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The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) is gathering information to improve identification of flood prone areas in Highlands County's Carter Creek watershed. Most of the currently available floodplain information is 10 to 30 years old and is outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land use, development and erosion.Residents living in the Carter Creek watershed are invited to attend an open house on… 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 Monday, Aug. 28, at 3 p.m. in anticipation of impacts from Tropical Storm Idalia. Additionally, the District is in the process of cancelling all existing camping reservations through Friday, Sept. 1.For the most updated information, please visit the District’s website at … Read more

  In response to this year’s destructive freeze, the District is taking proactive measures to prepare for similar events in the future. From January 3–13, 2010, for the first time in recorded history, temperatures in eastern Hillsborough County dropped below 34 degrees for 11 consecutive days. As a result, area farmers pumped nearly one billion gallons of groundwater per night to protect their crops. This combined pumping dropped the aquifer level 60 feet,… 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

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ will temporarily close trails during November and December in the Flatwoods and Morris Bridge areas of the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve in Hillsborough County.The "Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve(Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve)":/recreation/areas/lowerhillsborough.html is located east of I-75 and north of US 301, approximately three miles northeast of… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the purchase of a perpetual conservation easement for a 652-acre parcel of land located near the Myakka River State Park, contingent upon cooperative funding with the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP.)The transaction includes the property owner, the Myakkahatchee Ranch, LLC., making a 25 percent… Read more

Gov. Jeb Bush recently reappointed William Bunch and appointed Samuel Lyons to the Coastal Rivers Basin Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Coastal Rivers Basin Board represents portions of Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus Counties.William Bunch lives in Crystal River and owns Oysters Restaurant. He joined the basin board March 2, 2002 when he succeeded Margaret West. Mr. Bunch’s current term began August 3 and ends March 1, 2008.Samuel Lyons is… Read more

One Governing Board member returned for another term and two new members joined the District’s Governing Board in March after being appointed by Governor Jeb Bush. The newly appointed members are Sallie Parks and Maritza Rovira-Forino. Todd Pressman was reappointed. Pressman, of Palm Harbor, has served on the Governing Board since April 2005. Pressman says he is looking forward to serving a full term on the Board after getting his “feet wet” completing Ronnie… Read more

 Jack Dangermond, ESRI president and CEO, presents Axel Griner, District senior GIS analyst, with the District’s special achievement award. The District received a special achievement award at the annual Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) International Users Conference for its vision, leadership and innovative use of geographic information system (GIS) technology. The District was selected from more than 300,000 organizations worldwide. “… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will close all campgrounds throughout its 16-county region to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. Beginning Wednesday, March 18, at 1 p.m., all District campgrounds and campsites will be closed for 30 days. Recreational day use activities will still be allowed at this time. The health of our staff and stakeholders is our main priority. Call 1-800-423-1476 or visit … Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Sarasota Service Office (SSO) will relocate to a new facility effective Monday, March 9. To facilitate this move, the SSO will be temporarily closed to the public Friday, March 6. Normal office hours will resume Monday, March 9 at the new location. The address of the new SSO is 78 Sarasota Center Blvd. in Sarasota. All other contact information including email and phone numbers will remain the same.… Read more

The District’s Governing Board voted Tuesday for the latest slate of officers for the 2024-2025 term.Governing Board members are unpaid, citizen volunteers who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. The Governing Board sets policy for the District, whose mission is to protect water resources, minimize flood risks and ensure the public’s water needs are met.The new officers are: … Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 3 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North.A public hearing on the FY2025 budget is scheduled for 5:01 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office.To view the Governing Board meeting and the public hearing on the FY2025 budget online, click on the … Read more

On Tuesday, May 24, Heidi B. McCree was selected by unanimous vote as the first female Governing Board chair in the 44-year history of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.“I want to thank the Board for this honor and look forward to carrying on an important legacy,” McCree said. “We have achieved great things in west-central Florida, but there are many challenges yet to face to ensure an environmentally sustainable water resource. The keys will be maintaining our… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at the District’s headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville.The meeting will begin at 9 a.m.The Governing Board will discuss merging the Hillsborough River and the Northwest Hillsborough Basin Boards at the meeting.The Governing Board typically meets on the last Tuesday of the month. This month the meeting is being held two weeks… Read more

The District recently restructured the Regulation Division to increase the quality of service. Resource Regulation evaluates Environmental Resource, Water Use and Well Construction permit applications and is responsible for addressing permitting compliance. Regulation Division duties include reviewing permit applications, monitoring permitted activities, enforcing District rules and permit conditions, and maintaining regulatory records for the District. The… Read more

On the morning of Jan. 9, 2010, after six consecutive days of freezing temperatures, District Executive Director Dave Moore called Alba Más, Tampa’s regulation director, for an assessment of the Plant City/Dover area in Eastern Hillsborough County. So far, so good, with only minimal impacts reported. However, beginning on the seventh consecutive day of freezing temperatures, and entering uncharted territory, the reports began flooding in of dry wells and sinkholes… Read more

This grid map is an example of what Reality Check participants will use during the workshop. The Tampa Bay region is about to get “real,” but we’re not talking about a new reality television series being taped in the area. Reality Check Tampa Bay is a one-day exercise designed to analyze and develop alternative growth scenarios through 2050 for our rapidly growing region. The Tampa Bay region includes Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk… Read more

Taking a trip to one of the Sunshine State's beautiful springs soon? If so, you may see a popular “sunny” fish while you're there. Almost 40 percent of all fish found in the Rainbow River System were the Spotted Sunfish, according to a recent paper published in the scientific journal, Florida Scientist, and written by District's Kym Holzwart a senior environmental scientist with the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The District contracted with the Florida… Read more

The Governing Board declared April Springs Protection Awareness Month at today’s Governing Board meeting. The move is part of the District’s ongoing effort to restore and protect area springs and encourage community involvement. The Governing Board also recognized some of its springs community partners. They are:

• Alys Brockway – She organized the Hernando County Groundwater Guardian Committee since 2002. The group helps educate the public about the…

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