District staff recently met with Orange County residents to talk about wildfire safety and how they can work together to reduce the risk of fire damage to their homes through prescribed fire.

The District has been awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its fiscal year 2016-2017 budget from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada. Mary-Lou Pickles, director of the District’s Office of Financial Services and the District’s former budget director, also was recognized.

There are a lot of “dos” when visiting public lands owned and managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District — do take your time to enjoy natural Florida, do take drinking water and insect repellent, do hike or bike and take advantage of these unspoiled acres. However, with saw palmetto berry season in full swing, the District wants to remind visitors of an important “don’t.” Harvesting saw palmetto berries is prohibited on public properties across Florida, including the District’s conservation lands.

The District is providing $700,000 in cost-share funds to the city of Palm Coast for a project to rebuild aging flood control structures and allow for remote monitoring and control of the slide gates. The project will help protect residents and property in a 1,739-acre area of the city.