How it all got started

The genesis of our community took place in 1982. The original plan was to make the entire tract condos. Three different developers, in turn, tried building and selling condominiums before giving up due to a soft condo market. Each of these developers built about one-third of the 42 existing condominiums. One of the first buildings to be constructed with the clubhouse, which was finished in 1982 and which served as the sales office.

About 1985, Sundial Development purcahased the unfinished tract and decided to discontinue building condominiums. Sundial, located in St. Petersburg, was also building a larger development on the Tamiami Trail in Sarasota called The Landings.

Sundial then replatted the entire remaining vacant tract and got RSF-3 zoning, which meant that 30% of the entire project had to be set aside for common use. Originally, only five builders were allowed to build in the development: Amon Shrock and Irvin Slabach (both were Mennonites), Pruett Bros., Peregrine Homes and Lee Wetherington. Sundial platted 89 lots in Lakes I and II and 46 lots within Timberlakes. The way they excluded developers and speculators from buying properties was that they included a stipulation that anyone who bought a lot had only one year to start building on it.

Lakes Estates I and II started in late 1985. Timberlakes construction started in 1987. Marketing of lots in Lakes Estates III started in February of 1988. By the end of May all 89 lots had been sold and there was a waiting list.

The builders focused on quality construction. Red tile roofs were the norm. Palm and live oak trees were planted.

The developers had to restrict the outflow of rain water, so they devised an elaborate system of draining the lots and common areas into the lakes.

The last developer, Sundial (their office was in St. Petersburg), went bankrupt after completing the project. The chief salesperson for Sundial was John Cannon who went on to start his own development company, John Cannon Homes, which has become one of Florida's largest developer of luxury homes.

(Thanks to Rod and Lucy Kent for helping provide this information.)