Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD)

Submit the Property Owner Application linked on the program page; a District inspector then schedules an onsite inspection, followed by plugging by a District contractor with a District hydrologist onsite.

Deadline text on the page: No deadline; most wells are plugged within approximately 90 days after the application is received.

Jolene Knight

General information or assistance with application

Gary Foster

Technical guidance or scheduling questions

Isaac Crenshaw

Permitting assistance or non-homeowner concerns

The St. Johns River Water Management District plugs abandoned artesian wells for free for property owners in its 18 counties. Free-flowing abandoned wells waste water and can contaminate groundwater. After an owner applies, a District inspector visits within about 30 days, and a District-hired licensed contractor seals the well with cement, usually within about 90 days.



- Property owners with an abandoned artesian well within the District's 18 counties (Brevard, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Indian River, Nassau, Putnam, Seminole, St. Johns, Volusia; parts of Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Lake, Marion, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola)
- Non-owners reporting a concern contact the Regulatory department instead

A reduction or waiving of fees for meeting a certain criteria.

Discount

Free to eligible property owners who participate in the program.

Published amounts: Yes. The District offers free well plugging for eligible properties within its 18-county area when you participate in the program.

Download the Districtwide Agricultural Cost-Share Application and submit it with vendor quotes and requested documents by email to Suzanne Archer (sarcher@sjrwmd.com). Applications are accepted year-round; eligible projects are funded first come, first served subject to funding and Governing Board approval.

Deadline text on the page: The St. Johns River Water Management District accepts applications for its Districtwide Agricultural Cost-Share Program year-round. Award of cost-share funding is contingent on District Governing Board approval of eligible applications and funding availability.

Suzanne Archer

Agricultural Cost-share Program and ERP/exemptions contact

Haley Hayes

Agricultural Cost-share Program and Consumptive Use Permitting contact

General office

District receptionist

The St. Johns River Water Management District pays up to 75% of the&#x2004;cost of farm projects that conserve water, switch to a lower-quality water source, or reduce nutrient runoff in its 18-county area. Past projects include irrigation retrofits and conversions to more efficient systems, conversions to surface water with pond construction, pump automation with telemetry, soil moisture probes and weather stations, precision land leveling, fertigation, and precision fertilizer application equipment. Farmers, growers and ranchers can apply year-round, and the District also offers free Mobile Irrigation Lab audits, which it recommends before applying for irrigation retrofits.



The St. Johns River Water Management District pays up to 75% of the cost of farm projects that conserve water, switch to a lower-quality water source, or reduce nutrient runoff in its 18-county area. Past projects include irrigation retrofits and conversions to more efficient systems, conversions to surface water with pond construction, pump automation with telemetry, soil moisture probes and weather stations, precision land leveling, fertigation, and precision fertilizer application equipment. Farmers, growers and ranchers can apply year-round, and the District also offers free Mobile Irrigation Lab audits, which it recommends before applying for irrigation retrofits.

- Project area located primarily within SJRWMD boundaries
- At least three years of experience owning or managing the subject farm/ranch or a similar one
- Project conserves water, makes water available and/or reduces nutrient runoff
- Existing production only; new (previously unirrigated) production areas are not eligible, except surface-water projects
- Enrolled in applicable FDACS best management practices (BMPs)
- Grower owns or controls the land (lease, etc.)
- Agrees to Mobile Irrigation Lab evaluations or water quality monitoring if requested
- In compliance with laws, SJRWMD rules, permits and funding agreements
- High tunnels not funded

A payment that requires some percentage of matching contributions by the recipient.

Cost Share

Reimbursement program: proof of payment required; multiple invoices allowed. Only expenses incurred after the contract is signed by both parties are eligible. Flow meter required (include in request if not already installed). Recipients must be willing to memorialize water savings through a consumptive use permit modification; recipients subject to MFLs/Outstanding Florida Springs must designate the water resource as receiving entity of excess benefit up to the District's funding percentage. Applicant covers maintenance.

Published amounts: Cost-share could be up to 75 percent, not to exceed $250,000 annually, for the engineering, design, construction and implementation costs for approved projects. Applicant must finance a minimum of 25% of total cost. Related entities share one cap (program overview).

Download the Land Acquisition Application, complete it (asking price required) and email it to RealEstateServices@sjrwmd.com or mail it to the address on the form.

Deadline text on the page: No deadline published; application form dated 2026 and accepted by mail or email.

Real Estate Services Program

The St. Johns River Water Management District buys land, or conservation easements (less-than-fee interests), from private owners to protect floodplains, sensitive wetlands, groundwater recharge areas and other water resources in its 18-county region. Under a less-than-fee deal, the owner keeps the land, keeps managing it with activities compatible with conservation, and it stays on the tax rolls. Landowners offer property by submitting the land acquisition application to the District's Real Estate Services Program.



- Private landowners offering fee simple interest or a conservation easement within the District's 18-county region
- Priority to lands that preserve, restore, enhance or develop water resources (floodplains, sensitive wetlands, groundwater recharge areas)

Payment per unit of land to do or avoid certain practices related to land management.

Easement

Owner authorizes District site inspection for up to 180 days; restrictions, terms and conditions negotiated with the owner; District may negotiate public access.

Published amounts: Asking price required on application; all restrictions, terms and conditions of less-than-fee acquisitions are negotiated with the owners of the land.

List of St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) Funding Opportunities