Search Content

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during July and August on the Prairie-Shell Creek property in Charlotte County.The site is west of U.S. Hwy. 17 and east of the Peace River, approximately eight miles northeast of Punta Gorda. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, controlled burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during March and April on the Prairie-Shell Creek property in Charlotte County.The site is west of U.S. Hwy. 17 and east of the Peace River, approximately eight miles northeast of Punta Gorda. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, controlled burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during January and February on the Prairie-Shell Creek property in Charlotte County.The site is west of U.S. Hwy. 17 and east of the Peace River, approximately eight miles northeast of Punta Gorda. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, controlled burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the… Read more

District Kudos The District was recently recognized nationally for combining function with environmentally friendly building and landscaping practices at its Sarasota Service Office. The National Commercial Builders Council of the National Association of Home Builders awarded the District the Chairman’s Award for excellence in commercial construction. “This is a very prestigious national award,” said project manager Nick Spirakis. General Services Director Lloyd… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the remaining days of October and November on the Prairie-Shell Creek property in Charlotte County.The site is west of U.S. Hwy. 17 and east of the Peace River, approximately eight miles northeast of Punta Gorda. Approximately 125 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, controlled burns are a part of routine maintenance of… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the remaining days of August and September on the Prairie-Shell Creek property in Charlotte County.The site is west of U.S. Hwy. 17 and east of the Peace River, approximately eight miles northeast of Punta Gorda. Approximately 125 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units. The scheduled, controlled burns are a part of routine maintenance of… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board approved a plan that will provide electricity to the District’s Green Swamp West property.Last May, the District signed a no-cost lease agreement which allows the Pasco High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) to use a 100-acre bahia pasture on the property for a cattle project. The FFA project area is located near the River Road entrance of the property.The cattle grazing lease allows FFA… Read more

More than 90 tons of debris removed from area sinkholesThe Southwest Florida Water Management District has completed a three-year project to improve water quality in the District’s springs by removing debris from sinkholes and areas with high aquifer permeability.Over the three-year period, 90.77 tons of debris were removed from 18 sinkholes and other karst features in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. Some of the items removed from the sinkholes included shopping… Read more

The Florida Yard Fandango is returning to the Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) this spring. The event is being held March 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is the second year the District has been involved with the Fandango. The goal of this event is to promote Florida-friendly landscaping and lawn maintenance because it is beautiful and saves water, time and energy. Participants will have the opportunity to choose from 15 workshops, including core classes on the… Read more

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through March on the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve.The Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve is located south of Cross Creek Boulevard between U.S. Highway 301 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard near Thonotosassa. Approximately 600 acres will be burned in… Read more

A homeless osprey may soon be living “the high life,” thanks to an observant District employee and Tampa Electric. William Copeland, a senior environmental scientist in the Tampa Regulation Department, noticed an osprey trying to build a nest on top of an active power pole that serves the facilities building at the District’s Tampa Service Office. “I originally asked Brant Henningsen with the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management Program where I could… Read more

Residents of the Brooker Creek watershed can learn about their region by visiting the new www.BrookerCreek.org Web site. The site provides information about watershed issues and encourages behavior change that will improve and protect the water resources.BrookerCreek.org was developed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is hosted by the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center.The Web site includes general information about watersheds, as well… Read more

 The unique habitat found on this property includes bay swamp, cutthroat grass seeps, sand pine scrub, hardwood hammock and pine flatwoods. These habitats are rich in natural beauty. The bay swamp habitat dominates the property with abundant red bay, sweet bay and red maple trees. The Jack Creek tract is significant because it protects a large stand of Lake Wales Ridge scrub. This rare community provides habitat for one of the densest concentrations of endangered… Read more

Who: Lake Panasoffkee Restoration Council members, Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board members and staffWhat: The Council and the District will mark the completion of the Lake Panasoffkee Restoration project.When: Friday, May 29, 2009 at 10 a.m.Where: Coleman LandingWhy: The $28.3 million project was completed in November 2008. The 10-year project was designed to restore Lake Panasoffkee’s historic fish bedding areas, restore the historic lake… Read more

Who:Representatives from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program, Tampa Bay Watch, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and approximately 350 volunteersWhat:Volunteers will participate in planting up to 30,000 marsh grass on approximately 34 acres of the Terra Ceia Ecosystem Restoration Project, setting a new record for Tampa Bay for the most… Read more

Tom Prickett and the District staff who participated in his workshop in 1980. Prickett is in the center, wearing a tie. District software engineer Herb Bryant is pictured in the back row, fifth from the left. A giant in the field of groundwater studies who was influential in the District’s early groundwater modeling efforts passed away this September. Thomas Prickett, 71, of Urbana, Illinois, died Sept. 13 in Indianapolis. Prickett is known for being the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District), along with other local and state partners, launched the Weeki Wachee River Education Campaign to inform river visitors about the recreational best management practices that will help protect the river and reduce ecological impacts. A recent ecologically based study found direct links between recreational use on the river and environmental damage. For example, visitors leaving kayaks while on the… 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 Saturday, Aug. 3, at 11 a.m., in anticipation of impacts from Potential Tropical Cyclone 4.Additionally, the District is in the process of canceling all existing camping reservations through Tuesday, Aug. 6.For the most updated information, please visit the District’s website at … Read more

Ekker Preserve, top, before restoration. At bottom, the restoration project after completion of the final grading. A tropical fish nursery that was dominated by nonnative plants and mosquitoes was recently converted into a maturing 23-acre wetland habitat for many native species. The wetland habitat is part of the 85-acre Ekker Preserve in Gibsonton. The District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management Program recently completed construction of the… Read more

Governor Charlie Crist recently reappointed Mitchell Hammer to the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board.Hammer is a senior appraiser for the Internal Revenue Service who lives in New Port Richey. He was first appointed to the Board in June 2005. His current term ends March 1, 2011.The Pinellas-Anclote River Basin area includes Pinellas County and the southern portion of Pasco County.The District has seven regional Basin Boards that… Read more