June 2026 

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the Lake Asbury  Community Association, Inc.
To add your email address,
go to the Contact Us page and submit the form. 

 

Keeping Our Lakes Clean: A Community Guide to Protecting Our Waterways

Protecting the beauty and safety of our lakes is one of LALLOA’s primary responsibilities. Water quality is essential to keeping our lakes safe for swimming, boating, and wildlife.

In Florida, protecting our water is a shared responsibility. The St. Johns River Water Management District works to reduce excess nutrients and harmful chemicals that enter our waterways through runoff. Water from our yards flows into the lakes, then into Black Creek and the St. Johns River, where it can contribute to algae blooms, reduced oxygen levels, and harm to aquatic life.

To help keep our lakes healthy, residents should be mindful of three common sources of pollution: fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste.

  1. Smart Fertilizer Use

Fertilizers contain nitrogen and phosphorus, which can promote algae growth in lakes.

Choose fertilizers with slow-release or water-insoluble nitrogen whenever possible.

Avoid fertilizers with high phosphorus content unless a soil test indicates a need.

Do not apply fertilizer before heavy rain or during periods of significant rainfall.

  1. Targeted Pesticide Application

Pesticides and herbicides can wash into waterways and harm aquatic ecosystems.

Treat only affected areas rather than applying chemicals across an entire yard.

Consider non-toxic or environmentally friendly alternatives when possible.

  1. Responsible Animal Waste Disposal

Pet and livestock waste contributes bacteria and excess nutrients to waterways.

Always clean up pet waste promptly.

Keep livestock waste and grazing areas away from drainage paths and low-lying areas.

  1. Buffer Zone Requirements

Fertilizer must not be applied within 10 feet of the waterline.

Pesticides must be applied according to the manufacturer’s label.

Overspray and wind drift into the lake are prohibited.

Spraying before rainfall is not permitted.

Buffer zones provide a natural defense against pollution by allowing vegetation to filter contaminants before they reach the water. Fertilizers, pesticides, and weed killers should never be applied within 10 feet of the shoreline.

Protecting our lakes is a community responsibility, and we rely on residents to help safeguard our waterways. Commercial lawn care and pest control companies are licensed by the state and must follow all application regulations.

Community Watch Request

If you observe chemical spraying or fertilizer application near the water:

If it is a neighbor, consider speaking with them about the regulations.

If it is a commercial lawn or pest control company:

Take a clear photo of the activity.

Record the company name or vehicle information.

Note the date, time, and location.

Report concerns to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at 850-617-7996 or through their online reporting system.

When submitting a report, provide the location, company name or vehicle description, date and time, and any photos or videos available.

These are your lakes. Together, we can keep them clean, healthy, and beautiful for everyone. Stay healthy, my friends.

Your LALLOA Board Members,
Bill Schoenberger (Co-Chair), Debbie Barrett (Co-Chair) Tricia Smith (Secretary),
Kay Manly (Treasurer), Mike Bunn, Danny Hedberg, Mark Wantage, Tricia

Click here to see alerts about the wildlife that shares our space.

No Recent Crimes in Lake Asbury During Last Month Reported on the CCSO Community Crime Map

If crimes have occurred in the Old Lake Asbury Community, please report those to the LA Neighborhood Watch Chairman by e-mail or text message, they will be reported and shared here with your neighbors.

CLAY COUNTY FIRE BAN HAS BEEN LIFTED

Please be observant of suspicious activity in our neighborhoods, such as unusual numbers of vehicles visiting a residence and staying only a few minutes, especially at night. In the past, this has been an indication that illegal drugs or other activities were going on. Pay careful attention to details of a situation so you can relate accurate descriptions of vehicles and individuals involved to the Sheriff’s Office. If you feel something is questionable of this nature, please notify CCSO at (904)264-6512, so they can check it out. Help keep our neighborhood safe!.

Paul Pierce, Neighborhood Watch Chairman
Cell Ph.: (904)-210-1868
eMail: pepierc@aol.com

Lake Asbury Ladies Club

Welcome to June!
Summer is here, and we’re excited for a month full of swimming, vacationing and family
time. Thank you for supporting us in the community events we plan. Our group will be
treated to a well-deserved lunch at Longhorn.

UPCOMING EVENTS
August 9th: Ice Cream Social 3-4:30pm sponsored by Hair by Lee
October 17th: Chili Night 5-6:30pm
December 12th: Christmas Party 3-6pm
We’re looking for sponsors for Chili Night and several for our Christmas Party.

Thank You!
We appreciate your continued support and participation. We look forward to seeing you at
the remaining events this year. Please join us at our next meeting. We love fresh ideas.

Sincerely, Cheryl Petrucci LALC Chair

Lake Asbury Municipal Service Benefit District
By:  Diane Poidevant

Positive Progress on Dam Rehabilitation Project

  • The general concept for the dam rehabilitation project was debated and formally approved by the Board at the April meeting.
  • We have now reached the 30% design level, which allows us to move forward with the state permitting process.
  • This is a significant milestone and demonstrates continued progress toward improving and protecting our lake infrastructure.

State Permitting and PMP Progress

  • The Saint Johns River Water Management District has agreed in principle to allow the project to proceed using a 50% Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) standard.
  • PMP, or Probable Maximum Precipitation, is defined as the maximum depth of rainfall meteorologically possible for a given area, duration, and time of year.
  • For our project, PMP is defined as the maximum possible rainfall occurring within a 24-hour period.
  • This agreement is an important development because it supports a practical and achievable path forward for the rehabilitation effort.
  • Permitting process could take 3-4 months
  • Bond funding identified as the most reliable near‑term option; grants under evaluation.

New Board Members

  • We are pleased to welcome two new board members:
    • Mr. Mark McMillian
    • Dr. Randy Epling
  • Both individuals bring extensive board leadership experience and strong community outreach backgrounds.
  • Their experience and involvement will strengthen the Board as we move into the next phases of planning, permitting, and community engagement.

Chairman Clemons spoke with Dr. Burke (our county commissioner) and told her that we are actively pursuing grant opportunities. She recommended that he contact Jody Hysler, the Clay County Grants Compliance Manager. He has requested an in-person meeting.

We are currently active in the county’s Local Mitigation Strategy meetings. Our engineering firm, Collier’s Engineering and Design, has been actively pursuing grants on our behalf, focusing on three grant programs— High Hazard Potential Dam (HHDP), Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC), and Resilient Florida.

LAMSBD board of trustees meets on the first Monday of each month at 6:30 PM in the Community Center. All meetings are open to the public.

 

Lake Asbury Community Association LogoBuilding Update: If you’ve stopped by the Community Center recently, you may have noticed it’s looking a little brighter these days. After a recent building inspection identified several needed repairs, the Board moved forward with a plan to address those issues and update the building.

We’re happy to share that much of the work is complete. The roof and skylights have been replaced, the HVAC system repaired, new gutters installed, the exterior freshly painted, and the porch railings replaced. These improvements have given the Community Center a clean, refreshed look.

One important project remains: removing and replacing the deteriorating popcorn ceiling. This work will help bring the building fully up to standard. So far, these upgrades have cost approximately $40,000 and were paid for using Association savings, allowing the work to be completed immediately. While we were fortunate to have those funds available, our reserves are now lower than we would like.

If you are able, please consider making a contribution to help replenish our reserves and support the remaining work.
Donations can be made online at TheLakeLighter.com or by mailing a check to:

LACA
282 Branscomb Rd.
Green Cove Springs, FL 32043

We would also like to thank Stern Roofing, 1st Coast Paint & More, All American Marine, and Chill Tech of NE Floridafor their quality work, professionalism, and care throughout these improvements.

Every contribution helps, and together we can continue maintaining the spaces that bring our community together.

Thank you for being such an important part of our neighborhood!

Sign Relocation: We would like to share an update on the relocation of our community entrance sign formerly located at Lake Asbury Drive and Henley Road.

As many of you have noticed, the original sign and brick foundation were recently removed because they were located on property that now belongs to the new development along Lake Asbury Drive. A new sidewalk has since been installed in that area.

The Board explored relocating the sign to the vacant corner across Lake Asbury Drive; however, the logistics and rezoning requirements for that location proved too complex.

After evaluating several options, the most practical solution is to relocate the sign to Association-owned property at the intersection of Lake Asbury Drive and Wesley Road. Before installation can begin, County permits must be obtained. The property has already been cleared of brush, and once permitting is complete, contractors will be hired to pour a new concrete base and rebuild the brick foundation.

The sign itself is safe and secure and is currently being stored in the shed on community property.

We appreciate your patience and will continue to provide updates as progress is made.

Thank you!

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Next Newsletter is July2026
Deadline for submissions is Tuesday, June 23 2026
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