Am I being paranoid about avoiding lagoons, pools, etc.? (for sale by owner, real estate)

[MovintoJax]

My husband and I are trying to find a house in Ponte Vedra Beach (or nearby) that does NOT have a pool, isn't on a lagoon, doesn't have water anywhere in sight.

We have a toddler and a dog and I am afraid my toddler will somehow get away from me and drown (ok, I am paranoid) or that the dog will always be in the water and possibly get bitten by an alligator or something.

I am just wondering if I'm the only one who feels this way, because it seems like MOST of what's available does have some sort of water nearby and our options are pretty limited because of it.

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by MovintoJax

My husband and I are trying to find a house in Ponte Vedra Beach (or nearby) that does NOT have a pool, isn't on a lagoon, doesn't have water anywhere in sight.

We have a toddler and a dog and I am afraid my toddler will somehow get away from me and drown (ok, I am paranoid) or that the dog will always be in the water and possibly get bitten by an alligator or something.

I am just wondering if I'm the only one who feels this way, because it seems like MOST of what's available does have some sort of water nearby and our options are pretty limited because of it.

you are being a bit over the top, pools and toddlers are a bad mix but your toddler won't be toddling for long, you must be extremely vigilant and then the best prevention is to teach the baby how to swim so if he/she does fall in it isn't a tragedy, regarding the dog, again you need to be vigilant, anywhere in Fla where there is water there could be a gator lurking about.
to sum up, yes you should be concerned but if you are cautious you should have no problems, many other kids survived growing up in Fla with pools and lagoons around

[FLPL75]

MovintoJax
you could always fence your yard. we are on a preserve lot and have a privacy fence to keep the critters out and our dogs in. Most subdivisions have lakes (ie retention ponds) you can even fence those houses though most restrict the fencing to be the wrought iron type.

Keeping your dog on a leash if not in a fence yard will be your best bet as well as being the law.
Pools you can out special toddler fencing right around the pool.

I agree with apvbguy about the swim lessons. I don't swim and am uncomfortable in water that is higher than waist deep unless I have my scuba equipment on.

[palenciacondo]

Teach your kids to swim early in life. A must in FLorida. Water is everywhere! Years ago, all newcoming students in colleges and universities across the state were "drown-proofed" in the first weeks of school. If you could not pass the test, count on beginnning swimming lessons for you in your first semester.

[agreatlife]

The posters above have great advice. You can easily childproof a pool with fencing that actually can be taken down & put back up when you want to. You should also be able to find a home without a pool if it makes you nervous, and also yards that are fully fenced to keep the pooch safe. If you aren't finding them, check out RealtyWEB.NET (broken link)
and do a property search. That site has all listings in NEFlorida (not For Sale By Owner), but you need to know what area you are looking in. Alternatively, you can go to REALTOR.com - Real Estate Listings & Homes For Sale

[riveree]

I second what Karla said, dogs and fences are made for each other !

For your dog's safety, and for neighbor relations, you really need a fence.

It seems everyone has at least one dog now, so the social expectations are changing and it's not cool to let your dog roam anymore unless you live waaaay out in the country .

As for the toddler, for peace of mind, you could always get one of those cute little water detectors that strap to their wrists.....have you seen them? One looks like a little watch but it's just a turtle-shaped detector .

A pool in your backyard can be a headache though, I agree. And they're actually not so great for resale in many areas because you limit your range of buyers. Plenty of people don't want a pool. They don't want the upkeep and don't want to pay the increased taxes and insurance on one either.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Everyone gives good advice here.

I agree with Riv about the pool in the backyard, I am ambivalent about how backyard pools, and I'm actually a swimmer.

I am just going to add that swim lessons for toddlers are fun, they love it, and it is definitely a gift that keeps on giving.
On the final day of the lessons my (then) three year olds took, we had them swimming across the pool in clothes with a jacket on.

[mawipafl]

Curious here .... would it be true that if a gator appeared in a neighborhood retention pond that an expert would be called in immediatley to catch and relocate it? If a gator appeared in a normally gator-less natural pond, lake, river, or creek would it be caught only if it was a nuisance or creating imminent danger? In this part of Florida, how often does either of these appearances occur?

My curiosity also applies to snakes - same thing for them? Or would it depend if it was a Florida water snake or a cottonmouth?

Would it be safe to say that if a retention pond is dotted with ducks and their babies, that the good chance is there are no gators nor snakes living there, too?

If someone here can share the answers, I think it would be so helpful to househunters.

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by mawipafl

Curious here .... would it be true that if a gator appeared in a neighborhood retention pond that an expert would be called in immediatley to catch and relocate it? If a gator appeared in a normally gator-less natural pond, lake, river, or creek would it be caught only if it was a nuisance or creating imminent danger? In this part of Florida, how often does either of these appearances occur?

My curiosity also applies to snakes - same thing for them? Or would it depend if it was a Florida water snake or a cottonmouth?

Would it be safe to say that if a retention pond is dotted with ducks and their babies, that the good chance is there are no gators nor snakes living there, too?

If someone here can share the answers, I think it would be so helpful to househunters.

first off it is not crazy to assume that wherever you see fresh water you could find gators, they are everywhere.
from what I understand, they will only relocate (kill) a gator that is over 4 feet, less than that they'll just tell you to be careful.
If you google florida aligators you'll come across a page that details how gators are handled by animal control.
regarding snakes, same applies, assume that they can be anywhere

[Magnolia Bloom]

Originally Posted by mawipafl

Curious here .... would it be true that if a gator appeared in a neighborhood retention pond that an expert would be called in immediatley to catch and relocate it? If a gator appeared in a normally gator-less natural pond, lake, river, or creek would it be caught only if it was a nuisance or creating imminent danger? In this part of Florida, how often does either of these appearances occur?

My curiosity also applies to snakes - same thing for them? Or would it depend if it was a Florida water snake or a cottonmouth?

Would it be safe to say that if a retention pond is dotted with ducks and their babies, that the good chance is there are no gators nor snakes living there, too?

If someone here can share the answers, I think it would be so helpful to househunters.

I know that when our duck population goes down, it is usually because of a gator in our lake. Unless it is big, I don't think they are automatically relocated, though.

As for pools and young children. All pools should have fencing around them whether you have a child or not. Current law mandates it. They may have grandfathered in older pools that are not fenced, but I think I've heard that they must be fenced once the property changes hands.

If you have a good pool fence, there isn't much to worry about as long as there isn't patio furniture or other things that the child can use to climb over. However, I was always very clear to babysitters that the back door was to remained locked at all times, with no going in the back yard when I was not there.

Retention ponds are everywhere and it is important to tell all children not to go into them. Even older kids. They frequently have steep drop offs and I have read of more than one drowning of adults this year.

Another thing that I was careful about was watching my kids at cookouts. Sometimes when there are many adults around, a child can get into trouble in the water. Everyone can just assume that there are so many folks there that others are watching out for the kids.