Islamorada Village Council members are set to meet virtually at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 16 to consider an agenda that’s highlighted by a proposed sublease agreement with the state over the Indian Key boat ramp.
Those wishing to view the meeting can do so, as the broadcast will go live on Comcast, televised locally in Islamorada only on the local government channel 77, and streamed on the village website.
Nine resolutions on the agenda contain items that are essential, time-sensitive and related to the village’s current state of emergency. No quasi-judicial hearing items will be considered.
Among the resolutions on the agenda is a sublease for the parcel containing the area known as the Indian Key Fill ramp. The sublease would allow the village to manage the area, currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for a five-year period with two five-year options to renew. The parcel, owned by the state, is 7.38 acres of mostly submerged land, which includes Indian Key boat ramp.
Last June, the village acted following growing public outcry over the immense trashing and use by visitors at the Fills, MM 77.5 to 79.8, and the ramp during major holiday weekends, including Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. Concerns were also raised over dangerous encounters between watercraft and swimmers near the ramp.
Multi-agency meetings ensued to address overuse and misuse of the Fills, and pressure by the village, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and residents over the Fills drew action from the Department of Transportation just before the July 4 holiday.
With overcrowding and trashing issues percolating, FDOT immediately allowed the village to control the amount of parking and areas of access on state-owned property at the Fills through Labor Day last year. That included monitoring activity at the boat ramp. Along with parking restrictions, village staff was on hand to control parking during weekends and busy holidays.
The temporary agreement with the FDEP Division of Recreation and Parks was extended to Nov. 1, 2019 to allow the village time to submit the required application for the use of state-owned lands to the board of trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund of the state of Florida. That application was approved by council and sent to the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Recreation and Parks last October. Last month, the department sent the proposed sublease to the village for review.
Costs to maintain and monitor the Fills were discussed during budget meetings and included in the 2019-20 budget. A total of $47,600 was included in the Public Works Department’s budget for personnel costs for one full-time Fills facility attendant. An additional $30,000 was included in the budget for rental portable toilets and operating supplies needed for the area.
Vice Mayor Ken Davis said he believes the sublease is good for the village in the way that it’s restricted parking and people at the Fills so far.
“The costs of reducing people and trash has already saved us a huge amount of money,” he said.
Councilman Jim Mooney said he’d like to see a program similar to that of an adopt-a-highway, where people or groups maintain an area of the Fills, such as Indian Key boat ramp, in return for a sign.
“You put your little badge up and you maintain it once a month or a week with a cleanup. You’re also defraying the cost to the taxpayer by letting citizens maintain that area,” he said. “I think I got someone who might do the big one at the boat ramp area.”
Mooney said he envisions the Fills to be a park eventually.
Public comment for the meeting may be submitted via email to public.comment@islamorada.fl.us. Options for public comment are being tested. A chat feature may be used for future meetings. Public comment must be submitted by 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 16 to be included in the meeting.
Residents are to type “public comment” in the subject line of the email, include whether the comments are of a general nature or relate to a specific agenda item and identify the agenda item. Include name and address.
The public is asked to keep comments under two minutes in length or comments may have to be abbreviated. View the agenda.
The meeting will be available in the Archived Meetings page and will be rebroadcast on the local Comcast government channel.
