District cost-share program

Fiscal Year 2027 Cost-Share Program

The mission of the St. Johns River Water Management District (District) is to protect our natural resources and support Florida’s growth by ensuring the sustainable use of Florida’s water for the benefit of the people of the District and the state. The District collaborates closely with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), local governments, private sector, and agricultural business partners to implement impactful projects benefiting the water resources within the District’s 18-county service area.. The cost-share program has allowed the District to forge strong relationships with its partners and leverage our collective knowledge, expertise and resources to address shared water resource concerns in our communities.

The District will be accepting applications on behalf of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for funding for alternative water supply and water conservation projects within the District’s 18-county service area from Dec. 11, 2025, through Jan. 29, 2026, 5 p.m. The District will be providing the list of reviewed, ranked and Governing Board approved applicants to DEP for funding consideration by May 31, 2026.

Applications for the Fiscal Year 2027 Cost-Share program should be submitted via the District’s online application system. Please click the “Online application system” button to prepare and submit your application.

Fiscal Year 2027 Application Schedule

Action date	Event
Dec. 11, 2025	Fiscal Year 2027 application period opens
Jan. 29, 2026	Application portal closed – all applications due by 5 p.m.
Jan. 30 – March 17, 2026	Internal application review process
May 12, 2026	Governing Board consideration for approval of ranked lists for DEP funding consideration
May 31, 2026	Ranked list submitted to DEP for consideration and evaluation

Resources

Contacts

Project Types

Alternative Water Supply

Eligible projects for consideration are construction-ready and provide an alternative water supply (AWS) benefit within the District. The funding priority is for regional projects in the areas of greatest need and those that provide the greatest benefit to the protection of Florida’s natural systems. The District and DEP will consider the following factors in the selection of AWS projects:

Projects that provide regional benefits
Projects that benefit water bodies with adopted Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs), particularly those that are in recovery or prevention
Projects with dual benefits, such as AWS projects that also provide flood protection, water quality, or recreational benefits
Cost-effectiveness
The return on investment, i.e., the amount of funding the state grant will leverage by local cooperators, while recognizing the funding limitations of REDI or other economically disadvantaged communities

Water Conservation

Water conservation is the prevention and/or the reduction of water use to improve efficiency of use and to avoid using water when not needed for the intended purpose. Examples of eligible projects include:

Residential water conservation projects, such as the replacement of older less efficient plumbing fixtures and devices with newer higher efficiency models, or improved landscape irrigation system efficiency
Recreational/aesthetic water use projects that focus on improving the efficiency of irrigation systems or replacing systems
Commercial/industrial/institutional projects vary from manufacturing and cooling processes to typical indoor and outdoor conservation (plumbing and irrigation)