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This cripples our cadre of informed voters when it comes time for local elections.
Groups like the Chamber of Commerce campaign for their favorite sons and daughters regardless of their managerial experience.
The 2026 legislative session in Tallahassee will clearly have a strong focus on Florida’s affordability. Our legislators seem to be advocating measures to reduce the cost of living for residents. Florida opened the 2026 regular legislative session with Republicans emphasizing affordability, taxes and fiscal restraint. Democrats dare not oppose this platform while it is the mantra for the midterm elections.
I would add a more strident position on the out of control insurance costs.
Eliminating property tax (except for schools) is one of the primary focuses for this legislative session. Our lobbyist provided an update during a Legislative Zoom meeting with the Village last Friday, including a property tax, HB 203. You can read details later in this newsletter.
It is a bill intended to give voters a voice. The concept of reducing or eliminating property taxes is controversial, with representatives from local governments claiming it could devastate their current budgets.
Here is a novel idea: Commission Florida DOGE to analyze our budget and heed their recommendations. That would be a budgetary reality check that is 25 years overdue.
The Florida League of Cities contends that it is local government that should control local property tax decisions.
But think about it: Some local governments in Florida have done a pretty miserable job in controlling their spending. Isn’t it logical to put Islamorada in that category?
Property taxes statewide have skyrocketed in recent years… 60% increase in 5 years statewide, far more than the consumer price index and the increase in population.
Look at Islamorada numbers. Property taxes have increased 58.2% in the last 5 years, from $11,544,900 in 2020-21 to $18,264,500 in 2025-26 budget. The population of Islamorada has actually decreased slightly in the last 5 years. Why has the cost of government gone up?
The reason: Poor spending habits and a lack of self-scrutiny?
The total expenditures for all funds in Islamorada approved in the 2025-2026 budget - $65,461,709 – for a town of 7,013 residents!
Slight of hand accounting.
In September 2025, the current council approved a 9.1% increase in property tax this year over last year. They were able to keep the increase at a mere 9.1% only because they reduced the fund balance in the general fund by $1 million.
If the other municipalities in Florida are at all like Islamorada, it is logical that the state feels an obligation to step in!
Perhaps it is our fault as residents and taxpayers. We need to monitor our expenditures closer. We need, in layman’s terms, an explanation on obligations and discretionary spending… with an emphasis on transparency.
Don’t have cursory budget meetings just to say you had them. I repeat, explain in layman’s terms. Take the initiative and propose cuts to programs and positions overcome by events.
At the 1st budget hearing for our current budget on 9/4/25, the meeting lasted 30 minutes to approve property taxes of $18,264,500 for a Village with a population of 7,013! And total budget expenditures of $65.5 million.
Just two members of the public spoke. The only discussion by council was about the cost of overtime and extraordinary sewer transmission line repair expenses blamed on the “troubled wastewater system we inherited.” (We created this mess with poor management over the years).
The 2nd and final budget hearing lasted about 6 minutes, no public comment, no council discussion…. a unanimous approval of $65 million.
Yes, the council may have inherited some trouble. But 14 months ago you ran for council with pledges to fix the problems.
Well? Just more “you need me to fix this mess” rhetoric. Strictly, verbal pablum for the uninformed masses?
Let’s just look at one local spending concern.
Since the budget of 2020-2021 the village has budgeted to fix the wastewater problem that has resulted in major leaks in our pipeline to the Key Largo treatment plant – spewing volumes of raw sewage onto the highway at MM92. $20 million in grant money each of 5 years that was budgeted and spent… a total of $20 million. But not for a fix to the pipeline problem at MM92.
This problem at MM92 remains a disaster in waiting.
For this year, the current council approved the expenditure of $4.125 million in Stewardship Grant funding to fix the MM92 pipeline/north Plantation Key pumping problem. That was September 16, 2025.
Aren’t we now up to $14,125,000 total since 2020, allocated to fix a serious problem. And no progress has been reported yet.
The council was told that this year’s $4.125 million was being budgeted because the Village is finally ready for the construction phase of the fix. That was September 16 – over 4 months ago. Still we see no RFP for the upgrade design or for a contractor if we are in fact ready for the construction phase.
What is the holdup? In 2023 the Village put out an RFQ hoping to find 3-5 qualified wastewater contractors to help our wastewater department with maintenance and repair jobs. Only one contractor submitted a proposal. Will he get the $4 million contract by default? Surely we will put out a very specific RFP for the MM92 problem.
In addition, the council approved a $111,000 expenditure to hire an accounting firm expected to figure out how to assure that both the Founders Park Marina and the Wastewater Enterprise Funds can be self-supporting as required.
No update there either.
In December we hired a rate consultant to determine if our wastewater rates are accurately charging users for the volume of wastewater they produce.
The numbers for wastewater costs are tremendous. I submit that this problem was created and exaggerated by poor management decisions. The current council needs to fix this asap.
In the military the slogan was. lead, follow or get out of the way!
Take the reigns of our government. We gave them to you, Council members. It is why you were elected 14 months ago. We deserve a report each and every council meeting on all critical areas of concern to residents.
Do we need state help with our budget? Florida DOGE was made for Islamorada.
Do the responsible thing and call them in. How can it hurt? It can’t.
Wastewater is just one Islamorada budget item that makes it logical for the legislature to step in. Or perhaps there are ways that DOGE can work with Islamorada to create more efficient government processes? That is their mandate.
At the end of the day, Florida voters will vote on the tax reduction issue. We are obligated to prepare our village for what may transpire. It is called “vision”.
Tom Raffanello
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