Dear Hidden Springs/Estates residents,

Spring is in the air!! We managed to get through a gloomy, but not terribly cold, winter. Finally the Florida weather we love is here.

This is a perfect time to start thinking about your landscaping. Planting flowers, trimming any dead or old bushes, getting that lawn green or purchasing new sod. It's a little bit of a challenge because this can be a drier time of the year, but at least the weather is pleasant to be outside. Just remember, if you do decide to replace sod, be sure to call the water department at (407) 423-9018. The water department will allow you to water more often and they will work with you on the temporarily increased water bill. It takes a couple of months for the new sod to take, then you're back to your normal watering of a couple of times a week.

This is also a good time to pressure wash your sidewalks and driveways. In Florida, if someone slips on a moldy sidewalk, the property owner adjacent to that sidewalk is usually responsible, as they have a legal duty to maintain their property, including sidewalks, and keep them safe from hazards like mold growth.

As many of you may have noticed, we had a challenge at the Pin Oak and Dr. Phillips entrance. (See photos below.) Duke Energy has been working in the area hardening the electrical grid so electricity will be less likely to go out during hurricanes and/or bad storms. What Duke did at that entrance was to take down the old wooden telephone pole that had a streetlight on it and also all the utility cables and wires. The problem was two-fold: they broke the old wooden pole in half, took all the wires and sharp cables down but left everything at our entrance on the side of the street where the school cross-walk is and where the crossing guard is. It was not only an unsightly mess, but extremely dangerous. There were sharp, pointy two-inch cable wires hanging from "our" bushes and where the kids from Palm Lake Elementary cross.  

Members of the board called and called time and time again.  Finally, just a few weeks ago Duke came out and removed the debris.