Key West City Commissioner Sam Kaufman joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the city.
How did the budget workshop go?
“I think there was certainly not enough information ahead of time for the public, for the media, or even the commissioners,” Kaufman said. “When you talk about a $300 million budget, 19 departments and nearly 570 employees, commissioners and the public only had days to review it. That’s just not acceptable.”
While commissioners set the proposed property tax rate at the rollback rate, Kaufman argued the city faces significant long-term financial challenges because of debt incurred through recently approved bond projects.
“We’re in really bad shape from a city perspective because there’s at least $4 million, probably $5 million, of unfunded expenses that exist,” Kaufman said.
He specifically cited the planned new fire station, road improvement bonds and anticipated revenue reductions from Florida’s property tax reforms.
Kaufman said he supports replacing the city’s fire station but believes the current project is too expensive.
“I don’t think we need a $40 million fire station,” he said. “We could probably build a first-class fire station for $20 million and not have to terminate firefighter positions and police positions.”
He also criticized the possibility of reducing public transportation services, including Key West Rides, saying many seniors and lower-income residents depend on the service.
“People are going to be very upset when retirees and older people have to sit outside in the heat for up to an hour waiting for a bus,” Kaufman said.
Kaufman said future budget reductions should focus on attrition and reducing unnecessary expenses before eliminating public safety positions.
“We should be looking first at who is set to retire this coming year,” he said. “That’s the first place we should be looking for eliminating jobs—not firing police officers or firefighters.”
The commissioner also questioned the city’s newly released strategic plan, saying it lacks the community involvement and measurable priorities needed to guide future decisions.
“At this point, it’s mostly a public relations tool, not much substance,” Kaufman said. “A strategic plan needs to bring people together on specific priorities and give departments benchmarks they can achieve.”
Affordable housing remains a top priority in the city, including the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition and efforts to expand the city’s Home Buyers Assistance Program.
“Over the last two years, 30 families in Key West have purchased homes through our Home Buyers Assistance Program,” Kaufman said.
He also called for preserving affordable housing opportunities at Stadium Trailer Park and encouraged partnerships with private developers to ensure workforce housing remains available.
Kaufman praised the College of the Florida Keys for expanding educational opportunities and said he would like to strengthen partnerships between the city, the college and Monroe County schools.
“We want our young people to have good-paying jobs and stay in the Keys,” Kaufman said.
Healthcare was another major topic during the interview. Kaufman highlighted the work of the Lower Keys Medical Center Task Force, which he formed, and expressed optimism about the ongoing search for a long-term hospital operator.
The Lower Keys Hospital District is currently accepting proposals from healthcare systems interested in operating Lower Keys Medical Center.
“We’re going to have a first-class hospital,” Kaufman said. “We’re going to have first-class cardiac care, dialysis in the hospital, and a commitment to continuing cancer treatment.”
Kaufman said the next hospital operator should commit to reinvesting revenue back into the facility rather than sending profits to a corporate headquarters.
“The biggest thing I hear from members of the public is that they don’t know why decisions are being made and there’s not enough information in advance,” he said. “We need more public engagement because it helps us make better policy.”
Kaufman added that disagreement should be viewed as a positive part of governing.
“Disagreement helps us make better policy,” he said. “We shouldn’t do it in a disagreeable manner, but we need to hear different viewpoints because that’s how we make stronger decisions.”