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Highlands Today

Tips Are Available To Keep Snowbirds' Homes Safe

Jasmina Meyer, Highlands Today

Richard Holdeman reorganizes the back of his truck to pack for his departure to Indiana on Tuesday at Whispering Pines Village in Sebring.

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By BRAD DICKERSON

Highlands Today

Published: March 25, 2009

SEBRING - Snowbird C.J. Holley's time in the Sunshine State is coming to an end, thanks to that looming April 15 deadline.

"You've got to get back and do your taxes," said Holley, a Nelsonville, Ohio, native.

Holley has been camping at Whispering Pines Village since Dec. 30. Thursday, he closes up shop on another Florida winter, his third, hooks up his camper and makes the trek back north.

Weather-wise, Holley thinks he got a raw deal this winter.

"This is the coldest one I've spent," he said. "We got cheated this year."

All throughout Whispering Pines on Tuesday, winter residents were loading up their personal belongings and preparing to return to the increasingly warmer weather of their home states.

Mary Lee Holdeman was enjoying a sunny Tuesday morning and tending to her favorite hobby, paper embroidery, while husband Richard was packing their things into the bed of his pickup truck for the trip to Bourbon, Ind.

During the Holdeman's three-month stay, Mary Lee gave a class on paper embroidery to 35 enthusiastic fellow Whispering Pines residents.

"They all seem to really enjoy it," she said.

Her class was not the only thing folks had to keep them entertained during their stay in Highlands County. The village offered bingo, choir, a Bible study and nightly card games that men flocked to the most.

Once the activities come to an end at the end of March, that's when the campers start heading home.

Manager Mary Cassidy said the journey out of Whispering Pines started at the end of February, but the brunt of the snowbirds left this past weekend. By April 1, there will only be 10 residents who choose to stay during the summer.

"A lot of them (snowbirds) like to be back home by Easter," said Paul Hinman, crime prevention specialist for the Highlands County Sheriff's Office, who added that weather plays a factor in determining when some folks leave the area.

Jerry and Pat Long, from Hopkinsville, Ky., wanted to be in Sebring earlier than the second week of February, but were delayed after a devastating ice storm struck the Bluegrass State.

When they leave Whispering Pines on Saturday, the Longs are not only hitching up their camper, but also Jerry's Jimmy Buffet-inspired motorcycle, complete with an "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" license plate and plush parrot strapped to the back with tie wraps.

"We take it all with us," Pat said.

In other Highlands County retirement communities, however, this is not possible.

Prior to the snowbirds leaving their winter getaways, Hinman will speak to homeowners associations and church groups to offer tips on how to keep their houses safe when no one is home.

Having a trustworthy neighbor goes a long way in keeping one's home safe, according to Hinman.

A year-round neighbor could park a second car in their friend's driveway, set garbage cans out in front of the house once a week and keep the lawn mowed.

"Try to make the home look like it's lived in," Hinman said.

He also recommends stopping or redirecting mail and newspapers, keeping the blinds open, setting a light on a timer and turning the phone's ringer to a low setting or completely off.

Hinman said if a burglar is in the area and hears a phone ring several times, with no answer, it is a good indication that no one is home.

Cassidy said Whispering Pines also has a neighborhood watch program in place to help keep properties and possessions safe. The property houses campers, RVs and mobile homes.

It is also imperative that residents let managers know when they are leaving.

"They let us know, as managers, so that we're able to keep an eye on everything," Cassidy said.

Highlands Today reporter Brad Dickerson can be reached at 863-386-5838 or bdickerson@highlandstoday.com

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