L.A. LOOKS Wildlife Corner by Barbara Ann Comer The gopher tortoise is one of the only two tortoises native to the United States (the other is the Texas Tortoise). How does a tortoise differ from a turtle? A tortoise is merely a turtle that lives on land. They should never be placed in water. They are found in Florida in the scrub habitat where it's typically sandy. Their favorite foods include Prickly Pear Cactus and Gopher Apple. They burrow and provide housing for over 70 other kinds of animals like burrowing owls, raccoons, opossums, snakes and rats. It's hard not to notice when one is renovating its home because the dirt flies out the front door with gusto. These burrows are typically 10 - 35 feet long. Gopher Tortoises are occasionally seen at Lake Ashton since it borders some of their habitat on the Lake Wales Ridge. It's always a special treat to find one, however, it is illegal to handle them without a special permit. LA (LW) HOA NEWS The annual HOA Member Meeting is Sunday, February 23, 2025 at 2 pm in the Ballroom. Your Board looks forward to seeing you there. The board has hired Ami Massey to assist the Board with the day-to-day operations of the HOA. Please welcome her. Now that snowbirds are back in their Lake Ashton homes, this is a good time for all homeowners to look at the outside of their home to see if dreaded mildew has paid a visit to the paint on your house and perhaps the gutters and downspouts. Usually, this can be taken care of by power washing the surfaces. This is also a good time to evaluate the paint to see if there is significant fading. You do not need HOA permission for power washing but if you plan to have your home repainted, remember to file an ARC request. Driveway weeds that also sprang up may be sprayed or even power washed for removal. Lastly, many landscape beds may need to be freshened up with mulch and weeds sprayed or pulled. LA (LW) HOA CONTACTS • Ami Massey, CAM Mastermind Association Management mastermind.management24@gmail.com 863-868-7582 • Marti Schmidt, President/Treasurer president@lakeashtonhoa.org • John Donahue, VP & ARC Director vpresident@lakeashtonhoa.org • Glen Hart, VP2 & Compliance Director vp2@lakeashtonhoa.org • Tim Doyle, Secretary secretary@lakeashtonhoa.org • Deanne Mayne, Secretary 2 & Compliance Director, sec2@lakeashtonhoa.org NUISANCE PLANT ALERT : TORPEDOGRASS Torpedograss first appeared in the United States in the early 1800s. It was planted as a forage grass for cattle and livestock, but it quickly became out of control, spreading into waterways. Torpedograss is a type of invasive grass that grows quickly and widely in bodies of water. If not treated immediately, this grass can obstruct water flow and limit recreational use of lakes and ponds. Torpedograss can be difficult to eradicate. In order to keep Lake Ashton's waterways free of this invasive grass, Lake Ashton staff and our aquatics vendor conduct on-site tours of each pond and ensure there is a treatment plan in place. Contact Matt Fisher, mfisher@lakeashtoncdd.com, with questions.
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