SAFETY BE PREPARED FOR HURRICANE SEASON Hurricane season runs until November 30. Staff has compiled some guidelines and other important information that will be helpful when preparing for severe weather that can be found online at lakeashtoncdd.com and in the Media Center on the information wall. Remember: • Hurricane and storm shutters must be approved by the Architectural Review Committee (ARC). • The official site for Florida emergency preparation is floridadisaster.org. • Register your contact information for the Alert Polk telephone and email notification system at alertpolk.com. Polk County officials use this system to inform county residents of situations that may affect their health, safety, and welfare, including severe weather alerts. NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH By Fay Wood, NW Chief As many know your Neighborhood Watch (NW) Leadership Team has been busy updating and enhancing the inner- workings of NW to further improve the success of this community wide program for all residents and other stakeholders interested in Lake Ashton! I am pleased to announce, under the teamwork of our Senior & Community Advisors, the entire Deputies assigned neighborhood listing is now complete with Jim Mescics volunteering to temporarily fill in for Neighborhood #7. Thank you, Jim! If you are interested in being the Deputy for this area (see area details on contact listing inserted in this issue), please contact me, Fay Wood (contact info on the inserted NW Team Listing). Please keep this listing where you can access easily and use to report or get the information you need. Thanks to all our Deputies for their expertise and program support. We are continuing to add Block Captains across all of Lake Ashton. If you are interested in joining us as a Block Captain or would like to know more about how you can be involved with this community wide program, please call any Deputy, Senior & Community Advisor, or myself to learn more and sign up. We believe in transparency, as many of you know, so stay tuned to LA Times, NW email blasts, word of mouth and writings from several community groups! We appreciate each and every one of you as members and leaders of Neighborhood Watch! We do this for you, with you, and because of you! Questions, ideas, etc. contact: Chief Fay Wood, our Senior & Community Advisors or your Deputies in your areas. Enjoy your summer and try and stay cool! ALL IGATOR ALERT Female alligators build a mound nest of soil, vegetation, or debris and deposit an average of 32 to 46 eggs in late June or early July. Incubation requires approximately 63-68 days, and hatching occurs from mid-August through early September. If you see an alligator: • Always give these reptiles a respectful distance— at least 10 feet — and always leave them alone. • If you encounter an alligator outside its natural habitat, call the Nuisance Alligator Hotline: 1-866FWC-GATOR (392-4286). • Alligators are nocturnal — more active during the night. After dark, avoid fresh and brackish bodies of water. Unprovoked bites will often occur at the edge of the water. • Never feed alligators; it encourages them to lose their natural fear of people. • Small animals, like pets, and small children are generally more at risk than large adults. • Female alligators protect their nests by hissing and opening their mouths; this does not mean they are preparing to attack. • Alligators under 4 feet in length are not considered a threat to humans. Brochures about coexisting with alligators and crocodiles are available at the Clubhouse Office. The FWC has several rules that prohibit feeding wildlife, including bears, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, pelicans, sandhill cranes, bald eagles, and alligators.
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