Another example of "It takes a Village" Thank you for the community coming together with Police and Code to quickly resolve a situation

Sunday afternoon provided a reminder that Hurricane Season is approaching.  A tree fell on Old Cutler and Southwest 136th Street, blocking the bike path and part of the road. Fortunately, I was able to find a volunteer who, along with our Palmetto Bay officers and Alan White of Code Enforcement, was able to clear the tree so everyone could continue with their Sunday.

I want to publicly thank John Betancourt of JLA PROPERTY MAINTENANCE, who stepped forward and provided valuable assistance for the benefit our community.  John volunteered his know-how, strength and chainsaw in removing the tree before it became a problem. This was a team effort.  I also want to thank Palmetto Bay Code officer Alan White as well as our MDPD/Village Policing Unit who secured the intersect and kept traffic safe. Thank you Bill Kestel for bringing this to my attention.

This was a true public/private (community partnership) - the sense of civic responsibility and pride came forward to work together as a team to expedite the resolution of this situation.  The tree was obviously weakened due to past storms.  It fell sometime mid day Sunday, May 6, 2018.

The downed tree made for a very unsafe bike path - such as for this lil fella out for a bike ride with her family (she looks like our own Lil Timmy, but obviously not).

The TEAM was able to cut (to the point required to safely clear the path) and stack in 5 minutes, 41 seconds!

This was a great community response from the Facebook post (although I can always be reached directly via call to (305) 302-3713 or e-mail at eflinn@palmettobay-fl.gov).  It is fortunate that this all came together this Sunday and there no accidents or injuries due to this fallen tree.

Thank you John Betancourt / JLA Property Maintenance - for being the right place at the right time and stepping up to assist.  And, again, thank you Bill Kestel for bringing this to my attention.

The walkers, bicyclists, and joggers, some with their pups are back to using the path without having to step into the street to circumnavigate the fallen tree.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Palmetto Bay does have an after hours duty phone: ‭(305) 506-7965‬ That is manned by a rotating department director. The assigned director is authorized to administer to any village needs that arise at times other than normal business hours. Please see my post of April 7, 2017, POD Passing of the Duty Phone - 305-506-7965 - for this weekend. 24/7 communication with Palmetto Bay for information.