I come from a background where FACTS matter and drive the decisions made by management.

The Islamorada Community Alliance (ICA) works diligently to provide facts on issues to residents as soon as they are available. And we are often criticized for the efforts.

We have taken heat from those intimidated by the truth.  That’s life. We will continue to do credible reporting and encourage Village governance to avail themselves of the facts as part of their decision-making.

Facts drive solid decisions and minimize fallout from emotional or poor decisions.

Unfortunately, many decisions in this village are made based on friendships and business associations. Facts have been ignored and relationships have prevailed.

Many residents have expressed to ICA and other citizen groups that residents do not trust our officials to make decisions. They cite business relationships and cronyism

Unfortunately, our local media lacks the ability to closely examine decisions that deserve scrutiny. The “power people” control much of the advertising revenue.

I get it., but don’t like it.

Village Council meeting agendas publicly provide hundreds of pages of background information on items to be decided at the meeting. They become available only several days before the meetings where decisions will be made. You have to be an accomplished speed reader in order to comprehend the facts. Is this good governance?

Issues that should be publicly discussed often are placed on the “consent agendas” where no discussion or individual public comment takes place, just the bulk council vote.

Is the “consent agenda” where the village hides its mistakes? These agenda items routinely commit millions of tax dollars. Is that transparency?

We have endured a previous village manager committing millions of our tax dollars on enhanced employee benefit packages without council approval.

Any conversation on this violation or thoughts of disciplinary action for this prior manager’s monumental unauthorized expenditure? No - swept under the rug. Council later approved the expenditure, after the fact, with no discussion or public understanding.

How about the $3 million wastewater work, approved after the work was done and the questionable invoices were paid.

This behavior seems routine in our government. Consent agendas and ignoring legal purchase procedures wash away sins.

Our current village manager has made attempts to change this trend. I am optimistic.

I am asking our elected officials to reverse this decade long aberration and encourage the FACTS to be presented and discussed.

Council decisions should have the legitimacy this village deserves. Council actions will forge their legacy. They should embrace FACTS.

We must deal with the critical issues facing us: our fragile environment, bloated taxes, uncontrolled growth, and dangerous traffic trends.

The choice is clear. Respond to residents’ problems or continue more ”good ol boy/girl” poor decisions.

FACTS cannot be ignored. The ICA and other citizen groups will continue to present real concerns.

Islamorada Council: You can and must do better.

Tom Raffanello

The wastewater system is operated as an enterprise fund… a self-supporting government fund that sells goods or services to the public for a fee intended to cover all costs… just like a business.  We question whether the Village Wastewater Enterprise fund is operating in a businesslike manner!  

Self-supporting? No - they show major deficits year after year.

This week’s concern:

1. The special call wastewater meeting provided significant information about the FDEP Consent demands and the significant ongoing wastewater concerns. The  estimated fixes enumerated exceed $5.5 million over the budgeted operation and maintenance of the system…. yet little council direction resulted.  The Village Manager acknowledged the need to update EDU counts.

   
   

More about the Nov 17 Special Call meeting in separate wastewater story.

Note - In recent newsletters we have already questioned:

1. Why isn’t Sun Community paying their fair share of wastewater costs?

2. Why is the tiny 1947 trailer park near the Post Office paying more than their fair share?

3. Why are the three breweries in the Village paying a minimal amount?

4. Why does Village policy provide a volume discount for wastewater costs to the larger developments, resorts, marinas, restaurants with more than 10 EDUs?

5. Need for public special call meeting about Wastewater FDEP consent order approval. (Special Call Wastewater meeting held Nov 17, 5:30 PM)

6. Budget concernhighlighted in Nov 10 wastewater agenda item, Year-end (9/30/25) budget amendment shows a wastewater DEFICIT of $5,343,345 for the year just ended, 9/30/2025.

7. The 2022 Wastewater Rate Study had critical recommendations approved almost 4 years ago but never implemented.

We will continue to add/delete concerns until all have been resolved.

The white flags along the highway, bay side, are part of the $1.86 million FDOT Landscaping Project that is underway. Each flag marks the location and species of the tree or shrub to be planted in the FDOT Right of Way.

We wonder what happens to these white flags when the Right of Way is mowed!

The Village’s Public Works Department has maintained the U.S. Highway 1 right-of-way located within the Village’s municipal boundaries through an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation (“FDOT”) in place since 2007.  

The current 1-year agreement from July 11, 2025 to July 10, 2026 provides for FDOT to pay the Village $65,644/year to maintain the U.S. One Right of Way through Islamorada, approximately 18 miles, both sides of the highway.

In 2007, when the Village took over the maintenance, FDOT had been mowing once a month.  The Village preferred to upgrade the maintenance and agreed to a $65,000 contract reimbursement from FDOT for the Village effort.

The current Road Maintenance budget for Public Works is $784,813.  It is not known how much of that is spent for the Village’s upgraded U.S. One maintenance and how much is spent mowing along other Village owned roads.

Congratulations Donovan!