Article and Video Courtesy
of Channel 5 WPTV
By Michelle Quesada
Published November 13, 2019
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VIDEO
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ROYAL PALM BEACH — Stuck at the entrance gate in
their own community, that's what some first responders in Royal Palm
Beach say they are dealing with when they come home in their patrol
cars.
In the Palm Beach Plantation Community entrance off
Lyons Road, there's a gate for residents which means you need to have a
sticker transponder to get in and there's a gate for guests where
drivers insert their license into a machine and have a guard ask them
questions over a speaker.
First responders who live in the community and take their work vehicles
home say they are having to wait in the guest line.
One night, one first responder who does not want to be identified to
protect their job, said the line stretched out to the main road on
nights when there are events in the neighborhood.
"The line was all the way out to Southern Boulevard, it took me an hour
to get home," said the first responder.
The homeowner said it wasn't always like this. She used to have an
access card that would get her through the residential entrance, but a
few months ago property management deactivated hers along with other
first responders' cards. |
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A long line of cars waiting at the gate to enter
the community.
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"We were told that we are no different than guests and we can wait in
the guest line and that they will not be issuing us any other law
enforcement cards," said the first responder.
The issue is causing greater concern for others who live there. Bill
Damelio said he had to let two deputies in a few months ago when they
were trying to respond to a call.
"They were standing there just frustrated," said Damelio. "I ripped off
my transponder, it's a sticker that's on my car. I ripped it of, I ran
up and I let them in and they were like thank you, thank you this
happens all the time."
WPTV reached out to First Service Residental, the company that manages
the property, but did not hear back. On social media, they have
responded to some of these concerns by saying they are looking into it
and reviewing policy, but first responders we spoke with say they've
been complaining for months.
"You're penalized because you're in a take-home vehicle responding to
emergencies for your work," said another first responder who said he
used to have a clicker that was transferable to other vehicles, but it
was deactivated.
"If for any reason, it's my family that's making a call, I want to make
sure that they are here within seconds," added Damelio.
First Service Residential later sent WPTV the following statement:
“Palm Beach Plantation is
home to many members of law enforcement, emergency
management and first responder agencies. We are deeply
appreciative for the service they provide and the sacrifices
they make for our community. It has been brought to our
attention that a small but vocal number of residents have
made false allegations about Palm Beach Plantation
management, specifically regarding the community’s access
entry for law enforcement and first responders who live in
our community. We take this seriously given our support and
gratitude for those in the first responder community. Our
priority is to communicate all the facts correctly and
directly to our residents to set the record straight.” |
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