Tampa City Council Makes Once-a-Week Watering Rule Year-Round

TAMPA -- Once-a-week lawn watering will be the rule 365 days a year in Tampa.

Thursday morning, City Council voted to go beyond rules set by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which are changed by the governing board depending on available water supply. Council and water department staffers say levels at area lakes, rivers, and reservoirs remain low and Tampa must encourage conservation at all times. City staffers say 18 percent of Tampa's households account for 45 percent of water use.

The only no vote came from Councilman Luis Viera. He says New Tampa residents, many of whom live under homeowners' associations, fear being fined by their HOAs if they don't keep their lawns looking green. He hopes to tweak the ordinance to give those homeowners some leeway.

Councilman Bill Carlson said he was getting concerned messages from constituents about "permanent" watering rule changes. He pointed to media reports that used the word. "Permanent" appears in a quote attributed to Mayor Jane Castor from the city's news release:

"Water is our most precious resource and we must take bold steps to conserve it, especially when Mother Nature's signals are clear," said Mayor Jane Castor. "Given our drought-like conditions, making the once-a-week watering restrictions permanent is the sensible thing to do in order to ensure our water is used wisely, instead of wasted." (Emphasis added.)

Both Carlson and water officials agreed that rules could be changed depending on conditions. Fines for repeat offenders range from $100 to $500.

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