As we approach the Nov. 3 general election, the Keys Weekly is committed to helping provide greater familiarity and communication between the three Key Colony Beach city commission candidates and our readers. Coverage of the KCB election began in the Aug. 6 and 13 editions of the Marathon Weekly, available by scanning the attached QR codes. The Weekly will print one additional question in the final two weeks leading up to the election.
KCB’s dais has two openings, with incumbents Freddie Foster and Kirk Diehl seeing a challenge from newcomer Lynn Benton.
This week’s question: Please identify one area where you believe Key Colony Beach should spend more taxpayer dollars, and one where it should spend less. Explain your reasoning.
Responses from candidates are limited to 150 words.
FREDDIE FOSTER
First and foremost, I believe taxpayer dollars should be spent only when absolutely necessary. However, our current financial system leaves municipalities with limited alternatives. This November, voters will consider Amendment 3, which could significantly impact municipal revenues. While this may provide homeowners relief, I have yet to see clear guidance on replacing lost funding. My priority for additional spending would be essential services, particularly Fire/EMS, and maintaining our infrastructure. Public safety is extremely important to me, and our streets, canals, shorelines, stormwater systems, and wastewater facilities cannot be neglected. Delaying improvements only increases future costs. Where I believe we can spend less is on nonessential expenditures, carefully evaluating every dollar spent. I am proud of our Commission’s success in securing outside funding for improvements. Ultimately, I believe our responsibility is to protect our residents, maintain essential services, and keep the financial burden on taxpayers as low as possible.
LYNNE BENTON
Infrastructure spending often goes unnoticed—until something fails. A 2024 assessment identified aging equipment at Key Colony Beach’s wastewater treatment plant. This spring, failures released untreated wastewater into the Atlantic Ocean, prompting emergency funding. We must do more than replace aging equipment. We need to fund our infrastructure and reserves to address the needs of our entire city, protect our environment, protect taxpayers from costly emergencies, and prepare us for the future. We should spend less on avoidable legal expenses, and before funding discretionary projects we should ask: Is it necessary? A community priority? Affordable to maintain? Hurricane resistant? A citizen-driven Master Plan would establish funding priorities, anticipate future needs, and prevent costly reversals as leadership changes. My legal and mediation experience can help develop that plan and reduce unnecessary disputes and legal costs. My goal is simple: protect and preserve our community today while planning responsibly for tomorrow.
KIRK DIEHL
As our City of Key Colony Beach prepares to turn 70 years old, one of my priorities would be for additional spending/funding to be focused on our current wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. Investing now with more modern injection wells and wastewater plant upgrades, will ensure the long-term resilience our island requires to meet coastal challenges later. As we move into the new year, we will continue to aggressively pursue outside grants and funding to minimize the tax impact of these infrastructure improvements on our citizens of Key Colony Beach. I believe we can spend less by aggressively identifying operational efficiencies and cutting back on non-essential overhead. With that, we protect our resources and ensure that regular City operations are running as lean and transparent as possible.
