La Casa is a well-maintained community. Management oversees not only the common areas, but also routinely inspects the appearance of homes. As spring approaches and you prepare to travel north and enjoy your homes there, remember your southern home here in La Casa.

• Prepare your home and plants for the fast-growing summer season.
• Locate someone who can check the inside of your home for water leaks, mildew and other problems.
• Find an outside caretaker for your yard, who will weed flower beds, trim shrubs and palm trees, and maintain the exterior of your home.
• Most important, provide the office with a Vacant House (Away) Form.

You need to provide a caretaker contact, northern address and phone numbers for emergency needs. Providing the office with current information may save you time, money and aggravation if an emergency occurs at your southern home here in La Casa.

submitted by Randy Browning

Sarasota County ordinances mandate that all homes must have their street address number prominently displayed.

Numbers should be at least three inches high and be clearly visible from the street. Numbers should not be blocked by landscaping, and simply having the number on your lamp post is not enough.

Police, Fire and Emergency Services depend on clear house numbering in the event of an emergency. If you call for an emergency, seconds count, so make sure your street number is clearly displayed on the front of your home.

Grass Turning Brown

When the weather turns colder in Florida, many of your yards will start to turn brown. This is normal for warm weather southern grasses.

Unfortunately, this may not be the case for weeds, which will remain bright green except in the coldest weather. This may be a good time to do some selective weeding to remove the green weeds now, before they spread further.

Some of La Casa’s lakes have green turf around them, such as St. Augustine grass. St. Augustine will remain green longer than other southern grasses, but will brown in colder weather as well. Most of our lakes are bordered with Bermuda and Bahia grasses, which can be the first to brown when colder weather arrives.

Please remember the grass is not dead, it is simply dormant. It will green again quickly with the return of spring warmth and rains.

Weeds in Our Lakes

The baby tear weed problem in our lakes will slow down with colder weather. This is due mostly to the cold weather and lower lake levels. The weed grows only in shallow water. As the water levels drop and beach front appears around the lakes, the Lake Doctor will spray a herbicide as permitted by law.

Your Maintenance Department will also remove tons of weeds by hand. We work hard to minimize lake weeds and keep them under control. Our state Agriculture Department does not have a solution for these weeds, and suggests we continue doing what we can to control it.

If you are considering changes to the exterior appearance of your home, please review this note. [Read more…]

Each fall, the population in La Casa more than doubles as snowbirds return for the season. The additional people mains there is more traffic, pedestrians, bicycles and golf carts. Everyone’s safety should always be a high priority for residents.

Trim back any landscaping around stop signs or other signs that are placed in your yard. Notify the office if any stop signs, reflectors or other safety equipment is damaged near your home.

Obey speed limits, stop signs and other markings in the park. Stay on your side of the road — there is no reason to drive down the center of the street. All of our roads will accommodate two lanes of traffic.

Give pedestrians the right of way at all times. Watch out for bicycles and golf carts coming and going. Don’t assume other drivers have seen you, and pull out in front of them.

Bicycles should ride on the same side of the street as vehicles. Pedestrians should always walk on the opposite side of the street, so they are facing oncoming traffic. Please follow these rules — they exist for everyone’s safety.

If you are walking at night, carry a flashlight so cars can see you. If you are using a golf cart or bicycle, they should have lights facing front and back for visibility. Wear brightly colored clothing at night when walking or biking. Don’t assume drivers can see you, even with lights.