Islamorada Councilman Steve Friedman says he wants to continue serving residents with transparency and common sense, all while protecting the waters off the islands and fighting against overdevelopment.
On May 18, the backcountry guide filed the paperwork for seat 2 on the village council. He ran for and won the seat in the November 2024 election, having secured 53.43% of the village votes.
A former commodore for the Florida Keys Fishing Guides Association, Friedman said he’s learned quite a bit in his first term as a councilman. He’s proud of the fact that he was put to the test in his first meeting, when a majority voted to overturn a previous council decision and requested more building permit allocations from the state. Friedman voted “no.”
“I felt like I stood my ground and kept my campaign promises to voters to stand up and do that. Unfortunately that failed,” Friedman said.
He’s a member of Captains for Clean Water and a founding board member of Florida Bay Forever. He formerly served on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.
Before he became a councilman, Friedman served on Islamorada’s Near Shore Water Regulation Committee. He said he’s proud to represent residents who care about the environment and want to slow more development in the village.
“We’ve already seen we’re overbuilt with the traffic, all the construction and boats on the water,” said Friedman, who referenced a video that surfaced on social media of the sandbar over the Memorial Day weekend. “It raised eyebrows to anyone who’s been here.”
“I’m not trying to shut it down,” Friedman said regarding development. “We have to find more practical and wiser ways of going about it. The council has to work together on that end.”
Friedman said he’s particularly proud of the work by village staff and the council to install a new slow-speed, no-wake zone at the narrow and dangerous Starck’s Wheel Ditch. He’s continuing to advocate for residents’ accessibility to the water with a new boat ramp in the works at Founders Park, as well as transportation for the workforce through rideshare. The village is considering two providers: Freebee, which has provided the service for several years, and Circuit.
He’s fought for the environment and the Everglades, having previously sponsored a resolution in the village to oppose Alligator Alcatraz. He’s also opposing efforts to implement new parking on village right-of-way to alleviate issues inside the gated Anglers Reef community on Windley Key.
Friedman acknowledges there’s major work ahead in the village, including updating the comprehensive plan and working through a budget in times of uncertainty over property tax revenues, a major source of revenue for local municipalities to fund day-to-day operations and provide core services.
“My focus is to hold lines on taxes despite potential for budget cuts with actions from Tallahassee,” Friedman said.
With Friedman’s filing on May 18, all five council members are seeking reelection in November. Mayor Don Horton, Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney and councilwomen Anna Richards and Deb Gillis previously filed for bids to serve another term. An official qualifying period begins at noon on Aug. 4 and ends at noon on Aug. 11.
