Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Report

Statewide Year-Round Conservation Measures

Due to drought-related coordination efforts between Florida’s water management districts, the districts are interested in seeking statewide consistency in year-round water conservation measures, especially in lawn and landscape measures.

On-going discussions between the water management districts include:

• Exactly which days to use for the twice-per-week lawn watering schedule.
• Whether to include the proposed once-per-week watering schedule for winter.
• How to improve the efficient use of reclaimed water in a manner that would minimize storage and disposal concerns.

Public workshops are scheduled for the following dates:

• May 12 - Brooksville Headquarters - 10:00 a.m.
• May 14 - Tampa Service Office - 1:30 p.m.
• May 15 - Bartow Service Office - 1:30 p.m.
• May 16 - Sarasota Service Office - 10:00 a.m.

The water management districts would like to revise year-round conservation measures for implementation when the current drought subsides enough to no longer require water shortage restrictions. Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board will vote to initiate rulemaking at the April 29th meeting in Tampa.

Water Shortage Actions

The District remains in a Phase II Severe Water Shortage for the entire sixteen county area. The most current rainfall data for the northern, central and southern regions of the District are reported below.

2008 Rainfall (in inches)

Farm Bureau Welcomes New Governing Board Member

Henry “Paul” Senft, Jr. was appointed to the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board in March 2008. His term expires March 1, 2011.

Mr. Senft is a Georgia native and earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Emory University and his master’s degree in business administration with a major in healthcare administration from Georgia State University.

Senft served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry. He is past president of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents. Senft is a former Polk County Commissioner and has served as past chairman of the Central Florida Economic Development Council and is currently president of the Haines City Economic Development Council.

Mr. Senft resides in Haines City and is the owner of Townsend-Senft Consulting and Insurance, Inc. Senft will also serve as co-chair ex officio of the Peace River Basin Board.

On April 9, Governor Charlie Crist reassigned one member and appointed two new members to the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board:

• Judy Whitehead, Brooksville, owner, Residential Appraisal Service, was reassigned to succeed Patsy Symons of DeSoto. Last year the state legislature reassigned Symons’ seat to represent Hernando and Marion counties.
• Bryan Beswick, Arcadia, grove manager, Blue Goose Growers, was appointed to succeed Thomas Dabney of Sarasota. Last year the state legislature reassigned Dabney’s seat to represent Highlands, DeSoto and Hardee counties.
• Hugh Gramling, Plant City, executive director, Tampa Bay Wholesale Growers, was appointed to succeed Heidi McCree. This seat represents Hillsborough County.

One seat remains open representing Citrus, Levy, Lake and Sumter counties. Please contact me if you would like additional information.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Cara Martin at (352) 316-2382 caramartin@tampabay.rr.com or cara.martin@ffbf.org