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The Southwest Florida Water Management District is searching for an organization to manage and maintain an environmental education center on the District’s Flying Eagle Preserve in Citrus County.The property was purchased from the Boy Scouts of America in December 2004. The entire parcel is 4,964 acres.The environmental education center is a 580-acre parcel that features a 2,100-square foot administration building, nine camping areas that accommodate 10 tents and include…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us "Governing Board(Governing Board)":/about/governingboard voted to begin the process of expanding an area in Eastern Hillsborough that requires special well construction standards to reduce the risk of private wells going dry during frost-freeze events.The special standard require restricted wells to be dug deeper than typical residential wells.…

The District’s Governing Board voted Tuesday for the latest slate of officers for the 2021-2022 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:…

With the growing popularity of social media, the District has turned to Facebook and Twitter as its newest communication tools for promoting its mission to protect water resources. Facebook is a free social networking web site that helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers in a trusted environment. Users can support organizations, such as the District, by signing up to be a “fan” to receive information and interact on the web…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) has launched a contest on the social media site Instagram to raise awareness of springs throughout the District. Springs sites are a popular hot spot with both local residents and tourists during the summer months and especially holiday weekends. This summer, whether you are tubing, kayaking, swimming or just relaxing near one of the many springs in our District, you can share those…

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 in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns June through September at the following Pasco County properties:

• Cypress Creek Preserve
…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Bradenton have increased the budget for a project that will reduce flooding along Wares Creek.The Wares Creek Bridge Replacement project involves replacing four bridges and improving the existing stormwater management systems at three locations. The bridges being replaced are at 9th, 12th, 14th and 17th Avenues West. The stormwater management facilities being improved are at 9th and 20th Avenues West and at…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board is dedicating an additional $448,340 to clean up debris related to Hurricane Charley.The District had previously approved $472,340 to clean up debris in the Peace Creek Drainage Canal in Polk County.The latest funding will be used to remove Hurricane Charley-related debris from Flint Creek in Hillsborough County and portions of the Peace River.The total cost of the Flint Creek cleanup project is $220,000…

More than 850 miles of trails to explore!The Southwest Florida Water Management District is inviting the public to get outside and celebrate National Trails Day by exploring some of the trails located on District land.The American Hiking Society’s 17th Annual National Trails Day is Saturday, June 6. A long-standing celebration of America’s magnificent trail system and its countless supporters and volunteers, National Trails Day is celebrated in all 50 states and…

History buffs can now get an up-close look at the artifacts recovered during the Chassahowitzka Springs Restoration Project. More than 700 artifacts were recovered during the District’s project, which removed sediments with a pump that had accumulated in the springs. Now, some of those artifacts are on display in a new exhibit at the Old Courthouse Heritage Museum in Inverness.  The “Changing People, Changing Springs: Chassahowitzka Discovered” exhibit…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is holding a workshop to gather the public’s input on how the Starkey Wilderness Preserve should be managed and used.The workshop will be held at the Starkey Environmental Education Center on Thursday, April 28 at 6 p.m. The environmental center is located at the Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, 10500 Wilderness Park Road in New Port Richey.The Starkey Wilderness Preserve encompasses more than 19,000 acres of land in…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is asking for the public’s input on updating the land management plan for the Starkey Wilderness Preserve.A workshop will be held at the Starkey Environmental Education Center on Thursday, April 28 at 6 p.m. The environmental center is located at the Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, 10500 Wilderness Park Road in New Port Richey.The Starkey Wilderness Preserve encompasses more than 19,000 acres of land in southwestern…

Something special happened this November in the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve. Thirteen of fourteen disabled hunters participating in a deer/hog hunt were successful. The event was organized by the National Wild Turkey Federation/Wheelin’ Sportsmen on land managed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.The hunters harvested ten deer and seven wild hogs during the two-day event. One young man who battles the effects of cerebral palsy was successful in…

The "Southwest Florida Water Management District(Southwest Florida Water Management District)":/ is gathering input needed to improve identification of flooding risks in Citrus County's *Center Ridge watershed*.The District is serving as a cooperating technical partner for the "Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)(Federal Emergency Management Agency)":http://www.fema.gov on its national effort to "update and modernize the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs)(Federal…

Statewide Tracker System One of the reasons the state has been able to mobilize so efficiently to assist the victims of Hurricane Charley is the use of the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) Tracker System. The system, which operates as a database, was implemented to coordinate needs and resources more efficiently. It was created after Hurricane Andrew struck south Florida in 1992. The system is managed and updated by the SEOC, a part of the Division of…

Excellence in Engineering District employee Bill Hartmann recently received a pat on the back from his peers. Hartmann, who is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), was named the Government Engineer of the Year for 2002–2003. Hartmann was presented with the award at the annual dinner for the ASCE and the Florida Engineering Society. The award is for the ASCE’s Florida Section-Ridge Branch. There are about 100 members in the…

Left: Rep. Richard Glorioso, R-Plant City; Robert Brown, Plant City Commissioner; Heidi McCree, Governing Board member; Hugh Gramling, Hillsborough River Basin Board member; Fred Johnson, former Hillsborough River Basin Board member; and Devon Higginbotham, Northwest Hillsborough Basin Board member, visited the McIntosh Park site. The District’s new Governing Board chair knew early in life that his future lay in the citrus industry. Born in Avon Park and…

Sometimes someone’s trash can be a treasure. Members of the District’s Springs Team came up winners by finding an orange couch cushion while participating in a cleanup Saturday at the Rainbow River. About 175 volunteers participated in the event. The “cushion catch” earned the Springs Team the award of “Most Colorful Item.” Recognized as the “largest item” was an eight-foot-long wooden plank with large nails sticking out. Some of the other items collected were a cell…

They tackled topics like aquatics and invasive species.  Hundreds of students from several counties recently participated in the 2016 Tampa Bay and Nature Coast regional envirothons. The competition is a problem-solving, natural resources education program for high school students allowing them to use critical-thinking skills to solve problems or conduct hands-on investigations about current environmental issues. This marked the 19th year the District sponsored…

Dozens of paddlers recently joined the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition team on their excursion along the Rainbow River.  The District recently hosted the Rainbow River Paddle trail mixer in partnership with the expedition at Rainbow Springs State Park. Despite some chilly temperatures, more than 50 people came out to paddle in the event.  Before people launched their canoes and kayaks, they had a chance to meet the expedition team and some of the…