Irrigation Resources

The WVID and/or The Ranch Land Operations and Thomas Ranch Intangibles (Ranch Entities), affiliates of the master developer, own the well infrastructure improvements within Wellen Park. As necessary, the WVID and the Ranch Entities own or hold easements for the land that the wells are located on, which provides them access to the wells for operation and maintenance needs. The Ranch Entities hold the rights to draw groundwater from the wells, which they allow the WVID to utilize for its irrigation program in exchange for a fee. The wells are not owned by the residents, and neither residents nor individual homeowners’ association can independently pull water from irrigation wells for their own use.

In Gran Paradiso, the well infrastructure was constructed, and is owned, by the WVID on land that is currently owned by the Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association. The WVID and the Ranch Entities hold an easement for the land that the wells are located on, which provides them with the necessary legal access to those wells for operation and maintenance needs.

In 2018, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) awarded a joint Water Use Permit to the WVID and The Ranch Land Operations and another Mattamy company, affiliates of the master developer. The Water Use Permit, which allows the co-permittees to conjunctively use surface water, reclaimed water and groundwater for landscape/recreation irrigation, was issued for 50 years, and covers all lands within the district, except for IslandWalk, which was separately permitted. WVID’s inclusion on the Water Use Permit requires the consent and cooperation of The Ranch Land Operations and Thomas Ranch Intangibles (Ranch Entities).

This permit determines how much water is available to help meet the irrigation quality water demands for the entire lands within WVID. Permitted quantities are based on the number of irrigable acres within a specific boundary, as well as other factors such as the type of property, irrigation or soil. A conservation plan is incorporated into the water use permit, which allocates how much irrigation water each neighborhood is entitled to use.

In December 2024, the WVID Board of Supervisors voted 3-1, with Supervisor John Meisel dissenting, to consent to a modification to the Water Use Permit. This modification, which was approved by SWFWMD, redistributed irrigation water resources associated with non WVID-owned lands within Gran Paradiso to the remaining lands throughout the District.

The irrigation water allocations for each of WVID’s customers are determined as part of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Water Use Permit and are calculated utilizing SWFWMD’s AGMOD modeling system.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District strictly governs how much irrigation water can be used during a given time. Wellen Park’s annual average daily water allocation is approximately 2.4 million gallons per day. In a peak month, the allocations shift to approximately 6.7 million gallons per day.

If the WVID uses more water than is allowed, the District could be at risk of penalties, including losing its Water Use Permit. If this were to occur, WVID would not be able to meet irrigation quality water demands of its customers.

On Dec. 3, 2024, the District received a letter from The Ranch Land Operations and Thomas Ranch Intangibles (Ranch Entities) demanding the District approve the permit modifications. The demand followed approximately two years of litigation surrounding irrigation quality water involving the District and the Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association (GPPOA).

The Ranch Entities asserted that the WVID has not maintained compliance with various terms of the Water Use Permit, including Gran Paradiso’s repeated and consistent exceedance of its irrigation allocations, and is in breach of a 2018 Water Supply Agreement between WVID and the Ranch Entities. This occurrence jeopardized WVID’s ability to remain on the Water Use Permit and its ability to provide irrigation quality water to its customers.

In December 2024, the WVID Board of Supervisors voted 3-1, with Supervisor Meisel dissenting, to consent to the modification removing Gran Paradiso from the Water Use Permit. Recognizing the importance of the Water Use Permit to the overall system, the Board of Supervisors acted within the best interest of the landowners and residents of the entire district.

Additionally, as the GPPOA has sought through its litigation to terminate its irrigation service agreements with WVID, effectively ending the WVID’s provision of irrigation service to Gran Paradiso. By approving the Water Use Permit modification, the WVID Board of Supervisors gave the GPPOA the result that it has been litigating for since 2022 in an attempt to resolve the parties’ outstanding issues in the litigation.

In December 2024, the WVID Board of Supervisors voted 3-1, with Supervisor Meisel dissenting, to consent to the modification of the Water Use Permit to remove Gran Paradiso. The Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association (GPPOA) was notified in December 2024 of the decision and informed that it would need to find an alternative irrigation resource to serve the community.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) approved the permit modification on Jan. 15, 2025. The GPPOA had the opportunity to appeal the SWFWMD decision, but failed to do so by the Feb. 10, 2025, deadline.

The WVID made a variety of engineering and infrastructure modifications to remove properties owned by GPPOA and individual residents from the irrigation water system. Those modifications were substantially completed on March 31, 2025.

Gran Paradiso residents, the GPPOA, and the GPPOA attorney received a letter dated March 24, 2025, informing them they would need to seek alternative irrigation water sources as of March 31, 2025.

No. Since the Gran Paradiso Property Owners’ Association (GPPOA) did not timely file an appeal to the proposed issuance of the Water Use Permit modification, the Southwest Florida Water Management District has approved the modification effective as of Feb. 10, 2025, and the WVID is now no longer legally permitted to provide irrigation water service to the lands within Gran Paradiso (other than those owned by the WVID).

Since 2022, the Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association (GPPOA) has sought to have existing irrigation service agreements between WVID and the GPPOA terminated, effectively eliminating the WVID’s obligation to provide irrigation water service to the Gran Paradiso community. As a result, by approving the Water Use Permit modification, the WVID Board of Supervisors allowed for GPPOA’s goal in the litigation to be accomplished in an attempt to resolve the parties outstanding issues in the litigation.

In furtherance of the WVID’s attempt to resolve the outstanding matters in the litigation, GPPOA was informed it needed to seek alternative irrigation sources as of April 1, 2025, as the WVID will no longer be providing service to properties within Gran Paradiso owned by the GPPOA or individual residents.

The modifications do not affect the District’s ability to maintain WVID property, or landscaping located on WVID property, within Gran Paradiso.

The Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association (GPPOA) is now able to secure irrigation water sources from other providers in the region such as the City of North Port (City), Sarasota County, Englewood Water District, or others.

Until other sources of irrigation water are identified by the GPPOA, residents can use potable, or drinking, water on their lawns or landscaping. Access to this water, which is provided by the City, was not impacted by the Water Use Permit modification. The City’s potable water rate is $101.26 a month per 10,000 gallons while the WVID’s current irrigation water rate for Gran Paradiso was $17.82 a month per 10,000 gallons.

Under the current Water Use Permit, the WVID is not legally permitted to provide irrigation water to the lands within Gran Paradiso (with the exception of lands owned by the WVID).

The Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association (GPPOA) has pursued termination of the WVID’s irrigation service to Gran Paradiso through the litigation for nearly three years. If the GPPOA were to desire to have WVID again provide irrigation service to Gran Paradiso in the future, the Water Use Permit would need to be modified, which would require the consent of both the WVID and the master developer, as well as approval by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. It is unknown at this time whether any or all of those consents/approvals could be acquired, and even if obtained the Water Use Permit modification process could take years to accomplish.

The WVID would also need to make a variety of engineering and infrastructure modifications before irrigation water could be restored.

The modification has no impact on and was necessary to ensure the continued access and availability of irrigation quality water to other communities and properties throughout the District; however, the modification is also a benefit to those communities to ensure that the WVID remains in compliance with the Water Use Permit and is able to continue to provide its irrigation program to those customers. The Water Use Permit modification ensures that communities and properties throughout the District continue to have access to irrigation quality water.

Additionally, the Ranch Entities agreed to cover all costs associated with the Water Use Permit modifications, as well as any changes or improvements to the irrigation system necessary as a result of the Water Use Permit modification- so no irrigation customers are paying for the Water Use Permit modification relative to Gran Paradiso.

Water conservation is a key element of the Water Use Permit. In accordance with that element, WVID is required to implement Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD)-approved water conservation plans. This plan requires the District to supply irrigation quality water quantities to its customers based on SWFWMD’s AGMOD model and ensure compliance with permitted quantities. It also calls on customers, such as homeowners associations, to create and implement their own water conservation plans which the District oversees.

The goal of the water use permit is conservation, allowing for efficient use of a finite resource. The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) and WVID encourage customers to follow best irrigation practices, such as:

• Watering your lawn on designated days. Lawn watering is limited to twice per week, and customers must adhere to all City of North Port and SWFWMD watering restrictions.
• Watering your lawn before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Since evaporation loss can be 60% higher during the day, watering your lawn during the early morning or late evenings minimizes evaporation and supports conservation efforts. Also avoid watering on windy days.
• Monitoring rainfall and updating your watering schedule accordingly. Be sure your automatic sprinkler system is equipped with a working rain shutoff device, which overrides the system when enough rain has fallen and automatically resets when more water is needed. Regularly check your device to make sure it is working properly and the switch in the control box is set to “on.”
• Watering your lawn only as much as needed. Most Florida soils need an average of one-half to three-quarters of an inch of water per application to replenish the grass. An automatic system can provide an efficient method of irrigating lawns since controllers turn the system off after a predetermined amount of water is applied.
• Regularly checking your sprinkler heads. Make sure that sprinkler heads are working properly and appropriately positioned to avoid watering paved or non-landscaped areas.

For more information about water resources, visit the swfwmd.state.fl.us.

Individual neighborhood developers generally fund the cost of installation of both new master and neighborhood irrigation water infrastructure. Once the master irrigation infrastructure is completed, the WVID assumes the responsibilities of operating and maintaining the system.

The cost to operate the irrigation is currently being deficit-funded interest free by the master developer through a funding agreement. This is due to the relative infancy of the utility program and is not a long-term funding structure. While these operating costs may be repaid, at least in part, from future irrigation operating funds or bond proceeds, it means that there is currently no bond debt related to operating the District’s irrigation program.

These rates support a variety of services, including costs related to purchased reclaimed water, electricity, fuel, system repairs, engineering, management fees including billing and accounting, operations administration including field personnel, legal fees, audit, well availability payments, and the capital improvement program including new infrastructure and replacements.

The rates also support debt repayments associated with paying the developer for historic deficit funding that it has provided to the WVID interest-free, and financing for capital improvements.

In 2023, the WVID Board of Supervisors contracted with GovRates Inc., an independent contractor with more than 25 years of public utility ratemaking experience, to conduct a revised rate study focused on evaluating and updating existing irrigation water rates throughout WVID.

On April 11, 2024, the WVID Board adopted new rates as recommended by the GovRates study. Under these rates, customers with private irrigation pumps are charged $15.82 a month per 10,000 gallons, a $2.96 a month increase from previous rates. All other customers pay $17.82 a month per 10,000 gallons, or a $4.96 a month increase. The adopted rates also include a well availability fee in the amount of $4.17 per equivalent residential unit. The rates went into effect July 1, 2024.

The 2024 rates reflected a 30% increase over the previous year’s rates.

The GovRates rate study was the first formal rate review conducted by WVID since 2018. Since then, WVID has experienced significant growth. For example, the number of equivalent residential units (ERUs) doubled over the past two years. In addition to significant growth, WVID has seen a substantial increase in operating costs due to inflation and supply chain concerns. WVID also identified a variety of critical infrastructure projects, including the need for new irrigation wells and pump stations, necessary to operate an effective system.

Finally, the previous rate structure depended on the master developer of Wellen Park to continue to deficit-fund operating and capital costs, which exceeded over $3 million at the time of the study. The rate structure adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 2024 puts the WVID on a path to self-sufficiency, allowing WVID to eliminate developer deficit-funding for ongoing irrigation expenses.

Without rate adjustments, the irrigation water program would have been on a path to bankruptcy. To run the program like a prudent government, rate increases are necessary to not only ensure the program is self-sustaining but also phase out subsidization so that revenue is sufficient to fund all the system’s requirements.

The WVID is in a water limited region regulated by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD). A water use permit issued by SWFWMD is the only way to hold and maintain the ability to use surface and groundwater in this development.

In 2018, The Ranch Land Operations and Thomas Ranch Intangibles (Ranch Entities), affiliates of the master developer of Wellen Park, contracted with WVID to provide the entirety of its SWFWMD Water Use Permit water allocation to WVID, on an exclusive basis, for WVID’s use in its irrigation program for a fee. The well availability fee paid to the developer of Wellen Park is for WVID’s exclusive use of the Ranch Entities’ water allocations for irrigation under the requirements of its Water Use Permit. This fee is similar to a readiness-to-serve fee charged by irrigation water utilities throughout the state.

Because the fee is contractual in nature, the WVID is not able to unilaterally change or eliminate the fee without the consent of the Ranch Entities.

Customers should anticipate annual rate adjustments beginning Oct. 1, 2025. However, the annual adjustment is dependent on a variety of factors, including whether the developer continues to deficit-fund the system through fiscal year 2033. In furtherance, GovRates has recommended that WVID review and refine its irrigation rates on an annual basis in order to better reflect actual expenditures of WVID’s irrigation system, while remaining affordable and competitive by utility industry standards.

In November 2022, WVID informed the Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association (GPPOA) of its intent to suspend irrigation water services due to the GPPOA’s nonpayment of its third quarter irrigation fees.

Irrigation fees are invoiced to homeowners and property owners’ associations on a quarterly basis and are to be paid within 30 days of the invoice. Irrigation fees for services provided between July 2022 and September 2022 were due Nov. 11, 2022. The GPPOA was informed of the intent to suspend irrigation water services on Nov. 14, 2022. At that time, the GPPOA was given 10 days’ notice of WVID’s intent to suspend services. The suspension would have applied to residential properties and common areas owned by individuals or the GPPOA and would have been in effect until payment was received.

On Nov. 21, 2022, the GPPOA filed a lawsuit to block the WVID’s ability to suspend water irrigation services.

The Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association (GPPOA) asserts in its lawsuit that irrigation rates adopted in 2018 were invalid due to the fact that WVID published a notice of irrigation rate public hearing five (5) days in advance of the hearing, and the WVID should have published the notice seven (7) days in advance of the hearing. The public hearing was held during a noticed public meeting of WVID’s Board of Supervisors (Board).

The WVID firmly believes the rates were properly noticed and approved in accordance with the law. However, out of an abundance of caution the WVID Board held a public hearing in April 2023 to reaffirm the 2018 rates.

Additionally, in 2023, WVID contracted with another independent rate consultant, GovRates Inc., to conduct a second rate study focused on evaluating and updating irrigation water rates. The WVID Board approved the new- and now current- rate schedule in April 2024 after extensive public outreach, discussion and public hearings.

Since 2022, the Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association (GPPOA) has sought to have existing irrigation service agreements between WVID and GPPOA terminated, effectively eliminating the WVID’s obligation to provide irrigation water service to the Gran Paradiso community. This has been accomplished through the Water Use Permit modification approved by the Board of Supervisors in December 2024 and the Southwest Florida Water Management District in January 2025.

Prior to and since filing its lawsuit, the Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association (GPPOA) has consistently exceeded water allocations, failed to put conservation plans in place and acted in violation of the underlying Southwest Florida Water Management District Water Use Permit, as well as its irrigation water supply agreement with the WVID. Since 2023, Gran Paradiso exceeded its 12-month rolling average irrigation allocation 19 times.

WVID made the GPPOA aware of the overages on numerous occasions, both through communications with its property management team and direct communications to the GPPOA Board of Directors (BOD). The GPPOA BOD acknowledged the community’s overuse in a May 2021 publication, admitting that that Gran Paradiso residents used 50% more irrigation water than neighboring communities. In the newsletter, the GPPOA noted that the biggest that the biggest cause of excessive irrigation usage was homeowner abuse and warned that if Gran Paradiso continued to exceed allocations, irrigation water would get shut off when the community hit monthly allotted levels.

The water allocations for the Gran Paradiso community are determined as part of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Water Use Permit and are determined by SWFWMD’s AGMOD modeling system. The Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association does not have a say in how much water it can use, instead the allocations are determined using the SWFWMD AGMOD model.

Litigation between the WVID and the Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association (GPPOA) is ongoing.

On April 1, 2025, WVID and GPPOA participated in court-ordered mediation to work toward an amicable solution to ongoing litigation. To date, the WVID Board of Supervisors has not received a settlement offer approved by the GPPOA Board of Directors.

In February 2023, the GPPOA was granted a temporary injunction in its November 2022 lawsuit based on the Court’s determination that the GPPOA had a substantial likelihood to succeed in its argument that the WVID violated the Sunshine Law due to its publishing of a notice of irrigation rate public hearing five (5) days – instead of seven (7) days- in advance of the hearing. A final determination of this issue has not yet been rendered by the Court.

While the WVID firmly believes the rates were properly noticed and approved in accordance with the law, the WVID Board of Supervisors held a public hearing in April 2023 to reaffirm the 2018 rates in an abundance of caution. The WVID petitioned the Court for a dissolution of the injunction based on its “cure” of any alleged Sunshine Law violation, which the GPPOA concurred with for purposes of the WVID’s summary judgment motion. Accordingly, on April 14, 2025, the Court issued an order dissolving the temporary injunction. The ruling did not affect a counterclaim filed by WVID against GPPOA for breach of contract related to the nonpayment of fees which the WVID is still pursuing.

The other relief that the GPPOA has been seeking, termination of the existing irrigation service agreements between WVID and GPPOA to end WVID’s irrigation service to the lands within Gran Paradiso, has been realized as a result of the Water Use Permit modification approved by the Southwest Florida Water Management District effective February 2025.