Residents spoke out about the December 14 Key Colony Beach Commission meeting:
Dear Commissioners,
I have written so many letters to KCB commissioners through the years and have been disgusted to see them fall flat on many deaf ears only interested in their own agendas. I vowed to myself to give it up, until last night. As I rode by the closed city hall I was shocked to observe the pure black darkness of the whole block. What an embarrassment to our City and what it used to be. It's now DEAD, in a state of complete darkness, just like our city government. There is no heart. The darkness signifies the bleakness in our city. Six years of fraud and lying to our citizens by many of those past and present who were elected to serve us, has corrupted the city leading to the waste of huge amounts of money spent on trailers, relocation costs, legal fees, etc., only to satisfy the ego and unrealistic views of what they think the city should be.
There are still a few of you who have the ability and courage to listen to the citizens and change the direction of our city. You hold our future in your hands. As you vote this week, I beg you to think of the citizens of KCB and restoring some peace in our city. Please bring levelheadedness and a sense of a loving community back to KCB. Thank you.
Constance Foster
Key Colony Beach
Dear Commissioners of KCB,
I am still reeling from the information about the discovery of the "lost" FEMA letter and have lots of unanswered questions about that letter. I am doubtful that any answers given from certain members of this group would be truthful. Integrity and transparency (overused as it is) are both paramount in PUBLIC SERVICE and it is obviously absent from certain Commissioners and staff. I now believe a number of current and past Commissioners and hired staff are simply not truthful in their dealings with this community.
I have seen the different versions of the agenda for the upcoming meeting December 14, 2023. I do not see any mention though about the replacement or firing of Dave Turner, nor discussion of how the FEMA letter was "discovered". In my mind Dave Turner had to have known about the FEMA letter and lied about it all - not informing all of the known facts that are pertinent to the matter at hand before the Commissioners should be cause for prompt dismissal.
If Dave Turner denies knowing about the letter then how did it just somehow appear? Someone knew about it and never said anything! That person should be dismissed from their position immediately! Of course, who knows what Dave Turner is saying about the discovery of the letter - that is hidden from us too.
I am livid thinking of the tax money that came from the citizens that has already been misspent renting trailers, venues, etc. when City Hall could have been repaired immediately after Irma and been operational for the past 5 years. It is a gross inexcusable waste of taxpayer dollars. If additional space was needed for office space and police department, that could have been addressed years ago for a fraction of what it will cost now to perhaps add on to the existing building.
I feel the prior city commissioners and employees should be held accountable for the expenses we, the citizens, have borne - starting with John DeNeale and Chris Moonis. Each of them should be made to reimburse the city for all the trailer rent and other expenses incurred from not using city hall to date.
It is now up to the current Commissioners to do what is right and just, beginning with the release of Dave Turner. Second, repeal the acceptance of the HOB bid for replacing City Hall. Third, get bids to remodel the current City Hall. Fourth, establish some kind of legal format to prohibit spending over a certain dollar amount by City Commissioners without property owners (not simply voters) approval. All the people paying taxes should have a voice!
Judi Virost
Key Colony Beach
THURSDAY'S ORGANIZATIONAL AND CITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING To: commissioner1@keycolonybeach.net, commissioner2@keycolonybeach.net, KCBFoster@gmail.com, KCBJRaspe@gmail.com, thomas.difransico@gmail.com
CC: cityclerk@keycolonybeach.netGood day, my name is Tim Husel, a taxpayer and winter snowbird residing here in Key Colony Beach. My parents built at this location in 1974 and I have been a property owner at this location since 2013. I am forwarding this email to all Commissioners that represent not only those eligible to vote but also to remind you that you are in such positions to represent all taxpayers and residents of Key Colony Beach and ask that you ponder some points prior to making your decisions at the upcoming meetings and hearings.
Organizational Meeting
(5) Appointments 2. City Attorney 3. City Administrator
When reviewing these appointments, please ask and answer some hard questions which the people of KCB would like answers. What preluded the release of information of the discovery of a FEMA letter addressed to the City Administrator in October of 2023. Did the attorney just happen to find this letter among city documents? Were the attorneys office supplied a copy of the FEMA letter dated October 6th, 2022? Is there something in the wind that forced the exposure of such letter prior to being released by a third party?In regards to the City Administrator who, as I understand, was addressed directly in the FEMA letter of October 6th 2022. Some Commissioners have gone on record stating that they never were advised that such letter was brought to their attention until the release of such document in October 2023 by the City Attorneys Office.. Other Commissioners had not responded to a request for comment at the time of press release, which seems to be the residents of KCB's one of the only source of information provided. Please state at the meeting if you had received notification of such a letter from your City Administrator in 2022 and if so, why was such information not released to the public as there have been several opportunities to do so. If you were not supplied such information, should you not be questioning the actions of the City Administrator over not only the release of the October 2022 FEMA letter but also the numerous complaints from residents and tax payers since his appointment to this position. I would also like to remind Commissioners that Sec. 2-69.- Removal of city administrator reads: "The city administrator may be removed from office at any regular or special meeting of the city commission by the affirmative vote of at least three (3) members of the city commission (Ord. No. 353-2003, 2-13-03)"
When discussing Commissioner Reports and Comments, I totally support Commissioner Raspe introductions on discussion to:
i) repeal the 7/20/2023 acceptance of HOB bid for City Hall to a vote of electors
ii) revisit/reduce the City Attorney budget (or replace, dependent on previous answers above)
iii) reopen Marble Hall for immediate use
iv) get bids to repair Marble Hall and Administration area floor (and in addition update the fire repression recommended previously and installation of a generator station)
v) City Administrator position - hard questions to be answered when deliberating this question. Is the integrity of not only this position being questioned but also that of the Commission? Do you allow it to continue?In closing, I would like to see something put into place whereby ALL RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS be allowed a general vote on any referendum brought forward that directly affects those as a property owner and taxpayer.
Thank You
Tim Husel
Key Colony Beach
POLICE DEPARTMENT Silvia and commissioners,
I will add a big 'ditto' to Judy Verost's excellent letter. I have one more idea that needs to be addressed: disbanding the KCB Police Department. This may be controversial and untimely but here goes.
1. Cost - About half a million and sure to go up with unionization.
2. Size - 24/7 coverage with too many officers and vehicles and too much office space and equipment.
3. Need - Like Duck Key we have a one entrance and exit community with our causeway. They hire a security person. I feel cameras on the causeway and a code enforcement officer will provide enough security along with patrols by the sheriff's office and the state police. Our crime rate is almost statistically zero if you exclude short-term rental problems.Chum Gette Key Colony Beach
TAKE ACTION TO RESTORE OUR CITY We the citizens are asking you commissioners to take action to restore our city to the way it used to be: friendly, peaceful, content, happy and financially frugal.
With regards to our city hall debacle, we would like the Commissioners to give the citizens full transparency and disclose all previous and current correspondence with regards to bids, engineering reports and state and FEMA correspondence with regards to funding and grants and city hall rebuild issues since Irma until now. Post everything on city website for all to see. Rebuild our confidence in our cities integrity.
Explain why Dave Turner did NOT disclose the FEMA letter of Oct. 6, 2022 until NOW. He should be terminated for cause IMMEDIATELY. He has covered up facts about engineering reports and FEMA letter showing that city hall was NOT 50% damaged in order to award a contract for the construction of a new city hall. Is he getting some personal consideration for doing this? Perhaps that needs to be looked into? Explain why Dave Turner was given a 26% (or was it 28%) raise? Because he has done such a great job at this coverup? He has had a toxic effect on the employees as well as the residents of this city. We don't want him--and he needs to be let go.
The City needs to rescind /repeal the bid award to HOB immediately! We don't need to build a new city hall now. Fema has indicated that we CAN rebuild our city hall since it was NOT damaged over 50% -- according to FEMA as well as other engineers reports -- so let's get it going NOW! It appears that some city commissioners have known this for some time and appears that some City officials and staff have falsified records to try to show otherwise. There should be an investigation into all of this as well as into the finances and city correspondence of Dave Turner, Chris Moonis and John DeNeale . Who was our city attorney when all this was going on? Were they aware of the falsification of documents and the coverup?
Streamline our budget:
A. Find a new attorney who doesn't charge for travel time and doesn't have to be at every recreation meeting and who will represent the citizens of this fine city and not work with administrator to hide the facts.
B. Sell our city boat. Why do we need it? They can't even give tickets.
C. Get rid of our city vehicles -- do what corporations do -- IF we even need to do this! Provide a car allowance. We would save on insurance, maintenance, initial investment etc.
D. Cut back on city staff. We have more employees than ever before with some people having assistants. Why? We are NOT a growing city -- we are almost built out. As far as rentals, they have always been here -- no more than before.Why do we need a code enforcement officer? To make everyone's life miserable in our little town trying to drum up the fines and tickets to justify his job? He told one lady that she was putting her garbage cans out 15 min early and if she didn't put them back he would ticket her. He rides and walks through town looking for infractions. Ridiculous !! The building dept used to handle problems by following up on complaints -- and if necessary -- then having the police dept issue a citation. Then the complaint would then go before a code board -- only now we use a "magistrate" -- which could still be used. Why pay for another city servant when we already have people in place that can do the same job? Let's cut the budget. If you feel we really need this, make it a part time job -- like so many businesses are doing -- so we don't have to pay benefits. There are a lot of qualified retired people. Let's take some lessons from the corporate world.
With regards to the city consideration to making us a SMART CITY -- that does NOT seem like a "smart" move. We the people want to pick our own cable and internet providers. Can you imagine the nightmare it would be if that one cable company had issues and internet service went out and affected all of KCB? You would be asking for a nightmare. I understand that the bottom line on this is that the "city" would be getting a FREEBEE-- but the rest of us would be paying for it bigtime.
Pass an ordinance or modify city bylaws to allow taxpayers to vote to approve any large expenditures--like building a new city hall. Also, consider eliminating the need for a city manager/administrator. Consider allowing the taxpayers to vote for a mayor that would be paid a salary and require that the Mayor live in Key Colony Beach -- so they have some "skin in the game".
We are relying on you commissioners to be fair, vigilant, honest, and financially responsible. We know this is a big job which takes a lot of your time and efforts -- especially now with all the turmoil we have had. We residents do really appreciate your efforts to bring forth some common sense judgements and make our little piece of paradise back into the GEM it used to be-- along with restoring the joy and making us the happiest citizens in all of the Keys -- which IS how it used to be. That is the reason we all initially moved here. The city administration was helpful, kind and amazing. We can be all that again-- with all of your help.
Thanks so much for listening as well as caring!
Sue and Jack Bartkus
Key Colony Beach