Key West Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the city.
Veteran’s Day is tomorrow and there will be a lot of celebrations in our area.
Henriquez said, “We have a big day lined up for tomorrow, but we’ll start for today. So there was a tree commission meeting tonight, starting at 5pm. This morning, I was informed that the meeting is canceled, so there will be no tree commission meeting tonight. So I just wanted every all your listeners to know. Then also this morning, at 11, I will also have the honor of christening the American pioneer ship. So I will be the godmother of two ships. I’m not too sure if that’s ever happened before, but I am looking forward to getting that champagne bottle and busting it open. The last time I did that, I had champagne all over me, but I am excited and honored to be able to be the godmother of this new American pioneer ship. They do give me a practice run, so I’m able to practice one time before the actual christening. So I’m a little excited about it.”
City hall will be closed tomorrow in observance of Veteran’s Day.
Henriquez said, “There will be a Veterans Day ceremony at Bayview Park starting at 11. We’ll also acknowledge the 10 year anniversary of the living memorial that’s out there. It’s been 10 years since a group of our community had built that. Then there will be a Veterans Day Parade starting at 4pm starting from Virginia Street down to Eaton, I believe. Then Wednesday, we have the Key West Bight Board that will start at 4pm and that will be in the chambers at City Hall.”
Thursday will have two public transit meetings.
Henriquez said, “The meetings are regarding the forthcoming route and service changes to the transit system. Both meetings will provide an overview of the current routes and services and will offer guidance on best practices for utilizing the public transit system. Then there will also be an opportunity for the questions and answers at the end. So the first one will be this, Thursday, November 13, starting at 5:30 and that will at the Department of Transportation on College Road. November 20 on Thursday starting at 5:30 that one will be at the Frederick Douglass gym. Also during that time, there’s going to be a solid waste and recycling workshop, which is going to be on Thursday, and that’s going to start at 5 here in the chambers at City Hall, and that workshop will cover municipal services, recycling practices, yard waste bulk rates and the rate adjustments. So this meeting is open to the residents, businesses, landscapers, property managers and all community members. So that starts at five on Thursday here at City Hall. Then Friday, the plogging early bird cleanup, that will be hosted by Sister Noodle House, located at 2502 North Roosevelt Boulevard. That will start at 8am and we will meet in the parking lot of GFS by Sister Noodle House. Then Saturday is the clothing drive, celebrating America Recycles Day and Keep America Beautiful, and you can donate clothing, shoes, towels, backpacks, and that’s going to start at 8am and that will last till noon. You can drop everything off at the Indigenous Park, which is 1800 White Street. So there’s a lot going on this week.”
The city commission met last week.
Henriquez said, “It was a very short meeting, which was the first, I believe, in the year that I’ve been here. So that was good, but the commission did approve a new three year collective bargaining agreement with the International Association of Firefighters. That’s the local 1424, and that agreement was effective as of October 1, and it goes through September 30, 2028, so there was a lot of negotiations between the city and the firefighters, but they were able to come to an agreement. So I was happy about that. The agenda also called for a second reading of the whistleblower ordinance. It was postponed to December 2 for the City Commission meeting, and there was some language that needed to be looked at by our city attorney, and their recommendation was to postpone it to December 2. So we agreed upon that, and staff also met with the grand jury. Our city manager did report to clarify complex recommendations and a comprehensive recap of the city’s progress, and that is expected to be presented at the December commission meeting and we’re going to go over the Grand Jury extensively again to kind of wrap everything up. Our City staff did meet with the grand jury representatives, and they were very happy with the progress that we are making at this time. And then we also went ahead and we approved the redevelopment of the Ibis Bay Beach Resort, which is 3101 North Roosevelt Boulevard, and they’re going to transform the existing 81 unit hotel into an 80 unit transient condominium, while maintaining the on site restaurant, the seafood market, marina and the recreational rental area. So they were excited to get that project started, and also the commission did approve to start the process for the installation and maintenance of the Key West Welcome and Thank You for Visiting signs to be installed at the intersection of US 1 which is known as the triangle. So I’m very happy to know that we’re going to have a welcoming sign and a thank you sign back at the triangle. Bayview Park authorizing the purchase and design and supply services for the bathroom pro shop maintenance building at Bayview Park. This is part of phase two of the master plan. So like I said, there was a lot of good information. We approved a lot, and it was a very short meeting, so I was happy about that. I just would like to also thank our community services, our city police department, our fire department, and everyone that was involved with the boat races. I know it was very hectic. There’s a lot of people in town. The boats were magnificent. The boat races in one week, they bring in $32.8 million in one week, and that is really an economical boost to our city. So I just want to reach out and thank everyone who participated in the boat races.”