FEBRUARY 2026 NEWSLETTER

GIRLFRIEND / BOYFRIEND PASS

The board has decided to allow the purchase of a girlfriend/boyfriend pass for members that have a girlfriend/boyfriend that do not live with them, ie they do not have matching addresses on their driver’s license. This pass will be specific to that member’s girlfriend/boyfriend and will not be subject to any no guest dates, meaning there will not be any black out dates at all. This pass will only be good for one year from date of purchase and is not transferable to a new girlfriend/boyfriend. You will not need to sign out the girlfriend/boyfriend like on a guest pass and they will sign in with you similar to how a spouse signs in. Cost of this pass will be $200 and will be available for purchase starting March 1, 2026. 

Note: if you have a girlfriend/boyfriend on your membership since you have the same address on your drivers license you do NOT need to purchase this pass. NOTHING that is CURRENTLY in place for girlfriend/boyfriend will be changing. This is just going to be another option to members to use to bring in their girlfriend/boyfriend that do not have the same address. 

Note: this pass does not mean the girlfriend/boyfriend can come to RR without the member. 

Note: this pass would also cover the girlfriend/boyfriends children under the age of 18 to come with them provided they provide the gate the appropriate documents such as a copy of a birth certificate. All information on the birth certificate can be blacked out except the childs name, birthdate and parent’s name. 

Example: John is dating Emily and they do not live together. John has the following options: A) he can purchase a guest pass to bring Emily with him on guest dates, B ) Emily can purchase property and become a member and is not limited on when she can come to RR with John, C) John can purchase a new girlfriend/boyfriend pass and Emily is not limited on when she can come to RR with John. This pass would be good for one year from date of purchase for Emily. 

If John purchased a girlfriend/boyfriend pass for Emily and he and Emily break up after 3 months (example) and John starts dating Debbie then John can decide options A-C again to bring Debbie to RR with him. If John decides on the girlfriend/boyfriend pass then John would have to spend another $200 for this pass for Debbie. This pass will be good for one year from date of purchase for Debbie.

NOTE: A member may only hold one of these passes at a time with only one person as their girlfriend/boyfriend. If someone has a legal spouse on their file they will not be able to purchase one of these passes unless they have a divorce decree to remove the legal spouse from their membership file. 

For those that may question the cost, a regular guest pass is priced lower than a membership because of all the no guest dates, meaning the limited usage. The family pass is priced lower than a membership as we are giving a break to people whom want to bring their family to RR and is limited to whom they can bring. This is allowing you to bring your boyfriend/girlfriend to RR at anytime with you without blackout dates. A member now has many options to pick for how they want to bring a non property owner who is their girlfriend/boyfriend. We don’t really expect many of these passes to be sold and are just offering this as another option.

ONLINE VOTING

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BUGGY LOT

We wanted to let members know that we have an area at the front gate called the Buggy Lot that members can rent a spot for their vehicles and leave them there after the member leaves for the weekend. We are now allowing members to rent a spot for their campers that are 35 feet or less in addition to buggys, SXS or ATVs . These spots are essentially parking spots and people will not be able to camp out of their campers in this area. The Buggy lot costs $250 per year and is in a fenced off area that only people whom have a spot can get a key to. The front office does walk throughs on the buggy lot to check on the vehicles parked there.

If you are interested in renting a buggy lot spot, please contact Ms Sandy or Ms Angel at the front gate.

GENERAL MEETING BALLOT RESULTS

Results are as follows:

Ballot item # 1 Proposed ballot item to exempt workers from no guest dates. Workers will be defined as people who either work for a legitimate businesses or are an owner of a legitimate business and have proof as such to provide a service for a current paid member. Workers are to only come in to provide services for the specific member on their specific owned property and cannot be sub contracted to work for said member on other people’s property. Workers can only enter the gate in a street legal vehicle. Workers will need to sign in and out each day.

PASSED - 147 YES / 71 NO

Ballot item # 2 Proposed ballot item that any increase in membership dues would need to be voted on and approved by the membership. This is restrictive to only membership dues. Guest passes, family passes, guest/family fees, prices of retail items sold at the gate, disposal fees, buggy lots, or any other fees are not included in this proposed ballot item.

PASSED - 167 YES / 52 NO

Ballot item # 3 Proposed amendment to the bylaws requiring a voting quorum of 20% of the current membership when said membership is voting on anything other than electing directors or officers.

DID NOT PASS - 108 YES / 110 NO

Ballot item # 4 Proposed ballot item to remove the amendment to the bylaws that required any changes to the bylaws to only be made by a vote from the membership

DID NOT PASS - 80 YES / 141 NO

FROM THE POLK COUNTY FIRE RESCUE

After the recent uptick of brush fires, Polk County Fire Rescue wants to remind everyone that the countywide burn ban remains in effect. Following the burn ban is important as it prevents avoidable emergencies, keeps you and your neighbors safe and allows better resource allocation on other calls for service. 

Polk County’s currently sits at an average of 530 on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) with 66% of the county above the 500 mark. The KBDI assesses the soil’s moisture content from no moisture deficiency (0) to maximum drought conditions (800). 

The ban includes unincorporated Polk County and the following municipalities: Auburndale, Bartow, Davenport, Dundee, Fort Meade, Frostproof, Haines City, Lake Alfred, Lake Wales, Lakeland and Winter Haven. 

The burn ban prohibits: 

• Campfires; 

• Bonfires; 

• Unpermitted controlled burns; 

• Burning of yard and household trash; 

• Burning of organic debris; • Igniting of fireworks; and 

• Noncommercial burning of materials, other than for religious or ceremonial purposes, which is not contained in a barbecue grill or barbecue pit, and the total fuel area cannot exceed 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height. 

Anyone who refuses to comply or violates this burn ban is in violation of Polk County Ordinance 08-015 and can be punished by a fine not to exceed $500 or by imprisonment not to exceed 60 days in the county jail or both. Polk County officials will repeal the burn ban when deemed safe.

Click here for a video update from Polk County Fire Rescue regarding 2/15/26 fires in Polk County.

FLORIDA FOREVER BOMBING RANGE RIDGE PROJECT

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO FROM 12-20-25 MEETING

We now have our form letter available for members to use and can be found by clicking on this link.

This can also be found on our website at www.rrpoa.net. On the website you will see links for the pdf webform, the word document and an example of how to fill out this letter. This letter is currently setup for one property parcel and one owner. If you have multiple properties you can use the word document and list them all under the Parcel # information and make sure to add up all your acres. We will also have a printed copy of this form available at the front gate, just ask when you come through. We are trying to provide as many options as possible to members, since members have different comfort levels with technology.

Properties of interest in the Bombing Range Ridge project of interest in regards to the Wildlife Corridor are as follows:

303101 303102 303103 303104 303113 303114 303122 303123 303124 303125 303126 303127 303128 313107 313119 313126 313127 313128 313129 313130 313132 313133 313134 313135 313201 313202 313203 313204 313210 313211 313212 313213 313214 313224 323207 323218 323219

If you are unsure of if your property is in this area you can verify by looking at your property information on your deed and looking at the first six numbers or going to www.polkpa.org and searching for your name. To search for your name, type in your last name (space) first name. The search will return Parcel IDs associated with your name in the following example: 30-31-10-000000-011010. Simply look at the first six numbers, in this example 30-31-10 and compare to the list of numbers above to see if your property is in the target area.

Please note that every owner on the property MUST fill out the letter in order for your property to be removed. Example, if you have 3 owners on a piece of property, then all three owners must send out a letter.

Please note these letters MUST be sent via certified mail to the following address: 
     Florida Department of Environmental Protection 
     Division of State Lands 
     Office of Environmental Services 
     3900 Commonwealth Blvd., MS 140 
     Tallahassee, FL 32399

Please be sure to include a copy of your deed or current tax bill to prove ownership of said property. More information from the Florida Forever website regarding faqs about removing your property can be found by clicking on their website

REFLECTIVE SIGNS

We have finished putting reflective signs with the gate numbers going to the hunting area as requested by forestry. This is an effort to try to reduce confusion as to which gate is which, especially during a fire.

RED SHED

We are asking members to please be mindful to not hit the red shed with their trailers when signing in. In the past month the shed has been hit 4 times. We have placed poles around the shed, which people have also hit in the last month that we are working on replacing. If you have a tall trailer, please make sure to give adequate space between your vehicle and the red shed. Please make sure to drive your trailer straight out until you can safely make the turn without hitting the poles or the shed. We have a sampler with an extension that we can use for you to put your ID in to sign in if needed so your vehicle does not hit the shed.