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Oldsmar clarifies right-of-way maintenance; council moves to shift some mowing to property owners
Summary
Public works director outlined how plats, permits and city code determine maintenance responsibility; staff said most properties already maintain parkways and the city will transition a small percentage (estimated 5–10% of properties) to private maintenance, prompting resident concerns about St. Petersburg Drive.
The City of Oldsmar’s director of public works told the City Council on Feb. 18 that the city is clarifying which rights of way it must maintain and is transitioning maintenance of some parkway areas to adjacent property owners under existing code.
The clarification follows a series of resident complaints about lawn and ditch mowing. The matter is important because it affects who must maintain parkway strips, ditches and other parcels next to private property — and because the city enforces the change under Chapter 12 and Chapter 58 of the city code.
Daniel Simpson, director of public works, framed the policy using five tests — plats, permits, policies and public records — and said the city is documenting which assets are city responsibility and which are private. “Meeting or exceeding all regulatory requirements is non negotiable,” Simpson said. He explained the city’s stormwater MS4 permit and environmental-resource permits, and noted an upcoming MS4 permit change will double inspection frequency on many stormwater assets from every 10 years to every 5 years.
Simpson said staff has identified properties where maintenance had been provided by the city as a courtesy and has begun notifying property owners. He said about 5–10% of individual properties required a change in maintenance responsibility after staff notices and follow-ups; most owners came into compliance during voluntary outreach prior to the hurricanes. He described the process: door hangers, a second notice and then voluntary code-enforcement follow-up for remaining noncompliant properties.
Several residents spoke at the open forum and during council discussion. Jerry Beeman, a longtime resident, told the council he believed changes of that magnitude should have been brought to council earlier for public deliberation. Simpson said staff had emailed council during the transition and that the city was following the city code’s language that places responsibility for parkways and adjacent right-of-way maintenance on property owners.
Council members and staff emphasized they will continue to coordinate with homeowners associations and help HOAs develop maintenance plans. Simpson said the city will continue to maintain stormwater conveyance (the shape and flow capacity of ditches and pipes) even where vegetation and parkway landscape is the homeowner’s responsibility, and that complete-streets work on St. Petersburg Drive will pipe some ditches as part of the planned project.
Council did not adopt a new ordinance at the meeting; the presentation provided staff guidance and direction for continued implementation and increased documentation of ownership and maintenance responsibilities.
