Monroe County Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s been going on in the county.
Canal projects in the county are up and running.
Raschein said, “If you recall, earlier, I got to see a project up in Hammer Point in Key Largo up close and personal and through some amendments to the Florida Keys Stewardship Act, that dedicates a significant amount of funding to water quality and land acquisition, we were able to add canal restoration. That is obviously a huge water quality issue in the Keys considering the hundreds of canals that we have. It can be a very pricey, very complex, very lengthy process to restore a canal. What I’ve learned is not every canal is the same. Every situation is different. And our resiliency officer, Rhonda Haag, she’s our chief resiliency officer, has done a wonderful job doing a complete study of the canals in the Florida Keys and ranking them in priority. Unfortunately, you don’t want to be at the top of the list. That means that your canal is in dire need of restoration. So we’re working our way through those priorities. We’re doing work in the Upper Keys, I know there’s some stuff going on in the Middle Keys and then of course down in the Lower Keys and it’s a really a neat process. I do want to compliment the homeowners and the residents in these various neighborhoods that we’re doing the work in because it is a big commitment. You may not be able to use your canal for a number of months. That means you can’t use your boat, you can’t get out and enjoy the water, but I think folks are going to see that they’re going to put in this time and the sacrifice, and then have their canals restored and be so much more beautiful. The projects are different. We’ve got some dredging and filling projects. Some projects can just be backfield. It’s really cool work and stuff that needs to be happening right in the Keys.”
One the canals are done, there really is a return to the vibrancy.
Raschein said, “There’s folks that monitor the wildlife, to make sure that manatees aren’t harmed. If the manatee comes into the work area, they wait, they pause, they switch locations, things like that and then the barriers that are put up all around these projects. I mean, it’s night and day, you can see where the work is and then when the work ends. So the water quality is obviously, changing and for the better.”
This is all through the Stewardship Act, which is something Raschein had a major part in.
She said, “It just warms my heart every time I see projects that are still alive and well and flourishing and beginning and ending and the list is long. We are a water community.”
The issues with the sawfish population are beginning to rebound.
Raschein said, “We are all on pins and needles. We need to figure this out. But I can ensure your audience and I’m reassured by the fact that all eyes that can be on this, whether it’s the universities, scientists, FWC, NOAA, it’s a full court press on trying to figure out what’s going on. This is an endangered species. It’s actually affecting other fish. I just heard maybe about a goliath grouper. I mean, we’re going to get to the bottom of this. It’s unprecedented. We don’t want to make any knee jerk reactions and figure this out, get to the bottom of it.”
It’s surprising how many people seem to not know what the ROGOs are all about.
Raschein said, “It’s complex. It directs basically every aspect of development in the Keys. It’s going to be a very open process, collaborative, tons of community input. This is a big deal. We’re talking about mapping the future of development in the Keys, at the same time balancing property rights and then our infrastructure needs. So it’s kind of a three legged stools. We’re probably going to add some more legs here and there, as as things develop. But, we want to make sure that we’re managing infrastructure. You see the Aqueduct has got a very big project going on with replacing water mains, making sure we’re set up there and then, traffic. I know, Commissioner Rice just had a transportation committee meeting, that’s an area of personal passion for him, I listened in on it. Let’s talk about mass transit. Let’s get more cars off the road, folks who just need to get to the grocery store, or the doctor’s office or the library, do they need a car? They might be senior, elderly, and our disabled community, teenagers, and obviously, our workforce. My two takeaways are the priorities that are taken into consideration in this plan and that is, number one, work force. And number two, our residents and I really commend Commissioner Rice. He had some really good questions, of course, we’re partnering with, with DOT and all the municipalities. At this juncture, sometimes folks need to be reminded that they live in one of the most beautiful, unique areas, communities in the world and people sometimes can’t see the forest for the trees and they forget, we have one highway, we’re surrounded by two major bodies of water. We’re a national marine sanctuary. I could go on and on and on. I think these community meetings are a good reminder to folks that you moved to the Florida Keys. And with that comes, you have to bob and weave and we’ve got to be flexible.”
The State of the County had a lot of good highlights on accomplishments and what is in the future.
Raschein said, “We have big things on our horizon. We’re ready and willing to go ahead and tackle those. We have a wonderful commission and staff that’s geared up. It’s one of my favorite things to do, other than talk about my son, Drake, is talking about the Florida Keys. And I get to go around to different Rotaries. We live in paradise, but with that comes, unique challenges and hurdles. We are such a resilient bunch. We’re a loyal bunch. It’s one of the treasures of my life to be able to share all the good news that’s going on and of course, take questions. We live in a place like no other and to get questions. Obviously, I can’t answer all questions, and I figure it out and relay the information, but it has been a joy. I look forward to spreading some more good news.”
The forensic audit with the Tourist Development Council has come in.
Raschein said, “Nothing earth shattering, not too much that’s new that we didn’t know from our own clerks’ very robust audit process. But what it does is it helps us keep moving forward, we need to improve that situation, get the train back on the tracks, we have that plan. I sit on the TDC board on behalf of the BOCC. We’re going out on a nationwide search to pick the very best person to run that agency. From there, he or she will, will build their leadership team. We can do this, we can do better, and go forth. So, looking forward to that.”