Six week abortion ban | only 3,000 buildable lots - Weekly briefing - April 30, 2024

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Abortions banned in Florida after six weeks. A ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy takes effect in Florida on Wednesday, May 1. The strict new law will replace a 15-week ban and require most Floridians and other Southerners seeking the procedure to travel to Virginia or farther.

3,000, not 8,000. Despite a proposal for 8,000 new residential building permits in the Keys, only about 3,000 possible vacant, buildable lots remain, according to the latest information provided by local governments in the Keys.

• Late last year, FloridaCommerce considered a scenario to give the Keys as many as roughly 8,000 new building allocations, which would require raising the residential hurricane evacuation time to 31 hours to accept them. The roughly 8,000 figure represents the number of total vacant lots in the Keys, including those buildable and not.
• Accepting more than 220 permits would require a change in state statute because such an allocation would increase the allowable hurricane evacuation time for residents and tourists beyond what is currently allowed. 
• According to the statute, tourists are supposed to be evacuated 48 hours before a hurricane is expected to make landfall in the Keys, while residents must be able to evacuate 24 hours prior to a storm. But because the previously rare phenomenon of  'rapid intensification'  has become much more frequent due to record high water temperatures, a 48 hour warning may itself become a rarity.  

TDC's structure isn't the problem. Keys Weekly and the Citizen ran  follow-ups on the Monroe Board of County Commissioners' (BOCC) decision not to take over the bed tax-supported Tourism Development Council. It’s not the TDC’s structure – it’s the financial controls that were the problem, the BOCC agreed at its April 17 meeting.

• In October 2023, County Clerk Kevin Madok launched the first of four separate audits on the TDC and its advertising and marketing partner agencies. 
• Even nonprofits on shoestring budgets have to undergo an audit every year, yet the TDC went unchecked for decades, the commissioners noted. "...it was 20 years or longer since they had had an audit,” said commissioner Craig Cates.
• The TDC's  four-cent “bed tax” on every dollar spent at Keys lodging establishments is used to advertise the Keys as a vacation destination, promote events that attract visitors and fund construction projects to enhance tourism. 

CEMEX Construction seeks exception for Tavernier Publix. In an email to his supporters, BOCC candidate Chris Massicotte expressed dismay over CEMEX Construction's proposal to the BOCC to obtain 86 building permits necessary for workforce housing units by circumventing the County's Comprehensive Plan.

• County Staff determined that building the Publix and housing units in Tavernier would create a county-wide impact, affecting the ability of a 24 evacuation during a hurricane.

Six amendments on the ballot. The Citizen shared a summary of proposed amendments to Florida's Constitution to be decided by voters this fall.  

• Reproductive rights. Although Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and lawmakers approved preventing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy (to take effect Wednesday), the proposed constitutional amendment says: “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”
• Marijuana. After an amendment to legalize medical marijuana passed in 2016 with over 71% of the vote, activists were successful in getting an amendment to legalize recreational use on this year's ballot. 
• Other proposed amendments address campaign finance, hunting and fishing, school board elections, and the homestead property tax exemption. 

Money to harden homes. The Miami Herald offered a guide to applying for state funds from a popular state program called My Safe Florida Home that awards up to $10,000 to harden homes, saving homeowners (and their insurers) from costly repairs after hurricanes and storms.

Two Florida men met. DeSantis and former president Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met privately Sunday morning in Miami. The Washington Post said that DeSantis agreed to help Trump with fundraising. 

Monroe County Sheriff's Animal Farm makes national news. CBS News ran a nice five minute segment on the animal rescue facility on Key West during its Sunday Morning show. 

• The small zoo on the grounds of the jail in Key West was started by accident in the mid-1990s when word got out that the sheriff had rescued some ducks from a nearby road. Since then, many animals – abandoned, abused, confiscated or donated – have been brought to the farm, which is maintained by a small team of people incarcerated there. More than 100 animals currently live there. 

Conspiracy theory tragedy in New York. Local columnist John Bartus reflected on the sad tale of the man who self-immolated outside Donald Trump’s hush-money trial in New York City.

“Let the child read” Linda Cunningham said that it's simple: If you don’t cater to a book, play, sculpture or piece of music; don’t read, watch, look or listen. I’ll make my own choices, thank you.

Our Eyes

Serenity - Alyson Crean

Previously in Key West Voices

No big changes for TDC. The Monroe Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) agreed to not make any major changes to the structure of the county’s Tourist Development Council. A series of critical audits of TDC by the Monroe County Clerk of Court Office were released late last year. 

• Serve at the pleasure. Commissioners want to allow removal of TDC board members before their terms expire if commissioners are displeased with their appointees.
• ...and audits are still underway. Monroe County's Clerk of Court’s Office released critical audit findings of NewmanPR and Tinsley Advertising & Marketing, while its audit of contracts with Two Oceans Digital is not public yet. The County Commission's own audit is also not yet complete.
• Won't become part of the County government. The BOCC won't make TDC a county government department, and didn't make any changes to its spending allocations.
• Status quo. “I think the structure has worked for years, and should continue,” said Commissioner Craig Cates.
• Calm down. “At this time, it would be easy to overreact,” Commissioner David Rice added. “We had a problem that needed solving, and we are working on that. The problems are not the structure.”
• Keeping it running. TDC board Chair Rita Irwin said that TDC has “already corrected many things in the audit....It is important to keep this engine running.” Vroom. 

Sawfish mystery continues. Scientists still do not know what is causing critically endangered sawfish to thrash and die, or what is causing more than 70 fish species to spin and act erratically.

• National news. The New York Times published an overview of the story to date. 
• Running out of ideas. Last month, with the number of dead sawfish at 29, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced it was going to begin trying to rescue the fish, an unprecedented step hinting at the deepening concern. A rescued sawfish may be showing signs of improvement. 
• The Florida Department of Environmental Protection plans to begin testing water for metal that could be sickening fish, even if it’s an unlikely cause. A DEP spokesman said, “We don't think it's metals...metals don't tend to stay suspended in the water column. But we're running out of ideas.” So far the most likely culprits are toxic tiny algae, called dinoflagellates.

Iguana hunters. No less than the Washington Post reported on Florida's iguana problem. 

• A spokeswoman for Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wrote, "Florida’s response has been to declare open season on the species. “Every iguana removed is one less iguana causing negative impacts across Florida’s landscapes.” 

Hospital task force meets. The task force led by Key West Vice Mayor Sam Kaufman will gather information and advice regarding renewal of the lease of the Lower Keys Medical Center, set to expire in five years.  Kaufman urged local residents to attend the Lower Florida Keys Hospital District meeting on May 8.

Stock Island and Key Haven annexation study. Key West officials want to know what annexation of Stock Island and Key Haven would entail, and whether the residents of those areas even want to become part of the city. “I’d support a maximum allocation of $25,000 for the study to start at the bare minimum,” Commissioner Sam Kaufman said at the April 11 city commission meeting. “This is a vastly complex issue...there are pros and cons involving city services, facilities, voting districts, taxes and more.”

• Stock Island Association's president offered mostly favorable reactions to the possibility of joining Key West, but wants more information, especially about taxes. "It’s time we stop talking about this, and bring it to a vote."  

Coral bleaching is happening globally. The world is experiencing a yet another coral bleaching event, according to NOAA scientists; the fourth global event on record and the second in the last 10 years. 

• “We learned a lot last summer and have already started planning for this summer,” Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Superintendent Sarah Fangman said. 
• A new artificial reef program is set to begin with project off Key West.

Amsterdam says 'enough' to over-tourism. Amsterdam's new crackdown on local over-tourism bans new hotels. New hotels can only be built if another closes down, and the city is urging developers to choose sites outside of the city center.

There's no there here.  Linda Cunningham got off the Rock, and it was weird. 

Isn't it lovely? Chris Hamilton was pleased that the complete rebuild of United Street between Whitehead and Grinnell Streets was completed. 

• The rebuild incorporated FKAA water main upgrades and a $4.8 million investment in curbs and gutters, narrower and safer pedestrian crossings, lots of new trees, fresh and smooth asphalt, and an extra-width bike lane.

Buckled swash? Mark Hedden wrote colorfully about an attack by a swashbuckling piratic kingbird, a member of the tyrant kingbird family.

• "They have also been known to throw themselves at the occasional dog on a leash trotting next to a newspaper wildlife columnist riding a bicycle, nipping said dog on the butt and sending the dog, trailed by the leash-attached newspaper wildlife columnist, rushing in a full speed panic toward a busy intersection while the attached newspaper wildlife columnist frantically tried to use the badly-in-need-of-tightening hand brake to stop them."

Status quo at TDC - Weekly briefing - April 23, 2024

Essential human-curated Florida Keys news, all in one place. 

Subscribe to Key West Voices for free. See something that should be in Voices? Click here to share it with us.

Our Community

No big changes for TDC. The Monroe Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) agreed to not make any major changes to the structure of the county’s Tourist Development Council. A series of critical audits of TDC by the Monroe County Clerk of Court Office were released late last year. 

• Serve at the pleasure. Commissioners want to allow removal of TDC board members before their terms expire if commissioners are displeased with their appointees.
• ...and audits are still underway. Monroe County's Clerk of Court’s Office released critical audit findings of NewmanPR and Tinsley Advertising & Marketing, while its audit of contracts with Two Oceans Digital is not public yet. The County Commission's own audit is also not yet complete.
• Won't become part of the County government. The BOCC won't make TDC a county government department, and didn't make any changes to its spending allocations.
• Status quo. “I think the structure has worked for years, and should continue,” said Commissioner Craig Cates.
• Calm down. “At this time, it would be easy to overreact,” Commissioner David Rice added. “We had a problem that needed solving, and we are working on that. The problems are not the structure.”
• Keeping it running. TDC board Chair Rita Irwin said that TDC has “already corrected many things in the audit....It is important to keep this engine running.” Vroom. 

Sawfish mystery continues. Scientists still do not know what is causing critically endangered sawfish to thrash and die, or what is causing more than 70 fish species to spin and act erratically.

• National news. The New York Times published an overview of the story to date. 
• Running out of ideas. Last month, with the number of dead sawfish at 29, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced it was going to begin trying to rescue the fish, an unprecedented step hinting at the deepening concern. A rescued sawfish may be showing signs of improvement. 
• The Florida Department of Environmental Protection plans to begin testing water for metal that could be sickening fish, even if it’s an unlikely cause. A DEP spokesman said, “We don't think it's metals...metals don't tend to stay suspended in the water column. But we're running out of ideas.” So far the most likely culprits are toxic tiny algae, called dinoflagellates.

Iguana hunters. No less than the Washington Post reported on Florida's iguana problem. 

• A spokeswoman for Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wrote, "Florida’s response has been to declare open season on the species. “Every iguana removed is one less iguana causing negative impacts across Florida’s landscapes.” 

Hospital task force meets. The task force led by Key West Vice Mayor Sam Kaufman will gather information and advice regarding renewal of the lease of the Lower Keys Medical Center, set to expire in five years.  Kaufman urged local residents to attend the Lower Florida Keys Hospital District meeting on May 8.

Stock Island and Key Haven annexation study. Key West officials want to know what annexation of Stock Island and Key Haven would entail, and whether the residents of those areas even want to become part of the city. “I’d support a maximum allocation of $25,000 for the study to start at the bare minimum,” Commissioner Sam Kaufman said at the April 11 city commission meeting. “This is a vastly complex issue...there are pros and cons involving city services, facilities, voting districts, taxes and more.”

• Stock Island Association's president offered mostly favorable reactions to the possibility of joining Key West, but wants more information, especially about taxes. "It’s time we stop talking about this, and bring it to a vote."  

Coral bleaching is happening globally. The world is experiencing a yet another coral bleaching event, according to NOAA scientists; the fourth global event on record and the second in the last 10 years. 

• “We learned a lot last summer and have already started planning for this summer,” Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Superintendent Sarah Fangman said. 
• A new artificial reef program is set to begin with project off Key West.

Amsterdam says 'enough' to over-tourism. Amsterdam's new crackdown on local over-tourism bans new hotels. New hotels can only be built if another closes down, and the city is urging developers to choose sites outside of the city center.

There's no there here.  Linda Cunningham got off the Rock, and it was weird. 

Isn't it lovely? Chris Hamilton was pleased that the complete rebuild of United Street between Whitehead and Grinnell Streets was completed. 

• The rebuild incorporated FKAA water main upgrades and a $4.8 million investment in curbs and gutters, narrower and safer pedestrian crossings, lots of new trees, fresh and smooth asphalt, and an extra-width bike lane.

Buckled swash? Mark Hedden wrote colorfully about an attack by a swashbuckling piratic kingbird, a member of the tyrant kingbird family.

• "They have also been known to throw themselves at the occasional dog on a leash trotting next to a newspaper wildlife columnist riding a bicycle, nipping said dog on the butt and sending the dog, trailed by the leash-attached newspaper wildlife columnist, rushing in a full speed panic toward a busy intersection while the attached newspaper wildlife columnist frantically tried to use the badly-in-need-of-tightening hand brake to stop them."

Our Eyes

Green Heron at the Blue Hole  - Philip Dodderidge

Previously in Key West Voices

Record hot water. The tropical Atlantic is abnormally warm, helping set the stage for a busy hurricane season, according to an early forecast by scientists at Colorado State University. Higher ocean temperatures provide more energy to fuel stronger storms.

• Ready to get out? Linda Cunningham made a compelling case for beginning preparations now.  Getting out of Key West even in the days before Irma was a nightmare. No gasoline, no supplies, packed roads, and no safe hotels along the way. With thousands more people and their vehicles, safe evacuation in 2024 might be a pipe dream.
  

Remembering Shirley. Keys Weekly and the Citizen published fond appreciations of beloved community icon Shirley Freeman, who died April 6 at the age of 89.

Taking Stock? KW annexation study approved. The Key West City Commission agreed to study annexing South Stock Island and Key Haven. A university or institute would research how to provide police, fire and other essential services and the infrastructure. 

First sawfish rescued.  The first sawfish rescued since the endangered species started mysteriously dying was transported from the Florida Keys to a Sarasota rehabilitation facility. Mote Marine Laboratory and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission made the initial rescue on April 5.

Paul McCartney headlines all-star tribute to Buffett. For more than three hours, superstars entertained a sold out crowd at the Hollywood Bowl as Los Angeles said goodbye to the late Jimmy Buffett. McCartney told the crowd he had been asked to visit Buffett shortly before the singer’s death in September 2023 and sing some songs.

Abortion and cannabis refernda (referendums?) and voter turnout. Florida Democrats are planning an all-out assault on Republicans’ extremist positions on abortion, believing it will bring victory in presidential and US Senate races in November.

• Gearing up. As part of it's national coverage of the abortion referendum, NPR spoke with supporters and opponents.  
• Want weed? Along with the abortion referendum, the opportunity to legalize recreational use will likely drive voter turnout to record levels. Like the abortion referendum, the recreational marijuana amendment needs a supermajority of at least 60% of the vote. 
• Broad support. A University of North Florida poll found that 67% of the respondents supported the amendment.

KW City Manager report card approved. The Key West City Commission unanimously approved City Manager Albert Childress’ first annual performance evaluation since he was hired a year ago. 

• Ten categories.  Childress was graded on ten overall categories, including individual characteristics, professional skills and status, relations with elected members of the governing body, reporting, citizen relations, staffing, supervision and fiscal management. 
• Mixed scores. Despite unanimous approval, commissioners were mixed in their evaluations on a five point scale. Commissioners Kaufman and Hoover graded Childress a 4.9; Lopez: 3.6; Weekley: 3.5, Wardlow: 3, and Carey: 2. Outgoing Mayor Johnson, gave Childress a 4.0.

Homeless shelter replacement. Long overdue work began to replace the decrepit facility on Stock Island. 

• New name. The new John Jones Navigation Center is named for former Assistant City Manager Jones, who led development of the original facility called KOTS in 2004. 
• Costly delay. Since the city started plans to rebuild KOTS in 2019, costs increased from $7.3 million to $8.5 million, but the city secured a state grant of $4.3 million for the project in April 2022.

Marathon injection well. Marathon's city commission unanimously-authorized paying over $3 million to an engineering firm to prepare for installation of the waste water deep injection well. Public commenters opposed the selected site by the city’s Area 6 treatment plant on Coco Plum’s Avenue I.

Fort Zach Australian pines. On behalf of local nonprofit group Save Our Pines, founder Helen Harrison asserted that removal of two Australian pines at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park violated a 2008 agreement made with Florida's Department of Environmental Protection. 

Taking on takings and capacity. Keys community advocate Last Stand hosted an in-depth conversation with expert land use attorney Richard Grosso in a hybrid virtual and in-person event in Key West and Key Largo (video). 

Gentrification. The Citizen ran an opinion essay on gentrification in Key West. 

Duval Street revitalization. Along with about 75 others, Chris Hamilton attended and reported extensively on the Duval Street Revitalization & Resiliency Project Workshop held April 4th. His key takeaway? The sheer number and prevalence of pedestrians from noonish until late at night on upper and especially lower Duval. Paraphrasing one critic of the consulting firm sponsoring the workshop, "well, duh."

Mood indigo. Mark Hedden's rich writing about buntings had nothing to do with baseball.

Hot water | Shirley - Weekly briefing - April 16, 2024

Essential human-curated Florida Keys news, all in one place. 

Subscribe to Key West Voices for free. See something that should be in Voices? Click here to share it with us.

Our Community

Record hot water. The tropical Atlantic is abnormally warm, helping set the stage for a busy hurricane season, according to an early forecast by scientists at Colorado State University. Higher ocean temperatures provide more energy to fuel stronger storms.

• Ready to get out? Linda Cunningham made a compelling case for beginning preparations now.  Getting out of Key West even in the days before Irma was a nightmare. No gasoline, no supplies, packed roads, and no safe hotels along the way. With thousands more people and their vehicles, safe evacuation in 2024 might be a pipe dream.
  

Remembering Shirley. Keys Weekly and the Citizen published fond appreciations of beloved community icon Shirley Freeman, who died April 6 at the age of 89.

Taking Stock? KW annexation study approved. The Key West City Commission agreed to study annexing South Stock Island and Key Haven. A university or institute would research how to provide police, fire and other essential services and the infrastructure. 

First sawfish rescued.  The first sawfish rescued since the endangered species started mysteriously dying was transported from the Florida Keys to a Sarasota rehabilitation facility. Mote Marine Laboratory and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission made the initial rescue on April 5.

Paul McCartney headlines all-star tribute to Buffett. For more than three hours, superstars entertained a sold out crowd at the Hollywood Bowl as Los Angeles said goodbye to the late Jimmy Buffett. McCartney told the crowd he had been asked to visit Buffett shortly before the singer’s death in September 2023 and sing some songs.

Abortion and cannabis refernda (referendums?) and voter turnout. Florida Democrats are planning an all-out assault on Republicans’ extremist positions on abortion, believing it will bring victory in presidential and US Senate races in November.

• Gearing up. As part of it's national coverage of the abortion referendum, NPR spoke with supporters and opponents.  
• Want weed? Along with the abortion referendum, the opportunity to legalize recreational use will likely drive voter turnout to record levels. Like the abortion referendum, the recreational marijuana amendment needs a supermajority of at least 60% of the vote. 
• Broad support. A University of North Florida poll found that 67% of the respondents supported the amendment.

KW City Manager report card approved. The Key West City Commission unanimously approved City Manager Albert Childress’ first annual performance evaluation since he was hired a year ago. 

• Ten categories.  Childress was graded on ten overall categories, including individual characteristics, professional skills and status, relations with elected members of the governing body, reporting, citizen relations, staffing, supervision and fiscal management. 
• Mixed scores. Despite unanimous approval, commissioners were mixed in their evaluations on a five point scale. Commissioners Kaufman and Hoover graded Childress a 4.9; Lopez: 3.6; Weekley: 3.5, Wardlow: 3, and Carey: 2. Outgoing Mayor Johnson, gave Childress a 4.0.

Homeless shelter replacement. Long overdue work began to replace the decrepit facility on Stock Island. 

• New name. The new John Jones Navigation Center is named for former Assistant City Manager Jones, who led development of the original facility called KOTS in 2004. 
• Costly delay. Since the city started plans to rebuild KOTS in 2019, costs increased from $7.3 million to $8.5 million, but the city secured a state grant of $4.3 million for the project in April 2022.

Marathon injection well. Marathon's city commission unanimously-authorized paying over $3 million to an engineering firm to prepare for installation of the waste water deep injection well. Public commenters opposed the selected site by the city’s Area 6 treatment plant on Coco Plum’s Avenue I.

Fort Zach Australian pines. On behalf of local nonprofit group Save Our Pines, founder Helen Harrison asserted that removal of two Australian pines at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park violated a 2008 agreement made with Florida's Department of Environmental Protection. 

Taking on takings and capacity. Keys community advocate Last Stand hosted an in-depth conversation with expert land use attorney Richard Grosso in a hybrid virtual and in-person event in Key West and Key Largo (video). 

Gentrification. The Citizen ran an opinion essay on gentrification in Key West. 

Duval Street revitalization. Along with about 75 others, Chris Hamilton attended and reported extensively on the Duval Street Revitalization & Resiliency Project Workshop held April 4th. His key takeaway? The sheer number and prevalence of pedestrians from noonish until late at night on upper and especially lower Duval. Paraphrasing one critic of the consulting firm sponsoring the workshop, "well, duh."

Mood indigo. Mark Hedden's rich writing about buntings had nothing to do with baseball.  

Our Eyes

A male Indigo bunting seen recently at the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden
Mark  Hedden / Keys Weekly

Previously in Key West Voices

300 million KW bond referendum under consideration. In a workshop meeting on April 3, the Key West city commission reviewed a proposal to put a referendum on November's ballot for voters to authorize borrowing up to $300 million for a lengthy list of infrastructure projects. 

• Overdue projects. The Commission discussed $300 million in bonds to pay for improvements to the police headquarters, fire stations, Mallory Square and other city infrastructure (video). 
• Referendum must be authorized. The commission expects to authorize the referendum in votes in its May and June meetings.
• Taxpayer impact. Assuming all $300 million of bonds are issued, the estimated millage impact per $100,000 of taxable property value would average approximately $66 per year, approximately $367 per year for the average homestead property (taxable value of $557,000). 

Record hurricane forecast. An "extremely active" hurricane season is likely, according to forecasters from Colorado State University. The forecast includes the highest number of hurricanes ever predicted in an April forecast by Colorado State since the team began releasing predictions in 1995.

Abortion ban, referendum. Local, regional, and national news media offered perspectives on the six-week abortion ban will soon take effect in Florida after the state Supreme Court upheld a ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, but agreed to let voters will have a say on removing those restrictions.

• Turnout surge? The referendum, along with a separate one to allow recreational cannabis use, is expected to drive increased voter turnout. 

Annex Key Haven, south Stock Island? The Key West planning board voted unanimously in February to urge the city commission to “initiate an annexation study for portions of Key Haven and Stock Island.” 

Sawfish rescue effort. In an effort led by NOAA Fisheries and FWC in partnership with four Florida-based and national organizations, teams were given the green light to rescue ailing fish and transport them to quarantine facilities for observation, research and rehabilitation.

New mooring fields. Monroe County is moving ahead with plans to install a new managed mooring field for 40 liveaboard vessels in Boca Chica Basin, just off Maloney Avenue on Stock Island. An additional 100 moorings are planned for the waters around Wisteria Island.

Sargassum report. Linda Cunningham warned us that while waters are mostly clear now, lurking off the horizon is a record-breaking sargassum bloom, one experts worry could be the worst we’ve seen. The Keys are a bellwether for looming global environmental and economic disaster.

No love for dietary opportunists. Mark Hedden wrote about turkey vultures. Carry on, Mark. 

Key West considering borrowing $300 million - Weekly briefing - April 9, 2024

Essential human-curated Florida Keys news, all in one place. 

Subscribe to Key West Voices for free. See something that should be in Voices? Click here to share it with us.

Our Community

$300 million KW bond referendum under consideration. In a workshop meeting on April 3, the Key West city commission reviewed a proposal to put a referendum on November's ballot for voters to authorize borrowing up to $300 million for a lengthy list of infrastructure projects. 

• Overdue projects. The Commission discussed $300 million in bonds to pay for improvements to the police headquarters, fire stations, Mallory Square and other city infrastructure (video). 
• Referendum must be authorized. The commission expects to authorize the referendum in votes in its May and June meetings.
• Taxpayer impact. Assuming all $300 million of bonds are issued, the estimated millage impact per $100,000 of taxable property value would average approximately $66 per year, approximately $367 per year for the average homestead property (taxable value of $557,000). 

Record hurricane forecast. An "extremely active" hurricane season is likely, according to forecasters from Colorado State University. The forecast includes the highest number of hurricanes ever predicted in an April forecast by Colorado State since the team began releasing predictions in 1995.

Abortion ban, referendum. Local, regional, and national news media offered perspectives on the six-week abortion ban will soon take effect in Florida after the state Supreme Court upheld a ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, but agreed to let voters will have a say on removing those restrictions.

• Turnout surge? The referendum, along with a separate one to allow recreational cannabis use, is expected to drive increased voter turnout. 

Annex Key Haven, south Stock Island? The Key West planning board voted unanimously in February to urge the city commission to “initiate an annexation study for portions of Key Haven and Stock Island.” 

Sawfish rescue effort. In an effort led by NOAA Fisheries and FWC in partnership with four Florida-based and national organizations, teams were given the green light to rescue ailing fish and transport them to quarantine facilities for observation, research and rehabilitation.

New mooring fields. Monroe County is moving ahead with plans to install a new managed mooring field for 40 liveaboard vessels in Boca Chica Basin, just off Maloney Avenue on Stock Island. An additional 100 moorings are planned for the waters around Wisteria Island.

Sargassum report. Linda Cunningham warned us that while waters are mostly clear now, lurking off the horizon is a record-breaking sargassum bloom, one experts worry could be the worst we’ve seen. The Keys are a bellwether for looming global environmental and economic disaster.

No love for dietary opportunists. Mark Hedden wrote about turkey vultures. Carry on, Mark. 

 

Our Eyes

Almost to the top - Sarah Carlton

Previously in Key West Voices

TDC executive director fired. The Monroe County Tourism Development Council Board fired its top employee, marketing director Stacey Mitchell, in a unanimous vote Tuesday, five months after a county audit questioned her job performance and ethics. Mitchell, who has been on paid leave since November, was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the TDC, the county's marketing arm. 

• See you in court? Mitchell's attorney told the board that Mitchell is being “thrown under the bus,” and may be preparing a wrongful termination lawsuit. 

Abortion and marijuana referenda approved for November ballot. The Florida Supreme court issued separate opinions allowing each proposed amendment referendum to appear on the general election ballot in November. Florida Constitutional Amendment referenda must receive at least 60% approval by voters to be enacted.  

• But, a stricter abortion ban now. Florida’s conservative Supreme Court ruled that the state’s constitution does not protect abortion rights, allowing one of the country’s strictest and most far-reaching abortion bans to take effect in 30 days. But in a separate decision, the high court allowed an amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution to go on the November ballot, for a vote that could potentially moot the new strict abortion ban in a matter of months. Similar constitutional protections have passed recently in Ohio, Michigan, and even Kentucky. 
• Cannabis can. The Supreme Court also allowed a proposed amendment referendum to appear on the November ballot. Florida voters will be able to weigh in on whether recreational marijuana should be allowed in the state. Expect (high)er voter turnout than usual this fall.  

ROGO reality check. As part of Monroe County's cautious consideration of the contentious decision later this year to allocate new residential building permits under the County's Rate of  Growth Ordinance, analysis by the County revealed that fewer than 3,000 properties could be eligible to receive new permits, far fewer than the nearly 8,000 parcels long-believed to be eligible. 

• Evacuation model. Under ROGO, new residential development is required to be capped when it would take more than 24 hours to evacuate the Keys in advance of an approaching tropical storm. But the model, run every decade by FloridaComerce using census data, is only the beginning of a controversial political process in which the numbers have previously been fudged and the county's decision preempted by the Florida legislature to allow more permits to be issued. The county plans a series of workshops to engage the public with the decision. 
• No submerged lots. The new estimate is based on applying zoning requirements that would allow construction on the lots, such as removing those that are essentially submerged land.
• Mythbusting. Monroe County attorney Derek Howard's detailed presentation deconstructed the concept of 'takings,'' the Constitutional protection of  property owners from uncompensated government interference in using their property. The threat of takings liability has been used to justify a push for issuing more permits.
• Far fewer. County staffers Emily Schemper and Christine Hurley presented the result of their review of properties that might actually risk takings liability to the county.
• Capacity of the Keys. Keys Weekly published an opinion piece that looked at the concept of capacity beyond just the hurricane evacuation model. 

Wait until next year. Monroe's Board of County Commissioners further delayed adoption of the 2023 traffic study for U.S. 1 or update the traffic study in 2024,choosing to wait to collect the data until at least 2025.

• Construction delays. The commission decided not to update the traffic study because there are currently excessive construction delays.
• Traffic signal timing. The Florida Department of Transportation is still working on retiming the traffic lights along U.S. 1.
• Failing grade overlooked. Had the BOCC accepted the 2023 study, it would have been required to suspend all new commercial development until the failing sections had been remediated; instead the BOCC approved the new Publix for Tavernier.  

New Pier B lease ignores opposition. DeSantis and his state environmental regulators approved a new lease for Pier B that increases the size of ships that can call there. 

Disney, DeSantis settle. Under the headline, "Ron DeSantis Claims Victory Over Disney And All He Had To Do Was Give Disney Everything They Wanted," lawyer website "Above the Law" deconstructed what they contend was a humiliation for DeSantis. 

Fish rescue. As scientists continue to investigate the cause of hundreds of fish spinning and nearly 30 dead sawfish in the Lower Florida Keys in recent months, federal and state governments will soon start a program to capture and rehabilitate sawfish and then return them to the wild.

• Unprecedented. An rescue of this kind has never been done before in the United States.
• No answers yet. Scientists hot on the trail of the root cause behind unprecedented sawfish deaths and spinning fish throughout the Florida Keys say they don’t have all the answers yet. But thanks to new information unearthed in a massive collaborative effort over the last three months, they could be on the right path.

LKMC may someday become a new type of  'hospital.' The Associated Press reported that as rural hospitals continue to struggle financially, a new type of hospital is slowly taking root, especially in the Southeast. No overnight beds. 

• Financial incentive. Since the 'rural emergency' model was rolled out by the Federal government in January 2023, only 19 hospitals across the U.S. received rural emergency hospital status last year.
• Task force. Key West Vice Mayor Sam Kaufman is forming a task force to gather information and advice regarding the lease renewal process of the Lower Keys Medical Center.
• Keys Weekly advised us that Community Health Service (CHS), the private for-profit company that runs Lower Keys Medical Center (LKMC) has money trouble, according to its own financial reports. CHS operates 71 hospitals. In a Feb. 21 filing with the SEC, CHS also said it is under federal investigation.
• Grassroots organization. A new non-profit, Our Hospital Key West, has pledged itself to be the advocate for what it calls “best-in-class hospital ownership.”
• Community hospitals in trouble statewide. The Florida Hospital Association reported that five rural Florida hospitals have either closed or pulled back from inpatient care since 2010.

Just, well, bad. Linda Cunningham watched the new Road House movie set in the Keys, and panned it so we wouldn't have to see it. 

• Mayors agree. Key West Mayor Teri Johnston didn’t much appreciate the “drug-filled and crime-ridden portrayal of the Florida Keys, and Monroe County Mayor Holly Raschein said “the only accurate depiction of the Florida Keys was their local attraction, Fred the Tree on the Seven Mile Bridge.

Neglect. Chris Hamilton used a basketball metaphor to mourn the ridership decline of the Duval Loop. 

Category 5 rare bird. Mark Hedden captured a photo of a pearly-eyed thrasher, that while common in much of the Caribbean, had never before been reported in North America. 

TDC executive director fired - Weekly briefing - April 2, 2024

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TDC executive director fired. The Monroe County Tourism Development Council Board fired its top employee, marketing director Stacey Mitchell, in a unanimous vote Tuesday, five months after a county audit questioned her job performance and ethics. Mitchell, who has been on paid leave since November, was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the TDC, the county's marketing arm. 

• See you in court? Mitchell's attorney told the board that Mitchell is being “thrown under the bus,” and may be preparing a wrongful termination lawsuit. 

Abortion and marijuana referenda approved for November ballot. The Florida Supreme court issued separate opinions allowing each proposed amendment referendum to appear on the general election ballot in November. Florida Constitutional Amendment referenda must receive at least 60% approval by voters to be enacted.  

• But, a stricter abortion ban now. Florida’s conservative Supreme Court ruled that the state’s constitution does not protect abortion rights, allowing one of the country’s strictest and most far-reaching abortion bans to take effect in 30 days. But in a separate decision, the high court allowed an amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution to go on the November ballot, for a vote that could potentially moot the new strict abortion ban in a matter of months. Similar constitutional protections have passed recently in Ohio, Michigan, and even Kentucky. 
• Cannabis can. The Supreme Court also allowed a proposed amendment referendum to appear on the November ballot. Florida voters will be able to weigh in on whether recreational marijuana should be allowed in the state. Expect (high)er voter turnout than usual this fall.  

ROGO reality check. As part of Monroe County's cautious consideration of the contentious decision later this year to allocate new residential building permits under the County's Rate of  Growth Ordinance, analysis by the County revealed that fewer than 3,000 properties could be eligible to receive new permits, far fewer than the nearly 8,000 parcels long-believed to be eligible. 

• Evacuation model. Under ROGO, new residential development is required to be capped when it would take more than 24 hours to evacuate the Keys in advance of an approaching tropical storm. But the model, run every decade by FloridaComerce using census data, is only the beginning of a controversial political process in which the numbers have previously been fudged and the county's decision preempted by the Florida legislature to allow more permits to be issued. The county plans a series of workshops to engage the public with the decision. 
• No submerged lots. The new estimate is based on applying zoning requirements that would allow construction on the lots, such as removing those that are essentially submerged land.
• Mythbusting. Monroe County attorney Derek Howard's detailed presentation deconstructed the concept of 'takings,'' the Constitutional protection of  property owners from uncompensated government interference in using their property. The threat of takings liability has been used to justify a push for issuing more permits.
• Far fewer. County staffers Emily Schemper and Christine Hurley presented the result of their review of properties that might actually risk takings liability to the county.
• Capacity of the Keys. Keys Weekly published an opinion piece that looked at the concept of capacity beyond just the hurricane evacuation model. 

Wait until next year. Monroe's Board of County Commissioners further delayed adoption of the 2023 traffic study for U.S. 1 or update the traffic study in 2024,choosing to wait to collect the data until at least 2025.

• Construction delays. The commission decided not to update the traffic study because there are currently excessive construction delays.
• Traffic signal timing. The Florida Department of Transportation is still working on retiming the traffic lights along U.S. 1.
• Failing grade overlooked. Had the BOCC accepted the 2023 study, it would have been required to suspend all new commercial development until the failing sections had been remediated; instead the BOCC approved the new Publix for Tavernier.  

New Pier B lease ignores opposition. DeSantis and his state environmental regulators approved a new lease for Pier B that increases the size of ships that can call there. 

Disney, DeSantis settle. Under the headline, "Ron DeSantis Claims Victory Over Disney And All He Had To Do Was Give Disney Everything They Wanted," lawyer website "Above the Law" deconstructed what they contend was a humiliation for DeSantis. 

Fish rescue. As scientists continue to investigate the cause of hundreds of fish spinning and nearly 30 dead sawfish in the Lower Florida Keys in recent months, federal and state governments will soon start a program to capture and rehabilitate sawfish and then return them to the wild.

• Unprecedented. An rescue of this kind has never been done before in the United States.
• No answers yet. Scientists hot on the trail of the root cause behind unprecedented sawfish deaths and spinning fish throughout the Florida Keys say they don’t have all the answers yet. But thanks to new information unearthed in a massive collaborative effort over the last three months, they could be on the right path.

LKMC may someday become a new type of  'hospital.' The Associated Press reported that as rural hospitals continue to struggle financially, a new type of hospital is slowly taking root, especially in the Southeast. No overnight beds. 

• Financial incentive. Since the 'rural emergency' model was rolled out by the Federal government in January 2023, only 19 hospitals across the U.S. received rural emergency hospital status last year.
• Task force. Key West Vice Mayor Sam Kaufman is forming a task force to gather information and advice regarding the lease renewal process of the Lower Keys Medical Center.
• Keys Weekly advised us that Community Health Service (CHS), the private for-profit company that runs Lower Keys Medical Center (LKMC) has money trouble, according to its own financial reports. CHS operates 71 hospitals. In a Feb. 21 filing with the SEC, CHS also said it is under federal investigation.
• Grassroots organization. A new non-profit, Our Hospital Key West, has pledged itself to be the advocate for what it calls “best-in-class hospital ownership.”
• Community hospitals in trouble statewide. The Florida Hospital Association reported that five rural Florida hospitals have either closed or pulled back from inpatient care since 2010.

Just, well, bad. Linda Cunningham watched the new Road House movie set in the Keys, and panned it so we wouldn't have to see it. 

• Mayors agree. Key West Mayor Teri Johnston didn’t much appreciate the “drug-filled and crime-ridden portrayal of the Florida Keys, and Monroe County Mayor Holly Raschein said “the only accurate depiction of the Florida Keys was their local attraction, Fred the Tree on the Seven Mile Bridge.

Neglect. Chris Hamilton used a basketball metaphor to mourn the ridership decline of the Duval Loop. 

Category 5 rare bird. Mark Hedden captured a photo of a pearly-eyed thrasher, that while common in much of the Caribbean, had never before been reported in North America. 

Our Eyes

A pearly-eyed thrasher, the first one reported in North America, seen at the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden - Mark Hedden

Previously in Key West Voices

BOCC sours on TDC Executive Director. In a candid discussion toward the end of the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting on March 20th, County Mayor Holly Raschein disclosed that Stacey Mitchell had not yet agreed to an interview that is integral to the BOCC-ordered audit of the Tourist Development Council's non-profic marketing firm, Visit Florida Keys.

• Attorney unable to attend. Mitchell was scheduled to talk with auditors on Friday, but she cancelled because she was unable to have her attorney present at the time of the interview and the auditors would not allow the interview to be done virtually with Mitchell and her attorney, Mitchell said. “I am not refusing to talk to them,” Mitchell said. “He (her attorney) wants to be there, and he wasn’t able to be there in person.”
• Cates wants to move forward. Commissioner Craig Cates reiterated his willingness to terminate the agreement with Mitchell. 
• Lincoln extremely disappointed. Commissioner Michelle Lincoln expressed her frustration, and asked how much lead time is required to terminate either the employment contract with Mitchell, and / or the entire agreement with Visit Florida Keys, the non-profit hired by the TDC. It was later announced that 120 days notice is required to terminate either contract. 
• TDC meets on March 26. The next meeting of the TDC board is scheduled for Tuesday, March 26 at 10:00 a.m. at the DoubleTree resort in Key West. Note that there  is no option to attend this meeting remotely, nor will a video be posted after the fact. An audio recording is available upon request. 

Fresh takes on takings. Earlier that day, the BOCC held the first of a series of public workshops on the potential for issuing new residential building permits in the wake of FloridaCommerce's 2023 Hurricane evacuation study of the Keys. The meeting ran for more than three hours. 

• Mythbusting. Monroe County attorney Derek Howard's detailed presentation deconstructed the concept of 'takings,'' the Constitutional protection of  property owners from uncompensated government interference in using their property. The threat of takings liability has been used to justify a push for issuing more permits.
• Fewer actual properties. County staffers Emily Schemper and Christine Hurley presented the result of their review of properties that might actually risk takings liability to the county. One estimate held that only 2,220 properties are prospectively eligible, far fewer than  the nearly 8,000 properties for which permits could be issued.

Weed and abortion referenda to be decided soon. The Florida Supreme Court has been reviewing the amendments’ language and must decide whether they can appear on the 2024 ballot by April 1. 

Can kicked down the road. The  planned redo of 2023 traffic study that the Monroe County Board of County Commission rejected after parts of U.S.1 received a failing grade was delayed further because signal timing improvements that were planned had not been completed, and wouldn't be done until  after peak traffic season. No new date for the study redo was part of the resolution to delay, which passed unanimously with little discussion. 

• Failing grade overlooked. Had the BOCC accepted the 2023 study, it would have been required to suspend all new commercial development until the failing sections had been remediated. 
• Cemex to Publix project was okayed. By rejecting the study with the failing grade. the BOCC was able to approve the new Publix for Tavernier.  

Medicaid expansion on the ballot? NPR reported that advocates are pushing a proposed state constitutional amendment that would expand Medicaid eligibility in Florida. 

• Florida is a holdout as one of only 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid, state and federally-funded insurance for low-income people under the Affordable Care Act.
• But not right away. The road is long for organizers in Florida, but in every state where Medicaid expansion has gotten on the ballot, it's passed. Nearly a million petition signatures are needed to get it on the ballot in 2026, and then 60% of voters would need to approve it.

Police calls are down. Key West's Police Department has seen a steady decline in calls for service and 911 calls to dispatch over the last three months, as well as a decline in reports generated and arrests. 

An end to homeless camping? House Bill 1365, entitled “Unauthorized Public Camping and Public Sleeping” was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

• Clean and safe. DeSantis heavily endorsed a push to crack down on public camping in early February, standing at a podium with a sign reading “Don’t Allow Florida to Become San Francisco. DeSantis said the bill, to take effect on Oct. 1, will “help maintain and ensure that Florida streets are clean and safe for our residents.”
• Details, details. While providing clear direction to the state as a whole on Florida’s treatment of homeless encampments moving forward, numerous clauses within the bill leave plenty of mud in the water as to how exactly it will apply in the Florida Keys.

DeSantis ready for chasin' the Haitians. Worried the chaos and violence in Haiti will trigger a surge in migrants attempting to come to the U.S. by boat, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is sending more than 250 officers and National and State Guard troops to the southern part of the state. 

• Some Haitian-American leaders believe it's more about politics than preparedness.
• So far, the Coast Guard says it has not seen an increase in the number of Haitians attempting the hazardous crossing.

Realtor's commission will likely drop. The National Association of Realtors announced it had settled an antitrust lawsuit that had claimed the organization and its real estate agents colluded with brokerage firms, pressuring home sellers to pay high commission fees to agents.

• Commission fees will be negotiable and, according to the settlement terms, cannot be included in the MLS listing for a property. Rather, the fee must be negotiated individually for each sale with each agent.
• In announcing the settlement, NAR did not set a new suggested commission fee, but the current 6% standard is significantly higher than the 1% and 2% commissions paid in other countries such as the U.K. and Israel, according to CNN.

Staffing companies operator sentenced to four years. In a press release, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida announced that Petr Sutka was sentenced to four years in prison for running a series of labor hospitality staffing companies that served hotels, bars and restaurants in Key West and elsewhere. 

• The companies employed non-resident aliens not authorized to work in the United States, and did not did not report the wages to the IRS, or withhold federal income taxes and Social Security and Medicare taxes. 
• In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez ordered Sutka to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $3,551,423.84 in restitution. 
• Sutka’s co-conspirators Vasil Khatiashvili and Zdenek Strnad are scheduled to be sentenced on April 22.

Capacity of the Keys. Keys Weekly published an opinion piece that looked at the concept of capacity beyond just the hurricane evacuation model. 

Did we change? Linda Cunningham said that most of us unconsciously now mark time as before and after Covid, and looked at how much did (and did not) change since then. 

Lazy asses of the hawk world. Mark Hedden considered broad-winged hawks and domesticated chickens.