Article Courtesy of The Sun Sentinel

By Josh Hafenbrack
Published on July 19, 2006

After future hurricanes, residents of gated communities in unincorporated Palm Beach County will find welcome visitors: county debris cleanup crews. And residents will say goodbye to costly assessments that came with cleaning up their own mess.

Palm Beach County commissioners Tuesday settled the question of what to do with debris inside gated communities and on private roads, mandating the Solid Waste Authority pick up the material after storms. The vote was unanimous.

The new law is aimed at strengthening the county's hand when it seeks reimbursement for hurricane recovery costs from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, officials said.

The county already picked up debris inside gated communities after last year's storms, but Tuesday's decision puts the policy on the books.

"The fact is, gated communities are taxpayers," said Commissioner Burt Aaronson. "We do go into gated communities to collect garbage. They should not be treated any differently. This is something that will protect all the people in our county."

FEMA refused to pay for debris removal in gated communities after Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004, but the federal agency changed its policy last year. Now, FEMA pays for the cleanup as long as it's necessary to maintain public safety.

By requiring the Solid Waste Authority to pick up the debris, county officials said they are bolstering their case that the cleanup is vital to the public interest.

"This is the best chance we have that this material will be removed from gated communities and we will be eligible for reimbursement," Waste Authority Managing Director Mark Hammond said.

FEMA is reimbursing the county more than $50 million for Hurricane Wilma debris cleanup, according to Solid Waste Authority figures. That total includes work inside gated communities.

In gated condo communities, where FEMA reimbursement was a hot topic after the 2004 storms, news of the county's new ordinance was hailed.

"I think it's great," said Jerry Kaye, president of the Cascades community west of Boynton Beach. "It's a big help for the communities."

At Valencia Lakes west of Boynton Beach, residents got hit with $1,000 assessments after Frances uprooted about 300 trees, said past condo association President Stanley Spivack.

"Listen, it would be a great savings for the community," Spivack said. "It's basically the same in every gated community: Everybody here pays some pretty good taxes.''

The County Commission's decision Tuesday affects only the unincorporated areas of Palm Beach County. Each city, town and village would have to approve a separate law on gated community cleanup.

The county's measure "will likely serve as a template for cities, other counties in the state of Florida and perhaps counties in other states," said Commissioner Jeff Koons.