Community

Weekly Updates

February 6, 2026

Florida Plant Freeze Recovery Guide (2026)

Freezes in Florida can affect everything from tropical ornamentals to lawns, citrus, shrubs, and succulents. Recovery requires patience, proper timing, and avoiding common mistakes. Below are the best current practices.

1. Don’t Rush: Leave Plants Alone for 48–72 Hours

After a freeze, plants often look worse than the actual damage.

Avoid these for now:

• Do not prune
• Do not fertilize
• Do not remove wilted leaves

The plant needs time to “thaw” and stabilize.

2. Water Thoroughly Once the Ground Thaws

Cold-damaged plants are stressed, and watering helps them rehydrate and move nutrients.

• Water the soil deeply—not the leaves.
• Do this the first warm day after the freeze.

Avoid overwatering: water once, then return to regular schedule.

3. Wait Before Pruning (This Is Critical)

Even badly burned foliage can protect live tissue underneath.

Pruning timelines in Florida:

• Immediately after freeze: only remove mushy, slimy, rotting tissue (to prevent fungal issues).
• Wait 3–6 weeks before pruning brown or dead-looking branches.
• For palms: wait until new growth emerges, even if fronds look brown.

Cutting too early can kill recovering tissue.

4. Check Stems for Life (After a Few Weeks)

If you’re unsure whether a branch or stem is dead:

• Scratch bark with your nail or a knife.
• Green underneath: still alive
• Brown/dry: prune later

Do this only after the plant has time to recover (2–6 weeks).

5. Hold Off on Fertilizer

Fertilizer immediately after a freeze can stress plants further.

Best timing:

• Fertilize in early spring, when new growth actively appears.
• Use a slow-release fertilizer suited to your plant type.

6. Protect from Sunburn on Tropical Plants

After a freeze, sun can scorch damaged leaves.

Help reduce stress by:

• Providing temporary light shade
• Watering at soil level
• Removing only completely dead plant material (later)

7. For Lawns (St. Augustine, Bermuda, Zoysia)

• Do not fertilize until spring
• Avoid heavy foot traffic
• Mow only when the grass begins growing again

🌴 Recovery Tips for Common Florida Plants

Palms

• Leaves may turn brown, but the spear and bud can survive.
• Do NOT remove fronds unless they’re hanging or broken—brown fronds still protect the bud.
• Wait until late spring to judge true damage.

Bananas

• Cut back mushy parts but leave the pseudo stem standing until spring.
• Many banana plants regrow from the base.

Citrus

• Leaf drop is normal; branches may look dead.
• Do light pruning in late spring after new growth appears.

Hibiscus, Crotons, Bougainvillea

• Expect leaf drop and browning.
• They usually bounce back strongly in spring.
• Hard prune in March if needed.

🌡️ 8. Know When to Expect Regrowth

Florida plants usually show recovery signs:

• Tropicals: 4–8 weeks
• Citrus: 6–12 weeks
• Palms: 2–6 months
• Shrubs: 2–10 weeks

Don’t assume a plant is dead based on appearance alone.

Upcoming Events!

Weekly\Monthly Activities Schedule

Note: If clubs want their meetings advertised, or if there is a meeting missing and you would like it added, please reach out to the

Office at 352-728-2186 or email at resident@arlingtonridgecdd.org

"The Beyond Medicine, How Social Determinants of Health Shape our Future" seminar will be located in Fairfax Hall.

Movies scheduled for this upcoming week!

"People We Meet on Vacation"

Saturday, February 7

at 6:30 PM

"An American in Paris"

1951

Thursday, February 12th

at 6:30 PM

February Movie Concert

Monday, February 16th at 6:30 PM

Open House Policy

The CDD Board of Supervisors has approved a new Open House Policy for directional signs on District Property. The policy is available on the website or by clicking on the link below.

Residents selling their homes must fill out a form prior to their first open house or have their real estate agent file for themselves. Each agent within a Real Estate Company will need to submit a form. Agents registering will need to re-submit the form annually by October 1st. Forms submitted now through September will be valid until October 1, 2026. Form may be submitted via email.

There will be a two-week grace period before the District contacts anyone posting signs without a form. This policy ensures uniformity and directional assistance.

Please note that the Guard House will not distribute open house flyers.

CDD and HOA Responsibilities

We have received numerous calls about the differences in responsibilities between the CDD and HOA.

Walk in hours for the CDD and HOA are Tuesday - Friday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

CDD Responsibilities

CDD Office Number: 352-728-2186

• Common Areas and related parking areas
• Lexington Spa: Fitness Center, Aerobics Room, Sauna, Nail Salon,
• Massage Room and all equipment
• Pools: Beach Pool, Lap Pool, Hot Tub, Patio Furniture and Cabana
• Charleston Social Center: Library, Craft Room and Card Room
• St. Charles Movie Theater
• Blue Ridge Activity Center - Game Room, Card Rooms
• O'Hara's Billiards Hall
• The Commons: Tennis Courts, Pickleball Courts, Bocce Courts and Court Restrooms
• Fairfax Banquet Hall
• RV Parking Lot
• Front Gate Security (equipment and personnel)
• Arlington Ridge Administration Offices
• Common Area Landscaping
• Common Area Irrigation

LGM Management\Golf Course & Restaurant Responsibilities

Golf & Restaurant Main Number: 352-765-8001

• Chesapeake Bay Grille and The Village Tavern
• Chatham's Cafe
• Golf Shop
• Golf Course Maintenance - Course, Driving Range, course restrooms located between #4 & #5 and #16 & #17, cart barn and golf maintenance building

HOA Responsibilities - Home Sites

HOA Office Number: 352-702-4960

• Architectural Control (to ensure improvements meet community guidelines)
• Enforcement of Community Standards and Guidelines
• Home Site Lawn Maintenance (mowing, edging\blowing)
• Basic Cable TV and Internet service (OpticalTel)
• Maintenance and Management of the back gate (off White Plains Way)

HOA Additional Services for Villas\Townhouses

• Roof Replacement (at end of life)
• Provision of Water for Irrigation
• Master Irrigation System Maintenance
• Landscape Maintenance

Irrigation Issues and Who to Contact

If you notice broken irrigation on CDD property, please call the CDD Office at

352-728-2186.

For broken irrigation on Golf Course property, contact the golf course at

352-765-8001

If there is an issue with irrigation on your property, please call the HOA Office at

352-702-4960.

Facts regarding Arlington

Ridge Roads being Public

The following information was provided by District Counsel to help clarify Arlington Ridge roads are required to be public roads and the reason the back gate entrance does not violate any laws. This topic was spoken on by Counsel at the August and September CDD Meetings.

The back gate has always been owned by the HOA. We only need one means of “public” ingress/egress to meet bond covenants. There is no legal requirement we allow public access through the back gate. The operation and area has been owned by the HOA.

The District used tax-exempt bonds to fund the CDD’s public roadways, among other public improvements. IRS regulations require public/open access to all tax-exempt funded public improvements, including roadways, stormwater, etc. This is a federal/IRS tax law requirement (you will not necessarily see it explicitly in state statute). What is more is the District is operated pursuant to Chapter 190, Florida Statutes. The District is not quasi government. It is a unit of local special purpose government operated and existing pursuant to Chapter 190, Florida Statutes, and levies non ad valorem assessments and uses public funds for operation and maintenance of all District assets. It has the authority to levy ad valorem taxes. And eminent domain. And other powers. As such, District facilities must be open to the public. For purposes of the amenity and recreational facilities, it may adopt a reasonable fee to allow non-resident access to enjoy the facilities on the same basis as residents that are required to pay non-ad valorem assessments.

NOTE: Non-residents may use amenities by paying an annual fee equal to the amount residents contribute through their yearly maintenance taxes. One-time use is not permitted for non-residents.

Residents must obtain a guest pass for any visitors using the amenities without the resident being present.

Pool Golf Cart/Car Parking at Lexington Spa

Please do not park your golf cart in a car parking spot or a car in golf cart spot at the Lexington Spa Parking Lot when going to the pool, there are plenty of golf cart parking spots in the Village Green and if there are no car spots available, please park in BRAC or the Administration\

Restaurant parking lot.

Book Donations

The library gladly accepts donations of fiction books published within the last 10 years. Due to limited shelf space, we are unable to accommodate older books, coffee table books, or nonfiction titles.

PLEASE consider donating these items to other organizations such as

Sheriff’s Ranch, Goodwill, or similar sites.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated by our library volunteers!

Pool Hours

As discussed in the August Board Meeting pool hours are being posted in order to provide residents knowledge of the pool open hours as there are many instances when the pools are being used in the morning prior to State Law. Providing pool hours will avoid confusion when residents try to get into the pool area in the mornings and find the gates locked because they are there too early.

Florida Administrative Code 64-E-9.008 (7) 7) Night swimming – Pools shall not be open for swimming at night unless lighting is provided as approved by the jurisdictional building department. Pools authorized for night swimming shall be noted on the operating permit issued by the department. Night swimming shall be considered one half hour before sunset to one half hour after sunrise.

This means the pool cannot open until 1/2 hour after sunrise and must close 1/2 hour before sunset. Of course, we cannot change the hours daily so a generalized open and closed time will be posted to be within the requirement and changed on a monthly basis accordingly.

Fishing Guidelines

Permitted Area: Fishing is allowed only in the pond next to hole #10, strictly between the designated fishing signs.

Respect Property: Please be considerate of the residents’ properties that border the pond.

Prohibited Area: Fishing is not allowed in the wetland area adjacent to the pond.

After Hours Calls

If you have an urgent issue after CDD hours, please contact the Guard House. They will notify the appropriate person to assist you. Once reported, the CDD will assess the situation and respond accordingly. If you have additional information, and need to speak with staff, please leave your name and contact number with the guard and request a call back. The Guard House number is 352.326.0135. We recommend that any other non-urgent issues to please send an email to resident@arlingtonridgecdd.org 

or Lee.Graffius@inframark.com

For emergencies like fire, theft, domestic issues, or vandalism, please call Emergency Services at 911.

Amenity Use Policies

Non-Resident Paid User: Non-residents who paid an annual usage fee established from time to time by the Board of Supervisors. By paying the annual usage fee, a non-resident shall enjoy the full use of the Recreational Facilities on the same basis, under the same rules and requirements, and at the same fees and charges as Owners and Lessees. This fee is equivalent to the annual assessment residents pay. Currently Arlington Ridge does not have any non-resident paid users.

Lap Pool Reminders

The Lap Pool is reserved daily for the Lap Swimmers Group, from when the pool opens until just before any other scheduled water activities begin.

Please be sure to abide by group guidelines during reserved group activity space and use that section of the pool for lap swimming only.

Thank you

If you or a neighbor are not receiving our Community Weekly Updates, and would like to be added to our Subscribers list.

Please fill out our resident opt in email form below, and scan back to our email address: resident@arlingtonridgecdd.org

OR turn in the completed form to the Administrative Office during our office hours.

Office Hours: Tuesday- Friday 9 AM- 4 PM