MONROE COUNTY, FL – For the fourth consecutive year, the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners approved Key West International Airport’s sponsorship of five Independence Day fireworks displays throughout the Florida Keys. Funds come from the airport’s enterprise revenue fund, comprised of passenger user fees explicitly earmarked for promotional activities. “This is something Key West International Airport took by the reigns after COVID when fundraising for local fireworks shows was on halt,” said Monroe County Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein. “We appreciate this continued support of our Rotaries and Chambers in their annual funding and planning.” “We’re happy to continue this tradition on Independence Day for everyone throughout the Florida Keys,” said Richard Strickland, airport Executive Director. County airport-sponsored Independence Day event plans include (subject to change): Key West Since 1976, the Rotary Club of Key West has presented the Key West’s annual fireworks show. Staged from the Edward B. Knight Pier overlooking the Atlantic Ocean where White Street meets Atlantic Avenue, fireworks begin at 9 p.m. on July 4. For information, visit keywestrotary.com. Monroe County-owned Higgs Beach is a great place to watch the display. Big Pine Key The Lower Keys Rotary Club will host Independence Day festivities on Wednesday, July 3, starting at 5 p.m. at Monroe County-owned Big Pine Community Park, mile marker 31. There will be vendors, food, beverages, games, family activities, and entertainment. Fireworks will begin around 9 p.m. Admission is free. No coolers, pets, or personal fireworks are allowed. Visit facebook.com/LowerKeysRotary for more information. Marathon A full day of beachside activities begins with a patriotic parade starting at 11 a.m., July 4, from Marathon High School to Sombrero Beach and fireworks starting at approximately 9 p.m. hosted by the City of Marathon and the Rotary Club of Marathon. US1 Radio 104.1 will play patriotic music along with the fireworks display. Boaters are encouraged to watch from the beach or even offshore of Sombrero Beach. Admission is free. Visit floridakeysmarathon.com for more information. Monroe County operates the Florida Keys Marathon Airport in Marathon. Islamorada The Upper Keys Rotary Club and the Village of Islamorada will co-host an Independence Day Celebration at Founders Park, mile marker 87, starting at 5 p.m., Thursday, July 4. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets. Admission is free. Visit Islamorada.fl.us for more information. Key Largo The Key Largo Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual July 4 parade starting at 10 a.m. The parade will begin at mile marker 98.2. At approximately 9:30 p.m., the annual bayfront Blackwater Sound fireworks celebration will be at Monroe County-owned Rowell’s Waterfront Park, mile marker 104.5. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Visit web.keylargochamber.org/events for more details. **Monroe County Fire Rescue reminds residents and visitors to leave fireworks to the professionals.
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MONROE COUNTY, FL — Monroe County Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein and the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners proclaimed April as Fair Housing Month at Wednesday’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting. Monore County Land Authority Executive Director Christine Hurley introduced Anastasia Smith and Paul Brakett of Florida Commerce to the commissioners. The two were viewing the 20 properties the County purchased in the Florida Keys. After Hurricane Irma, the State gave Monroe County $15 million to acquire the damaged properties. The grant requires that the sites be demolished and the land returned to its natural state.
This April is the 56th anniversary of the National Fair Housing Act under Title VIII of the 1968 Civil Rights Law. Although Equal Housing Opportunity is a right guaranteed to all Americans, the struggle against discrimination in housing continues. “Since fair housing is consistent with the principles of equality and justice for all—principles upon which our nation was founded—we all need to share in the fight to ensure fair housing is a reality for all residents,” said Merrill Raschein. The Monroe County Housing Authority provides fair housing education and outreach. More information can be found at www.kwha.org. BIG COPPITT KEY, FL — Monroe County Commissioner Michelle Lincoln will host a town hall meeting for the residents of Big Coppitt Key on Monday, April 29, starting at 5:30 p.m. at Big Coppitt First Baptist Church. She will be joined by County staff from solid waste, engineering and roads, parks and beaches, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Topics to be discussed include litter, illegal garbage dumping, and unregistered vehicles parking on the right-of-way along Barcelona, Ave F, Fourth Street, and Puerta Drive. There will also be a discussion regarding sidewalks and an update on a resiliency grant. WHAT: Big Coppitt Town Hall Meeting WHEN: Monday, April 29 at 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Big Coppitt First Baptist Church, 200 Ave F, Key West, FL 33040 MONROE COUNTY, FL – Are you interested in obtaining grant funds to elevate, demolish/reconstruct, or sell your home that is below base flood elevation, at risk of flooding, or has flooded before with a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) flood insurance claim? If so, Monroe County is participating in a national grant program known as Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) to help with the costs of elevating, or demolishing and reconstructing your home. Buying out your home is also an eligible grant activity. This program is available to all Monroe County homeowners. The program cannot buy any properties that are condominiums or cooperatives or have common area maintenance requirements. Mobile homes do not qualify for the elevation program. Monroe County is accepting applications for the fiscal year 2024 FMA grant program. The deadline to apply through the Monroe County application process will close Oct. 30, 2024. This is a federal program administered by the State of Florida in partnership with Monroe County; therefore, it can be a timely process with slow turnaround times to move forward with projects. If you have any questions, contact program administrator Mike Lalbachan at 305-453-8796 or visit the program website at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/fma. MONROE COUNTY, FL – Monroe County County Solid Waste, partnering with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, will be hosting three free Earth Day Tire Amnesty events for Monroe County residents with proof of residency. Residents may turn in up to six non-commercial tires with no rims for three days on Saturday, April 20, Saturday, April 27, and Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Monroe County Transfer Stations. The transfer stations are located at:
Residents must be able to load the tires into a container at the transfer stations, but assistance can be requested if needed by calling Monroe County Recycling Coordinator Melody Tuschel at 305-509-0325. “Tires can be a detriment to our local ecosystem and, when disposed of improperly, can hold water, making them the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitos,” said Tuschel. This event will help us remove some of these tires lying around people’s properties to recycle them properly.” In a landfill, it can take about 2,000 years for a tire to decompose. The tires collected at the event will be hauled to American Tire Recycling in Miami, where they are processed into rubber mesh granules. The granules are repurposed for asphalt/road surfacing, playgrounds, athletic fields, and landscape applications. MONROE COUNTY, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners proclaimed April as Dark Skies Month in the Florida Keys. Light pollution is artificial light with adverse impacts on the environment, especially at night, and includes excessive light that causes glare, disrupts ecosystems, wastes natural resources, energy, and money, and impacts wildlife and human health.
“This is an opportunity to view star-filled skies over the Florida Keys with limited light pollution,” said Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein. “Light pollution impacts many wildlife species in our region, including sea turtles nesting along our coastlines, birds migrating through the Atlantic flyway, fireflies twinkling, and bats foraging in the Florida Keys and South Florida. Dark Sky International designated April 2-8 as “International Dark Sky Week 2024,” but Monroe County extends the awareness throughout April and encourages public participation. The commissioners encourage residents, businesses, and visitors to discover, celebrate, and protect the starry skies and the natural nocturnal environment by shutting off any unnecessary outside lights during April. TAVERNIER, FL – Monroe County will hold two public workshops for feedback on potential redesign efforts for the Harry Harris Park in Tavernier to make it more resilient and improve overall use. Harry Harris Park is a pet-friendly, oceanfront public park vulnerable to sea-level rise, storm events, and overall flood risk. The park’s amenities include two ball fields, a boat ramp, a playground, a beach area, restroom facilities, and Wilkinson Point. The park also has pavilions, barbecues, picnic tables, a basketball court, and a protected swimming area. This project aims to protect the park and enhance its resiliency and overall community benefit.
Visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/calendar for meeting information. MONROE COUNTY, FL – Congratulations to Monroe County Employee of the Year Janet Gunderson who was recognized at the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Wednesday. She started with the County in June 2016, and the Board of County Commissioners recognized her as the Employee of the Second Quarter in 2023. Chief Resilience Officer Rhonda Haag nominated Gunderson for the award, adding that she went above and beyond when the resilience office was overwhelmed with an unprecedented number of contracts, invoices, and grants in the department. She will also be a key staff member helping Haag plan the 16th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact Summit Dec. 16-18, 2024 in Key West.
“Janet was able to step in and not only help process the tremendous workload but also fix outstanding financial issues,” said Haag. “Without Janet’s help, there would be fewer grants to the County, slower processing of millions of dollars in invoices, and potential late grant reports.” In early 2023, Gunderson also fulfilled her job responsibilities in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), trained another person to take on her previous workload in OMB, and carried out the duties of both the OMB and Resilience departments. During late 2023, she also helped Legislative Affairs with Restore Act grant funding. OMB Director Tina Boan echoed Haag’s comments, “Janet is a shining star who goes above and beyond daily. Besides learning a new position, she supports the Legislative Director with financial reporting for three Restore Act grants.” Employee Services facilitates the Employee of the Quarter nominations. Monroe County’s Senior Management Team selects an Employee of the Quarter from a pool of employees nominated by their peers or supervisors and an Employee of the Year from the four winners. These employees are chosen for going above and beyond their work responsibilities while continually demonstrating Monroe County’s values. KEY LARGO, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners will host a special Rate of Growth Ordinance (ROGO) workshop on Wednesday, March 20, at 10 a.m. in-person at the Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo and hybrid through Zoom webinar found at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/meetings. The workshop will be the first in a series of meetings that will take place at Board of County Commissioners meetings and with nonprofit and civic groups throughout the summer to start the conversation regarding the Dept. of Commerce’s hurricane evacuation modeling. The hurricane evacuation modeling is based on a Florida Statute requiring that Monroe County residents be able to evacuate the Florida Keys within 24 hours before a storm. The special workshop will begin with presentations regarding an overview of regulatory takings claims in Monroe County, ROGO history, the current status of ROGO permits remaining within the unincorporated County, Monroe County’s land acquisition efforts, and the County’s potential takings liability as to private property owners who would be unable to build in the future if ROGO allocations become unavailable. If takings claims are successful, compensation could be the partial responsibility of Monroe County taxpayers. The Florida Department of Commerce reported in their December 2023 Florida Keys Hurricane Evacuation Modeling Report that there are approximately 7,954 total privately owned vacant properties throughout unincorporated and municipal Monroe County. Of those, 6,086 are located within the unincorporated County. Monroe County Planning Director Emily Schemper will report on further analysis undertaken to estimate the number of parcels where development is already restricted by the presence of protected habitat and/or current zoning density requirements. As of March 2024, unincorporated Monroe County has approximately 154 market-rate ROGO permits remaining to be distributed through 2026, and 144 ROGO permits in reserve for administrative relief and future takings liability. The series of workshops and meetings that will be held in the coming months will gauge community feedback on finding a “sweet spot” of the number of ROGO permits Monroe County would ask the State of Florida to be awarded that could potentially be issued over the next 10 to 20 years without raising the evacuation modeling to go over the 24-hour evacuation timeframe, and issued at a rate that does not lead to unbalanced growth or additional takings liability. To schedule a meeting with your group, nonprofit, civic organization, or homeowners’ association, please email Monroe County Strategic Planner Kimberly Matthews at Matthews-Kimberly@MonroeCounty-FL.gov. STOCK ISLAND, FL — Monroe County Commissioner Craig Cates hosted a town hall meeting Wednesday on Stock Island to discuss the development of the Boca Chica Mooring Field. Residents and stakeholders interested in the future of Boca Chica Basin were encouraged to attend.
“This was a great opportunity to meet with the residents of Stock Island and present the positive impacts of the mooring field, the upland facilities, and address any concerns,” said Cates. Community members were able to talk directly with Cates, Monroe County Marine Resources Senior Administrator Brittney Burtner, and other project planners and local officials about issues caused by long-term unmanaged anchoring, the benefits of managed mooring fields, the conceptual design of the mooring field and upland site, and the mooring field management plans. To address boating impacts associated with unmanaged anchorages in the Florida Keys, Monroe County is working to develop and manage a system of public mooring fields, including the Boca Chica Mooring Field. The intent is to eliminate abandoned and derelict vessels, ensure compliance with the Clean Vessel Act, minimize benthic damage, and provide a safe, secure harbor for transient and long-term recreational vessels. To learn more about the project or to view the town hall presentation, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/marineresources under the “Anchoring and Mooring Management” tab. |
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