![\"Gated](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/TFL-L-GUARD-GATES-03.jpg\")
Gated communities often have separate lanes of traffic for visitors and residents. (Mike Stocker\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\nYou\u2019re headed to a friend\u2019s house, but there\u2019s something in your way: Their guard gate.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a long line of cars waiting to get in. Or the guard wants to see your identification and you don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
For many buyers, a guard protecting the entrance is a priority as they search for a home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are very much in demand for affluent buyers,\u201d said Jami Lieberman, a real estate agent who specializes in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. \u201cI have people who won\u2019t look at anything unless it\u2019s gated or guarded. If the house costs over $500,000, 95% want a gate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although they are clearly popular, residents should know the pros and cons, said Patrick Miller, president of Palm Beach County-based Invictus Security.\u00a0On the plus side: the community limits access to approved visitors; a guest log stands ready in case it\u2019s needed for an investigation; residents feel safer; and property values rise.<\/p>\n
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. (\u201cDetermined offenders may exploit to gain entry,\u201d Miller said.)<\/p>\n
How do South Floridians really feel about guard gates?<\/p>\n
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\u2019s inhabitants as well.<\/p>\n
Love them<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel more secure in my gated community,\u201d said Audrey Bond, who posted her response to the Sun Sentinel query in the Facebook group \u201cDelray Raw.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gated communities often have separate lanes of traffic for visitors and residents. (Mike Stocker\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n
Resident Maryjo Lombardi also has given the gates some thought: \u201cI tend to feel more secure in a gated community but tend to think it\u2019s a false sense of security.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some studies on gated communities have found less crime, others show the results are ambiguous.<\/p>\n
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.<\/a><\/p>\n However, another study<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n The key, according to John Firman, an American University professor of justice, law and criminology, is the gated neighborhood\u2019s relationship with the local police department.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir ultimate success rests with the agencies they\u2019re surrounded by,\u201d said Firman, a former research director with the International Association of Chiefs of Police. \u201cThe police can\u2019t do everything. These security folks support the public guys.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cMy community does not have gates, however, several relatives do have them,\u201d\u00a0 Grzegorz Yatescu of Boca Raton wrote. \u201cI have found them to be a nuisance. \u2026 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\u2019s the way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Community residents can feel the anxiety, too, if the gate system is not working properly.<\/p>\n According to Kevin McDonough, who responded to a query in a Sun Sentinel Facebook group<\/a>, his community has \u201cgates that don\u2019t get repaired and stay open and inoperable for up to 6 months a year. We are all being charged for them, but they don\u2019t work \u2026 It is beyond pathetic and very frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/TFL-L-GUARD-GATES-02.jpg\")
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)
\nHate them<\/p>\n