Updates from Orange County Commissioner,
District 1,
Nicole Wilson

New License Plate Frame Guidelines.

Heads up: A new state law is now in effect that prohibits license plate frames or covers that intentionally obscure part of your plate including the numbers, letters or decal.

If a frame or cover hides even a small section, it can lead to a traffic stop and a citation.

Stay safe on the road — make sure your plate is in compliance.

E-Bike & Scooter Safety Guidelines

On December 2, the Board discussed my proposal for Safety Requirements, Study, and Enforcement Capacity for Micro-Mobility Devices (e-bikes, e-scooters, kick scooters, etc.)

We advanced a plan to have staff review key issues like safety, infrastructure, enforcement, and education, coordinating with the Sheriff’s Office and OCPS. We expect an initial report in early spring.

For those in our community who use micromobility devices: please wear a helmet and take a moment today to discuss safe, responsible riding with your family.

---

Are you aware of the NEW Garbage,
Recycling, Yard Waste and
Large Items Pickup Days?

CLICK HERE for full details.

---

Message from the president

It is hard to believe that another year is rolling to an end. It just seems like yesterday that we were talking about the projects for 2025 and now it is those for 2026.

I would first like to thank all of the homeowners who have created a wonderland of lights and sounds, decorations filled with air of favorite holiday characters, and garland strung around the front doors. For those who placed a simple wreath to those who have gone all out…a huge thank you for making Lake Sawyer South a beautiful community to drive through and enjoy. It is such an amazing experience to see the love for the holidays reflected in so many homes within the community. Thank you for your time and efforts…they have not gone unnoticed.

Many of the comments that have been heard throughout the community revolve around communication. That the board or specifically myself, does not provide enough communication regarding what is happening within the community. I hope to be able to help with that in 2026 by providing information on our website www.lakesawyersouth.com about what is happening within the community.

Here are some fun facts:

• Do you know the name of the community in which you live? Lake Sawyer South.
  I know that there will be a few people actually surprised at that because they may have thought Berkshire Park. I know that is what I thought when I first moved in.
• Do you know how many homes make up the community? 744 homes.
  We are a large HOA. Not huge like Independence, but crossing the line between medium and large.
• Do you know where Lake Sawyer is located? I had to look at Google maps to find out, but Lake Sawyer is the body of water that runs parallel to Winter Garden Vineland Road as you go from Overstreet to Windermere Preparatory School. I don’t know how “south” it is from the lake, but I am glad that we were not called Lake Sawyer Southwest. (little bit of humor)

You can always locate our governing documents at LakeSawyerSouth.com for your review. Remember, to change any part of the Declarations, Bylaws, and Articles of Incorporation we need to have 66 and 2/3 percentage of membership voting. It is not something that can be changed at a board meeting.

The ARB Guidelines can also be accessed on the same website. It is important to remember that if you change any part of the exterior of your home you need to submit an ARB application. Paper applications for those items that an on-line application is available will not be reviewed any longer starting now. If you are having trouble accessing the online application please go to our website and fill out the “ask the board” form and someone will get back with you. Or you can simply email Tiffany at TCastille@lelandmanagement.com. We are all here to help answer your questions or concerns the best that we can. Please be respectful in your communication and know that we are all working hard to provide you with the best information possible.

Well, this grandma needs to go and bake some more of those Christmas goodies with the kiddos. The board is wishing you and your family a blessed holiday season, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

See you in 2026.
Shannon Boe
LSS Board President

---

One thing you can do
to help keep our Home Values high.

The Number ONE goal of the Lake Sawyer South Board of Directors is:
Maintain the appealing look of the Community, to ensure the highest property values for all our Homeowners.

This should be important to you, as a homeowner, for the day (if and when) you choose to sell your home. You’ll want to get the highest price possible for your home.

What gets in the way of this is when the community looks messy and untidy.

Having trash cans and/or yard waste on the street longer than necessary is not appealing to potential homebuyers.  If you were a potential homebuyer coming into the neighborhood, what would you think of all the clutter?

Of course, cans and yard waste need to be placed by the street for pickup at the appropriate time.  Our Neighborhood guidelines stipulate:
— Garbage cans should be placed out for collection … “for the shortest time reasonably necessary to effect such collection.”

We can agree, placing your cans and yard waste out the evening before collection is reasonable.

But you SHOULD NOT leave cans and yard waste out for several days prior.

We frequently see homes with yard waste from the weekend, left on the curb until the Wednesday pickup.  That is not acceptable.

And we see trash cans by the street Monday during the daytime, for Tuesday morning pickup.  And sometimes left there, after pick-up, throughout the week.

Can we agree, that cans should be places curbside after 6:00 p.m. on Monday?

That would be in line with the “shortest time reasonably necessary” and minimize any visual clutter potential homebuyers would see.

The Board appreciates the help of each and every homeowner following these guidelines. That way, we can ensure the appearance of Lake Sawyer South will continue be the top quality we all want, keeping our home values high.

Shannon Boe
Board President

---

Photo Contest Winner!

The Lake Sawyer South Community Homeowner Association is happy to announce that Daya Zoldan is our Photo Contest winner. You can see their photo at the top, header photo on this page.  This beautiful sunset shot, showcasing our lake, fountain and clubhouse is great!  And it met all the requirements of the photo contest, fitting proportionally in the various dimension required for this website.

Congrats to Daya. They’ll be receiving the $25 Publix Gift Card from our HOA President soon.

Thanks to those who entered the contest, but didn’t win.
If you want to see those pictures, you can go to our Photo Gallery Page. You’ll also see some of them scattered around the website in “sub-pages”.

If you missed out on the Photo Contest, but would like to submit your favorite Lake Sawyer South photograph, you may submit up to 3.  Just attach them to an email to webmaster@lakesawyersouth.com.  Photos should .jpg,, .gif, .png, or .heic and not be of people (or children) or specific houses.  We love to see any of the wild animals who roam around our neighborhoods.  Or anything that showcases our communities.  They should be LARGE, at least 1000 px wide, and fit in a horizontal dimension, but crop-able to a square format. Those have a better chance to be used on our website.

---

Exciting News:
ARB has taken the applications On Line!

Everyone is working hard to develop an online system for ARB application submissions.
This will make the process easier to submit and easier to review.
If you have to submit an application – please check out the online applications available.
The board encourages the use of the online application over the paper form.
If you don’t see your specific project offered – please use the paper application and
provide as much information as you can for consideration.

---

Your Leaves are NOT Our Leaves

It has come to our attention that many homeowners and/or landscaping vendors are blowing leaves from their yard either into the street or into HOA Common Area for the community landscapers to pick up.  Please pick up your own leaves each week and if you hire a landscaping team make sure that debris is being picked up (NOT blown down the storm drain) and removed from the home.  Landscape debris is NOT to be put on the curb until Tuesday evening for Wednesday morning pick up.  Be courteous to those around you.

---

New Lake Sawyer South Community Paint Schemes

The ARB is excited to provide new paint schemes starting in 2025. These schemes might be similar to what you see within the community now, because they are keeping with the Horizon West Design Plan that was initiated in 1993 in its Master Plan. What we have tried to accomplish is giving homeowners a few more options for each scheme.

How does it work? First ,you choose the body color from the 44 available. Then if your home requires a secondary body color, it is listed. Then you pick one of two trim colors. In some cases they are close in color and other cases they are very different. Then we have updated accent colors from which you get to choose one.

We are finalizing the new online application for painting that will be a great help in walking you through the process of choosing.

What if you like your color? You can repaint your home the same color with ARB approval. It will also be an option on the new online application.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE NEW LAKE SAWYER SOUTH COMMUNITY PAINT SCHEMES.

---

Don’t Feed the Gators!

Our friend, “Smiley”, has been spotted from time to time on the shores of Lake Brofield Ave. Loop. Be sure to leave him alone and keep your distance. He doesn’t need your food. He finds his meals in the lake perfectly well.

Alligators have inhabited Florida’s marshes, swamps, rivers and lakes for many centuries, and are found in all 67 counties. In recent years, Florida has experienced tremendous human population growth. Many residents seek waterfront homes, and increasingly participate in water-related activities. This can result in more frequent alligator-human interactions, and a greater potential for conflict.

Remember, never feed an alligator and keep your distance if you see one. And keep pets on a leash and away from the water. Smiley’s relatives were here long before any of us were.

---

Lake Sawyer South Neighborhood Guidelines:
“Do’s and Don’ts”

In order to maintain the home values and cordial atmosphere in our neighborhoods,
we hope everyone will respect these simple “Do’s”, so we can all enjoy a safe and comfortable environment.

• Do be respectful to other Dog owners and only take Waste bags you need right now.
• Do be respectful to your neighbors by picking up after your dog.
• Do bring your garbage and recycling cans into your garage as soon as possible, after they have been emptied.
• Do use our new Putting Green with respect, and only use for Putting, not Soccer and not chairs.
• Do pick up your leaves and put them out on Yard Waste Day (Wednesday), so they don’t get into our storm drains.
• Do park your car in your driveway, and not across the sidewalk.
• Do trim the branches of your trees over the sidewalk and over the street,
so your neighbor walkers and delivery trucks
(and Post Office trucks) aren’t bumped by the low branches.
• Do ask your landscapers to take away any landscaping debris.
Yard Waste should only be visible on Tuesday evenings for pick up on Wednesday morning.
• Do keep your easements (between the sidewalk and street) neat and edged properly.
• Do provide Association with a current mailing address, if you are renting your property.

NO DON’TS!

---

Sorry, one DON’T:

• DON’T dump your yard waste into conservation areas. It’s against the law, and violators will be prosecuted.
If you see someone dumping anything into the conservation areas please report it immediately
to Tiffany at Leland Management.

---

What’s Horizon West?
Yes, if you live in Lake Sawyer South, you’re part of it!

Horizon West is a new community located in southwest Orange County designed using the principles of Garden Cities and New Urbanism to create self-sustaining, mixed-use villages. As the community continues to grow over the next few decades, this foundation ensures that new development will contribute to a sense of place, environmental preservation, excellent architectural design, quality bicycle and pedestrian facilities and vibrant community gathering places.

Horizon West includes nearly 23,000 acres of former citrus groves until the devastating freezes of the 1980s, which created the impetus to institute appropriate master planning for the area’s urbanization over time.

READ MORE ABOUT HORIZON WEST

---

Waste Collection Tips

• Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and Electronic Waste (E-Waste)
can injure waste workers and contaminate the environment.

• Check out the virtual celebration of over 30 years of recycling in Orange County,
and see what happens to your waste by watching the “Landfill Video Tour (in English and Spanish) :
www.ocfl.net/OCRecyclesDay.

TRUE OR FALSE:

• Plastic bags can go in the recycling cart. –
FALSE:
Plastic bags and wraps should never go in the recycling cart. Visit BagandFilmRecycling.org to find a drop-off location near you.
For us, Publix would be the closest spot.

• Containers must be washed before recycling –
FALSE:
A quick rinse or wipe is sufficient for bottles and containers to deter bugs.
Too much food or liquid can contaminate other recyclables like paper, Recyclables should be empty and dry before placing in the cart.

• It doesn’t matter what goes into the cart; it will all be sorted eventually –
FALSE:
Too many unacceptable items can make the recycling load too contaminated for processing.
For example, “stringy things” like hoses and wires get tangled in the sorting equipment and shut down operations for hours, even days.

• If an item has the chasing arrow triangle symbol, it can be recycled. –
FALSE:
The symbol indicates the type or plastic resin used to make the item and not what goes in the blue lid cart.
Remember to “Think 5” and only place these items in the recycling cart:
(1) plastic bottles, jugs, and tubs #1 – #5, (2) metal cans, (3) glass bottles and jars, (4) cardboard, and (5) paper.

---

Important Numbers to Know!

311

Call or use the App for code enforcement, violations/ordinances –
to report concerns that a deputy is not needed to attend to.

407-836-HELP (4357)

Goes straight to a deputy for assistance, but is not an emergency situation.

911

Call for emergency help.

---

Header Photo: Daya Zoldan
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Image by Mahamadou Oumarou from Pixabay