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Highlands Today

Did County Make A Blunder On Lake Denton Closing?

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Highlands Today Staff

Published: December 30, 2007

It sounds like someone didn't do his or her homework regarding Lake Denton. And if that's true, the county is in a bad situation. If it is, it's because too much was done too quickly regarding closing the lake without enough research.

Lake Denton has been closed for several months after complaints from residents living on the lake prompted the Highlands County Commission to take action. Commissioners voted to temporarily close the boat ramp and restrict access for scuba divers, boaters, swimmers, etc.

Residents complained that the weekend visitors to Lake Denton were clogging the road, stripping off their clothes, openly going to the bathroom, having sex and just about everything else imaginable. Most divers, swimmers and other visitors claimed that was nonsense, that perhaps a few people did bad things, but overall, visitors were well behaved. They argued that it was an law enforcement issue.

After the lake was closed, an advisory committee was set up to figure out how to handle the issues at Lake Denton. Recently it was announced that divers would be charged to use the lake, and their numbers would be limited. That money would pay for more enforcement and improvements.

Sound good? Well it might just be the beginning of a mess that no one expected.

First off, what has been called a "public boat ramp" for all these years is nothing but a place where citrus trucks used to fill their water tanks from the road. And in the original legal document, when John and Allie Cain dedicated the land to the county, there was a stipulation that it would be a public road, and if it ever was closed for any reason, it would revert back to the Cains or their family. Seems like that's exactly what has happened.

The search is cranking up for surviving members of the Cain family to resume control of their land, supposedly formerly owned by the county. And as for restricting use on the lake, the county has no power to do that. If it's public, it's public, and divers, swimmers, etc., can use the lake with no extra costs or limitations. Public access will be the key.

We'll see how this plays out in the coming days and weeks, but a storm's brewing over this issue and it's heading right for Highlands County.

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