Indian Key State Park Closed for Refurbishments: Effective August 25, 2025: An environmental restoration project will begin at Indian Key Historic State Park.

For the safety of visitors, the park will remain closed while the project is active. The mooring buoys may still be used but no entry onto the island will be allowed. On area of the Fills will be used as a construction parking and materials staging area.  For more information: floridastateparks.org/IndianKey or 305-664-0655

Habitat has homes for rent and sale: While recent attention has focused on affordable rental housing for tourism industry employees, there are other options available for people in need of affordable housing in the Upper Keys. Click here for details.

More Baseball! More Confusion? - Last week the Village Baseball Task Force met Monday, the School Board met Tuesday and the Village Parks and Rec Committee met Thursday. The Coral Shores baseball field at Founders Park was on the agenda at each of the meetings.

The Task Force, on Monday, seemed divided on the artificial turf versus grass.  They did not seem divided as to maintenance and replacement costs if it is artificial turf.  They seemed adamant that the cost of the upgrades to the field and future replacements should be funded 100% by the School District.

The School Board, on Tuesday, questioned who would be responsible for replacements and were told by facility spokesman, Patrick LeFere, that this does not need to be discussed at this time and can be dealt with closer to the time when the turf would need to be replaced.

The School Board voted to approve the preliminary design with artificial turf; an 800 sq ft concession stand with 4 public restrooms and press box on the second floor; a 2200 sq ft building with home team locker room and restroom, umpires’ dressing room with restroom, coach’s office with restroom. Total - 7 new restrooms to replace a porta potty currently used to avoid the need for the restrooms 200 ft down the first base line.

Parks and Rec, on Thursday, learned that the building built by the school in about 2001 down the first base line had restrooms, a concession area, and locker rooms.  

Village Manager, Ron Saunders, has proposed that the Village ask the School Board to eliminate the 2200 sq ft building and instead allow the Village to upgrade the existing building (first base line) so that the 2200 sq ft new building will not be needed, saving an estimated $1.5 million that could then be used elsewhere.

Stay tuned!  Mr. LeFere is claiming that by making any changes to the preliminary design approved by the School Board Tuesday, including eliminating the 2,200 sq ft building, the entire project would be delayed a year.

What about the promise that as property owners the Village would have a say.

Public Workshop Aug 27: to discuss ideas for Village owned properties!  Should they be sold or should we find the perfect use? The Village spent approximately $8.5 million for three costly purchases of properties sitting unused.  

1. The prior Island Silver and Spice location in the heart of town. ($2.75 Million)

2. The Island Community Church building south of Publix ($3.9 Million)

3. The “Machado” vacant property across from the Marlin gas station on the bayside of Plantation Key ($1.8 Million)

Southcliff Estates Affordable Housing: Congratulations to the residents of Monroe County!!!

The residents’ voices were loud, and unmistakably clear. I can’t overstate the fact that a united, clear speaking electorate can and will be heard by our government officials or they will be shown the door! I am proud of all of you.

$3000/month for a 1-bedroom apartment was over the top. The Commissioners heard our voices and dropped the rent to a variable rate based on the income of the tenant.

This is the formula they agreed to:

Annual income of applicant times 30%, divided by 12 months = monthly rent.  

They did not change the qualifying income range: $71,880 to $125,040.  Rental range is now $1797/month to $3126/month using the Commission’s new equation which depends on the income of the tenant.  

I commend the commissioners but the work is not over. A minimum salary of $71,880 is too high. And where did it come from? That salary is not commensurate with salaries of non-supervisory hospitality workers. Reality dictates that it be re-evaluated. Your move, Commissioners!

This Fills situation is still confusing. The Village had a 5-year lease with FDOT and FDEP for the entire Fills between Upper and Lower Matecumbe.  The effort was to control the congestion, environmental damage, and safety issues that had been occurring for several decades on weekends.

The lease ended a full year ago, with no discussion about a renewal. Impossible to explain why the Village has spent significant taxpayer funds to continue to patrol the area on weekends with two Village Public Works employees being paid overtime to sit in village owned vehicles and watch DOT property for illegal parking.  There is no precedent or logical reason for this.

For the current year, just over $182,000 of Village funds was budgeted for monitoring the Fills even though we have not had any authority there since last September. When asked why Public Works continues to pay overtime - the Village Public Works Director, A.J. Engelmeyer, responded to Council that we do this “Because it is in the budget.”

Wrong answer. Cease the “guard duty” and reprogram the money to other Village needs.

Think Bus Stops:

1. It nearly broke my heart passing through the Village recently seeing employees waiting for their bus to the mainland in the pouring rain, some drenched to the bones.

2. The Council has been discussing bus stops for years.

3. The County Transit Director, Richard Clark, asked for us to hold up on bus stops as the County wanted to install bus stops throughout the Keys - utilitarian, attractive, and uniform. Mr. Clark’s position has been eliminated in the 2025-2026 budget. 

4. So the cavalry isn’t coming.

5. We should use the money we can save from the useless Fills “guard duty”.

Suggestion: Make bus stops a joint project with employers, the Chamber and the Village.

We have an obligation, as good citizens, to protect a precious commodity - our workforce.

Protecting our workforce from the sun and rain trumps “guard duty” on DOT property. This is doable and can be completed quickly.

I challenge the involved parties to put this on top of their “to do” list. Any delays would be disrespectful. It is what our council was elected to do…  make obvious changes for residents, property owners and our workforce.

Remember elections have consequences!

Do you have any ideas or complaints? Please let us know.

As always,

Tom Raffanello

Reply to: ICA.in.Keys@gmail.com

Fresh Florida Lobster? Straight from Mexico.  The Florida Keys commercial lobstermen are struggling to make a living. Just a few years ago it was a lucrative business. Now the price for locally caught lobster has plummeted, down to just $4.50 per pound for the whole lobster.  Why - lobster from Mexico are selling for $3/pound, putting many Keys lobstermen out of business.

You wouldn’t guess that the price is this low if you order lobster at a local restaurant or buy it at a fish market.  It is tough to find a lobster dinner for less than $50 at a restaurant and fish markets charge about $20/pound for whole lobster. Click here for video interview with a man in the business in Key West, explaining the reason this industry is dying in the Keys, thanks to imports.

Starck’s Wheel Ditch is a high-traffic channel adjacent to Lower Matecumbe Key, averaging less than 100 feet in width, and the location of many boating accidents over the years.

On June 10, the Council passed a resolution, to hire WSP, an engineering firm that does work for the Village, to provide professional services to assist in obtaining permits for a new slow speed/minimum wake zone.

Barely a month after the Council decision, another accident occurred in the Wheel Ditch.  It could take a year until the changes approved by Council are made, and signs are up. Extreme caution is needed when going through this narrow passage through the mangroves. Act responsibly, be patient, be safe.

According to Coach Holly “People like to think of this as a rebuilding year, but we are looking at it as a reloading year.” And reload they did, with an impressive 28-14 win against Southwest Fri night.

The young team looked great and the field rocked as Coral Shores sported a marching band for the first time in a number of years.  

A #1 Coral Shores fan, Van Cadenhead, was missing from his seat on the 50-yard line.  For years at games, Van rang the antique ship’s bell he got from Tavernier’s “K” Wilkinson long ago.  The band managed to fill in with the enthusiasm and noise volume Van provided before he moved from Islamorada to Sebastian, Florida, a few months ago.

Did you know: The Matecumbe Memorial Garden is located between the Hurricane Monument and Matecumbe Methodist Church. It is a serene non-denominational garden of remembrance; a place for cremains or memory plaques, honoring cherished family members or friends.

For information, call the Matecumbe Methodist church office - 305-664-3661.

The library will close for approximately five weeks, starting September 15, to receive extensive interior repairs including new flooring, repainting all interior walls, cleaning and lighting improvements.

The work requires the removal of all material, shelving and furnishings.

While the work is underway, staff from the library will be providing outreach services at locations throughout the community. Updates on the project will be available on the library website, keyslibraries.org.