A council majority voted 3-2 on a motion requesting additional residential building permits from the state during a Dec. 10 meeting at the Founders Park Community Center. The decision to ask for 199.25 (the village would combine a 0.75 allocation it has to make 200 total) bucks a previous council’s approved motion asking for 104.25 permits for the village.
Vice Mayor Don Horton brought discussion of potentially changing the building permit request during the council’s first meeting in November. He acknowledged his support for the planning staff’s recommendation of 250, but ultimately agreed to come down in an attempt to meet in the middle with those opposed to the figure. Horton, councilwoman Deb Gillis and councilman Buddy Pinder supported the motion, while Mayor Sharon Mahoney and councilman Steve Friedman opposed the move.
Horton said the council could risk burdening taxpayers if they don’t ask for a number to cover the costs associated with any future potential takings claims.
“I do believe that the last council made a mistake, and I think that maybe there just wasn’t enough thought that night to come to a decision on what could actually happen,” Horton said. “I told you in another meeting of two takings claims, but there are actually more that actually happened in Islamorada that came to light.”
Citing potential additional harm to the environment and nearshore waters, Friedman said he stands against overdevelopment and opposed a move to ask for more residential building permits. Friedman backed the previous council’s decision.
“Ask anyone in Islamorada; they will tell you that we are already overdeveloped, just like Sheriff Ramsay said when he was here at the last meeting. The road is already overused,” Friedman said. “They will tell you we already poured too much concrete, overstressed our waters and already damaged our ecosystem.”
An analysis conducted by staff found 178 vacant parcels in the village which meet the criteria for a residential building permit. Specifically, the lots are residentially-zoned, meet the minimum square footage size for lot development and are considered vacant by the property appraiser as of 2022. Planning Director Jennifer DeBoisbriand said more analysis is warranted as to when each property was purchased, as that factors into takings claims.
Gillis said it’s hard to quantify the dollar figure associated with takings claims. Gillis said the village will have limited choices on how to resolve those potential future cases, which is why she backed more permits.
“It’s just so hard to speculate what that money will be, and I don’t want that on my tax bill,” she said. “That can be a very expensive tax bill to be buying properties or paying the lawyers, which is probably both for resolving cases.”
Pinder said it’s not fair when people who own property in the village and have rights can’t get a permit.
“I know the feeling,” he said. “I waited for seven years for a permit when the village came into existence,”
Mahoney said she spent hours on the phone with representatives in Tallahassee before the meeting. She said Monroe County is asking the state for 220 allotments, of which Islamorada will obtain 40. The request would maintain a 24-hour storm evacuation in Monroe County. Any figure over that would require legislative approval in Tallahassee.
Mahoney asked where Islamorada’s ask for 250 came from, as state officials said, “there’s no 250 being given out” to the village.
“We can ask for more permits any time,” Mahoney said. “But what they’re going to give in permits in the future is going to be when we present a plan; how are they going to be used, are they going to be used for workforce housing. They’re not just going to hand us permits without a plan.”
Islamorada’s request will go before Monroe County commissioners as they decide how many additional building permits they will ask the state for on behalf of Keys municipalities. That discussion is set for Thursday, Dec. 19 in Marathon.
