Lakeland Starts Fining Watering Violations; Quilatan Takes Gator Division AOY

The Lakeland City Commission unanimously approved an amendment to Ordinance 4844 on Sept. 8 that puts fines behind the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Phase 3 water shortage restrictions: $50 for a first violation, $200 for a second, $500 for a third and subsequent ones, effective immediately.

Results

Cody Morgan of Green Cove Springs caught 10 bass weighing 61 pounds, 9 ounces over two days to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Super Tournament at the St. Johns River, results announced from Palatka on Sept. 14. Morgan earned $3,920, and took the Day 1 Berkley Big Bass Boater award with a 9-pound, 7-ounce fish. Danny Hinton of Saint Cloud won the co-angler division with six bass totaling 17 pounds, 12 ounces and $1,810. The event was the fifth and final one of the season for the BFL Gator Division, and Dylan Quilatan of Windermere finished third among boaters with 45-12 and won the division's Angler of the Year race with 1,345 points.

Coming Up

The district's Governing Board holds its monthly meeting Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 3 p.m. at the Tampa Service Office, 7601 U.S. Highway 301 North. Phase 3 restrictions run through Oct. 1, and Lakeland's notice says the district will determine the watering restrictions moving forward at that time.

Worth Knowing

The Florida Department of Health in Seminole County issued a blue-green algae health alert for Lake Howell on Sept. 11, in response to a water sample taken Sept. 9. DOH-Seminole advises against drinking, swimming, wading or using personal watercraft where there is a visible bloom, and says to keep pets and livestock away from the water.

The district's average 12-month rainfall total through August 2026 carried a 15.4-inch deficit, and its 2026 summer rainy season ends Sept. 30. Across the 76 lakes the district tracks, August levels stayed below adopted minimum low management levels on the Lake Wales Ridge, at -2.24 feet, and in the Polk Uplands, at -0.04 feet. Groundwater in the Central monitoring region finished August at the 23rd percentile.

Under Phase 3, most properties may irrigate one day per week regardless of the source, including city water, private wells and surface water, during midnight to 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Rinsing boats and flushing boat engines after each use is still allowed.