There are more than 3,000 gate repairs needed each year in The Villages and the majority of the damage at the gates can be attributed to distracted drivers.
Residents who think that flags, flashers or signs are needed to make the gates more visible aren’t going to get their wish any time soon.
District Manager Richard Baier addressed the topic of the entrance gates during a meeting Friday morning of the Community Development District 5 Board of Supervisors.
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The vast majority of the thousands of gate repairs each year can be chalked up to distracted drivers, he said.
He said a review of the gate strikes, including video surveillance, shows that the distracted drivers are:
• Looking at their phones
• Looking at their mates
• Looking at the radio
• Looking at birds, golfers or other distractions.
Earlier this year, at the entrance to the Village of Bonita on Canal Street, a couple’s SUV wound up crashing into the gate during an argument over directions. The wife was ticketed on a charge of careless driving.
Knocking down a gate will cost the driver $250. And the District aggressively chases down about $50,000 in reimbursement each year from gate repairs from the offenders.
A couple of residents asked the CDD 5 board why signs or other items couldn’t be added to make the gates more visible.
However, that could put the liability back on on the District, which is ultimately funded by the residents.
“You cannot be all things to all people,” said Supervisor Jerry Knoll. “Once you put in a speed bump or a sign, you take on the liability of what could happen.”
CDD 5 Chairman Gary Kadow urged residents to be more cautious when approaching the gates. He hinted that some damage to gates isn’t accidental.
“Many of the gates are broken on purpose. People don’t like the gates. People wear hats and hoods to disguise themselves. Remember, you are being videotaped,” Kadow warned.
