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Standard Format Tentative Budget Submission - Southwest Florida ...

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August 1, 2013<br />

The Honorable Rick Scott<br />

Governor, State of <strong>Florida</strong><br />

The Capitol<br />

400 South Monroe Street<br />

Tallahassee, <strong>Florida</strong> 32399-0001<br />

Subject: <strong>Southwest</strong> <strong>Florida</strong> Water Management District<br />

<strong>Standard</strong> <strong>Format</strong> <strong>Tentative</strong> <strong>Budget</strong> <strong>Submission</strong> for Fiscal Year 2013-14<br />

Dear Governor Scott:<br />

We are pleased to submit the <strong>Southwest</strong> <strong>Florida</strong> Water Management District’s<br />

(District) tentative budget for fiscal year (FY) 2013-14 in the amount of<br />

$170.8 million, a 7 percent increase over the current year. The proposed revenue<br />

budget includes $101.5 million in ad valorem property tax revenue. The District<br />

reduced the millage rate from 0.3928 mill to 0.3818 mill, a reduction of 2.8 percent.<br />

One hundred percent of the revenue increase is applied to cooperatively-funded<br />

projects and, if approved, 56 percent of the total District budget will be invested in<br />

projects designed to expand and protect <strong>Florida</strong>’s water resources. This year the<br />

District elevated its investment in projects, continued to reduce operating<br />

expenditures and cut taxes. Over the past two years, the District has reduced<br />

operating expenditures by 20 percent.<br />

The proposed budget includes $95.8 million for capital/infrastructure, this is<br />

$12.1 million above the current year. The District’s funds leveraged with its partners<br />

will result in a total investment of over $138 million for water resource management<br />

projects benefitting the region.<br />

The District increased its efforts in restoring water quality by adding $5.3 million to<br />

the District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program for a<br />

total proposed budget of $16.3 million for SWIM. To date, the SWIM program and<br />

its partners have completed over 150 stormwater projects which provide water<br />

quality treatment to over 50,000 acres and 100 natural system projects that have<br />

restored over 6,000 acres of freshwater, estuarine and upland habitat. As an<br />

example, this year the SWIM program and its partners were recognized with a<br />

“Future of the Region” first place award for the Clam Bayou Restoration and<br />

Stormwater Treatment project.

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