[Ozzello]

Palm rats? Not a species. Like 'Pineapple Palm', this is a descriptive term based on a perception.

Restaurant rats? No again, but you can sure find plenty in the dumpsters behind almost every place serving food.

You would be hard put to find any place in Florida (Or any other state) where there is water and a place to hide a nest that there isn't some sort of population of rats. If you shave a squirrels tail, not much separating the 2 species in my opinion.

I have posted here before on the subject, but in my travels around TV, I have noticed a recent resurgence in palm misinformation.
I know we have a small population here in TV that are adverse to palm trees, we all have opinions and we are all entitled to have them. But the simple fact is: you could completely remove every single palm tree in TV (you know, like how things are further north) and you would make no change in the rat population.
If you wanted to make a real dent in rat populations, I would target their more natural habitat, and remove the dense plantings of pampas and muhley grass. Take it from someone who has trimmed LOTS of palms and these ornamental grasses in this area,WAY more rats to be found in the grasses.