Announcements

 

 

Community Newsletter:

Residents if you have any feedback from our previous newsletters, please Contact us to submit your ideas. We will also give you the option of receiving the newsletter via email. Provide us the email address you would like to have your copy of the newsletter sent to.

Monthly Board Meeting:

Please come join us at the next monthly board meeting on Monday, June 29, 2015 at 7pm at a member home. The location will be posted on the sign prior to the meeting date.

Entrance Sign:

Your association maintains the entrance sign. We can use your help to maintain the appearance of our community entrance. If you see any garbage or fallen vegetation, feel free to pick it up and dispose of it. If several of us do a little toward improving the entrance area, it will appear more attractive for everyone. Thanks!

Thank You:

Your dues are used primarily to maintain the common area, which consists of the fence and lawn along Seffner Valrico Rd, and the entrance sign and adjacent landscaping. The dues payment notice for the period January 2015 through December 2015 were sent out. Please read the letter carefully. The annual dues amount for 2015 is $57.50. The dues amount has not changed for 2015. Checks for the current year's dues should be made payable to “Lakemont Homeowners Association” and mailed to P O Box 823, Brandon, FL 33509-0823. Please include your name and the property address in your correspondence. The board strives to help you maintain the property value of your home.

Take these steps before starting Home or Property Improvements:

1. Contact the Architectural Review Committee (ARC) prior to commencing construction of your project: . You may e-mail or write the ARC: P.O. Box 823, Brandon, Florida 33509-0823 If you have already begun your project or completed a project without approval, please contact the ARC anyway, and go through the approval process. (We will document any approved changes to your property. Avoid the embarrassment of being contacted by your real estate agent or title company when you list or find a buyer for your home without ARC approval for your projects. Your property will need to be in compliance with the Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions before you can close on the sale of your home.)

2. Send your plans and drawings via U.S. mail. If you are repainting, include the color swatches.

3. The ARC will acknowledge receipt of your request, review your request, and contact you either to request any further information or to inform you of their decision. Depending on your project, the ARC may need up to a few weeks to complete their review.

Note: Most changes to the exterior of your home or property need ARC approval. Common examples include: painting the exterior (with the same or different colors), replacing the sod, adding or removing landscaping flowers, shrubs or trees, installing an in-ground pool or lanai or privacy fence, erecting a shed, or replacing your roof.

It is your responsibility to contact the ARC prior to construction or installation. The ARC reviews your requests promptly and objectively When you have ARC approval for you project, if the project requires a permit and you have applied for one, you can lookup the status of the permit with Hillsborough County.

Will your project require digging? If so you will need to Call Before You Dig. 1-800-432-4770 It’s the Law.

* Call 800-432-4770 two full business days before digging. Call 10 days before digging when digging under water. At the end of your call you'll receive a locate ticket number. The locate ticket has all of the details of your job site.

* Wait the required time for buried utilities to be located and marked.

* Protect the marks during your project. If marks are destroyed, call again.

* Dig safely, using extreme caution when digging within 24 inches on either side of the marks to avoid hitting the buried utility lines.

Neighborhood Watch:

Your board would like every resident to participate in a Neighborhood Watch. Board members and/or other resident volunteers would like your voluntary participation. The small part you play in this will help to prevent and stop crime from happening in our community. All residents are strongly encouraged to take part. Your participation is as easy as making a short phone call to two of your assigned neighbors should you be contacted about suspicious activity in our community. You will only be contacted by phone for this purpose. Should you chose to take part, it is only mandatory that you attend the meeting of Neighborhood Watch and an annual meeting of our Neighborhood Watch group. We will probably meet more frequently, but it will be optional to attend these meetings. Read for more info.

Hurricane Season Tips:

Here is a useful document put out by Escambia County Florida’s Emergency Management on how to prepare your home for hurricane winds. The University of Florida Extension Service has some useful articles on hurricane preparation.

 

Housekeeping homeowners’ responsibilities:

Pet Odors: Do you realize that animal feces accumulating in your backyard from your pets can not only be a nuisance to your neighbor, but a code violation? Find out why by viewing the Minimum Standards Ordinance. Tired of shoveling it yourself? Hire someone else to do it.

Your Alarm: Did you know if your burglar alarm is monitored you have to register with the Sheriff’s Department? A false alarm with accompanied police response from an unregistered alarm system results in fines. Please Read about what you need to do.

Tree Trimming: Residents whose trees have limbs overhanging the sidewalks should trim the affected trees to allow for pedestrian use of the sidewalks. Normal growth as well as storm activity may contribute to the limbs hanging down. Please trim the limbs to keep our walkways safe and accessible.

Storm Drains: Do you have home that is near a street storm drain? Please periodically check to remove any debris that collects in or at the drain. Please do not place debris in the drain. Also, do not enter the drains. If you see debris accumulated below the street surface, please report the storm drain to the county. The county uses equipment that can remove material that is below the street surface. Thank you.

Water Restrictions for our neighborhood for established lawns and is limited to one day per week.

Dog Walking : Do you walk your dog along the sidewalk beside the privacy fence that borders Seffner Valrico Road? If you let your dog do his or her business there, then please carry along a pooper scooper and bag and collect your dog’s droppings. Dog owners need to take responsibility for picking up after their dogs and not allow the droppings to remain there. Feces from runoff pollutes our waterways and should be cleaned up. It also stinks, is unsightly, and is a nuisance to those who work to maintain the fence and grass. Thank you for taking responsibility for your dog(s).

Unsafe Activities:

Parking: Article II Section 13 of the Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions: "Parking. No Owner may park, store, keep, repair or restore any vehicle, boat, recreational vehicle, commercial vehicle or trailer anywhere upon the Properties, unless completely screened from view. The foregoing will not, however, be interpreted, construed, or applied to prevent the temporary, nonrecurrent parking of any vehicle, boat or trailer for a period not to exceed 48 hours upon any Lot, nor to prohibit servicing or repair of any vehicles otherwise permitted upon the exterior of any Lot so long as such servicing or repair is completed within 48 hours after it is commenced. Permitted vehicles must be parked within paved improvements of each Lot." If everyone parks on their driveways or in their garages, the property values of the entire neighborhood will be maintained and safety will be upheld. Here are some illegal parking practices as delineated in the Florida Drivers handbook: Parking

Short-cuts: Do your children like to take shortcuts? Some children will scale a privacy fence into a yard other than their own. It is a convenience for the child to shorten their journey, but a legitimate concern for the homeowner. Become more informed about Florida statutes pertaining to trespassing and what liabilities exist.

All Terrain Vehicles (ATV): Any person who operates an ATV outside of their yard, in our neighborhood or in the field near BayLife Church is breaking the law.

Croom is an appropriate legal place to operate ATVs. “Established in 1973 through the dedicated efforts of The Florida Trail Riders and the Department of Agriculture, the Croom Motorcycle Area is the only state property in Florida dedicated to the needs of off-highway motorcycle and ATV riders.”

If you see anyone operating an ATV on Lakemont Hills blvd, or cutting through the Lakemont Hills Association fence to access the field next to BayLife Church, call BayLife Church then the Sheriff's District II Office to let them know about the trespassers. Urge the church to call the Sheriff's District II office at 247-8555 to report the ATV operators trespassing on their property. If it is after-hours, notify the Sheriff's office yourself. Any person operating an ATV on Lakemont Hills Blvd endangers the lives of residents. Persons operating ATVs in the field adjacent to BayLife Church are trespassing on their property. The church has indicated that they forbid ATVs from being operated on their property. Residents are having to deal with the dust and noise created from the ATVs being operated in the field. Let's put a stop to this!! Small Gasoline-powered scooters or any ATVs are not permitted to be operated on roadways anywhere in the State of Florida. Read more about it.

Energy Efficient Living:

Learn what steps you can take to lower your utility bills. (pamphlet From the U.S Department of Energy.)

Safety Issues:

Did you know you can, at no charge, safely dispose of household chemicals and electronics? Household Chemical and Electronics Collection Program: Residential customers, throughout the entire County, may take household chemicals and electronics to county collection centers.

Do you use fireworks when celebrating? Please refrain from using bottle-rocket type fireworks. During the July 4^th 2004 holiday a bottle-rocket type firework pierced the pool screen of a homeowner, causing about $100 in property damage. Don't let your celebration dim the celebrations of others. Thank you.

Office of Neighborhood Relations:

The Hillsborough County Office of Neighborhood Relations publishes a bimonthly newsletter that has information of interest to our Association and homeowners.

 

HOME