The Latest News: Febuary, 2024
One Ousted,Two,Four, Five Resigned
City Hall Renovation Under Way
plus Crucial Vote-by-Mail Info
» Key Colony Beach City Commission Terminates City Administrator Dave Turner. December 14, 2023. KCB made a swift vote not to renew the contract of current administrator Dave Turner. Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy.
» Key Colony Beach mayor abruptly resigns. October 11, 2023. In a surprise development hastened by resident outrage against the Key Colony Beach City Commission, as well as media scrutiny about the myriad investigations into the dealings of the commission, Mayor Patti Trefry abruptly resigned Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 11, effective at midnight. (Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy.)
» Key Colony Beach Mayor Patti Trefry resigns. October 11, 2023. In a surprising move, Key Colony Beach Mayor Patti Trefry submitted her letter of resignation effective today. Trefry's resignation comes as Key Colony continues to wade through dual investigations into allegations of fraud, an ongoing police unionization, and the decision to accept an $8.375 million bid for City Hall. (Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy.)
» KCB'S Ramsay-Vickrey Abruptly Resigns Commission Post. February 7, 2024. KCB Commissioner Beth Ramsay-Vickrey abruptly resigned her seat today in an email to city commissioners and staff. This move follows former mayor Patti Trefry's abrupt resignation in October. Calls for her resignation or recall have been ongoing almost from the start of her term. Ramsay-Vickrey becomes the third KCB city official to either resign or be removed from office in the past four months, joining Trefry and ousted City Administrator Dave Turner. Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy.
» Key Colony Beach Commissioner Beth Ramsay-Vickrey Resigns. February 7, 2024. Citing an impending move to Marathon that would make her ineligible to serve on the city commission, Key Colony Beach City Commissioner Beth Ramsay-Vickrey announced her resignation in an email to eight city staff members early Wednesday morning.Vickery, who claims to have "added a new level of transparency in government to KCB," blocked the city hall referendum and planned to change city ordinances to forbid future citizen referendums and initiatives. Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy.
» Fifth City Official Gone. February 21, 2024. Gerald L. "Lenny" Leggett abruptly resigned as KCB building official. This follows Code enforcer Barry Goldman's departure on February 15.
Why this is good news.
» Two more resign from Key Colony Beach ranks. February 29, 2024. Code Officer Barry Goldman, who abruptly resigned Feb. 15, was followed by Building Official Gerald L. Leggett last week. The city has lured former longtime KCB building official Ed Borysiewicz out of retirement to lead both the code and building departments. Borysiewicz has agreed to remain in that capacity as long as is necessary. "Bringing him in is as easy as giving him a set of keys. It could’ve been painful, but the city is rallying around us, the atmosphere has changed dramatically, and we couldn't be happier," Commissioner Foster told the Citizen. Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy.
» Key Colony Beach Loses Building Official " Code Officer as City Hall Prepares to Reopen. February 29, 2024. Key Colony Beach is continuing its five-month period of heavy turnover among city leadership and staff, adding former Code Enforcement Officer Barry Goldman and Building Official Lenny Leggett to its list of resignations over the past two weeks.
"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 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." Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy.
» What's next?
The remaining commissioners may fill Ramsay-Vickrey's seat by appointing a new commissioner within 45 days. If they are unable to agree on a replacement with a majority vote, a special election will be called to fill the vacancy. However, the KCB code holds that "no special election shall be held within six months prior to a regularly scheduled municipal election," meaning that the city’s timeline for such a move would presumably expire in early May.
City Clerk Silvia Gransee acts as KCB’s supervisor of elections.
Apply for the KCB City Commission. In the wake of Commissioner Vickrey's sudden resignation, KCB will again invite all residents to apply for the vacant seat. Candidates must be KCB residents and registered voters here.
Applications are available at the KCB City Hall trailer but apparently not the city website. Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy of the application with the invitation and other instructions.
» The rules have changed to vote by mail. Mail ballot requests are now good for only one general election cycle anywhere in Florida. Mail ballot requests generally expired on December 31, 2022If you voted by mail in 2022 your mail ballot request should be renewed. What's worse, Vote-by-Mail in a local KCB election is squiffy at best. Here's what we know about Vote-by-Mail.