Three Republican candidates for board of county commissioner debated for close to an hour and a half on Feb. 25 inside the Coral Shores Performing Arts Center. Hosted by the Upper Keys Republican Club, the inaugural debate featured Mike Forster, Islamorada mayor; Robby Majeska, Keys Kritters owner and Key Largo sewer board member; and Jose Peixoto, longtime Key Largo resident who previously ran for Congress and state representative.
Developing and maintaining the Keys were at the heart of several questions toward the middle and later parts of the debate. Last year, county commissioners agreed to allow structures within Ocean Reef to exceed the maximum height limit to 60 feet. Candidates were all on the same side when asked whether it’s acceptable for one community to build higher than the rest of the county.
“Not at all,” Peixoto said. “We should have the same standards for all of the Keys from Ocean Reef to Key West.”
In general, Majeska acknowledged that he isn’t a fan of the height restriction. “They made every house go fat. Now, it doesn’t matter if they’re a one or two-story, you can’t see through it,” he said. “I’d be more for a setback that’s smaller so people can see through houses.”
An arduous building permit process also took center stage. Building and remodeling in the Keys can be quite challenging at times with all the hurdles to overcome. When asked how they’d streamline the system and bring accountability back to the department, candidates all acknowledged that it must be user-friendly first and foremost.
“There’s a law and there’s either a lenient style or there’s a more aggressive style,” Forster said. “What’s wrong with being more lenient as long as it’s in the law? Why not say, ‘What can I do today?’ as opposed to saying, ‘No you can’t do this.’ We need to take a look at the building department to make sure it’s more friendly.”
Majeska said the department is totally funded by fines and fees they collect, and he can’t understand how that’s allowed to happen.
“Now, the more fees and fines they get, the more people they can hire and the bigger salaries and the bigger department they can build,” he said. “It should be when you go to the building department, they should say, ‘Hey, how can I help you?’”
Candidates also addressed top concerns they’d incorporate into the county legislative agenda during the state legislative session in Tallahassee. Peixoto and Forster noted during their responses that they’d like to have a state representative and senator representing Monroe County solely.
“Fortunately for the last eight years, we have had Holly leading us,” Peixoto said. “Before, we had someone else from Florida City. They only come down here when it’s time for election and then they forget. I ran for Congress before, and I’d hear candidates. They don’t care about the Keys. They care during elections.”
In his explanation, Forster noted that Monroe is a donor county, contributing in excess of $200 million a year in sales tax to the state. He said only a little of that returns to the islands.
“I don’t know if I will ever see that day, but it makes more sense that we have someone deal with our interests only and not worry about Florida City, Homestead and Dade County because we are unique and we are in an area of state critical concern. Our carve-outs are different than others.”
Majeska said the Keys give more tourism money to the state budget than any region except Orlando and Disney attractions. “We need to be able to get a bigger chunk of that money back,” he said. “Number 1, we need to work out ROGO; No. 2, we need to worry about sea level rise; and No. 3, we need to worry about our roads.”
