St. Pete considers allowing electrified fences

ST. PETERSBURG Plagued by vandalism, including $40,000 damage to an air-conditioning unit, Tibbetts Lumber Co. installed an electrified fence around its yard on Fairfield Avenue more than two years ago.

The electrified part of the fence, which carries a short 12-volt pulsed electric charge, sits above and slightly behind a 6-foot chain-link fence that does not impart any shock. The system works as an alarm, with the current only switched on when the lumber yard is closed, and it has proved successful at deterring vandals, owners say.

But electrified fences are illegal in St. Petersburg, even though the city has one encircling a water-pumping station in Pinellas Park, where the fences are legal.

On Thursday, a proposal to allow electrified fences in parts of the city sparked divisions on the city council, which was split between safety concerns for passersby and the need to help businesses protect their premises. After an hourlong discussion on the issue and several failed votes, council members sent the idea back to a committee for further discussion.

Under the proposal, electrified fences would be permitted if the part that carries the charge is at least3 inches behind a nonelectrical perimeter fence. Warning notices would have to be posted every 60 feet, and the fences would be permitted only on land zoned for industrial use, which includes Tibbetts lumber yard.

Council critics of the proposal noted that the yard is close to Gibbs High School and on a path students use.

This is an extreme case where its right next to the school, Councilman Karl Nurse said. Im perplexed the way barbed-wire fence and our police department arent sufficient to protect our properties.

The city has other industrial areas that abut residential properties where electrified fences would be a concern, Councilwoman Amy Foster said.

Im thinking about electrified fences in the Warehouse Arts District, and Im just not comfortable, she said.

Councilmen Bill Dudley, Jim Kennedy and Charlie Gerdes supported the proposal. Gerdes expressed frustration that the city is impeding a company that, instead of complaining to the city for more police protection, is prepared to spend its own money to take care of the problem.

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St. Pete considers allowing electrified fences