Vehicles packed the Fills — the three small islands that connect Upper and Lower Matecumbe Keys in Islamorada — last weekend, as daytrippers and visitors ventured to the popular spot for a day by the water. The Fills, which were closed since mid-March, reopened to visitors along with the rest of the Keys earlier in the month. And with a reopening of the area came increased activity, illegal parking, citations and complaints.
Now, officials are working toward a solution to control the situation yet again, and it’s set to be a discussion topic at the June 18 meeting of village council.
“The village was not prepared for the onslaught going to the Fills last weekend,” vice mayor Ken Davis said on Monday. “The people were down there all day, every day.”
Issues surrounding the Fills, which spans from MM 77.5 to MM 79.8, aren’t new to locals, the state, which owns the property, or the village, which has a lease with the state to maintain the area. Matters worsened when another popular hangout spot on Card Sound Road was closed, making the Fills an even more enticing destination in the Upper Keys for weekenders and visitors. Look no further than the scene during Memorial Day weekend last year that elevated the frustration among locals and village officials.
Last summer, Islamorada officials and the Florida Department of Transportation came to a temporary compromise that allowed the village to control parking along the Fills during busy weekends and holidays. That was extended through Nov. 1, 2019 in order to give the village time to submit an application for a more long-term maintenance arrangement.
With barriers and cones placed, the temporary agreement allowed the village to design and create 80 to 90 permitted parking spots. It also allowed the village to staff the Indian Key boat ramp parking lot and other parking.
More trash drums were also placed to address littering, and the speed limit was lowered to 45 mph thanks to Sheriff Rick Ramsay. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has provided additional parking control and enforcement along the entire Fills, and that continued last weekend as deputies were busy handing out parking tickets while gathering complaints of loud music. More than 60 violations were written up Sunday alone.
“It was very, very busy last weekend,” said Adam Linhardt, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
As it stands now, it’s legal for people to park in permitted spots and enjoy a day by the water — and that includes setting up tents and barbecuing.
Linhardt said if the village, through its partnership with FDOT, doesn’t want that to be the case, then the sheriff’s office will work with the entities to help.
“Our hands are tied if there’s no law being broken,” Linhardt said. “I know the captain is going to work with the village of Islamorada and try to find out a plan that the village might have going forward that makes the most people happy and the least amount of people upset, which is always a challenge.”
In April, village council approved a five-year sublease with FDOT to maintain the Fills. The 2019-20 budget includes $47,600 in the public works department for one full-time Fills facility attendant and an additional $30,000 for rental of portable toilets and other operating supplies. The village is currently working on a plan to present to council members at the June 18 meeting.
Islamorada Mayor Mike Forster characterized the handling of the Fills last weekend as a “total failure” and said that it must be contained at all costs. Forster said the plan should be the same as the one the village enacted just before the Fourth of July last year, but with more teeth in the way of a parking fee or a tow-away zone.
“We have the capabilities. We did it within three days of getting the lease from FDOT last year,” he said. “It’s not like ‘let’s see if we can make it happen.’ Let’s just get back to doing what we did before.”
Forster said he takes responsibility and said that “it won’t happen again.”
“There’s no reason why we can’t do it again,” he said. “They (the village) did a yeoman’s job and nobody complained back then when we took over, and that’s where we want to get back to again.”
Expect firm actions and more resources this weekend, Davis said.
“There will be a solution. It will not happen again,” he said. “I don’t care if we have to have half of the staff and council out there.”
