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MEETING CANCELLED - The Southwest Florida Water Management District will hold a Final Evaluation Committee Meeting on Thursday, November 13, at 11:00 a.m. (local time) to evaluate responses to ITN 25-4659 Group Supplemental Benefits.

As the Invasive Plant Threatens to Gain a Foothold in the Green Swamp, Agencies Cooperate to Fight It Photo courtesy USDI National Park Service With threats from new invasive plants and animal species continuing to rise in Florida, the District is battling to keep Old World climbing fern from infesting the 560,000-acre Green Swamp. Old World climbing fern, a new invasive vine, is spreading northward from south Florida and has been detected and treated as…

Who: Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing and Basin Board members and staff, hundreds of volunteersWhat: District volunteers, awards presentation, youth educational activities, picnic lunch, games, hay ride, and live music.When: Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The award ceremony begins at noon.Where: Green Swamp West Meeting Facility, 13345 Ranch Road, Dade City, 33525Why: Volunteers play an important role in the District’s efforts to improve…

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.…

Residents are invited to give input on the District’s Withlacoochee River Watershed Initiative during a series of public workshops. The initiative is a multi-year effort designed to better understand the dynamics of the river and watershed, identify how alterations have affected the system, and evaluate alternatives to better manage the water resources.  Nineteen river model scenarios have been identified through years of citizen input. These scenarios were…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board voted Tuesday to combine the Hillsborough River and Northwest Hillsborough Basin Boards.The decision comes after the Senate Committee on Environmental Preservation and Conservation and the state’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability both suggested the District consider merging Basin Boards where appropriate.In response to these recommendations, District staff thoroughly…

Hurricane Season Approaches Hurricane season is upon us again, even though some areas of the District haven’t even finished clearing away the debris from last season’s devastating series of storms. The 2004 Atlantic hurricane season produced 15 tropical storms and 9 hurricanes, 6 of which were major hurricanes. Florida experienced widespread damage from four of the majors — Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. A major hurricane is classified as a category 3, 4 or 5…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, April 27, at 9 a.m. at District Headquarters, located at 2379 Broad Street in Brooksville. The meeting is open to the public however, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines will be followed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and facemasks are required inside District buildings. To view the Governing Board meeting online, click on the…

A love of nature led to Bob and Sharon Blanchard’s decision to work with the District on two perpetual conservation easements for the Little Everglades Ranch. “So many people move here for the beauty and wildlife, so it is sad to see all the rural farmland disappearing,” said Sharon Blanchard. “We truly love this property and wanted to make sure it is preserved for future generations.” District Governing Board members and staff joined the Blanchards in celebrating…

Kurt Durham and Mitch Malone, senior field technicians, each received the District’s Shining Star award. Richard Owen, deputy executive director; Cheryl Johnson, field technician supervisor; and Ross Morton, Sarasota regulation director, are also pictured. The District’s Employee Committee recently surprised two of its own members, Kurt Durham and Mitch Malone, by presenting each with a Shining Star award for March…

Plant City High School students clear debris from the District’s Channel G Salinity Barrier. Volunteers recently gathered at a District structure to help prevent trash from traveling to Tampa Bay. National Honor Society club members and sponsors from Plant City High School gathered trash from the structure on Channel G as part of the 2011 International Coastal Cleanup. Channel G directs flows from Rocky Creek in western Hillsborough County into Old Tampa Bay…

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 July through September at the following Pasco County properties:  

• Cypress Creek Preserve…

Beginning June 21, 2014, mountain bike enthusiasts will have a new place to pedal. The "Southwest Florida Water Management District ":http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/ (District) in partnership with Pasco County and a local bike organization known as the Southwest Association of Mountain Bike Pedalers (SWAMP,) have developed a new mountain bike trail network in the Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, located at 10500 Wilderness Park Boulevard in New Port Richey.In response to…

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 January through March at the following Pasco County properties:

• Cypress Creek Preserve
• …

table(webalert). |*Who:*|Southwest Florida Water Management District, City of Gulfport and City of St. Petersburg. Additional funding provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.||*What:*|The Clam Bayou Restoration and Stormwater Treatment Project marks the final step in a multi-agency effort to restore 64 acres of estuarine and coastal habitats and create 20 acres of ponds to treat stormwater runoff…

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 October through December at the…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be holding a series of hog hunts on District lands. Prospective hunters can purchase permits on the District’s web site at www.WaterMatters.org/hoghunts beginning Oct. 13.The cost is $50 for each permit. Permits will be available through 5 p.m. on Nov. 3. However, there are a limited number of permits available and permits will be issued on a first come, first serve basis.Hog hunts will be held on the following…

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board recently honored Marilyn Samaha, as the first Land Resources volunteer of the year.Samaha was recognized for the countless hours she spent developing a recreational partnership between the District, Hillsborough County and the Tampa Bypass Canal Rowing Council (TBCRC), which she created and serves as president.The development of the TBCRC to coordinate with the District and the county has resulted in a…

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 July through September at the…

The Sierra Club’s Florida Chapter presented the Osprey Award to Fritz Musselmann, land resources director for the Southwest Florida Water Management District, today at the District’s Governing Board meeting.The Osprey Award recognizes extraordinary efforts to promote or effect changes in policy or practice to protect or preserve Florida’s environment and is given annually to a government employee.Musselmann was recognized for his role in the acquisition of…