Article
and Video Courtesy of FOX 13 NEWS
By Deborah Bowden
Published
July 19, 2013
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PLANT CITY (FOX 13) - Residents of the Walden Lake Golf and Country Club in
Plant City are gearing up for a fight.
They say that the golf course is in disarray and unsafe, making it difficult for people to
play a game on the course. Residents are even saying the value of their homes has
suffered.
"I'm going to stand my ground. We were golf members. We were in support of the
club for many years," Shelly Orrico, a resident of the country club, said. "I came back
to join the club but couldn't figure out why I couldn't golf the hills. Then I found out why. I
walked it. I rode it. It's disgusting."
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Another part of the problem is that the golf course is too large; it has 36 holes spread
over 300 acres.
"Is it viable to have a 36-hole golf course? Probably not," Orrico said.
A meeting was held for residents to voice their frustrations to the homeowners
association, but the owner of Walden Lake, Steve Mercer, wasn't there.
However, Mercer said residents are causing "hysteria and panic" over nothing. He
said that they keep one of the two courses closed during the summer because the
weather leads to fewer golfers, and it's difficult to maintain the course.
Mercer said he intends to build homes on some of the land to generate money to
"upgrade and maintain their remaining property."
Residents aren't convinced, but Sharon Philbin says this is where she wanted to enjoy
life after retiring.
"We retired here and invested quite a bit of money
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in a home we thought we would
probably spend the rest of our days in and be part of a golf community," she said.
"This is what we've always planned for our retirement."
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