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 Forty-four volunteers recently combed the Tampa Bay shoreline and adjacent upland habitats associated with the Rock Ponds Ecosystem Restoration Project to pick up trash. The volunteers came together for “Give a Day for the Bay” one of … Read more

Surrounding the crystal waters of Three Sisters Springs, visitors can easily spot exposed tree roots and an eroded shoreline. The erosion has caused sediments to enter spring vents and trees to collapse. It has meant a loss of habitat and dangerous conditions for visitors. That’s why the District will be restoring the shoreline around Three Sisters Springs. The project will start this month, and the District will host a meeting at Crystal River’s City Hall at 5:30 p.m… Read more

Longevity Recognized When Ron Vanlerberghe started working at the District, Lyndon B. Johnson was president, Florida was home to just over 6 million people, and the first issue of the alternative magazine “Rolling Stone” was about to hit newsstands. Thirty-five years later a lot has changed in our world, as well as the District. Florida now has more than 16 million people, “Rolling Stone” is considered mainstream, and Ron has become the longest serving District employee… Read more

District Outreach It flew with the troops fighting in Iraq. Now it serves as a big “thank you” to staff at the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Bartow Service Office for their generosity. Staff Sergeant Anthony Pieske presented an American flag to the Bartow employees while on leave from the 332nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron. Anthony’s wife, Samantha, is a field technician in Bartow. The Bartow Service Office serves residents in Polk, Hardee, and… Read more

It’s not every day someone receives recognition from the President of the United States. However, an equestrian volunteer group and two off-road bike volunteers who take part in the District’s Land Resources Volunteer Program have received such an honor. The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation recognized the South Creek Equestrian Club and Jonathan and Sharon Noll from the Wilderness Trails Association for each group contributing more than 4,000… Read more

Phyllis Young, senior administrative assistant, gives barbecue customers service with a smile. Clyde Sesler cooks up some mouth-watering chicken and ribs. Frances Sesler, senior administrative assistant, serves Lou Kavouras, executive coordinator, during a recent barbecue fundraiser. Displaying the afghan being auctioned to raise funds for the Relay for Life are (from left): Phyllis Young, senior administrative assistant; Frances Sesler, senior administrative… Read more

Michael Babb will remain the chair of the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Governing Board voted today to keep its current officers.  The other officer positions are: Randy Maggard, vice chair; and Jeff Adams, secretary. David Dunbar was elected treasurer. They serve one-year terms.… Read more

Michael Babb will remain the chair of the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Governing Board voted today to keep its current officers.  The other officer positions are: Randy Maggard, vice chair; and Jeff Adams, secretary. David Dunbar was elected treasurer. They serve one-year terms.… Read more

Michael Babb will remain the chair of the Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Governing Board voted today to keep its current officers.  The other officer positions are: Randy Maggard, vice chair; and Jeff Adams, secretary. David Dunbar was elected treasurer. They serve one-year terms.… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is joining with the Science and Environment Council (SEC) to celebrate Sarasota’s watersheds and promote watershed awareness by declaring Oct. 13 through 19 as “Watershed Awareness Week.”The District’s Manasota Basin Board is co-sponsoring Watershed Awareness Week in an effort to foster good watershed stewardship.The SEC is a group of nonprofit and government organizations that operate to support… Read more

Judy Whitehead, Governing Board chair and chair ex officio of the District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board, and her husband, Don, enjoy spending time with their grandsons, Pierson and Daniel. Judy Whitehead was surprised and gratified that her fellow Governing Board members thought enough of her to elect her as their chair. “I’m not particularly brilliant or knowledgeable. I’m just a small-town grandma,” she said. Despite her modesty, her fellow Board members… Read more

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update flood hazard maps in DeSoto and Hardee counties.Governments, insurance companies and individuals all use FEMA flood insurance rate maps, or FIRMs, to identify flooding risk and to plan for potential flooding. With the updated flood maps, communities can better manage development in and around floodplains and prepare for and mitigate against flood disaster… Read more

Left: From left, Linda Prescott, Hillsborough Community College professor, and District staff members Lenore Balden, senior human resources generalist; John Frascone, office support supervisor; Earl Rich; Elaine Kuligofski, human resources director; Gene Schiller, deputy executive director of management services; and Roberta Starks, water quality monitoring program manager. Right: Earl Rich (right), with Hillsborough Community College President Gwendolyn W. Stephenson,… Read more

One of the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) restoration projects is providing inspiration for hundreds of Hillsborough County art and photography students. Ten classes of middle and high school students were recently given the opportunity to learn about and explore the Schultz Preserve, located near the Port of Tampa. The field trips to the restoration site and the TECO Manatee Viewing Center were part of an education project funded by a TECO… Read more

Four Governing Board members have the opportunity to lead the Board this year; three of whom will be taking on new roles. Judith C. “Judy” Whitehead was unanimously elected to serve as Governing Board chair. She previously served as Board vice chair and looks forward to her new role. “We have a wonderful cross section of representation and I am grateful that such intelligent, cooperative people have been chosen to serve on the Board. I’m gratified that… Read more

Kurt Durham’s brother-in-law may have brought him to the District, but the familylike atmosphere at the District’s Sarasota Service Office keeps him here. In 1987, Jack MacDonald, who used to work in the District’s Regional Observation and Monitor-Well Program, called Durham and told him the District “was looking for bodies.” He applied even though he didn’t know anything about being a field technician. “When I started I was green as grass,”… Read more

Hog hunters from Hernando County (left to right) Wade Jenkins, Jason Bibeau and Chris Bibeau. District land managers say a series of hog hunts held on District lands this winter and spring helped reduce the wild hog population. Hundreds of hogs were removed from seven different tracts of land throughout the District. The District opened the land for hunting because wild hogs cause extensive damage to the natural habitats. Wild hogs, which are not native to… Read more

Governing Board Chair Neil Combee The new Governing Board chair’s handshake is firm and dry, his gaze direct and steady. It’s easy to picture him as a linebacker at Lakeland High School, zeroing in on the opposing team’s running back. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. It’s also easy to imagine him, after a crushing tackle, helping the guy up and then telling him a funny story after the game. If a person can be defined by place… Read more

 District staff and contractors discuss floodplain concerns with residents. Dozens of Hernando County residents who live in the Bystre Lake watershed recently attended an open house to learn more about potential flood risk changes to their properties. The residents had previously received letters from the District notifying them of the potential changes and invited them to the open house. This open house is just one in a series of public workshops being… Read more