HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance 278 Alarm Systems
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ORDINANCE NO. 278
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA,
ADDING SECTION 9-32 PROVIDING FOR ALARM SYSTEMS;
SEVERABILITY; CONFLICTS AND EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, malfunctions of privately owned alarm systems are
causing substantial misuse of the manpower and resources of the City
of Winter Springs, Florida, by requiring responses to numerous false
alarms, and
WHEREAS, telephone alarm devices regulated or programmed to
make connection with the police department could preempt police depart-
ment telephone lines to the exclusion of other calls, and
WHEREAS, the City Commission of the City of Winter Springs,
Florida, has determined that false alarms and use of telephone alarm
devices create a threat or potential threat to the health, safety and wel-
fare of the people of the City of Winter Springs, Florida.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA, HEREBY ORDAINS:
SECTION I - The Code of the City of Winter Springs, Florida, is
hereby amended by the adoption of Section 9-32 "Alarm Systems" to read as
follows:
SECTION 9-32 ALARM SYSTEMS
(a) Definitions
(1) Alarm - A signal (audio or visual, recorded or live)
transmitted to the Winter Springs Police or Fire Departments indicating
a predetermined condition. Said alarm is received either (1) via telephone
line to a designated position on an alarm panel. (2) Via a private
alarm service company relayed to the Winter Springs Police or Fire Depart-
ment telephone. (3) Via an automated telephone alarm system, playing a
recorded message when received on the Winter Springs Police or Fire Depart-
ment telephone. (4) Via an audible/visual signal relayed to the City of
Winter Springs Police or Fire Department by a third party.
(2) False Alarm - The activation of an alarm, by any means,
which does not represent the designed condition.
(3) Burglary Alarm - An alarm system designed to indicate a
condition of forced entry, or attempted forced entry.
(4) Robbery Alarm - An alarm system designed to indicate a
robbery (hold-up) is in progress or over with.
(5) Fire Alarm - An alarm system designed to indicate
the presence of fire and/or smoke.
(6) Telephone Alarm System - Any alarm system which
automatically transmits by telephone line a recorded electronic or
mechanical signal to a telephone instrument at the Winter Springs Police
or Fire Department. Such system to be totally automated and require no
relaying or action by a human being.
(b) Duty of Owner of Lessee Of Premises:
(1) Prior to the installation or substantial modification
or use of an alarm system which is defined in Sec.9-32(a) (1) the owner
or lessee of the premises shall furnish the Winter Springs Police and
Fire Department with such information as the departments deem necessary
to provide adequate response to the alarm. Newly installed or substantially
modified systems shall be allowed to operate for a period of thirty (30)
days from the date of installation or modification without penalty for
false alarms, provided the police and fire departments are notified of the
installation or modification in advance of same.
(2) Owners or lessees of existing alarm systems as defined
in Sec. 9-32(a)(1) or (3) shall have sixty (60) days from the date of this
chapter to comply with the above notice reqirements.
(3) Owners or lessees of any alarm system shall provide
response to the alarm location, when requested, in order to reset or dis-
able the alarm system within one (1) hour of notification. Failure to
provide such response shall result in a charge of $50.00 for each such
occurrence.
(4) The operator of every place of business which utilizes
an alarm system, as defined in Sec.9-32(a) (1) above, shall provide, visible
from the exterior of said business and adjacent to the main entrance, a
minimum of three (3) current working telephone numbers of persons to be
notified in case of emergency.
(5) All alarm systems having an audible or visual signal
at the premises shall be so equipped so as to automatically shut off the
audible or visual signal after fifteen (15) minutes, except those systems
required by law to have a longer operating period in which case said system
shall be so equipped, so as to automatically shut off the audible or visual
signal at the conclusion of said longer required operating time.
(c) Response to Alarms, Corrective Action, Reports Required and
Fees Charged.
(1) For each response by the Police Department to an
alarm, the department will cause a report to be filed, classifying the
alarm as one of the following:
(a) False alarm or system test with no notification
(b) Valid alarm for cause designated
(2) Upon the reception of a third false alarm within six
(6) months, the Police Department shall issue a warning notice to the
owner or lessee or manager of the premises involved. The owner or lessee
or manager shall file a written report with the Police Department within
five (5) working days indicating any and all measures taken to reduce false
alarms.
(3) There shall be a service fee charged for false alarms
according to the following schedule:
First Response (none in last six months) - No fee
Second Response (within six months) - No fee
Third Response (within six months) - Warning
Fourth Response (within six months) - $100.00 fee
Fifth Response and up (within six months) - $250.00 fee
(4) If, within 10 days from the occurrence of a false alarm
the owner or lessee or manager can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the
Police Chief that the alarm system in question has actually been examined
by a repair service authorized by the system manufacturer and either repaired,
if said repaired malfunction was the cause of the false alarm, or certified
that the system is in good working order, then providing the false alarm was
not caused by employee error, said false alarm shall not be considered a
false alarm for the purpose of Sec. 9-32(c) (3)above providing for the
assessment of a service fee.
(5) Upon failure of an owner or lessee or manager of a
premises to pay any fee specified above within ten (10) days the Chief of
Police shall be authorized to disconnect or order the disconnection of the
alarm system, and it shall be unlawful to reconnect or fail to disconnect
such alarm system unless and until appropriate corrective action has been
taken and such connection of an alarm system is authorized by the Chief of
Police. No disconnection or deactivation shall be ordered or made as to
any premises required by law to have an alarm system in operation. The
owner or lessee or manager shall be responsible for all costs incurred in
collecting the service fee including attorney's fees.
SECTION II - All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict
herewith are hereby repealed.
SECTION III - If any section or portion of a section or sub-
section of this ordinance proves to be invalid, unlawful or unconstitutional
it shall not be held to invalidate or impair the validity, force or effect
of any other section or portion of a section or sub-section or part of this
ordinance.
SECTION IV - This ordinance shall take effect upon final passage and
adoption.
PASSED and ADOPTED this 25th day of October, 1983.
PASSED and ADOPTED this 27th day of November, 1984.
CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA
JOHN V. TORCASO, MAYOR
ATTEST:
Mary T. Norton
CITY CLERK
First Reading 9/13/83
Posted 9/17/83
Publish Reading and Second Reading 10/25/83
TELEPHONE
(305) 327-1800
'vVlNTER SPRiNGS. F~ORIDA
ZIP CODE 32108
CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE is heLeby given by the City Commission of the City of Winter Springs,
Florida, that said Commission will hold a public hearing on an ordinance
entitled as follows:
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA,
ADDING SECTION 9-32 PROVIDING FOR ALARM SYSTEMS;
SEVERABILITY; CONFLICTS AND EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Public Hearing will be held at 7:30 p. m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25. 1983
, or as soon thereafter as possible in the Commission
Chamber, City Hall, 400 N. Edgemon Ave., Winter Springs, Florida.
Copies of the proposed ordinance are available in the office of the City
Clerk for inspection. Interested parties may appear at this hearing and be
heard with respect to this proposed ordinance.
Please be advised that, under State Law, if you decide to appeal a decision
made with respect to this matter, you will need a record of the proceedings
and may need to ensure that a verbatim record is made.
Dated this (;2 ~ .day of September
, 19 83.
CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA
')Mi~ '7 ~
Mary T. Norton,
City Clerk
PublUbed Daily
Altamonte Sprinp, SemiDoIe County, Florida
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$17.40
. The Orlando Sentinel
~tate of JFIoriha} SS.
COUNTY OF ORANGE
0: PT . ",1'19'83. '
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Before the undersigned authority personally appeared
Betty Ponder
(iT'! lif Vmm:R SPRINGS
C,TJho ~&~~th says that
in the
Court,
- -
CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS. FLORIDA
NOTICE OF PUBLIC ~RING
NOTICE 1$ hereby gl\l." by the City
Commission 01 the City 01 Winter
Springs. FJor!da,that ~ Co<!1mi8Sion
will hOkl,a public hear\f\g on an ordI-
nance enlllled: .
AN ORDINANCE OF. THE CITY OF
WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA,'
ASDING $ECTJON. 9-32 PI'lOVID-
ING FOR flLARM SYSTEMS; SEV-
ERABILITY; CONFLICTS AND EF-
FeCTIVE DATE.
This Public Huringwill be held at
. 7:3l};p.m;.0!\ T~ay, qct.~, 1Q83,
or as SO!)/l ,t!18realter as po8Sible in
i the. COft!ifti~'CI!~~j~~~'
,400 N, ~ /we., WinletsPrJngS, .
FIorida.' . '.. . . ..... .
~lnllle-:=t(~~= .
tor:1nlljlll!ltlon. ~~ may
~r.~J~~ft'I~i:ncs(>ft'P=~
~~;~ th....~ State
L~ if you decide. to ~. a deci-
$iOn. "*"_ With reepect to this matter,
you. wilt.~a TeCOrd 91 the proceed-
Ings and rrilIy f'I8l!lI to ensure thet a
verb_1m record is. made. ..'
Datect1his 2tl day of September, 1983.
. CITY.OF WINTER SPRINGS, .
FLORIDA .
Is/MaryT. Norton
Mary T, NQrton,
City Clerk
L8-S76(Ss) 0C1.2,1983
she is the Legal Advertising Representative of the Orlando Sentinel, a Daily newspaper
published at Altamonte Springs, in Seminole County, Florida; that the attached copy of ad-
vertisement, being A Not ice 0 f Pub 1 i c H ear in g in the matter of
Ordinance providing for alarm systems
was published in said newspaper in the issues of
Oct. 2, 1983
Affiant further says that the said Orlando Sentinel is a newspaper published at Altamonte
Springs, in Seminole County, Florida, and that the said newspaper has heretofore been contin-
uously published in said Seminole County, Florida, each Week Day and has been entered as
second-class mail matter at the post office in Altamonte Springs, in said Seminole County,
Florida for a period of one year next preceding the first publication of the attached copy of ad-
vertisement; and affiant further says that he/she has neither paid nor promised any person,
firm or corporation any discount, rebate, commission or refund for the purpose of securing this
advertisement for publication in the said newspaper.
~~ y;~u/
Sworn to and subscribed before me this
5th
day
of
October
83
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B:e~O~brl)~l;s=>n ~":Ji:(', Ji~I>:' J.3~ 1. Large
t\irrcricnl1 F
Ire & Casua,ty Co.
FORM NO. AD-264
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