[Mo_Gearhead]

The shooting case in Florida has me contemplating Gated Communities.

While I enjoy living where I need binoculars to see my neighbors, I know many people love the urban/city life and crave the closeness of other people, HOA’s and the implied security of such environments.

When I visit cities/towns that have Gated Communities, I am often puzzled by the layouts. One that I can think of has a man sitting in a “guard shack” at its only vehicle entrance. He asks you the reason of your visit, appears to write that in some logbook and gives you a colorful card to display on your dash, opens the gate and lets you in - you later drop the card in a box upon leaving. The amusing part of this whole game of “supposed security” is; the entire perimeter is un-fenced. ANYONE could walk onto the property from three sides - or attack by boat from the side that is bordered by a lake. Hilarious.

I have, of course, also seen Gated Communities that have large rock walls, or tall, ornate and costly steel fencing that do indeed surround the entire complex. Many seem to have just a keypad (no guard shack) that owners use to open the gates.

My questions are: Since these communities ( I assume ) are considered private property, when a fire occurs or when the police are dispatched, do they have the “codes” to open the gates?

How are plumbers, repair men, UPS deliveries, the mail service, etc. handled with the keypad-only situation?

And in the case of my first example, would a person that walks onto the property be considered a trespasser, if he wanted to walk the golf cart path for exercise or go into the clubhouse for a beer and a sandwich?

Anyone living in a Gated Community care to comment?