Council approves Circle S Estates safety grant and town-paid license-plate reader after residents show break-in footage

The Town of Southwest Ranches council voted unanimously Aug. 8 to approve a neighborhood safety grant requested by the Circle S Estates homeowners association and separately authorized the town to buy and maintain a license-plate reader (LPR) to be installed at the community entrance.

Stephanie Duquesne Welsh, vice president of the Circle S Estates HOA, told the council the neighborhood — located off Griffin and Dykes roads — has experienced multiple break-ins and thefts. She presented video stills and described incidents in which thieves entered driveways, took items from cars and, in one case, entered a garage. “Thief number 1 goes right into my garage... They pick up my son’s new [item], and the fear that we had was them being able just to walk right into my house,” she said, urging cameras and delineators to deter and assist police investigations.

Council members debated whether the LPR purchase should be part of the grant. Several members, including Vice Mayor Kosinski and others, supported separating the items and accelerating the camera purchase so the town could install and maintain the system as part of town infrastructure. Councilmember Jablonski moved to purchase and maintain the camera using lien/forfeiture funds; the motion carried on a unanimous roll call.

The council approved the neighborhood safety grant — which staff characterized as a maximum amount in the roughly $11,541 range for the delineators and electrical work discussed in the staff presentation, with a total grant award listed on the agenda of $35,287.82 — and asked staff to coordinate final engineering review, public-works permitting and a resident cost-share where applicable. Staff estimated that, once installed, the LPR could be active within about 60–90 days.

Council discussion also touched on developer obligations: several council members asked staff to review whether promised entrance widening or traffic-mitigation measures shown on the approved site plan were constructed as required, and the town said it would follow up with engineering and code enforcement if necessary.

The council’s separate motion to buy and install an LPR was approved on a 5-0 roll call; council members said the purchase would be funded from lien/forfeiture funds and that the town would assume maintenance and indemnification responsibilities after installation. Residents said they will continue to work with town staff on appropriate signage and delineators once engineers confirm what can safely be installed in the right of way.

The vote follows public testimony from local residents and the HOA and closes in on a two-track approach: town-funded camera infrastructure to aid law enforcement and an HOA grant-supported package of local deterrents and traffic delineators.