Florida Community Stories
Placid Lakes located in Highlands County in south central Florida comprised of 1,583 houses within its 18.3 square mile area. 3,054 residents call the community home. Bordered on the south side by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lands, its vegetation is primarily of the palmetto-gallberry type. It averages six feet in height, but reaches eight to ten feet in some areas. Historical wildfire occurrence is above average.
Placid Lakes became interested in becoming a Firewise Community in 2003.
At that time, residents were contacted by The Nature Conservancy to participate
in a pilot wildland/urban interface community grant project. The homeowners
association formed a Firewise Board to investigate the process and make
recommendations to the association. The interest of the Firewise Committee
peaked while attending a weekend Firewise Communities retreat hosted at
the Florida Center for Wildfire and Forest Resources Management Training
in Brooksville by the Florida Division of Forestry. The group listened,
learned and left with the conviction of the need for Placid Lakes to become
a Firewise Community. They believed that the elements of defensible space
were especially appropriate for their setting. Upon their return, they began
the work of educating their community members and mapping the strategy for
their Firewise Day. The committee planned a half day fair, lunch and workshop
where community residents could become better informed about changes they
needed to make around their homes. The committee recommended the adoption
of an ordinance requiring vegetation to be trimmed and watered in accordance
with Firewise recommendations. They approached county officials to become
a local fire district giving them responsibility for their own fire protection.
Despite
being the target for three of the four hurricanes that hit Florida during
2004, the Board was able to host its Firewise Day, a day of community education,
on October 2nd, 2004.
The Homeowners Association of Placid Lakes has made Firewise Communities a priority project. They plan to (1) continue educating
residents about the need for defensible space and (2) encourage continued prescribed burning in adjacent lands. They are educating the residents about the need for prescribed fire as a fuel management tool and in order to encourage continued local acceptance.
Information will continue to be presented in the association's newsletter, and literature about Firewise principles and Firewise landscaping will be readily available in the community building. The community has made progress with its fire suppression capabilities by changing to a special fire taxing district. This will allow them to better tailor suppression equipment and personnel to their needs.
For more information about Placid Lakes, visit http://www.placidlakesonline.com.
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