If you live in a gated community in Homestead and pay the stormwater management fee, the city will not help your community clear storm drains. They are saying that those roads within gated communities are private, so what are you paying for?
You are paying for the city to do other projects involving stormwater management in other areas of the city.
Now a contradiction is that services involving water, sewers, recycling, bulk trash and solid waste are all delivered via the so called private roads, so why the distinction?
This internal City of Homestead memo to Mayor Bateman from Julio Brea sums up the City of Homestead position:
Mayor, I wanted to explain that is not that the City does not want to repair their drains, the fact is that we are not allowed to use public funds on private property. The funds collected for stormwater utilities are for use on public roadways not private roads that are not designed, built or maintained by the City. The drains on private roads are equivalent in jurisdiction as a drain on a private parking lot or road within a parking lot... The City cannot use public funds to repair or maintain private property.
We are eager to guide them on what they should do or the steps they can take to rectify their issue. We are available to meet and explain our position and the limitation we must work under at their convenience.
Julio A. Brea, P.E.
Director
Public Works and Engineering Department
City of Homestead
Office: (305) 224-4405
Fax: (305) 224-4439
Jbrea@cityofhomestead.com
We are eager to guide them on what they should do or the steps they can take to rectify their issue. We are available to meet and explain our position and the limitation we must work under at their convenience.
Julio A. Brea, P.E.
Director
Public Works and Engineering Department
City of Homestead
Office: (305) 224-4405
Fax: (305) 224-4439
Jbrea@cityofhomestead.com
Several Questions on this correspondence:
1. Why did the Mayor bypass the City Manager?
2. Is this his customary Standard Operating Procedure?
3. Doesn't Julio Brea work at the direction of the City Manager?
Note: Julio Brea did not bypass the City Manager on his response, Mr. Gretsas was copied.
Additionally, the Mayor said this:
1. Why did the Mayor bypass the City Manager?
2. Is this his customary Standard Operating Procedure?
3. Doesn't Julio Brea work at the direction of the City Manager?
Note: Julio Brea did not bypass the City Manager on his response, Mr. Gretsas was copied.
Additionally, the Mayor said this:
On the 20th Anniversary of Hurricane Andrew, we found ourselves preparing for Tropical Storm Isaac. This time, we were prepared.
Homestead was recently recognized by the National Weather Service as a StormReady® community. The StormReady® program better prepares community leaders and residents for hazardous weather and flooding through advance planning, education, and awareness.
StormReady® is a program started in 1999 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It helps arm America's communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property before and during a severe weather event. StormReady® helps community leaders and emergency managers strengthen local safety programs.
Prior to the start of the hurricane season, Homestead’s major storm drains were cleaned and South Florida Water Management Division lowered canal levels to provide for more storage capacity to better accommodate excess rainfall.
StormReady Fallacy: Unless of course you live in a gated community as the city uses your fees elsewhere, like the Villages of Homestead in the photo. The Mayor said in his newsletter "City of Homestead employee begins road repairs immediately" after Tropical Storm Isaac.
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