The Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining the Right of Way from MM72 to MM91 (19 miles) through the Village. The Village was not satisfied with once a month maintenance by FDOT.  

For several decades the Village has contracted with FDOT to allow Village Public Works to do the maintenance. This year FDOT is going to pay the Village $75,644 to do the maintenance for the year. That’s $6,304/month; $332/mile/month to pick up litter, mow grass, and trim trees in 19 miles of Right of Way.

Certainly, according to our Public Works budget, the Village taxpayers pay more than ten times that $75K for roadway maintenance, a majority appears to be for U.S. One.   Why not let FDOT do that work and if once a month is inadequate some months, let the Village supplement the effort.  We could probably save several hundred thousand dollars!

The Village had purchased the “Machado Property” at about MM88.6 bayside

in 2021 and it has been sitting vacant ever since.  In January the Village advertised for proposals to find a developer to enter a 99 year lease with Islamorada and build and manager 16 affordable housing units at the site.  

Two proposals were submitted (local Habitat for Humanity and ANF, a corporation out of Broward County.) The staff selection committee, ranked ANF # 1 with their plan to build two multi-family apartment style buildings totaling either 32 or 16 rental units, mostly 1 bedroom units.  Habitat offered an alternative plan - 9 ownership single family homes.

The original May 12 agenda uploaded on May 8 for public review included only the ANF proposal.  We think for such a critical and controversial issue, the Council and public should be provided both proposals and both organizations should make a presentation. (Think back to the Comp Plan update process when the council selected a group ranked #2 after hearing the presentations).

Why are so few proposals being submitted to the Village for critical projects?

Will the Council consider the concerns of the neighboring community? Will the hammock lots involved be protected? Why were they included in the RFP when a primary goal in the Village is to protect our environment?  Yes, affordable housing is a concern.  We have had 25 years now to work on getting more affordable housing and we have less than 140 deed restricted units… less than 6 per year.

Click Here for our suggested solution.

The Village rideshare service has become very popular to many people in the community. On average approximately 4000 rides are provided each month, or perhaps 2000 round trips. That equates to about 120 each day. It has been suggested that about half the riders are tourists.   It is important to look for ways to provide the best service possible while trying to reduce the overall cost to local taxpayers.  

It was unfortunate that only the Freebee proposal was in the Council meeting agenda.

Since the community has only had first-hand experience with Freebee, it would be very helpful to have presentations from both rideshare proposers before making a decision.  

To some, familiarity breeds contempt.  To others, familiarity breeds contentment.  It is critical that we see presentations from both to see the real advantages and disadvantages.

It should be a simple process to provide a ballfield for kids that put their hearts and talents into the game. The School Board and the Village should meet together in public to work out a solution.  Surely both groups have the same goal - a place for the kids to play ball. Get it done!

Last Wednesday, after 18 months, the residents of Islamorada were presented with the Comp Plan draft, such as it is, by contractor, Able City East, with Jason King, spokesman.

It was first suggested that last week’s workshop might be the ONLY Comprehensive Plan Workshop for the public.

As a frame of reference, our current (original) Comp plan had 18 public workshops back 25 years ago, heavily attended by the residents, sometimes standing room only. They tell me the entire Village was engaged back then.

After waiting 18 months for this first public draft, we now seem to be in a desperate hurry to pass a plan that will serve as our ground rules, our “Constitution” for the coming decades.

Critical Importance of Public Participation: Does the community understand the critical importance of this process and this plan? Has the public just surrendered to those in power, or (as the village manager suggests) are residents so happy with what is happening here they don’t feel a need to participate?

I  strongly reject the latter.

Comprehensive Plans are the backbone of any community planning effort:

• They outline challenges,

• Identify solutions and

• Provide guidance to staff and elected officials on planning-related decisions.

Most important: The best and most successful Comprehensive Plans are those that have the support of the broader community.

At the workshop last Wednesday, 30 people sat in the audience as Jason King, of Able City East, the consultant responsible for amending our 20+ year old Comp Plan, presented the new 242 page document.

That is a lot to digest.

 

Here goes… “BLUEPRINT FOR BALANCE”

 

The 30 people in the audience included 4 members of council, along with approximately 5 staff members and 20 residents. Think about that - 7000 people live in Islamorada. 20 out of 7000 showed up to participate in the decisions that will guide the future of the community for years to come, not even close to 1% attendance.

Ten residents asked questions and/or provided ideas. King suggested nearly all of the ideas presented by residents warranted additions to the draft document.

Sounds like a work in its infancy, no?

And he indicated changes will be incorporated and a second workshop will be scheduled once updates are made.

Of those residents presenting an idea:

4 were concerned about hurricane evacuation and/or traffic,

3 commented about affordable housing,

1 questioned the process and public involvement;

1 questioned why existing sub-area policies were missing in the new comp plan – including the critical policy needed to protect the eagles’ nest on Lower Matecumbe.

A significant number of those residents attending were there because they are concerned about an affordable housing project in their neighborhood. 

The controversial and unexplainable “Machado” property give away.

At the conclusion of the questions and answers, those attending were invited to talk to Able City East representatives to discuss specific policies, objectives, and maps on the boards lining the community center walls… using sticky notes to add suggestions.

No sticky notes were added before the community center emptied and the workshop ended. No suggestions?

 

My opinion – the Village has promises to keep regarding this process.   Get busy Village!

The 2025 Legislature’s SB180 freezes local governments’ ability to adopt stronger development rules before October 2027.

I wonder if the current council would even considered stronger rules?

If we want to make the plan stronger, then we should spend the next year making it better! If we are hamstrung until October 2027, we should consider extending the process or adding rules that will be effective October 2027.

Doesn’t that make solid, business sense?

It is inescapable that the public draft of the “new” Comp Plan needs significant editing.

It has typographical mistakes and simple errors that should have been corrected by staff review – errors in Village names and locations.

A 242-page document without normal coding standards (underlining added text and crossing through deleted text) is virtually impossible to review and identify what has been amended.

How can we go through this approval process without any corresponding LDR changes?  The Comp Plan and Village regulations must be in synch when the Comp Plan is finalized and placed in use.

There are dozens of studies, plans and other documents referenced in this draft.

Our new Comp Plan we will need to utilize current studies, not decades old studies that are out of date and overcome by events. 

Affordable/workforce housing – before we establish goals we need  to determine what Islamorada really needs. Is it one bedroom rental units or more Habitat type family dwellings? We support the latter.

As a marine oriented community, protecting working waterfront is critical as much of the access to the water from marinas and other locations are becoming privatized with access limited.

There are 11 major elements in the Comp Plan -Land Use, Traffic, Housing, etc. 

We believe each element demands at least one individual workshop.

If you have not paid attention to Village issues, you need to start caring and get involved.  This is our community and we have an obligation to make it the best it can be for generations to come.

If you do not participate, others who may have less noble motives may shape our future.

You can control our destiny. Please get involved!  When you participate, you honor the value of this special community.

The future is a blank canvas; let’s paint it with a shared vision. The Comp Plan will become the story of our future; tell it with pride. Get involved—Islamorada’s future is resting on it.

Tom

Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than dream: work. William Arthur Ward

Isn’t it important to debate and finalize numerous new affordable housing policy suggestions in the draft of the “Blueprint for Balance” and the list of recommendations from the Village Workforce /Affordable Housing Citizens Advisory Committee before we hand out allocations and give away or lease Village owned property?

Blueprint for Balance Policy 3-3.1.3: Create guidelines for public-private partnerships to support affordable housing development

• The “Blueprint” commends the Village for providing $10,000 as down payment to first time homeowners that qualify for affordable housing.

• This Council eliminated charitable donations to not-for-profits in the current budget.

Yet the Council may provide property that cost taxpayers $1.8 million ($112,500/unit) as a donation to an out of town for-profit corporation as part of a public-private partnership; and eliminate building fees and reduce impact fees as well.

A majority of the proposed units will be 1-bedroom rentals. The maximum rental allowed is $2950/month based on the 2025 Affordable Housing Fact Sheet.

One planning solution at a time: We believe there is a viable solution to the Machado dilemma: Click Here

We decided to address affordable housing first in a special edition of our newsletter.  At the May 12 council meeting, the Council will be asked to approve the recommendation of a staff selection committee: a 99-year ground lease for development of an affordable housing project at the “Machado” property, bayside MM88.6; 4 vacant single family zoned lots, a total of 2.42 acres, purchased by the Village in 2021 for $1.8 million. Two lots are mostly scarified, 2 have hardwood hammock. Last Wednesday, only about 20 residents attended the Comp Plan workshop in person.  Half were there because of the “Machado” affordable housing project. See both proposals received: PRR-2026-209 The selection committee is recommending the Council give ANF, a large for-profit corporation located in Davie, Florida, a 99-year ground lease, to build and manage affordable housing rental units on the property.  ANF included two “schemes” in their proposal - scheme 1: 32 units which would require a zoning change; scheme 2: 16 units. Current zoning allows 4 affordable housing units on each of the four lots. In the minutes of the selection committee meeting, it was clarified that while all the units are shown to be on the two scarified lots, the two hammock lots must be considered for density purposes to allow 16 units. The resolution approving the selection did not restrict the location of the dwellings to the scarified lots. Habitat for Humanity also submitted a proposal, suggesting 9 individual single family ownership homes.

Ensure Compatibility of New Development: Policy 3-1.6.5 The proposal being recommended for the Machado property is to provide two multi-family buildings, with either 32 units (Scheme 1) or 16 units (Scheme 2).    Which of the proposals submitted seems to ensure a level of compatibility with the existing single family neighborhood? ANF’s or Habitat’s?

Habitat: 4 of 9 single family homes   Elevations from  ANF proposal

With the extremely high cost to build here, it seems government subsidies are needed.  The “Blueprint” suggests a 2% closing tax when expensive properties are sold to help fund affordable housing.  Is that a cost to make new owners pay for the past failures?

Isn’t it the people generating the need that should pay into an affordable housing fund? We have fees to require property owners to pay for just 30% of the cost of affordable housing needs generated by their new development or new use. Why just 30%?  And the cost is based on the cost of land and construction from 20 years ago and never updated!  Let’s require up to date data and formulas in our Blueprint.

The draft of the Comp Plan addresses only the current BPAS allocations available for affordable housing that are a result of the 300 allocations the Village received from the state in 2018, referred to as “early out” allocations.

The state restricted those allocations to multifamily rental units with on-site management. Tenants would be required to evacuate early (along with transient visitors). Only 8 of the 300 allocations have been awarded since 2018.

Is this really what the Village needs?  At the Comp Plan workshop last week, a resident was applauded when he insisted that we need to promote single family ownership units occupied by families, long term.

Perhaps we should go back to the state and request that some of the multi-family rental restrictions be removed for at least some of the 300 units.  Don’t we pay our lobbyists to assist with state issues?