The make up of the Village Council of Islamorada changed a little with the recent election, but there will be one more meeting with the current board before the new members take their seats.
Henry Rosenthal, Vice Mayor of the Village of Islamorada, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the village.
Rosenthal was recently reelected to the Village Council by five votes. It further proves that every, single vote counts.
He said, “There’s a lot of things I’ve been elected to over the years, going back, I guess 40 years.”
All five seats were up for reelection and three of them will be incumbents.
Thursday’s meeting will include requests for building permits as well as the Freebee Contract, which are mobile units that are free for residents to travel back and forth to various places in the village.
Rosenthal said, “The one thing that I participated in, I re-did the schedule that it starts at 7 o’clock in the morning until 10 or 11 depending on what night it is. That was not the case a year ago. So I re-did the schedule. I’m interested in the participation that schedule has provided for. I don’t think we will not renew the contract, but I’m not too sure we’ll renew it with the raises.”
Land use is always an item on discussion, as well as the BPAS, the Building Permit Allocation System.
Rosenthal said, “Several things contribute to their getting a building permit, one of which is if they provide a lot free to the city in exchange for point value, which moves them up, I think there are 20-some permits left and then that’s it. There’s about 75 people waiting for permits, so we’ll see how that shakes out.”
The fills is also a big priority for Islamorada. It’s been on the list for about 10 years now and nothing has happened.
Rosenthal said, “That’s my number one priority. I have not gained the support that I needed to move that fills project forward and I think I’m able to do it with the new board. The new board seems to be on the same page as I’m on. Hopefully so. The Sunshine Law prohibits us from discussing it with each other directly.”
The Walgreens property in the middle of Islamorada will also be looked at.
Rosenthal said, “I’m very much in favor of beautification and there are members of the city that are more interested in development. Although I’d participate in some development, but I’m more leaning toward just the beautification and what the town looks like.”
For the agenda of the upcoming meeting, click here: https://cms6.revize.com/revize/islamorada/VILLAGE%20CLERK/Agendas/2022/2022_11_17_RVCM_Agenda_FINAL.pdf