Country Club West looking for neighborhood watches

Responding to a rash of home burglaries along the Interstate 75 corridor in Manatee and Sarasota Counties, Lakewood Ranch Country Club West will establish neighborhood watches.

At the Lakewood Ranch Community Development District 6 meeting today, James Rogoze, secretary of the Country Club West homeowners association, told board members residents are worried about their safety. 

Country Club West has seven neighborhoods, and the HOA has given Rogoze the go-ahead to find two to three residents from each to serve as the eyes and ears of their individual community. 

The representatives from each neighborhood would simply look out for suspicious behavior when they’re out and about and report such activity to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. 

“The HOA intends to develop a neighborhood watch in all neighborhoods,” Rogoze said. “We want to have protections that are as strong as possible. If people are alert and aware it won’t be easy for the burglars to get away with anything. They will probably pick on an easier target.”

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says it has investigated roughly 30 home burglaries since April, including nine in East County — spanning from Heritage Harbour to Greenfield Plantation — and others in Sarasota County. 

Capt. Lorenzo Waiters of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office shared tips on preventing break-ins before a joint meeting of Lakewood Ranch CDDs 2, 5 and 6 Nov. 19.

Dick Moran, who represents CDD 2 on the Country Club/Edgewater Village Association’s Safety Committee, said a similar meeting open to the public will be scheduled for early December. 

See more on this story in the Nov. 28 East County Observer. 

Contact Josh Siegel at [email protected].