Page 13 - Talk of Tequesta - November '22

The Talk Of Tequesta, Page 13

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Easements And Rights-Of-Way On Your Property

By Katie Roundtree, Director of Finance and Administration, Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District

If you own property in Florida, you may encounter the terms An example is a drainage location to travel through a
easement and right-of-way. Both of them affect how you can easement located between water body owned by someone
use your property and the rights to your property. They are two homes. Within else to another.
used frequently in areas where Northern Palm Beach County one or both parcels is a Some common easements
Improvement District has maintenance responsibilities. They designated area where in our area are drainage,
are essential to allow the district to access areas where it may the easement holder water management, utility
not have ownership rights near our facilities or waterways. may travel to access and landscape buffers. Each
An easement is a legal agreement that allows another party something on the other of these allows the holder to
to use the subject property for a specific purpose. They do not side. Another example is access the property for the
give the user ownership over the property; they enable the user flowage easement which purpose stated. They could be a
to use the subject property without being arrested for trespassing. allows water from one means to access a pipe, a water
body, an electrical connection,
or landscaping around a facility.
A right-of-way is a broader type of easement that allows
anyone to travel through the subject property to reach another
destination. Like other easements, a right-of-way agreement
gives the recipient no ownership over your property. However,
a right-of-way does not give the holder access to another
person’s property for “use” of the property. A right-of-way
only allows a person to pass over another person’s property.
Rights-of-way are for travel purposes across the land, such as
a driveway or a walkway. They do not allow you to use the
land for any other reasons.
Once an easement is created, the easement owner has the
right and the duty to maintain it for its purpose unless otherwise
agreed between the easement owner and the owner of the
underlying property. The easement owner can make repairs
and improvements to the easement, provided that those repairs
or modifications do not interfere with the use and enjoyment
of the easement by the owner of the property through which
the easement exists.
Please be mindful of easements on your property and keep
those areas clear of personal property. Access to the district’s
facilities is critical, especially during storm events.
Suppose district staff or contractors cannot get to an area
needing maintenance. In that case, there could be future
unintended consequences.
NPDES tip: Dirt, oil, and debris that collect in parking lots
and paved areas can be washed into the storm sewer system
and eventually enter local waterbodies. Sweep up litter and
debris from sidewalks, driveways and parking lots, especially
around storm drains.

peT maTTers

Blessing

PUT YOUR MIND AT EASE Of The Animals

A quick screening can detect By Millie Eyeington
lung cancer at its earliest stage.
On Sunday, Oct. 9, First
Presbyterian Church of
Did you know lung cancer can be detected at its earliest and most Tequesta at 482 Tequesta
treatable stage? The team at Cleveland Clinic Florida uses low-dose Drive hosted its first annual
Blessing of the Animals.
CT screenings to detect lung cancer earlier. That means our experts, This free event was open
from pulmonologists and oncologists to thoracic surgeons, can provide to both church members
and members of the greater
patients with nonsurgical and surgical treatments sooner. Tequesta community.
At the Blessing of the
Animals, guests enjoyed
Find out if you need a lung cancer screening. tacos from Guatamigos
food truck and got to meet
other animal enthusiasts. Their pets got to enjoy treats provided
ClevelandClinicFlorida.org/LungScreening by Gigi’s Pet Market and receive a blessing from Pastor Kathy
Dain. Pastor Kathy spoke about the great relationship humans
have with animals, and the event ended with all guests sharing
a prayer of gratitude for their pets.
First Presbyterian Church of Tequesta has been a fixture
of the Tequesta community for over 60 years. Its mission is,
“We are a welcoming family of Christ’s disciples, sharing
his love in all we do.” The Blessing of the Animals is one of
many community events the church hosts throughout the year,
including a Live Nativity event that happens before Christmas
every year. This year’s Live Nativity will be held on Dec. 18,
and is open to community members to attend.
Photo by Jordan Albright