Meadows Connection
Welcome to the Meadows Connection
Welcome to the very first issue of the Meadows Connection! We’re excited to introduce this new format and hope you find it both informative and engaging. Your feedback is invaluable, so let us know what you’d like to see in future editions!
I am honored to serve as your POA President and have been proud to call the Meadows home since 2018. This neighborhood is truly special, and I am committed to working alongside you to keep it a wonderful place to live.
Melissa Lockhart BSMPOA Board President
Meet Your Board Members
MELISSA LOCKHART –PRESIDENT
In addition to Melissa’s position as POA President, she also serves as our City of Punta Gorda District 5 Council Member. If you ever have any city or community-related questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to her – she’s always willing to listen.
Melissa’s connection to Punta Gorda runs deep. While she officially made it her home in 1999, her family had been vacationing here since 1985. After college she found herself drawn back to Punta Gorda and the Meadows. She is also a local business owner.
ED CARNELL –VICE PRESIDENT
Ed has been on the board since 2023. He retired from Bell Atlantic doing Engineering, Construction and Contract Work for 30 years. Other areas he served were as Director and Commodore of the Braintree and Watertown Yacht Clubs in Massachusetts. He’s been an active boater for 60 years. He also served on the board of Silver Cove Condominiums in Punta Gorda Isles as President and Director.
He’s a Retired Marine Surveyor and Licensed General Contractor in Massachusetts.
Ed is currently overseeing the cul-de-sac maintenance in the Meadows. His hobbies include working on cars and woodworking.
ANTHONY NUTT
–
SECRETARY
Anthony Nutt joined the board in September 2024. He has been a resident of Burnt Store Meadows since 2018. Anthony is a hospice educator and Chaplain. Prior to the current role he was a Clinical Education Coordinator with Hope Hospice and part-time local pastor.
Anthony’s areas of interest are improving community relations, maintaining a beautiful and safe community, and coordinating community events. Speaking of events – he will be hosting our first annual car and motorcycle show in the Meadows on April 12th. For more information, call (941) 979-1058.
JOYCE TILDEN –TREASURER
Joyce has lived in Burnt Store Meadows since 2016. She’s been a full-time resident since 2002. She retired from AT&T Bell Labs/Lucent Technologies as a Senior Manager in 2001.
She has always had an interest in gardening and became a Master Gardener through University of Florida’s Master Gardener program. She represented Punta Gorda Isles on the City’s Beautification Committee and was active in the Punta Gorda Garden Club for many years and was one of the initial continued >
board members of the Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens.
Joyce has been a certified tax preparer for the United Way’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program since 2019. She has been involved in the BSM Community since 2018. Joyce has been a board member since 2021 and served as secretary, treasurer, community yard sale chair, and webmaster.
RHONDA HALL –DIRECTOR AT LARGE
Rhonda has been a board member the longest of our current board. She’s served
as Secretary, Treasurer, and chair of the Landscape and Social Committees. She currently coordinates our Food Truck Fridays. As chair of the Landscaping Committee, she oversaw the revamp of our entrances, ensuring they reflect the pride and value of our community.
Rhonda is a licensed real estate agent and a retiree from the FBI where her position required a top-secret clearance.
She is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the quality of life in our neighborhood and advocates for our community’s best interests, ensuring the Meadows remains a place we are all proud to call home.
Production Directors
Stephen Miller
Elizabeth Miller
Sales Department
Margo Williams
Miranda Ledbeter
Alyssa Debban
Corey Bank
Justein Matthias
Webmaster
Selina Koehler
Production Manager
Lee Nostrant
Production Department
Elaine Donholt
Ruth Nekoranec
Katie Heystek
Dianne Strout
Karen Kalisz
Michelle Feeney
Andie Reynolds
Is an ARB Required?
The Architectural Review Board (ARB) requires that everyone doing any work outside their house must submit an ARB application for review and approval before a project is started.
This includes any work that can be seen from the street, or by adjacent neighbors, as well as any work done on the lanai. The requirement pertains to work done by contractors, a handyman, or by the property owner or occupant.
Failure to submit an application and receive ARB approval could result in fines or other sanctions.
Each project requires a separate application. Combining projects on a single application, for example, cage modification and landscaping requires two applications.
Before you proceed, please contact Star Management with questions at (941) 575-6764 or s.danko@starhospitalitymanagement.com.
First Annual Burnt Store Meadows
APRIL 12 , 2025
FROM 10 A.M. TILL 3 P.M.
Come Strut your stuff
Music – Oldies but Goodies
Location – Burnt Store Meadows
41 and Royal Poinciana Entrance
Contact Anthony Nutt for more information at anthony.nutt.
bsmpoa@gmail.com or (941) 979-1058.
Calling All Pet Owners!
Tell us about your pet(s)! Every month we will feature one family’s pet(s) in an article in Meadows Connection. All you must do is write between 200 to 600 words about your much-loved dog, cat, or other animal and include a couple of high resolution pictures. Some ideas to show off your beloved pet include – how you named him/her;
a description of his/her looks; favorite activities and toys; what makes him/her special to you, or whatever else you’d like to share with readers. This is limited to Burnt Store Meadows owners and residents.
Your submission doesn’t have to be a literary masterpiece; we will edit and format it for the monthly newsletter. Have fun writing about your pet and send to joyce.tilden.bsmpoa@gmail.com for submission in the Meadows Connections.
Writers Wanted!!!
To make the Meadows Connection interesting and readable to our residents, we invite you to share your stories, experiences, and perspectives. We welcome articles about books, travel, pets, sports, TV and movies, Tech, and/or content that will
get our community talking and sharing. Just avoid topics such as politics and religion in keeping with our policy to avoid controversy.
Please limit your words to between 200 to 600 words and feel free to include a
couple of jpeg photos with high resolution. We’ll be happy to give you a byline!
Have fun writing and send to joyce.tilden.bsmpoa@ gmail.com for submission in the Meadows Connection.
Refresher on Roundabouts
As the new roundabout is finalized downtown, it might be a good time to have a refresher on how to approach and maneuver a roundabout.
Find Rare And Historic Plants At Edison And Ford Winter Estates
KAREN MAXWELL, HORTICULTURE SPECIALIST
This year, the Grow Fort Myers event at Edison and Ford Winter Estates is going to be extra special, as it will be combined with the annual Orchid Symposium. The event will take place on April 12 and 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include a plant sale with rare and historic plants, plus free presentations from horticulture experts.
The plant sale will feature a new twist with varieties that have historical significance to the Edisons. The available plants have been propagated from specimens that have been at the historic property since the Edisons lived there. Rare and hard-to-find plants will also be available for purchase. The horticultural staff will share a large assortment of houseplants, shrubs, trees and palms that Thomas Edison collected from six different continents and grew on his Fort Myers property.
Several curated growers known for their commitment to responsible collecting and cultivation of rare species will have hard-tofind plants available for sale. Some of these growers will also give 30-minute presentations and share insights on the cultivation of plants including orchids, hoyas, jungle cacti, palms, tillandsias and more.
In addition, orchid vendors will have unusual orchids available for sale, and experts from the Southwest Florida Orchid Society and Lee County Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions.
PRESENTATION SCHEDULE
Saturday:
My Favorite Orchids – John Hampton, SWFOS and AOS
Unusual Staghorn Ferns – John Cassani, Owner, Cassani Nursery
Growing Vandas – Mickey Parnell, Owner, Blue Pagoda Orchids
Native Cacti – Reed Gilmore
Care of Epiphyllums (Jungle Cactus)
– Graciana Parker, Owner, Florida Greenery
Sunday:
Conversations with My Orchids – Jim Davison, Owner, Jim-N-I Orchids
Fun with Orchids – Gary Sims, SWFOS and AOS
Growing Hoyas – Graciana Parker, Owner, Florida Greenery
Caring for Tillandsias and Cryptanthus – Anthony Warfield, Grower, Tropiflora
Amazing Aspidistras – Karen Maxwell, Horticulturist, EFWE
Entry to the event and presentations is free (does not include admission to the museum, laboratory or riverside of the property). Seating under the tent for the presentations is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit EdisonFord.org.
MANY UNUSUAL ORCHIDS ARE ON DISPLAY AT EDISON AND FORD WINTER ESTATES.
EDISON AND FORD WINTER ESTATES WILL HOLD A RARE PLANT SALE AND ORCHID SYMPOSIUM ON APRIL 12 AND 13
Consumer Alerts
BCP STAFF, FTC
DID SOMEONE USE YOUR SSN TO FILE TAXES? HERE’S WHAT TO DO
If you’re filing your taxes online this year, watch for signs of tax identity theft, like someone using your Social Security number (SSN) to file and claim a tax refund. One way you’ll know is if the IRS rejects your tax return once you file. Learn to protect yourself while filing online and what to do if someone steals your tax refund.
If you use tax preparation software like TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxAct, or TaxSlayer, protect your accounts by using two-factor authentication. Requiring two or more credentials to log in makes it harder for scammers to get into your account, even if they get your username and password. And always file early, if you can — before anyone else files using your personal information.
But even if you’re careful, someone might still use your SSN to steal your refund. Now, if the IRS rejects the tax return you submitted online or through a tax preparer, it could just mean missing or incorrect information. But if the IRS says there’s more than one tax return filed in your name or they see income from an employer you know you don’t work for, that’s identity theft. Don’t panic — but do act quickly to communicate with the IRS. Here’s how:
1. Report it to IdentityTheft.gov using as many details as possible. The site will create an FTC Identity Theft Report, an IRS Identity Theft Affidavit, and a personal recovery plan.
2. Submit your IRS Identity Theft Affidavit through IdentityTheft.gov. This tells the IRS to begin investigating your case. Or get the Identity Theft Affidavit (IRS Form 14039) and submit it by mail.
3. Follow the steps in your personal recovery plan — like freezing your credit and checking your credit reports — to limit the damage identity theft causes.
Share IdentityTheft.gov/Steps with friends and loved ones to help them protect their personal information and stay ahead of identity thieves.
Catch The Action
CAPT. BILL RUSSELL
APRIL ON THE WATER
A month that has a lot to offer anglers across the coastal waters of Southwest Florida, April holds the potential for some of the best fishing of the year and great weather.
Spanish mackerel return to area waters both inshore and offshore. They are roaming in schools looking for food throughout inshore and nearshore waters. Look for birds working the water as mackerel push schooling bait to the water’s surface. Artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico may hold large numbers of
Spanish mackerel, plus a few of their large cousins, king mackerel or kingfish. Groups of birds dipping to the water is a dead giveaway. Spanish mackerel are fast, hard fighting, and good on the table if prepared fresh.
Reefs in the gulf within sight of land hold a variety of fish on any given day. Good eating snapper, grunts, mackerel, and the last run of spawning sheepsheads, plus hard fighting barracuda, sharks, goliath grouper, and a big cobia or permit are all a good possibility fishing around the numerous public reefs.
Anglers can get a jump start on tarpon season and often locate schooling fish with little angling competition. May and June are the months that get most of the attention. Schools of tarpon are milling around waters off the gulf beaches ranging in depths from just off the beach out to 30 or more feet. Tarpon are moving inshore as well, as they are on the move and could appear anytime and anywhere.
Warm water brings numerous sharks to our area on the hunt for their next meal and a great challenge for willing anglers. Blacktip and spinner sharks are some of the most challenging fish to catch. Not only do they possess a great fight, but they also make violent jumps and they’re extremely fast. Many of the big spinners explode into such a wild spinning leap it’s difficult to keep them from exploiting the weak link in your rigging. A large spinner or blacktip will rival a tarpon for sheer power and fight. Also moving in with the tarpon are the hammerhead and bull sharks, the largest of which are hanging around the tarpon schools awaiting a fish in distress for an easy meal.
About every kid or young adult that goes fishing wants to catch a shark. It’s not always possible, but it’s good if you can match the size of the shark you target to the kid’s age. You get a young kid hooked up to a big shark and it may
be more fish than they can manage. There are plenty of sharks of various species ranging in size from 3 to 5 feet, this is a great size for most kids. For that matter, it’s a good size for most adults!
With water temperature in the midseventies and above, the snook bite can be very good. Snook may range in size from little guys barely a foot long to big girls pushing 40 inches or more. Snook are on the move, as an ambush feeder look for them around areas with structure and good tidal flow.
Redfish also appreciate the warmer days and higher tides. A properly placed bait under the shade of a mangrove shoreline, dock, or around an oyster bar may result in hard fighting reds. More often than not, if you hook one redfish, more are nearby. Like snook, size can vary widely with the largest measuring over 30 inches.
Our largest sea trout of the year come this month as their spring spawn is in full swing. Trout over 20 inches are common with fish measuring 24 inches and above possible. Look for trout throughout the inshore waters with a grassy bottom, around oyster bars, sand holes and transition areas. Often the largest trout are caught while snook fishing.
Keep your options open as this is a month with so many fishing opportunities that it’s easy to start the day with one species in mind and get sidetracked with another. April is a month with good weather and the potential for great fishing, get on the water and take advantage of it!
Stay up to date with fishing regulations by visiting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission at www.myfwc.com . Also, upload the Fish Rules app on your phone. It has current regulations with pictures to help identify fish. If you turn on your GPS location the Fish Rules app updates to your location. In my opinion, it is more accurate
and up to date than FWC’s website.
For charter information, please contact us at Gulf Coast Guide Service and “Catch the Action” with Capt. Bill Russell, call or text (239) 410-8576, website: www.fishpineisland.com , email: gcl2fish@live.com .
Capt. Bill Russell is a native and lifelong resident of Pine Island who has spent his entire life fishing the waters surrounding Pine Island and Southwest Florida. For the past 29 years, Bill has been a professional fishing guide who takes pride in customizing each trip to ensure everyone on board has a great time and will return again. Come join us and “Catch the Action.”
