To get the real flavor of the  Islamorada tax dollar debacle we must go back to when the residents of Islamorada were deciding whether to incorporate.

In the 1990s Milan J. Dluhy, Ph.d. prepared the feasibility study as required by Florida Statute 165.041 prior to the incorporation of any new municipality.  It is an operational plan that includes proposed staffing, building acquisition and construction and budgets.

From the 1997 Islamorada study:

• Islamorada’s 1997 population – 7,144, slightly more than the 2026 population of 7059.

• Islamorada’s 1997 taxable value - $1.047 billion, compared to 2026 taxable value of $7.554 billion.

• Projected ad valorem taxes by year three after incorporation: $2,614,073. Islamorada ad valorem taxes in current budget – $18,264,000.

Unfortunately we have since elected members of council who act like they are playing monopoly – with fake $1,000 bills – buying up goods and services, without regard to price.

Beware! The 2026-2027 budget season is coming!

Projected Millage Rate: Tuesday the staff is asking council to set the preliminary millage rate for the coming year at 3.0 mills. With the taxable value of the Village up $491.4 million in the last year, 3.0 mills represents an increase in taxes of 21.18% in just one year.

Yes… the 3 mills is just a preliminary number – but at a time when the cost of living here is driving so many residents out of the Keys to find less expensive locations elsewhere, we would hope the council and staff would show some common sense and make the number a bit more tolerable.

If past be prologue, we have seen this before.

The Council will come back at 2.6 - 2.8 millage and expect a standing ovation!

This is a gimmick. An increase is an increase. Give the residents some genuine relief instead of playing games. 

The Village doesn’t want a visit from the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Governor Ron DeSantis established DOGE, directing state agencies, universities, and local governments “to identify and eliminate unnecessary spending, maximize efficiency, and improve fiscal stewardship.”

Islamorada has resisted this at every level.

We have been told by officials that “Islamorada doesn’t need a DOGE audit.”

We are told that “Everyone is happy with Village government and spending.”

No, we are not all happy and rightfully so.

It is common sense to request an efficiency audit after a quarter of a century.

Makes fiscal and common sense.

The 21.18% increase – even just a preliminary number – makes Village management appear to be out of touch with their constituents.

The scary part - according to the staff report – “the objective is to set a rate sufficient to generate the ad valorem tax revenues necessary to fund anticipated General Fund expenditures for the upcoming fiscal year.”

Sounds like the staff and officials are anticipating plans for that 21.18% increase in revenues. 

What are these new expenditures?

More studies, ill-fated half-baked land purchases, contractors or new positions?

All governments in Florida are being tasked to reduce taxes and spending.  The state has reduced their budget 5 straight years while Village taxes have increased by 58% during that same 5 years. 

The Village always finds a new way to spend our money.

We submit some commonsense suggestions:

No more Kicking the Can Down the Road – common practice here – and boy does that add to the costs! Some on Council have kicked the same issues down the road for close to a decade.

Founders Park Swimming pool rehabilitation – paid months and months of huge water bills as the pool had major leaks - $117,000 in one 3 month period. We verified the water charges. 

Why wait until the costs were this extreme? Who checks the bills? Who’s responsibility is it?

MM92 Raw Sewage Leaks!  First leak – about 2019. Now we are in 2026 and about 8 more times we’ve had raw sewage cleanups after major leaks.

Initially the engineers estimated the cost at $2,000,000.  No fix yet.  Each year the costs go up. 

In the 2025-2026 budget - $4,125,000 for the same 2019 issue..

In Tuesday’s agenda - awarding a contractor, now the price is $6,700,500; plus engineering oversight of $821,380. And we’ve been warned the total may go up.

Village government’s ability to identify and tackle problems seems nonexistent.

We have kicked this can for 7 years, some council members have been seated for 4-10 years. It’s only “monopoly money”.

Public Works storage space: #1 priority on the Village Strategic Plan since at least 2015. Now the cost to find a space for all that equipment spread out at Founders Park and other locations – $$$millions.

So what is the solution for a can we have kicked for 10 years? Throw some more “ monopoly money” at it.

While residents fight about the ball field, the talk of bulldozing hammock at Founders Park for public works equipment is ongoing. ABSOLUTELY NUTS!

Buying property without a plan – look at the money spent for Island Silver and Spice, Machado, and the old church… $8.5 million and the properties are just sitting waiting for a decision.

Not being used. No vision, no strategy.  All three could be used to help with the affordable housing dilema.

Waiving Competitive Bidding: Since January 2025 the Village Council has passed 25 resolutions approving expenditures while waiving competitive bidding!

Competitive bidding is supposed to encourage vendors to offer their best pricing and value, as they know they are competing against others for the contract. This market pressure is intended to provide taxpayers with lower costs and improved quality compared to negotiating with a single supplier.

Islamorada misuses the process even when they do competitive bidding – they still manage to provide favors for friends.

Work Authorizations: Since January 2025 the Council has approved 20 work authorizations with contractors in our “Library of Qualified Vendors” previously approved as to qualifications, but without competitive proposals for specific work – sometimes amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars in single work authorizations, approved just hoping the price is good. 

Excess Spending:  Poster child – the pavilion at the Green Turtle Hammock.  The nearly 20 year old management plan for the Hammock called for the Village to provide an observation tower.  Did it have to be a $2 million open air pavilion at an extreme cost per sq ft.

The Village public works department bulldozed major cuts through native trees at the Green Turtle Hammock for their own use, an absolute no-no in the management plan.

Another case of poor planning and lack of a strategic plan.

For the record all current council members pledged to compose and enact a strategic plan when running for office in 2024.

The Fills: For 5 years we had a lease and paid Village employees overtime to sit in vehicles to monitor no parking signs. 

For the 5 year lease period, we budgeted $1,052,213 for Public Works to maintain that stretch of highway - with well over 1/2 for overtime for our employees to sit in Village vehicles to monitor.

Since FDOT took over no guard duty has been performed and there are negligible parking violations.

Can you spell “overtime cash cow” paid with “monopoly money”.

End result – we can and must stop the continuous stream of wasteful spending of our taxes.

We need to pay attention to detail and provide critical oversight, conducted by individuals who can identify and manage problems.

It is their job!

Start the momentum with a large reduction in the recommended 3.0 preliminary millage rate. It is just a lazy invitation to continue the uncontrolled spending.

Residents - speak out and demand the diligence and oversight promised by your elected officials.

Elections have consequences! 

Tom