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At its August 27 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board reduced its millage rate to 0.3200 mill for fiscal year 2010 (FY2010), which is .0400 lower than the current fiscal year. The Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board area includes Pinellas County and the southern portion of Pasco County.This lowered millage rate, combined with a reduction in property values as certified by the Pinellas and Pasco county property… Read more

10-year project scheduled for completion in OctoberThe Southwest Florida Water Management District is inviting the media to tour the restored lake and spoil disposal area of the Lake Panasoffkee restoration project on Friday, Oct. 10, 2008 from 9 a.m. to noon.The $26.9 million project was designed to restore Lake Panasoffkee’s historic fish bedding areas, restore the historic lake shoreline and improve navigation of the third largest lake in west-central Florida. When… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering information to improve identification of flooding risks for two Marion County watersheds.This information is being developed as part of the *Gum Swamp* and *Big Jones Creek* watershed management plans. The plans were cooperatively funded by the District and Marion County.The District is holding an open house in Marion County to present preliminary floodplain… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering information to improve identification of flooding risks for three Marion County watersheds.This information is being developed as part of the *Flemington*, *Hog Prairie* and *Northwest Ocala* watershed management plans. The plans were cooperatively funded by the District and Marion County.The District is holding an open house in Marion County to present preliminary… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a virtual public meeting at 6 p.m., Thursday, July 20, to discuss updates to several of the District’s land management plans. The purpose of this meeting is to inform the public about updates to these plans, to solicit input from stakeholders, and to incorporate feedback from the public and stakeholders into the development of the new 10-year plans. The land management plans to be updated include… Read more

Today is National Camp Day and the perfect time to reflect on the ways we can connect with the great outdoors. Whether you’re an avid camper, a hiking enthusiast or simply looking for a peaceful retreat, the District offers a variety of natural spaces and activities to help you refresh and reconnect with nature.  The District provides numerous campgrounds, each… Read more

Three members of the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board took their oaths of office Tuesday.Judith C. Whitehead of Brooksville was reappointed to succeed Patsy C. Symons. Last year the state Legislature reassigned Symons’ seat to represent Hernando and Marion counties and added two new seats to the Governing Board for a total of 13 members. Whitehead, the owner of Residential Appraisal Service, was first appointed to the Governing Board… Read more

In April, the Southwest Florida Water Management District will celebrate the Peace River and the Peace River watershed with a series of events along the river.The District’s Peace River Basin Board has declared the week of April 14 through April 21 as “Peace River Watershed Awareness Week.” Participating county governments also plan to recognize this first-of-a-kind event.In conjunction with the awareness week, four events are planned within the Peace… Read more

A multimillion-dollar cooperative project among three government entities is cleaning up a watershed that eventually empties into Tampa Bay. The creation of McIntosh Park began when Hillsborough County purchased the 400-acre plot through its Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP) for Plant City. The land is adjacent to the downstream segment of the Eastside Canal, which was built in the late 1930s to drain the 6,000-acre Eastside Canal… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) invites the public to a virtual workshop Thursday, Oct. 29, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The purpose of the virtual workshop is to allow for public comment on recommended minimum flows for the Lower Peace River in Charlotte and DeSoto counties. In accordance with the directive in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Emergency Order to conduct all public meetings electronically, members of the public may… Read more

Heidi B. McCree was selected during the spring election by unanimous vote as the first female Governing Board chair in the 44-year history of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Other Board officers elected include Talmadge G. “Jerry” Rice, vice chair; Judith C. “Judy” Whitehead, treasurer; and Patsy C. Symons, secretary. “I want to thank the Board for this honor and look forward to carrying on an important legacy,” McCree said. “We have achieved great… Read more

Don Kubiak, director of the botanical gardens, and Dick Keller, co-director, share a laugh with Fox 13’s Bill Murphy during the taping of a One Tank Trips segment featuring the Nature Coast Botanical Gardens. The District is celebrating an educational milestone with the 10th anniversary of the Community Education Grant Program, a program that motivates adults to get involved in projects that promote water resources protection. The grants are used for… Read more

Hundreds of second-grade students experienced animals, art projects, exhibits and more all while learning the importance of natural resources and careers in science. The students were at the recent Water, Wings and Wild Things Kids Festival organized by Polk County’s Nature Discovery Center. Various vendors set up booths at the outdoor festival, including the District. The event took place at Circle B Bar Reserve, which is a land jointly owned by the Polk County… Read more

The Hillsborough River will get a dose of spring cleaning this Sunday, April 22 when Lowry Park Zoo’s Boy Scouts of America Zoo Troop 47 holds its annual cleanup from 8 a.m. until noon. The cleanup will focus on the Lowry Park Boat Ramp area and River Park by the Sulphur Springs water tower.Other volunteer groups, including Cub Scouts and their parents, Orange Grove Middle School volunteers, and teachers from the Lowry Park Zoo’s “Zoo School,” will… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Polk County. The District will provide a virtual public comment period now through April 29 at WaterMatters.org/Floodplain for the public to view preliminary data for flood prone areas within the Davenport Watershed. The… Read more

A cooperatively funded project between the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Lakeland will restore Lake Morton shoreline, which in turn will prevent erosion, improve water quality and provide natural habitat.Lake Morton is a 40-acre lake with approximately 1 mile of shoreline. The lake, located in a highly urbanized part of Lakeland, is a headwater lake in the Peace River system that discharges into Lake Hollingsworth. Its water quality and… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during October and November on three District sites in Pasco County. The sites are the Upper Hillsborough property, the Connerton property, and the Starkey property.The Upper Hillsborough property is approximately 3 miles east of Zephyrhills. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Connerton property is approximately 7 miles… Read more

Gov. Rick Scott recently appointed Wendy J. Giesy-Griffin to the District’s Governing Board. Giesy-Griffin of Lithia is a former environmental consultant. She was appointed to succeed Hugh M. Gramling and her term ends March 1, 2016. Giesy-Griffin consulted with Metis Environmental Services beginning in 1996. Prior to that, she was an environmental administrator with the Florida Department of Transportation from 1979 to 1985, and an environmental technician and… Read more

Some Areas Show Significant Gains Scientists with the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) completed the latest round of seagrass mapping along Florida’s Springs Coast. The results of the aerial imagery collected show 586,511 acres of mapped seagrass habitat along the Springs Coast, up slightly from the previous total of 577,920 acres in 2016. The open water nature of the area and the largely undeveloped and expansive coastal wetlands… Read more

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects when the Citrus/Hernando Waterways Restoration Council meets on Oct. 19.The Citrus/Hernando Waterways Restoration Council will meet at 3 p.m. in Conference Rooms A & B, 1st Floor, at the Southwest Florida Water Management District Headquarters, 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville.The Citrus/Hernando Waterways Restoration Council was formed by the state Legislature in 2003. The… Read more