News
Miromar Lakes Has Its Own Postal Address
1 August 2008
MIROMAR LAKES, FL. - How significant is the name of a gated community? Plenty if you happen to live at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club! Since early 2002, residents of the nearly 1,800-acre community have been able to use Miromar Lakes, FL as their postal address. However, the circumstances that allowed the name are rare.
Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club possesses a rarely granted but very official address concession. Proposed shifting boundaries between the Estero and Fort Myers mail delivery areas were largely responsible for the compromise. States Jerry Schmoyer, Executive Vice President/General Manager for Miromar Development: "It was always a part of the master plan to distinguish the physical location of Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club with a unique address. Not only do the boundaries warrant this, but so does the very nature of the community. It cannot be compared to other communities of similar size."
Although the U.S. Postal Service rarely changes zip codes for situations like this, it did allow an address line change to Miromar Lakes, FL in 2002. Miromar Lakes met U.S. Postal Service address criteria which included having name recognition and no duplication of the municipal name within the state of Florida. The Miromar Lakes name was submitted to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, which controls a database of names throughout the country, making it official. It became the first gated community in Southwest Florida to get its own mailing address.
Confusion and controversy about geographic names and their applications to places and features led President Benjamin Harrison to establish the U.S. Board of Geographic Names in 1890. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt extended the responsibilities of the Board to include standardization of all geographic names for Federal use. In 1947, President Harry Truman signed the bill that still governs the current Board: Public Law 80-242. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names is the hub of a national network of state and academic geographic name authorities that carefully evaluates each name proposal.
Miromar Lakes residents love the distinction. Exclaims home owner Jerry Goldman: "Miromar Lakes is a wonderful place to be, so the fact that it has its own postal address makes it even more distinctive. It gives it panache." Another resident, Ron Kyle, says: "I like that we have our own address because Miromar Lakes is unique. It outshines everyplace else." Michael Adler and his wife are in the process of relocating to Miromar Lakes from Naples: "The fact that it has its own address is just sensational. Now we tell our friends we are moving from Naples to Miromar Lakes, Florida." Another resident, Jackie McIntyre, sums it all up: "The fact that it has its own postal address gives it a sense of place. It's not just another development. The developer had so much foresight to make that happen and we love all the attention to detail and amazing maintenance of the property. Miromar Lakes has now become our primary home. We used to just visit, but now we say we live at Miromar Lakes, Florida."
A natural question is whether other planned communities could apply for the same distinction. According to a spokesman at the postal service's address management division, it would not be likely to happen with an existing development. Miromar Lakes had a unique situation and it was a brand new development at the time of the request for change.
The award-winning Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club is a residential waterfront resort community with over 700 acres of contiguous aquamarine freshwater lakes, three miles of private, white sandy beach and "signature" championship golf, all within one luxurious setting. Miromar Lakes offers endless opportunities for in-lake swimming, boating, sailing, water-skiing and fishing.
As the centerpiece of the community, the 39,206 square foot, award-winning Beach Club is comprised of three buildings. Located directly on the water's edge, the Beach Clubhouse offers gourmet evening dining indoors or under the stars with seating for 200 people in the main dining room, beachside terrace dining for 80 guests and courtyard seating for 60. A private beachside dining room provides intimate seating around a fireplace and has French doors that open up to the beach and Lake Como. The Beach Clubhouse also has an indoor/outdoor bar lounge with wine room, a library, billiard room, card room, 50-seat theater and business center. The Blue Water Beach Grill features contemporary fare in an open-air setting with panoramic lake and beach views. The European-style Spa encompasses a full-service beauty salon and a state-of-the-art Fitness Center with a Pilates Studio and Aerobics Room. Other Beach Club amenities include a 10,000 square foot, zero-edge infinity pool, world-class Concierge Services and Marine Services. The Beach Club also has an array of activities including tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, and a children's playground.
The Miromar Lakes Golf Club boasts the only Arthur Hills "Signature" championship golf course in Southwest Florida and an award-winning Tuscan-inspired Golf Clubhouse. Future plans include a Robert Trent Jones II "Signature" championship golf course, his only "Signature" course in the world.
A wide range of residential choices include Beachfront Residences, Waterfront Residences, Grand Estate Homes, Estate Homes, Luxury Villas, Full Floor Residences and Coach Homes. Prices range from $600,000 to over $6 million. Miromar Lakes continues to earn the coveted awards of "Community of the Year" and "Best Clubhouse." These honors represent Sand Dollar Awards from the Collier Builder Industry Association and Pinnacle Awards from the Lee County Building Industry Association won in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club is located in Miromar Lakes, Florida, just north of Naples. Take exit 123 off I-75, turn right onto Corkscrew Road and drive a half mile east past the International Design Center and Miromar Outlets to Ben Hill Griffin Parkway. Turn left and continue 2.8 miles north to Miromar Lakes. The Sales Center is located outside of the gated entrance. For more information, please contact the Sales Center at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club at (239) 425-2340 or (877) 809-9444, or visit http://www.miromarlakes.com.