Before digging into the agenda, nominations for leadership positions on the Islamorada dais were unanimously passed during the Dec. 12 meeting at Founders Park Community Center. Mike Forster moved a spot to the right to take helm as mayor, while Ken Davis was nominated for vice mayor.
For Forster, it’s been four years since he last served as mayor. He thanked council for the honor of the position and acknowledged the work of previous mayor Deb Gillis
“I’m proud of you and all your accomplishments and the passion you put into the village, and look forward to a great last year,” Forster said.
In her remarks, Gillis said. “it’s probably been the best experience of my life.” Gillis will be terming out following 2020 along with Forster and councilman Jim Mooney, who’s running for state representative.
In his return to the mayor seat, Forster initiated a discussion on golf carts in the village. Today, their use on village streets is prohibited, except inside the Port Antigua neighborhood on Lower Matecumbe, which council allowed via an ordinance enacted in 2008.
Forster said they’re already being used in many neighborhoods like Indian Mound and Plantation Key. He said it’s time to have something on the books, and he wants fines to have teeth when it comes to violations, like use on U.S. 1 or operation of a golf kart by someone who doesn’t have a license.
He also proposed coming up with a pilot program to have contracted services that assist with enforcement so sheriffs aren’t pulled off the highway to deal with golf carts.
“It would take the personal interaction off of it,” he said. “This is a company wouldn’t have knowledge of 30-year friendships.”
Village Attorney Roget Bryan recommended council identify neighborhoods for golf carts and conduct a traffic study. Bryan said Port Antigua approached the village requesting golf kart use, which prompted a village-sanctioned study to look at traffic patterns, setback from U.S. 1 and traffic signals.
“If you want to expand that, which is a policy decision you’ll look at, staff suggests before you assume potential liability, to make a legislative determination that it’s safe, a good idea and keeps with good community character, and do that based on some data,” he said.
Davis said he’d like to see certain safety measures in place such as a minimum age to operate a golf kart.
“If I had to call the sheriff’s office for every time a golf kart in the community was being driven by a 12-year-old, I’d keep them way too busy,” he said. “There needs to be ordinance on the books to cover all of Islamorada.”
Capt. Cory Bryan of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office placed concerns over the fact golf carts don’t just stay in neighborhoods. He also noted that golf carts aren’t required to have insurance.
“If you’re riding around and you hit someone, car, how do they recoup losses or damages on this?” he said. “You basically put the burden on the injured to seek damages.”
Dave Webb, Port Antigua, told council that all is not well with golf kart operation in the neighborhood with instances of kids driving while others are on the back with a rope or an office chair. Webb said they also venture out of the neighborhood to Robbie’s and Anne’s Beach.
“I caution the village to have too much of an optimistic view of people abiding by rules,” he said. “If you’re going to expand use, you’re going to expand liability horrifically. You will see them on U.S. 1.”
In other matters, council unanimously approved a resolution to reserve nine affordable allocations for affordable housing on vacant lots on Gardenia Street on Plantation Key. In September 2018, council directed the village manager to investigate the purchase of three vacant lots. In March 2019, the village purchased the property within the Lake Harbor Subdivision.
Council members also unanimously approved fiscal year 2018-19 budget amendments. Of significance on the revenue side, Finance Director Maria Bassett said building permit application fees were almost $460,000 over what the village had in its adopted budget. Revenue from vocation rental fees brought in an extra $45,000. Bassett said it’s $1,000 per vacation rental. To date, the village has around 215 licensed vacation rentals.
Around $102,000 was reimbursed to the village for support fire rescue supported up in the panhandle following Hurricane Michael. Park entrance fees brought $150,000 more than anticipated.
On the expenditure side, maintenance by public works of the Fills during summer weekends and holidays cost the village $33,000.
