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_District partnering with Sarasota County on purchase_The "Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board(Governing Board)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard approved the acquisition of conservation easements on the Walton and Longino ranches in Sarasota County today, which will link a regional corridor of conservation lands between the Myakka and Peace rivers.The "District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the purchase of two parcels of environmentally sensitive land in the Annutteliga Hammock area of Hernando County.The first parcel of land is located on the north side of Centralia Road. The 4.43-acre parcel is being purchased for $35,994.The second parcel of land is also located on the north side of Centralia Road and is 1 mile east of Lalani Lane at the north end of Bareva road in the Royal… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during January and February on two District sites in Hillsborough County. The sites are the Alafia Reservoir property and the Lower Hillsborough property.The District’s Alafia Reservoir property is approximately 3 miles southwest of Lithia. Approximately 150 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Lower Hillsborough property is… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Serenova Tract will be reserved Oct. 21-23for an event that allows disabled hunters the opportunity to experience the outdoors. The property will be closed to the public during this time.The hunt, which is organized by the National Wild Turkey Federation/Wheelin’ Sportsmen, is one of more than 24 events the group holds throughout Florida each year. Other outings include fishing events, recreational shooting, and other… Read more

  Gardenia Long, Watson Haynes II, Charles C. Scott and Lorraine Mayers at the Florida water management districts’ booth at the National Urban League Conference in Chicago, Illinois. Be loyal. Be a team player. Act right. Those are the golden rules that District Governing Board Chair Watson L. Haynes II learned early in his life from his mother, a woman with a third-grade education but a Ph.D. in character. The late Emma Haynes raised seven children… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Serenova Tract will be closed to the public Oct. 22-24. The District is limiting access to the property to prepare for an event that allows disabled hunters the opportunity to experience the outdoors.The hunt, which is organized by the National Wild Turkey Federation/Wheelin’ Sportsmen, is one of more than 24 events the group holds throughout Florida each year. Other outings include fishing events, recreational… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will close all District-managed campgrounds and properties to include trails and day use areas throughout its 16-county region at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, in anticipation of impacts from Hurricane MiltonFor the most updated information, please visit the District’s website at … Read more

Workshop to follow at 10:30 a.m. The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. After the Governing Board meeting, the District will hold an informational workshop on water resources planning and financial projections. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Governing Board has approved a contract for the purchase of a significant portion of the eastern bank of the Rainbow River. The parcel proposed for acquisition consists of nearly 115 acres and includes nearly a half mile of river frontage. The contract also contains provisions to protect an additional 620 feet of shoreline associated with existing private landholdings.Rainbow Springs is the largest first magnitude… Read more

 Photo left: District staffers Bob Brady, senior field technician; Carol Kraft, staff hydrologist; Dave DeWitt, senior geologist/engineer; and Tim Crosby, field technician, check out Peace Sign cave. Photo center: An 87-year-old tour participant talks to Gary Williams, District senior environmental scientist, on the walk to the caves. Photo right: Tim Crosby, field technician, shows tour participants how the District collects water quality samples. This… Read more

At its July 26 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alafia River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) millage rate of 0.2163 mill, which is .0237 less than the current fiscal year. This reduction is in accordance with the tax reduction mandated by the Florida Legislature.The FY2008 millage rate has been set equal to 97 percent of the rolled-back rate in compliance with House Bill 1B, the tax reform legislation signed into law by Gov.… Read more

About two dozen community leaders and other citizens got an up-close look at the condition of Kings Bay when the District hosted a boat tour last week.  The tour was one of the events during Save Our Waters Week in Citrus County. Chris Anastasiou, chief environmental scientist, Sean King, staff engineer, and Sky Notestein, senior environmental scientist, facilitated the tours, which included stops at Tarpon Hole, Magnolia Spring and Hunter Spring. Staff discussed… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted Tuesday to elect a new slate of officers for the 2020-2021 term. Kelly Rice was elected chair of the Governing Board. Rice represents Citrus, Lake, Levy and Sumter counties and is a small business owner involved in real estate, agriculture and health care. Rice was appointed to the Governing Board in September 2015. Joel Schleicher was elected vice chair of the Governing Board. Schleicher represents… Read more

A light rain greeted about 100 children from the Boys & Girls Club of Hernando County as they arrived at the Weekiwachee Preserve, but the sprinkles didn’t dampen their excitement. The children were there to learn about water resources through fun, hands-on exercises and explorations. This is the third year District staff from several departments worked together to plan the popular field trip. The children, who ranged in age from kindergarten to fifth grade, rotated… Read more

Just two days into their weeklong summer camp and the students of Camp Citrus were looking at water in a whole new way. Their snorkel at Three Sisters Springs wasn’t just a leisurely swim in the pristine waterway. The middle school students examined vegetation, discussed flows and looked for habitats. And that’s the point of Camp Citrus, according to Earnie Olsen lead teacher at the summer camp hosted by the Marine Science Station in Citrus County.  “We not… Read more

Who: Representatives from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Land Resources Department, Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful and volunteersWhat: As part of National Public Lands Day, the District’s Land Resources Department is coordinating a volunteer beach trash pick up along the District’s Piney Point Tract, which was acquired from TECO with funds from the Florida Forever Program. This property, which consists of 2,376 acres of uplands and coastal habitats,… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ voted today to begin the process to sell its Bartow Service Office and relocate staff to two other locations.The move is part of the "District's reorganization ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/news/article/1764/ to increase efficiencies, reduce operational costs and meet the District's core mission responsibilities in the areas of water supply, flood protection, water quality… Read more

table(webalert). |Who:|Students and staff from Wildwood Middle High School and field experts from the "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ .||*What:*|Sumter County School District personnel and District field experts will engage 85 seventh-grade students in activities that integrate the use of technology tools with the collection and recording of data about the site. The highlights include conducting water quality… Read more

Terese Power, a staff engineer with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, uses a watershed model to show Lacy Garman from Brooksville how pollution works its way into rivers and lakes. District employees combined the annual Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day to teach children about conservation, pollution prevention, and environmental stewardship. If you would like a high-resolution photograph for publication, contact… Read more

Who: Representatives from Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation, and Conservation Department, Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program staff and volunteersWhat: As part of the 24th annual International Coastal Cleanup, the District’s SWIM Program staff is helping coordinate a volunteer work day at Marsh Creek in Ruskin. More than 100 volunteers are needed to help… Read more