Carter Creek Fence Keeping ATV Complaints Away

AVON PARK - The gates to the Carter Creek fence have not been installed yet, but Riverdale Road has been a lot more quieter with the fence nearly completed, according to a Highlands County Sheriff's Office official.

Sheriff's Capt. Paul Blackman said fewer area residents have complained about all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, criss-crossing the environmentally sensitive area. Authorities also have not had any complaints about ATVs running up and down Riverdale Road, he added.

"That issue kind of went away as well since the state started erecting the fence," Blackman added.

Retired sheriff's Maj. Bobby Lee, who lives near the Carter Creek Scrub, agreed there were fewer ATVs in the area, even though the fence still had some holes left in it without the gates.

Lee said he used to occasionally go into the scrub, but as more out-of-towners came to the area, they brought along more trash dumping and partying, he complained.

"Even though we can't enjoy it like we used to, I think it's a good trade-off," he said.

Another neighbor, who did not wish to identify himself, thought the fence would not be effective until the gates were installed. Then again, he did not think it was necessary in the first place.

"Wasn't a problem before, it isn't a problem now," he said, referring to the ATV traffic.

The 4-foot-high wire mesh fence already has a cut in its northern part, in front of one of the sandy paths that were frequented by ATVs.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation

Commission biologist Mike McMillian, who was in charge of the fence's construction, said he and the contractors anticipated people would cut holes into the fence, which was why they held off on the gates until the rest of the fence was built.

McMillian expected that gate construction to start in within two weeks. Once the gates are built, McMillian and Blackman both said that enforcement will tighten against those trespassing through the fence.

The FWC sought to erect a fence to wall off the Carter Creek Scrub area to protect it from illegal dumping as well as ATV traffic, which was argued to cause environmental damage in the scrub environment. It's also acquiring land around Leisure Lakes' "mud hole," Highlands Park Estates, Holmes Avenue near Lake Placid, Sun 'n Lake of Sebring, Henscratch and Orange Blossom for environmental protection.