UPPER KEYS, FL – New toll rates on Card Sound Road will be effective on Oct. 1, 2024. The toll adjustment is following the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index.
 
The following rates will take effect on Oct. 1, 2024:
 
SunPass

1. $2.08 for two-axle vehicles: cars, pickup trucks, or motorcycles
2. $3.96 for three-axles
3. $1.32 per each additional axle

 
Toll-By-Plate

1. $3.12 for two-axle vehicles: cars, pickup trucks, or motorcycles
2. $5.94 for three-axles
3. $1.98 per each additional axle

 
The toll is completely electronic using Toll-By-Plate, SunPass, or another highway pass like E-Pass or EZ-Pass. No cash is accepted at the toll. The toll helps fund road maintenance costs and future repair and replacement of the five bridges along Card Sound Road.
 
Two discount programs are available for drivers with a two-axle vehicle and a good-standing SunPass account.

1. Monthly Discount Program: Drivers do not need to sign up for the monthly discount program and will automatically receive a 40 percent rebate on their SunPass account after any calendar month that 28 or more one-way trips are made through the toll.
2. Annual Pass: The annual pass is for frequent users and allows unlimited travel through the toll. The fee is $520 annually from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025. The annual pass will be available for purchase in December 2024 and January 2025. Additional details on the annual pass program will be released later this year.

 
For more information on the toll and discount programs, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/cardsoundtoll.

​MONROE COUNTY, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners recently approved a Request for Proposals to deploy approximately 45 concrete power poles received from two sources, including the Florida Keys Electric Co-op’s Sea Oats Beach project in Islamorada. Monroe County’s Artificial Reefs Director, Dr. Hanna Koch, has been working closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to prepare for this much-anticipated first deployment, which will be about 16 nautical miles northeast of Key West in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. These materials will provide structural habitat in an area where there otherwise is none to support marine life and provide new fishing opportunities for locals and visitors. The materials will be deployed to create three distinct patch reefs that will be added to over time to increase habitat complexity and space for marine life. The program is entirely funded through a grant from the State of Florida.
 
The federal permit, submitted back in February, is still under review with the US Army Corps of Engineers, but Koch is lining up a contractor now so that as soon as the permit clears, the deployment can follow.
 
“This deployment is the first in a long line of projects being developed to provide a number of ecosystem and economic-related services,” said Koch. Education and raising awareness of what we are doing, why, and how will also be important parts of this program,” she added.
 
In August 2023, Monroe County was awarded $10 million from the State to start an Artificial Reefs program in the Florida Keys. In June 2024, the State awarded an additional $5 million for the program. Artificial reefs can help take pressure off local natural reefs. “This is just the beginning; we plan to create networks of habitats from shallow to deep waters on both the Atlantic and Gulf sides that will provide a variety of quality habitat types to a variety of marine species,” said Koch.
 
Koch is developing the framework for the future of the Artificial Reefs program in the Florida Keys and is collaborating with FWC and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). She’s also been having extensive discussions with local stakeholders and scientists to guide the development of projects. “Having the community’s input and involvement is crucial to a successful program,’ said Koch.
 
There are more than 4,000 artificial reefs in Florida, and 37 coastal counties already have an artificial reef program. In the Florida Keys, 62 artificial reefs, including wrecks, were placed mainly between 1982 and 1989. The most recent artificial reef placed in Florida Keys waters was the Vandenberg off Key West in 2009. Koch plans to apply a science-based approach to the design, deployment, and evaluation of artificial reef materials in the Florida Keys and utilize an adaptive management strategy to iteratively improve material design, placement, and configuration.
 
For more information on the program, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/reefs. 

 MONROE COUNTY, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners met today to discuss the proposed $715.7 million Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget. The budget includes the Board of County Commissioners, the constitutional officers, which include the Sheriff, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, and Clerk of Court, and other appropriations for the Tourist Development Council, capital projects, and reserves. Each entity has its own independent budget within the total budget.
 
Monroe County Acting Administrator Kevin Wilson and Budget and Finance Director Tina Boan presented the tentative budget with FY25 estimates of residential real estate trends, taxable property values, sales taxes, and state shared revenues, along with fund balance, reserves, and general fund.
 
“While there is an increase of $48.4 million in this year’s budget, it is important to point out that the Board of County Commissioners operating budget increase supported by property taxes is less than 5 percent,” said Wilson. “The majority of the other budget increases are paid primarily by other funding sources and not out of your property taxes.”
 
With the proposed budget and countywide average property values, a homesteaded residential property owner with an average appraised taxable value of $500,777.90 will see a $2.54 monthly increase in their property tax for the FY25 year with the tentative budget. Of the total taxable value in Monroe County, 20 percent is from homesteaded properties. Non-homesteaded residential properties (with an average taxable value of $922,891.20) comprise 59 percent of the taxable value. Non-homesteaded properties would see a $17 per month increase. Commercial property and vacant land represent 17 percent and 4 percent of taxable value, respectively.
 
Of the total budget, $156 million is ad valorem (or from property taxes), 70.8 percent of the ad valorem funds public safety (like law enforcement, fire rescue, detention centers, medical examiner, and the health department), and 22.2 percent funds the constitutional officers’ operating costs.
 
“The total $1,348.54 per year a homesteaded property owner would pay in property taxes with a house that has an average taxable value of $500,000 funds everything it takes to run this county from personnel, police, fire rescue, electric in county buildings, parks and beach improvements, children, senior and Veterans services, trash collection, and more,” said Wilson. “The rest of the budget is funded by sales tax, state shared revenues, license and permit fees, fines and forfeitures, and service charges.”
 
Additional FY25 Budget Key Points:

• Countywide millage rate: 2.6929 or $269.29 per $100,000 of value, most likely the lowest in Florida again. This is 1% below the FY24 rate of 2.7191. The FY25 aggregate millage rate is 3.3779, which is 0.8% lower than the FY24 rate.
• Reflects a property value increase with a total taxable value of $46.2 billion, another historical high. Property values have doubled in the past 8 years, a 10.6 percent increase compared to last year.
• Reflects continued investment in roads and bridges, resilience adaptation, facilities, and public safety, including funding for the three new Trauma Star helicopters (spread out over several years), operational costs of the new Emergency Operations Center, funding for 24 firefighters who have been paid through a Safer Grant for the past three years, a new Sugarloaf Fire Station, and a replacement firetruck, ambulance, and the addition of two new fire rescue boats.
• Sixteen notable capital projects with $110 million in total costs have $66 million in grant funding, a testament to staff success in finding grants (OPM) to fund local projects and shows a balanced approach to fostering resilience in Monroe County.
• Funds higher operational costs, such as increases for vendor contracts, fuel, supplies, and materials costs, utility and property insurance costs, and personnel costs, while committing to keeping property taxes low.
• Provides more than $2.2 million in funding for 30 community-based nonprofit organizations.
• 12 full-time vacant staff positions were eliminated from the budget, a savings of $1.3 million.

 
FY25 Budget Timeline:

• The First Public Hearing of the adoption of the tentative budget and millage rate will be Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 5:05 p.m. at the Harvey Government Center in Key West.
• The Final Public Hearing will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 5:05 p.m. at the Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo. The BOCC adopts the final millage rate and budget at this meeting. Both meetings are hybrid and can be attended in person or via Zoom.

 
The Monroe County Office of Budget and Finance coordinates and develops the budget. The award-winning office continues to work with inflation issues and Hurricane Irma and Ian impacts while providing for the department’s daily operations, program enhancements, capital projects, and infrastructure improvements.
 
For more information about the budgeting process, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/budget.