The Latest News: June, 2025
Monroe County mitigation strategy planners to meet July 1
The Monroe County Local Mitigation Strategy update is nearly complete, and the planning team wants to hear from us. They will hold a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, July 1 at 5 pm to learn about the draft plan and provide your comments to the planning team.
The plan evaluates our hazard risks and vulnerabilities and establishes goals, objectives, and actions for reducing risk and building local resilience. This plan update is required for KCB to maintain eligibility for pre- and post-disaster mitigation funding from FEMA.
Follow this link https://MonroeCountyFL-LMS.com to register for the Zoom link and for more info about the plan update.
Two Invasive Termites Are Interbreeding in Florida
Smithsonian Magazine reports that two invasive termite species are chewing their way across South Florida and it turns out they're breeding with each other in the process. The resulting hybrid termite could travel farther to cause damage than either parent species. Researchers from the University of Florida have found that the two termites--Asian and Formosan termites, which are among the world's most destructive--have established hybrid colonies in the wild. Entomologists discovered the first known wild location of an established hybrid termite colony in Fort Lauderdale.Experts at both Hammerhead Termite Control and A&B Exterminators say this year's termite swarm is particularly widespread. KCBers should be especially vigilant, looking for damaged wood, termite wings or bodies inside the house, "frass" (the brown sawdust-like droppings), and mud tubes on walls.
City Hall is bugged!
The original City Hall was tented for termite extermination recently. The City Hall and Police Department trailers were tented in late June.
Legislature's Budget Has $40-plus Million for the Keys; Spending Plan Awaits Governor's Pen
The Marathon Weekly reports Legislators in the Florida House and Senate ultimately overcame tax cut disagreements — which pushed session from 60 to 105 days — to approve a $115.1 billion spending plan on June 17 in Tallahassee. Gov. Ron DeSantis has until June 30 to sign the budget. The governor has the authority to make line-item vetoes as he has done in previous years.
The budget bill allocates about $40 million for Keys projects. Half of that, $20 million, will go to the Florida Keys Stewardship Act for Keys water quality grants but those individual projects are not listed in the bill. The KCB city commission discussed the Stewardship Fund at the June 13 meeting. Mayor Foster believes the city's remaining $3 million in stormwater projects are a good candidate for that grant funding.
Follow this link https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/2500/BillText/er/HTML for the full text of the budget bill.
Mosquito District Plans a New Control Project
Mosquito District Plans a New Control Project. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District will again be putting a cutting-edge mosquito control technique to work this summer when it releases Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes as a means to lower the population of that species within 320 acre release locations... As a part of this project, in early June, FKMCD technicians will begin releasing a limited number of Wolbachia-infected male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in targeted locations on Key Largo, Plantation Key, and Key Colony Beach.
Outage Update
Tech advice: "buy a UPS."
A dump truck on US 1 broke the overhead phone and cable lines and tangled the power line crossing the highway. Power was out in KCB and elsewhere for only about an hour thanks to quick work by the FKEC crews. Internet and phone customers were not so lucky. Anecdotal reports tell us that cellular and Starlink satellite services were mostly unaffected once power was restored but that many Comcast/Xfinity customers were offline for eight or more hours.
Homes with cellular and satellite services generally were down because they lost power but "came back online" as soon as electric service was restored. That's because the Internet device in those homes needs electricity to run. Adding an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) or a generator solves that problem.
In Pictures: Key Colony Beach Hosts 18th Annual Kids Fishing Derby
The Marathon Weekly reports the Marathon Lady filled the decks with grinning kids and their catch on June 18 for the Key Colony Beach and Marathon Ron Sutton Memorial Kids Fishing Derby. Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy.
What did the KCB City Commission do at the Public Hearing and Regular Meeting June 11?
Building official Tony Loreno will write a criteria for boat lifts on Sadowsky and on 7th Street to eliminate most of the need for variances there. The commission will amend the ordinance to allow the building department to make the decision without commission approval.
Administrative assistant Tammy Anderson is moving to Sarasota. June 13 was her last day. The commission lauded and thanked her.
The PD's new F150 is in Jacksonville on its way south.
The consent items, including the permit extension for 130 8th Street, passed without any discussion at all.
They approved the first readings of three new ordinance changes for stormwater, sewer rates and the competitive bidding threshold. Commissioner DiFransico asked if commercial properties are listed on a commercial billing list. Commissioner Harding answered yes.
Last month, Commissioner Harding noted that "probably the biggest change is that the hotels will go up significantly." The commission decided measuring the frontage or square footage of the lots for accurate billing was too difficult. Every duplex lot in the city (half a lot) is billed as a full single lot. Every condo owner and hotel room will be billed as if their "unit" is a full, residential lot.Commissioner Harding reported that "Building permit revenue is a big difference from last year." Discussing the solar power proposal, he noted that "Electric bills are up." Natural gas is the primary source of our electricity and it rose, fell a little, and is rising again. Increase is about 15% over last year.
Mayor Foster wants to increase the impact fee.City attorney Smits reported that Cay Condo has sent a notice of litigation to sue the city for beach erosion based on the loss of the jetty. It is in the hands of "the insurance lawyer"
City attorney Smits said the six month notice gives the city a chance to mitigate the issue. He doesn't know if other property owners have also been served.
The property may be in settlement for sale. The commission wondered if the pending litigation had to be disclosedThe commission discussed the Stewardship Fund and that it needs shovel ready projects to tap this year's $20M state grant. Mayor Foster believes the remaining $3M stormwater projects are a good candidate.
Commissioner Harding reported that COVID is making a comeback in KCB.
Commissioner Colonell reported that the 90% drawings are now due on July 7. There will be a Special Meeting to approve the drawings on Thursday, July 17.
Commissioner DiFransico reported on technical and operational problems with the boat ramp. The ramp has a big drop off. No staging area means "big congestion."
The consensus was that "there should be enough other boat ramps around" that we should do nothing.Mayor Foster reported he and Daryle Rice signed a "3 month Golf course lease"
He wants to cut down the pine trees on the golf course.Mayor Foster addressed the Laurie Swanson correspondence point by point.
1. Is it possible to share the city "meeting packets" with all citizens at the same time they are shared with the commission and other officials? It would give citizens time to digest what is in the packet and respond to the commissioners. This would be helpful to both commissioners and citizens. Example: Fred received the Packet Friday, June 6th at noon as the chair of the Utility Board, but the citizens have not received access to the packet as of 1:47 pm June 9th.
2. A question to ponder: Is the 3-story grand entrance/foyer a "need" to have or a "want" to have? If the price tag comes back too expensive, do we have a fallback position i.e. a way to cut the building down to an affordable size?
Mayor Foster noted that "The protocol is commission receives the packets on Friday and upload on Tuesday." The commission discussed it with city clerk Silvia Roussin and learned there was no impediment other than commission instructions to delay the publication. Mayor Foster ordered packets be uploaded for the public at the same time they are distributed to the commission.
Mayor Foster said the entrance is only two stories and "we do need it for the stairway and the elevator. I don't believe it's too expensive." Despite Brendan DeCaro's description that the tower is "three stories," the discussion claimed it was only two because there is no floor and air "doesn't cost $500/foot." In addition they felt the three story appearance matches some of the new homes in KCB.
No new homes near city hall are so designed. In fact, most homes there are traditional one story structures.3. When Brendan DeCaro said that the planned city hall was "not a real EOC", I was surprised. I was under the impression from previous public discussions that it was necessary that we have a "real EOC" in that building. Please explain the difference between a real EOC and the planned addition that is not a real EOC. I understand that we need an area for officials to meet during emergency conditions such as a hurricane.
· What is the goal for this new area if it is not a real EOC?
· Does the fact that that area is not a real EOC have an impact on the grant funding you anticipate?
Mayor Foster said, "I have more experience in EOCs than" most people. The space doesn't have the hub for communications. It will be staffed and is a place to have boots on the ground while the city manager and others are in the Monroe County EOC.
Mayor Foster also noted, "The grant is for hardening this building. I rewrote the specs" to make sure of that.4. I am wondering if it is a good idea to repair and open the boat ramp at the foot of the 7th Street canal. There are 2 free boat ramps available within a land-mile of our KCB island and there are more than a few boat ramps that charge to launch a boat close by—one at the KCB Marina. We should weigh convenience wiith the money and time for managing the boat ramp. We certainly do not want to hire another city employee to manage a boat ramp.I look forward to your answers and clarifications.
Mayor Foster said that was addressed by Commissioner DiFransico.Utility Board member Donald Steamer commented about solar panels, "We proposed that we send out for bid to put panels on the sewer plant." He noted that even at minimal savings, the payback is about four years. "Let's spend our own money and get it back in 4 years," he said.
The commission had no response.Cindy Catto expressed concern about when the golf course contract is going out for bid.
Mayor Foster said Daryle Rice "won't be there for 3-5 years. We need a plan to transition." He said he is working on it but gave no details.Joe Schmidt suggested they "retrofit the mics [in Marble Hall] to clip ons" for the commissioners and the panelists so people can actually hear the discussions.
What will the KCB City Commission do at the Public Hearing and Regular Meeting on June 11?
Unusual Meeting Date
Calendar confusion: The commission changed the date of this month's regular commission meeting twice. It moved first to next Monday and then moved again to the second Wednesday instead of the usual "third Thursday" to avoid Juneteenth. Meetings will be held this Wednesday in Marble Hall and on Zoom.
Public Hearing
The city commission will host a public hearing and regular monthly meeting in Marble Hall and on Zoom on Wednesday, June 11, beginning at 9:30 a.m. (Note the special date.) The public hearing will consider the installation of a boat lift on Sadowski Causeway.
Note that the restriction on public commentary continues; "Members of the Public may speak for three minutes and may only speak once unless waived by a majority vote of the commission."
Read the Key Colony Beach Public Hearing Agenda. (The Public Hearing "packet" is not yet available.)
(Please note: our email system seems determined to change the "URL" of these uploads. You may copy and paste the link above into your browser or find the originals on the city website.)
Regular Commission Meeting
The city commission will host a regular monthly meeting in Marble Hall and on Zoom on Wednesday, June 11, beginning at 9:35 a.m. (Note the special date.)
KCBers may want to ask our commissioners about these items in particular:The agenda includes:
- People Are Asking why 130 8th Street requires a permit extension and how much the city will charge for it? Building permit #b24-000419 was issued January 13, 2025 to construct a new residential duplex. The construction cost listed was $776,620 yielding an initial permit cost of more than $27,875. The permit is listed as "active."
- The KCB CitizenServe Permit Portal consistently returns "No Results" to searches for building permits at 130 8th Street or any other KCB property. The Property Appraiser provided the information for building permit #b24-000419.
- Executive Order 24-209 first declared a state of emergency for Hurricane Helene on September 23, 2024. That state of emergency remains in force today through several orders including EO 25-102 issued May 14, 2025 which has automatically tolled all permits in KCB through July 13, 2025. People Are Asking for an explanation of the city "protocol" that requires an extension for a building permit that was automatically tolled by state law.
- The lot at 130 8th Street is privately owned. People Are Asking how and why KCB has been using it to "store" construction materials and debris for years?
- People Are Asking why, in this day of sunshine and perfect transparency, city "insiders" had electronic copies of the meeting packet last week but the public will have to wait until Tuesday or later to see it for a meeting the next day?
There were no special requests listed in the agenda.
The commission votes for Consent Action Items with a single motion. This month they include the FY25/26 budget calendar, an Iguana Control service agreement, a building permit extension for the property at the corner of 8th Street and West Ocean, a spending warrant for $774,487.33, and several meeting minutes.
The commission will discuss and approve awarding the contract for the 7th Street and Shelter Bay Drive drainage improvements.
The commission will discuss quotes of $24,440 vs.$59,680 to pave the 7th Street Park parking lot.
There will be the first reading of three ordinances amending the stormwater utility system, the monthly sewer and sewage disposal rates and charges, and to increase the competitive bidding threshold.
Commissioner Tom Harding will publish the April 2025 Financial Summary. He will also give the Wastewater Sampling Summary Report of June 9th, a South Florida Water Management resiliency update and an update from the Monroe County local mitigation workgroup.
The agenda has no information about the City Attorney’s Report or Commissioner’s Reports and Comments from Commissioner Colonell, DiFransico, Vice-Mayor Raspe, or Mayor Foster
Read the full Key Colony Beach Regular City Commission Meeting Agenda.
The Public Hearing "packet" is not yet online. Read the Key Colony Beach Regular City Commission Meeting Commissioners' Packet here when it is made available.
Click or tap here to email your questions and comments to the commissioners and city clerk .
Join the 6/11/25 meeting from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device:
Please click this URL to join. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84764229201?pwd=7APKahL0ebcJFTjIjWDOi5hw5PNS5L.1
Passcode: 337957
"Trust but Verify"
A recent public service announcement reminded us to "verify our CPA" with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation before sending that accountant your financial information.
That's great advice but there's more.
The Florida Bar publishes attorney status and any disciplinary information. The Florida CFO has records of fire inspectors. The DBPR publishes license information for accountants, contractors, engineers, Realtors™, and many more, including our city officials. They have specific listings for building code administrators and inspectors and for certified public accountants. Each of these sites allows searches by name or other criteria.
Keys Electric Cooperative Moves to Four-day Week
Florida Keys Electric Cooperative is now open four days a week. The nonprofit, member-owned utility service for the Upper and Middle Keys changed its business hours to operate Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. effective June 2. And that means FKEC will be closed on Fridays... Outside of FKEC business hours, emergency operators are available 24/7 at 305-852-2431, and online services are always open. FKEC’s dispatch center and line crews also remain prepared to respond to power outages or any service emergency around the clock.
Public libraries offer access to ad-free film and TV streaming
The Marathon Weekly reports the streaming service, Kanopy, is free with a Monroe County public library card. Choose from over 30,000 documentaries, popular films, international films and learning videos. Go to https://www.kanopy.com/en/keyslibraries to register or login. Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy
Storm on the Horizon--'The Hurricane' is set to reopen this fall
The Marathon Weekly reports the storm season will wind to a close this fall, but there's one--and ONLY one--Hurricane that Middle Keys locals can’t wait to see. There's still work to be done, but business partners Cesar Sandoval, Bernardo Ornelas, and Oscar Islas say the plan is to have the Hurricane Bar and Grill, shuttered for years since the COVID-19 pandemic, up and running--hopefully in time for Fantasy Fest. Yes, they will still have a stage for live music. Maybe two. Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy.
DeSantis Appoints Gonzalez to Aquaduct Board
The Marathon Weekly reports that former Marathon Mayor Luis Gonzalez Sr. has been appointed to the board of the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority as its District 4 representative. He will fill the seat of departing board member Toni Appell, whose term expired at the close of 2024. Gonzales, 57, served two terms on the Marathon City Council and is well known in KCB as the former owner of Gonzalez Brothers Landscaping.
The New Sargasso Sea
Wondering about the "seaweed" washing up on the Key Colony shoreline? Marathon Weekly reported on two pelagic sargassum species that have started inundating our coast. Some readers have reported difficulty with external links so we also have a local copy.
CLOSED
The KCB Farmer's Market is closed. San Pablo Farmer's Market on Fridays will re-open for the new season from November, 2025 through April 2026.
Most of the vendors will be working through summer at Boondocks MM27.5, every Saturday from 10am-2pm.