Changes

Significant turnover produced significant changes in KCB.

Following the abrupt resignations of Patti Trefry and Beth Vickrey in 2023, the City Commission did not renew the contract of former administrator Dave Turner. "Lenny" Leggett abruptly resigned as KCB building official, following code enforcer Barry Goldman's departure a week earlier. Vice mayor Raspe resigned this Spring.

"I'm in for compliance. I'm not in for punishment, I'm not in for fines, and I don't think we should budget for (them)," said then-Vice Mayor Foster, stressing the importance of prompt notification of violations to prevent accrual of fines. "I think we should be facilitative and work with the citizens, not work as an enforcement agency." In 2025, the city apologized to some KCBers for the actions and untruths of city officials but continued to punish others for the same official malfeasance.

KCB celebrated its 68th anniversary during a festive Key Colony Beach Day. The Farmers Market returned to City Hall parking lot but city offices remained in the rented trailers.

The Community Rating System (CRS) is FEMA's "voluntary" incentive program for floodplain management practices. Effective April 1, KCB is at Level 6, so flood policyholders should now receive a 20 percent CRS discount on their annual full risk premiums. KCBers still have concerns that we don't get the discounts allowed and that FEMA says future discounts are dissolving.

The commission has revisited the Sewer Billing system. The Utility Board suggested changing from the current "flat rate" bills to a bill based on usage. The commission made some changes to the rates but kept the "flat rate" structure.

After strong support from KCBers, the commission renewed Daryl Rice's contract to manage the golf course.

Former Marathon mayor and longtime city councilman John Bartus continued as our part-time city administrator.

Taxes and Fees

City and County officials publicized that they "held" the property tax rate. But city and county revenues soared as the actual taxes we pay skyrocketed. Again. The commission adopted a budget of $21,655,240 and set a FY25/26 millage rate of 2.82 mils. That's 8.92% more than the rollback rate. The commission gave a misleading and totally incorrect explanation of rollback.

A "roll back rate" is the property tax rate that generates the exact same total revenue for the city as the city received the prior year. In other words, it is the millage rate that, if applied to the new appraised value of your house, would raise the same amount of taxes as you paid last year.

In 2016 the tax rate was 2.2300 mils which raised $1,441,533 in property taxes. In 2023 the tax rate was 2.8726 mils which raised $2,621,200 in property taxes and added over $100,000 to our fund reserves. The 2024-25 tax rate was 2.7600 mils which collected $3,246,270 in property taxes reduced our fund reserves by $374,393.

The approved KCB 2025-26 budget collects $3,542,289 in property taxes and snatches $499,018 from city reserves. None of that budget was earmarked for the city hall project. General county, public schools, water management, mosquito control and county solid waste charges have also risen.

The Building Department remains a profit center for the city. The commission expects the building department to collect $562,880 and to transfer $250,000 of prior year profits. They also doubled the code enforcement budget to $178,122.

Commission Seats and Volunteers

The City will have just one commission seat up for reelection in 2026.

• Freddie Foster, Mayor
• Doug Colonell, Vice-Mayor
• Tom Harding, Secretary-Treasurer
• Kirk Diehl, Commissioner
• Tom DiFransico, Commissioner


• Kris DiGiovanni, Chief of Police
• Vernis & Bowling, City Attorney--Dirk Smits, Managing Attorney
• John Bartus, City Administrator
• Tony Loreno, City Building Official
• Silvia Roussin, City Clerk
• Martha Dreyer, Code Enforcemwnt Officer

Beautification - 2-year Term

• Sandy Bachman, chair
• Pam Geronemus, vice-chair
• Dave McKeehan
• Vacant Seat
• Jo Corso (Alternate)
• (Alternate)

Planning & Zoning - 2-year Term

• George Lancaster, chair
• Lin Walsh, vice chair
• Lynne Conkling
• Leonard Geronemus
• Skip Helme
• (Alternate)
• Patricia Diebold (Alternate)

Recreation - 2-year Term

• Cindy Catto, chair
• Judy Burgett
• Aleta Williamson
• Vacant Seat
• Vacant Seat
• Frank Tremblay (Alternate)
• David Evangelista (Alternate)

Utility Board - 1-year Term

• Fred Swanson, chair
• Edward Carey, vice-chair
• Gil Gilbertson*
• Vacant Seat
• Vacant Seat
• (Alternate)
• (Alternate)

Disaster Preparedness - 1-year Term

• Freddie Foster, chair
• John Bartus, vice chair
• Kris DiGiovanni
• Mike Guarino
• Tony Loreno*
• Carman Slusher

CRS Resident Appointment - 1-year Term

• ___________

City Improvements

Sunset Park has shade sails over the center lawn, a paved area for handicap parking, and a new paver walkway nearly completed to the pier. Commissioners changed the Sunset Park ordinance to allow fishing from the pier.

KCB is down to three untreated stormwater drains emptying into to the canals.

City Hall

The commission approved their new City Hall renderings at a special November, 2024, meeting. They didn't "want resident input" to affect the process. Most commissioners said they were not in favor of the "three tower" plan they approved, one that looks very much like the LIVS design and very little like the design and style of existing building. This year, the city commission unanimously approved a CPH design for city hall at its current site. It includes many windows to provide a light and spacious feel as well as the three story "entry tower."

KCB held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the official start of the $5.5 million city hall project. It is scheduled to be complete by September, 2026.

Serious Commission and City Official Errors in 2025

The commission never sent the city hall design to the Planning & Zoning committee for architectural review as required by KCB ordinance.

There is no sprinkler system anywhere in the city hall building plan.

The three-story entry building violates city ordinances, the Florida Building Code, and a Florida statute.

The KCB city hall bid review committee determined the Pedro Falcon bid was nonresponsive. They unanimously recommended Keystar Inc as the lowest responsive bid. The commission "found" that the requirements didn't matter.

The city hall project will eat up the Reserve fund, the Infrastructure fund, and "completely deplete" the Impact fund and still require borrowing.

An unlicensed city employee performed many fire and building inspections for the building department. Thatt violates Florida law and puts KCB property owners at risk.

And the Rest

The year also included the Post Office relocation and makeover, the pickleball/tennis court project, a new restaurant coming to the Causeway, and the good news that two of the trailers are gone. The KCB Farmer's Market is back in the City Hall parking lot.

City administrator John Bartus created a video of city accomplishments available on YouTube

Unanswered Questions People Are Asking

2025: Month By Month

Download a `PDF of the City Hall comparison drawings

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Looking Back at 2024

KCB started turning the corner in 2024. Now it's up to KCBers to keep the successes going.