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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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during February and March on the District’s Cypress Creek property in Pasco County. The property is approximately 3 miles east of Land O’ Lakes. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 250 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager… Read more

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… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during April on the District’s Weekiwachee Preserve. The property is approximately 1 mile west of Spring Hill. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 200 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns are implemented to… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during January on the District’s Weekiwachee Preserve. The property is approximately 1 mile west of Spring Hill. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns are implemented to… Read more

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… Read more

 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… Read more

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… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us invites the public to a meeting to gather input on the land use and management plan for the District's "Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve(Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve)":/recreation/areas/halpata.html in Marion County.The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on July 12 at Citrus County's Lecanto Government Center, 3600 West Sovereign Path in Lecanto.District staff… Read more

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… Read more

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."… Read more

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… Read more

Governor Ron DeSantis has reappointed Ed Armstrong and William Hogarth to the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board. Both Armstrong and Hogarth represent Pinellas County and were both reappointed for a term ending March 2026. Armstrong, of Dunedin, currently serves as treasurer of the Governing Board and was recently elected vice chair. He is a shareholder with… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted Tuesday to elect officers for the 2022-2023 term. Joel Schleicher was elected chair of the Governing Board. Schleicher represents Charlotte and Sarasota counties and has used his vast knowledge as a successful entrepreneur to challenge the status quo while giving back to the community via various organizations. Schleicher was appointed to the Governing Board in May 2017 and reappointed in July… Read more

A devastating weather year led to the creation of the District and weather continues to guide the District’s policies and procedures during the last six decades. As the District celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, today’s water management decisions are strongly guided by the floods, freezes and droughts of the past. The District was founded in response to a destructive year of flooding in 1960 caused by a spring rainfall event that brought 27 inches of rain… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more

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… Read more