[Goldwingnut]

I've spent a lot of time in DeLuna photographing homes and shooting videos and talking to both residents and the workers building this village. This is the first I've heard such a disparaging remark about this village. I've had two conversations that were not positive and more neutral about DeLuna, one was concerning the power lines and the other was about the Turnpike noise, both conversations ended on a positive note focused on the fact that the home prices directly affected by these items reflected a savings that couldn't be passed up.

The wetlands within and around DeLuna not only help temper the din of the turnpike noise but also bring with them an abundance of wildlife that will rise quickly after the construction in the area is completed (ask the folks of St Catherine about their many visitors these days). Don't be fooled to think that the view you have today of the wetlands will be the same in years to come, these areas are active and growing areas, and the vegetation will grow quickly higher than what you see today. Per your deed restrictions, you may NOT enter these areas or perform ANY maintenance on the vegetation without specific permission (which you won't get) from the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD). The district office has had many dealings with SWFWMD over the years due to residents entering these areas and damaging or clearing the growth; to date SWFWMD has been cooperative and worked with the district staff on mitigation and restoration of these violations, but the tolerance for these violations has been lowering quickly. It won't be surprising if heavy fines are levied by SWFWMD on future violations, fines that will be the responsibility of the homeowners.

As several have stated, there are many colloquialisms used here in Florida to describe our wetland: prairie, marsh, everglades, estuaries, natural habitats, preserves, and many more. All of these have three things in common: water, vegetation, and wildlife in a subtropical climate. The must abundant of the wildlife will be the bugs, and these pests will ultimately lead to the occasional utterance of the less flattering nomenclature of these areas, S...p.

Don't be discouraged by the naysayers among us, while many times they are very vocal, they are actually few in numbers and you'll rarely run into them in the real world as they tend to congregate in their on-line world at a few websites.