Lake County, Florida

Lake County FCAT Scores

Here are the FCAT scores for some lake county schools:

A   Minneola Elementary School
B   Clermont Middle School
D   East Ridge High School
D   Leesburg High School
D   South Lake High School

Source:  The Daily Commercial

Lake moves 4 bus stops due to sex offenders

Lake County has moved 4 bus stops for East Ridge High School, Windy Hill Middle School and Lost Lake Elementary School due to being 1000' from registered sex offenders.  The law only requires that bus stops be not located 1000' from registered sexual predators (sex offenders who repeat).  The timing of this move, with only 28 school days left, indicates the county is concerned over the recent deaths of Jessica Lunsford, 9, and Sarah Lunde, 13, which garnered much national attention on Central Florida.

Some parents are outraged that the children will now be made to walk up to 7 blocks longer, sometimes past the sex offenders themselves.  The move means the children will be out of eye site of parents for a longer period of time. 

Here's what some had to say about this:

• "I understand why they do it. I just don't understand the timing. Why now? Why with 26 days left in school?" - Shirlee Pritt
• "It is causing a lot of uproar at our little bus stops.  We have no way of keeping an eye on them." - Teresa Dennison

Source:  OrlandoSentinel.com

Jermaine Taylor, all-around athlete signs with UCF

Jermaine Taylor of Tavares, one of the countries best all-around high school athletes, has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Central Florida (UCF).  This year, Jermaine Taylor lead the Tavares Bulldogs to an undefeated regular football season, was named basketball player of the year for the Lake County / Sumter County areas by the Orlando Sentinel, and recently jumped 6'10" in the high jump in a meet against Lake Highland Prep (just 4 inches short of the state record).

Western Beltway Progressing

Work on the Western Beltway (Toll 429) is progressing.  Currently, the highway stretches from Apopka in the North to CR 535 at Stoneybrook West in the South.  By December 2005, the road will be extended to US 192 near Walt Disney World.  The stretch from US 192 to I-4 south of Walt Disney World will be completed in 2006, leaving only the Northern leg from Apopka to I-4 to be worked on.

Click on the map above to enlarge.

Sex Offender Database

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, there are 340 registered sex offenders living in Lake County.  This is just small potatoes compared to the 4572 registered sex offenders living in Central Florida as a whole.

You can find out more about sex offenders in your area by visiting the Sexual Offender/Predator Database.  Using this database, we find that 34 registered sex offenders living in zip code 34711 and 7 live in zip 34715.

Bicyclists on busy roads

One of the sections of the Orlando Sentinel I enjoy the most is Ticked Off.  In the April 26 Ticked Off, a person writes the following:

I am ticked off at the stupid bicyclists in Clermont who ride in the middle of the road and refuse to move to the side. I am going to turn a few of them into hood ornaments for my Ford Explorer if they don't quit hogging the road. Perhaps their cutesy bike pants are blocking the blood flow to their brains.

I'm hoping this angry person is only half serious and just venting some anger.  I too sometimes get upset about cyclists who tend to ride a few feet inside of where they could - on busy streets.  Certainly the busy roads like Old Highway 50 are beautiful, but there are miles of car-free bike trails available (and more on the way). 

But there's no need to threaten the bicyclists.  I'm a bicyclist myself and, while I get a little angry at the bikes on busy streets, this just gives me more time to take a deep breath and take in the beautiful scenery.

Hartwood Marsh Road potholes

Is it just me, or is the asphalt road falling apart on Hartwood Marsh Road near Hancock Road in Clermont?  I know the road is slated to be expanded to a 4-lane road in a few years, but the potholes are huge and deep, even though they are occasionally filled.  Must be all the heavy trucks hauling dirt to and fro.

Groveland: Cries for a light at SR 50 and CR 565a

An accident at the intersection of SR 50 and CR 565a in Groveland has local residents rallying for the installation of a light at that intersection.  Recently, a 17 year old student named Heather Crawford was killed on her morning drive to South Lake High School.

The Florida DOT is fielding a study to determine if a light is warranted and a developer building a supermarket nearby is paying for some of the plans and may be offering some funding for the light itself.  The sun may have also played a role in that accident:

Source:  "Students revive old demand for traffic signal after fatality", Orlando Sentinel 4/22, by Jim Buynak.

Paddling Trails (aka "Blueways") in Lake County

Lake County, Florida, has plans to formalize and promote 135 miles of paddling trails for kayaking and canoeing.

Says the Orlando Sentinel:

On weekends, Lake County's waterways are full of people in kayaks and canoes.  The savvier among them may know how to find help if they get lost or where to grab a bite to eat. But they might not know about the ghost town along the St. Johns River, the birds they might see or the fish they can catch. County officials hope a new program will change that and draw people from around the country to paddle the waterways, stay the night and spend some money.*

Paddling trails, or so-called "Blueways", are special because the experience has limited intrusion from loud powered motorboats, since the routes are can not be followed by the larger boats.

The county is taking request for waterproof guides that provide maps to the paddling trails and contain info on history, wildlife, weather, restaurants and lodging.  If you want more info, contact the Lake County Government.

For more info, visit the Lake County Blueways homepage.  (Click on pic to enlarge.)

*Reference:  "Lake sees gold in 'blueways'", Orlando Sentinel 2/2/2005, by Etan Horowitz.

Bike Trails: Plans for 200 mile trail

Expansions of bike trails near Minneola and Clermont in Lake County will create a 200-mile network of bike trails in Central Florida, including the popular West Orange Trail, which carries over 77,000 users each day on average according to Orange County's Parks and Recreation Department.

Here's some details on the trails:

• Expanding the South Lake Trail 3.0 miles to join up with the West Orange Trail.  The trail will follow Old Highway 50, which is a beautiful area, providing hills and glimpses to some beautiful lakes.
• A 14.5 mile trail west of Clermont, which will pass through Groveland, Mascotte and connect to the General James A. Van Fleet State Trail in Sumter County, mostly alongside the abandoned Seaboard Coastline Railroad corridor.
• An expansion of the West Orange Trail will extent north from the West Orange Trail in Apopka to the Wekiva area and eventually into the Ocala National Forest.

Courtesy of Trailfriends.org, here's a map of the planned bike trails in Lake County near Clermont and Minneola.  It's the only one I was able to locate.  (Click on map to view.)

Reference:  "Planned trail additions in Lake add to vision of 200-mile loop", Orlando Sentinel 12/2/04, written by Robert Sargent.