A group of residents will be tasked with reviewing Islamorada’s village charter, following their appointments by the council at its Jan. 8 meeting.
Each of the five council members appointed a person to the Charter Review Committee. Two members were then picked by council majority vote to bring the committee to seven. The residents chosen by the council are no strangers to the village, as each has served the community in different capacities.
Mayor Don Horton appointed land use and zoning attorney and former village planning director Ty Harris. Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney chose fish captain Richard Black to the committee. He previously served on the village Citizens Baseball Task Force.
Steve Friedman appointed local attorney Susan Raffanello. She previously served on the village’s Local Planning Agency (LPA). Councilwoman Deb Gillis picked real estate agent and LPA vice chair Lorie LaLonde, while councilwoman Anna Richards picked Roger Young, Islamorada Brick Company owner and current LPA member and Historic Preservation Commission member.
The two at-large members are Joe Roth, Regan Roth Insurance owner who recently served on the village’s Budget Review Task Force, and Craig McBay, Florida Keys Brewing Co. owner and Islamorada Chamber of Commerce board member.
At a Jan. 6 meeting, council members voted 5-0 to establish the seven-person committee. With the village operating under a charter, committees have been formed at various points since incorporation in 1997 to propose changes that voters have a say on.
Recommendations from the charter review committee would be due May 31 to give council time to hold two public hearings before any consideration and approval. From there, the village would need to request the Supervisor of Elections Office to include any proposed charter change recommendations on the 2026 village ballot.
A kickoff meeting is set for Monday, Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the Founders Park Community Center.
