STEVE REID
Editor & Publisher
sreid@lbknews.com
Some Longboat Key residents who live on private roads want more representation for their taxation when it comes to debris removal.
At last week’s Longboat Key Town Commission meeting, some property owners expressed frustration that the debris on private roads will not be removed at least according to the Town’s current reading of the rules.
According to the town, state law and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines are clear that the town will only be reimbursed for costs of debris removal on public streets and roadways, but not on any private roads.
“I see the private golf courses are piling up all their debris on Gulf of Mexico Drive. I’m assuming the town’s going to pick that up. I’m assuming that’s because the private golf course pays taxes. We pay taxes too. Whatever agreements you made or whatever happens with FEMA really is irrelevant unless you’re going to lower our taxes for the lower services we’ve received. That goes for anyone who lives on a private road,” said resident Christopher Lauren.
Lauren continued in saying that its simply not fair that you don’t receive a service that your neighbor gets but you have to pay at the same rate.
“I’m just telling you the perspective of a person that lives on a private road. It’s very distasteful; it’s an added stress to an already stressful situation,” said Lauren.
Mayor Ken Schneier expressed empathy: “Let me tell you, I feel your pain. I live in Bay Isles and there are 1,600 units in Bay Isles and they’re all on private roads and we’re not entitled to any pickup of debris.”
Schneier then said that the Town was “probably going to see if we could work something out to change that for all of us.”
Part of the conundrum is the sheer cost to remove debris said Public Works Director and recently-minted Assistant Town Manager Isaac Brownman.
The storms, Hurricanes Helene and Milton, have left in their wake an estimated 50,000 cubic yards of debris. Brownman did say that the Town is clearing some private roads where it has deemed the roadway unsafe for emergency vehicles.
Brownman said the good news is the State of Florida has indicated it will ensure that all the debris is removed from Gulf of Mexico Drive and reimburse for more than just a couple of sweeps of the island.
Scavenger island…
The resident on the private roadway intimated that those on private roads could simply hire contractors to pick their debris up and dump it on the highway. Lauren said at the meeting that this kind of dumping is happening in the evening when there’s less police enforcement and they’re taking dump trucks and backing right up to Gulf of Mexico Drive.
“It’s going to be a real issue; it’s going to be a health issue soon; it’s going to be a rodent issue and an animal issue for the whole island and for Bay Isles as well as us,” said Lauren.
Mayor Schneier then made it clear that it is illegal for anyone to move debris onto Gulf of Mexico Drive, or any road abutting Gulf of Mexico Drive.
“You’ll be ordered to return it to where it (the debris) came from and fined and maybe worse than that…” said Schneier.
Commissioner BJ Bishop said she had been chatting with Longboat Police Chief George Turner about the exact issues as well as vagrants and scavengers. She said that the Town has received the assistance of 50 additional police officers from Miami Lakes, Jacksonville, Apopka and other municipalities.
“These officers are patrolling as much if not more at night than during the day because one of the issues we’ve had is a robbery on our street, and then there was a robbery in the Village, and it’s been difficult because we can’t have a cop on every street 24/7,” said Bishop.
Next, Police Chief George Turner came to the podium and spoke of the role the additional officers are playing.
“We’ve given them a mission to keep the scavengers out and to keep illegal dumping off the island. It’s a felony to illegally dump anywhere on Longboat,” said Turner.
Turner added that the debris removal is adding to traffic because Gulf of Mexico Drive is often closed in one of its lanes but that patience is necessary.
One of the commissioners asked Turner what was the issue of scavenging. She said she had seen people pick up things like scrap metal but wondered what the issue was.
“The issue with the scavengers is they’re getting a little rambunctious. Instead of just taking the garbage or just the appliances, it’s become more of a problem and we’re now actually getting burglaries and people going to the pile on the road, and the onto private property, and this is very hard to control,” said Turner.
The Town has a goal of removing all debris from the island through its contractors within 65 days. The Town is also going to attempt to receive a commitment from FEMA to help offset private roadways or to find a manner in which the cost can be reimbursed.
