall “Randy” Maggard, 51, of Zephyrhills, is the vice…

h2. Rules Will Reduce Impacts From Future Frost/Freeze EventsThe "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ new regulatory rules took effect today for existing and future water use permit holders in the Dover/Plant City area with crops that require frost/freeze protection.The District developed the new rules in response to the unprecedented 11-day January 2010 freeze event, which resulted in more than 750 dry wells and more…

At its Aug. 12 meeting, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us Coastal Rivers Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) millage rate of 0.1885 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The "Coastal Rivers Basin Board(Coastal Rivers Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/coastal.php covers portions of Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties.This millage rate, combined with a…

Judy Whitehead, Governing Board member and former chair, presents Patsy Symons, Tom Dabney and Heidi McCree with plaques in honor of their service on the Governing Board. The District’s Governing Board recognized two former Governing Board chairs and a former member for their dedication to public service. During the May meeting, the Governing Board honored Tom Dabney, Heidi McCree and Patsy Symons…

"The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ proclaimed April 2014 Springs Protection Awareness Month. In support of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection proclamation and efforts, the Board also emphasized that the state's springs are essential to the environment, economy, citizens and visitors of the state.The District invested more than $2.1 million in springs protection and…

According to the National Weather Service, parts of the Tampa Bay area are expected to see freezing temperatures Thursday morning.This has prompted the "Southwest Florida Water Management District ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ to advise residents who live near Plant City and Dover who have well pumps without automatic cutoff switches to turn off the pumps Wednesday night.During a freeze or near-freezing temperatures, water is pumped to protect crops and fish farms,…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during May and June on both the Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and neighboring Schewe Tract."Deer Prairie Creek Preserve(Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve)":/recreation/areas/myakka-deerprairie.html, which is jointly owned and managed by the District and Sarasota County, lies between Interstate 75…

The Land Management Section of the "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of July, August and September on lands acquired by the District known as the Annuteliga Hammock in Northwest Hernando County. Close to 100 acres will be burned, in small, manageable units, including an area located off of Knuckey Road near U.S. 19. According to Will VanGelder, the District's Land…

Ten Hillsborough County projects that will reach up to 64,500 people were awarded Community Education Grants from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. These grants provide up to $5,000 to help fund projects that provide communities an opportunity to learn about water resources.This year the District awarded 38 grants Districtwide for a total of $136,598. This is the 11th year Community Education Grants have been available.The overall goal of the Community…

Following the Florida Legislature's lead, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ proclaimed April 2013 Springs Protection Awareness Month at their monthly board meeting. The Board emphasized that the state's springs are essential to the environment, economy, citizens and visitors of the state.The District invested more than $2.2 million in "springs protection":http://www.swfwmd.state.…