Village Council election on Nov 3, 2026 Seat 1: Anna Richards versus Joe Wischmeier Seat 2: Steve Friedman versus Deb Gillis (Gillis switched Seats August 11) Seat 3: Corie McGraw-Abel versus Sue Miller Seat 4: Don Horton versus Tom Raffanello Seat 5: Sharon Mahoney, elected, unopposed

And a parent and an Islamorada resident and taxpayer. We have mentioned many times our concerns with the lack of public participation in Village government. I will show you a few examples of disregard for the public this week.

Tomorrow (Today), August 18th, the Village Community Center will be a location for the Primary election. The monthly Tuesday Village Council meeting had to be canceled. Was this primary election a surprise?   We will now be having the regular monthly Council meeting combined with the Council Land Use meeting on Thursday August 20. It is an extraordinarily lengthy agenda… 27 tabs, 999 pages!  And it was just made available to the public at 11:55 today - Monday - 3 days before the meeting, with no weekend in between for leisurely review. We often don’t get an agenda for the Tuesday Council meetings until the Friday before. That gives the public just 4 days to digest often lengthy (over 500 page) complex agendas over a weekend meant for fishing and relaxation by normal folks. Does the average resident have that kind of time on weekends to assess the often complex government matters that could impact them for years to come? We think not. This is not conducive to public participation for the average resident. If you are a speed reader with free time, this is for you. I’m not a speed reader and don’t have much free time.  I am frustrated to think about how a 999-page agenda can be dealt with adequately. Imagine just 72 hours to read and analyze 27 agenda items - assuming you don’t sleep much. This type agenda sends a message to the public. “You do not run this Village and you aren’t important.” If we were on the Village Council, we would insist that the monthly agenda should be available to Council and the public at least a full week before the meeting. Where are our elected officials? Where is the Village manager? Informing the public is your job. Additionally, supplemental information is often given to the council upon their arrival at meetings. This eliminates the opportunity for the council to read and analyze in advance and for the public to see the supplement. Who does that serve? A government that makes decisions without public involvement may move forward quickly, but perhaps not in the right direction. Public participation in governance is a practical necessity for crafting policies that are effective, equitable, and sustainable.  We get lip service and excuses. Elections have consequences. Vote for council members who vow to represent you. Tom *** Time permitting, we will send an email highlighting some of the issues in the Thursday agenda. Watch for it and attend the meeting****

The Monroe County School District announced Aug 10 that Patrick LeFere, Executive Director of Operations and Planning, has retired. LeFere was at the center of the baseball field impasse between the School Board and the Islamorada Village Council.  Over a five year period, LeFere held meetings with representatives from the school district and Village to plan major upgrades to the Founders Park baseball field… behind the scenes.  

The field at Founders Park is the only high school baseball field in the Keys not on School District property.  The School District will pay for the improvements. Residents and taxpayers of Islamorada will be contributing to some of the maintenance and operational expenses.  When Islamorada Council and public finally learned about the upgrades planned, the controversy began as to artificial turf or grass, size and location of structures, lack of ADA compliant bleachers.

Finally a joint workshop was held, almost two years into the controversy.  And now a 40-year contract (lease arrangement) has been signed spelling out responsibilities.  

And most important - the kids have been assured by the Council and the School Board that they will play on an upgraded artificial turf field come January 2027.  

Hopefully, the baseball players are the winners at long last… no thanks to the Village and School officials who ignored the technicalities that are mandated for government decision-making.

all day Monday, August 17th, Tuesday, August 18th, and Wednesday, August 19th due to renovation final touches and scoreboard installation.

A TRIM notice is Florida’s “Truth in Millage” notice of proposed property taxes, mailed each August.  It will show your property’s current taxable value, proposed tax rates and budget hearing dates.

TRIM notices will reflect a 3 mills rate for the Village (over 20% increase in tax revenue for the coming year). However, the council directed the staff to prepare a budget for the Sep 10 first budget hearing at a lower rate (still a 10% increase over the current year). The current value of your property will be a significant factor in how much your taxes will increase this year.  Homesteaded properties are limited to a 3% increase in taxable value annually.   The highlighted line below is based on the millage rate the council directed staff to provide for the 1st budget hearing, keeping the increase just minimally under 10%.

Final Islamorada Budget Hearings: Sep 10 and Sep 17 at 5:30 PM. Voice your thoughts!

Wed, Aug 19, at approx 11:30 AM, the County Commission will be considering a request from 21 Keys organizations, including the Islamorada Community Alliance, asking the County to hire an independent consultant to conduct a 20-year Infrastructure Capacity Study for the Florida Keys.

The meeting will be held in Key West but will be accessible remotely.  Click here. The request is seeking to determine whether there will be sufficient water, wastewater, electric power, and road capacity to handle additional growth in resident and visitor populations in coming years.   Interested residents are encouraged to call in during public comment.

Florida Bay Forever provided a fascinating Shark Depredation Program last week.What is that? When sharks consume hooked fish  before the angler can get the catch to the boat or when sharks go after exhausted fish that are released after a catch.

Three scientists from FIU and the University of Miami explained their ongoing research: Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou, Hannah Aycock, and Aracelis Jimenez. They are  geared at finding a solution to a prevalent problem fishermen face in the Keys by determining science-based mitigation recommendations. They hope local guides and captains can help with surveys and data. Click here to provide data.

Brett Waldman donated two original photos that were auctioned with proceeds to Florida Bay Forever.   Sue Miller won the 50-50 raffle and donated her winnings back to the organization.

did you miss this great Casting for Cats event arranged by Sharon?  Watch for more Kitty Yoga coming soon!

Click here for a look at last Saturday’s entertainment. Sharon Mahoney is an amazing member of our community. Nonstop energy.

Next up for the felines: Do you have a special cat photo - remember to enter the 2027 “Catlendar” contest to see your cat as a monthly feline model in 2027!

Library members borrowed more digital items in July than in any previous month — almost 14,000 e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines.

The library’s digital collection, accessed with the Libby app, includes more than 23,000 e-book titles, more than 11,000 audiobooks, and more than 6,000 magazine titles. The magazines are always available, without holds or waiting, and include back issues.

The library system is projecting a 12% growth in use of digital resources in the year ending Sept. 30, and a 14.6% increase in the number of people using the digital library.

The library recently raised the number of digital titles that patrons can check out at a time to eight. The number of titles patrons can have on hold was raised to 20.

For more information about using Libby, Kanopy, and other online resources, go to keyslibraries.org/24-7-resources. For a step-by-step guide to getting and using the Libby app, go to keyslibraries.org/post/libby-welcome.

I am also a parent and an Islamorada resident and taxpayer.

The ICA is very proud of the information that we impart in an effort to inform and educate our friends, the residents of Islamorada.

We make a serious effort to address all issues that impact our residents and the environment here.

I feel strongly that if you care about local matters, you must be prepared to put yourself out there in order to make a positive change.

We feel the Village is, in many ways, on the wrong path.

Our taxes have increased 58% in the last FIVE years; we have not had a Strategic Plan AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, we don’t ask the people what is important to them.

I could go on. 

Village government should reflect the will of the people and protect our special community.  The residents need a louder voice.

It is with the intention of giving residents a clear choice that Sue Miller (seat #3) and myself, Tom Raffanello (seat #4), have filed to run for Village Council.

Our mantra is “common sense” and listen to the will of the residents.

It is the people’s government.

It is time for real change.

Our community deserves elected officials who earn the public’s trust.  Through weekly newsletters, we have researched the issues, in order to identify the problems and present solutions.  Our goal has always been to make Islamorada better.

 

The definition of insanity is to keep rotating the same people and expect a different result. 

I ask you to do your due diligence and become familiar with all of the candidates and their positions.

Email us to hear our ideas. Tell us yours.  

And don’t just listen to hollow promises.

Tom Raffanello: tom4thekeys@gmail.com

Sue Miller: smillerinkeys@gmail.com

We intend to speak to all groups and solicit your issues, ideas, and goals.

You likely already know just where we stand - protecting our environment and community character, demanding transparency and accountability, and making residents our number one priority.  

Please get involved.  An empty council meeting room is not okay!

Tom