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

Read the Property Tax Referendum that will be on the Nov Ballot. Click Here

Please join us to assure Islamorada remains a town with a post office.  

The Islamorada Post Office was established in 1908 on Upper Matecumbe Key, the original settlement of the modern Village of Islamorada. The first post office was destroyed during the deadly 1935 Hurricane. The small building along the Old Highway immediately north of Beacon Reef became the post office after the 1935 hurricane.  

The current post office building, built in 1969, is a continuation of the community’s postal service, serving residents and visitors on the islands that make up Islamorada. The current post office has remained an important part of the village’s identity for over 50 years and has helped define the community it serves.

Think of the impact of closing our Post Office!  How many P.O. Boxes will be vacated; more traffic added to U.S. 1 as folks have to drive to Tavernier - 20-mile round trip.

In small towns across the country, cost-cutting measures have led to reduced hours, combined ZIP codes, and closures.  

Closing the post office should not be an option here.

Join us in telling the Postal Service - Keep the Islamorada Post Office HERE.

Join in the Protest!   Help get the entire village to sign a petition. Make this a front-page story in the local news.

Help save the Islamorada Post Office.

Contact Sue Miller at 305-664-1167

Click here to print and sign a petition. Get your friends and neighbors to sign.  Send signed petitions to

Henry Rosenthal, P.O. Box 1 Islamorada 33036

Help Henry: He doesn’t want to lose Post Office Box 1 in Islamorada.

Council approved a tentative 10% increase in taxes.

Final budget to be approved at rescheduled Sep 21 Hearing.

In Islamorada it has not taken two decades to double spending … Village spending has more than doubled in the last 7 years!  

Last Thursday, the Council approved a tentative millage rate creating tax revenues somewhere between 9 and 10% more than last year. And Islamorada increased in taxable value by well over $500 million in the last year.

Length of Budget Hearing: about 2 hours to approve expenditures of $67 million. 

1. Personnel pay: The Human Resources director indicated on average Village salaries are 13% below standards for comparable positions elsewhere in the area.  

   
   

   The proposed budget includes a 3% cost of living pay increase for all employees, plus up to 3% for employee merit raises for selected employees. 

   
   

   Nearly a quarter of the meeting was spent discussing a special 19.39% pay raise for the fire chief, though oddly his name and position were not stated publicly. Because his benefits include 37.74% annual funding for retirement, the total cost of his raise to taxpayers will be just over $35,000/year.

   
   

   Village Manager Ron Saunders also confirmed that while no salary increases were approved by Council for the current year budget, in April 2026, he did provide a pay increase to several employees, including the fire chief.

   
   

2. A Public Works building, $50,000 “conceptual design” was approved, believed to have been for the hammock on the hill to the far south end of Founders Park next to Gimpy Gulch. Shouldn’t the shocking damage at the hammock because of the existing Public Works use there be addressed?  Click here for photos.

   
   

3. Baseball Field maintenance - questions arose as to the cost of the high school baseball field maintenance when a significant decrease was anticipated.

   
   

4. Cost of Village sponsored events at Founders Park were discussed.  Vice Mayor Mahoney offered to help staff find ways to increase revenue for the events.

   
   

5. Freebee revenue was not included in the budget and needs council action.

Instead of $250/hour billed for all work, the Village will pay a flat fee of $43,645/month for general  government legal services beginning Oct 1, 2026. ($523,740 annually)

In addition to the $523,740 annual fixed fee, the Weiss Serota fee structure will include:

• Litigation costs: $325/hour, up from $250/hour

• Specialized government services: $325/hour, up from $250/hour

• Cost recovery: $650/hour - implemented 14 months ago

  
  

We are concerned about the added $75/hour for litigation costs.  The amount of litigation could vary tremendously from year to year.

The special government service item, though not well explained, must be approved in advance by the manager.

Cost Recovery: Most troubling is the significantly higher cost for “cost recovery,” a process that was implemented August 2025.  If a Village property owner applies for a service for which the Village staff needs legal assistance, Weiss Serota will charge a fee of $650/hour that will be paid by the applicant, not the Village, as “Cost Recovery.”

To date there have been 17 property owners responsible for cost recovery since last October, billed anywhere from 12 minutes of legal fees to over 10 hours.

* Quick stated that this was not a new fee level. He indicated that the Council approved the $650/hour last year. We requested the documentation via a public record request last week and have not yet been provided that information about prior council approval of the $650/hour.