Search Content

Workshop to follow at 9:30 a.m.The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, March 25 at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Service Office, located at 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. After the Governing Board meeting, the District will hold an informational workshop on flood-related topics.To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board approved funding Thursday to build an observation deck at the Springs Coast Environmental Education Center.The deck was part of the center’s original plan, but was not built because of financial constraints. It is expected to cost $110,000. The Coastal Rivers Basin Board has budgeted $75,000 for the project. The remaining funds will come from the Hernando County School Board, which is…

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…

Editor’s note: See below for map of county and watershedsThe Southwest Florida Water Management District and Hernando County are working together to gather input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in the county.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…

Homeowners and gardening enthusiasts are invited to “play in the dirt” at the third annual Florida Yard Fandango March 8-9 at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI.)The goal of the Fandango is to promote Florida-friendly landscaping and lawn maintenance because it is beautiful and saves water, time and energy.This year the gardening event has grown to two days. The first day features gardening classes and a plant auction. Participants have the opportunity to…

Hundreds of volunteers were honored this weekend for the valuable contribution they have made to help improve public lands and restore Tampa Bay.The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Volunteer Appreciation Day, which was held at the Green Swamp West Field Office, featured an awards presentation, exhibits, live music, a picnic lunch and a nature hike.Approximately 300 volunteers are involved with the District’s Land Resources Volunteer Program. 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.…

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…

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…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will hold a public workshop Thursday, Nov. 8, to share information about the Weeki Wachee Natural System Carrying Capacity Study. The meeting will take place at the Coast Guard Auxiliary Meeting Hall, located at 4340 Calienta St. in Hernando Beach. The workshop will be an open-house style allowing the public to…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District's Governing Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, June 21, at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the live video stream link. The video stream link becomes active and the live video feed begins approximately 15 minutes…

The Land Management Section of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of October through March on the Lake Panasoffkee Preserve in Sumter County. The property is located near Interstate 75 and State Road 44. Approximately 500 acres will be burned in small, manageable units. According to Will VanGelder, the District's land management supervisor, burns are implemented to mimic natural fire cycles under…

Several hundred Pasco County residents joined the District at its first “Get Outside!” Day community event at Starkey Wilderness Preserve’s Serenova Tract. The event was an opportunity for the District to introduce the property to the surrounding community and encourage more frequent use of the land. More than 400 people attended the event — 74 percent of whom were first-time visitors. “It was a beautiful day and a great turnout by local residents to enjoy a…

Joel Brown has joined the Southwest Florida Water Management District as a Government Affairs Program Manager.Brown will serve as a liaison between the District and the constituents of Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. He will work closely with county governments, municipalities and community organizations.Prior to joining the District, Brown worked as West Central Florida Regional Manager for Florida's Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and the Department of…

The Land Management Section of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of November and December on the Jack Creek Preserve in Highlands County. The property is located six miles northwest of Lake Placid, west of US Highway 27. Approximately 120 acres will be burned, in small manageable units. According to Will VanGelder, the District's land management supervisor, burns are implemented to mimic natural…

The Land Management Section of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of November and December on the Prairie/Shell Creek Preserve in Charlotte County. The property is located to the west of US Highway 17, north of Shell Creek. Approximately 140 acres will be burned in small, manageable units. According to Will VanGelder, the District's land management supervisor, burns are implemented to mimic…

The Land Management Section of the Southwest Florida Water ManagementDistrict (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through the month of March on the Lake Panasoffkee Preserve in Sumter County. The property is located near Interstate 75 and State Road 44. Approximately 500 acres will be burned in small, manageable units. According to Will VanGelder, the District's land management supervisor, burns are implemented to mimic natural fire cycles under a controlled…

The Land Management Section of the Southwest Florida Water ManagementDistrict (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through the month of December on the Upper Hillsborough property in Polk County. The Upper Hillsborough property is located in the area of Chancy Rd. and S.R. 54 near Zephyrhills. Approximately 500 acres will be burned in small, manageable units. According to Will VanGelder, the District's land management supervisor, burns are implemented to…

_All District managed lands closed_The Southwest Florida Water Management District's (District) Brooksville and Tampa offices, in addition to Bartow and Lake Hancock, will be closed tomorrow, Friday, October 7th.The closures are due to anticipated sustained tropical storm force winds associated with Hurricane Matthew. The District's Sarasota office is scheduled to be open regular hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. District staff should check the emergency hotline after 8 a.m.…

The Land Management Section of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns now through the month of September on the Upper Hillsborough property in Polk County. The Upper Hillsborough property is located in the area of Chancy Rd. and S.R. 54 near Zephyrhills. Approximately 200 acres will be burned in small, manageable units. According to Will VanGelder, the District's land management supervisor, burns are implemented to…