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At its August 6 meeting, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alafia River Basin Board adopted a fiscal year 2010 (FY2010) millage rate of 0.2163 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Alafia River Basin Board area covers the southern portion of Hillsborough County and the southwestern portion of Polk County.This millage rate combined with a reduction in taxable property values as certified by the county property appraisers will result in… Read more

Who:Representatives from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Land Resources Department, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Hernando County Planning Department, Hernando County Audubon Society and volunteersWhat:As part of the 15th Annual National Public Lands Day, the District’s Land Resources Department is coordinating a volunteer work day at the Weekiwachee Preserve, which is located along the Hernando County Coast, west of the… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is gathering input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in Citrus county. The District is serving as a cooperating technical partner for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on its national effort to update and modernize the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development and… Read more

Who:Representatives from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alafia River Basin Board, the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program, Tampa Electric Company, Protecting the Environment through Ecological Research (PEER,) the Pinellas County Environmental Fund and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)What:Volunteers will participate in planting 6,000 marsh grass and upland plants before a tree planting… Read more

There is a new house on the block in north Tampa, and behind the doors of this quaint cottage is a powerful system that will bring significant reductions to flooding in the area. The City of Tampa recently held a ribbon cutting for the Donut Pond pump station, which is part of the larger Duck Pond Project to ease flooding issues in the North Tampa area. Governing Board member Wendy Griffin attended the event.  The project features two pump stations, one in 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 Prairie Shell Creek Tract in Charlotte County.Prairie Shell Creek is located at 3081 Duncan Road (U.S. Highway 17) in Punta Gorda.Approximately 300 acres will be burned in small, manageable units.Some major benefits of prescribed… 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 Deep Creek Preserve in DeSoto County.Deep Creek Preserve is located at 10797 Peace River Street in Arcadia, east of State Road 769. Approximately 300 acres will be burned in small, manageable units.Some major benefits of prescribed… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) Brooksville office will be partially open on Thursday, Sept. 14. Portions of the campus remain closed as a result of an ongoing power outage due to Hurricane Irma. All other District offices remain open. Information regarding District-related meeting cancellations will be provided to the media and made available on the District's website at … Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is now on Pinterest. The social media page, found at "Pinterest.com/SWFWMD ":http://pinterest.com/SWFWMD/ marks the District's continued expansion into the growing world of social media.Pinterest is an information-sharing website designed like a virtual bulletin board. Users can "pin" links to boards, manage themed collections of information and share with others. Pinterest is the third most popular social media site behind… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will present its frost/freeze management plan and associated draft rules to the public 6:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at the "Hillsborough Community College Trinkle Center(HCC Trinkle Center)":http://www.hccfl.edu/pc/trinkle-center.aspx, 1206 N. Park Road, Plant City.During the 11-day January 2010 freeze event, the combined pumping by Dover/Plant City area farmers dropped the aquifer level 60 feet in some locations, causing 140 sinkholes… Read more

With spring break season approaching, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District), along with other local and state partners, wants to remind Chassahowitzka River visitors about the recreational best practices that will help protect the river and reduce ecological impacts. Recreational activities can have a direct impact on the health of the river. For example, visitors leaving kayaks while on the river have trampled vegetation and eroded riverbanks. Also… Read more

With spring break season approaching, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District), along with other local and state partners, wants to remind Weeki Wachee River visitors about the recreational best practices that will help protect the river and reduce ecological impacts.  An ecologically based study found direct links between recreational use on the river and environmental damage. For example, visitors leaving kayaks while on the river have trampled… Read more

h3. District lands offer a fun, easy and low-cost way to spend time with family and friends in 2010 Why make a New Year's resolution to join a gym in 2010, when you can "Get Outside!" on more than 343,000 acres of public recreation lands to hike, bike and camp for little or no cost?The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently revised its 152-page Recreation Guide, which features more than 50 parks and preserves in the region owned by the District and its… Read more

Governor Charlie Crist recently reappointed Terry England and appointed Housh Ghovaee to the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board.England is from Indian Rocks Beach. He is president of England Brothers Construction Company, Inc. and was first appointed to the Board in Aug. 1999. His current term ends March 1, 2012.Ghovaee is from Clearwater. He is chief executive officer of Northside Engineering and was appointed to succeed… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during August and September on the District’s Annuteliga Hammock and Weekiwachee Preserve.The Annuteliga Hammock tract is located in Hernando County, near Royal Highlands and U.S. Hwy. 19. Approximately 100 acres of land will be burned in small, manageable units.The Weekiwachee Preserve is located in Hernando and Pasco counties. Controlled burns will be… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board on July 31 passed a resolution honoring the late Edward W. Chance for his outstanding service as a member of the District Governing Board.The resolution recognized Chance for his exceptional skills in coalition-building, environmental leadership, foresight, wisdom and administrative abilities that were instrumental in ensuring responsible stewardship of water resources and related natural systems.In appreciation… Read more

A Southwest Florida Water Management District scientist has received a prestigious honor from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).Brandt Henningsen, District senior environmental scientist, was presented with the Excellence in Restoration Award by NOAA’s Restoration Center at the Pinellas County Environmental Fund’s (PCEF) conservation partners meeting in May.The award was created by NOAA to publicly recognize it’s partners who have… Read more

Environmental enthusiasts of all ages are invited to come out and enjoy a free community fair being held at the Hillsborough River State Park, May 20, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.The 9th Annual “A River Runs Through It” community fair features watershed education workshops, watershed educational bingo, children’s activities and educational displays. Visitors can also canoe, fish or take a nature hike.The workshops include the award-winning Frog Listening Network,… Read more

The Hillsborough River will get some tender loving care from the Lowry Park Zoo’s Boy Scouts of America Zoo Troop 47 and employees from JPMorgan Chase.The zoo youth groups received a $2,069 grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s 2006 Community Education Grant Program to help fund their River Clean-Up project on April 22. The grant funding comes from the District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board, which includes portions of Hillsborough… Read more

Hernando County residents interested in learning about how to create beautiful landscapes, conserve water and protect the environment can take advantage of a unique educational opportunity. A “Florida-Friendly Landscaping Grow Smart” workshop will be conducted in Hernando County at the SNPJ Lodge on March 2. The SNPJ Lodge is located at 13383 County Line Road in Brooksville.The half-day program, open to all Hernando County residents, starts at 8:30 a.m. The… Read more