Non-profit devoted to the betterment of Johns Lake
October 14, 2024
Boat Ramp Closed Following Hurricane Milton
Hi Everybody:
I hope that all of our lakefront owners are safe from Hurricane Milton! Our public boat ramp is closed due to high water. According to John Schmidt, the lake has risen 27 inches so far since October 4 and is still rising due to drainage from Black Lake, Lake Tilden, and other sources.
We are approaching the normal high water mark, and the County may close the lake again to protect our docks and boathouses.
May 7, 2024
April 2024 Newsletter
Spring has arrived as witnessed by the change in weather and the
end of the Oak leaves falling. I have recently seen the American
Eagles that nest in Oakland, are back on their nests and the bass
beds are back. And finally, some lakefront owners told me they can
now see the bottom of Johns Lake at the end of their dock for the
first time. These are all great signs that Johns Lake is healthy. Our
water level is currently low (93.99 on 4-1-24) for this time of year
but the good news is rain is forecasted for mid-late May and the
lake level will hopefully rise fairly quickly.
P. S. The lake is expected to be treated for hydrilla late May according
to the FWC’s plans!
April 30, 2024
March 2024: Johns Lake Outfall Canal Evaluation Study
Background
The COUNTY requested the CONSULTANT to evaluate the reported erosion within the Johns Lake Outfall Canal (Motomassic Canal) following Hurricane Ian that impacted Central Florida on September 29, 2022. As a result of the damage, several impacted stakeholders reached out to COUNTY staff seeking additional assistance in developing a long-term plan to address both Capital Improvement Project (CIP) needs and long-term Operation and Maintenance (O&M) needs to improve stormwater management within the Johns Lake Outfall Canal (the Canal). The initial stakeholders seeking additional support from the COUNTY included …
December 22, 2023
2023 Boat Parade Winner
JOHNS LAKE HOLIDAY 2023 BOAT PARADE – GRAND PRIZE WINNER!December 8, 2023
Boat Parade Changed to Dec 17, 2023
The Johns Lake Boat Parade Has Been Moved to December 17th.
Due to the weather forecast, we have changed the date of the parade to Sunday, December 17th. The current forecast for Sunday evening Dec 10th is thunderstorms with 15-20 MPH winds so we’d like to keep everyone safe and dry!
The parade route and start time of the parade will remain the same. We will do our best to update the road signs over the next 48 hours, but if you see a sign that has Dec 10th, please know that is an old version and it is not correct.
Happy Boating,
Rick Stuebing
President Johns Lake Association
November 28, 2023
SPONSORS: Johns Lake 2023 Holiday Boat Parade
McKinnon Groves is a venue that offers the space for almost any type of event! Weddings, Birthdays, celebrations, baby showers, engagement parties, corporate events, etc. Highlights: 320 acres of owned family property; 3.4 miles of lake front; Navel, Hamlin & Valencia Oranges; 60 acres of pine trees; 100 acres of old Florida woods with live oaks & numerous trails. Located in Winter Garden, Florida. We would love to chat & set up a tour!
October 29, 2023
October 2023 Newsletter
Newsletter Summary and a Message from the President
It is hard to believe the Holidays are approaching and we are
preparing for the 22nd Holiday Boat Parade on Dec. 12th at 6:15 PM. On behalf of the board,
I would like to thank our sponsors of the parade and we welcome
additional sponsors.
The board continues to communicate with multiple government
agencies to keep the ball rolling for the required maintenance on our
outfall canal. This process is difficult and slow due to the number of
government agencies involved.
We have brought back our Stop Light Program to give you visual
feedback on where we believe we stand on the five quality indicators
that we identified in the past. This is subjective and we realize that
some of these indicators are worse in some parts of the lake than
others, but we try to use “average” ratings.
And finally, some information from the Environmental Protection
Division that describes proper shoreline maintenance critical to the
health of Johns Lake has been included.
JLA is a non-profit organization, funded by lakefront owners, focused
on protecting Johns Lake water quality. JLA’s mission is to preserve
and restore the high-water quality and the traditional character of John’s Lake, watersheds and related natural resources. The long-
term survival of Johns Lake is critical to present and future generations.
In the past the Board collected dues to support our expenses, such
as insurance, website costs, state fees, and more. Since we
converted to paperless Newsletters we have been able to get by for
several years without dues but now the Board’s financial balance is
getting low.
We can be reached at admin@johnslakeflorida.com and
please support our efforts to protect Johns Lake by donating to our
cause by going to the following link. Please Donate.
October 21, 2023
2023 Johns Lake Boat Parade
All boats must gather at 6:10 PM.
The parade starts at 6:15 PM.
IMPORTANT: The parade date has changed to Dec. 17th due to high winds and possible thunderstorms forecasted for 10th.
September 15, 2023
Boat Parade: Save the Date
The Annual Johns Lake Boat Parade will be held on December 10th, 2023.
Stay tuned for details …
August 21, 2023
Johns Lake Update Aug 2023
The county recently did some spot treating for the following invasive plants.
Cuban bulrush is an aggressively growing mat forming invasive plant that outcompetes beneficial native aquatic plants and impairs water quality by reducing oxygen levels near shore areas. Cuban bulrush will be targeted throughout the lake to maintain competitive advantage for the native aquatic plant community.
Water hyacinths are exotic, aquatic plants which clog waterways, making recreational activities difficult or impossible, and choke out beneficial native plants.
Although Johns Lake currently has less hydrilla than normal for this time of the year, there are some areas where the hydrilla is a problem. The County does not normally treat for hydrilla during the Summer since the ideal time is during the Spring and Fall. They will assess our hydrilla situation in the Fall and decide when they will treat Johns Lake next. There is currently no budget for additional grass carp but this could change as it seems the carp that were added last Fall are having a positive impact on decreasing hydrilla.
The northern portion of the Johns Lake Outfall Canal that drains into Lake Apopka has recently been realigned and cleaned out. The canal has also been cleaned out adjacent to Oakland Park. The water is now flowing through the canal into Lake Apopka much faster, but there is still a lot of maintenance to be done. This additional flow will be helpful if we get any hurricanes and/or tropical storms this season. Orange County is studying the situation to determine what, if anything, the County will to support the City of Oakland and other’s efforts.
Please ask your neighbors to go our website at https://johnslakeflorida.com/subscribe-to-our-newsletter/ and submit their email information so we can send them email updates and Newsletters. Also , we deeply appreciate any donations that can be made on our website to support our cause!
Sincerely,
Rick StuebingPresident, Johns Lake Association