How to live PRSRT-STD happily ever Postal Customer U.S. Postage after Clermont, FL Paid I NEWS, A11 34711 Clermont, FL Permit #280 OUTH LAKE PRESS S Serving Clermont, Minneola, Groveland, Mascotte & Montverde Friday, September 24, 2010 www.southlakepress.com 50¢ News stand Beach reopens ROXANNE BROWN Staff Writer 93 74 CLERMONT — Residents can grab their swimsuits, buckets, sunscreen and towels and head to Waterfront Park for some sand and surf. Cops on It’s official — the beach will soon be open. “It’s weekends only right now, guard for but it’s what people have been waiting for,” Assistant City Manager Darren Gray said. Beginning Sept. 25, the swim- crimes ming area at the Waterfront Park beach will be open to the public. No more orange fencing to deter swimmers. No more signs telling against A self-portrait of Kristin Lawrence at age 7. people to stay out. COURTESY PHOTOS On Friday, Lake County Health Department officials con- elderly ducted their final inspection and BRAD BUCK signed off on the permit allow- Staff Writer Adventure ing Clermont to reopen. However, two lifeguards will be With a large elderly popu- required due to the continued lation, Lake County seems poor visibility in the lake, which like it would be susceptible stands at about 2 feet. to crimes against the elder- is her The depth of Lake Minneola ly. at the swimming area is 3 feet. After all, 30 percent of the “If we allow people to swim county’s estimated 312,000 without two lifeguards on duty, people are aged 65 and passion it would be a violation of our per- older, according to U.S. mit and we’re not going to do Census Bureau figures. that,” Gray said. In August alone, three Through Oct. 31, the beach people were accused of From scuba diving to will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 exploitation of the elderly p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. in two separate incidents in ballet, softball to The swimming area will be Clermont. closed from November through And in February, another photography, this 12-year March and will reopen again in person was arrested for the April 2011 for weekend swim- same crime in Mount Dora. ming only. The suspects in these old wants to try it all From Memorial Day to Labor cases are accused of scam- Day 2011, which covers the ROXANNE BROWN Staff Writer entire summer, the swim area should be open seven days a See COPS, A2 CLERMONT — Kristin Lawrence is not your week. average 12-year-old girl. For years, she has After learning of the county Arrest reports for exploita- sought adventure. health department’s two life- tion of the elderly and disabled: Her family, headed by father David guard requirement last month, I 2010 - 6 (to date) Lawrence, has supported the growing curios- council members voted to bear I 2009 - 14 ity that has allowed Kristin to experience the $42,000 expense of training and hiring the lifeguards and I exciting moments, from ballet and softball 2008 - 18 to photography and scuba diving. purchasing all the necessary I 2007 - 26 Don’t let her soft-spoken nature fool you. equipment, including lifeguard I 2006 - 7 “I think you should try everything once. chairs and life-saving equip- ment. I Find what you really like,” she said. 2005 - 17 Her interests have no bounds — Kristin Lawrence started To ensure no problems with I In 2006, before an annual family lobster 2004 - 15 fishing trip in the Florida Keys, her father scuba diving at age 8, which led her to photograph Allen lifeguard coverage, Gray said the Source: Lake County decided Kristin was old enough to dive into Sherrod in his attempt to break the Guiness world record for city hired six part-time life- Sheriff’s Office longest scuba dive in an open freshwater environment. guards. If a lifeguard is not able to work a day, city officials will have See ADVENTURE, A2 a pool of people to choose from, Index he said. Classified . .B10 Crossword . .B2 Your money, your government: Umatilla Deaths . .A3 BRAD BUCK The mayor does not vote, People . .A3 Staff Writer but can veto ordinances By the numbers adopted by the city council, Real Estate . .C1 UMATILLA — Umatilla calls said City Clerk Karen Budget itself the “Gateway to the Total Revenue $6,911,813 Remember When . .B1 Ocala National Forest.” Howard. Council members Total Expenditures $6,911,813 The city has a council- can override the mayor’s veto Sports . .B4 manager form of govern- with four votes. City officials ment, with City Manager In November 2007, annual salaries Glenn Irby reporting to a six- Umatilla voters approved a member city council. referendum lengthening the City Manager $90,000 Council members and the terms for council members Public Works Director $55,000 mayor are elected at large. and the mayor to four years. Police Chief $55,000 That means they must reside This allows city elections to Vol. 95, No. 39, 3 sections in a particular area to run for be held at the same time as Elected Officials ©2008, HarborPoint Media. that council seat, but voters county, state and federal elec- annual salaries SOUTH LAKE PRESS FILE PHOTO All rights reserved. citywide choose all council Councilmember $3,600 A family plays in the sand on the Clermont beach. The water will www.southlakepress.com members. See UMATILLA, A2 (Minimum based on $150/meeting) reopen for swimming on Sept. 25 A2 SOUTH LAKE PRESS Friday, September 24, 2010 Clermont special athletes bowl over their sponsors ROXANNE BROWN the fun. Staff Writer Ambrose said that, handi- CLERMONT — It was the capped or not, anyone is wel- South Lake Special Athletes come. against the Sons of the She said the bowlers were American Legion at the bowl- part of a Special Olympics ing alley on Thursday after- team during the organiza- noon. tion's season and played for By the end two games, it fun during the off season. was clear that the South Lake The team is no longer asso- Special Athletes took it and ciated with Special Olympics are looking forward to the and is strictly for fun and not pizza they were promised. competition. “I knew we had a good Thursday however was a chance at winning. Izzy was different story and the com- doing good, so that helped us petition—though friendly— out big time,” bowler Craig was fierce. Evans, 30, said about team “Oh man, it looks like we've member Isabel Garcia, 28. lost the first set of games,” Izzy made no qualms about Sons Commander Sonny it either when asked about the Perchitti said. 173 she bowled in game two. Halfway through the sec- “Yeah, I did good out ond set of games, Perchitti there,” she said. knew it was over. The Sons members, who “I'm gonna concede now belong to Squadron 55 in because there's no way we're Clermont, agreed to the com- pulling out of this,” Perchitti petition after a challenge by said. the group they sponsor. Ambrose hopes that the The Special Athletes are competition will bring aware- disabled adults and children ness to the needs of disabled who get together every members of the community. Wednesday at the Clermont “There are so many dis- Bowling Center for two abled kids and adults in the games. community and nothing for For the past 7 to 8 years, them to do year round,” Kim Ambrose and Peggy Ambrose said. “I have people VICTORIA ALDRICH / SOUTH LAKE PRESS Hollinger have overseen the here with every disability Avery Coronka helps South Lake Special Athletes’ Ilan Romero to line up his shot during a bowling match against American Legion members weekly outing. On any given imaginable and some of them Wednesday at the Clermont Bowling Center. week, about 20-30 people join live in group homes.” COPS From A1 ming their victims out of a There are two caveats to exploitation. generation tend to trust and disabled is not frighten- or she: total of well over $100,000. those figures, though. For The typical scenario for people. They come from an ingly high. Neither are Overall, though, the one, sheriff’s office records people taking advantage of era where you did things on crimes of defrauding and — Suffers from memory number of crimes prosecut- do not differentiate an elderly person goes like a handshake. They still scamming the elderly. loss. ed as “exploitation of the between crimes against the this: The older person is not think they can do that.” “That’s going down due elderly” is relatively low, elderly or the disabled, so thinking clearly or not mak- Often, the elderly person’s to education,” he said. — Is isolated and lonely. Lake County sheriff’s offi- both are combined in these ing decisions on his or her will is involved, so family Joe Roubicek, a former cials said. statistics, said Sgt. Jim own will usually trust fami- members stand to gain Fort Lauderdale police offi- — Is unaware of the theft. In all, six incidents of Vachon. Also, the State ly members to help them, money. cer, has written a training — Feels responsible. crimes against the elderly or Attorney’s Office prosecutes Gates said. Other times, you might manual on exploitation of disabled have been reported some crimes as grand theft Sometimes, family mem- have someone from outside the elderly. He also has tes- — Will not prosecute. to the sheriff’s office so far and others as exploitation bers will take advantage of the family who is genuinely tified before the Legislature this year, records show.