News

Below are the Top News Stories concerning Crooked Lake & the surrounding area.

Top Stories

• Eagle Scout Project on Crooked Lake:
  Eagle Scout Project: Carter Ullman is working on his eagle scout project and needs our help. His project is to build a boathouse with storage rack for the kayaks and equipment for Bok Academy on Crooked Lake. He is also building picnic table. If you are interested in donating to Carter's Eagle Scout project please contact him at 676-7081.

• Pesticides found in Central Florida Lakes including Crooked Lake
  New: release of a USGS Report that evaluated pesticides, pesticide degradates, nutrients, and other solutes in lakes in the central Florida citrus region. Effects of citrus agriculture, variations in concentrations within the lake water column, and predictions of pesticide occurrence based on usage estimates & chemical properties were evaluated in the study.
  
  U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5178:
  "Water Quality and Evaluation of Pesticides in Lakes in the Ridge Citrus Region of Central Florida" [http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5178 ] by A.F. Choquette and S.E. Kroening
  

• Department of Community Affairs: What happens to Florida if this growth management gatekeeper goes away?
  The St Petersburg Times  In Print: Sunday, March 29, 2009
  Some legislators want to dismantle the state's land-planning agency. Critics point out that there are already 300,000 empty houses in the state, so making it easier to build more of them is likely to make things worse, not better.
  

• Bill would limit state's ability to stop wetlands destruction
  The St Petersburg Times  In Print: Saturday, March 21, 2009
  The bill, HB 1349, says that anyone who wants to destroy a wetland simply needs to turn in an application that's been "prepared and signed by … scientists, engineers, geologists, architects or other licensed professionals."
  

• DCA Objections, Recommendations and Comments Report - Frostproof Annexation (UPDATE)
  The Florida O.R.C. Report
  Read the letter that DCA sent to the City of Frostproof with the objections to the most recent changes to the Comp Plan for Frostproof.
  

• County Buys Two More Land Tracts Near Cooked Lake
  The Ledger: Jul 24, 2008
  Plans to assemble a corridor of conservation lands along U.S. 27 west of Crooked Lake advanced Wednesday when county commissioners agreed to purchase two more tracts. Commissioners agreed to buy the 77.3 acre Britt Property and the 996 acre Atgar Development Site. The total purchase price for the two parcels is $2.3 million.
  

• Drought Helps Lakes Cleanup
  The Ledger: Jun 24, 2008
  Summer rains have started, but there are still plenty of exposed shorelines and shallow waters. That's fortunate because this July is the seventh annual Lakes Appreciation Month in Polk County and there's plenty of lake cleanups left to do. The drought can be a benefit to lake and river cleanups because the trash is easier to see with the water shallower. Last year, 170 volunteers collected 2,360 pounds of trash at 14 lakes.
  

• Crooked Lake Tract Purchase
  The Ledger: Mar 20, 2008
  Polk County Commission agreed to participate with the Swiftmud to purchase 3,590 acres west of Crooked Lake.
  

• Hillcrest Heights considers Annexing Crooked Lake
  The Ledger: Mar 12, 2008
  Hillcrest Heights City Commission voted to explore the possibility of annexing Crooked Lake.
  

• Letter to Hillcrest Heights city commission considers Annexing Crooked Lake
  Letter to Hillcrest Heights  Mar 7, 2008
  Letter from the Defenders to Hillcrest Heights City Commission asking them to explore the possibility of annexing Crooked Lake.
  

• Adopted Minimum and Guidance Levels for Crooked Lake
  Final Report Feb 19, 2008
  Click on this link to download the pdf file of the Southwest Florida Water Management District Draft report of the adopted Minimum and Guidance Levels for Crooked Lake, Babson Park, FL.
  

• Frostproof Annexation Objection Letter
  Defenders Jan 21, 2008
  Read the letter that the Defenders of Crooked Lake sent the City of Frostproof, objecting to the recent annexations near Crooked Lake.
  

• DCA Objections, Recommendations and Comments Report - Frostproof Annexation
  DCA ORC Rpt Oct 29, 2007
  Read the letter that DCA sent to the City of Frostproof with the objections to recent changes to the Comp Plan for Frostproof.
  

• Defenders Objection Letter to DCA Revised - Frostproof Annexation
  Defender Letter  Oct 23, 2007
  Read the letter that the Defenders sent DCA with the objections to recent Frostproof annexation.
  

• Defenders Objection Letter to DCA - Frostproof Annexation
  Defender Letter  Sept 28, 2007
  Read the letter that the Defenders sent DCA with the objections to recent Frostproof annexation.
  

• Swiftmud Evaluation of Stuart Tract
  Swiftmud Stuart Evaluation Report: Sept 2004 (very large file)
  Southwest Florida Water Management District performed an analysis of the Stuart Tract of land west of Crooked Lake for purchase by the State.