Meetings and Announcements

Upcoming Meetings

No meetings scheduled at this time.

Southern Recreation Public Meeting

The District’s Southern Recreational Public Meeting is scheduled for 6–8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. The meeting will be held at the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Palm Bay Service Center, Blue Cypress Room, 525 Community College Parkway SE, Palm Bay, FL 32909.

The purpose of this meeting is to collect input from stakeholders regarding recreational use of District conservation land in the Upper St. Johns River Basin, South Region.

District staff will receive comments from the public during the meeting. If you are unable to attend in person and would like to provide a comment or question, please email SouthernRecreationComments@sjrwmd.com. The answers will be returned via email after the meeting.

Topics, as they relate to public recreational utilization of District lands, will include:

  • Overview of recreation on District land in the South Region
  • South Region land management and operations updates
  • Opportunity for public comment

Recreation Announcements

Headwaters Boat Ramp temporary recurring closures – In effect

February 2, 2026

The District has implemented temporary, recurring closures of the Headwaters Boat Ramp, including the kayak launch, at the Fellsmere Water Management Area to support scheduled maintenance and restoration activities.

The ramp will be closed Monday, June 1, through Thursday, June 4.

This will reoccur during the first full week of each month from now through September 2026, excluding federal holidays.

During these closures, western levee trails will remain open for hiking and bank fishing. Alternative boat access will continue to be available at nearby District-managed properties, including the Fellsmere Grade Recreation Area (Stick Marsh) and the C-54 Boat Ramp.

For closure dates, frequently asked questions, and additional details, please view the full press release here.

Rice Creek Conservation Area

May 4, 2026

An area within the Nine Mile Tract of the Rice Creek Conservation Area (see map) is undergoing a pine thinning. Tree stand densities are high, and the purpose of the thinning is to remove diseased, defective and suppressed trees to create openings in the canopy, freeing up growing space for the healthiest trees. Please use caution when accessing the property for recreation, including hunting. The contract allows the work to be conducted through March 12, 2027.

 

Pellicer Creek Conservation Area

May 4, 2026

An area within the Pellicer Creek Conservation Area (see map) is undergoing a pine thinning. Tree stand densities are high, and the purpose of the thinning is to remove diseased, defective and suppressed trees to create openings in the canopy, freeing up growing space for the healthiest trees. Please use caution when accessing the property for recreation. The contract allows the work to be conducted through April 13, 2027.

 

Orange Creek Restoration Area

May 4, 2026

An area within the Orange Creek Restoration Area (see map) is undergoing a pine thinning. Tree stand densities are high, and the purpose of the thinning is to remove diseased, defective and suppressed trees to create openings in the canopy, freeing up growing space for the healthiest trees. Please use caution when accessing the property for recreation, including hunting. The contract allows the work to be conducted through April 1, 2027.

 

Lochloosa Wildlife Conservation Area

May 4, 2026

An area within the Lochloosa Wildlife Conservation Area (see map) is undergoing a pine thinning. Tree stand densities are high, and the purpose of the thinning is to remove diseased, defective and suppressed trees to create openings in the canopy, freeing up growing space for the healthiest trees. Please use caution when accessing the property for recreation, including hunting (quota permit required).  Work is anticipated to continue through May 15, 2027.

Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve

May 4, 2026

An area within the River Styx Tract of the Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve (see map) is undergoing a pine thinning. Tree stand densities are high, and the purpose of the thinning is to remove diseased, defective and suppressed trees to create openings in the canopy, freeing up growing space for the healthiest trees. Please use caution when accessing the property for recreation. The contract allows the work to be conducted through April 2, 2027.

 

Lake George Conservation Area

May 4, 2026

An area within the Lake George Conservation Area (see map) is undergoing a pine thinning. Tree stand densities are high, and the purpose of the thinning is to remove diseased, defective and suppressed trees to create openings in the canopy, freeing up growing space for the healthiest trees. Please use caution when accessing the property for recreation, including primitive tent camping (reservation required) and hunting.  Work is anticipated to continue through June 15, 2027.

Clark Bay Conservation Area

May 4, 2026

An area within the Clark Bay Conservation Area (see map) is undergoing a pine thinning. Tree stand densities are high, and the purpose of the thinning is to remove diseased, defective and suppressed trees to create openings in the canopy, freeing up growing space for the healthiest trees. Please use caution when accessing the property. The contract allows the work to be conducted through Oct. 8, 2026.

J.P. Hall Bayard Point Conservation Area

April 22, 2026

An area within J.P. Hall Bayard Point Conservation Area totaling 104 acres (see map) is undergoing a pine thinning. Some internal roads may be impacted as log trucks enter and exit Area 4. Please use caution when accessing the property for recreation, including primitive tent camping (reservation required). The contract allows the work to be conducted through March 24, 2027.

Burrell Lock Temporarily Closed

March 24, 2026

Burrell Lock is temporarily closed due to a warped miter gate and a leaking seal identified during ongoing operational testing. District staff are actively assessing both issues and working with the contractor to determine the necessary repairs to restore safe and reliable operations. At this time, a reopening timeframe has not been established.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this causes and understand the disruption this may have on those who rely on the lock. We appreciate the public’s patience as we work to address these issues and will provide updates as more information becomes available.

For more information about property closures, please visit recreation and lands.

Temporary Website Outages

We want your visit to sjrwmd.com to be a positive and productive experience. At times, we will need to perform routine hardware and software maintenance that may cause some areas of the site to be intermittently off-line. We do apologize for this temporary, but necessary, inconvenience. We are working diligently to quickly restore complete functionality to the site.

Next scheduled outage:

May 14th from 6pm-9pm the following sites will be impacted during planned maintenance:

Governing Board

For schedules, agendas, and livestream links visit Governing Board.

Office Closures

No office closures scheduled at this time.