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*Editor's note: See included map of county and watersheds* The Southwest Florida Water Management District is gathering input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in the county. The District is serving as a cooperating technical partner for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on their 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 Most of the current FIRMs are 10 to 30 years old and are outdated because of…

Who: Approximately 12 children and their parents or guardians, Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, representatives from Bass Pro Shops and the group American Disability AdventuresWhat: The District is coordinating a free camping trip at theGreen Swamp Wilderness Preserve, West Tract in Pasco County for a dozen children who applied for the trip and were randomly…

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 October through December on the Prairie Shell Creek Tract in Charlotte County. Prairie Shell Creek is located at 3081 Duncan Road (U.S. Highway 17), Punta Gorda. Approximately 150 acres will be…

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 October through December 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…

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 October through December at Annutteliga Hammock in Hernando County. Annutteliga Hammock is located east of U.S. Highway 19, north of Centralia Road and south of the county line. Approximately 75 acres will be burned…

Who: Representatives from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing and Basin Boards, Pasco County elected officials, Bay City Flyers and Pasco County elementary school studentsWhat: The District is celebrating the grand opening of the Conner Preserve. The event includes a ceremony, guided hikes, model airplane demonstrations, children’s activities, water quality monitoring demonstrations and more. The District…

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 October through December on the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve in Hillsborough County. The Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve is located south of Cross Creek Boulevard between U.S. Highway 301 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard near Thonotosassa.…

Judy Whitehead, Governing Board chair, presents the outgoing chair, Jerry Rice, with a plaque honoring his service to the District. The District’s Governing Board recently recognized the outgoing chair, Talmadge G. “Jerry” Rice, for his dedication to public service as a member of the Governing Board and the Withlacoochee River Basin Board. “Throughout the years I worked with Jerry on the Board, I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (District) Edward W. Chance Reserve - Gilley Creek Tract in Manatee County will be temporarily closed to the public for feral hog hunts Nov. 4-6.Only permitted hunters will be allowed on the property during these dates. All 12 permits for these hunts have been sold.The Edward W. Chance Reserve - Gilley Creek Tract is located at 22310 CR 675 in Parrish.This activity is one of a series of feral hog hunts being held on District…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state's wildfire emergency last spring. That's why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns March through September 2018 on the Lake Panasoffkee property in Sumter County. The Lake Panasoffkee property is located near Interstate 75 and State Road 44. Approximately 500 acres…

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 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…

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 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 500 acres will be burned in small, manageable units.Some major benefits of…

Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state's recent drought. That's why the Land Management Section of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns during the months of July, August, and September on the Upper Hillsborough property in Polk County. The Upper Hillsborough property is in the area of Chancy Rd. and S.R…

To see how staff are cleaning up District managed properties click here: https://youtu.be/Ir-hYWT1biQ Feel free to use this video on your website or newscasts. The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has reopened the majority of District-managed lands throughout its 16-county region. The Districted closed all District-managed lands in September in…

This panel meeting was cancelled due to a technical issue. The remaining meetings will continue as scheduled. The Southwest Florida Water Management District is currently developing new minimum flow standards for the Upper Peace River. Minimum flows are intended to prevent significant harm to the water resources or ecology of an area that may be caused by water withdrawals. The…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District's":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) Public Affairs Bureau was recently recognized by both the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) and the Public Relations Society of America's Sunshine District (PRSA) by receiving some of the organizations' top awards of excellence in public relations. The Restoring Our Springs! Campaign won an Award of Distinction from the FPRA and a statewide Radiance Award from the PRSA.…

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 January through March on the Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County.Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve is located 2 miles east of Dunnellon and 7 miles northeast of the city of Hernando and is bounded by County Road 484 on the north, State Road 200 on the southeast…

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Hernando County Task Force meeting.The meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 8, 3:30 p.m. at the East Hernando County Branch Library located at 6457 Windmere Road in Brooksville.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Hernando County. Examples of restoration projects may include, but are not…

The public is invited to share ideas concerning potential water resources restoration projects at the upcoming Hernando County Task Force meeting.The meeting is Monday, May 4, 3:30 p.m. at the Springs Coast Environmental Education Center, 9170 Cortez Boulevard, Weeki Wachee.During the meeting the task force will be considering potential restoration projects to enhance fish and wildlife habitats in Hernando County. Examples of restoration projects may include, but are not…

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…