The Council approved a $2,302,510 contract with StandGuard Aquatics INC to renovate and upgrade the facilities at the pool complex at Founders Park.  A TDC grant will cover $436,800 of the cost.

The contract includes resurfacing the pool, renovating the locker rooms, redoing the lighting, scoreboard and mechanical equipment as well as adding a lifeguard first aid station. The pool water was chemically neutralized to zero chlorine and then pumped out of the pool onto the Plantation Hammock Preserve on the north side of Founders Park. Workmen have been hard at work with jackhammers, chipping away at the deteriorated 25-year-old pool surface.   The timeline according to the contract - Construction through substantial completion Feb 1 – May 9, 2026 with completion – May 9 to May 23, 2026. Just in time for the very busy summer schedule with a variety of camps and events. Groups like the synchronized swimmers are using the pool at MM100 in Key Largo. While the Village is losing significant revenue during the repairs, in the long run, there may be huge savings in the Village water bill as it is suspected that the pool has had some major leaks.   Water bill: The water bills paid by the Village for the pool and the pool complex for the 4 months from October 2025 through January 2026 totaled just over $107,000.

Other Founders Park Facilities are available to allow residents and visitors to enjoy the beautiful park, the beach, fitness equipment, walking paths, dog park, and athletic fields.

There was an update on the status of the Comp Plan during “VILLAGE MANAGER COMMUNICATIONS” at the Tues Feb 10 Council meeting.  Village Manager, Ron Saunders, has indicated he will continue to provide a comp plan update in every council agenda until the process has been completed.

Director of Planning, Jennifer DeBoisBriand, provided an explanation of what to expect next with the comp plan review.  According to her report: The Village received a working draft of the proposed amendments to the Comp Plan from Able City East in September. The staff has reviewed the document and submitted recommendations to Able City.   Once Able City addresses the suggestions, they will submit an updated draft to the Village which will be available on the Village website for the public and council. A public workshop with AbleCity East will be scheduled for public comments. Able City will again update the working draft based on public feedback Their updated draft will be presented to the LPA for public hearings (2 anticipated) Once reviewed by LPA, their recommendations will be submitted to the Council for Council approval. If you are interested in reviewing the initial draft from Able City East, it is public record.  We would be happy to email it to readers. We have also received comments from two staff members that have been sent to Able City. As we’ve stated several times… Village citizen committees can and should help. We hope all committees will be provided the initial draft along with any planning staff suggestions so they can review sections related to their committee work. This is a complex document. Extensive work is needed. The public needs to be heavily involved. Do not underestimate the critical importance of the comprehensive plan and public involvement.

In 2006, the Village was deeded this 6-acre bayfront treasure, a $4.7 million gift with Village obligations dictated in a “management plan.”  In 2020 the Village advertised a Request for Proposals to find an environmental non-profit to operate the facility and comply with the management plan.  Florida Bay Forever submitted the only proposal.

Feb 25, 2021 the Village passed a resolution giving Florida Bay Forever the responsibilities as required by the Florida Communities Trust Management Plan. This management agreement with Florida Bay Forever ends at the end of this month.

The Village has circulated information to some local nonprofits to determine if other organization would like to benefit from the use of the property and provide volunteer presence and services. Florida Bay Frever could be one of the volunteer organizations. The Village staff would take over the actual management functions currently provided by Florida Bay Forever. The future of the property was not on the Council agenda in February. But the council agreed to a 1-month extension with Florida Bay Forever until the March council meeting.  Manager Saunders and Village staff are to work with Florida Bay Forever to find the best solution for accommodating them and other nonprofits while assuring the requirements of the management plan are met. Taxpayer question: Why should the Village manage this facility with paid employees, when they have a terrific environmental organization fulfilling the educational, conservation and management requirements free of charge?

45th Annual Upper Keys GARDEN WALK 2026 Saturday 2/28/26 10am-4pm Pre-sale - $32 Day of Event - $35 Ticket information: Garden Walk Tickets – Garden Club of the Upper Keys

You thought our government was slow!

Feb. 12 the Miami City Commission agreed to a public referendum vote to restore the iconic Miami Marine Stadium on Key Biscayne. For 34 years, the structure has been sitting empty since it was declared unsafe following Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Who remembers this Upper Matecumbe ice cream shop?

The key to successful government, at any level, is ACCOUNTABILITY.

In the past an “After Action Report” was included in monthly Council meeting agendas. We believe the last one was April 8, 2025. If you follow the Village efforts, as we do, that “status” report was very valuable.

For continued value it must be up to date. What happened?

At the January 6, 2026, council meeting, the “After Action Status Report” was discussed by council and was to be revived. Great news!

They explained that the report would include any efforts the staff is directed to undertake by a “consensus of the council” at council meetings. Why restrict the report?

By saying “directed staff” does that translate into the report not including the status of projects that have been farmed out to contractors, i.e. our Comp Plan, the wastewater rate study, canal restoration projects, just to name a few?

The status of these projects is critical to the transparency and competency of the Village. “Consensus of Council” should include ALLL projects including

the aforementioned studies and projects.

These are accountability and tax dollar issues.

There have been numerous projects that were not discussed at public meetings. There was the change of the zoning designation of the now, Village owned church. Who directed that change request?

Some projects have been discussed but no “consensus” vote was taken. i.e. to evaluate a rider charge for ride-share services; issuing an RFP for ride-share services. Status of these projects?

What is the fate of issues “directed by council” via the annual budget approval.

At the January meeting, Council members were given a sample “After Action Report” to approve. There were no objections. The public did not get to see the report before the directive from council to proceed.

Manager Saunders promised a complete report for the February meeting.

February report: 4 entries: Create Charter Review Committee, Comprehensive Plan Update; TDR Bank; Wastewater Rate Study.

Is this the complete status report promised? Or is this the “sample” provided to council last month? Please advise! We are getting mixed signals.

I believe the format is deficient. Include dates and steps taken toward completion of items, not just the date requested and the date completed. A complete status.

Click here to see the “After Action Report” in the Feb 10 agenda.

Click here to see the April 2025 report.

Once a project is completed, the council wants it removed from the list. Good business dictates that it be “moved” to an archive file of completed tasks. That is transparent and informative.

Ongoing Responsibilities: now that the council and public will have a way to follow the staff efforts for specific projects, let’s talk about ongoing responsibilities.

Why not providing semi-annual statistical reports by department? Surely the departments have a compilation of this data. The Village manager would need this to monitor progress and efficiency.

Examples:

Fire Rescue: # of employees in department, number of calls for service – for fire,

medical, etc.

Wastewater. Calls for sewer back-ups, leaks, maintenance calls.

Parks and Rec: number of folks paying entrance fee, fees for aquatic center broken down to include income per contracted service and/or Village provided service.

Marina: How many slips are rented long term, monthly, daily, and the charge etc. Number of boaters using ramp.

Without more information how are taxpayers assured that the Village is spending their tax dollars efficiently? We need this feedback.

Our staff has grown significantly over the past several decades. Our property taxes have increased over 50% in 5 years. Our population is dwindling a bit each year and many full-time residents can no longer afford the high cost of living here.

We need to do a better job of managing the cost and necessity government services we provide.

As we previously stated, ACCOUNTABILITY is the lynchpin to successful government at all levels. It’s time Village Council and management paid attention.

We want to preserve our way of life and this unique environment. Without accountability we will continue to be in a downward spiral. Throwing money, indiscriminately, at problems always fails.

Let’s be leaders!

 

Tom Raffanello

All 5 council seats are up for grabs! And we will likely have critical charter changes on the ballot as well.

To date, Don Horton is the only candidate who has filed.  To keep up with the coming election Click here.  

Running for municipal office is a powerful way to make a difference in your community.

Should you consider running for a seat on Village Council?

Some people run for the prestige of the position.  Some may want the financial advantages ($1000/month in pay)???  Few will admit either of these.

Many people run because they want to protect what makes Islamorada unique. They worry about the continual increase in taxes. They’ve watched the same problems come up year after year. They see council meetings where decisions are made without those most affected having a real voice.

If things are to change, someone has to step up.

If you think the Village is just fine the way it is, you are in luck!  If not, consider running for a seat on council.