Southwest Florida Water Management District

The District is one of several agencies assisting the Coastal and Heartland Estuary Partnership with water quality sampling in Charlotte Harbor, and Lemon, Dona and Roberta bays. These samples help the group better understand the impacts of the storms on the local ecosystems.

The District is working with the City of Lakeland, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State Emergency Response Team (SERT) to operate pumps to provide relief for residents affected by flooding near Lake Bonny caused by Hurricane Milton. The effort is part of a SERT mission requested by the City of Lakeland, and District staff are providing logistical coordination and technical expertise regarding the pumping. The system will operate around the clock for an undetermined timeframe until Lake Bonny reaches an acceptable level.

District staff are not only on the ground but in the air responding to flooding and collecting data. This historic flooding across our District is so widespread, we are using helicopter missions to gather information more efficiently. Learn more about this process. 

Staff are working around the clock to respond to Hurricane Milton. This includes inspecting flood structures and culverts for damage to make sure all our systems are working properly so we can continue to serve residents.

District staff have been working hard to prepare for Hurricane Milton.

District offices will close at noon Tuesday, Oct. 8 and will remain closed Wednesday, Oct. 9 and Thursday Oct. 10 due to potential impacts from Hurricane Milton.   The District anticipates reopening offices Friday, Oct. 11, but will continue to monitor the progress of Hurricane Milton to determine if future closings are necessary.   District structure operations staff will continue to monitor water levels and operate all of the agency’s water-control structures around the clock.   For the most updated information, please visit the District’s website at WaterMatters.org.   As a reminder, you can follow along for immediate updates on social media at X.com/SWFWMD.

Get an inside look at how and why staff are monitoring salinity at Lake Tarpon in Pinellas County.

The District's Governing Board approved the purchase of the Mattaniah Property, in partnership with Hillsborough County, in the Alafia River Watershed. This 629-acre parcel of land adjoins the Alafia River Reserve, which is in existing District ownership and managed by Polk County, and contains portions of English Creek, Thirty-mile Creek, and the North Prong of the Alafia River in Hillsborough County.   This is the first joint acquisition project with Hillsborough County in approximately 20 years. The county has agreed to assume the management and maintenance costs associated with the Mattaniah Property and the property will be managed consistent with the county’s management plan for the Alafia River Corridor River Preserve.   The Mattaniah Property is approximately 43% uplands with the balance being wetlands. This acquisition meets all four of the District’s Areas of Responsibility, which are water supply, water quality, flood protection and natural systems, and will protect portions of English Creek, Thirty-mile Creek, and the North Prong of the Alafia River. The property contributes to the completion of the Alafia River Corridor project within the District’s Florida Forever Workplan.   The parcel is being purchased for approximately $6.7 million, and will be split equally with Hillsborough County, with funds from the Florida Forever Trust Fund.   The Mattaniah Property is located on the west side of Carey Road, roughly one mile south of State Road 60 and three-quarters of a mile north of Nichols Road.  

The Florida Irrigation Society recently toured the C.W. Bill Young Reservoir, an important storage facility for the Tampa Bay area’s drinking water. The trip was an effort to learn more from Tampa Bay Water and the District about water supply planning and future efforts to meet the needs of the region’s growing population. 

Sen. Rick Scott presented staff with challenge coins last week in recognition of their recovery work with Pasco County following Hurricane Helene.