An Islamorada council that shut down construction of a pedestrian bridge over U.S. 1 and grappled with hirings and resignations of top staff convened for a final meeting on Nov. 17.
Come December, a new council will take their seats.
The meeting, with 17 agenda items up for consideration, was the last one for Councilman David Webb and current Mayor Pete Bacheler. Both were elected to the council in 2020 when five seats were up for grabs.
“The village spoke and Pete and I were not part of that phrase,” Webb said. “But I’m very pleased with the selections that were made ultimately and more pleased with some that were not. I think the village and staff will be in good hands going forward.”
Webb encouraged the incumbents reelected to the dais to ensure they incorporate newly-elected councilwomen Elizabeth Jolin and Sharon Mahoney as rapidly as possible. “They’re both going to be drinking from a firehose. I think they both realize that. Just make sure they don’t get left out,” he said.
Webb also shared words of praise for Jolin, a person he described as committed, objective and smart.
Bacheler praised the work and camaraderie of his fellow council members the past two years. He previously served on the Local Planning Agency before his election victory in 2020. He was vice mayor before becoming mayor the past year.
“This is a hell of a town. And I like and love the village of Islamorada. I think you guys will serve it well and I think you will help the two new people serve it well. I wasn’t pleased with the election, but I’m very pleased to have been here and very pleased to have seen people in the audience. I’d like to think more people will participate from the residents because that’s what it is all about.”
Current councilmen Buddy Pinder and Mark Gregg will return for another two-year term. And all is not said and done in the race for Seat 4, where vice mayor Henry Rosenthal currently leads former councilwoman Deb Gillis by just four votes. A winner will be determined on Friday, Nov. 18 when overseas ballots are due to the supervisor of elections office.
Before closing the final meeting, the council approved six requests by applicants seeking administrative relief in order to construct single-family homes on their vacant lots. All applicants are currently in the building permit allocation system, or BPAS, but they failed to receive a permit. Some applications were considered and turned down for a permit during the last four allocation periods.
A village staff analysis states that all applications wouldn’t receive an allocation before the program ends in 2023. Properties approved for administrative relief are located at 36 Park Road, 137 Indian Mound Trail, 161 Mohawk St., 60 Wrenn St., 80 Wrenn St. and 206 Harbor Drive.
Council members also approved market rate building permit allocations for five applications without a land dedication. The applications are ranked ninth through 13th in a list of 80 waiting for a building permit. A total of 22 market rate residential allocations were made available for 2022, including five market rate building permits without land dedication.
A distribution schedule for remaining building permits was unanimously approved by the dais. Village code requires the council to establish the total amount of nonresidential floor area and residential dwelling units that may be made available for the next annual BPAS allocation. Eleven market rate allocations are available for 2023. Of those, nine allocations will be handed out to applications without a land dedication. And two will be given to applicants with a land dedication.
Rosenthal expressed that he’d like to extend the remaining allocations to 2026, but his colleagues were against the idea.
“I’m certainly not against people in BPAS. I understand their problem. But how do we avoid 2023? The only way we can do that is to extend the permits for that length of time. That’s the only way,” Rosenthal said.
Funding through the Florida Keys Stewardship Act for a backfill restoration project at Canal 116 on Plantation Key was unanimously approved by the dais. The project seeks to improve the canal’s water quality by raising its bottom by 6 feet below mean sea level to allow for tidal flow. Staff is seeking Stewardship Act funds totaling $1,759,627.10 to cover project costs.
During the early portion of the meeting, the council and village officials discussed the Freebee rideshare service and possibly expanding service with help from a state grant. Maria Bassett, finance director, was able to secure a Florida Department of Transportation Public Transit Service Development grant that pays roughly half the costs associated with the service. Serving the islands that make up Islamorada, and a small area of Tavernier, the village must expand service hours and add more vehicles with the grant.
As a result, the overall costs for the service, seven days a week at 17 hours a day, would total $553,000 for the year. The village would pay $276,665, which is less than the roughly $300,000 it currently pays for the service. According to staff analysis, if the village opts to accept the award to fund 50% of the increased cost of expanded services, the village and Freebee would need to enter into an agreement for services effective July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. No decision was made by the council on the grant and service. A new council will decide the next direction for Freebee in Islamorada. The council will have its first meeting on Dec. 6 at 5:30 p.m. at Founders Park Community Center.
