Thank you Miami-Dade County. My garbage cart has been repaired and put back away. Services provided.

Thank you Robert and Cecil from Miami-Dade Department of Solid Waste. The lid to my garbage cart has been prepared today (Monday, June 8, 2020). My cart is now put away.

This post updates and closes out the prior related posts, including: May 26, 2020, Please don't cite me $150 through Code Enforcement as I am following the County rules. Please, Palmetto Bay, do not interfere with my essential County services.

Personally, I was never cited - nor should I have been, but sometimes that my point is that some times that can you see left out could be one waiting for service by Miami-Dade County.

My garbage cart is repaired - a new lid placed on it and the cart has been placed back where it belongs, obscured from view. 

I even received an e-mail confirming that the service has been completed:

Mon, Jun 8 at 3:35 PM
Your Green Garbage Cart order 20-10335909 has been successfully completed.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, please email 311@miamidade.gov or dial 311.To submit other requests to Miami-Dade County, please visit www.miamidade.gov/311direct

Again, thank you Robert and Cecil from Miami-Dade Department of Solid Waste.

Please don't cite me $150 through Code Enforcement as I am following the County rules. Please, Palmetto Bay, do not interfere with my essential County services.

No Palmetto Bay resident should fear a $150 citation from Palmetto Bay for a garbage cart, especially when the residents are following County rules. This post will provide information on how to request service for broken county trash carts, provide necessary links as well as to educate our current members of our village council how to not to put residents at risk of fines. The interesting part is that the vice mayor is terming out (serving nearly 8 years to date), the mayor is entering her 6th year of service, and this is the second time in office for council member Fiore. They all should know better.

The background: see May 19, 2020, Q: How much does it cost to leave your garbage can out in Palmetto Bay? A: $150. Palmetto Bay has gone mad.

I remember the fight to incorporate Palmetto Bay. The promise was we could (and did) do more for our residents by keeping our UMSA money home. A specific issue was staying government lite and not becoming the next Coral Gables or Boca Raton by way of aggressive code enforcement. But new administrations bring new policies and new priorities. The current mayor promised a new direction for Palmetto Bay in the 2018 elections and, well, you've got one. Palmetto Bay certainly has embarked upon a new direction under this current mayor, has reduced transparency, held far too numerous to easily track special council meetings - or keep up with, as well as busted budgets and increased taxes and park user fees.

I detailed the story of Palmetto Bay Code Enforcement issuing a $150.00 ticket to a homeowner, a nurse - for leaving her garbage cart out too long! Not that they actually have the power to, but I am betting that this code enforcement citation has been ‘torn up’ in response to the justified outrage that followed this $150 citation (this will make for a interesting public records request, to track this ticket and its resolution).

My request: Please Palmetto Bay officials - do not interfere with my right to receive Miami-Dade County services, as per the protocol put in place by Miami-Dade County. Take any issues up with the County, but please refrain from issuing citations to any residents following County rules. 

My current situation: My trash cart is broken and it requires repair or replacement. I really wasn't paying attention until several residents contacted me regarding the homeowner ticket as detailed on May 19. One in particular advised that Miami-Dade County requires the homeowner to leave their trash cart out front (by the street) in order to receive a repair or replacement. I went to the online 3-1-1 page and sure enough, this information is correct:

I have made my request for service to my trash cart - see photos documenting damage. I am following the County instructions. 

I do have a Service Request Number:

20-10335909

Following county guidelines:  My trash cart will remain out and accessible as requested by the County - this repair or replacement should be perfected anywhere from today to 10 days (similar to bulk waste pickup). 

Please Palmetto Bay - I am following the County protocol - please don't issue me a ticket for following the process set by Miami-Dade County.

INFORMATION AND LINKS TO MIAMI-DADE COUNTY ONLINE 3-1-1 FOR SERVICE

CLICK HERE to be taken to Miami-Dade County's 311 Direct - the page to submit a service request. Services include (but many others are listed): Animals, bulky waste pick-ups, missed garbage pickups or recycling, mosquitoes, senior meal assistance and, of course, requesting repair / replacement of the damaged green waste cart as well as blue recycling carts.

Please Palmetto Bay officials - do not interfere with my right to receive Miami-Dade County services, as per the protocol put in place by Miami-Dade County. Take any issues up with the County, but please refrain from issuing citations to any residents following County rules. 

Q: How much does it cost to leave your garbage can out in Palmetto Bay? A: $150. Palmetto Bay has gone mad.

The current mayor promised a new direction for Palmetto Bay in the 2018 elections. Well you've got one. Palmetto Bay certainly has embarked upon a new direction under this current mayor, reduced transparency, numerous special meetings - far too numerous to count or keep up with, busted budgets, and now this:

Palmetto Bay Code Enforcement issuing $150.00 tickets to homeowners - for leaving their garbage can out too long! Have our Palmetto Bay officials gone nuts?

As recited on the Facebook post:

(Name redacted) I’m a bit upset at a PB inspector. Last week he apparently came by my house and states he gave a verbal warning to someone.... that the garbage can was out.... funny thing is I didn’t even take out the garbage on Tuesday.... he then returned to my house Saturday morning and left a $150 citation in my door because my garbage can was out! None of my neighbors seem to have received citations and saw multiple garbage cans out. It was pouring rain and couldn’t bring it in before leaving to work at the hospital. This is ridiculous! Since when are garbage cans citations $150? And much less when it’s not enforced unanimously!!!!!"

As one person commented: "Regardless, $150 seems quite excessive!!!!"

OMG. This certainly marks a new direction for Palmetto Bay. In some places, a friend, neighbor, or even a government official would bring in the can. Believe me, it takes much more in village resources to make good on a $150.00 ticket. 

This is insensitive. So many people are losing money (and their sense of well-being) during this coronavirus and this is how they are being treated!

I give this ticket a ZERO PERCENT chance of holding up in court (a hearing before the Palmetto Bay Special Master).

Why the sudden change of direction of this nature; why are we citing our fellow residents over a garbage can being left out for too long? Don't blame our code enforcement department. I personally know this code enforcement officer. This is not his MO. He assists residents. He is obviously under strict new directions. New mayor and council = new policy for our code enforcement officers must comply with.

Could it be that Palmetto Bay officials are so desperate to fill an alleged (yet still unconfirmed) $1 million budget deficit that they plan on making it up $150 at a time against our valued residents?

I'm calling BS on this one. This is a garbage punk move by an administration that is at war against its own residents.  How about issuing $150.00 tickets to the current mayor and council members for blowing up the current Palmetto Bay budget and costing us in time, services and increased taxes?