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Water and power.
- Storm. A massive post-season tropical storm stalled in the Gulf of Mexico and dropped many inches of rain on the Keys Thursday through the weekend, closing or slowing roads in all the usual low-lying places. One friend dubbed it a 'wintercane.' The sun came out on Sunday, but the storm is moving up the eastern coast, and flood advisories remain in effect.
- Power outage. A storm-related power outage Thursday morning knocked out power for more than 56,000 people from Islamorada to Key West, according to Keys Energy and Keys Electric Cooperative. Power was restored for all by around 9:30 a.m. Other localized outages were reported on social media.
- Boil it. Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority issued a 'Precautionary Boil Water Notice' for Key West, Stock Island and Key Haven for critical facilities,' at 11:55 a.m. Thursday, due to the drop in pressure from the power outage hours earlier. This PBWN was to have been in effect until 5:00PM Saturday, December 16th, 2023. The original PBWN was extended for the 600 Block of Greene Street and 200 Block of Elizabeth Street until Monday, December 18, 2023, at 3:00PM.
- Word of mouth? Otherwise well-informed people noted on social media that they hadn't learned of the boil notice until hours after using water normally. Some were critical of FKAA's apparently incomplete notification plan.
- Drinking water quality. The Citizen ran a Palm Beach Post story of a report on drinking water quality from Water Defense, a Utah-based nonprofit, that ranked Florida 46th out of 50 states.
BOCC seeks delay, perhaps referendum on new permits. The Monroe County Board of Commissioners met on Dec. 13 and passed a resolution asking the state to delay allocating any new building permits to local governments in the Florida Keys. Commissioner Craig Cates spoke in favor of putting the growth question to voters in a referendum in November.
- The 30 year lease expires on Dec 31, and there is no new lease in place. Commissioners considered lease terms, the remote possibility that entry to the garage would be roped off on New Year's eve, or even demolition of the 27 year-old structure.
- Parking revenue is used to fund Key West transit services.
- Keys Energy Services operates under a franchise agreement granted by the City.
Lofts update. More than 50 people attended an informational
update meeting Dec. 7 regarding the Lofts at Bahama Village residential development. AH Monroe is developing the affordable housing project. The Lofts at Bahama Village will be 126 townhome-style units of which, 98 will be used as workforce affordable housing by qualified renters. The 28 remaining units eligible for purchase by qualifying buyers are entangled in complicated affordable housing funding requirements arising from state legislation.
Ibis you so much. Mark Hedden shared his
thoughts on ibises, and notes that no matter how pleasing the form of their bills, it isn’t about aesthetics, but rather a
form that facilitates function.
KWV Hiatus? Anticipating a dearth of hard Florida Keys news through Christmas, KWV may take a break and skip the Dec. 26 edition. Or not.
Our Eyes
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| Anhinga on Big Pine Key 12-14-23. Phil Dodderidge |
- 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.
- 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 was 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.
