SPRING/SUMMER 2011
Buckhorn Homeowners Association
Annual Membership Meeting
The Buckhorn subdivision’s homeowners
association will hold its annual membership
meeting:
• On Tuesday, May 17, at 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• At the Buckhorn Springs Golf & Country Club
• All Buckhorn residents are encouraged to
attend.
American Flags At Your Mailboxes
• Buckhorn Homeowners Association will place American
stick flags at every mailbox in Buckhorn
• When – Memorial Day weekend
Official publication of the Buckhorn Homeowners Association Board of Directors
www.Buckhorn.Us • PO Box 1586 • Valrico FL • 33595 • [email protected]
PAGE 1
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
Buckhorn Community
Garage Sale: June 4
Buckhorn will hold a Community Garage Sale on
Saturday, June 4. The Buckhorn Homeowners
Association will advertise the garage sale in area
newspapers and will post signs at the entrances of
Buckhorn. You just need to place your items for
sale in your driveway or yard, post a sign at your
property, and hope for a great sale. Great garageselling to you!
Saturday, June 4
11 AM - 3 PM
Bring your garage
sale leftovers to
the Goodwill
truck in the
Buckhorn County
Park from 11 a.m.
to 3 p.m., June 4!
PAGE 2
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
Buckhorn Senior Wins
College Scholarship
Congratulations go to Cory King, a very
high-performing student at Durant High
School, for being the first recipient of the
Buckhorn Homeowners Association $500.00
College Scholarship.
Certain eligibility requirements had to be
met before Cory could apply to be
considered for this scholarship. They
included grade level, community service,
grade point average, and Buckhorn
residency.
Cory met the eligibility requirements and
submitted to our board additional
application requirements, which included:
•
A 500-word essay;
•
A copy of his Permanent Record
Summary (Grades);
•
A photo ID showing his home
address;
•
A copy of his community service
hours signed by school officials; and
•
A letter of recommendation from a
non-family member.
All submitted documents were reviewed
and verified by the Buckhorn Homeowners
Association Board.
Cory King will be recognized for his
achievements at the end-of-the-year awards
ceremony to be held at Durant High School
on Monday, May 16, 2011. Cory’s
scholarship funds will be paid directly to
the school of his choice.
The Buckhorn college scholarship
is being offered as an additional
way to make living in Buckhorn
desirable to potential homeowners.
The cost is only 77 cents per home
in Buckhorn, and is being funded
through special donations and
dues.
VOLUNTEER BUCKHORN HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION 2010-2011
President – Kevin Dorsey
Second Vice President – Ken Nailling
Secretary – Judy Becker
Members-at-Large – Teresa Dorsey & Carrie St. John
Special Assignees – Jay Braden & Bill Welbon
Vice President – Maria Singfield
Treasurer – Rob Brinkman
Newsletter Stories: Ken Nailling
Your board members receive no compensation. Your dues benefit the community directly.
Volunteer Opportunities: The board is always seeking volunteers. If you have a little time each month, please e-mail
[email protected]
PAGE 3
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
Bloomingdale Re-Zoning Issue Resolved
The rezoning effort by a developer to re-zone the
42 acre property on Bloomingdale Avenue, just
east of the Bloomingdale Library, has been
resolved. The developer withdrew his request to
build a large commercial/retail project as well as
multi-story buildings on the site.
The volume of traffic generated in the
surrounding area by this project would have
negatively affected our residents from 7 a.m. to
10 p.m. every day by clogging the surrounding
roadways and making it much more difficult to go
anywhere in a timely and safe manner.
Your Buckhorn Homeowners Association Board
of Directors and several area residents were the
pivotal force in achieving this success. This is the
fifth major zoning issue that these citizen
volunteers have spearheaded to defeat large
zoning projects that would have had colossal
negative impacts on our single-family, singledwelling neighborhood, and would have altered
our friendly relaxed style of living.
Buckhorn Informational E-mails Change
Your HOA uses email notices to inform
residents of interesting or urgent information
regarding Buckhorn Estates.
Examples include the notification of the arrest
of some burglars in the area, and lost/found pets or
property, local events, and Buckhorn updates.
You must register at our website,
www.Buckhorn.us , to get these notices. You do
not need to be the homeowner to register; renters
are welcome.
We will keep your email address confidential.
We won’t sell or give your email address away.
Please watch for a new e-mail address for
these Buckhorn e-mails. We are going to begin
using Benchmark E-mail Company to host
Buckhorn’s e-mail distribution. So you will
receive an e-mail from us asking you whether
you want to receive future e-mail’s from
Buckhorn. Please accept this request
from Buckhorn through Benchmark Email.
Register for neighborhood emails at
www.Buckhorn.us
It’s quick and easy!
PAGE 4
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
Buckhorn Street Signs Need Your HELP
Our neighborhood streets are dotted with a variety
of official street signs, i.e., STOP, 25 MPH,
Neighborhood Watch, street name signs, etc.
Many of the signs are dusty, dirty and in some
cases covered by the residue of nearby plants and
trees.
We need you to be a neighborhood helper. If a
sign is on or near your property we are asking you
to be proactive and help make the sign clean and
easier to read. Simply use a few drops of mild
dish soap in a bucket of warm water and use a soft
brush or cloth suitable for washing the painted
surface of your car, and clean the sign on or near
your property.
If you find any problems with any of the signs
please contact your HOA at [email protected]
and we will coordinate with the County Street Sign
Department. Due to the economic pressures on the
County government we need to make every
reasonable effort to get longer use from each of the
signs we already have in our neighborhood.
SAFETY FIRST, ESPECIALLY IF YOU USE
A STEP STOOL OR LADDER.
DO NOT USE any chemicals or harsh brushes as
they can damage the readable surface of the sign.
We have done sample cleaning of some signs in
areas of the neighborhood and we find that clean
signs make the neighborhood look sharp and
orderly as well as make the signs more readable.
Please cut any vegetation or tree limbs that are
touching the signs or affect the reading of the signs
by approaching traffic.
Remember: Clean Up After Your Dogs!
PAGE 5
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
Buckhorn Places U.S. Flags At Your Homes
Your Buckhorn Homeowners Association volunteers will again be placing U.S. flags at or near
each of the mailboxes of all 652 homes in Buckhorn for Memorial Day. We ask that you make every
effort during the year to insure your flag is in good working order throughout the year, and especially at the
Fourth of July and Veterans Day.
Volunteers of your homeowners association will also place flags at our entrances at each of
Buckhorn’s entrances on Memorial Day, July 4th, and Veterans Day.
We have had this important tradition for many years in Buckhorn to honor our past and current veterans
who have served and sacrificed so that we can enjoy a lifestyle based on freedom.
THANK YOU VETERANS AND THE MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILIES
Is Your Garage Door Open?
Buckhorn Neighborhood Watch volunteers
sometime drive through the neighborhood late at
night and early in the morning, midnight-1:00 a.m.
Surprisingly, we regularly find three to four garage
doors open and no lights on in the home. All the
garage contents are available to those who might
want to take them. Moreover, the inside of the
home and the family members inside are subject to
being accosted by others and the valuable contents
of the residence could also be taken We have
found garage doors open where the residents
have gone to bed, a resident is sleeping in the
car in the garage and where no one is home at
all.
Open garage doors and unlocked vehicles in
the driveway make our neighborhood an
enviable place for criminals to visit. We all
become soft targets. On the night before garbage
pick-up, several scrappers drive through the
neighborhood and pick through discarded items
and take them for their use or to sell. Please do
yourself and your neighbors a big favor and
establish a routine to check your vehicles and doors
at dark to ensure they are locked. If you see your
neighbor’s garage door open after dark, please
knock on their door or call them to remind them to
secure their residence.
We also check for non-working street lights
and promptly report them for repair. After a
recent wind and rain storm four street lights were
out of order. If you see non-working street lights
please note the 10 digit number on the pole and the
closest address to the light, and report them to
TECO at www.tampaelectric.com .
PAGE 6
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
CRIME STOPPED, Sheriff Honors Buckhorn
In January, three young white people, one
female and two males, appeared to be
suspicious to a Buckhorn Neighborhood
Crime Watch volunteer. He observed them
briefly and determined that they did not live
in the immediate area of the neighborhood,
and they appeared to be acting secretively.
He was on his way to an important
appointment so he called another volunteer
who immediately went to the location on
Bucknell Drive.
The female was driving the vehicle and had
moved it across the street into a driveway
from her original location, where she
nervously watched the streets and homes in
that area. The arriving volunteer was able to
get the license plate number from her
vehicle as he went by and he began
searching for the two males described to
him. He called the Sheriff’s nonemergency number, 247-8200, to report
the suspicious activity, tag number and the
fact that the two males were not in sight.
Only 3 minutes had elapsed from the time
the original volunteer called the second
volunteer that the Sheriff’s office was
notified.
Suddenly, the female put the vehicle in
reverse, backed around a curve and into a
nearby driveway and quickly stopped. The
two males began taking electronic
equipment, including a 47” flat screen TV,
from the home and placed it into the
backseat of the car. The female driver then
got into the back seat and the two males
entered the front seat and they drove toward
Miller Road. The two males were only
exposed to the public for 30-45 seconds
during which time the volunteer upgraded
the event to a residential burglary in
progress.
Initially, they drove normally out of the
neighborhood, however, when the volunteer
also turned onto Miller about 500 feet
behind them they quickly accelerated and
began passing cars on single and double
yellow stripped roadway, and they ran the
STOP signs at Durant and Lumsden. The
volunteer was carefully following the
suspects and he was keeping the Sheriff’s
dispatcher appraised of their direction of
travel and changing location. They were
driving about 70-80 mph until they began to
slow at S.R.60 to turn east. At that moment a
Sheriff’s Deputy in an unmarked gold
Crown Victoria who was responding to the
call spotted them and a high-speed chase
ensued. They drove at speeds approaching
110-120 mph wending their way toward
Plant City. They were successfully stopped
by STOP STICKS in downtown Plant City
where they all ran in different directions.
They were quickly captured by a bevy of
responding Deputies. Other Deputies
responded to the scene of the burglary itself
to determine the status of any residents who
may have been in the home, and to verify
that it was a true burglary and not someone
buying/borrowing the electronic gear.
Buckhorn’s Crime Watch volunteer was
summoned to the scene to write a statement
and to identify those who were captured.
Each of them was eventually freed on bond
that ranged from $5,000 to $16,500. The
older male, age 28, responded to a plea
agreement for two years in state prison; he
had recently served 5 years there.
However, he did not attend his sentencing in
April and a warrant has been issued for his
arrest. The other two individuals are
scheduled for trial in June and the
neighborhood volunteers have been
subpoenaed to court to testify. The
victimized neighbor was able to get all his
electronic equipment back a week later and
it was undamaged. (Continued Page 8)
PAGE 7
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
CRIME STOPPED, Sheriff Honors Buckhorn
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7)
As a side note, the two Buckhorn Crime Watch volunteers, Mark Bowman
and Ken Nailling, were awarded the Sheriff’s CITIZEN’S AWARD by
Sheriff David Gee in a ceremony in March for their vigilance and quick
action to identify the suspects and their vehicle, and to keep them in sight
while notifying the Sheriff’s department with the information necessary to
enable the responding Deputies to safely capture the perpetrators. Sheriff
Gee complemented them on there being no injuries to citizens or Deputies,
and no damage to private or Sheriff’s department vehicles.
Garbage Day! Don’t Forget Your Trash
• Remember to put your garbage/trash
cans out on the curb the night before
the Tuesday and Friday pick-up and
return them to your home by the
end of pick-up day. The goal is to
not leave the cans and recycle bins
days prior to or following the pick-up
which helps to keep the street looking
neat and tidy.
qualify. Recycling pick-up is every
Friday. Call 276-5680 to obtain new
or replacement recycle bins. You are
already paying for the recycling
program with your annual $220
refuse pick-up portion of your tax
bill. RECYCLING IS HELPING
OUR ENVIRONMENT!!!
• Recycling your garbage:
Neighborhood recycling is successful
and is keeping tons of recyclable
items from filling valuable limited
land fill space. Each of residences
generates many pounds of plastic
bottles, aluminum/steel cans,
newspapers, catalogues, magazines,
junk mail, etc.
• Please make it a priority in your
home to recycle all materials that
PAGE 8
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
Watch For Lawn Workers
Dangerous driving when
passing lawn workers: When
you are driving on neighborhood streets and
see your fellow neighbors or their lawn
people working in the yard near the street,
please be sure to slow down and move to
the center or the other side of the street to
pass by. Remember, the workers are
focused on the yard and the equipment
noise prevents them from hearing you
approach in your vehicle. We have had
cars go by residents doing yard work so
close that they could feel the wind from the
passing vehicle. This happens when no
other cars are on the road. Some drivers
hug the curb as they drive down the street
and do not use due care when people are in
the yard and near the street. We all know
the vehicle will win if there is contact with
a person, however, the long lasting effects
of that person healing plus the effects on
one’s insurance rates should cause each of
us drive more carefully in these
circumstances. SAFETY FIRST!!!
Important Phone Numbers
Emergency 911
Sheriff’s Office Non-emergency 247-8200
Animal Control 744-5660
County Information 272-5900
Garbage/Trash Collection 276-2958
Street Light Repair (TECO) 223-0800
Street Sign Repair 744-5670
Buckhorn Homeowners Association:
[email protected]
Veteran’s Affairs 975-2181
Water Violations Hotline 224-8993
Your District 4 County Commissioner Al Higginbotham 272-5740
PAGE 9
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
Dogs and Buckhorn
County law requires dog
walkers to scoop their dog’s waste
and to dispose of it properly.
Unfortunately, there are a few
residents who sometimes forget to do
this. Leaving a plastic bag at home
is no excuse. Tie one to the leash or
buy one of the small bag dispensers
that attach to your leash so that you
will always be prepared. Having
your children walk the dog is also
not an excuse.
Be a good neighbor
and be responsible
for your dog’s
activities.
Dogs are creatures of habit and once
they mark an area they are likely to
use that area regularly which causes
residents to complain.
School Bus Stop Safety
Please advise your youth to practice
good safety at the school bus stops
as well as playing in the
neighborhood. There have been
some reports of youth chasing each
other and running into traffic on
Miller road. Others stand only a foot
or two from the side of the road
while waiting for the bus. In some
cases the youth sit on the concrete
stormwater sewer caps in the
neighborhood. Many of today’s
drivers are distracted by cell phones
and texting, and the slightest
moment of inattention can result in
your youth being struck by a vehicle.
PAGE 10
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
WHERE DO MY ANNUAL DUES GET SPENT?
Nearby subdivision homeowner associations use hired Management Companies for
tens of thousands of dollars a year and charge mandatory dues of $250 to $350 per
homeowner.
Buckhorn Homeowners Association functions with volunteers and extremely
modest $30 dues for one year or $55 for two years.
Buckhorn’s HOA Board of Directors and volunteers annually accumulate
around 2,000 hours in volunteer service to our neighborhood to keep it a nice and
enjoyable place for kids and adults.
Some of the Buckhorn activities that benefit our neighborhood
are:
• Annual Santa Claus Parade with Santa on the fire truck throughout Buckhorn
• Santa At The Park event for refreshments and free photo taking with your kids
and Santa at Buckhorn park
• U.S. Flags at your mailbox for Memorial Day/July 4th
• U.S. Flags at Buckhorn’s entrances for major holidays
• Sponsoring and advertising two Buckhorn neighborhood garage sales yearly
• Cosponsoring the “Meet Your Neighbor” event at the Buckhorn Springs Golf
Club
• Adding recreational equipment to Buckhorn Park for the enjoyment of our
kids and adults
• Buckhorn Bunny Bonanza with an refreshments, egg hunt, and picture taking
with the Easter Bunny at Buckhorn Park
• Buckhorn Neighborhood Watch averaging over 30 hours per week doing day
and night patrols and working with the Sheriff’s District II Deputies
• Halloween Costume Event at Buckhorn Park
• Maintaining message boards at the entrances
• Maintaining the Buckhorn web-site and sending E-mail alerts
• Writing and delivering the Buckhorn newsletter
• Welcome new residents with welcome packets
• Monitoring compliance with Buckhorn deed restrictions
• Getting the County to install larger speed signs on Miller
PAGE 11
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
• Re-marking the speed limit on Miller Road
• Installing the temporary flashing lighted radar signs and the re-striping of the
crossing at the golf course on Miller Road
• Getting Hillsborough County to install the traffic signal at Miller and Lithia
Pinecrest Road (imagine/remember making a left turn without it)
• Successfully fighting zoning incursions by developers who wanted to build a
“big box” retail builder next to Albertson’s, successfully fighting another
developer who attempted to build 300 apartments and some retail buildings on the
same property (they spent nearly $1,000,000 unsuccessfully to achieve success)
• Providing our first annual Buckhorn scholarship to a deserving graduating
senior
• Responding to a myriad of concerns of our residents
We need your financial support every year to maintain these and perhaps new
activities to keep Buckhorn a great place to live. It does not matter if you are a
homeowner or a renter because each of your family’s benefit from our activities. We can
always use some new volunteers to assist our existing volunteer work force which is
often spread very thin. Moreover, if your company can assist us with services please
consider making them available to us to further augment our offerings to the
neighborhood.
Please remit your dues to Buckhorn HOA, P.O. Box 1586, Valrico, Fl. 33595. If
you can volunteer your service or your company’s services to us please contact us at
[email protected]
Congratulations!
Second Quarter Winners of Buckhorn Best Properties
Buckhorn South: 2920 Folklore Drive
Buckhorn North: 2602 Great View Drive
PAGE 12
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
Aggressive Dogs In Buckhorn
Our neighborhood has experienced a
few cases of aggressive behavior by
our residents’ dogs. The dogs were
not on leashes or kept behind fences
all the time. (It is County law to
keep your dog on its leash, even in
your yard unless it is fenced.) They
got out and nearly attacked innocent
residents who were in their own yard
or merely walking by the home at the
time. Thankfully, there were no dog
bites; however, there was a lot of fear
experienced by the victims at the time.
One victim was able to use his car to
protect his back while he used his
commanding voice to deter the dog
until the owner got the dog under
control. In another case, the resident
was threatened by a charging dog that
forced them out into the street in order
to keep the dog at bay. Thankfully,
oncoming drivers were able to safely
stop and not hit the pedestrian. The
dog was eventually enticed back into
his own yard by the owner.
Aggressive dog behavior cost one
Buckhorn dog owner over $1,000
last year.
families’ lives. Those dogs that
exhibit excessive
protective/aggressive behavior to
others, especially those who are not on
your property, need to be physically
contained and/or have special
obedience/control training. County
Animal Control has several
ordinances that deal with these
situations as well as a special “dog
court” with a magistrate trained in the
County and State ordinances and
statutes. Violations can cost several
hundreds of dollars, obedience
training, and possibly the installation
of an “invisible fence”, which uses an
electrified buried wire and special dog
collar to keep the dog on the property.
Dogs are an important part of many
PAGE 13
DID YOU KNOW?
Lizards communicate by:
a. Flicking their tongue
b. Blinking their eyes in a specific manner
c. Flicking their tail
d. Doing push-ups
Emus and what other animal cannot walk backward:
a. Sloths
b. Kangaroos
c. Moles
d. Beavers
The fastest healing part of your body is:
a. Eye
b. Tongue
c. Skin
d. Heart muscle
A million dollars in $100 dollar bills weighs:
a. 12 lbs
b. 22 lbs.
c. 32 lbs.
d. 42 lbs.
In Las Vegas it is against the law to pawn your:
a. Eyeglasses
b. Personal grooming items
c. Shoes
d. Dentures
Go to our HOA website, www.Buckhorn.us, to get the answers.
Register your email with us to ensure you get all the Buckhorn
urgent notices and information. We do not sell or give away your
email addresses. It simply makes it easier to communicate with you and your
neighbors to make Buckhorn an even better place to live.
14