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Fatal crash. A fatal crash on U.S. 1 at mile marker 21 early Tuesday Dec. 5 involved a semi-trailer truck and no other vehicles.
- Preventable. Sheriff Rick Ramsay predicted such a fatality more than a month ago, when he warned Florida Department of Transportation officials about the unlit, unmarked lane shift in the exact spot of Tuesday’s disaster.
- Negligence? The orange roadside signs that should have been installed a half mile or so before the work site to warn of the impending traffic shift were seen piled on the side of road “200 to 300 feet before the scene of the fatal accident,” Ramsay said.
- Traffic. The highway was shut down in both directions as first responders attended to the fiery scene. Because there was a fatality, Florida Highway Patrol had to await the arrival of traffic homicide inspectors from Homestead. The road was completely reopened around 1 p.m. according to FHP.
- Powerless. More than 27,000 homes and businesses were without power for about one hour after the crash, according to Keys Energy.
- 'A positive soul.' The truck exploded on impact, killing the driver, Charles Dennis Shipley Jr., 61, of Margate. “He was a positive soul,” his nephew told Keys Weekly. “He loved his grandkids, country music. He loved his motorcycle. He loved to drive. He was always one of the fun uncles to be around.”
- A perfect storm. Linda Cunningham said that the crash was pretty much the perfect storm proving that the Keys and Key West must believe in rainbows and unicorns if we think we can handle much additional development.
Feds question Citizens solvency. Keys Weekly published details and background behind the Federal demand of Gov. DeSantis, Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky and Citizens CEO Tim Cerio to provide documents by Dec. 21 proving the ability of Citizens to remain solvent following future catastrophic weather events.
Expand cruise ship capacity. Pier B Development Corporation has asked the state of Florida to allow larger cruise ships to dock at its port, Pier B in Key West.
Dredging again? The Citizen reported that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Navy officials began work on a 'Dredge Readiness Plan' for Key West. In 2013, Key West voters overwhelmingly shot down a referendum that would have allowed the Corps of Engineers to undertake or commission future studies on dredging and/or widening the Key West main ship channel.
Hurricane Evacuation model report. FloridaCommerce released its Florida Keys Hurricane Evacuation Modeling Report by email at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec 8.
- Excruciating detail. The report weighs in at 375 pages, but the executive summary states that the report is not intended to provide recommendations for future policy decisions.
- Less detail, more clarity. The Miami Herald ran a detailed review of the history, laws, evacuation model, the concept of 'takings,' and the potential consequences of state, county, and municipal decisions that could result in nearly 8,000 additional residential building permits being issued in Monroe County.
- Recommendations. At its Dec. 13 meeting, the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners is expected to make recommendations (Item L1) on which of five hurricane evacuation options it will pursue as the board attempts to balance provisions for limiting residential and commercial development with how quickly we can evacuate everyone in the Keys before a Category 3 or higher hurricane.
The next BOCC meeting is Dec 13 with an agenda full of prospectively contentious issues, beyond allocation of new building permits. Local advocacy groups are expected to attend and comment.
- Commissioners will face big decisions about a proposed Publix in Tavernier, which could add to the already slow traffic on U.S.1. Earlier, the BOCC voted to reject the traffic study that gave Monroe a failing grade.
Charter county? WLRN offered its take on the charter county plan being considered by the BOCC.
Compliance. Monroe County code compliance reported to the BOCC that compliance with sewer connection requirements is almost complete. Two years ago, more than 1,400 properties had not yet connected to centralized sewer systems; today, only a few homes are not connected or have open permits.
Blue Angels. The U.S. Navy released its schedule of upcoming Blue Angels air shows. They are slated to perform at NAS Boca Chica on Mar. 29 and 30, 2025.
Our Eyes
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| Lynn Bentley-Kemp |
Previously in Key West Voices
TDC audit fallout continued.
- No, thanks. Key West Chamber of Commerce President Diane Schmidt turned down an offer to manage marketing for the Tourism Development Council while the forensic accounting firm Cherry Bekaert audits the group's finances.
- Okay, sure. But the TDC vice chair, George Fernandez, will oversee day-to-day marketing in the absence of Stacey Mitchell, the executive director the group's board put on administrative leave with pay pending the audit's outcome. His first official day on the job — for which he asked not to be compensated — was Dec. 1.
Feds question Citizens solvency. The U.S. Senate Budget Committee has begun an inquiry into Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-backed company that provides Florida home and property insurance coverage as its "insurer of last resort." The committee wants to know whether Citizens has enough reserve funds to withstand future disasters, as scientists warn warming oceans and sea-level rise are making storms more destructive.
- Committee Chair Sheldon Whitehouse sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky and Citizens CEO Tim Cerio saying that the situation “appears to have grown particularly dire…” and that “it is entirely possible that state leaders might ask the federal government for a bailout."
- Not messing around. Florida has until Dec. 21 to hand over documents about the company’s assets, plans, and policies.
Election races heating up. The Citizen caught us up on local races and candidates who have filed to run in 2024 elections.
- Beyond diversity: Michael Travis, a drag performer whose stage name is Erika Rose, has filed to run as a Democrat for the state House Rep. 120 race and will face incumbent Rep. Jim Mooney. Travis says that beyond “celebrating diversity,” his platform for the Keys includes environmental protection and access to affordable housing.
- Democrat endorsed by two Republicans. Former State House Rep. Ron Saunders, a Democrat, is the only candidate to file so far for the soon-to-be-vacated Supervisor of Elections seat and has secured two key endorsements from influential Republicans, Monroe County Commissioner Craig Cates and Sheriff Rick Ramsay.
Rapid intensification. With great interactive graphics, the New York Times marked the end of the official hurricane season in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific on Nov. 30. Both basins experienced an above-average number of storms, fueled by extremely warm ocean temperatures and El Niño. A high proportion of quickly growing storms this year exceeded the standard definition of rapid intensification — an increase of at least 35 m.p.h in sustained winds, over 24 hours.
- Not a factor? The possibility of rapidly intensifying storms isn't listed as a factor in the state's hurricane evacuation model, whose latest revision may result in additional residential development in the Keys.
- But more impact. In a 2019 study, experts said storms that rapidly intensify are typically associated with more forecast errors and cause a disproportionate amount of human and financial losses.
Get festive. Linda Cunningham recommended the best ways to celebrate December in Key West.
Long legs and bird poop. Mark Hedden answered questions in his Ask the Bird Geek edition of his Wild Things column.
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