You’re headed to a friend’s house, but there’s something in your way: Their guard gate.
There’s a long line of cars waiting to get in. Or the guard wants to see your identification and you don’t feel you should have to show it. Or your friend forgot to put your name on an approved list and you have to turn around.
These are common experiences for guests at gated communities. Guard gates are ubiquitous in South Florida, found everywhere from the wealthiest neighborhoods to the most modest apartment complexes.
For many buyers, a guard protecting the entrance is a priority as they search for a home.
“They are very much in demand for affluent buyers,” said Jami Lieberman, a real estate agent who specializes in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. “I have people who won’t look at anything unless it’s gated or guarded. If the house costs over $500,000, 95% want a gate.”
Although they are clearly popular, residents should know the pros and cons, said Patrick Miller, president of Palm Beach County-based Invictus Security. On the plus side: the community limits access to approved visitors; a guest log stands ready in case it’s needed for an investigation; residents feel safer; and property values rise.
But, he added, there are several down sides, including: cumbersome approval processes for clearing visitors; financial burdens on residents, such as repairs, tech upgrades and personnel; potential delays of police and ambulances; and criminals learning work-arounds such as tailgating and perimeter vulnerabilities. (“Determined offenders may exploit to gain entry,” Miller said.)
How do South Floridians really feel about guard gates?
Through social media and email, the South Florida Sun Sentinel asked residents of gated communities and their visitors about their experiences with this security measure. They expressed a range of strong emotions, showing that the protective systems that many feel shield them from danger can irk not only invited guests but a community’s inhabitants as well.
Love them
“I feel more secure in my gated community,” said Audrey Bond, who posted her response to the Sun Sentinel query in the Facebook group “Delray Raw.”
Gated communities often have separate lanes of traffic for visitors and residents. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Resident Maryjo Lombardi also has given the gates some thought: “I tend to feel more secure in a gated community but tend to think it’s a false sense of security.”
While some studies on gated communities have found less crime, others show the results are ambiguous.
Homes in non-gated neighborhoods got broken into 33% more than homes in gated communities from 2009-10, according to an American University study published by the Crime and Justice Research Alliance.
However, another study by European researchers found that while about a third of articles published from 2000 to 2024 connected gates to decreased theft and other infractions, 16% concluded the structures had actually increased these offenses.
The key, according to John Firman, an American University professor of justice, law and criminology, is the gated neighborhood’s relationship with the local police department.
“Their ultimate success rests with the agencies they’re surrounded by,” said Firman, a former research director with the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “The police can’t do everything. These security folks support the public guys.”
Gated communities are ubiquitous in South Florida, Here’s the entrance to The Preserve at Emerald Hills in Hollywood. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Hate them
Some visitors to gated communities say they resent being slowed down when they want to enter. Guard gates can add to driving stress, mostly for guests, who often must wait for a phone system to buzz them in or for a guard to examine their identification.
“My community does not have gates, however, several relatives do have them,” Grzegorz Yatescu of Boca Raton wrote. “I have found them to be a nuisance. … They have, at least in one location, created a traffic problem on a main street due to the backup caused by over-the-top ID checks and confirmation with homeowners. This included a U.S. Postal Service vehicle trying to deliver a package. In the least annoying situation, they add an extra ten minutes often to something that should take no time at all. If you want to encourage a lifestyle with no visitors and super annoyed deliver people, it’s the way to go.”
Community residents can feel the anxiety, too, if the gate system is not working properly.
According to Kevin McDonough, who responded to a query in a Sun Sentinel Facebook group, his community has “gates that don’t get repaired and stay open and inoperable for up to 6 months a year. We are all being charged for them, but they don’t work … It is beyond pathetic and very frustrating.”
Delivery drivers have also become disenchanted. “I do Uber Eats and HATE how long the line at the gate is,” wrote Caitlyn Burns. “Like there HAS to be a better system. I’m just trying to bring you your food and be on my way (side note, I also live in a gated neighborhood).”
For Delray Beach resident Gale Baker, it’s not about wasted time or money; it’s about privacy. What do guards do with that picture they took of your driver’s license anyway?
“I despise gated communities.They are a hassle for visitors … And a very big concern for me is that when there is a person, they take my driver’s license and take a picture of it,” Baker wrote.
Mark C. Hall, founder of West Palm Beach-based Safe Communities LLC, a security consulting firm, said a copy of the license is saved in most security systems, but he has never heard of the databases being hacked or used for other nefarious purposes.
“It allows the guard to quickly enter the guest information,” Hall said. “It expedites the process and makes sure all the information is accurate.”
MIXED FEELINGS
Boca Raton condo resident Gretchen Dietrich detailed a recent glitch at her guarded entrance.
“We have a 24/7 manned security gate, which is definitely appealing, but I recently had a couple of incidents where my ex-husband (who was not on my approved guest list) was given access because the security guard recognized him. He did not have to show ID and was allowed on property. Thankfully, he and I get along well, but that may not be the case for everyone!”
Billy Dougan, who works as a security manager in a gated community, made this recommendation for those frustrated by the lines: Get used to the holdups as they are ensuring residents’ safety.
“I can for sure tell you that people that deliver will make their deliveries and then case the neighborhood and take packages, etc.,” Dougan wrote. “What’s just a food delivery to you ends up being cash and jewelry stolen at some point. Take the ‘delay,’ [because it means] someone’s doing the work to get all the drivers’ information.”