When is the last time we had a 111-page agenda for a Tuesday council meeting? Just a couple reports, the consent agenda, and a single resolution to be considered. For months and months typical agendas have been 600 to 900 pages.

And just 241 pages in the Thursday Land Use agenda…. including the 70-page outdated September 2007 Workforce Housing Support Study we see, sometimes multiple times, in Land Use agendas, included to demonstrate a dire need for workforce housing - and justification to approve more growth. But a 20-year-old report - surely things are not the same as they were then.   What’s Missing? Based on the minutes from the December Council meeting, we expected to see: the Founders Park Baseball Field License Agreement with the School Board, but the design seems to be progressing without an agreement Plan for Transferable Development Rights Registry RFP/RFQ for Village paid parking RFP/RFQ for Workforce housing at the Machado property at MM88.5 And these are just items discussed in December.

is on the consent agenda at Tuesday’s Council meeting and not expected to require discussion. We question, as does Councilman Steve Friedman, why this critical issue is on the consent agenda. It must be openly discussed to assure the public is aware of the possibility and concern.

Islamorada must take a stand by telling the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to prioritize the protection of coastal economies, communities, and ecosystems by excluding new offshore oil and gas leases from the final leasing program.

previously referred to as the “After Action Report” was once included in every Village Council meeting agenda. It provided a comprehensive list of projects the Council directed the staff to work on with dates and current status.

This report kept the Council and the residents informed about ongoing projects. A great tool, improving transparency. Let’s bring it back in 2026!  Click here to see the most recent report we could find.

Today they thought our readers would be interested in this 1950 photo of Indian Key Fill!  We cannot imagine Indian Key Fill looking like this 75 years ago. Thank you Nancy Klingener, Community Affairs Manager, Monroe County Public Library

Tomorrow (today) Village Council will consider a resolution establishing a Charter Review Committee to provide recommendations regarding possible changes to the Islamorada Charter.

The resolution proposes that each Council member would appoint one member to the committee, and the remaining two committee members would be selected by a majority vote of the Council.   The Committee is expected to meet at least once a month, and all meetings will be open to the public. The plan is to have a deadline of May 31, 2026, to prepare a final report advising the Village Council of any proposed amendments.

What is the Village Charter: The charter is like our constitution…  it defines governance structure, powers, and operational procedures. It outlines the roles of elected officials, including the mayor and village council members, and establishes processes for enacting laws, levying taxes, and managing budgets. In the last 25 years the Islamorada Charter has been amended several times - changing Council terms from 4 years to 2 years; limiting council members to a total of 8 years on council, increasing Council compensation from $300/mo to $1000/mo; changing election of council from March to November; adding a 35’ height restriction. Click here to see the Village Charter. The impact of Charter provisions can be significant and must be carefully thought out. Many question the process the Villages is using to do a charter review. Experience and expertise are required to properly sift through the opportunities to improve the charter.  The selection of the committee members is critical.

Congratulations Frank Derfler on an excellent application to fill a vacancy on this committee (provided to council in the agenda for Tuesday), clearly demonstrating that his knowledge, experience and expertise will be invaluable.

“Mangrove Mike” 10/21/1960 - 9/6/2021 The Village of Islamorada and the United Way of Collier and the Keys, invites the community to the dedication of the Dog Park at Founders Park to honor Mike Forster. This will be quite the family event… bring your kids and dogs to gather at Founders Park to share a special time as friends honor the legacy of Mangrove Mike Forster and contributions he made to our community. Mike’s dogs - Henry and Ms. Joy will be honored guests!  The Italian Food Company is providing people food while Village firefighter, Heidi, is providing organic dog treats. The event is free but please bring non-perishable food donations to support local food pantries. For questions, please contact Sharon Mahoney at 305-304-5262.

Dedication of the  Dog Park at Founders Park in Honor of Mike Forster January 18 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Mike’s dogs: Henry and Ms Joy, as puppies, the day he brought them home

There are officially 12 days of Village Hall office closures and employee observed holidays each year, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Day. But during the recent holiday season, it seemed those days were expanded to include, New Year’s Eve, December 26, and January 2.

 

Photo of the Week: Who recognizes this well-known place in Islamorada as it was 30 years ago… 1996?

As a village we start every year with the hope that the coming year will be better than the last.

We must keep our vision clear and our voices strong.

This should be the goal of all Islamorada residents.

If we adhere to our values we will accomplish our goals.

Our efforts will  create a lasting impact and renewed energy to complete the projects ignored and put aside because they are hard to resolve.

May our advocacy inspire fairness, our persistence open doors in the face of difficult challenges.

Our agenda for 2026 - getting our critical concerns addressed: 

• Improved public engagement – a full house at every critical council meeting with loads of valuable and insightful public comment. For this to be accomplished residents must be educated on issues and be energized.

• Complete and activate the Comp Plan revisions that make our regulations current and more protective of our environment and residents.

• We must review our Village charter –  it  should be a collaborative community project to deal with elections and other items overcome by events.

• Implement the Wastewater System’s critical fixes with fair cost allocations to assure proactive maintenance. We have emergencies much too frequently.

• Should we even be operating and maintaining the wastewater system worth hundreds of million of dollars?  Put out an RFP to find a qualified operator. We must get competitive proposals.

• Find an appropriate place for public works equipment. This issue has been at the top of our master plan for years with no results. Time to get all the equipment out of Founders Park and out of our precious hammock preserves.

• Devise and implement a plan for using or divesting of village owned properties: $8.5 million spent on old church property, Island Silver and Spice and Machado property. We purchased these properties with no end game.  A series of poor decisions.

• Workforce housing – is it even realistic or just a talking point for developers looking for concessions on their projects?

• Addressing traffic congestion. we just ignore the traffic surveys that the Chamber and their minions don’t like and just keep on growing.

• Our government officials should  insist on a Florida DOGE review. It would help residents understand our budget. Expected result: more transparency and efficiency. Who would fight it? What are we hiding?

•  We should be insulted by those who claim we are a rich community and can afford an $85 million annual budget? Arrogance on speed. Reason to bring in Florida DOGE.

• Why don’t we follow our local and state purchasing regulations as to competitive bidding – assuring we get the best products and services at a competitive price. Examples – our ride share service may be great for those using it – provided at over $500,000 of taxpayer money without ever having been competitively bid. $108,000 for lobbyists – no competitive bid.  Wastewater services – millions to a single contractor without competition. This is wrong. And expensive?

• Equal enforcement of code. Why  do we play favorites and use code violations for intimidation and retaliation?

 

Here’s to a year where truth speaks loudly, unity grows stronger, and careful unbiased collaboration guides every decision—because our work today shapes tomorrow’s  Islamorada community.

Stay strong! Be involved.

Tom Raffanello