TDC stands behind its suspended executive director - Weekly briefing - February 27, 2024

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No Keys homes for regular folk. In an insightful and sobering analysis of the harsh realities of home ownership here, Linda Cunningham made clear how regular folks just can't live here anymore. Her proposed remedy is worthy of your consideration. Essential reading. 

TDC stands behind its suspended executive director. In the wake of a second harsh audit of Monroe County's Tourism Development Council, its board members met on February 20 in a meeting for which no remote access nor video recording was available. They defeated by a vote of 7-2 a motion to fire TDC director Stacey Mitchell made by board member and County Commissioner Craig Cates. Mitchell was earlier suspended by the TDC board, with pay, while other audits are underway. 

• “Stacey has been through a lot with us,” said Rita Irwin, the TDC board chair. “There is a partnership and there is an oversight. The idea that this one person becomes a scapegoat bothers me. It is a group effort.” 
• Johnston voted to dismiss. Only TDC board member and Key West Mayor Teri Johnston sided with Cates to oust Mitchell. Cates refuted the allegation that Mitchell was being scapegoated.
• BOCC said no as well. During the Monroe Board of Commissioners meeting the following day, Cates made a similar motion which was defeated 3-2. While the BOCC has no direct authority to terminate Mitchell's employment, had Cates' motion passed it would have sent its request to the BOCC-appointed TDC board. Jim Scholl also voted to recommend Mitchell's dismissal. The last few minutes of the video of the BOCC discussion includes some testy words for Cates from County Mayor Holly Raschein. 

Probably Roman back. The BOCC approved county administrator Roman Gastesi's retirement for at least six months. Per state law, Gastesi could come back to his position after six months, which he said he wants to do.

Public engagement plan on ROGOs. A presentation to the BOCC outlined its plan to take public input on the controversial plan to issue new residential building permits. Gastesi said it's the most important issue facing the Florida Keys.

Not just your imagination; record January traffic at EYW. Key West International Airport reported a nearly 16% increase in passenger numbers over January 2023, outpacing every January passenger count on record at the airport. 

• AA touts low fares. As evidence of TDC and American Airline's marketing prowess, similar stories touting low fares to Key West appeared almost simultaneously in multiple publications. 

Dead coral. A team of researchers documented significant coral mortality from this past summer’s heatwave in Keys coral restoration sites.

Choppers grounded. Monroe County has temporarily grounded its three air ambulances after one of the Sikorski S76 helicopters made an emergency landing at Marathon International Airport.

KW staying the course? Despite the certainty of at least four new faces on the Key West City Commission later this year, sitting commissioners saw continued support for the City's major proposed projects. 

Controversial measles outbreak response. Florida's surgeon general garnered national attention and widespread criticism for his advice to a Florida elementary school that may leave unvaccinated children at risk of contracting one of the most contagious pathogens on Earth, according to clinicians and public health experts.

No weird ducks in the pond. Mark Hedden invited us to experience his recent visit to Ft. Zach. 

Our Eyes

Good Morning - Lynne Bentley-Kemp

Previously in Key West Voices

BOCC moved past county staff and public objections. Although touted for its inclusion of 86 workforce housing units, a proposed development of a new Publix in Tavernier was opposed both by county staff, and many members of the public. Hours of presentations and public comments culminated in Monroe County commissioners voting 4-1 in favor of the project at a special Feb. 15 meeting. Objections were varied, but often focused on traffic congestion.

• Video of the full meeting (3 hours and 19 minutes) is available for viewing. 
• Last Stand's Dottie Moses was among many who spoke in opposition (video, less than five minutes).
• Commissioner Cates voted against the plan, calling it a good project in a wrong place. 
• 'Ginormous' replacement Key Largo Publix. Meanwhile, Publix opened a new 64,000 square foot store in Key Largo, replacing a 48,000 square foot store in the same shopping center. 
  
  

TDC audit fallout. In the wake of a second scathing audit, the Board of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council called for a special meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, at the Faro Blanco Resort in Marathon. The audit is the only item on the agenda.

• The new audit sharply criticizes NewmanPR and the TDC’s Director of Marketing Stacey Mitchell for payment reimbursements, and recommended rebidding the public relations contract.
• Overhaul needed. Linda Cunningham said that the TDC can no longer be trusted, and called for major reforms. 
  
  

Public safety a matter of debate. In his letter to the editor of Keys Weekly, Robert Glazer of Marathon emphasized public safety to disagree with an earlier John Bartus column that supported issuing additional building permits to reduce the governments' exposure to takings lawsuits. The debate won't likely end any time soon. 

Coral bleaching. A Miami Herald article reported on a government study of coral bleaching in the Keys. At one nursery at Looe Key, researchers didn’t see a single live staghorn or elkhorn coral at any of the sites they surveyed.

Tornado. A tornado moved across Cudjoe Key and Little and Big Torch Keys at about 1 p.m. on Sunday, February 18, according to the National Weather Service. No injuries were reported Sunday night, but one neighborhood on Cudjoe Key was left with damaged homes and property.

Meet the Candidates. Hometown!, the non-partisan organization promoting good government, will hold its 2024 Call for Candidates forum on Monday February 26 at  5:30 at Saluté in Key West. Admission is free, but plan to arrive early and expect a full house.

Gayborhood nostalgia. Chris Hamilton contemplated changes and history of Key West's gay culture in an insightful and well-researched post on his blog. 

Power play. Mark Hedden answered a friend's question about birds and power lines.  

BOCC moved past county staff and public objections to approve new Tavernier Publix - Weekly briefing - February 20, 20204

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

BOCC moved past county staff and public objections. Although touted for its inclusion of 86 workforce housing units, a proposed development of a new Publix in Tavernier was opposed both by county staff, and many members of the public. Hours of presentations and public comments culminated in Monroe County commissioners voting 4-1 in favor of the project at a special Feb. 15 meeting. Objections were varied, but often focused on traffic congestion.

• Video of the full meeting (3 hours and 19 minutes) is available for viewing. 
• Last Stand's Dottie Moses was among many who spoke in opposition (video, less than five minutes).
• Commissioner Cates voted against the plan, calling it a good project in a wrong place. 
• 'Ginormous' replacement Key Largo Publix. Meanwhile, Publix opened a new 64,000 square foot store in Key Largo, replacing a 48,000 square foot store in the same shopping center. 
  
  

TDC audit fallout. In the wake of a second scathing audit, the Board of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council called for a special meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, at the Faro Blanco Resort in Marathon. The audit is the only item on the agenda.

• The new audit sharply criticizes NewmanPR and the TDC’s Director of Marketing Stacey Mitchell for payment reimbursements, and recommended rebidding the public relations contract.
• Overhaul needed. Linda Cunningham said that the TDC can no longer be trusted, and called for major reforms. 
  
  

Public safety a matter of debate. In his letter to the editor of Keys Weekly, Robert Glazer of Marathon emphasized public safety to disagree with an earlier John Bartus column that supported issuing additional building permits to reduce the governments' exposure to takings lawsuits. The debate won't likely end any time soon. 

Coral bleaching. A Miami Herald article reported on a government study of coral bleaching in the Keys. At one nursery at Looe Key, researchers didn’t see a single live staghorn or elkhorn coral at any of the sites they surveyed.

Tornado. A tornado moved across Cudjoe Key and Little and Big Torch Keys at about 1 p.m. on Sunday, February 18, according to the National Weather Service. No injuries were reported Sunday night, but one neighborhood on Cudjoe Key was left with damaged homes and property.

Meet the Candidates. Hometown!, the non-partisan organization promoting good government, will hold its 2024 Call for Candidates forum on Monday February 26 at  5:30 at Saluté in Key West. Admission is free, but plan to arrive early and expect a full house.

Gayborhood nostalgia. Chris Hamilton contemplated changes and history of Key West's gay culture in an insightful and well-researched post on his blog. 

Power play. Mark Hedden answered a friend's question about birds and power lines.  

Our Eyes

Green Heron at the Blue Hole 2-11-24 - Phil Dodderidge

Previously in Key West Voices

Fiscal arrogance alleged at TDC. The Miami Herald, WLRN, and local outlets reported on the second critical audit of the Tourist Development Council that uses tax dollars to promote tourism in the Florida Keys. It accused TDC's long-time public relations firm of regularly double billing by reimbursing a company that investigators say doesn’t exist.

• Arrogance. "The errors and inaccuracies the audit sample uncovered... demonstrate a fiscal arrogance on the part of the vendor as well as a lack of regard for the expenditure of public funds.”
• Big dollars. In 2023, Monroe County’s public relations agency of record, NewmanPR, collected more than $1.9 million from Monroe County. That total comes from an annual fee of $733,688, plus more than $1.1 million in expenses.
• Pushback. Andy Newman, president of NewmanPR, said the audit seems biased.
• More to come. Additional audits are underway, as well as an investigation from State Attorney Dennis Ward. 

Abortion access in court. The fate of abortion access will be decided by the Florida Supreme Court in two cases. 

• Referendum. The first, which the court heard Wednesday, will determine whether Floridians can vote directly this November on a measure that would explicitly protect the right to an abortion in their state constitution.
• An even stricter ban? The second, a challenge to the legality of Florida’s current 15-week ban, could lead the state to enforce an even stricter six-week cutoff, a law passed in 2023 that has not yet taken effect.

Gastesi to retire soon. Roman Gastesi, the Monroe County Administrator for 15 years, abruptly announced his retirement effective February 23, earlier than county officials had expected. One insider speculated that he'll return to the role after a required waiting period. 

Garage lease approved. The Key West City Commission met and approved key items. 

• Citizens Review Board. The Commission unanimously approved a resolution opposing proposed state legislation that aims to prohibit investigation of complaints against law enforcement and correctional officers by a citizens or civilian review board. Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg supported the resolution. 
• Park and Ride Garage. A new lease between the City and Keys Energy for the Park and Ride garage at Grinnell and Caroline was approved.
• Finally. Also approved was $8.5 million to rebuild the facility for unhoused persons known as KOTS, which has been renamed the John Jones Navigation Center to honor former Assistant City Manager John Jones (who led the effort to build the original KOTS). Despite appalling conditions at KOTS, this milestone was several years in the making.  

Category 6? A new paper published by leading hurricane researchers proposed adding a Category 6 to the familiar Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity. Climate change makes powerful storms more common.

Chris Massicotte profiled. Keys Weekly profiled the Key West resident with a background in accounting and political campaign advertising who is challenging Commissioner Jim Scholl for the District 3 BOCC seat. Although the district covers the western part of Key West, Monroe Commissioners are elected 'at large' by voters across the county.   

The dregs of social media. Linda Cunningham ruminated on social media limits, age verification, and state legislation that will likely be found unconstitutional.  

Ew. Mark Hedden told us what got under his skin, before finding joy in an infrequently seen butterfly. 

Fiscal arrogance - Weekly briefing - February 13, 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

Fiscal arrogance alleged at TDC. The Miami Herald, WLRN, and local outlets reported on the second critical audit of the Tourist Development Council that uses tax dollars to promote tourism in the Florida Keys. It accused TDC's long-time public relations firm of regularly double billing by reimbursing a company that investigators say doesn’t exist.

• Arrogance. "The errors and inaccuracies the audit sample uncovered... demonstrate a fiscal arrogance on the part of the vendor as well as a lack of regard for the expenditure of public funds.”
• Big dollars. In 2023, Monroe County’s public relations agency of record, NewmanPR, collected more than $1.9 million from Monroe County. That total comes from an annual fee of $733,688, plus more than $1.1 million in expenses.
• Pushback. Andy Newman, president of NewmanPR, said the audit seems biased.
• More to come. Additional audits are underway, as well as an investigation from State Attorney Dennis Ward. 

Abortion access in court. The fate of abortion access will be decided by the Florida Supreme Court in two cases. 

• Referendum. The first, which the court heard Wednesday, will determine whether Floridians can vote directly this November on a measure that would explicitly protect the right to an abortion in their state constitution.
• An even stricter ban? The second, a challenge to the legality of Florida’s current 15-week ban, could lead the state to enforce an even stricter six-week cutoff, a law passed in 2023 that has not yet taken effect.

Gastesi to retire soon. Roman Gastesi, the Monroe County Administrator for 15 years, abruptly announced his retirement effective February 23, earlier than county officials had expected. One insider speculated that he'll return to the role after a required waiting period. 

Garage lease approved. The Key West City Commission met and approved key items. 

• Citizens Review Board. The Commission unanimously approved a resolution opposing proposed state legislation that aims to prohibit investigation of complaints against law enforcement and correctional officers by a citizens or civilian review board. Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg supported the resolution. 
• Park and Ride Garage. A new lease between the City and Keys Energy for the Park and Ride garage at Grinnell and Caroline was approved.
• Finally. Also approved was $8.5 million to rebuild the facility for unhoused persons known as KOTS, which has been renamed the John Jones Navigation Center to honor former Assistant City Manager John Jones (who led the effort to build the original KOTS). Despite appalling conditions at KOTS, this milestone was several years in the making.  

Category 6? A new paper published by leading hurricane researchers proposed adding a Category 6 to the familiar Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity. Climate change makes powerful storms more common.

Chris Massicotte profiled. Keys Weekly profiled the Key West resident with a background in accounting and political campaign advertising who is challenging Commissioner Jim Scholl for the District 3 BOCC seat. Although the district covers the western part of Key West, Monroe Commissioners are elected 'at large' by voters across the county.   

The dregs of social media. Linda Cunningham ruminated on social media limits, age verification, and state legislation that will likely be found unconstitutional.  

Ew. Mark Hedden told us what got under his skin, before finding joy in an infrequently seen butterfly. 

Our Eyes

Mercurial Sunrise - Lynne Bentley-Kemp
    

Previously in Key West Voices

Unchartered waters. The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) dropped its push to persuade voters to adopt a charter county form of government. Were it approved, it would have given the BOCC power to seek a new tax for infrastructure repairs, among many other consequences. It's hard to get people to vote in favor of new taxes. 

Future of the Keys. Last Stand hosted a rousing annual meeting (video) at Williams Hall with a panel of experts (video) considering where we'll be in ten years, and what we can do now to alter our course.

  

Duval revitalization. An estimated 200 people gathered at the San Carlos Institute for a workshop on revitalizing Duval Street. Sea level rise was a big concern.  

Monica Haskell profiled. Keys Weekly ran a profile of Haskell, who seeks to succeed Jimmy Weekly as District 1 Key West Commissioner. 

Chris Massicotte for BOCC. Massicotte, a Key West resident and co-owner of marketing firm Duval Street Media, announced his intention to run for County Commission District 3, challenging incumbent and two-time Key West City Manager Jim Scholl. Scholl, who was previously Commander of NAS Key West, was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to fill a vacancy on the BOCC.   

Mooring field plan. The BOCC moved forward on a plan for a dinghy dock on Stock Island for a managed mooring field in Boca Chica Basin.

Watchdogs may be muzzled. Florida lawmakers are considering far-reaching legislation that would weaken an already beleaguered state ethics commission and would virtually wipe away the power of local ethics watchdogs to investigate and enforce laws intended to fight corruption. If the bill becomes law, investigations at the state and local level could only be prompted by a signed and sworn complaint from someone who possesses "personal knowledge" of a potential violation. 

FKOC now part of AH Monroe. The Florida Keys Outreach Coalition for the Homeless (FKOC) began operating as a subsidiary of AH Monroe on January 1. Leaders from both organizations call the move an “integration of services and expansion of missions.”

New digs. The  Monroe County Supervisor of Elections moved from its old headquarters on Whitehead Street to the site of the former Bayshore Manor at 5200 College Road on Stock Island. Don't go to the old office - it's closed.  

• Spacious. Office space and parking is more plentiful at the new site
• Check your  registration and VBM status. Because of rule changes, some voters may no longer be registered or have vote-by-mail instructions in effect. With crucial local, state, and federal elections this year, this would be a great time to check your status at keys-elections.org

We have loved our Keys to death. Linda Cunningham is inclined to believe the only choice is retreat. 

Wackadoo. Mark Hedden elaborated on obsession and suspicious looking common mynas. 

Unchartered waters - Weekly Briefing - February 6, 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

Unchartered waters. The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) dropped its push to persuade voters to adopt a charter county form of government. Were it approved, it would have given the BOCC power to seek a new tax for infrastructure repairs, among many other consequences. It's hard to get people to vote in favor of new taxes. 

Future of the Keys. Last Stand hosted a rousing annual meeting (video) at Williams Hall with a panel of experts (video) considering where we'll be in ten years, and what we can do now to alter our course.   

Duval revitalization. An estimated 200 people gathered at the San Carlos Institute for a workshop on revitalizing Duval Street. Sea level rise was a big concern.  

Monica Haskell profiled. Keys Weekly ran a profile of Haskell, who seeks to succeed Jimmy Weekly as District 1 Key West Commissioner. 

Chris Massicotte for BOCC. Massicotte, a Key West resident and co-owner of marketing firm Duval Street Media, announced his intention to run for County Commission District 3, challenging incumbent and two-time Key West City Manager Jim Scholl. Scholl, who was previously Commander of NAS Key West, was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to fill a vacancy on the BOCC.   

Mooring field plan. The BOCC moved forward on a plan for a dinghy dock on Stock Island for a managed mooring field in Boca Chica Basin.

Watchdogs may be muzzled. Florida lawmakers are considering far-reaching legislation that would weaken an already beleaguered state ethics commission and would virtually wipe away the power of local ethics watchdogs to investigate and enforce laws intended to fight corruption. If the bill becomes law, investigations at the state and local level could only be prompted by a signed and sworn complaint from someone who possesses "personal knowledge" of a potential violation. 

FKOC now part of AH Monroe. The Florida Keys Outreach Coalition for the Homeless (FKOC) began operating as a subsidiary of AH Monroe on January 1. Leaders from both organizations call the move an “integration of services and expansion of missions.”

New digs. The  Monroe County Supervisor of Elections moved from its old headquarters on Whitehead Street to the site of the former Bayshore Manor at 5200 College Road on Stock Island. Don't go to the old office - it's closed.  

• Spacious. Office space and parking is more plentiful at the new site
• Check your  registration and VBM status. Because of rule changes, some voters may no longer be registered or have vote-by-mail instructions in effect. With crucial local, state, and federal elections this year, this would be a great time to check your status at keys-elections.org

We have loved our Keys to death. Linda Cunningham is inclined to believe the only choice is retreat. 

Wackadoo. Mark Hedden elaborated on obsession and suspicious looking common mynas. 

Our Eyes

A pair of common mynas seen this week in a Key West parking lot. - Mark Hedden / Keys Weekly

Tri-colored Heron gets breakfast on Big Pine Key 2-2-24 - Phil Dodderidge

Previously in Key West Voices

Fourteen years of service. Key West Mayor Teri Johnston decided to not seek re-election, after serving a total of 14 years as a city commissioner and then mayor. Her decision, along with term limits for three commissioners, now means a minimum of four new faces on the city commission later this year. 

• Wide open race. To date, only Danise "Dee Dee" Henriquez had officially filed to run for the office at the time of Johnston's announcement. She has already raised over $20,000 in cash and in-kind contributions. 
• Kaufman likely to run. Incumbent Commissioner Sam Kaufman previously indicated that he would run if Johnston chose not to. Kaufman acknowledged that if he ran, he would have to resign his District II commission seat a week before qualifying occurs in the mayor’s race in June.
• Mark Rossi has a choice. Past Commissioner and unsuccessful mayoral candidate in 2018 Rossi may seek either Kaufman's Commission seat (which Rossi occupied from 2004 to 2016) or even run again for mayor.  
• Margaret Romero has a choice as well. Romero was easily defeated by Johnston in her mayoral bid in 2022, garnering about 44% of the vote. She is currently filed to seek the Supervisor of Elections seat, but could withdraw from her candidacy to instead mount yet another mayoral bid. 

Haskell seeks commission seat. Key West resident Monica Haskell filed to run for City Commissioner in Key West’s District I, currently held by term-limited Jimmy Weekley.

Marathon wants to 'borrow' ROGOs. During a contentious and well-attended workshop, Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi and County Attorney Bob Shillinger, outlined a deal that would 'loan' ROGO/BPAS allocations from Monroe County to Marathon. Several citizens rose to express opposition to Marathon's earlier request for up to 8,000 residential building permits, but some spoke in favor out of concern for 'takings'  liability. 

• WLRN presented a detailed review of the meeting, the controversy, and the actions that led to Marathon's surprise request. 
• Bartus says yes. Former Marathon Mayor John Bartus wrote in support of finding a solution. 
• ROGO referendum? Monroe County commissioners are still considering asking the voters if the Florida Keys should receive more state building allocations and change hurricane evacuation times. Such a vote would weigh resident's interest in public safety against further development and reduced 'takings' liability.  

Florida Keys Day in Tallahassee. Continuing an annual ritual, Keys leaders descended on the state Capitol for the annual Florida Keys Day on January 25 to educate and lobby state officials on Keys' legislative priorities. 

• Tourist tax dollars for affordable housing. Among other pursuits, Monroe County officials pursued changing state legislation to allow a roughly $25 million tourist tax surplus to go toward the construction of affordable housing. 

Little Torch variance request postponed. The owners of Little Palm Island postponed their request for a parking variance from Monroe County for a redevelopment project of a Little Torch Key marina, putting the entire development project on hold. 

Grinnell garage deal authorized. The Key West Utility Board authorized Keys Energy Services to finalize and approve a lease for the City garage at Grinnell and Caroline. The 20-year lease that ends in 2044 includes a provision to extend. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2025, the City will make annual lease payments to KEYS of $225,000, with 2.5% annual increases thereafter. The Key West City Commission is expected to vote on the lease on Feb. 8.

Safer and cleaner ship christened. The American Glory, the second of American Cruise Lines’ new series of 100-passenger ships, was christened in Key West, Florida on January 21 by Mayor Johnston, among others. 

Duval revitalization redux. The City of Key West kicks off a series of public workshops for the Duval Street Revitalization and Resiliency project at a community open house on Wednesday, January 31 from 5-7 p.m. at the San Carlos Institute.

Sprawling coonties. Linda Cunningham rooted around in search of a rare butterfly. 

Not playing favorites. Mark Hedden was asked to name his favorite book about birds, but that's a tough question.