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Maritza Rovira-Forino, Governing Board member, assists visitors at the District’s display. The District celebrated the Hillsborough River and the Hillsborough River watershed by holding a series of events along the river during “Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week” in October. The District’s Hillsborough River Basin Board and the participating city and county governments declared the week of October 20–27 as Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will meet a week early for its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 9 a.m. in Brooksville.The Governing Board typically meets on the last Tuesday of the month. This month the meeting is being held a week early due to the Thanksgiving holiday.The meeting will be held at the District's Brooksville Headquarters, which is located at 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34604.

h2. District Seeking Public Input on Evaluation of Properties for HuntingThe "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering information to determine if there are additional hunting opportunities available on public lands that are managed by the District.As part of that information-gathering effort, the District is holding a public workshop on *Friday, July 29*, beginning at *3:30 p.m.* at the Hillsborough Community…

Long Distance Assistance As of Friday morning, August 13, Hurricane Charley was still projected to strike the Tampa Bay area. That’s when Garry Flood’s supervisor, Dale Ravencraft, asked him to travel to Tallahassee and serve in Florida’s State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). “I had to leave my wife and two teenage kids here in order to help out,” said Flood. “It was a hard situation, but I just had to pray that they would be safe while I went to help other…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting "controlled, prescribed burns" during March and April on both the "Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and neighboring Schewe Tract(Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve)":/recreation/areas/myakka-deerprairie.html.Deer Prairie Creek Preserve, which is jointly owned and managed by the District and Sarasota County, lies between Interstate 75 and US Highway 41. The Schewe Tract, which lies north and south of…

Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard calls it “another gem in the crown of Clearwater,” but Kapok Park wasn’t always a beautiful public green space, home to roseate spoonbills, wood storks, sandpipers and many other shorebirds. In December, Representative Gus Bilirakis joined members of the District’s Governing and Pinellas-Anclote River Basin boards, along with the Clearwater mayor and several city staff members, in celebrating the completion of a $19.3 million floodplain…

John Parker (left), his wife Leslie, daughters Melissa and Jessica, and son-in-law Dylan Nugent gather near “Other Man Lake” in Quetico Provincial Park. Sadness spread across the District’s Brooksville Headquarters as coworkers learned about John Parker’s death in a car accident in May. “When you spend more than 20 years working with someone on projects that define your life, and when you share in a common goal, you have a bond, even if you didn’t hang out…

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 Tuesday, Sept. 27, at noon in anticipation of impacts from Hurricane Ian. For the most updated information, please visit the District’s website at…

The District has added several new members to its Springs Team, which is leading the effort to improve water clarity and habitat in west-central Florida’s springs. The team includes a diverse group of scientists and engineers representing a wide range of water resource disciplines. The team’s knowledge is based on decades of research and development, pilot projects and complex groundwater models. Meet the newest members of the team: Anthony Andrade…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Pasco County. Residents living in the Duck Lake watershed are invited to attend an open house on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. The meeting will take place in the cafeteria of Pasco High School, located at 36850 State Road 52 in Dade City. District representatives will present preliminary data for flood prone areas, explain the basis behind…

Campgrounds will Reopen to the Public TomorrowThe Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has returned to normal operations after Hurricane Idalia and will lower the activation level of its Emergency Operations Center to a Level 3 at 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 1. Level 3 activation is a general state of monitoring during the hurricane season. District lands have reopened to the public; however, campgrounds will open tomorrow at 3 p.m. The Oak…

Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) land management staff have completed evaluations of all District-managed campgrounds and properties after Hurricane Helene and all trails and day use areas and the majority of campgrounds throughout its 16-county region are now open to the public. However, several campgrounds will remain closed until further notice, including Hampton Tract in Polk County, McNeil primitive campground in Pasco County and the Hooty…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Public Affairs Bureau recently received top honors at the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) 60th Annual Golden Image. The winners were announced last week at the Association's 79th annual conference in Orlando. Recipients of this prestigious awards competition demonstrate the very best examples of innovation, planning and design in public relations. The Golden Image Awards have become a standard of public…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Pasco County. Residents living in the Anclote West watershed are invited to attend an open house on either Monday, Aug. 7 or Friday, Aug. 11 at 4:00 p.m. The meetings will take place in the cafeteria of J. W. Mitchell High School, located at 2323 Little Road in New Port Richey. District representatives will present preliminary data for…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Pasco County. Residents living in the Double Hammock Creek watershed are invited to attend an open house on Monday, June 26 at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will take place at Pepin Academies, located at 9804 Little Road in New Port Richey. District representatives will present preliminary data for flood prone areas, explain the basis behind the…

District Senior Water Conservation Analyst Anthony Andrade (far right) stands with members of Boy Scout Troop 311 of San Antonio. Torrential rains only added to the adventure for members of Boy Scout Troop 311 of San Antonio on their recent camping trip to the District’s Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve’s West Tract. The troop set out on Friday, Sept. 11, for the property’s Cumpressco campsite. “We were really happy with the site,” said Randy Emberg,…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recognized the Southwest Florida Water Management District for its part in the Three Sisters Springs land acquisition project. Eric Sutton, former District Land Resources director, and Gary Williams, District senior environmental scientist, were among the 18 individuals and organizations who recently received the Regional Director’s Conservation Award for their roles in the land acquisition project. “It’s great to have the…

_*Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 Activation*_Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) officials are monitoring a series of wildfires throughout our 16-county region and have raised the activation level of the District's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to Level 2. This action is consistent with the State of Florida's level of EOC activation, and the District will coordinate with the State Emergency Response Teams to direct District resources and…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Sumter County. Residents living in the Bushnell watershed are invited to attend an open house on Thursday, September 1, beginning at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Bushnell Community Center, located at 407 E. Belt Avenue in Bushnell.District representatives will present preliminary flood prone area information, explain the basis…

Left: Former Governor Bob Martinez discusses environmental issues with David Moore, District executive director, and Heidi McCree, District Governing Board member and chair ex officio of the Hillsborough River Basin Board, at the Nature’s Classroom dedication. Right: Representatives of the District and Polk County broke ground together for the environmental education center at the Circle B Bar Reserve. The District recently helped celebrate the opening of one…