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Highland Beach advisory board debates installing dog‑waste stations, seeks town review
Summary
At a workshop the Town of Highland Beach Natural Resources Preservation Advisory Board discussed a proposal to place 16 dog‑waste stations across town, estimating an initial equipment cost just under $6,500 and additional installation and maintenance costs. Members asked staff for public‑works estimates and recommended a trial before town‑level action.
Vice chair Ken presented a packet at the Natural Resources Preservation Advisory Board workshop recommending 16 dog‑waste stations at strategic locations across Highland Beach to reduce pet waste on public paths and beaches. The packet mapped 14 dispenser‑only units near existing benches and trash receptacles and two enhanced units with attached small trash cans for two identified “dead‑zone” areas.
The vice chair described vendor pricing for the dispensers and bags and framed the measure as partly educational: “But most importantly, it’s educational,” he said, noting dispensers would carry three rolls (about 600 bags per unit) and that many rolls and cases would be included in the initial order. The vendor estimate the group discussed showed 14 simple units at roughly $342 each and two enhanced units at $533 each, with the total initial equipment and first‑fill bags described as “just under $6,500.”
Board members pressed on recurring costs and operations. The planning office provided preliminary public‑works figures for discussion: about $500 per station for installation (concrete and to‑code anchoring) and an annual estimate of $500–$750 per station for maintenance plus a maintenance staffing estimate of roughly 50–100 hours per year. The chair warned of the practical burden on staff, saying the job can be unpleasant for maintenance crews and stressing the need to consider empty dispensers and overflow: “It’s literally like going to a bathroom and there’s no toilet paper,” the chair said, describing the nuisance of empty rolls beside benches.
Members raised environmental and operational points: some questioned large initial bag orders and suggested a pilot program. One member urged starting with three trial units in high‑use areas to assess demand and nuisance risks before broader installation. The board also discussed bag material and disposal: the vendor offered 100% compostable bags, but members noted local disposal streams may not support composting and that currently collected litter often ends up in regular trash, reducing the compostable bag benefit.
Right‑of‑way and permitting issues were flagged. Planner Alan noted many proposed station locations lie in FDOT‑owned right‑of‑way and said a maintenance agreement with FDOT would likely be required for any installations there. The planner also said the town’s public‑works department had been briefed and provided the maintenance and installation estimates presented to the board.
Because the workshop lacked a quorum, the board did not make a recommendation. Members asked staff to include the public‑works cost estimate and a revised packet for a future meeting and several members urged a limited trial prior to asking the town commission to consider the measure for broader approval. The board expects any formal recommendation would go first to the town manager and could then be presented to the town commission for approval or further direction.
