THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASING PRESENCE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE AREA. SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE AREA OF CEDARIDGE. HOME OWNERS NEED TO BAN TOGETHER AND RID THE AREA OF THE NEIGHBORS (MOST OFTEN RENTERS) THAT ATTRACT THE UNWANTED BEHAVIORS THAT REQUIRE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO COME IN ON A DAILY BASIS.

WE MUST TAKE BACK OUR NEIGHBORHOOD BEFORE ITS TOO LATE. WE MUST PROTECT OUR CHILDREN.

I agree.  The neighborhood has definitely taken a turn for the worse due to the renters who seem to have taken over the area.  They have no respect for the property or the people around them.  For instance, this past Sunday, the 4th of July, two different sets of renters on my street decided to set off fireworks.  That's okay, but once midnight, 1:00am, and then even 2:00am roll around, enough is enough!  I had to go out there two different times to explain that it was late, and no one could sleep.  No one else on the block had the guts to go out there to say anything to them.  The next step would have been to call the sheriff.

The other issue is that the teenagers loiter in the driveways and on the power boxes under the street lights until all hours of the night.  Kids + nothing to do = trouble.

Yet another issue is the junk left in driveways and at the curb for trash pickup.  Television sets, old broken baby car seats, etc.  Not to mention windowless cars without license plates sitting in driveways apparently abandoned.  In times gone by, that would have brought about a code enforcement.  Where is the code enforcement in North Lakes?  We have seen no sign of it in recent years.  Several years ago they had knocked on my door when I had some tires stacked up in front of my garage door.  Not junk/trash.  It should be obvious to anyone with a brain in their head that if the trash collectors do not pick something up at the curb, the person (renter) should take the junk to the dump themselves.  Apparently this is not the case in the city areas, where they evidently came from!  These individuals need to know that living in the suburbs is different.  This is not the ghetto!  At times, however, it seems like it is turning into one.  Very disheartening for me when I have owned and lived in my house for more than 20 years.

Can anyone tell me how/why things have gotten so out of hand in our community?  What can I/we do to help this situation?

Wow, a post from a citizen of North Lakes. And I thought no one cared. So, now there is two of us here that care. I hope you come back and post some more. Maybe we can begin to do something about all of this. Here are some thoughts of mine. When I was on the board I edited, printed and mailed the newsletter. I said it like I saw it but you know what? The board didn't like it. I got comments that it was too negative. Well, don't you get a negative feeling when you enter this community? I was trying to point out the obvious crap I saw and hope that I could get people to open their eyes. Turns out the ladies on the board liked to complain but didn't want to be looked upon as negative board members. I told them to their face how lacking they were but all I got in return was a brick wall to the point that they out voted me on any improvements I tried to make. So, naturally I got disgusted and resigned.

If people would only go to a meeting once a damn month and take an interest they could effect change by voicing their opinion and getting involved. Since I only rent my house there now and live in another community I don't even remember to make any meetings. I'm a member of the board in my new community. I gave up on North Lakes when I resigned. You can only bang your head against a wall for so long. I don't know what the current board members do, apparently the same as the past board. They just show up and vote whatever Clara brings to the table. And, I'm sure that just paying bills and passing the budget. No one is following up on the landscaper and what he should be doing. For years as I've driven through the community I see tree limbs hanging over from residents sides of the common walls and touching the ground. The landscape contract specifies that any limbs hanging over or touching the common walls are to be trimmed. So typical. Clara is only doing what's needed to keep current with Hillsborough County requirements. It's up to the board to be looking out for the community and making decisions and voting to keep up the maintenance. But that's not happening. It's quite obvious. I would hope that they were reading these posts and taking heed. They should all hang their heads in shame but you can't blame the ignorant I guess.

What to you think? Do you want to get more involved or do you want to just sit back and be a complainer? Call me if you want to talk about all of this. I can be reached at 813-961-5010 any time of the day or night. Leave a message if I can't answer, I'll call you back. You want to meet? I'll come over.

It just disgusts me every time I have to go to my rental property there and see the mess the neighborhood is in and getting worse. I see the crap you are talking about. The last time I drove through I made a point to go all around the Copperfield circle. I couldn't believe the blatant violations. But, you see, and here's another thing you probably aren't aware of or scratch your head about. I have to laugh too as I read this latest newsletter. There on the back, where we always put it, is a call to make sure we donate $25 to the Homeowner's Assocation. What's funny? There isn't any Homeowner's association in North Lakes. We only have the official North Lakes Special Taxing District Association. Look it up on the State of Florida website.

Way back in the days from around 1979 when I first bought and moved in there became a little known homeowner's association but it didn't last. The name has lasted but there is no one home or manning the ship. This is the association that could enforce the bylaws, not the Special Taxing District. As it is, the STD has no authority to do so. They probably don't even know it. Eh, it's apparent they don't know what they are doing anyway.

So, there's a lot to understand here. Are you still with me here? Or, are you tired of it already? It'll take a major effort by more than a couple concerned citizens to get anything done. Like I said, call me if you are interested. I'm not even going to try anymore by myself, just to get bitch slapped again.

YOU KNOW MANY OF US CARE ABOUT OUR OWNED PROPERTIES. I HAVE SPENT YEARS TRYING TO GET THE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION INVOLVED. ME AND A FEW NEIGHBORS SPENT DAYS ON END GETTING THE INFORMATION OUT TO THE ENTIRE AREA ABOUT THE MEETING LAST YEAR THIS TIME, THE GARAGE SALE, AND I SPENT THE TIME ON THE PHONE WITH CODE ENFORCEMENT TO GET THE MUTLIPLE FINES IMPOSED TO THE TRASHED HOMES.

DO YOU KNOW I HAD ABOUT 1000 FLYERS PRINTED AND DISBURSED THEM. WE HAD NO MORE THAN 35 PEOPLE SHOW UP AT THE MEETING. OUR HOA PRESIDENT AT THAT TIME HAD ALREADY LOST HER ENERGY FIGHTING THE BATTLE ALONE AND SINCE RESIGNED. THERE WERE EVEN LESS ATTENDANTS FOR THE SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS. I PERSONALLY WAS THE ONE WHO ORGANIZED THE ANNUAL GARAGE SALE WITH NO HELP MAKING FLYERS, DISBURSING FLYERS DOOR TO DOOR, AND THE SIGNS AT THE ROAD.

I, TOO, AM TIRED OF FEELING LIKE THE ONLY TIME SOMEONE CARES IS WHEN IT DIRECTLY AFFECTS HIM OR HER.