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Tarpon Subdivision Wants Sign Improvements

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By Vivienne Green | The Suncoast News

Published: September 22, 2007

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - Neighbors in four subdivisions close to Howard Park beach are divided about what to do with a dilapidated lighthouse sign at their entrance way.

Thirty-eight homeowners in the gulf communities west of Explorers Cove have signed a petition to have the old entrance sign removed and replaced with a modern, double-sided monument.

But some residents from Explorers Cove are opposed to the idea.

One of them, Themis Argyros, argues that those who want the change are not residents of Explorer's Cove.

Argyros has written repeatedly to City Hall and Police Chief Mark LeCouris reminding that persons rushing to change his subdivision's name and boundaries may be violating Florida Statutes.

"The lighthouse over the medium is there for over 30 years representing preeminently the name of the subdivision," he wrote in an August 30 letter to the Police Chief. "Those who wish to remove it are against the Florida Statutes Limitations in Chapter 95. It is my belief that I can repair it and make it look better."

The controversial concrete sign stands on a narrow island curb in the middle of the entrance to Explorers Cove at the intersection of North Florida Avenue and Explorers Drive. It was reportedly built 25 years ago, shortly after houses in the EC subdivision went up.

The other communities west of Explorers Cove – El Nido, Gulf Front and Gulf Side – were built much later and currently share the same entrance way.

The white lighthouse sign looks dirty and damaged from decades of wear. The letters have all fallen off, exposing the holes and broken rivets that once held them.

Protruding from its base are old plastic bags. Parts of its wooden support have been removed. The curb on which it stands is also badly damaged in places.

Neighbors blame its condition on large vehicles negotiating the narrow entrance, vandals and parents picking up their kids from the elementary and middle schools across the street.

Every year, just before Christmas, a few residents attempt to repair the sign but it's simply a patch-up job, says Lynne Lacroix.

"The signage is old and shabby and falling apart," she says. "Why wouldn't somebody want something nicer and more modern?"

In February, Lacroix sent out letters to residents to galvanize support and financial backing for a new entrance monument and to repair the curb.

She proposed a sign with the words "Explorers Cove – Gulf Front Communities" written on it to identify not only the EC subdivision but also the other three communities behind it.

About 38 homeowners signed the petition and they've collected about $1,550 for the job. It will cost a little more than $4,000. Several families have also volunteered to help with landscaping and maintenance when it's completed.

Argyros, in the meantime, started his own repairs to the monument but last week the city's building inspector stopped it, telling him he would need a licensed contractor and a building permit to continue.

Lacroix and other residents are continuing to collect petitions.

"Right now we're getting supporters to make sure we get the majority of homeowners and if we get them and the building permits, we're going to move forward with it," she says.

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