VOICE YOUR THOUGHTS: FOURTH ROGO/BPAS SURVEY TACKLES LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

a map of a city with a lot of houses
Over the next year, county and municipal leaders will be tasked with arriving at a final number of building allocations to request from the state in 2025. KEYS WEEKLY FILE PHOTO

The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is seeking public participation regarding the state-mandated hurricane evacuation modeling discussions that will continue through January 2025.

Survey #4 on the topic is currently available, designed to gauge public opinions and ideas concerning some of the legal considerations of the future of growth in the Florida Keys. The survey will remain open until Friday, Sept. 13 at 5 p.m.

Monroe County community members are invited to take this survey by scanning the QR code or visiting https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MCROGOSurvey4. The survey should take five to six minutes to complete.

Additional surveys will be available in September and October to help gauge what the community wants to see moving forward, including the community’s thoughts on planning for the future.

Past surveys will help officials learn more about community members’ basic knowledge of ROGO/BPAS, how locals live and commute, and when residents evacuate during a hurricane. (The first five questions of each survey are the same.)Monroe County gives a monthly update during regularly scheduled BOCC meetings and is meeting with nonprofit and civic groups throughout the Keys regarding the Department of Commerce’s hurricane evacuation modeling to gauge public opinions on everything that affects evacuation timing and the number of additional ROGO/BPAS allocations, if any, the county and municipalities should request from the state. The hurricane evacuation modeling is based on a Florida Statute requiring that Monroe County residents be able to evacuate within 24 hours before a storm. Any allocations awarded could be issued over the next 10 to 30 years or at a rate that does not lead to unbalanced growth or additional takings liability. More information is at  www.monroecounty-fl.gov/rogo2024.