Freedom.
That’s the word resident Bill Marlow used after the murky waters finally subsided on Nov. 26. It all began as a king tide rolled in months earlier, covering roadways inside the Stillwright Point community at MM 105, bayside, in Key Largo.
“It really impacted life here,” said the full-time resident as he looked back at one of the more trying times for the neighborhood. “I would ride my bike every morning in the water. I’d come home and have this giant stripe going up my back — the water just kept kicking up.”
At the December BOCC meeting, sea level rise and the Stillwright Point neighborhood in Key Largo were the hot button topics. Stillwright endured 91 days of flooding as king tides kept residents from using their streets
“It really impacted life here,” said full-time resident Bill Marlowe as he looked back at one of the more trying times for the neighborhood. “I would ride my bike every morning in the water. I’d come home and have this giant stripe going up my back — the water just kept kicking up.”
Discussions between the BOCC and residents were solution-driven and future-focused. Kim Sikora, another Stillwright neighbor, spoke to the commission and news cameras in the room. “We will not be retreating. We understand it’s challenging, but we need your help and we urge you to start.”
Resident Pam Shockey urged the commissioners to take swift action. “Governments have a way of postponing things,” She said. “And what I know from living life is it’s always better to get ahead of things rather than chase it.” Shockey gave the examples of a small cut left untreated becoming infected and a small leak flooding your house. She added, “possibly, if global warming had been addressed 30 years ago, we wouldn’t even need a meeting to talk about what we’re doing. I’m asking you to be forward-thinking and get ahead of what we’re doing.”
George Smythe, speaking for the neighborhood, said, “We’re the canary in the coal mine. We need to get moving on elevating our roads, providing mitigation to those who can’t move, and to cope with the rising ride. Are we up to the challenge to do that? Can we find the funding?”
Mayor Heather Carruthers agreed that the issue is much bigger than Stillwright Point or even the Keys. “Frankly, this is a global issue. And what we’re dealing with right now are difficult decisions that governments and communities around the world will have to start dealing with.”
Carruthers noted there would be solutions that no one has thought of yet and that the overall fix would include much more than just elevating roads. Remaining hopeful and realistic, the mayor brainstormed, “Is elevation the only solution? Have we considered in certain areas how to grant access? Pontoon bridges?” Met with gasps and some laughter from the crowd, Carruthers interjected. “No, I’m serious. It might not work in your neighborhood, but in others, it just might.”
Rhonda Haag, the county’s chief resiliency officer, agreed, noting that no single solution would work for every road in the county. Rather, each will need its own, tailored solution. And, Haag added, elevating roads is just one of the tools the county can consider to keep the community intact. “We’re looking at 2100 to see what the Keys will look like. This isn’t just roads elevation, this is a holistic view of the Keys and how we will live with water.”
“Because we can’t keep it away,” said Commissioner Michelle Coldiron. Heads in the room nodded, acknowledging this “new normal” for the Keys. Coldiron added, “We can’t stop the seawater from rising, so how can we help our residents keep living here and have quality of life?”
Commissioner David Rice chimed in. “We’re faced with unprecedented issues. It’s happening faster than anticipated, but we’re problem-solving at an unprecedented level too,” he said. “There are no bad ideas – like when everyone laughed at the pontoon bridges. That might be a good idea! We need creativity.”
The proactive mindset toward resiliency against sea level rise comes on the heels of the recent Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit. The summit and new sea level projections catalyzed the BOCC to act now.
Rather than accept and resign the community to a soggy future, the commissioners used Stillwright to set the tone for future climate adaptations in the county. Carruthers instructed staff, “Expedite the analysis so we can expedite the solution.”
The commissioners voted unanimously to prioritize the modeling of the Stillwright neighborhood to determine recommended road adaptations, cost, and related policy decisions in the Road Vulnerability Analysis. These findings will be presented at the April/May 2020 BOCC meeting, where the BOCC will determine if and how to proceed with Stillwright as a pilot project.
Updates on the sustainability efforts of Monroe County are available at www.monroecounty-FL.gov/sustainability and www.keysroadplan.com.
