Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Tampa Bay Water approves cooperative funding for Waterwise rebates and presents regional award
Loading...
Summary
The board approved a cooperative funding agreement with the Southwest Florida Water Management District to reimburse up to $528,000 for the Tampa Bay Waterwise rebate program; staff highlighted cumulative program savings and presented the 2025 Best of the Region Community Waterwise Award to Michelle Burt and David Culp.
Tampa Bay Water’s board voted unanimously to approve a cooperative funding agreement (26CF0004970) with the Southwest Florida Water Management District that will reimburse the agency up to $528,000 for implementation of the Tampa Bay Waterwise rebate program in 2026.
Amelia Brown, demand management program manager, described the regional rebate program’s objective to save up to 3.8 million gallons per day by 2030; she reported cumulative savings of more than 1.1 million gallons per day and current fiscal‑year savings of about 122,000 gpd. Staff described several program changes for 2026, including higher toilet rebate amounts and expanded commercial irrigation rebate support.
The board also paused the workshop to present the Community Waterwise award; Brown announced the 2025 Best of the Region Award to Michelle Burt and David Culp (Pinellas County) for a drought‑tolerant residential landscape that uses micro‑irrigation and a rain barrel.
What’s next: program implementation will continue under the cooperative funding agreement and staff will track rebate delivery and billing data to evaluate annual water savings.
