Emily Schemper, Monroe County’s director of growth management, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the county.
The Board of County Commissioners will meet on October 21 and one of the items before commissioners will be the county’s annual report on its progress toward meeting the state’s work plan for the Area of Critical State Concern designation.
Schemper said the current work plan focuses primarily on canal restoration projects, with wastewater improvements nearing completion.
“We have accomplished all of our tasks for the year,” Schemper said.
The county is awaiting a few additional connections in the Cudjoe wastewater system. Monroe County reports its progress to the state annually, and the state compiles a report incorporating the work of the county and its municipalities.
The designation has been in place for decades and plays an important role in protecting the Florida Keys’ environment and maintaining the area’s character. Continued progress on the state’s work plan is necessary to maintain the designation.
Commissioners also will consider an updated arterial travel time and delay study, commonly referred to as the county’s traffic study. The study measures the level of service along U.S. 1, both across the highway as a whole and within individual segments.
Schemper said the county typically conducts the study every two years. However, commissioners requested a new study in 2026 after residents raised questions about the methodology used in the previous report.
The discussion centered in part on the six-week period in February and March when the study is generally conducted. The consultant conducting the previous study missed that window by approximately one week, prompting debate over whether the timing was a formal requirement or simply an established practice.
The new study was conducted during the designated period, and the methodology was updated. However, a technical issue resulted in the loss of data from one of the two runs on a single day. Commissioners will need to determine how to address that missing information.
Schemper said the available options for handling the missing data do not substantially change the study’s overall findings.
The study indicates that U.S. 1 is operating at the minimum required level of service, while all segments in the unincorporated county are meeting their respective requirements. Some segments have more available capacity than others, and a couple of segments in Islamorada fall short of the standard. Islamorada has its own regulations governing how traffic conditions affect development.
The study helps determine whether proposed developments can proceed or must provide traffic mitigation, such as adding a turn lane.
Under the county’s requirements, developments beyond single-family homes are evaluated to determine how many trips they would generate and whether the relevant highway segment has sufficient capacity.
Schemper said most segments currently have hundreds or even thousands of trips of additional capacity available. The county reviews traffic impacts as part of every development permit application covered by the requirements.
She said no major projects are currently waiting for the new study to release additional traffic capacity. Most large developments that have moved through the process have either provided mitigation or fit within the available capacity.
Another major item on the Oct. 21 agenda involves the county’s system for distributing residential building allocations through its Rate of Growth Ordinance, commonly known as ROGO.
The state approved an additional 657 ROGO allocations for unincorporated Monroe County last year. The county is preparing amendments to its comprehensive plan and code to establish a new system for distributing those allocations.
Schemper said the county is currently on a temporary pause in accepting applications while commissioners consider adopting the amendments.
Under the proposed system, most of the additional allocations would fall into a new market-rate workforce housing category. Unlike traditional affordable housing, which typically includes income limits and restrictions on sale prices or rental rates, the new category would require the person living in the home — whether an owner or tenant — to earn 70% of their income within Monroe County.
Schemper said the approach is intended to help local workers who earn too much to qualify for some affordable housing programs but still struggle to find housing in the Florida Keys.
“We see a lot of turnover in all different industries down here because people just cannot afford it,” Schemper said.
The proposed category is intended to expand housing opportunities for people who live and work in Monroe County without restricting eligibility to lower-income households.
If the new system is adopted, the county expects to begin accepting applications in July 2027. Allocations would be distributed twice a year instead of the current four-times-a-year schedule.
However, some details remain unresolved. Schemper said the state has raised questions about whether some of the additional units must be designated as affordable housing. Commissioners are expected to discuss that issue before deciding how the system will operate.
County staff also must coordinate any changes across the planning and building departments and the county’s permitting software. Schemper said staff plans to provide additional information after commissioners formally adopt the new rules to avoid giving applicants guidance that could change before the system is finalized.
The Oct. 21 meeting is expected to provide updates on several issues affecting development and housing throughout Monroe County. Residents can follow the Board of County Commissioners meeting online or attend in person.