District Budget

Overview

To ensure the fiscal accountability of the water management districts, section 373.536(5)(a), Florida Statutes, authorizes the Executive Office of the Governor to approve or disapprove water management district budgets in whole or in part and directs the districts to submit a tentative proposed budget by August 1 in a standard format prescribed by the Executive Office of the Governor. The statute also requires the submittal of a tentative budget by July 15 each year for consideration by the District’s Governing Board. The District prepares a preliminary budget each year, which is submitted by January 15, for legislative review to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairs of each legislative committee or subcommittee having substantive or fiscal jurisdiction over water management districts, in accordance with section 373.535, Florida Statutes.

Water management districts have the authority to levy ad valorem (property) taxes to support water management activities and must follow the requirements of Chapter 200, Florida Statutes, in regards to setting a millage by resolution of the Governing Board.

Four of the five water management districts are constitutionally allowed to levy ad valorem tax up to one mill. The Northwest Florida Water Management District is limited to one-twentieth of a mill (.05), which is five cents for every $1,000 of taxable property value. For the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year, the District’s Governing Board adopted a rolled-back millage rate of .0218, which is less than the 0.0234 assessed in FY 2023-2024 and 56.4 percent below the constitutional and statutory cap of 0.05. The majority of the District’s funding comes from cooperative projects, grants, and legislatively funded programs.

Budget Documents

	Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Adopted Budget Tentative Budget Preliminary Budget
	Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Adopted Budget Tentative Budget Preliminary Budget
	Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Adopted Budget Tentative Budget Preliminary Budget
	Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Adopted Budget Tentative Budget Preliminary Budget
	Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Adopted Budget Tentative Budget Preliminary Budget
	Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Adopted Budget Budget Changes from September 12, 2019, Public Hearing Tentative Budget Preliminary Budget
	Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Adopted Budget Budget Changes from September 13, 2018, Public Hearing Tentative Budget Preliminary Budget Approved Budget Amendments (as of July 25, 2019)
	Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Adopted Budget Budget Changes from September 14, 2017, Public Hearing Tentative Budget Preliminary Budget Approved Budget Amendments (as of January 11, 2018)
	Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Adopted Budget Adopted Budget Letter to Governor Scott Budget Changes from September 8, 2016 Public Hearing Tentative Budget Approved Budget Amendments Preliminary Budget Preliminary Budget Letter from the Executive Director
	Fiscal Year 2015-2016 Adopted Budget Budget Changes from Sept. 10, 2015 Public Hearing Tentative Budget Tentative Budget Submission Letter Approved Budget Amendments Preliminary Budget
	Fiscal Year 2014-2015 Adopted Budget Tentative Budget Tentative Budget Submission Letter Approved Budget Amendments Preliminary Budget
	Fiscal Year 2013-2014 Adopted Budget Governor Scott’s Letter Approving the Budget Tentative Budget Approved Budget Amendments Preliminary Budget