In the spirit of the Holiday Season and ‘good will to men”, I would like to speak to the blessings that we sometimes overlook in our special home and environment, the Village of Islamorada!

We should be proud of the organizations and individuals that ensure that Keys children have a present from Santa to open on Christmas morning.  Heading the list is the wonderful work done by community organizations, such as the Angel Tree donations organized by our schools and churches, the Voices for Florida Keys Children, and Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney (and her helpers from our dedicated Fire Department).  We thank you!

In Islamorada, we see magnificent colorful sunrises and sunsets that enrich, motivate and inspire us. In Islamorada, there is one stunning photo opportunity after another.

We are proud of the many native trees we’ve saved along with some open space for birds to land.

We are thankful for foresight of the previous Village Council member, Bob Johnson, for instituting our 35-foot building height. There is not enough space to speak about Bob Johnson’s legacy to our Village.  We honor his memory.

We are thankful that the Village-wide referendum overwhelmingly voted to keep the term of the Village Council at two years. Referendums are the true voice of the village and should be utilized for all important fiscal and and life-style altering decisions.  These important decisions should not be decided by three Village Council votes.

We have so many churches, large and small, for all to worship as they see fit.

Our rich history – symbolized by the Hurricane Monument in the center of town is now regaled in beautiful Christmas lights, a treat for all. Good decision, Village.  Thanks, Henry.

Founders Park and the early vision of our first council and the continuing effort to keep this our amazing centerpiece. Resist the recommendations to turn it into an amusement park at a cost of $25 million or well more.

Islamorada – the home of four fabulous Florida State Parks, four of our many treasures.

A huge thank you to first responders - firefighters and deputies that keep us safe and healthy.  And we must never forget our nurses, teachers and other vital workers that struggle to afford the high cost of living here to provide critical services.

Islamorada is known as the Sport fishing capital of the World. Fishermen who continue to make Islamorada the Sport fishing Capital of the World should be supported when it makes sense. They should have the ability to access the ramp at Founders Park in the early morning.  This seems logical.  No?  We encourage the Village to make that change.

The Alligator Lighthouse – for its majestic beauty and fabulous fishing/snorkeling opportunities.  Our annual Alligator Lighthouse swim is an Islamorada event that draws entries from near and far.  We are so proud.

A community built around family values.  We should never forget this and make this a priority in our decisions-making. I rarely hear it mentioned at Village meetings.

We have fabulous restaurants for celebrating special occasions. Locals live here, and we support the restaurants and other businesses year-round. Don’t forget us!

We welcome tourists that come here to appreciate our extraordinary environment and help us protect it. We encourage them to treat our special place as if it were their home. To tourists, I say, be considerate, people live here when you leave.

I want to wish all of our friends, supporters and antagonists, a special Holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tom Raffanello

Don’t miss the opportunity to walk in the woods! Last Saturday Florida Bay Forever hosted a nature walk at the Green Turtle Hammock, lead by Executive Director, Jodie Cerra. There is always something so fascinating about our tropical hardwood hammocks, participants are likely to head for their computer afterwards to learn more!

Shown here are participants at the walk learning about the poisonwood tree so common in the hammock.

All parts of the tree contain a skin-irritating compound much like poison ivy. According to Jodie, you don't even want to stand anywhere near this tree on a rainy day, as the water dripping off the leaves, contacting your skin, can give you an itchy rash.

Poisonwood fruit is critical for migrating birds, particularly the rare, white-crowned pigeon. White-crowned pigeons are found in the Caribbean, South Florida, and parts of Central America. Most of the population is migratory. The white-crown pigeon and other migrating birds arrive when the poisonwood fruit ripens with its high fat content.

Plan to join an upcoming nature walk - you are certain to appreciate our incredible environment even more when you experience a walk in the woods with a knowledgeable guide!  Thank you, Jodie!

Fragments The vision of Key West philanthropists Mr. John Padget and the late Mr. Jacob Dekker launched the public art sculpture trail project in 2017 along U.S. 1. The trail originally featured 15 sculptures created by The Art Students League of New York’s Model to Monument Program. The Trail includes “Fragments” on the bayside of Upper Matecumbe at MM80.2.

Now the Sculpture Trail is growing from 15 to 19 sculptures, all accessible to the public. The installations require long-term maintenance, site security, and accessible pathways. Funding set aside for Public Art programs covers acquisition but local officials provide installation, upkeep and inclusive programming. The installation of “Hourglass” is currently underway at Southwind Park at MM82.

Looking to stock up on books, DVDs and more for the holidays? Stop by the Monroe County Library's Islamorada branch — and check out the recent refresh while you're there.

The Library will be closed Wed-Frid, Dec 24-26. It will be open on Sat, Dec 27, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Next week, the Library closes at 1 p.m. Wed, Dec 31, and will be closed on Thu, Jan 1.

You can find out more about the hours, events at more at keyslibraries.org. To learn how you can get eBooks, eAudiobooks, streaming video and music, digital magazines and more any time, go to keyslibraries.org/online.

And we have a special program: Join in the Winter Olympic fun by participating in the Upper Keys Winter Olympics Reading Challenge. All ages are encouraged to participate. It is easy to participate. Just register at either Islamorada or Key Largo Library branch and participate in reading challenges throughout the month of January. Complete the selected reading activity or event and earn either a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Medal. Registration begins Monday, December 29.

Air Force Veteran and former Islamorada Mayor and Councilman from 2002-2006. Bob spent 40 years in Islamorada… A man whose humor, kindness, and wisdom we will never forget.

From Sue Miller: Bob called me a couple weeks ago.  He always wanted to know the latest - from Islamorada, a community he loved dearly. Bob repeated that the accomplishment he cherished the most while on Village Council was getting the 35’ height restriction into the Village Charter so we would never have tall buildings lining our shoreline.  

I promised Bob I would visit him soon.  I wish I had gotten into my car that same day to do that. Bob Johnson was a special friend to so many of us.

Our thoughts are with Bob’s wife Sue and family. Click here to read his obituary.

We have been highlighting concerns every week for several months now. We will continue to discuss wastewater concerns and ideas until there are none left to highlight! Or when we just give up.

Click here to see the list of concerns we’ve highlighted over the last several months, including concerns about huge budget deficits and major raw sewage leaks.

In 1999 the State of Florida mandated that the entire Florida Keys install advanced wastewater treatment systems. The cost in Islamorada to create a central sewer system was enormous.  And now the cost of maintenance and operation of this costly project is creating significant questions and concerns.

This Week - The concerns were highlighted at the County Environmental Town Hall Meeting last Monday at Angler’s Club on Upper Matecumbe. Unfortunately only one member of the Islamorada Council (Steve Friedman) attended this important Town Hall meeting to learn more about numerous serious environmental concerns.  

Everyone seems to be taking the month of December off so there’s little to report about any wastewater progress.

As a group, residents are probably accustomed to land use lawyers and their associates giving spin on how our comp plan is flawed and the need to “fix bad law.”    I am told that the Islamorada Comprehensive Plan was put together 20 years ago after hundreds and hundreds of residents participated in the effort. Their effort resulted in  a well-constructed long-term “comprehensive” plan based on our Village Mission statement which emphasizes protecting, planning and preserving.     None the less about four hours into the Village Council meeting on December 9th, new mayor, Don Horton, provided a fascinating land use lesson. A lesson extremely slanted in a clearly pro-development direction.  It has been clear, for the last year, that the majority of the council, which we elected last November, believe that “property rights” apply only to applicants seeking added land use rights. Forget the property rights of neighboring property owners and those who would be impacted by increased density, noise and potential environmental degradation.  Forget the overall detriment to the Islamorada community as a whole, like the increases in traffic and infrastructure requirements facing us as an island community. So the lesson Mayor Horton proclaimed: When the Village created their own zoning and future land use maps back decades ago, following incorporation, they made “mistakes we need to fix.” Yes, we have all heard this refrain from land use attorneys and businesses on behalf of their paying clients over the last several years. We disagree with this premise. We incorporated this Village to be able to make our own decisions about land use, taxes, and infrastructure.  From 1998-2003, the Village had about 18 public meetings to create a Comp Plan, often standing room only, with residents pouring over maps and text to assure that our new Village Comprehensive Plan, Land Development Regulations and land use maps did exactly what the community wanted. Primary goals were established. They still stand tall on the wall of the Village meeting room – our mission as a community.  The Village Mission: ·       To Protect the Residents' Right to Quiet Enjoyment of Life ·       To Plan for Enhancing Our Village Character ·       To Preserve Our Community; Its People, Natural Resources, and Pride ·       To Provide Basic Services to Support our Quality of Life   This is our litmus test. No mention of improving the bank revenues of property owners, developers and their attorneys. Back decades ago, the village land use decisions were made in a crowded room with loads of people demanding what is best for all residents and our environment. Sadly, only a handful of residents now attend Village Council meetings. Tuesday night with two members of the public present (one being a land use attorney representing the applicants), Mayor Horton and three others voted with virtually no discussion to “fix mistakes” made 20 years ago.  Those “mistakes” were decided by a huge consensus of residents in order to preserve things like important high-quality hammocks.  And the Village knew back then by changing some zoning, they would create nonconforming uses. They thoughtfully established regulations back then to allow the nonconforming uses, that resulted from map changes, to legally continue.  But Horton says those map changes were “mistakes”. We say, not mistakes, but carefully decided land use decisions to match our goals and mission as a community.   Tuesday the “mistakes” that the Village Council aimed to fix were to change Conservation zoning to Mix Use Commercial zoning.  For 20 years this community has loved these nonconformities, a tennis club on Lower Matecumbe and a riding stable on Upper Matecumbe.    We think both uses that were in question last Tuesday are just great. They existed long before Islamorada incorporated… and continued with no objections.  Why now, 20 years after the 18 public meetings with packed rooms of our residents (and founders) is it necessary to change land use maps from conservation to mixed use commercial?   We understand that the Islamorada Foundation now has a contract on the Lower Matecumbe Tennis Club property to continue the same type recreational use. We cheer and support that. We also understand, at the present time, there is no plan to eliminate the riding stables on Upper Matecumbe. Both properties are in the middle of amazing high-quality tropical hammocks that the residents of the Village, 20 years ago, felt were absolutely worth saving for generations to come. The community and council worked diligently back then believing it was worth taking special precautions to protect these environmental treasures.  A conservation zoning classification was chosen to do that – while providing provisions so our much-loved existing uses could remain forever.  We are saddened to think that this council thinks those early diligent residents made “significant mistakes” that need to be fixed now. We strongly oppose the premise that only 3 votes can change the core of our environmental principles.  We think that 20 years ago our residents showed amazing vision. Don’t let that vision become clouded. It’s obvious, that elections have consequences. Tom Raffanello

Sad to have learned of the passing of a true Islamorada hero - former member of council and mayor, Bob Johnson.

Our thoughts are with his wife Sue and family.

Monroe County has three new emergency helicopters that are replacing the 20-year-old fleet. Trauma Star provides emergency fights to the mainland for patients in need of critical care.

There are no out-of-pocket costs for county residents who use the life-saving service. Each new helicopter can transport up to two critically injured or ill patients at a time. Trauma Star is staffed with highly-trained flight nurses, flight Firefighter/Paramedics, and helicopter pilots. Trauma Star provides nearly 1,400 flights annually, three to four flights per day, one of the top five busiest air ambulance programs in the United States. The total cost for the three helicopters is $53,149,100, which will be spread out over several years. The funding comes from sales tax: the infrastructure penny tax approved by a referendum.