​MONROE COUNTY, FL – Monroe County Administrative Director of Building and Permitting Ed Koconis provided an update on the all-online electronic permitting system implemented in October 2022 at Wednesday’s Board of County Commissioner’s meeting. Koconis says the system has dramatically increased review times, and the department is meeting target timelines 95 percent of the time.
 
Today, the review process takes about five business days for smaller permits, like fencing, and about 12 business days for all other permit types, if changes are not needed, because departments can review plans simultaneously. Previously, the review time could take 40-plus business days with paper plans for the permits to go through each department’s process.
 
The department has also received more than 900 public records requests, often requiring scanning permits and plans to meet the requests. With electronic permitting, the timeline to respond to public records requests is significantly shortened due to plans and permits after October 2022 already being in the system.
 
“Of course, we have had some hiccups, but overall it continues to be a success,” said Koconis. “We have a hands-on working relationship with the program developers, which makes it quicker and easier to tailor the system to the public’s needs.”
 
For additional information on the online permitting system, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/permitting.  

March 24, 2023 - Rural Health Network of Monroe County (RHNMC) is celebrating 30 years of serving the Florida Keys and welcoming its new chief executive officer, Amy Halstead.

In 2021, after 23 years in Chicago, Halstead made the move to Key West for sunshine and a new career opportunity. With an MBA and more than 30 years’ experience in private industry; healthcare sales, marketing, and executive sales management, Halstead has her sights set on helping more Monroe County residents acquire quality and affordable healthcare.

“I am focused on expanding our services throughout Monroe County, improving our operational & financial efficiencies, and retaining our quality staff while recruiting new team members, when appropriate,” she said.

A key piece to Halstead finding RHNMC was her relationship with an employee;
Dr. Taweh Beysolow, RHNMC’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO). They met at a national medical conference in 2013 and developed a mutually beneficial business relationship, which began her journey to frequent Key West. Each year, she spent more and more time there, eventually leading to her permanent residency.
Established in 1993, RHNMC is a non-profit dental and medical clinic, providing care throughout Monroe County. They currently employ 26 with medical staff including a CMO, and a Dental Director, Dr. Oscar Rodriguez.

Besides their main office at 3706 N. Roosevelt Blvd. in Key West, their mobile unit serves the rest of the Keys with stops in Big Pine, Marathon and Key Largo offering both medical and dental services.
RHN offers care to all members of the community, regardless of their ability to pay. Fees are charged on a sliding scale based on the patient’s income and family size.

For an appointment, call 305-517-6613 today! Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; closed from 1-2 p.m. Translation services are available.

March 24, 2023 - Festivities begin at 6 p.m. at Key West’s Coffee Butler Amphitheater in Truman Waterfront Park with a program combining live music, Keys history presentations and drone “fireworks.” Gates open at 5 p.m. and admission is free.

Popular local musician Nick Norman will open the celebration. At 7:15 p.m., regional trop-rock all-star Howard Livingston takes the stage to perform his signature Keys-inspired tunes. Livingston’s sets are to alternate with segments of South Florida PBS’ documentary, “The Florida Keys: 200 Years of Paradise,” and additional photos and video that chronicle the dramatic history of our island chain.  The video will be interlaced with commentary by each Monroe County Commissioner detailing the unique history of their district. A drone “fireworks” display will cap the evening as 250 drones illuminate the sky over Truman Waterfront Park with imagery highlighting the entire Keys and celebrating our bicentennial.  
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Parking is free but limited at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater. Additional City Parking lots are located nearby at the Truman Waterfront and can be found online at www.cityofkeywest-fl.gov.
 
Seating will be available on a first come, first serve basis. Lawn chairs and blankets are permitted.
Enjoy beverages from multiple bars throughout the venue! The following food trucks and vendors will be on-site: 
Dirty South Dishes
Endless Summer Grill
Mike’s Pretzels & Tacos 
Joeys Mini Donuts
  *Credit cards are accepted and there are ATMs onsite.
 
Additional information about the venue is available on their website.  https://www.thekeywestamp.com   For additional questions contact Kimberly Matthews at Matthews-kimberly@monroecounty-fl.gov or 305.587.3683

MONROE COUNTY, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will hold a workshop on Thursday, April 6 at 10 a.m. at the Marathon Government Center to reexamine certain provisions in the FEMA-required floodplain ordinance. The ordinance was adopted in November 2022 and became effective on March 7, 2023. The public, including construction and real estate industry members, are invited to provide input on potential changes to the ordinance, including updates to the regulation of downstairs enclosures below base flood elevation, and continuation of the requirement that enclosures are inspected when there is a transfer of ownership. The BOCC also approved a resolution limiting liability for home sellers and buyers through September 1, 2023 that may be affected by the ordinance. The Building Department is updating procedures for the required inspections of downstairs enclosures to integrate with the County’s new online permitting system.
 
Background
The FEMA-required floodplain ordinance allows Monroe County to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Community Rating System (CRS), which discounts NFIP-backed flood insurance policies. The ordinance took effect on March 7, 2023, upon completing the state’s review process for certain ordinances governing areas of critical state concern, such as Monroe County.  The BOCC adopted the updated ordinance on November 15, 2022 following three Community Meetings and recommendations of approval from the Development Review Committee and the Monroe County Planning Commission. The ordinance is critical for the Florida Division of Emergency Management to deem the County’s Floodplain Management Ordinance compliant with NFIP requirements and for the County’s next CRS verification in 2023. The updated ordinance includes non-conversion agreements and inspections for any structure (including underneath the house or accessory structures) below base flood elevation for new builds or houses built after June 15, 1973. While the downstairs enclosure inspection form is listed on the County’s building website, the building department has not had the capacity to complete inspections in recent years, but the inspections are and have been required in the County’s remedial plan with FEMA since 2012. 
 
The updated ordinance prohibits the use of breakaway walls in VE flood zones but allows coverings made out of lattice or screen enclosures. The updated ordinance continues to limit the size of downstair enclosures to up to 299 square feet. The County Commission supported staff looking into changing the local code to allow opaque breakaway walls for downstairs enclosures. 
 
Senior Administrator of the Monroe County Floodplain Program Karl Bursa said no changes were made to requiring inspections of enclosed areas below elevated residential structures that have been in effect in Monroe County since 2012. He said the owner would not be cited by code compliance or be required to remove the enclosure when selling a house (unless a life-safety issue is involved). The inspection requirement is in place for the buyer’s benefit, so they are made aware of whether the downstairs enclosure was permitted and whether it complies with current regulations. Regardless of the inspections, legally permitted enclosures must be brought into compliance with the current code if substantial improvements to the entire home are made or if certain improvements to the enclosure itself are made for those built before 2004. Downstairs enclosures that were never legally permitted must be brought into compliance at the time of any permit application on the house.

March 23, 2023 - Key West Transit wants to remind the community that the closure of the 7-Mile Bridge for the annual race on Saturday, April 1st will affect the Lower Keys Shuttle.
Shuttle service will be delayed until after 9 a.m. when the bridge reopens.
Service leaving Marathon, heading south will begin at 9:21 a.m. starting at the Fairfield Inn at mile marker 53.5 and continue its scheduled route.
Service leaving Key West heading north will begin at 9:26 a.m., starting at Whitehead & Eaton Streets and continue its scheduled route.

MONROE COUNTY, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met Wednesday in Key Largo for its regularly scheduled meeting. Some approvals at the meeting include:
 
Three New Trauma Star Helicopters Approved
The Trauma Star air ambulance program is a partnership between the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Trauma Star provides flights to mainland hospitals for critical patients in need of specialized care. The program continues to provide no balance billing for Monroe County residents needing the service.
 
On average, Trauma Star provides almost 1,400 flights annually, with 3-4 flights a day on three helicopters in the fleet. According to Sheriff Rick Ramsay, Trauma Star is one of the top five busiest air ambulance programs in the United States. However, the current helicopters in the fleet are more than 20 years old and are no longer in production, making it difficult to find parts when needed.
 
On Wednesday, the BOCC agreed to acquire three new helicopters. Ramsay said the replacements would meet the specific mission profile to protect resident and visitor lives. The helicopter’s range also allows for emergency rescues in Dry Tortugas with flights to Miami critical care centers without stopping to fuel. In addition, the capacity allows two adult patients to be flown in one helicopter at a time, which cannot be done with the current aircraft.
 
The funding will come from the infrastructure penny sales tax. Voters extended the sales tax in November on a ballot referendum. Monroe County residents and visitors pay the infrastructure sales tax when buying items, not through property taxes. During COVID-19, when the County was closed to visitors, the infrastructure sales tax collected was down 67 percent, showing that visitors help significantly with the funding.
 
Ramsay said the new helicopters will take about two years to build, outfit, and train pilots.
 
Big Pine Key Senior Center Approval
The BOCC approved a 5-year lease for a 2,422-square-foot space at the Big Pine Key Shopping Center, next to the UPS Store in the Winn-Dixie plaza, for a senior community center and meal site. The space is expected to open in June 2023. The previous senior center on Key Deer Boulevard was severely damaged during Hurricane Irma and sustained spalling and other issues that made the space unsafe.

March 21, 2023 - Key West Police Officers are out ensuring that riders of e-vehicles understand the rules of the road:

• Electric bikes and scooters are allowed on the roadway, but they MUST obey the rules of the road, including stopping at signs and lights, signaling, and using lights at night.
• Electric vehicles are allowed ONLY on paths that are designated as bicycles and pedestrian pathways, like the promenades on North and South Roosevelt Boulevards.
• Electric vehicles MUST travel less than 15 mph when on a bike/pedestrian path.
• Just like a bicycle, riders of electric vehicles on these paths MUST give an audible signal when passing, and they MUST yield to pedestrians.

The City of Key West and the Key West Police Department are working hard to ensure that all of our residents and visitors are safe.

The City of Key West and its Parks and Recreation Board want to know what you envision for Bayview Park.

We’ve conducted surveys and public workshops, and this is another opportunity for the community to weigh in on your wishes for this iconic park.
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The survey can be reached at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZM2G3RD, and on links in the City’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

The Florida Keys Council of the Arts is pleased to announce the application for Tourist Development Council Cultural Umbrella funding is now available.  The application is online www.keysarts.com.  Requests for an application may also be e-mailed to director@keysarts.com. 
 
Cultural Umbrella funding is used for the advertising and promotion of cultural events taking place between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024. Past recipients of Cultural Umbrella funding include the Harry S. Truman Little White House, South Florida Symphony, The Studios of Key West, Key West Literary Seminar, Red Barn Theatre, Waterfront Playhouse, Marathon Community Theatre, Mel Fisher Maritime Museum and the Morada Way Arts & Culture District. 

Organizations intending to apply for Cultural Umbrella funding are strongly encouraged to attend one of the free workshops on the application and the media/marketing procedures being offered, online via Zoom, by the Florida Keys Council of the Arts.  Please register in advance by contacting the Arts Council office at 305-295-4369 or director@keysarts.com. 

BIG NEWS! This year’s application has changed and many applicants will be able to apply for additional funds!! Funding amounts will be $25,000, $30,000, and $35,000. Please make sure someone from your organization attends the workshop. 

The workshops will be held online at the following times:    

• Tuesday, April 11th, 4:00 p.m. (for Zoom links, please visit our website) 
• Wednesday, April 12th, 10:00 a.m. 

The deadline for submitting the application is Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 5 p.m. Applications will be reviewed by the Cultural Umbrella committee on May 23rd, and their recommendations for funding will be forwarded to the TDC and BOCC for final approval. 
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We will also be presenting an application review of the Arts Council’s “Art Builds Community” grant program which awards funding of $5,000, $7,500 and $10,000 for projects occurring in the 2023-2024 season. 
For more information call the Florida Keys Council of the Arts at 305.295.4369 or visit www.keysarts.com. 
  

​KEY WEST, FL – Carlos Delgado and his wife Diana from Dega Art Surfaces, the original artists of the African Cemetery Memorial at Higgs Beach in Key West, are doing touch-up painting work of the ground mural this and next week. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 
In 1860, three illegal slave ships were intercepted by the U.S. Navy and diverted to Key West. The Key West community was so appalled at the treatment of the human cargo that they worked collectively to provide food and shelter for the almost 1,500 Africans who would have been sold into slavery. Despite the efforts, hundreds died and were buried at Higgs Beach.
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In the summer of 2002, archaeologists and volunteers conducted a ground-penetrating radar survey around Higgs Beach, finding shallow graves near the sidewalk. During additional surveys in 2010, at least 100 more graves were located.
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The historical and archaeological details from the interception can be found on exhibit at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum at 200 Greene Street in Key West. Additional information on the burial site can be found at www.africanburialgroundathiggsbeach.org/. To take a 3-D tour of the site, visit https://youtu.be/gjomFl_rCAQ.