District scientists conduct a survey of plants and animals in the wetlands of the District’s Silver Springs Forest Conservation Area.
As part of our year-round work to protect water, the St. Johns River Water Management District is focused on wetlands and the benefits they provide to all our core missions. We joined others who care about water resources earlier this week in observing World Wetlands Day.
Our work includes protecting, restoring and preserving natural systems, and supporting wetlands’ natural hydrologic and ecologic functions. The importance of wetlands has not always been fully understood. Decades ago, wetlands were considered nothing more than breeding grounds for mosquitoes. However, we now know that the benefits of wetlands include filtering pollutants from surface waters, resiliency efforts such as storing water from storms and helping to prevent flood damage, recharging groundwater, serving as nurseries for saltwater and freshwater fish and shellfish, and pr
Water management district suing owners of dig site criticized by Nikki Fried
Frank Stanfield
TAVARES The St. Johns River Water Management District has filed suit against the owners of an 80-acre dig site in Sorrento in an operation first criticized by Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in November.
Kirk and Stephen Leiffer, as trustees of the C & K Family Trust, are violating an administrative order to stop collecting dirt on the 80-acre White Water Farms, the circuit civil suit filed Wednesday claims.
White Water leases the land from the Leiffers and the trust.
The Leiffers signed a $2.2 million contract with SEMA Construction for 700,000 cubic yards of fill dirt. About 200,000 cubic yards has been excavated so far, according to the water district. Digging began in April.
Thanks to a grant from the St. Johns River Water Management District, the City of Oak Hill is closer converting a large number of residents septic systems city sewer.
The effort should lead to a cleaner Indian River Lagoon system. But some residents are still concerned that the project will individually cost them more than they can afford.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appropriated $25 million to the water management district for the Indian River Lagoon Water Quality Grant for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. That in turn made smaller grants for septic to sewage projects available, enabling the water district to award the $2.5 million grant to Oak Hill.
Imeson International Industrial Park Inc. filed plans with the city for a 408,240-square-foot warehouse in the North Jacksonville business center.
The Orlando-based developer proposes a 408,240-square-foot warehouse with 75 loading rear loading docks and 95 trailer parking spaces on 23.8 acres at 760 Yeager Road, where Cold Storage Road and Canada Drive intersect with it.
Plans show 425 parking spaces.
No tenants are identified.
Imeson International Industrial Park Inc. President Dan Webb said by email Nov. 28 the structure is a multitenant speculative building with a minimum tenant size of 60,000 square feet.
He anticipates completion in the first quarter of 2022.
Jacksonville-based EnVision Design + Engineering LLC is the agent and the civil engineer.
A recent purchase of more than 1,250 acres of land in eastern Alachua County is expected to contribute to the improvement of water quality in Hatchet Creek and downstream into Newnans Lake, a murky body of water plagued by nutrient pollution problems.
Alachua County recently finalized its purchase of the land, known as Parcel E from the Weyerhaeuser Company. It’s on the north side of State Road , about one mile west of Orange Heights.
The county bought it for about $3.37 million using Wild Spaces, Public Places funding. Under the 2016 referendum, a half-cent sales tax will be collected through 2024 to continue funding land purchases through the Alachua County Forever program and improvements in county parks.