An on-demand rideshare service in Islamorada, which transports people from their doorsteps to work, the grocery store and other destinations — for free — will continue for another year, following the council’s unanimous approval of an agreement during a June 12 meeting.
At the Founders Park Community Center, the five council members heard several public speakers attest to the need for continued service throughout Islamorada up to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier.
“I use Freebee to go to and from work, the grocery store and gym,” said Michelle Montang, a 30-year Islamorada resident. “It (the service) means a lot to me.”
Council members received 200 emails and numerous phone calls, as well as public testimony, supporting Freebee. The service began operating in the village under a 2018 pilot program. Back then, golf carts transported locals and visitors on Upper Matecumbe Key.
By 2020, the service expanded to vans taking people to various islands in the village. Today, Freebee operates with Tesla vehicles, picking up and dropping off passengers from Lower Matecumbe Key to Tavernier.
People can request a ride through the Freebee app. The service runs in the village seven days a week from 7 a.m. to midnight.
Freebee driver Ana Rodriguez told council members how much she enjoys working for the company and assisting not only tourists but also local residents.
“I work the morning shift and I pick up a lot of regulars every single morning,” she said. “I know where they live, I know where they work and what time they’re going in. It’s like a family.
“For us to lose Freebee, that would just shatter a lot of people, especially the elderly we take to Publix, doctor’s appointments … and people in wheelchairs taking them where they need to go,” Rodriguez continued.
Free door-to-door service appeared to be in flux as discussion at a June 10 council meeting ensued over an agreement between the village and Freebee set to expire on June 30. Islamorada officials were originally hoping to transition the rideshare service this year to the county, which initiated Conch Connect — also run by Freebee — in the Lower Keys in July 2024. The service mirroring that seen in Islamorada transports people door-to-door for $2.
A Florida Department of Transportation grant was awarded to the village in 2024 to help fund Freebee from July 2025 to July 2026. The state money to Islamorada for Freebee essentially put the rideshare service transition from the village to the county on hold for a year, as the grant couldn’t be transferred from one governmental entity to another. Richard Clark, county transit executive director, told council members during the June 10 meeting he was told by FDOT that the county couldn’t assume the village’s grant.
“It is nobody’s fault in this room that FDOT has you submit in May 2024 for July 2025 dollars,” he said. “That’s just the way the state does it.”
A one-year extension between Islamorada and Freebee will cost village taxpayers $276,665. The FDOT grant is funding the other half of the service costs for a total of $553,000.
In her comments, Mayor Sharon Mahoney said all she ever wanted to do was take the expense related to Freebee off the backs of taxpayers. She voted in favor of the agreement extension alongside the four other council members.
“I’ve been for this all along and I can see it’s working,” said councilwoman Deb Gillis. “Freebee is anticipating upwards of 60,000 people to ride it this year. It was 46,000 last year.”
Councilwoman Anna Richards said the “numbers speak for themselves” and that the community should continue to have the service. Councilman Steve Friedman said he was in favor of Freebee for many of the reasons stated by public commenters.
Of the emails and phone calls received, Vice Mayor Don Horton said a young woman’s situation really hit home. Horton said she explained that she’s in a one-car family with two working adults, including her husband and herself, and kids in elementary and high school.
“I just didn’t realize how important Freebee was to the community,” Horton said.
Upper Matecumbe resident Dr. Harry Dalton told council members at the June 10 meeting that Freebee has value from the public safety and health sides.
“If the sheriff were here, I would like to get an idea how many DUIs have been saved from having Freebee available to the public. “I don’t have the data, but I would venture looking at the Whistle Stop, which is near my home, that it’s quite a few,” he said.
