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Town of Ocean Ridge |
Town Hall: |
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Town Hall Building & Zoning Police Department
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ORDINANCE NO. 555 ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF OCEAN RIDGE, AMENDING CHAPTER 66 OF THE CODE OF
ORDINANCES, ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS, BY AMENDING DIVISION 3, SECTION 66-151,
TREE PERMITS, BY ADDING A NEW SUBSECTION 66.151(b)(7), PROVIDING FOR TRIMMING
AND MAINTENANCE OF TREES ADJACENT TO OVERHEAD AND UTILITY LINES; PROVIDING FOR
REPEAL OF CONFLICTING ORDINANCES; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR
CODIFICATION AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, during and after Hurricanes Francis and Jeanne, which struck the Town in September, 2004, power was interrupted to homes within the Town for long periods of time; and WHEREAS, one significant reason
for such power outages is damage to power lines and transformers caused by
strong winds blowing tree limbs and branches into utility poles and lines from
adjacent overgrown and oversized trees; and WHEREAS, the health, safety and
general welfare of the public during and after such severe storms requires the
provision of prompt power and of the utilities; and WHEREAS, the Town Commission
finds that it is in the best interests of all of the citizens of the Town to
reduce the impact of untrimmed and poorly maintained trees on the uninterrupted
and/or prompt restoration of utilities to the Town in the case of natural
disasters and other strong storm events. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE TOWN COMMISSION OF
THE TOWN OF Section 1 - Amendment. Chapter
66, Environmental Regulations, of the Code of Ordinances is
hereby amended by adding a new Section 66.151(b)(7), Tree
Trimming
and Maintenance, to read as follows:
(7)
Tree Trimming and Maintenance:
Notwithstanding any other provisions contained in Chapter 66, Article IV,
of this Code of Ordinances, all trees shall be trimmed and maintained so as not
to come in contact or otherwise obstruct or interfere with power or other
utility lines or facilities. Property
owners shall be responsible for complying with this subsection with respect to
all trees located on their property, on privately granted utility easements for
which their property exists as the servient estate and on any adjacent rights of
way upon which the property owner has sought permission or a license from the
Town to plant or maintain landscaping including trees.
No permit will be required from the Town for such trimming or maintenance
provided, however, that such trimming or maintenance shall comply with the
provisions of Section 66-151(b)(6)
above. Section 2.
Codification.
This ordinance shall be codified in the Code of Ordinances of the Town
of
Ocean Ridge, Florida. Section 3
Severability.
If any word, clause, sentence, paragraph, section or part thereof
contained
in this Ordinance is declared to be unconstitutional, unenforceable, void
or
inoperative by a court of competent jurisdiction, such declaration shall
not
affect the validity of the remainder of the Ordinance. Section 4
Repeal.
All Ordinances or parts
of Ordinances in conflict herewith shall be and the
same are hereby repealed. Section 5
Effective Date. This
Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon adoption. |
