The long and winding journey may have had a few “false starts,” as Key Colony Beach Mayor Freddie Foster called them, but on the morning of Dec. 19, city leaders, residents, staff and invited dignitaries gathered to celebrate the official groundbreaking on a remodeled and expanded City Hall.
“This project has been through some birthing and growing paints in the years since Hurricane Irma,” Foster told guests. “At one time, we were led to believe that our existing building was damaged beyond repair. As you can see, we’re going to be in good shape.”
“I wanted to put a word out to the residents and say thank you for all your patience,” said Secretary/Treasurer Tom Harding. “We went through a lot of changes, but I think we have a great team now working with our commissioners and staff.”
Following damage from Irma, the hall was previously scheduled for a complete demolition and $8.4 million rebuild, approved in a controversial 3-2 vote in 2023. But the project later changed course after residents filed a lawsuit challenging the decision and then-commissioners Beth Ramsay-Vickrey and Patti Trefry, both proponents of the rebuild, resigned from the city commission.
The new vision, a 12,400-square-foot overhaul, will leave the bones of the existing building in place, hardening the current Marble Hall and post office while building a two-story, 4,200-square-foot addition to the current hall’s south side.
The new build will include a fitness center, office and conference spaces, and a new lobby with an ADA entrance. The upper floor will house the city’s building and police departments and can serve as a functional Emergency Operations Center during storms. Additional re-roofing, landscaping, a new patio and a raised and re-striped parking lot, along with generator power, will complete the project.
The projected cost for the build, completed by chosen contractor Pedro Falcon, sits at $5.5 million, partially offset by a $2.28 million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The contractor has 273 days, until September 2026, to reach substantial completion.
“My grandfather, Phil Sadowski, developed this island, and it goes way back to the early ’50s,” said guest speaker Mike Puto. “You all have done a phenomenal job, it’s a beautiful city, and I know he’d be very, very proud.”
Photos by ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly
