Key West Mayor Denise “DeeDee” Henriquez joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the city.
City commissioners completed budget workshops ahead of schedule and have directed City Manager Brian Barroso and staff to identify additional savings before the budget is finalized in September.
“The highest we can go is the exact same as we had last year,” Henriquez said. “We did give direction to our city manager and our staff that we’d like to see more reductions. I’m really looking forward to a minus rollback this year.”
The city remains focused on balancing fiscal responsibility with maintaining services and expects staff to return with additional recommendations before commissioners set the final tax rate.
The mayor also promoted several opportunities for residents to engage with city government, including her weekly “Meet the Mayor” office hours from 2 to 4 p.m. Mondays at City Hall.
“Come on by. Just walk on in and discuss anything that you’d like to talk about,” Henriquez said. “If I don’t know the answer, we have staff here that could certainly come down and talk to you.”
A major focus this week is the city’s Key West Forward Strategic Plan public meeting, scheduled for Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Commission Chambers. Residents can review the draft strategic plan, which has been posted on the city’s website, and provide feedback before it is finalized.
The city also continues expanding public access through initiatives such as Coffee with the City Manager and open office hours hosted by the Historic Architectural Review Commission.
The annual Bahama Village back-to-school event, where churches, businesses and community organizations provided backpacks and school supplies for local students happened recently.
“It’s just a phenomenal event,” she said. “The kids come in with their parents, get their backpack and then go around to all the tables to fill it with school supplies. It really helps the parents with the cost of getting everything ready for the beginning of school.”
Hemingway Days, which featured the annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, Running of the Bulls and related festivities that drew visitors throughout the weekend.
With Florida’s two-day lobster mini season beginning Wednesday, the mayor urged residents and visitors heading onto the water to prioritize safety.
“People need to be very, very careful when they’re out there and think of safety first,” she said.
The city’s schedule this week also includes a Citizen Review Board meeting Monday evening, the Historic Architectural Review Commission meeting Wednesday, a Code Enforcement hearing Thursday, the Early Bird Cleanup on Friday and the Household Hazardous Waste and E-Waste Collection event on Saturday. The next City Commission meeting is scheduled for Aug. 6 and business owners can participate in the Aug. 4 Business Roundtable hosted jointly by the city and the Greater Key West Chamber of Commerce.
Last week’s ceremony recognized the late Fire Chief Edwin E. Castro. While construction of the new Fire Station No. 3 has not yet begun, the city unveiled signage honoring Castro and presented the recognition to his family.
“We didn’t want to do the unveiling of Fire Station Three because it’s going to be knocked down,” Henriquez said. “We’re going to wait until the actual building is built and then we’ll make it official. But we were able to give his family something recognizing the Edwin E. Castro Fire Station Three building.”
Henriquez encouraged residents to stay informed about city business by regularly visiting the city’s website and participating in upcoming meetings.
“Have a great week and be safe out there,” she said.