Conservation Lands Highlight: Water Management Districts

What Are Water Management Districts?

 In 1972, with advocacy from Audubon and other conservation organizations, the Florida Legislature passed the Water Resources Act, considered by many scholars of the time as one of the most forward-looking and comprehensive water laws in the nation. It established unequivocally that all water in Florida, on the surface or in the ground, on public or private property, is a public resource. The act created Florida’s five modern-day water management districts, organized by watersheds rather than political boundaries, and tasked them, along with the Department of Environmental Protection, with managing water as a public trust on behalf of all the people of Florida, not just a privileged few. 

Water management districts are funded with ad valorem taxes on property values. This was particularly elegant because as landscapes are subdivided and urbanized, they have more complex needs for water supply, flood control, and natural resource protection—which are more expensive. As properties are subdivided and upzoned (from agriculture to residential, for example), their taxable value per acre increases—allowing the ad valorem revenue generated to keep pace with the increasing costs of providing them with water management.

Jay Watch on St. Johns River Water Management District Conservation Lands 

Buck Lake Conservation Area in Brevard County 

After years of decline, 2025 is the fourth year in a row that jays here have seen an uptick in population numbers.

Lake Monroe Conservation Area in Volusia County 

While this site has a small population with just a few family groups, they usually produce young, including this year!

Jay Watch on Southwest Florida Water Management District Conservation Lands 

Halpata Tastanaki Nature Preserve in Marion County 

Fewer than 10 adults were counted in 2025—the population here continues to decline. 

Edward W. Change Reserve at Gilley Creek in Manatee County

 The site averages three to five family groups with one fledged chick per family per year. 

Little Manatee River Southfork Tract in Manatee County 

Great news! Jays were detected here in 2025 for the first time since 2020. Jay Watchers recorded two to four family groups. This site has historically supported up to five family groups and produced seven juveniles in 2011. 

Potts Preserve in Citrus County

One or two family groups are consistently spotted here. A juvenile successfully fledged in 2025.

Jay Watch on South Florida Water Management District Lands 

Lake Marion Creek in Polk County 

Jay Watchers recorded three family groups with seven adults and one juvenile in 2025.

This article was origially published in the 2025 Jay Watch Report. Read full report here.