OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Osceola County is moving toward adopting a new ordinance designed to establish uniform, countywide water conservation principles, addressing everything from landscape irrigation restrictions to enforcement authority.
The Board of County Commissioners introduced a Statement of Legislative Intent on June 22, 2026, outlining a proposal to reduce water use through conservation, education, economic incentives and regulatory processes.
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“If they educate the community. Yes. Because there’s a lot of things that the community and, people and on the whole, they’re uneducated,” Rico, an Osceola County resident, said about the potential said.
“If you know better, you’ll at least try to do better, even if you know, if it’s tight for you. If it’s hard to you, at least you’ll try. You’ll make an effort for your community and for your people and for the world.”
Fresh groundwater is identified as the highest quality potable water source in Osceola County, making its protection a central focus of the proposed ordinance.
The ordinance aims to ensure the safe and prudent use of what officials describe as a limited and valuable resource. It would also address water restrictions and water shortages as identified by respective Water Management Districts.
If adopted, the ordinance would create a new Chapter 26 in the Osceola County Code of Ordinances.
The proposal draws its authority from Chapter 373 of Florida Statutes, which places water management districts that have jurisdiction within Osceola County in charge of enforcing water-related rules and regulations throughout the county. The ordinance would authorize enforcement of landscape irrigation restrictions pursuant to Section 373.609, Florida Statutes.
Osceola County, municipalities, utilities and Toho Water Authority are all named as partners responding to existing requests from water management districts.
Toho Water Authority would hold enforcement authority within its service boundaries under the proposed ordinance.
The county would also retain the ability to enforce these regulations both within and outside Toho’s service area, providing an additional layer of oversight.
The Board of County Commissioners will vote on the approval of the Statement of Legislative Intent relating to the ordinance during its meeting Monday night.