TROPICAL FARMS Homeowners in Tropical Estates are trying to solve the mystery of who owns the roads and drainage ponds in their subdivision. 

The homeowners have invited county officials to a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the fire station at 8446 Tropical Ave. to discuss their concerns about the crumbling infrastructure in their 20-year-old subdivision. 

"The primary goal is to try to figure out what this county can do for us," said Tammy Rubino, a homeowner who helped organize the meeting. "I live on Pitts Terrace. We live literally in the pits. We have stinky road, stinky water and stinky everything out here. 

"We're kind of getting fed up that all the new developments in the area are getting all the nice roads and the nice water and everything else," Rubino said. 

West of Kanner Highway and north of Pratt Whitney Road, Tropical Estates consists of 42 homes on Tropical Avenue, Pitts Terrace, Pitts Court, Perry Terrace and Perry Lane. 

Rubino and dozens of other Tropical Estates homeowners have banded together in recent weeks to try to fill the void left by the collapse of the homeowners association formed by the subdivision's developer. 

The original officers in the association have all either died or moved, Rubino and other homeowners said. Those who have moved into Tropical Estates in the past 10 or 15 years didn't even know a homeowners association once existed. 

"I've been living here for approximately 15 years and never even heard about it," said Ernie Stephan, of Tropical Avenue. "The whole neighborhood, they don't know what to do." 

When the homeowners asked Martin |County officials to repave their roads and perform maintenance on their stormwater retention ponds, they were told the homeowners association owns the roads and ponds and was responsible for their upkeep, Rubino said. 

"The county keeps telling us, Look, you're private. Sorry we can't help you,'" Rubino said. "So, for 22 years we've had no roads, no drainage, no nothing." 

The homeowners said they have obtained conflicting records and accounts about who owns the roads and retention ponds. It could be the homeowners association, the developer or Martin County. 

"We want the county to take over our roads," Stephan said. 

There are numerous potholes in the streets and a cul-de-sac is crumbling, Rubino said. Drainage problems cause street flooding, which contributes to the deterioration of the streets. 

"It would cost tens of thousands of dollars to repave these roads," Rubino said. "We're never going to get it from these 42 people." 

County Commission Chairwoman Elmira Gainey said she will attend Monday night's meeting, along with several county officials, to see what can be done for the Tropical Farms homeowners. 

"I don't know what can be done," Gainey said. "That's why we're going to take the staff members out with us and listen to their concerns and find out which of the issues are county issues and which are those that they would have to take care of themselves."