South Florida Water Management District

🦦 Preparing for their Netflix documentary on sibling rivalry, “Sunrise swim, sunrise catch, sunrise snub.” ✨ This otter woke up early, got the fish, and would absolutely not share it with his sibling. 🐟 Otters are highly active mammals that feed on fish, crayfish and amphibians and their presence is a strong indicator of clean, healthy waterways. 🎥 Another candid moment in one of the @SFWMD's natural areas. 👀 If you see otters in the wild, you otter respect their space and avoid feeding or interacting with them.

👏 The @SFWMD July 2026 Team of the Month is the Homestead Field Station Canal/Levee Team! This team completed a critical roadway elevation project supporting a newly constructed pump station in Homestead, FL. 💧 Their efforts were instrumental in ensuring the pump station can operate as designed which means it can reduce flooding impacts to nearby communities from any summer storms. 🏅 This team completed the work on time and their work resulted in a cost savings for the District. 🙂Congratulations on a job well done!

🐍 Sweet sssssuccess! The results are in, and our python removal agents crushed it last month! 🏆 Here are the winners of the June 2026 bonus awards: 🐍 Most Pythons, $600: Thomas Lee (41 pythons) 🐍 Longest Python, $400: Bayo Hernandez  (16' 0.5") 🐍 15+ Pythons, $1,500: Guillermo Tapanes, Thomas Lee, Anthony Flanagan, Aaron Mann, Joseph Currie and Kris Bartish 🐍 10+ Pythons, $1,000: Reed Gearhart 🐍 4+ Pythons: $300, Donna Kalil, Frederico Arrosa, Issac Lord, Matt Kogo and Siarra Means 👏 Thank you to all of our python removal agents! Every invasive python that is removed is making a difference to protect the Everglades and the region’s native wildlife. 🔗 Visit SFWMD.gov/PythonProgram to learn more.

💦 The @SFWMD made a time capsule to honor our history and preserve current stories for future generations. 💙 The capsule is set to be opened 50 years from now in 2076 and will hold memories through time by preserving meaningful District items. ✨ Thank you to our staff and Governing Board for your contributions to the time capsule!

🎉 Congratulations to the recipients of this month's @SFWMD employee service awards! 🌟July 2026 Employee of the Month: Daniel Sartori, Engineering/Construction Manager 🌟July 2026 Team of the Month: Homestead Field Station Canal/Levee Team The Governing Board recognized these outstanding employees for their commitment to the District! 💙👏

✨ The July Governing Board Meeting has started. Here are some of the items on today’s agenda: 📌 Executive Director Drew Bartlett will provide his Monthly Report 💦 Budget Development Approach for Transitioning from Fiscal Year 2025-26 to Fiscal Year 2026-27 🌿 Water & ecological conditions ⭐ And more… 📄View the full agenda: SFWMD.gov/Meetings 💻 Follow along and watch live: SFWMD.link/4g2uija

🗓️ Join us in-person or tune in online today starting at 9:00 a.m. for the July Governing Board Meeting. 🔗 Visit SFWMD.link/4g2uija to watch the meeting live.

🐍 Big #snakes, big #pythonchallenge! The 2026 Florida Python Challenge starts this Friday, July 10 and runs until July 19, 2026. Register to participate 👉 FLPythonChallenge.org Read more about how we protect native wildlife and the Everglades ecosystem 👉  SFWMD.gov/News

🇺🇸 In 1847, the United States issued its first postage stamps featuring Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. Nearly 150 years later, a 1995 U.S. stamp honored #FL, featuring the date of statehood-1845-and our official state reptile, the American alligator. 🐊 The American alligator was declared the official state reptile in 1987 and you can see gators on many @SFWMD lands.

🚩 Navigation Notice 🚩 ⛴️The S-193 Boat Lock at Taylor Creek in Okeechobee County will temporarily close tonight, Sunday, July 5, 2026, at 9:00 p.m., after today’s normal operating hours. 💧 The water level in Lake Okeechobee dropped below 11 feet NGVD or 10.70 feet NAVD, which means that this boat lock will remain closed to navigation for safety purposes until specific water levels are met. ⛴️ The other navigational locks on Lake Okeechobee's north shore that are completely closed to navigation 24 hours a day/7 days a week are listed below: S-135 Boat Lock at the J&S Fish Camp in Martin County G-36 Boat Lock on Henry Creek in Okeechobee County S-127 Boat Lock at Buckhead Ridge in Glades County S-131 Boat Lock in Lakeport in Glades County S-193 Boat Lock at Taylor Creek in Okeechobee County (closing July 5, 2026 at 9:00 p.m.) 🔗 SFWMD.gov/Navigation

🇺🇸 United as one nation, we are working on something truly special…the largest ecosystem restoration plan, the world has ever known. Our “River of Grass” stretching across the southern tip of this nation is unlike anything else on 🌎. Our talented staff are engineering water to flow the way nature intended, securing the future of millions of people, and protecting an iconic American landscape.   Everglades restoration projects are coming online at a historic pace and making a real difference for people and our environment.   As America turns 250 today, we continue to build the foundation for the next 250 years. Happy Independence Day! #America250 #America250FL #July4th

💧 As part of the @SFWMD's low Lake Okeechobee water level plan, sediment removal and rip rap refurbishment are taking place at a regional boat lock on Lake Okeechobee. 🛥️ Boat locks allow for the water level to be controlled so that recreational and commercial boat traffic can safely pass from one side to the other. The purpose of locks is to transport boats from one water level to another, like an elevator. 🐊🔬 This project not only improves access for boating it also improves the overall health of Lake Okeechobee. 👏 Thank you to all of the District staff who are working on this important project!

💧☀️ Lake Okeechobee is Florida’s largest freshwater lake and is the second largest in the contiguous United States. 📚🌱 Spanning roughly 730 square miles, it has shaped the state’s history, ecology and water management. ⛵️🐠 From Seminole heritage to modern recreation, the “Big Water” remains central to Florida life. 🇺🇸🚗 Experience the heart of South Florida on Florida’s America 250 Road Trip. 🔗 America250fl.com

Thank you, @GovRonDeSantis for signing a budget that includes historic investments in Everglades restoration including the funding needed to complete the state’s portion of the EAA Reservoir, the “Crown Jewel” of restoration. The State of Florida continues to lead the way with projects that advance Everglades restoration, improve water quality, ensure water supply for people and the environment, increase the capacity of water storage, reduce damaging discharges from Lake Okeechobee and send more clean water south. The @SFWMD continues to work with our partners everyday to finish more critical projects that will benefit millions of Floridians.

🇺🇸 As we countdown to America's 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, we honor the #Everglades. 🌠 This is truly the golden age of Everglades restoration as we continue to work on the largest ecosystem restoration effort in the world. 💧 The Everglades is a national treasure and incredible progress continues to be made as we transform how water moves across Florida.

✨ Before highways. Before railroads. Steamboats were a lifeline in the Florida wilderness. 💧 The "Thomas A. Edison" paddle steamer worked the Caloosahatchee River, carrying passengers and freight through South Florida. 📸 This remarkable photograph dates all the way back to 1904! #America250FL

🦋🌸 Don't just flutter by. Stop and celebrate with us! 💚 It's National Pollinator Week, and we are highlighting these tiny travelers. 🌿 Butterflies, bats and bees benefit our plants and ecosystems. Native plants rely on these essential pollinators to help them produce offspring (seeds and fruit) needed for their species to thrive and grow. 🌻 You can encourage pollination in your yard by diversifying your home’s landscape and planting an array of foliage and flowers.

👀 Why do we demuck from navigational boat locks and navigational channels leading up to boat locks? 🚤 To maintain safe and efficient passage for vessels. 💧 This week, demucking is taking place on and around a boat lock in Okeechobee County as part of the @SFWMD's low Lake Okeechobee water level plan. ✅ 👏 Removing the muck can also remove excess nutrients and improve oxygen levels in the water. In addition, this project will improve access for boating, improve wildlife habitat and will help benefit the economies of local communities and the overall health of Lake Okeechobee. 🔗 Visit SFWMD.gov/Navigation for the latest information.

🤝 Partnership in Action! 🌿 @SFWMD and Ducks Unlimited teamed up to restore more than 185 acres of wetlands in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Wildlife Management Area in Polk County. 💧 The Rolling Meadows Restoration Project restores and enhances floodplain habitat along the southwestern shore of Lake Hatchineha. ✨ These partnerships help ensure that these lands are restored and protected for the people and the environment of South Florida.

🇺🇸 In honor of American Eagle Day, we are showcasing this symbol of liberty, which has been a part of our history since 1838, when it was featured on Florida’s original territorial seal. 🦅 The State of Florida is home to the second largest population of bald eagles in the United States.