South Florida Water Management District

What South Florida Water Management District does

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is a Florida state-created special-purpose district established in 1949, headquartered at 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach. As the oldest and largest of Florida's five water management districts, it is the statutory authority for flood control, water supply, water quality improvement, and ecosystem restoration across a 16-county region stretching from Orlando to the Florida Keys, serving approximately 9 million residents. The District operates an extensive physical infrastructure network spanning 7,600 square miles, including canals, levees, pump stations, and 57,000 acres of Stormwater Treatment Areas south of Lake Okeechobee, and it stewards over 2.3 million acres of Everglades Protection Areas under the Everglades Forever Act.

SFWMD's technology and data assets underpin its operational mandate. Core systems include the South Florida Water Management Model (SFWMM), a regional-scale hydrology simulation covering 7,600 square miles from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay; DBHYDRO, a specialized environmental database tracking water quality, rainfall, and ecosystem status across the 16-county region; and the Water Depth Assessment Tool (WDAT), an automated decision support system providing near-real-time water elevation and depth perspectives. The District also runs the Python Elimination Program — a multi-pronged invasive-species control effort that has removed over 27,000 Burmese pythons since 2000, including through the annual Florida Python Challenge co-run with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and, as of 2025, an experimental fleet of 120 solar-powered robotic rabbit detection units.

Funding is derived from state appropriations, ad valorem property taxes across the district, and regulatory/permitting fees — there is no commercial product pricing or venture capital involvement. Major active capital programs include the EAA Reservoir acceleration and the recently completed Picayune Strand Restoration Project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Leadership includes Governing Board Vice Chairman Kevin Powers and Director of Ecosystem Restoration and Capital Projects Jennifer Reynolds.

Name

South Florida Water Management District

Legal name

South Florida Water Management District

Website

https://sfwmd.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

South Florida Water Management District is a Florida state-created special-purpose district, founded 1949 and headquartered in West Palm Beach, that manages flood control, water supply, water quality, and ecosystem restoration across a 16-county region serving 9 million residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Resource Management

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Advanced/Nutrient Removal (BNR/ENR: N, P) (EUANADAC)

Keywords

• Water resource management
• Flood control infrastructure
• Ecosystem restoration
• Stormwater treatment
• Water quality monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

West Palm Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SFWMD is a state government water management district that operates flood control, water supply, water quality improvement, and ecosystem restoration programs across a 16-county region serving 9 million residents. It also runs the Python Elimination Program to control invasive Burmese pythons and publishes real-time water level, weather, and environmental data through platforms such as DBHYDRO, WDAT, and the South Florida Water Management Model.

Product overview

The South Florida Water Management District operates as a government agency providing water resource management services across 16 counties, serving 9 million people. The District offers a unified set of core services including Flood Control, Water Supply, Water Quality Improvement, Ecosystem Restoration, and a Python Elimination Program. Supporting these services are data platforms (DBHYDRO environmental database, Water Depth Assessment Tool, and South Florida Water Management Model), real-time data services (water levels, weather), regulatory permitting, and public recreation access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Python Elimination Program: Program to control invasive Burmese python populations in South Florida through annual challenges and contract hunters.

Products and services

• Flood Control Managing flood risk and water levels across the 16-county South Florida region through infrastructure operations, planning, and water control structures.
• Water Supply Managing and ensuring adequate water supply for the South Florida region's 9 million residents through allocation, storage, and infrastructure operations.
• Water Quality Improvement Monitoring and improving water quality across surface water, marshes, estuaries, lakes, rivers, and canals through the District's environmental monitoring program and Stormwater Treatment Areas.
• Ecosystem Restoration Restoring and protecting ecosystems including the Everglades, Kissimmee River, Lake Okeechobee, and coastal areas through restoration projects and capital programs.
• Python Elimination Program Annual python removal challenge and ongoing efforts to control invasive Burmese pythons in South Florida ecosystems, co-run with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
• DBHYDRO Environmental Database Environmental database containing historical and up-to-date water quality, rainfall, weather, and ecological data for the 16-county region covered by the District.
• Water Depth Assessment Tool (WDAT) Automated decision support system providing near-real-time spatial perspectives of water elevation, water depth, and ecological indicators using data from multi-agency gauge networks.
• South Florida Water Management Model (SFWMM) Regional-scale computer model simulating hydrology and water resources management from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay over a 7,600 square mile area.
• Permitting Services Environmental permits, regulatory permitting, right-of-way permits, and rulemaking services for development and water management activities in the District.
• Recreation on Public Lands Hiking, biking, hunting, camping, wildlife viewing, equestrian activities, and navigation on District-managed public lands across the 16-county region.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-running the annual Florida Python Challenge, a 10-day invasive Burmese python removal competition offering $25,000 in prizes. The challenge is a key component of the Python Elimination Program to control the invasive python population threatening the Everglades ecosystem.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• California Department of Water Resources: State-level water management agency overseeing flood control, water supply, and ecosystem restoration across California. Operates at similar scale to SFWMD with comparable mandate diversity, but in a different climate and regulatory regime.
• Texas Water Development Board: State agency responsible for water planning and financing in Texas, with comparable statutory mandate for water supply planning and infrastructure. Similar governance model as a state-level water entity, though with less direct operational flood control responsibility.
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Federal partner responsible for the Central and Southern Florida Project, including the Herbert Hoover Dike and Everglades restoration components. Co-leads major SFWMD projects (e.g., Picayune Strand) and operates at greater scale as a federal agency with national portfolio.

Direct peers

• Southwest Florida Water Management District: Florida water management district covering 16 counties across west-central Florida, responsible for flood control, water supply, and water quality. Same statutory framework, similar project mix (restoration, STAs, modeling), and overlapping ecosystem priorities — the most directly comparable peer to SFWMD.
• St. Johns River Water Management District: One of Florida's five state water management districts, with statutory authority over water resources, flood control, water supply, and ecosystem restoration across a multi-county region in northeast and central Florida. Directly comparable to SFWMD in mandate, governance structure, and funding model.
• Suwannee River Water Management District: Florida water management district covering the Suwannee River basin with analogous water supply, flood control, and water quality mandates. Smaller in scale but operates under the same Florida statutory framework as SFWMD.
• Northwest Florida Water Management District: Florida water management district serving the panhandle region with flood control, water supply, and resource protection duties. Same statutory and funding model as SFWMD, providing a direct governance and operational peer despite smaller scale.

Regional players

• Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department: Large municipal water and wastewater utility serving Miami-Dade County within SFWMD's jurisdiction. Comparable in water treatment and supply delivery function but operates as a local government utility rather than a regional resource management authority.
• New York City Department of Environmental Protection: Municipal water and wastewater utility serving 9 million residents in NYC, with watershed protection and ecosystem management responsibilities. Closest large municipal analog to SFWMD's scale of residential service coverage and integrated water quality mandate.
• Tampa Bay Water: Regional water supply authority serving the Tampa Bay area, focused on wholesale water supply and treatment infrastructure. Comparable delivery model and regional water-supply mandate, though more limited in flood control and ecosystem restoration scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SFWMD
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7zzBp0SrgTTd5fsqqBXo-w
• Facebookfacebook.com/SFWMD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sfwmd
• Instagraminstagram.com/sfwmd_gov

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Florida Water Management District