Heightened Concern For Safety

Heightened Concern For Safety

Rewind 12 months to a time when Woodland Waters was more immune than most communities to petty crime. Planted in a semi-rural area north of Weeki Wachee, the upscale neighborhood certainly presented a lucrative target. But with only one exit from the community and a maze of streets to navigate, most thieves didn't want to take the risk.

Then the economy took a nosedive and suddenly folks got desperate. A new phase of construction cleared out a previously wooded area and opened up a new back way into the neighborhood from Star Road.

Over several months, residents began to notice unfamiliar cars creeping along the streets late at night. Strangers would knock on doors at 10 p.m., asking for people who no one knew. Sometimes it wasn't a "lost friend" knocking on the door, but a "pizza delivery."

Then the thefts began. Folks headed off to work in the morning would notice GPS devices missing from their windshields. Pry marks were discovered on garage doors.

"There is heightened concern about safety and security," resident Norm Hatch said in an interview Monday.

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