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The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has temporarily closed the Brogden Bridge at Turner Camp Road and Wysong-Coogler airboat slides in Citrus County due to safety concerns associated with high water levels. Attempts to use the slides in current conditions could damage airboats or injure passengers. Staff will continue to monitor conditions and will reopen the slides as soon as practical. The District operates one additional airboat slide in…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has reopened the Brogden Bridge airboat slide at Turner Camp Road in Citrus County after completing required maintenance associated with the wooden deck. The slide is located between the Hernando and Inverness pools of the Tsala Apopka Chain of Lakes. 

Members of the District’s Springs Team were among the collection of speakers at the recent Springs into Action workshop. The all-day event, hosted by the Hernando County Groundwater Guardian, aims to educate community leaders and other residents about issues surrounding area springs. Some of the topics were springs protection, recreation and restoration. The District’s…

Lake Panasoffkee water is clearer, eelgrass is thicker and fisheries are richer in response to the recent restoration project and effective management of lake levels, according to the District and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials. The lake continues to respond well following the dredging restoration project, which was completed in November 2008. The 10-year, $26.9 million project restored Lake Panasoffkee’s historic fish bedding areas and…

The Land Management Section of the "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ will be conducting prescribed burns during the month of June on lands acquired by the District known as the Weeki Wachee property. The location of this tract of land is approximately two miles west of Weeki Wachee and Spring Hill and 0.5 miles east of Hernando Beach. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ voted today to elect new officers to the board. "Carlos M. Beruff":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/profiles/carlos_beruff.html was elected chair of the Governing Board. Beruff represents Manatee County, and is owner and president of Medallion Homes Gulf Coast, Inc. Beruff was appointed to the Board in July 2009, and re-appointed in March 2013."…

District prepares for Hurricane FrancesBoat Lock at Wysong-Coogler Structure on Withlacoochee River ClosedIn preparation for Hurricane Frances, the Southwest Florida Water Management District is closing the boat ramp on the Wysong-Coogler Adjustable Water Conservation Structure (AWCS).The boat ramp on the Withlacoochee River will be temporarily closed to navigation Saturday, Sept. 4 and Sunday, Sept. 5 due to the storm. The closure may extend through Monday, depending on…

 Left: Jim W. Veal, Sr., George L. Buhmeyer and Phyllis Hanson-Moffitt unveiled the plaque that recognizes Evan A. “Billy” Merritt, David C. Hanson and the other Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Council members. Right: Attendees set off on a lake tour following the ceremony. District Board members and staff, as well as members of the Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Council, recently celebrated the completion of a ten-year project to restore Lake Panasoffkee. The…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will hold aPublic Meeting for Pending Permit Applications on Aug. 5, 9 a.m., at the District’s Tampa Service Office.The monthly meetings will afford the public an opportunity to comment on pending permits prior to a final decision being made by the District.The…

She couldn’t help it; volunteering is in her blood. In the summer of 2000, Heidi McCree had entered a new phase in her life. She resigned from her position as executive director of the Hillsborough River Greenways Task Force, wanting to devote more time to her family and her newly adopted son, Alexander. Then came the call from the Governor’s Office. “Have you ever thought about being a Governing Board member?” “There was something within me … I just had to be…

At its Aug. 11 meeting, the "Southwest Florida Water Management District's(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us Manasota Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) millage rate of 0.1484 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The "Manasota Basin Board(Manasota Basin Board)":/about/basinboards/manasota.php area includes Manatee and Sarasota counties.This millage rate, combined with a reduction in taxable property values…

District's Cooperative Funding Initiative to Continue In order to increase efficiency of operations and reduce costs, the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board approved a resolution today to merge the budgets of the District's eight Basin Boards into the Governing Board, while keeping a reduced Cooperative Funding Initiative to fund regional projects. The District's eight Basin Boards provided guidance for local programs and projects that were…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is inviting the public to comment on revised "minimum flows for the Chassahowitzka and Homosassa river systems":http://www.WaterMatters.org/SpringsCoastMFL/ at a public workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 2. The workshop will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lecanto Government Building, 3600 W. Sovereign Path, Room 166, Lecanto.The state Legislature requires the District to set minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for priority water…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a virtual public meeting at 4 p.m., Thursday, July 25, to discuss updates to the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve Land Management Plan.The District adopts land management plans to ensure its public conservation lands are being managed in ways that are consistent with Florida Statutes and the District’s mission. District lands are acquired to preserve and protect water resources and natural systems while…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during June, July and August on the District’s Upper Hillsborough property in Pasco and Polk counties.The Upper Hillsborough property is approximately 2 miles east of Zephyrhills. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 300 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According…

Who: Willis Peters Exceptional Center teachers and studentsWhat: A grand opening to celebrate the completion of an outdoor classroom garden, which features a butterfly garden as well as a hydroponic container garden.When: Friday, April 24, 11 a.m.Where: Willis Peters Exceptional Center, 3035 Nelson Ave., DoverWhy: The students spent eight months learning about water conservation and hydroponic container gardening. The garden enables all students with disabilities a unique…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the rest of November and throughout December and January at a section of the District’s Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention Area, which includes Flatwoods Park and the Oak Ridge Equestrian area.The property is located off Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in the New Tampa area. Approximately 500 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board voted to decrease property taxes by adopting a proposed rolled-back millage rate of 0.2801 mill for the proposed fiscal year 2020 budget. The millage rate is more than 5.2 percent lower than the current fiscal year adopted millage rate of 0.2955 mill, a savings to taxpayers of approximately $6.5 million. For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during December on the District’s Halpata Tastanaki Preserve. The property is approximately six miles east of Dunnellon. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 1,000 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns are…

The Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) adopted a proposed 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…