LAKE SUZY LAKE MAINTENANCE CORP.
PAST and PRESENT
Welcome to Lake Suzy!
I’d like to take a few minutes of your time to tell you about Lake Suzy and the Lake Suzy Lake Maintenance Corporation.
First, a little history. Lake Suzy was developed by Loreda Development, Inc. based on a re-plat of a portion of land known as Loreda Park. The re-plat consisted of subdividing all lakefront property into 182 lots. On September 12, 1972 DeSoto County approved the formation of Lake Suzy Estates. Certain Plat Restrictions were approved by DeSoto County at that time. The most important of these restrictions insofar as the owners of lots in Lake Suzy states:
“That a one-one hundred and eighty-second (1/182) undivided share in and to the lake as shown on the attached plat and designated “Lake Suzy” is hereby created appurtenant to the title in and to each of the 182 lots contiguous to said lake; that the owners, their successors or assigns, of said 182 lots and said undivided shares shall be responsible for the maintenance of said lake in accordance with FL Dept. of Pollution Control standards; that said undivided shares shall be administered by the said Loreda Development, Inc. until such time as all lakefront lots are sold and/or until such time as a lakefront homeowners association may be formed for purposes of joint maintenance…” (Please note that the original intent was that “a lakefront association” was to be formed with the primary purpose of maintaining the lake.)
In accordance with the Plat Restrictions, Loreda Development, Inc. administered a lake maintenance contract by collecting assessments from lake front property owners. In early October 1991, Loreda Development notified the Lake Suzy Homeowners Association (later incorporated as “Lake Suzy Property Owners Association”) that Loreda would no longer be responsible for administering a lake maintenance contract. The Homeowners Association formed an ad hoc committee to explore the feasibility of the property owners assuming the responsibility of lake maintenance. In order to legally meet the provisions of the Plat Restrictions, a separate corporation had to be formed for the express purpose of administering lake maintenance. Lake Suzy Lake Maintenance Corporation was formed on March 31, 1993 and Loreda Development formally transferred authority and responsibility for lake maintenance to this corporation. This assumption of authority and responsibility was challenged and in 1994 the County Court of DeSoto County ruled that the Corporation has the authority to assess a lake maintenance fee on all 182 lakefront lot owners and to administer an appropriate contract.
And now for the present:
All lakefront property owners are automatically members of the Lake Suzy Lake Maintenance Corporation, with the owners holding voting shares depending on the number of lots owned. The Corporation administers lake maintenance and the details of their responsibilities are noted in the "Articles of Incorporation."
The cost of actual lake maintenance is $850/monthly. Other expenses include mail-outs for newsletters, annual notices, & invoices; paying for Directors and Officers liability & GL insurances, Corporate fees to the State of Florida; expenses to enhance fish habitats, and other administrative costs. (The Board members are all volunteers and receive no salaries). These expenses have resulted in an assessment of $90 annually per lakefront lot.
The fishing in the lake is excellent. We have a substantial number of Largemouth Bass, a great population of Blue Channel Catfish, large quantities of Tilapia (Nile Perch) and Bluegills, and quite a lot of Black Speckled Crappie.
The lake is in excellent condition. We have very little noxious growth in it and we certainly don’t have much of the Hydrilla, which is the bane of every lake in Southwest Florida.
Only boats with electric motors are allowed on the lake. No gasoline driven motors of any kind are allowed, with the exception of our lake maintenance contractor and on occasion, the State alligator trapper.
We strongly recommend that you do not swim in the lake, as we do have some mature alligators. We also have a substantial population of Leatherback (snapping) turtles – some of them quite large. We have a great selection of local wildlife. In addition to squirrels, rabbits, armadillos, opossums and raccoons, you might, at one time or another, spot a deer munching on your plants, particularly any veggies you have planted. There’s an occasional bobcat and all kinds of wading birds – Herons, Egrets, Wood Storks, Sandhill Cranes, Ibises, Anhingas, - and a wide variety of ducks. Hawks, Ospreys and Eagles are also seen quite often. During the winter months you might see Pelicans and Seagulls. With all the wildlife, in our domain, we personally feel that Lake Suzy is “a little piece of paradise.”
Again, welcome to our community. If you have any questions, please contact any member of the Board of Directors or just send us an e-mail using our "Have A Question - Contact Us" on our Home page.
Your Board of Directors
Our Mission . . .
To Preserve
a little piece of Paradise!