Doing the right thing isn’t always fun!
2025 has been the year of doing things that are necessary, but not much fun. As we look at the last few years, we have been able to do a number of things to improve the look of the community, improve our amenities and enhance our lifestyle by investing in things that we can enjoy. We are proud of all we have accomplished, while increasing HOA fees by less than $90 in three years. Financially, we still maintain a strong position, but we must constantly look at how and where we spend money. Our 10 Year special assessment that was used to purchase the amenities back in 2017, is on schedule to be retired by mid-year 2026. This was a great decision that enabled our community to control our own destiny with regards to community irrigation, golf course, Linkside restaurant, fitness center and resort pool. The upkeep for all of these investments is considerable and ongoing.
Even though this time of year slows down with many residents escaping to cooler climates, it is never boring here for those that choose to call this place home. The golf courses are less crowded, much cheaper and in great shape. Tennis and pickleball courts have very little waiting time, and still quite a few players. The fitness center has no lines, open space and classes available. Restaurants have “Buy One Get One” specials, as well as live music a number of days each week. Every business is working hard to get residents to come on in. The sun shines every day, with a little afternoon rain to slow us down. In short, it is very much still Paradise.
Summer at Burnt Store Marina (BSM) is a time for us to get work done, and prepare for the coming season. We’ve completed the new golf course irrigation well to help eliminate any problems we may have during the dry season. The new irrigation well to provide water for the community irrigation pond is set to be drilled sometime in the fourth quarter. The Section 22 Board has been working with Rocky Mansfield and Mike Lemon for 12 months trying to get the permitting and work scheduled. Both Rocky and Mike have put 100s of hours into this project, which results in a substantial savings to every one of us. As many of us have experienced, getting work done in Florida in a timely fashion can be challenging. Thankfully, the summer rains are taking the pressure off, and we should be in great shape come fall.
Phase 2 of the road resurfacing is being completed this month. The community has a three-year plan to replace all the Section 22 roads, with the final roads to be completed in the summer of 2026. Infrastructure work is the least enjoyable way to invest community money, but it is a necessity if we are to continue to have a beautiful community to call home. Wells, roads, landscaping, bridges, and amenities are all vital to keeping BSM a top contender when people are looking for beautiful places to call home.
Safe Harbor continues their multi-million-dollar investment in the marina. Under the new ownership of Blackstone Investments, we are excited to see what other expansion ideas they have. Blackstone is also just completing the purchase of Sun Seekers Resort in Port Charlotte. Without the ability to build a marina at Sun Seekers, we become their closest marina, which can only help create more positive exposure for our community. The work on the North Basin continues in front of Marina Towers and Harbor Towers that will all but complete the entire north basin. The floating docks are installed and look great as they await boats. The seawall along Marina South Shore continues to go in, and should be finished soon. The new color scheme of the homes along with new seawalls and docks will certainly enhance their look. It has been years of construction, but steady progress moves us ever closer to completion. As far as marinas go, Burnt Store Marina will be a gem with few equals.
The BSM Dog Park will have a different look for those that bring their furry friends over for a run. There is a new permanent shade structure, which will provide protection for the owners as they watch their dogs play. The new structure is rated for winds above 150 mph, which will hopefully do the trick if mother nature chooses to visit us. Fundraisers and get-togethers have been going on all summer, as this motivated group plans for more improvement in the coming months.
When those of you who leave for the summer return, you will notice the many new subdivisions continue to spring up within 5 miles of BSM. There are three new subdivisions under construction on Zemel Rd., three new subdivisions well underway across from Heritage Landing, and new permits filed for expansion south on Burnt Store Road. Homes continue to spring up on every open lot in Burnt Store Lakes, Burnt Store Village, and every other established community with buildable lots. All this growth is exciting, but also creates new challenges. Where are all these people expected to play golf, boat, dine out, workout or play racquet sports? Some of these new communities have limited amenities, but none have what we have. Future Section 22 Boards will have some challenging issues to face as we attempt to embrace the future. The Board is working with a consulting firm, Morris/Depew, to look at ideas for the future. One thing is for certain, we are already outgrowing our amenities, so change is imperative.
Most of you will be observant enough to notice the two-tone color on Vincent Rd. Charlotte County has been collecting taxes from Burnt Store Lakes residents for years to pay for the paving of Vincent Rd. As most of you know, the Lee and Charlotte County line is right in the middle of Vincent Rd. BSM does “NOT” own our side of Vincent Rd. Lee County hasn’t been specifically taxing us for the road replacement. We have had meetings with both Lee and Charlotte counties, and we informed both of them, we aren’t paying for a road we don’t own. We are spending $1.5 million dollars over three years on roads we own. Lee County informed us that they consider our half of the road in good condition, and wouldn’t replace it even if they chose to do it. The long and short of the issue is that Lee County doesn’t want to take responsibility for the road. This will become a political discussion that may take years to resolve. In 2030, Lee County is preparing to begin the “continuous green T” improvement at the intersection of Burnt Store and Vincent roads. 2030 is still the date for some movement on the overall expansion of Burnt Store Road. The issue of paving the south side of Vincent Road will become a bigger issue when the other work is done in 2030. Future boards, as well as concerned citizens, will need to advocate for repaving at that time.
Another major issue taking up a lot of time this summer concerns our community irrigation system. The cost for irrigating our homes and common areas is approximately 1/6 of the cost of getting the water from Charlotte County Utilities. That savings is substantial, and all the thanks goes to the decision to purchase the amenities in 2017. We are currently looking at our system to figure out a way to streamline our process for billing, to make it more accurate and easier to administer. Right now we have over 160 individual meters that need to be read, input, verified and billed monthly. This process is labor intensive, and incurs charges at every step. One solution is to convert to Bluetooth meters to allow easier reading. The cost of this solution is approximately $250,000. Another option under review is to set up a grid of the entire community that will allow us to control the water flow through a limited number (less than 20) of meters, with shut off switches, so we can regulate the flow of water without all the individual readings and billings. Under this solution, we would bill each homeowner a yearly fee for irrigation based on lot size. This will eliminate the cost of reading meters, replacing meters, gathering data and billing residents. Presently, Ron Seals Landscaping does all the reading of meters, compiling data and maintenance on the system. Alliant Property Management does the monthly billing, and all the reconciling. Suffice it to say, we can save a lot of money if we can create a new system. We are currently working with irrigation professionals along with our irrigation committee to investigate our options.
Another problem that we’ve known about for years involves the access to the community irrigation pump house. These pumps provide all the water for the entire community. Large trucks are occasionally required to move and replace pumps, and conduct maintenance. These trucks have been entering through owners’ private property since there is no other good option for access. The board is looking at purchasing a piece of property to use as a right of way to forever secure access to this area. As vacant lots disappear in the community. Our window for fixing this problem gets smaller. Fortunately, there are several options available to remedy this problem. More information will be forthcoming.
There is always ongoing work on the golf course infrastructure to keep it beautiful and well maintained. New shoreline work has been completed to stop erosion on some holes. Bridge and sea wall work continues to help fix up other areas. The golf course and restaurant will begin to implement a cashless system this fall. The goal is to make it easier for servers and clients to use technology, and to assist in inventory and administration. We will have the ability to have a credit card on file, so all our purchases go straight to your number. You will also be able to use your credit card to make purchases if you don’t want it in the system. The goal is to improve efficiency and administration, which ultimately saves money and time.
The waterfront around Prosperity Point is alive and well in the summer. Small tarpon can be seen daily, dolphins make regular visits, and the manatees come and go all day. Walkers, bikers and golf carts make it a busy place. I recently had an exchange with a E-bike rider. As he drove past quickly, I told him to slow down. He then stopped to tell me he is tired of people telling him to slow down. I mentioned that E-bikes weren’t allowed on the walkway to which he disagreed. Upon leaving he called me a part of the human body that discharges waste. I laughed and then corresponded with two members of the Prosperity Point board including the President Bill Boykin who told me that E-bikes are not allowed on the walkway. One of our recent hurricanes knocked down the sign. Golf carts are the only allowed motorized vehicles allowed. The Prosperity Point board will be taking this issue up again at their next meeting. The ultimate goal is to make it safe and enjoyable for everyone.
I could go on about shade structures at the tennis court, and the new hydration station to help make things better for pickleballers and tennis players, but I’ve probably covered enough. In closing, I would be remiss if I didn’t publicly recognize and thank the members of the Section 22 board for their continued efforts all summer long. The board along with superstars like Mike Lemon, Rocky Mansfield, Major Andy Scott and Mike Sanchez work all summer, while everyone else plays, to make sure that BSM continues to be our slice of Paradise!
