Southern Dunes Homeowners Association Newsletter - Winter 2024

Dear Homeowners,

As we approach the end of the year, we would like to provide you with some important updates and reminders regarding your HOA dues, community maintenance, and other housekeeping items.

Quarterly HOA Dues: We are pleased to inform you that the quarterly HOA dues for 2025 will remain the same. Coupon booklets are expected to arrive by the end of December or early January. Payments must be made by the 30th of each month to avoid any extra fees.

You can make your payments online through the Caliber portal, or by mailing your payment directly to the bank address provided below. Please note, payments are not accepted in the HOA office or over the phone. If you need assistance setting up your Caliber portal account or require your account number, please contact us at:

• Caliber Portal: Caliber Portal
• Southern Dunes HOA Office: southerndunes@donasher.com
• Dues Department: hoadues@donasher.com

Community Cleanup & Storm Debris: As we enter the final quarter of the year, we encourage homeowners to take the time to clean up any remaining debris from recent storms. We did request assistance from Polk County however they have not come out to the community, and we do not know the status of when they will be coming in. However, the garbage company (Republic Services) will pick up storm debris if it is neatly stacked and properly bagged on Fridays during regular trash pickup.

Please be mindful that holiday schedules may delay garbage pickup by one day, so ensure your bins are placed out for removal accordingly. Property owner of vacation rentals, please remind your property managers to take out the trash bins on a weekly basis to avoid overflowing bins and foul odors.

Parking Reminders: During the busy holiday season, please be mindful of your parking spaces. Do not block mailboxes or sidewalks, or park on the grass. Additionally, parking is not permitted on Southern Dunes Blvd or Hemingway Ave. If parking on the driveway apron/ramp, please do not block sidewalk access. Do not park under the stop signs, as this can impede visibility for both drivers and pedestrians.

As always, please adhere to posted stop signs and observe the speed limits for the safety of all our residents and guests. Always give pedestrians and golf carts the right of way.

Property Maintenance: Start the new year with a fresh look for your property! We encourage homeowners to:

• Power wash homes, driveways, and entranceways as needed.
• Remove items from the front and sides of your home and maintain your landscaped areas by mowing lawns, weeding, and trimming dead or dry palm fronds and branches.
• Remove dead branches from trees to prevent damage or injury.

Additionally, please remember that all mailboxes must conform to the association-approved design. We’ve included the details of the approved mailbox and the contact information for the company. Once your mailbox is ordered, please notify the HOA office so we can update our records and avoid sending out notices. Please click on the link to obtain the form or visit our website at Southern Dunes HOA under the Documents Library tab.

Holiday Office Hours: Please be advised that the HOA office will be closed for the holidays beginning December 23. I will be back in the office on January 6. Phone messages will be returned upon my return, but emails will be periodically checked during this time. For immediate assistance, please contact the admin at ksadmin@donasher.com. For security issues, please call Mayberry Security on their direct line on 888-296-2923.

Thank you for your continued cooperation. We wish you a safe and happy holiday season!

Warm regards,
Southern Dunes HOA

Parking

This community was originally intended as a vacation rental community, we now have many full-time residents, and parking has become a big issue. We ask that all residents and guests be courteous when parking.

When parking your vehicles, especially larger ones, please prioritize using driveways or enclosed garages where available. There is no overflow parking available, so it's essential to park thoughtfully and considerately. If street parking is necessary, please consider the following:

Be Mindful of Surrounding Vehicles: Before parking, take a moment to assess the surrounding vehicles. Ensure that your parking position does not create obstacles that could hinder the passage of other vehicles, particularly emergency vehicles, and garbage trucks. Failure to do so could disrupt garbage pick-up schedules and potentially result in delayed or missed pick-ups in affected areas as well as delay emergency assistance to those in need. The community has limited street parking space, and some streets are narrow.

Maintain Adequate Distance: Leave enough space between each parked vehicle so that there's ample room for a garbage truck to navigate through. This typically means leaving a gap of at least 3 to 4 feet (about 1 meter) between parked cars.

Driveway Apron Parking: If parking on the driveway apron becomes necessary, please prioritize smaller vehicles to prevent obstruction of visibility for others when pulling out of their driveways. Additionally, ensure that parked vehicles do not block sidewalks at any time, and parking on the grass is strictly prohibited.

Avoid Blocking Access and Violating Regulations: Blocking access to sidewalks, parking on yellow lines, fire hydrants, crosswalks, mailboxes or other curbside obstructions as well as parking on the condominium / golf course parking lot may result in your vehicle being towed at your expense. Remember there is NO parking on Southern Dunes Blvd and Hemingway Ave.

Always adhere to any federal, state, and local parking regulations or signage that dictate proper parking procedures on the street. Vehicles may be towed at the owner's expense. You will find the towing company information on the posted signs at the entrance gate, Mallory / Hemingway Ave corner and Hemingway and Kokomo Loop corner. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated in ensuring a safer and more efficient parking environment. By working together, we can ensure a safer and more efficient parking environment for all residents.

This applies to everyone on property 

RESIDENTS, GUESTS AND VENDORS

Homeowners and property management companies 

Please remind your tenants and guests about parking within our community. As owners and property managers you are responsible for your tenants and guests while they are in our community.

The association may take legal actions which may include towing of vehicles at the owner’s expense and liability. Towing company name and phone number are posted by the guard house. 

The community does not have overflow parking, please make the proper arrangements when having guests over.  Parking in the condominium parking lot is not permitted, the condominium association will tow vehicles at the owner's expense. The HOA is not responsible for actions taken by the condominium association, if your vehicle is towed you will have to contact the condominium association directly to resolve the matter. 

We thank you in advance for your cooperation!

Realtors 

Open House events are limited to Saturdays between 1pm - 5pm with prior H.O.A approval - please contact the office before scheduling your event. You may download the Open House Request form from the Documents Library.

VEHICLE REGISTRATION

All residents of the community must register their vehicles with the H.O.A office, please make arrangements to come to the office during office hours or email the necessary documents. There is a maximum of five (5) vehicles permitted to a property at one time. 

Decals must be placed on the driver's side windshield on the lower left-hand corner and visible at all times. 

Decals are not interchangeable; if you have sold your vehicle to another resident of the community, please remove your sticker and have the new owner register with the office. If you have moved to a different address within the community, you must provide the new lease or closing/deed if you have purchased a new home to register your vehicle to the new address. 

Remember the decals are registered to your name, address and vehicle. 

*Rental vehicles and short term (vacation) renters will not be provided with a decal.

Owners will need to provide proof of home ownership (new owners) and current car registration. Owner decals will only be provided to the named deed holder. All other residents will receive a renewable decal. 

Tenants will need to provide the current unexpired lease and current car registration. Decals will not be provided for vehicles with expired registrations or leases. 

GOLF CARTS Please provide proof of insurance (check property insurance or vehicle insurance). You will also need to provide the cart serial number, color, year and make and model of the golf cart. 

ANYONE WHO DRIVES ON OUR ROADS MUST HAVE A VALID DRIVER'S LICENSE.

Parking within Southern Dunes Master H.O.A 

This community was originally intended as a vacation rental community, we now have many full-time residents, and parking has become a big issue. We ask that all residents and guests be courteous when parking.

There is NO parking Southern Dunes Blvd or Hemingway Ave. Vehicles may be towed at the owner's expense. 

This applies to everyone on property 

RESIDENTS, GUESTS AND VENDORS

Homeowners and property management companies 

Please remind your tenants and guests about parking within our community. As owners and property managers you are responsible for your tenants and guests while they are in our community.

The association may take legal actions which may include towing of vehicles at the owner’s expense and liability. Towing company name and phone number are posted by the guard house. 

The community does not have overflow parking, please make the proper arrangements when having guests over.  Parking in the condominium parking lot is not permitted, the condominium association will tow vehicles at the owner's expense. The HOA is not responsible for actions taken by the condominium association, if your vehicle is towed you will have to contact the condominium association directly to resolve the matter. 

We thank you in advance for your cooperation!

THE IMPORTANCE OF BAGGING LEAVES

We ask that ALL residents pick up the leaves on their property. Even if you do not have a tree - the wind blows them in your direction. DO NOT blow or sweep them onto the street or into the street gutter or drains! This will cause the drains to block and possibly flood. 

Bagging leaves can seem like an unending chore. Here are some tips to make the task a little bit easier:

• Mow right over the fallen leaves. While you're mowing your lawn, mow the leaves as well, and bag them together with the cut grass. If you have a mulching mower, the leaves can be turned into next spring's mulch.

• Knock leaves from hard-to-reach places, like the top of your roof, with a leaf blower. Remember your gutters! 

• GATHER YOUR LEAVES! Rake your leaves into piles to be bagged. When buying a rake, try to get one with wave-shaped teeth, which prevent leaves and dirt from getting stuck in the rake.

• BAG THE LEAVES!  Once you've gathered the leaves into piles, it's time to bag them. An efficient way to bag leaves is to put some plastic sheeting on the lawn and rake the piles of leaves onto it. Then use the plastic like a funnel to pour the leaves into bags.

• You can also use a leaf scoop, which is a lightweight plastic scoop that lets you easily pick up a large batch of leaves in a single swipe. Simply empty the scoop into your lawn or garbage bag.

• DO NOT place yard debris on top or inside the drains!

• Place yard debris on the curb NOT ON THE STREET on garbage pick-up day (Friday). They will be picked up if properly bagged.
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• Remove dead, damaged and diseased branches to help prevent insect & decay organisms from entering the tree. If dead matter if left untrimmed the decaying material can attract wood boring insects which will weaken the tree and eventually cause it to fall.

• Thin a dense canopy on a tree to increase air and sunlight, resulting in fewer disease problems.
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• Maintain natural tree form

  Often erratic or vigorous branches grow that change the growth habit of other branches, this results in a misshaped tree. Early removal of these vigorous branches maintains a natural tree form.

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• Correct pruning procedures create & maintain a strong tree structure, preventing safety hazards such as low growing branches and growth forms subject to storm damage near a sidewalk or driveway.

• Trimming back dead branches or useless “shooters” lessens the potential fire danger should your tree or any structures nearby catch fire.

• Falling debris, leaves, branches and etc on the ground. This is a safety concern for pedestrians and vehicles. Rake and collect leaves, branches and debris; place in bags for garbage pickup. Leaving debris on the ground may end up in the community gutters which may clog the drains and cause flooding.

• During hurricane season trees should be trimmed to allow the flow of wind through them limiting them to fall over.

• Overgrown tree branches can block the streetlights limiting adequate lighting.

• Pruning can stimulate growth in sparse areas of the tree. Pruning can also restrict growth where too much growth is undesirable.

• Branches and roots frequently extend across property lines. The adjoining landowner may at his or her own expense trim back the branches or roots up to the property line; if the tree is healthy. Please see the Handbook of Florida Fence and Property Law: Tree and Landowner Responsibility for more information. (Click on the Documents Library)
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MAILBOXES

Southern Dunes Master Community has a pre-approved mailbox. If you your home does not have one or needs to have one replaced, please contact Beautiful Mailboxes the order form in located in the Documents Library. 

Mailboxes that do not conform to the approved will receive a violation notice.

If the mailbox has been removed remember to remove the pole as well if it is a single mount bracket.  

St. Augustine Residents:

Mailboxes are not permitted in front of the property. Mailboxes are located at the pool cabana in front of the restrooms. If you do not have a key to your mailbox, you will need to visit the Haines City Post Office with proof of residency to obtain your mailbox key. 

Haines City Post Office

1051 State Rd 544 E, Haines City, FL 33844