Key West Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the city.
The Casa Marina vote came down to a 5-2 decision to not allow the owners of Casa Marina Resort to rezone the nearby acreage from residential to commercial.
Henriquez explained, “It was Commissioner Hoover and myself voted yes, and the other five commissioners voted no. This was not an easy decision, and it’s one that I did not make lightly. In the spirit of transparency, I want to share my initial vote on this project was no over a year ago, but over time, after multiple workshops and conversations between the Park Hotel and their neighborhood, my perspective began to change, and I ultimately voted yes because the revised plan included dedicated workforce housing units, accommodations specifically for hotel staff and affordable options for essential workers like our firefighters and our police officers and given the ongoing and urgent housing crisis we face in Key West, I saw this as an opportunity that we couldn’t afford to ignore. My responsibility is to consider the broader needs of our community, even when the path is complicated. While the majority of the commission voted no, and I fully respect that outcome, I hope the conversation has helped shine a brighter light on the desperate need of our attainable housing in our city. Finding a solution that works for everyone is not simple, but I remain committed to doing what I believe is best for this incredible Island and the people who call it home, even when the opinions differ, my heart is always with Key West. Not everyone will like every decision or vote I make, and that’s okay, because when I vote, I vote for the entire city of Key West, not just for a small group of people. So that’s my reasoning.”
Is the issue now finished?
Henriquez said, “From my understanding, the Casa Marina could go ahead and build and they will not even have to bring it back to the commissioners or the planning department. So I’m not exactly sure what they’re going to do. I am definitely sure that they’re regrouping and discussing what they’re going to do with the project, but at this time, I’m not sure exactly what they’re going to do.”
What is on the acreage right now?
Henriquez said, “Right now those are the buildings that got destroyed in Hurricane Wilma. They looked deplorable. And here we had somebody that was going to spend close to $90 million not taxpayer dollars, to revitalize and bring it back to life. But that was not the will of the commission.”
There is a city commission meeting tonight.
Henriquez said, “This is the second meeting that we’re having, and we changed the times because it was originally from one to three, but we wanted more opportunities, especially for the workforce housing community, if they wanted to have some input. So it starts today, at 5pm. The planning department workforce housing code amendment, and then we’ll have some public input, and the applicant will be given a presentation. Then, from my understanding, there’s going to be guest speakers from Theresa Axford, superintendent of schools, and Ali from Florida Housing Coalition. Then there’ll be public comments. So it should be a very informed and interactive meeting, and that starts today, at five o’clock at City Hall. And it would also be available by Zoom.”
The Key West Bight Management District Board will also meet this week.
Henriquez said, “That’s on Wednesday. It’s at 4pm at City Hall. And then on Thursday, we have the BVRAC, which is the Bahama Village Redevelopment Advisory Committee, and that starts at 5:30 at City Hall and then again, plogging in front of the Women’s Club. They’re sponsoring it this Friday on Duval and Caroline streets. So there’s a lot going on this week. I know it’s a little early, but on April 16, we are having a special commission meeting in records to the workforce housing coordinates, and that will start at five o’clock.”
The Eaton Street project is completed.
Henriquez said, “We’re excited about that. We still have to do the striping, but at least you don’t have all those bumps, and you’re able to drink coffee and not have to have two hands on this steering wheel because of all the bumps on the streets.”