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The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently signed an agreement with Pinellas County to move forward on a project that will reduce erosion and flooding along Bear Creek Channel.The Bear Creek watershed is approximately 4.4 square miles in Pinellas County. Part of the watershed is in St. Petersburg and part in South Pasadena. The area was developed before the current land use and stormwater management regulations were implemented.This project involves reshaping…

h2. District Seeking Public Input on Proposals for Four PropertiesThe "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ recently completed an evaluation of eight District-managed lands to determine if additional hunting opportunities are available. Draft proposals for four of these lands will be presented at a public meeting on Monday, Dec. 5. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and will be held at the Hillsborough Community College…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board approved an agreement today that will allow rowing teams more access to the Tampa Bypass Canal.The agreement with the Tampa Bypass Canal Rowing Council, Inc., which is a not-for-profit organization created to help college and high school rowing teams train, will allow the organization to construct and maintain a training facility downstream from Harney Park on the southern portion of the canal.The Tampa…

The Florida House of Representatives and Senate each adopted a resolution last week declaring April 14 through April 21 Peace River Watershed Awareness Week.The Senate resolution was sponsored by Sen. J.D. Alexander. Sens. Michael Bennett, Lisa Carlton and Rhonda Storms co-sponsored the resolution.The House resolution was sponsored by Rep. Michael Grant. Reps. Frank Attkisson, Marty Bowen, Seth McKeel and Dennis Ross co-sponsored the resolution.“We’re pleased that our…

Workshop to follow at 10:30 a.m. The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. After the Governing Board meeting, the District will hold an informational workshop on water resources planning and financial projections. Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding fully…

Veteran and incoming Governing Board and Basin Board members recently took part in a planning workshop at the Tampa Service Office. More than half of the 56 board members attended the workshop that featured District projects and departments. The workshop featured in-depth lectures, panel discussions and thematic exhibits. It also allowed the Board members the opportunity to talk with Governing Board Chair Heidi McCree. Jennifer Closshey, Governing Board member and…

Environmental education took a leap forward in Hernando County with the recent dedication of the Springs Coast Environmental Education Center. A ceremony and plaque presentation was held recently to honor the partnership among the District, its Coastal Rivers Basin Board and the Hernando County School Board, which contributed to the opening of the center. “This is one more excellent example of bringing together local governments and the District to promote water…

Television viewers throughout the District are learning about Florida-friendly landscaping through the District’s new advertising campaign. The series of three commercials feature people enjoying beautiful Florida-friendly yards while homeowners and landscaping experts tell the viewer more about the nine basic principles. Portions of the commercials were taped at Lakewood Ranch, a development in Sarasota and Manatee counties that is certified by the Florida Green…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the live video stream link. The video stream…

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Hernando County Task Force meeting.The meeting is being held Monday, July 7, 3:30 p.m. in the Governing Board Room at the Southwest Florida Water Management District Headquarters, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Hernando County. Examples of…

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Hernando County Task Force meeting.The meeting is being held Monday, Jan. 7, 3:30 p.m. in the Governing Board room of the Southwest Florida Water Management District Headquarters, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Hernando County. Examples of…

Jason DiBattista, District tradesworker, inspects the sprinkler heads at the District each month, cleaning in and around them. The District’s rain sensor device overrides the irrigation timer if there has been enough rain. Making sure your irrigation system is operating effectively and efficiently is always important, but it is even more critical during periods of drought when water restrictions are tighter. Here are a few simple ways to check your irrigation…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://watermatters.org, together with Citrus and Marion counties and the cities of Crystal River and Dunnellon, will proclaim March 14-20 as Springs Awareness Week. Nitrate pollution from overusing fertilizers is one reason the quality of our springs is declining. Everyone who lives, works and plays in west-central Florida can take these simple steps to help protect our springs:*…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/, the "US Fish and Wildlife Service(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)":http://www.fws.gov/, and the "Friends of Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge(Friends of Chassahowitzka)":http://friendsofchazz.org/ are holding a third public open house at the newly acquired Three Sisters Springs property on Saturday, Jan. 22, from 8 a.m. to noon."Our refuge biologist, Joyce Kleen, counted…

Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Nancy Watkins and reappointed Ashley Bell Barnett, Kelly Rice, and Joel Schleicher to the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board. Watkins represents Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, Bell Barnett represents Polk County, Rice represents Citrus, Lake, Levy and Sumter counties and Schleicher represents Charlotte and Sarasota counties. Watkins, of Tampa, is a certified public accountant at Robert Watkins & Company…

  Left: District staff outside the Welcome Center: Will Miller, land use and protection manager; Colleen Kruk, senior land use specialist; Eric Sutton, Land Resources assistant director; Heidi McCree, Governing Board member; and Lou Kavouras, deputy executive director, accept a plaque honoring the District’s commitment to Nature’s Classroom. Center: Sixth graders from Young Middle School take water samples and examine what they scooped up — in this case, a water…

The Governing Board appointed Brian Armstrong as executive director at today's monthly Board meeting. Robert Beltran, who announced his resignation earlier this month, will stay on temporarily to assist in the transition. Beltran was appointed to serve as the District's executive director in September 2013, and is returning to the private sector.Mr. Armstrong has served as the District's assistant executive director since May 2014. In that role he has been responsible for…

Left: Philip Rhinesmith, District senior environmental scientist, demonstrates animal track plaster casting techniques to a group of students. Center: Students examine and identify macroinvertebrates in a water sample at the water quality station. Right: The soil sampling station was popular among many of the students on the field trip. Seventh-grade science students from Wildwood Middle High School recently stepped outside the classroom to collect and…

The District’s work with springs is receiving worldwide attention as a Paris production crew recently documented some of the District’s projects.  One Planet Productions, based in France, writes and produces films dedicated to science, society, nature and the environment. Their films are broadcast on French television, as well as National Geographic and the Discovery Channel.  The film crew spent about a week documenting springs in the District. They…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Pasco County. Residents living in the Lower Coastal watershed are invited to attend an open house on Monday, Sept.10 at 4 p.m. The meeting will take place at Gulf High School, located at 5355 School Road in New Port Richey. District representatives will present preliminary data for flood prone areas, explain the basis…