Search Content

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Hernando County are holding more public meetings to present preliminary floodplain information and explain the basis behind the findings.The information will be used to update area floodplain information and develop preliminary Federal Emergency Management Agency (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 Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are outdated because of natural and physical changes caused by land… Read more

Students record observations and learn about rain barrel irrigation. Christine Collins, owner of Wildrose Lawncare, and Lou Kavouras (far right), District deputy executive director, work together on the Curb Appeal Project. In November, the District recognized the very best in District-sponsored community and youth water resources education projects at the Partners in Watershed Education ceremony. The celebration was held at the Lake Mirror Complex in Lakeland.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District 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 FY2020 budget is scheduled for 5:01 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office. To view the Governing Board meeting online, visit WaterMatters.org and click on the “Live Video Stream” link.… 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 September at Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract in Sarasota County.Myakka River - Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka River - Schewe Tract are located west of North Port, east of the Myakka River, and… Read more

The District’s Governing Board voted Tuesday on a new slate of officers for the 2020-2021 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 (District) has closed all District managed campgrounds throughout our 16-county region during Florida's wildfire emergency event.The following District managed campgrounds are closed until further notice:•Cypress Creek Preserve•Deep Creek Preserve•Flying Eagle Preserve•Green Swamp – East Tract•Green Swamp – Hampton Tract•Green Swamp – West Tract•Lake Panasofkee•Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve•Potts Preserve•Starkey… Read more

An eagle scout, campground hosts and an equestrian group are among the volunteers honored Tuesday at the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board meeting in Brooksville.The volunteers, who either take part in the District’s Land Resources Volunteer Program or the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program, received the President’s Volunteer Service Award, a national honor that recognizes volunteer dedication and… Read more

Just off busy US 19 in Hernando County’s Spring Hill is a quiet oasis of bird-watching trails and teal lakes, waiting for naturalists with binoculars and fishermen with hand-launched boats to discover its beauty. It’s the Weekiwachee Preserve, a rich mosaic of habitats including several miles of Weeki Wachee River frontage, portions of the Mud River, dense… Read more

Top left: Ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrates project completion. Top right: David Moore, District executive director, and Bob Martinez, former governor, discuss Nature’s Classroom. Bottom: Bill Hoffman, HEF president, thanks Hugh Gramling, Governing Board member. As Nature’s Classroom prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary, representatives from the District, the Hillsborough Education… 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 April through June 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 200 acres will be burned in… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will open Phase 2 hog hunt registration Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 9 a.m. The District holds a series of hog hunts on District lands throughout the year to help reduce the feral hog population.What you need to know about Phase 2 hunts:

• Phase 2 will include six hunts that occur in January 2025.
• Permits are transferable.
• The single top producer on each hunt of Phase 2 will be placed on the District…

Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 21, at 9:30 a.m. at the District headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. Please note, the 9:30 a.m. start time is a half hour later than regularly scheduled 9:00 a.m. meetings.To view the Governing Board meeting online, visit "Watermatters.org":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ and click on the… Read more

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/governingboard/ will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 26, at 9:30 a.m. at the District headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. Please note, the 9:30 a.m. start time is a half hour later than regularly scheduled 9:00 a.m. meetings.To view the Governing Board meeting online, visit "Watermatters.org ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ and click on… Read more

Tara Poulton has joined the Southwest Florida Water Management District as a Government Affairs program manager. Poulton will serve as a liaison between the District and the constituents of Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties. She will work closely with county governments, municipalities and utilities staff.Prior to joining the District, Poulton was the communications manager at the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, a department of Manatee County… Read more

table(webalert). |*Who:*|The Southwest Florida Water Management District||*What:*|A day of educational speakers, booths and tours at Rainbow Springs State Park to promote Florida springs awareness.Events include a basin bus tour, headsprings snorkel tour and ranger guided hike.||*When:*|Saturday, Sept. 22, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.||*Where:*|Rainbow Springs State Park, 19158 SW 81st Place Road, Dunnellon, FL 3443||*How Much:*|Park admission is $2 per person, children 6 and under are… Read more

It’s official. District employees in Tampa now have a new home. Board members, staff, architects, contractors and other interested parties gathered September 13 to cut the ribbon on the 26,500-square-foot Tampa Service Office building with an additional 3,000-square-foot storage and utility mezzanine. The Tampa campus improvements also included a new 5,000-square-foot prefabricated metal building for field staff and a new roof for the data center building.… Read more

From left: Teens pitch in to clean up the Hillsborough River; center: District staff were ready to answer questions during the post cleanup picnic; right: Maritza Rovira-Forino, Governing Board member and chair ex officio of the Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board, joined in with volunteers. This November more than 1,000 volunteers descended upon the banks of the Hillsborough River and other Tampa waterways as part of the 19th Annual Mayor’s Hillsborough River… Read more

As mullet jumped and birds soared, guests celebrated the success of the Terra Ceia Ecosystem Restoration Project. District and other community leaders dedicated the first phase of the largest ecosystem restoration project ever performed on Tampa Bay during a recent ceremony. The project is a multi-phased initiative involving 1,800 acres within Terra Ceia State Park, located in Manatee County in the southeastern reaches of Tampa Bay.  A total of 843 acres were… Read more

Top: David Moore, District executive director, talks to Pasco County students before the ceremony. Bottom: Rep. Will Weatherford and Ronald Oakley, Governing Board member, discuss land preservation. The District and more than 150 members of the community celebrated the grand opening of Conner Preserve in January. The District purchased the 2,980-acre property in 2003 to preserve and restore this important natural… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Alston Tract, which is part of the Upper Hillsborough, will be reserved Nov. 4-6 for an event that allows disabled hunters the opportunity to experience the outdoors. The property will be closed to the public during this time.The hunt, which is organized by the National Wild Turkey Federation/Wheelin’ Sportsmen, is one of more than 24 events the group holds throughout Florida each year. Other outings include… Read more