abandoned vehicles STT

At least on Water Island, the new governor's staff is still trying to do what they can - when they can. They have already picked up a huge "tower of rust" and are coming back (hopefully soon) to pick up another tower of rust and residents' junk cars. Residents have to pay $200 per vehicle but I personnally think that's a good deal!

Hello FL Barrier Islander,

Residents have to pay $200/car or the car owner pays it? Also is this 'junk car cleanup' something the WI Community Group organized and requested or is it a government agency that came over and saw them and suggested the clean up? I know things sometimes work a little differently on WI so was curious. Thanks!

--Islander

The car "owner" has to pay the $200. We put our names on a piece of paper posted on the bulletin board and a resident is interface/liason. I don't know if this is a special agreement ($200) that was developed between Water Island Civic Association (WICA) and the gov't. Junk cars had been piling up on Water Island (I assume the same can be said for any of our islands) and WICA has been very, very persistent. Thought we had it solved last year but we all have seen in the VI Daily News re: the delay. Many residents (including us) have "island cars" whose time has come to go to junk car heaven. Most of us don't have the titles to the cars. We want to do the right thing and dispose of the vehicles properly. I once priced getting our property manager to manage getting the cars (we have 2 junkers) on a barge, tow truck and then landfill for detox and crushing. The cost would have been more but besides that, the tow truck was balking about towing a car that didn't have a title.........so......it would have been more money and even then, I wasn't sure if the cars would have truly ended up at the landfil.

It seems that here on STT it runs in spurts. Suddenly you see the orange letters sprayed on abandoned cars' windshields & then they get towed. Next is another lull when they don't seem to come around to pick them up. I never could figure out what the deal is on that. Maybe budgets or levels of complaints???

That's interesting about WI. I didn't know that.

Well, they are back on track now. The guy in jail embezzled the funds hence no pick ups!

RL

Thanks Fl Barrier Islander for the info. on WI.

--Islander

Interesting,
I have a neighbor, who a couple years back son had a terrible accident.
After asking if everyone was OK, I asked what he was going to do with the car(it was totaled, on the side of the estate road).
He said he was selling it for parts & had a buyer to pick it up.
I asked if he was going to sign the title over, he said no, it`s just for parts....
The point is, the last person registered is responsible for the vehicle, not the person who strips the parts & leaves it on some road!!!
When selling a car(even/especially for parts), have the title signed over, notarized, & a copy retained!
This is important, as it is the new owners liability, not yours anymore!

DUN, these are excellent words of advice - "have the title signed over, notarized, & a copy retained!". Our island cars that are well past their prime and ready to go to junk heaven "came with the house". One of the cars was never registered in the USVI. The other car, according to the previous home owner, was in an accident on STT and totaled by the insurance company. The car was then purchased by the previous home owner, s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d back out (it was an accordian after the accident, then barged over to WI. There are a lot of cars like these on Water Island. In March/2007, government representatives lead a "town meeting" at the Honeymoon Beach pavillion and (I summarize here.....) told us that they are going to begin enforcing registered vehicles on Water Island. Of course, this raised quite a stir considering (1) the cost and process to get vehicles over to STT for registration and license, (2) HOW will they enforce it.....there are no police on WI so....does that mean there WILL be police regularly patrolling - what? - on Water Island?. And, many owners now have golf carts. Govt stated that golf carts are not legal for territory roads and would be prohibited. Maybe, said they, WI voters could arrange for their representative to submit a bill to get an exception. You might imagine the ummmmm "discussion" that ensued when they made that proclamation. All considering, I think the WI community demonstrated a signficant amount of restraint during the meeting.

The govt had planned to remove the initial 'tower of rust' in March....and they got 'er done in May. We are not complaining about the delay. We ARE very happy that they came in May and took away a big pile. And, we are very hopeful that before the summer is out, the remaining "tower of rust" along with other junk cars (such as ours) will leave Water Island forever.