Good Day - My name is Dr. Joe Walsh, and I am the current Executive Director for the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District, headquartered in Plant City, Florida. The "Conservation District" is a State of Florida Special District, with a narrowly defined mission to help agricultural landowners and operators get help with better land design and management practices, all for the purpose of conserving the natural resources associated with each property.

Please note that our Mission involves only voluntary partnerships between property owners and our funding partners, and outreach and education related to Agriculture and Natural Resources.  While there is an advocacy aspect to our mission, the District’s Board Supervisors have no legal authority to approve, deny or overtly influence land use planning changes or land development approvals, and as of this writing, we do not operate any stormwater management structures in Hillsborough County.

We will do everything we can to connect rural landowners with the appropriate government officials, whether it be to report disaster impacts, or to engage with land use zoning and development approval processes.  Our best relationships will help you identify opportunities to better manage your land for agriculture and other natural resources (wildlife and wetlands for instance) and grant dollars to support your goals.  We can be reached via our homepage at https://www.hillsboroughswcd.com/ via email soilandwater@HCFL.gov or by phone at (813) 707-1652.