PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A Palm Beach Gardens homeowner spent more than a year trying to get a rusted culvert in his neighborhood lake repaired — and while the answer to who is responsible remains unclear, progress is finally being made.
Bruce Honig first raised concerns about the deteriorating culvert in the Shady Lakes neighborhood, warning that someone could get seriously hurt.
WATCH BELOW: Homeowner pushes for fix to rusted culvert
"If you put your foot on it, or if a kid puts his foot in the wrong spot, he could get really hurt," Honig said.
Honig said his frustration grew as no one would claim responsibility for the structure.
"Frustrated? Yes, very frustrated," Honig said.
WPTV met with Honig in January. He drove us around the neighborhood and showed us that the rusted culvert is sitting in one of the community's lakes. He has since appeared before the Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District board three times, pleading for help.
"Looks pretty black and white to me, I'm just a homeowner though," Honig said at a recent board meeting.
Honig shared documents dating back four decades to when the development was built. Letters show the agency's predecessor, the Northern Palm Beach County Water Control District, accepted control of the lakes within the subdivision. However, another permit — stamped as a "draft" — points to the Homeowners Association as the responsible party.
One current board member acknowledged that while the board is responsible for the lakes, the ownership of the culvert itself remains unresolved.
"Looking at the documents, we're to the point where it doesn't appear to fall on anybody's shoulders," board member Brian LaMotte said.
Despite the uncertainty, the board approved a $6,800 expense for cleaning and an inspection of the culvert — a step Honig called an encouraging start.
"It's a starting point. They've recognized that there's a problem. They've hopefully recognized it's a dangerous problem, and they want to rectify it," Honig said.
Honig said he remains committed to keeping the issue in front of decision-makers until it is fully resolved.
"Everything's a process. We just have to keep this in front of them, so they don't forget the process and move on to other things," Honig said.
The board said it may pursue a cost-sharing agreement between itself, the Homeowners Association, and either the City of Palm Beach Gardens or the original developer for any future repair work.
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