Florida Block Watch celebrates successes
The Florida Block Watch Community Association has gone from strength to strength over the past year and is hoping to further extend its community projects in the coming year.
The Florida Block Watch Community Forum (FBW) is looking forward to another successful year after reaching many a milestone in 2023.
According to FBW chairperson John Kirsten, the FBW is going from strength to strength despite struggling with limited community involvement.
“We have initiated and driven some projects throughout the last year, and I am glad to report that we have managed to achieve many successes. This year, we are working hard to build on our existing projects, and looking forward to initiating more projects where we see a need in the community.”
The FBW was instrumental in the securing of mini-substations and switching stations throughout their area of operation, resulting in a massive decline in electricity infrastructure theft and vandalism over the past year.
“We’ve only had one incident in the last six months,” says Kirsten. “That is a significant reduction in incidents from the previous six months.
• Also read: Florida Block Watch holds clean-up project
This was achieved by their simple, yet innovative way of securing mini-substations and installing alarm systems at switching stations.
“We’ve so far secured six switching stations at a cost of R40 000,” says Kirsten. “This has saved City Power approximately R1.5m, as that is what they spent in the previous six months on repairs of vandalised switching stations. All of this was done with money that was donated by sponsors, FBW members, and raised from our community projects.”
Kirsten adds that the FBW works closely with various institutions including City Power, City Parks, the Department of Social Development, the police, JMPD, security companies, charities, schools, churches, and businesses, among others.
Other projects of the FBW include an annual fun run, regular clean-up campaigns, illegal signage removal campaigns, fire hydrant maintenance and marking, and community patrols.
Their next community meeting will take place on March 19 at 18:30, at the Hoërskool Florida Hotel School, 64 Louis Botha Drive, Florida.
For more information, visit the FBW website at www.floridablockwatch.co.za.
