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The Southwest Florida Water Management District will hold a Preliminary Evaluation Committee Meeting on Tuesday, July 29, at 2:00 p.m. (local time) to evaluate responses to ITN 25-4749 Group Vision Insurance and Supplemental Benefits. The committee members will discuss their review of the responses and may select a firm to award, select firms to be shortlisted for further evaluation, or reject all responses.  The meeting will be held virtually through the link…

Animal Assistance Some people panic when they hear disaster is heading their way; others mobilize and see what they can do to help. When Leigh Rogers, a regulation processing specialist at the District’s Sarasota Service Office, heard that Hurricane Charley was going to hit Florida’s west coast, she began looking for ways she could lend a hand. “I have always been interested in volunteer work,” said Rogers, who first looked into volunteering for the District’s…

Projects of Distinction The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council recently recognized the District during its 13th Annual Future of the Region Awards program. One District Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) project and two education projects were honored during the ceremony, recognizing notable achievements in resource planning and management in the region. Port Redwing Habitat Restoration/ Fred & Idah Schultz Preserve The…

The District celebrated the Peace River and the Peace River watershed by holding a series of events along the river during “Peace River Watershed Awareness Week” in April. The week was recognized by the District’s Peace River Basin Board, the state legislature and participating county governments. Each of the four events within the Peace River watershed was designed to create watershed awareness, showcase the commitment to protecting the watershed and foster proper…

Hundreds of volunteers trudged through the mud to get to hard-to-reach places that needed planting.               This September approximately 400 volunteers set out across 32 acres of muddy ground at the Terra Ceia Aquatic and State Park preserves restoration project in Manatee County with one goal in mind: The volunteers were determined to set a new record for the most plants installed during a…

Volunteers participating in cleanup. More than 50 District employees, Board members and their friends and families were among the hundreds of volunteers taking part in the 21st Annual Hillsborough River & Waterways Cleanup. This annual event, held in November, is one of Tampa’s largest volunteer activities. Each year, volunteers scour dozens of shoreline locations along the Hillsborough River and connected waterways to pick up litter and remove…

Who: Suncoast Earth Force, Southwest Florida Water Management District staff, educators and approximately 600 students from Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, 21 local environmental agenciesWhat: 9th Annual Youth SummitThe annual summit is sponsored by Suncoast Earth Force, a Tampa Bay area nonprofit educational organization.The summit brings together hundreds of youth, educators and community partners who have been involved in Earth Force programs during the past…

Talmadge G. Jerry Rice Tuesday was unanimously elected by his peers to serve as Governing Board chair of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.Other Board officers selected include Judith C. Judy Whitehead, vice chair; Jennifer E. Closshey, treasurer; and C.A. “Neil” Combee, Jr., secretary.Chair Jerry RiceRice of Dade City was appointed to the Governing Board in March 2003. He was elected the Boards Treasurer in May 2004. Rice is also…

 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 …

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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.…

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.…

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…

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…

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…