The Latest News: June, 2024
Kids Fishing Derby News
The 17th Annual Ron Sutton Memorial Kids Fishing Derby has been RESCHEDULED to this Tuesday, June 18. Registration for this event is full but all registered participants should meet at the Key Colony Inn at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, June 18.
Rainy Season News
The rainy season is upon us. The national news has had stories of flooding across South Florida this week.
Today looks to be a gentle, all day rain upon the canals and place beneath. KCB did get rain every day this week but the totals were much lower than on the mainland and the stormwater drains did very well. We've seen some puddling in yards and driveways but the streets dried very quickly.
... What will the Key Colony Beach City Commission do in June, 2024?
The City Commission will host a Public Hearing and a regular monthly meeting in Marble Hall and as a Zoom webinar on Thursday, June 20, at 9:30 a.m. They have a packed agenda.
The Public Hearing will include a Discussion/Approval of an Architectural Review of construction plans for 1000 W. Ocean Drive. There will also be a discussion/approval of two, four post boat lifts on 7th Street. Both items are per the recommendation of the Planning & Zoning Board.The REGULAR MEETING will begin at 9:35 a.m. or at the end of the Public Hearing.
We encourage every KCBer to Ask Your Commissioners about these items on the agenda. The commentary restriction, "Members of the Public may speak for three minutes and may only speak once unless waived by a majority vote of the commission" remains on the agenda. Also "Letters submitted to the City Clerk will be made part of the record but not read into record." The agenda does have two periods for citizen comments and correspondence, once after the special requests and again before the meeting is adjourned. Click here to email the commissioners and city clerk .
Luis Alonso will ask to transfer the building rights for the property at 721 West Ocean Drive to the City of Marathon. That is the now-vacant 2.10± acre parcel across from the Key Colony Inn. There is a proposed interlocal agreement as well as preliminary designs.
City Clerk Silvia Gransee will give an update on qualified candidates for the November election.
Mayor-City Administrator Raspe will give an update on progress in Marble Hall and the administrative office space. He will also discuss a 20% discount for short-term boat trailer parking for first responders and military personnel.
The Commission will discuss/approve a recommendation by Mayor/City-Administrator Raspe to offer Tony Loreno the position of Building Official, Floodplain Manager, and Building Inspector. Charles Antonio Loreno's Florida DPBR Status is "Eligible for Exam" for Building Code Administrator. There is no record in Florida DPBR that he has held any prior building license.
The Commission will discuss/approve the union agreement with the South Florida Police Benevolent Association.
The Commission will discuss/approve Commissioner DiFransico's recommended change in wastewater billing.
The Commission will discuss/approve recommendations by the Utility Board to offer FKEC the installation of solar panels on city owned buildings. That recommendation includes using a citizen referendum should the proposal not be acceptable to the city commission.
The Commission will discuss/approve a proposal to repair the causeway bridge abutments.
The Commission plans to adopt a Stormwater Utility System ordinance that amends Chapter 15 of the Code of Ordinances.
The Commission will also discuss/approve the final invoice for the 1st Street Playground, a proposal for Community Rating System support services, the budget calendar for FY2024/2025, an Interlocal Agreement to accept State Boating Improvement Funds, and a proposal for the KCB Roadway Safety Project.
The City Attorney will give an update on the position of an "Executive Assistant to the Mayor/City-Administrator."
Commissioner Harding will discuss wastewater sampling, the gas tax interlocal agreement, and the Monroe County EV grant.
Please do Ask Your Commissioners about one or more of these items on the agenda by email and at the meeting. Click here to email the commissioners and city clerk.
Download the 06-20-2024 City Commission Public Hearing Agenda.
Download the 06-20-2024 City Commission Meeting Agenda.
Download the 06-20-2024 City Commission Meeting Packet. KCB posted it on Tuesday.Please attend the meeting in person or by Zoom if you can't get to Marble Hall.
Both meetings will be held in Marble Hall!
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Post Office News
The "great move" of the KCB Post Office is now planned to begin on Friday, June 21. All boxes and services will move out of the trailer and back into the refurbished space in City Hall. Heather is excited!
Fun Fact
The most active decade so far for hurricanes that have made landfall in the U.S., was 1941-1950 with 24, 10 of which were Cat 3, 4, or 5. Before 1941, 18-20 hurricanes made U.S. landfall most decades. Since 1960, an average of 15 hurricanes have made U.S. landfall each decade, an average of 5.5 of which were Cat 3, 4, or 5.
Post Office News
We all expected the "great move" of the KCB Post Office from the double wide trailer back into the refurbished space in city hall to begin June 21 but it didn't happen. The move is still planned but the schedule is now up in the air.
Commission Meeting News
The City Commission held a Public Hearing and their regular monthly meeting on June 20 in Marble Hall.
Luis Alonso asked to transfer the building rights for the property at 721 West Ocean Drive to the City of Marathon. The now-vacant 2.10± acre parcel sits across from the Key Colony Inn.
The commissioners expressed concerns about the ROGO implications of transferring the building rights out of KCB which is exempt from ROGO. The commissioners all heard that the developer doesn't even own the property and at least one condo owner testified that they had not released their rights. Marathon Planning Director Brian Shea thinks KCB must enter ROGO in order to enter this interlocal agreement. The commissioners told the city attorney to go ahead and write a development agreement.
The commissioners unanimously voted to hire Tony Loreno as Building Official, Floodplain Manager, and Building Inspector. Current Building Official Ed Borysiewicz confirmed he will assist with the transition. They discussed the 18% raise he will receive when he obtains the necessary license as a Florida Building Official.
The commissioners unanimously voted to put off any sewer billing changes because "the return wasn't enough" to overcome the unfairness of the current system.
The city attorney will advertise to fill the position of "part time City Administrator."
The wastewater report shows that COVID is on the rise in KCB again.
KCB Commissioners Reseated
20 Unopposed Keys Candidates Get Easy Wins. June 20, 2024. In Key Colony Beach, all four candidates who had signed up for individual seats on the nonpartisan city council were elected with no opposition: Doug Colonell, Thomas DiFransico, Thomas Harding and Joey Raspe. Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy.
Flooded Roads
Fixing the Flooding on Sombrero Boulevard. June 20, 2024. Street flooding is of particular interest in KCB. Here's a look at what is happening next door: Following numerous complaints received about the road through a variety of channels, the Weekly looked at the causes, history and potential remedies for the floods.
The answers are quotes and summaries from city agenda documents, previous council meetings, press releases, resident concerns voiced to the Weekly, and an extensive interview with Garrett, Williams and Planning Director Brian Shea. Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy.
"Executive Assistant to the City Commission"
The City Administrator job description and employment agreement (a legal contract) were not available to the public when the commission voted on it.
The wimpy and demeaning "Executive Assistant" job title took flack from our correspondents. Nobody likes it. So far, the three leading titles are City Administrator, City Coordinator, or Operating Officer. It has been mentioned that, in a right to work state such as Florida, the job description and employment contract hold more sway in determining compensation and benefits that putting "Administrator" in the job title.
Likewise, the job description needs more thought.
James (JR) Rider notes that "With regard to the 'Executive Assistant, etal' I would only caution that in my experience in business for many years, I always found that if you grant someone responsibility for work, you need to be very sure they have both the 1) Authority to achieve it, and 2) Resources needed to accomplish it. Reading the description, it seems to me that the responsibilities are very broad, but the assignment of authority and assets is unclear."
Other correspondents enthusiastically supported John Bartus for the position. One noted "He's likely the best you'll find with a local track record vs. a massive geographical talent search coupled with outlandish wage & benefit demands."
Former KCB commissioner Kathryn McCullough wrote, "I am currently traveling so have not read the job description. However, I do not like the title and I DONOT like the position reporting to the City Clerk. All the Department positions should report only to the Commission, i.e., City Clerk, Building Official, Police Chief and whatever you call this new position. Just my opinion!!"
KCB COMMISSION ELECTIONS
The City of Key Colony Beach will have four seats at large to be filled in the upcoming November election. All KCB residents who are eligible to vote in KCB elections as well as all current commissioners may run for those seats but all candidates must qualify in order to run. That means paperwork must be filed soon.
The terms of these Commissioners expire this year:
Doug Colonell
Tom Difransico
Tom Harding
Joey Raspe2024 Election Qualifying Period:
Noon, Monday, June 10 - noon Friday, June 14, 2024
Qualifying papers were accepted beginning May 27.Want to run for the Commission? Completed applications must be turned in to the Supervisor of Elections by Friday, June 14, at noon.
Call the Supervisor of Elections (305.289.6017) with any questions and to make an appointment to submit the qualifying paperwork.
» 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, 2022. If 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.