PROTECTING THE GOLF COURSE
During the summer of 2024, the Country Club is investing enormous resources in completely redesigning the golf course, every hole, every fairway, every green. We are requested to be particularly diligent about discouraging anyone from being on the course while the work is going on, especially to protect the newly planted sod. If you see someone who obviously does not belong there — and no one should be there except the landscape crew — please call the club during business hours (867-2111), or the SPPD non-emergency number (893-7780) and report trespassing, or notify the Association president at 460-1586.
HATS OFF!
A brave group of Lakewood residents, with help from other organizations like Car Free St Pete, turned out early on the morning of May 4th to do something about the awful litter on 31st Street. About 30 stalwarts managed to haul off about 30 truckloads of trash, including from the area around the I-275 overpass, from 22nd Avenue to 54th Avenue S. Five shopping carts will be finding new homes. This area has been an eyesore for years — NO LITTER signs from the city have helped a bit but the problem is going to require constant monitoring, and the plan is to do just that. Contact the Association if you want to be a part of this effort. lecapresident@gmail.com
We continue to urge the city to do a PSA to educate the citiens of this city that car windows are not there for throwing garbage out of.
SOLICITATION – KNOW THE LAW
If you are new to the city, you may not know about the law regarding door-to-door solication. Among other things, it forbids anyone selling goods or services to ring the doorbell, knock or leave any paper, flyer or handout where there is a sign saying NO SOLICITATION. Most of the people violating this law don’t even know about it, partly because the city does not inform those who get a permit, and most of the people doing it don’t even get a permit. The worst offenders are the solar energy and Internet salesmen.
Since the pandemic we have also been plagued with a solar energy company announcing they are from Duke with an offer of a free energy inspection — when challenged, the response is, “We’re not selling anything.” Duke is aware of this and requests our help in tracking down these crooks, so if you get a chance to photograph them or better yet get a business card or flyer, please do so and pass it on to lecapresident@gmail.com. (Duke does do free energy inspections but they do not go door to door!)
Door-to-door sales people are required to have a permit and wear a visible photo ID. The usual excuse (lie) when asked about it is, “It’s in the car.” Or they have something around their neck they want you to think is their photo ID but it’s turned backwards so you can’t see that in fact it is not.
This law was enacted not just to protect us from scammers but also to avoid a situation where a flyer is left hanging from your front door while you are out of town or even gone for the summer — a signal to burglars that the house is not occupied.
We recommend that you get a NO SOLICITATION sign — they are easily available from Amazon or at the hardware store. But expect it to be ignored. If you have a sign, and a stranger is at your door, you should immediately call the SPPD non-emergency number — 893-7780 — and report the offender with a description and your location — the PD will try to find the offender and suggest they leave the area. You can use your Ring device to video them and send the video to the Association so that we can collect the evidence and send it to the PD. You can photograph the offender and advise them the PD is on its way.
Solicitation in and of itself is not illegal in this city, and this law does not apply to charities and religious organizations — and probably even the Girl Scouts and their cookies! But we do recommend you get a NO SOLICIT sign to protect yourself from the scammers. Watch out in particular for people offering to clean your windows, trim your trees or pave your driveway – they are usually Travelers scoping your place out for a future break-in.
LAKEWOOD CARES
Our “Cares” drive over the weekend of July 22, 2023 produced the most astounding results. The proper word is probably viral. Because of our local efforts and the “Gives” program run by the local ABC affiliate, with help from Hands Across the Bay, we raised nearly $18,000 to purchase uniforms, underwear, socks and other items needed by the students at Maximo Elementary plus kids at other nearby schools, along with items for the homeless and the Food Bank. Volunteers were calling us and the school to ask how they could help, including one from South Dakota, and one family in Tampa raised $3000 selling lemonade. Just amazing!
The effort will continue as we reach out to other elementary schools in this area where kids are trying to stay clothed and fed. Contact lecapresident@gmail.com if you want to help. You can donate money by using the Donations link on this web site (under About Us) or by mailing a check to the address at the bottom of this page, or by bringing a check payable to LECA to 2575 Desoto Way S or to 1874 Juarez Way S. Please do not put the check in the mailbox; clip it to the outside of the box. There is also a pink lockbox at 1874 Juarez marked “Lakewood.” You can put your preference in the memo line for one or more of the above needs, leave it blank, or write “Whatever” and we will put the money where needed.
Food Bank Donations
We urge all our residents to help support the Food Bank operated by the St. Petersburg Free Clinic, which now has a warehouse very close to us on the SE corner of 31st Street and 22nd Avenue S. You can also bring items to 4117 Narvarez Way S., where a Food Bank volunteer lives — she will get it to the distribution center. Checks payable to the St. Petersburg Free Clinic can also be left there, or addressed to LECA and mailed to the post office box at the bottom of this page. Donations can also be left at the pink box near the door at 1874 Juarez Way S.
The Food Bank really prefers that its supporters give it money. The reason for this is simple: Because of their connections to other large organizations, the Food Bank can get a lot more for its dollar than a private citizen. You can give them a .69 can of beans, or a dollar, which might get them 5 cans of beans. And don’t forget the pets. If you are having problems feeding your family, you are also having a problem feeding the family cat or dog. We have two Lakewood residents who are in constant touch with animal shelters and programs needing pet supplies. Donations of food, litter, treats etc. can be left at the door of Stephen Bennett at 1204 Asturia (mybellapasta@gmail.com) or Tom Ziri at 1128 Alhambra (tomziri@gmail.com).
Friendly Reminders
Please clean up after your pet. It is against city ordinance to not pick up dog waste so please carry a bag and help keep your neighborhood safe and clean. There are bags for this purpose at the 8 waste stations around Lakewood.
By city ordinance, you can place both your trash and recycle bins at the curb after 7 p.m. the night before collection. They must be moved back from the street by 7 p.m. on the day of collection.
Please be mindful of the 25 mph speed limit in Lakewood.
You are required to maintain the gutter in front of your property. This not only enhances the look of your property but also keeps water flowing into the storm drains. Standing water promotes algae growth and breeds mosquitoes. Do not blow yard debris into the street or the storm drains — this is illegal and can lead to fish kills and algae blooms. If you use a lawn service, please remind them of these important points.
Yard parking is illegal in this city as is the parking of a trailer, camper or commercial vehicle in your yard or driveway.
A tarp on a car must be 6″ off the ground so that the tires are visible; the tag must be visible and if not the tag ID information must be written on the tarp; and the tarp must be clean and not torn.
Out of courtesy for our golfers, Lakewood is a “No Noise” zone. If you like your music loud (and be aware that at a certain level you can get a $218 ticket from the city), please turn it down when you come into Lakewood. Babies, people who work nights, and the elderly are particularly sensitive to noise.
We’re Number One!
On October 22, 2018, the city reinstated its annual Neighborhood Partnership Awards, giving out plaques and certificates in categories such as best president, best project, etc. Lakewood Estates immediately took first place in Communications because of our triple approach — weekly bulletins, newsletters to every house by mail 5 times a year, and the web site. Then Bonnie Rocks received second place for “Neighborly Neighbor,” as the person who so selflessly takes care of the needs of those around her. But the most prized award, that of being the best neighborhood in the city, in a competition of 59 neighborhoods, went to us. We have always known it, and now the city knows it: This IS the best place to live in St. Petersburg! Here’s a shot of President Judy Ellis receiving the award from Mayor Rick Kriseman.
Book Exchange
If you have a book to share, or want to borrow one, there is a neighborhood ‘library’ in a display box at the curb at 1912 Bonita Way South. Bring a book, take a book, pass the books around. There is another on the corner of Narvarez and Cortez.
Fishing in the ponds – what’s the problem?
Here is an explanation that will allow Lakewoodians to better understand the fishing situation and enable us to explain it to outsiders who want to fish here.
The bottom line is that it is in the interest of everyone who lives here to ensure that the Country Club and the golf course continue to thrive. Without the golf course, we are just another St Pete neighborhood. All that open space, all that greenery and blue sky, all that wildlife are what set us apart and make us special. It doesn’t matter whether you play golf or even belong to the Club – the value of your home depends in large part on the health of the golf course.
Trespass. Most of the ponds are in areas that belong to the Country Club so that anyone wanting to fish in them has to trespass over Club property. No one who is not a member of the Country Club has any business on the course. Very often after one person begins fishing an area, others join in and create groups large enough to become a real hazard for the golfers. Little children are often left to wander around dangerously close to the water – and there isn’t a single pond on this course that doesn’t have at least one resident alligator.
Danger. A golf ball travels at least 90 mph and does considerable damage when it makes contact with the human head. Golfers often cannot see what’s ahead of them and have to trust that no one is foolish enough to be sitting in their path.
Fish. The fish are put in the ponds and paid for by the Club to keep down the alga. Golfers do not want to play among scummy ponds that smell. The fish are therefore not up for public grabs. Moreover, the fish are full of pesticides and fertilizer and are suitable for ingestion only by birds (who mercifully don’t seem to be affected, if the success of our osprey nests is any indication).
Intrusion. Many of the people who want to fish here do not understand the protocols and rules governing golf courses. They pull their cars up onto the easement (which is illegal) and then walk right into the path of golfers preparing to swing.
Parking and Litter. Along with a lack of knowledge about proper behavior, those wanting to fish often park illegally and leave behind dead or dying fish, litter, and/or beer bottles. In some areas, people pulling their cars up on the rights of way – also illegal – have destroyed the grass and turned the area into a sand lot. Someone has to pay to fix that.
Cast nets. A lot of fishing folk prefer cast nets, which quickly get them a lot of fish to sell for bait. Unfortunately, cast nets are illegal everywhere in this city except Lake Maggiore. And again, that ‘bait’ is really stocked fish owned by the Club so this is nothing more or less than stealing. In Mid-April of 2021, an anhinga nearly died after being ensnarled in a cast net that had been discarded in a pond.
There are people who believe that if they are sitting on a city right-of-way, they are on public property and can therefore fish. They can in fact stay on that public property all day long… but they cannot fish. Once they put that rod in the water, they are trespassing.
What you can do
If you see someone fishing in one of the course’s ponds (and the only one that isn’t Club property is Summit Lake, the entire rim of which is privately owned by residents), you can point out that they are on private property and politely ask them to leave. This rarely works. You can then let them know the police are being called and move away. Or call the club at 867-2111 during business hours (ask for the pro shop or the manager), or call the police non-emergency number at 893-7780, and/or notify the Association president at 460-1586.