The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted today to declare a Modified Phase III “Extreme” Water Shortage due to ongoing drought conditions throughout the region, which requires all residents, including those on private wells, to follow one-day-per-week watering restrictions with stricter watering hours.
Unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, watering hours are reduced to 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Properties less than one acre in size may only use one of these windows.
The restrictions apply to all of Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and Lake counties; the City of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County; and the portion of Gasparilla Island in Charlotte County from April 3, 2026, through July 1, 2026…