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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.
Our Eyes
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| 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.
