The year 2022 had no shortage of stories in the Upper Keys. In Islamorada, turnover in village hall and an intense election for five open seats had the community talking. A Key Largo School reached a big milestone, and a big development in Tavernier had residents concerned that it would bring more traffic.
CAPTION: Greg Oravec: Greg Oravec resigned in early January. JIM McCARTHY/Keys Weekly
ISLAMORADA MANAGER GREG ORAVEC RESIGNS
The Islamorada Village Council started 2022 with a shakeup as manager of six months, Greg Oravec, put in his resignation on Jan. 10. Hired in June 2021, Oravec said that he believed the village would be best served by another manager. He signed a contract with a salary of $169,000 and $13,500 in moving expenses in June 2021. Following his announced resignation, the dais approved a separation agreement that handed him salary and benefits through March 31.
KEY LARGO SCHOOL CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
Former and current administrators, teachers and students peered at yearbooks and past pictures inside the Key Largo School library on Jan. 19. Fifty years ago to the day, the school opened its doors to a new era of learning in the Upper Keys. Key Largo School originally was scheduled to open in 1971. Delays however, pushed administrators to come up with a different plan as the school construction continued. In the end, businesses in the Key Largo community stepped up to house students from different grade levels from August until January when the new building was ready.
CAPTION: Road Raising Isla: Road crews stage equipment on Lower Matecumbe to begin work on a road elevation project. DAVID GROSS/Keys Weekly
STRETCH OF U.S. 1 GETS A LIFT FOR $18.1 MILLION
A stretch of road on Lower Matecumbe will be raised to mitigate flooding from storms and address rising waters that have eroded a nearby beach. Heavy equipment began arriving in Islamorada on April 25. An $18.1-million project by the Florida Department of Transportation will elevate and strengthen the road and shoulders from MM 73.8 to MM 76. FDOT says the project will take roughly 18 months.
ANOTHER DEPARTURE IN ISLAMORADA: VILLAGE ATTORNEY ROGET BRYAN
For the second time in 2022, a top village official announced his resignation. This time it was Village Attorney Roget Bryan, who was chosen as the first in-house attorney for the village in 2013. Bryan, in his remarks to the council, said he had no appetite for external politics within the village and the attacks on his name and reputation. Bryan’s separation agreement prompted an investigation by the state attorney’s office into whether council members committed a Sunshine violation. That case was closed in October with no further action.
ISLAMORADA SELECTS A NEW VILLAGE MANAGER
Twinsburg, Ohio Mayor Thomas “Ted” Yates was selected as Islamorada’s next manager during a special meeting at Founders Park Community Center on May 6. Yates came to Islamorada with 12 years of experience in Ohio as the mayor and chief executive officer for the city of Twinsburg’s 19,000 residents. A contract with Yates includes an annual salary of $200,000. He officially started Aug. 1.
TAVERNIER COMMUNITY CONCERNED ABOUT PUBLIX PROJECT
A proposed redevelopment of the former Cemex property in Tavernier to a Publix Supermarket and more than 80 affordable housing units received overwhelming concern from local residents during an Aug. 18 community meeting. Some 15 property owners speaking on the project say they fear more traffic, noise and change to the small community’s character would be the result. During an Oct. 25 meeting, county planning officials said they had questions about the project and whether it fits the community character. The project will go before the county planning commission in 2023.
A NEW COUNCIL & CROOKED PALM
Islamorada voters elected three male incumbents and two female newcomers to the village council on Election Night. Elizabeth Jolin and Sharon Mahoney both beat male incumbents to take a seat on the dais. Incumbents Henry Rosenthal, Buddy Pinder and Mark Gregg won their seats to serve another two-year term. The new council was sworn in on Dec. 6 and went right to work on a contentious proposal for a major conditional use permit for Crooked Palm Distillery at the former BB&T building on Plantation Key. The request was approved via a 3-2 vote.
