Whose Job Is it Anyway?


We live in the midst of traffic jams and bureaucratic mazes, so it's no surprise that we often don't know who can help us with which types of problems. We hope the alphabetical list below will provide some of the answers. If you know of others, please let us know so we can share.

Dennis Horazak

 Alligators  Neighbors, unruly
 Crime  Pets, annoying
 Crime Reporting Online  Ponds, retention
 Dig, but call before you do  Power Outage
 Disaster Plan  Recreation area w/ pool
 Entrances, Neighborhood  Speeders
 Entrances, Waterford Lakes  Sprinklers along Lake Underhill or Mark Twain
 Landscape maintenance on Mark Twain or Lake Underhill  Streetlight Repair
 Neighborhood Watch  Suspicious people
 Neighbors with unkempt yards  Wild Animals
 Neighbors, nosy  

 

Alligators - Florida is alligator country, and they're allowed to be here, same as you, unless they become physically threatening. If the alligator is away from you, leave it alone. Most likely the alligator will just stay where it is. If you are close to the 'gator, move away. Alligators are very fast in the water, but they can also run pretty fast on land, especially if they have the munchies. An alligator can outrun a human for short distances.
The Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (352-732-1225) will not come out until an alligator has grown to 6 feet or longer, or until it becomes aggressive toward humans.


Crime (break-ins, burglary, lost property, theft, vandalism, vehicle burglary, etc.) - If it's happening right now, call 9-1-1 and stay on the line. If it happened before now - like you just got home and your home has been broken into - call the Orange County Sheriff's Office non-emergency number at 407-836-HELP (4357). If nobody answers, call 9-1-1. Or you can file a crime report on-line.


Crime reporting on line - Go to www.ocso.com and click on "E-Reporting" to report non-violent crimes online, such as lost property, theft, vandalism, and vehicle burglary.
Click on "Property Crimes and Robberies in Your Zone" to find out what types of crimes are occurring in your area.
Go to www.cfcrimelinewarrants.com - to check individuals for warrants.


Dig, but call before you do - Power, phone, and cable lines are buried everywhere. Dial 8-1-1 for the Sunshine Network 811, or go to www.call811.com, and soon technicians will fill your lawn with little flags.


Disaster Plan - The Waterford Lakes Disaster Plan is posted within the WLCA website. (http://www.mywaterfordlakes.org > Documents > WLCA Long Range Planning Committee > Disaster Plan.) The plan includes guidance for neighborhoods and residents.


Entrances, Neighborhood - Contact your neighborhood association.


Entrances, Waterford Lakes - Send an email (preferred) to wlca@bellsouth.net, or call the WLCA Office at 407-380-3803.


Landscape maintenance on Mark Twain or Lake Underhill - Send an email (preferred) to wlca@bellsouth.net, or call the WLCA Office at 407-380-3803.


Neighborhood Watch -Don't have a neighborhood watch? Contact Deputy First Class Richard Negron, 407.249.4508, richard.negron@ocfl.net


Neighbors with unkempt yards - Contact your neighborhood association. If the problem is an Orange County Code violation, your neighborhood association should "kick it upstairs" to the county.


Neighbors, nosy - You're on your own.


Neighbors, unruly - Your neighborhood association and WLCA do not have jurisdiction over neighbor behavior. Call the Orange County Sheriff's Office non-emergency number at 407-836-HELP (4357), or if nobody answers, call 9-1-1. If you and your neighbor are having a dispute, call Orange County Bar Association Citizen Dispute Settlement at 407.423.5732.


Pets, annoying (unleashed pets, pets tied to trees in the sun without water, etc.) - Call Animal Control at 407-352-4390.


Ponds, retention - The ponds throughout Waterford Lakes are variously maintained by Orange County, WLCA, or neighborhood associations. To find out who maintains which pond, check the maps in Appendix D of the WLCA Disaster Plan. (See "Disaster Plan.")


Power Outage - Call Progress Energy at 1-800-228-8485, or go to www.progress-energy.com.


Recreation area w/ pool - Send an email (preferred) to wlca@bellsouth.net, or call the WLCA Office at 407-380-3803.


Speeders - Report the tag number to Orange County Sheriff's Office non-emergency number at 407-836-HELP (4357), or if nobody answers, call 9-1-1.
If UCF students are speeding and you report their tag numbers (or even better, student tag numbers) to Orange County Sheriffs and ask the sheriffs to report them to UCF, the sheriffs will report them to UCF, and UCF can discipline the offending students.


Sprinklers along Lake Underhill or Mark Twain - Send an email (preferred) to wlca@bellsouth.net, or call the WLCA Office at 407-380-3803.


Streetlight Repair- Know the address closest to the light (light pole number is even better), then call Progress Energy at 1-800-228-8485, or go to www.progress-energy.com > Residential > Florida > Request Streetlight/Area Light Repair in Florida.


Suspicious people - Contact your neighborhood watch block captain. (See Neighborhood Watch.)


Wild Animals - For all problems with wild animals, you must hire a private nuisance trapper. Orange County Florida Animal Control will only assist in problems involving dogs and cats, but will NOT assist in any situation involving wild animals, such as raccoons, squirrels, and snakes.