Forrest Lake

Forrest Lake (July 15, 1868 – January 24, 1939) was a prominent politician, banker, real estate investor, a mayor of Sanford, Florida and a member of the Florida House of Representatives. Lake had an instrumental role in the formation of Seminole County. In 1928, Lake was convicted of embezzlement and served 3 years of a 14-year sentence.

Early life Lake was born in Newberry, South Carolina on July 15, 1868. After spending some time in Cuba, he moved to Sanford, Florida in 1886. The posh hotel, built at a cost of one half million dollars resulted in a five million dollar loss for him and his co-investors. Over the next few years, Lake experience similar financial losses. The Seminole Country Bank closed on August 6, 1927,

Later life Lake returned to Sanford—a broken man living on the streets of Sanford with others struggling to get through the Depression years—where he lived for the remainder of his life. Following a two-week-long illness, Lake died on January 24, 1939. He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Sanford, next to his wife.