Though the holidays are in the rearview mirror, new building rights, stewardship funds and legislation to address the growing safety threats from e-bikes topped the wish lists for the Keys’ municipalities and nonprofits in a virtual meeting among community leaders, state Rep. Jim Mooney and state Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez on Jan. 7.
Committees in Florida’s state Legislature are set to begin meetings later this month, with the regular session convening on Tuesday, March 4.
Virtually all leaders asked for continued support of the $20 million Florida Keys Stewardship Act, used since 2016 to fund water quality projects throughout the island chain. They spoke broadly against any measures that would strip local jurisdictions of authority and return power to the state – particularly in cases of already-limited regulations governing vacation rentals in the Keys.
County legislative affairs director Lisa Tennyson said changes to statutes governing hurricane evacuation times in the Keys – used to restrict the number of total building rights available – topped Monroe County’s priorities. In December, the county commission voted 4-1 to support a hurricane evacuation time change from 24 hours to up to 26 hours, potentially adding 3,550 new building allocations to the Keys to be distributed over the next 40 years.
The majority of additional rights, she said, would be reserved to provide workforce housing on vacant but otherwise buildable lots, serving to house Keys employees while protecting against financial liability from takings cases. These cases, Tennyson said, could be further prevented by preserving an additional $5 million set-aside attached to the Stewardship Act specifically for land acquisition.
Marathon City Manager George Garrett said the Middle Keys city is “probably in the worst condition at this point,” with 110 applications awaiting building rights and no allocations left to give.
Tennyson also spoke of the threat of derelict vessels along Keys coastlines, asking for legislation that would classify and set unique parameters for removals of abandoned migrant vessels. The vessels, polluting Keys waters with makeshift components that break down quickly, can be difficult to remove under Florida’s current laws as they have no traceable ownership.
Leaders again asked Mooney and Rodriguez for help with lowering and stabilizing the rising insurance costs throughout the county, requesting a push to return annual increases for wind insurance premiums with the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corporation to a maximum of 10%.
“We are purely at the mercy of Citizens, and, obviously, legislators,” said Mel Montagne, president of Fair Insurance Rates for Monroe (FIRM). He said FIRM would again push for an increased coverage cap for Monroe County homes of $1.5 million in value, along with the removal of a flood insurance requirement for elevated homes or those not in flood zones and clarification on the distinction between primary and non-primary residences for the purpose of premium calculations.
Nearly all jurisdictions, as well as law enforcement officials, spoke of rising safety concerns from the exploding popularity of e-bikes, which Mooney agreed had become “out of control” as they operate in pedestrian areas at high speeds with few regulations.
“Bikes exceeding 20 miles an hour … you basically have motorbikes that are made under the guise of e-bikes,” said Key West interim city manager Todd Stoughton.
Garrett noted Marathon’s concern with rising homelessness, particularly in light of a 2024 bill that effectively banned cities from allowing homeless camping without a bevy of city-provided services.
Islamorada Village Manager Rob Cole and Key Colony Beach City Administrator John Bartus asked for a focus on infrastructure funding for climate adaptation resilience projects and storm hardening, which Cole said are “emerging and critical needs” that localities couldn’t be expected to fund on their own.
Schools Superintendent Theresa Axford said a $14 million ask for restoration of Key West’s Bruce Hall would allow the district to pave the way for a 150-unit affordable housing development by moving district offices from their current site on Trumbo Road to the renovated building.
A $15 million ask from the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority would go to support construction of a reverse osmosis plant in Marathon capable of producing up to 4 million gallons of fresh water per day, FKAA executive director Greg Veliz said.
