Page 7 - Palm City Spotlight - March '22
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Palm City Spotlight, Page 7

                                              LocaL Government



      ‘Please Don’t Cry Wolf’                            call. The risk to human life                      find no evidence of criminal offense or fire. Such occurrences

                                                         because of this wasted time                       engage the police or fire department and needlessly divert public
      By Ruth “Ski”                                      is a cause for concern.                           safety resources, costing time and means of local municipalities.
      Pietruszewski,                                       Many culprits can cause                           Frequent false alarms desensitize communities to the
      Martin County Tax                                  an alarm to go off. Stimuli                       actual incidents of crime or fire, eventually leading to
      Collector                                          that trick detectors or                           ignoring the actual cases. Alarms that are crying wolf affect
        It’s good news for public                        sensors such as cooking –                         people’s behavior making them feel there’s no need to react
      safety that automatic alarms                       grilling bacon and burning                        to the alarm, but for the one in ten or in a hundred alarms
      and detection systems are                          toast, welding and grinding,                      that is genuine, complacency could be fatal.
      widely used, so incident and                       steam from a shower,                                Educating household members on operating the system,
      first responders can take                          cigarette smoke, dust,                            checking windows and doors, making sure that pets are out
      lifesaving action quickly.                         aerosols, cleaning chemicals, a malfunction of the system,   of the sensors’ zone, and even checking for drafts that can
      Alarm systems are designed to                      low batteries, loose sensors, roaming pets, and simple user   cause movement of the houseplants, holiday decorations,
      protect our lives and property,                    error, can all unnecessarily generate a false alarm.  fans, etc., are ways of preventing or limiting the incidents.
      and when properly installed, used and maintained, are a real asset.     False alarms disrupt everyday activities.  They’re   Many jurisdictions impose costly fines for excessive false
      However, when responders are sent out on false alarm calls, it   inconvenient, stressful, cause unnecessary expense, and are a   alarms to offset the expenditures. The biggest cost is in the
      means they don’t get to the genuine incidents as quickly and that’s   wholly unproductive activity. A false alarm is a notification of   loss of lifesaving resources.
      time they can’t get back, hindering a rapid response to a critical   an alarm to the police department when responding authorities     On Sept. 27, 2005, Martin County Commissioners adopted
                                                                                                           an ordinance titled The Martin County False Alarm Reduction
                                                                                                           Ordinance 770, which allows imposing a fine against
                                                                                                           businesses and homeowners for false alarms. There is no fine
                                                                                                           for the first false alarm if the alarm operator has a valid alarm
                                                                                                           permit. Alarm permit application forms are available on the
                                                                                                           tax collector’s website, and the permit fee is $20.
                                                                                                             As an incentive to reduce false alarm calls, alarm operators
                                                                                                           who had no false alarm incidents during a permit year will be
                                                                                                           rewarded by having the cost of their renewal being reduced to
                                                                                                           $10, if their permit is renewed prior to the expiration date.
                                                                                                             Alarm systems provide significant protection to our lives
                                                                                                           and property, if installed and used properly. False alarms place
                                                                                                           a drain on frontline services, increase the risk to road users, and
                                                                                                           cause interruption to the business sector and communities. We
                                                                                                           should do whatever we can to prevent and reduce them.

                                                                                                           Did You Know You Can 'Co-

                                                                                                           Own' A Property With Your
                                                                                                           Adult Child, And They Can

                                                                                                           Still File For The Homestead

                                                                                                           Exemption Benefit?

                                                                                                           By Jenny Fields, CFA,
                                                                                                           Martin County Property
                                                                                                           Appraiser
                                                                                                             Due to the rising cost of
                                                                                                           property ownership, it’s not
                                                                                                           uncommon for parents to “co-
                                                                                                           own” a property with their
                                                                                                           child. While the parents own
                                                                                                           another home and receive the
                                                                                                           homestead exemption benefit
                                                                                                           on their home, the child may
                                                                                                           file for homestead exemption
                                                                                                           on the “co-owned” property.
                                                                                                             You may own more than one home but
                                                                                                           you can only claim homestead exemption
                        Defeating colorectal cancer                                                        on one home. That home needs to be
                                                                                                           your primary residence. The following
                                      starts with you.                                                     illustrates this scenario.


                            Take the first step today.                                                      House No. 1
                                                                                                              This house is
                                                                                                            owned by John
                                                                                                            and Mary Smith.
                    Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.    John and Mary live
                   Yet, through early detection from a colonoscopy, it’s also one of the most preventable.   and reside in this
             Cleveland Clinic Martin Health is here to provide our community access to the latest treatments and    home and filed for
            technologies including robotic colorectal surgery. The digestive care you need is right where you need it.  their homestead
                                                                                                            exemption.

                     At Cleveland Clinic Martin Health, we believe every life deserves world class care.
                                           Let nothing stand in your way.
                                                                                                            House No. 2
                                                                                                              This  house  is
                                                                                                            owned by John and
                                                                                                            Mary Smith and
                                                                                                            their adult daughter
                                                                                                            Maggie Smith.
                                                                                                            Maggie Smith lives
                                                                                                            and resides in this
                                                                                                            home and filed
                                                                                                            for her homestead
                                                                                                            exemption.
                                                                                                           HELLO SPRING!
              Call 844.630.4968 or visit ccmartinhealth.org/colonoscopy to schedule an appointment.
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