INTRODUCTION (continued)

Lake Santa Fe & Little Lake Santa Fe are designated as Outstanding Florida Waters by the State of Florida. This status was based on recognition of the high quality of these lakes. Along with this status comes additional regulations regarding what we as homeowners can do to the lake. The first thing we must realize is that we do not own these lakes! The lakes legally belong to the citizens of the State of Florida. As owners of property on these lakes we do have special rights to access the lake from our property. However, we do not own any land below the Ordinary High Water Line. On most shorelines this would mean that the state owns the land immediately waterward of our seawalls. This also generally includes all areas dominated by cypress trees and may extend landward of the cypress on many properties. As owners of shoreline on these lakes we do have the privilege of access but we also have the responsibility to take care of this precious resource for our own benefit as well as for others.

There are Federal, State and Local regulations that protect this lake and limit the activities that we can do. For instance, because the lake is an Outstanding Florida Water, we are required to get a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for any vegetation maintenance activities we do on our shorelines. This would include spraying, pulling or mowing grass below the Ordinary High Water Line. There are also many rules regarding seawall and dock construction on our lakes. Unfortunately, given the current reductions in governmental spending, we can not count on governmental agencies to adequately enforce all of the regulations that protect our lake. In addition, most of us like our neighbors and do not want to upset them. Hopefully we all want this lake to be a peaceful place to live. The purpose of this webpage is to help educate ourselves in the hope that understanding will inspire each of us to do our best to protect and improve our beautiful lakes. However, we should also be aware of and follow the regulations that protect our lakes. There are also many common sense things we can do to protect and improve our lakes that are not covered by regulations.