The monthly West Villages Improvement District meeting will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, April 28th, 2015 at 11:00 am in the City Commission Meeting room of the North Port City Hall building.
Address:
4970 City Hall Blvd.
North Port, FL 34286
Check out the meeting book and attend the meeting!
See you there,
Ali
If you are considering purchasing a home in this community, please let me assist you. My services and extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to save home buyers some money. I do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided on all of my websites) are wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
If you’d like more information on anything in particular, just let me know. Also, I would love any feedback on what you would like to see for future blog topics.
Please, comment or email me at: ali-johnston@live.com.
Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!
Ali
If you are considering purchasing a home in this community, please let me assist you. My services and extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to save home buyers some money. I do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided on all of my websites) are wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
Sandhill Cranes in Gran Paradiso at the West Villages
I just love Florida, especially in the spring! The sandhill cranes absolutely fascinate me. These birds are so majestic, and their offspring seen this time of year are incredibly awkward and adorable. This region is so rich with amazing wildlife, I thought I would share a little about one of my favorites. The picture was taken recently in the community of Gran Paradiso, and the information to follow about these lovely creatures comes straight from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation site.
One thing of great importance to remember with Florida wildlife, really typical of anywhere, is to remember not to feed them. With alligators, it is of particular priority so that they do not associate humans with food. Feeding them becomes life-threatening to both them and their human neighbors. Likewise, cranes being fed by humans become aggressive to people.
Sandhill cranes are cherished members of the Florida ecosystem. They stand almost 4 feet tall and their bugling or rattling calls are haunting and beautiful. Sandhill cranes occur in pastures, open prairies and freshwater wetlands in peninsular Florida from the Everglades to the Okefenokee Swamp.
Florida sandhill cranes are present in many urban areas and some unlikely places such as golf courses, airports and suburban subdivisions. This is probably due in part to the rapid development of their native habitat by humans. Cranes are probably attracted by the open setting (mowed grass) and availability of some foods (acorns, earthworms, mole crickets, turf grubs).
People inadvertently put them in harms way when they attract these birds to their yards with feed. Some “feeding” is accidental such as when bird seed is spilled from feeders by other animals onto the ground below making a nice feeding station for cranes. But, some people deliberately feed sandhill cranes. In 2002, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission made it illegal to feed sandhill cranes (Florida Fish and Wildlife Code 68A-4.00(3)).
Why is feeding cranes prohibited?
Cranes fed by humans can become aggressive toward people. In several instances, children have been attacked by cranes. Cranes fed by humans also have been known to damage window screens and do other property damage. This behavior is probably a response of the birds to seeing their reflection, bringing out a territorial defense behavior (scratching at windows or shiny automobiles). Cranes also are more likely to tangle in human garbage in areas populated by people. Cranes are more likely to crash into power lines in urban areas where such aerial hazards are concentrated. Cranes attracted to people’s yards for feed are put at risk as they walk across roads. Many sandhill cranes are killed each year on Florida roads (see photo). Attracting cranes to urban areas increases the threat of predation (especially to young cranes) by dogs or cats. Further, the cranes’ diets, which normally are quite diverse, are disrupted when they eat one food item (such as corn), consistently. Heavy pesticide use in urban lawns also is of concern. Young sandhill cranes have died from pesticide poisoning.
Conclusion
It’s never a good idea to feed wildlife. People inadvertently put cranes in harms way when they attract these birds to their yards with feed. Florida sandhill cranes have an abundance of natural foods (insects and small animals) and they do not need handouts from humans. There are many reasons why cranes should not be intentionally fed by humans. For the good of the cranes, please do not feed them.
Four things you can do to better coexist in “Crane Country”
Never feed cranes and encourage your neighbors not to feed cranes. Cranes are less likely to inhabit urban areas if easy meals are not provided.
Cover or move automobiles so that cranes cannot see their reflections in the shiny surfaces. Windows or glass doors that the cranes attack can be temporarily covered with material so that the birds do not see their reflections.
Temporarily cover windows or screens. A string mounted on stakes about 2.5 feet off the ground will provide an exclusion “fence” around the parts of homes (window or pool screens) that are being damaged by cranes.
Accept some digging for food. Cranes sometimes damage lawns and gardens as they dig for food such as mole crickets and beetle grubs. The birds, in this case, provide natural “biological control” of these common pests of turf.
Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) are long-legged, long-necked, gray, heron-like birds with a patch of bald, red skin on top of their head. Cranes fly with necks outstretched like geese, whereas herons fly with necks tucked in on their backs. For positive identification, look for reddish skin on top of the crane’s head.
Habitat:
Two subspecies of sandhill crane occur in Florida. The Florida sandhill crane (G. c. pratensis), numbering 4,000 to 5,000, is a non-migratory year-round breeding resident. They are joined every winter by 25,000 migratory greater sandhill cranes (G. c. tabida), the larger of the two subspecies. The greater sandhill crane winters in Florida but nests in the Great Lakes region. Sandhill cranes nest during late winter and spring on mats of vegetation about two feet in diameter and in shallow water.
Behavior:
Two eggs are normally laid. Cranes are monogamous breeders. Within 24 hours of hatching, the young are capable of following their parents away from the nest. Together, they forage for seeds and roots, crop plants such as corn and peanuts, insects, snakes, frogs and occasionally young birds or small mammals.
Cranes are quite omnivorous feeding on seeds, grain, berries, insects, earthworms, mice, small birds, snakes, lizards, frogs, crayfish, but do not “fish” like herons.
Resident sandhill cranes are usually seen in very small groups or pairs. In November and December, however, large flocks of northern cranes move in, more than doubling the population in the state and then leave during March and April. The sandhill crane is a close relative to the nearly extinct whooping crane, which is being reintroduced into the state. Young sandhills weigh about twelve pounds, males are larger than females, but external markings are identical. Cranes live to be older than most birds, some reaching 20 years old.
If you’d like more information on anything in particular, just let me know. Also, I would love any feedback on what you would like to see for future blog topics.
Please, comment or email me at: ali-johnston@live.com.
Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!
Ali
If you are considering purchasing a home in this community, please let me assist you. My services and extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to save home buyers some money. I do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided on all of my websites) are wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
The most recent meeting of the West Villages Improvement District Supervisory Board was held last Tuesday, March 24th. The meeting book, which includes the approved minutes from the last meeting as well as the current meeting outline and supplemental materials, can be found at the WVID.org website. The meeting itself was generally uneventful, but some interesting new topics and developments to previously discussed items were raised.
One item that is under consideration is the expansion of district boundaries. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, a new medical facility is of Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System is planned by SCF. The specific nature and type of the facility was not discussed, but it was mentioned that SMH plans to use the location to coordinate efforts with SCF nursing school. This could be quite a benefit to the neighborhood, but the real relevance to the WVID entity relative to expansion is in the use of district infrastructure (roads). Also, IslandWalk at the West Villages was permitted for expansion by the City of North Port, but this also is not currently in the plans laid out for the unit.
As time has passed and plans have changed, including potential changes as in the district boundary expansion, it was mentioned that a revised methodology of assessment may be warranted. Yes, even the suggestion of reviewing the annual assessments billed with taxes strikes an immediate, white-hot flame of fear. However, it was said that it is strongly felt that changes going forward will translate to a reduction in these bills, and since that statement came from a voice of experience, that is actually fairly reassuring.
Also, three past items that are progressing or resurfacing:
Candidates for district engineering services have been reviewed, and the top 3 will offer presentations and answer questions at the next meeting.
Sod replacement along the 41 corridor has been revived. Responsibility for comprehensive review and recommendations generation has been placed with Mike Smith, the district’s Operations Supervisor.
There may be a possibility of getting the DOT to permit the traffic light on 41 at the entrances of the current communities. This (permit) being sought. The responsibility for installation, though, falls on the developers. So, district representatives are about to open that dialogue with them.
If you’d like more information on anything in particular, just let me know. Also, I would love any feedback on what you would like to see for future blog topics.
Please, comment or email me at: ali-johnston@live.com.
Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!
Ali
If you are considering purchasing a home in this community, please let me assist you. My services and extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to save home buyers some money. I do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided on all of my websites) are wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
I do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided on all of my websites) are wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
Venice has more than 30 parks ranging in size from tiny pocket parks to the beach along the Gulf of Mexico. Some of the more unique parks include Paw Park, where dogs may romp on the beach, and Venetian Waterway Park, where people may bike and hike on a 5-mile stretch along both sides the Intracoastal Waterway.
If you are considering purchasing a home in this community, please let me assist you. My services and extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to save home buyers some money. I even offer (*with a couple exclusions) $500 towards closing costs to my clients*. I do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided on all of my websites) are wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
If you haven’t heard, the FEMA flood maps are in the process of being updated for this area. The new drafts were recently released, and this past week Q&A open houses were held in Sarasota, Venice, and North Port. It is important if you live in the area or are considering purchasing soon to keep in mind that changes are pending but will not fully take effect until next year. The timeline published on the Sarasota County website says:
December 2014* — Preliminary flood maps released
January-February 2015* — Start of 90-day public comment period (for filing of appeals and protests)
May 2015* — FEMA , federal review begins when 90-day public comment/appeal period ends
Early 2016* — New flood maps take effect; new flood insurance requirements also take effect
Date subject to change pending completion of review process.
So, if you already own a home, be sure to check the status prior to the end of the appeal period in case you find it necessary to pursue that option.
I went to the meeting in Venice on Wednesday evening to ask some questions in person. The venue where it was held was absolutely packed! I showed up early and there was a line out the door to check in, and many people were already seated inside waiting their turn for an individual property look up to be done by a representative. Oddly enough, I heard that the Sarasota meeting was not nearly so well attended. But, I digress…in Venice, it was a very well run, efficient and informative session. I had to wait for some time until my number was called, but not nearly as long as I expected when I first heard how many numbers were still ahead of mine. When my time came, of course, I wanted to know all of the changes that will be taking place. But naturally, that was not an option, so I asked about a couple specific properties for myself and for family that was out of town at the time. Then, I asked generally about the West Villages neighborhoods of Gran Paradiso and IslandWalk.
To preface, if you live in either of these neighborhoods, please consult the drafted maps or other authoritative source to be sure your specific property is or is not affected. The representative at the open house, though, said these two neighborhoods are predominantly what they call “in the 2%,” which means considered to be a moderate risk – where flood insurance is recommended but not required. That is really good news! It also appeared to me that the Mattamy property that is between River Road and the communities of Gran Paradiso and IslandWalk will be considered high risk, so that upcoming development may not pose as much competition as was previously thought. Still, I could be wrong. I did not ask about that area specifically. It was just highlighted on the map that the representative pulled up.
Once again, please consult an authoritative source regarding your specific owned or considered property, and if you are looking in either of these fine communities, give me a call! Let me know if I can be of any assistance.
Hope that all helps to clarify some. I would be happy to answer any specific questions for you. If you’d like more information on anything in particular, just let me know. Also, I would love any feedback on what you would like to see for future blog topics.
If you are considering purchasing a home in this community, please let me assist you. My services and extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to save home buyers some money. I even offer (*with a couple exclusions) $500 towards closing costs to my clients*. I do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided on all of my websites) are wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
The last West Villages Meeting, which was held in mid-December, did not provide much fodder for an article. It seemed essentially more of a formality, agreeing to continue discussions and items after the holidays. And, not surprisingly, it was a very brief meeting, with the next scheduled for January 27th for any that would care to attend. Still, I did not want to leave anyone wondering for over a month. So, I just wanted to put that out there.
One interesting/confounding item from the meeting is that there is going to be consideration of a new district engineer. This job has been filled through Kimley-Horn for some time. It was suggested at the meeting that a review of other options be conducted. It was pointed out that, for some legal reason, alternative organizations and individuals are not allowed to provide information on pricing and charges, only qualifications. At some point I will look into the rationale for this, as I cannot readily see it, but that is how it stands just the same.
Also, attached are updated pictures of the community pool progress at Gran Paradiso. IslandWalk entry and new amenity building appear to be coming along nicely as well, though regrettably, I do not have photos to share at this time. I will make an effort to correct that in the near future.
Happy new year, everyone! May it be blessed for you and all of your loved ones.
Ali
If you are considering purchasing a home in this community, please let me assist you. My services and extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to save home buyers some money. I do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided on all of my websites) are wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
West Villages Improvement District 