Yesterday’s meetings in Monroe County were actually invigorating

Michelle Lincoln, Monroe County Commissioner, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s been going on in the county.

Yesterday was a big day for the County Commissioners with a workshop and a meeting.

Lincoln said, “Normally after a commission meeting, the next day I’m kind of a little tired. But yesterday’s meeting between the workshop and then our county commissioning meeting both went so well and I feel so energized and positive with the direction that our county is going in. So yeah, I woke up this morning and I’m like, yes, we’re going to get this done. We met at a special workshop that was open to the public. We advertised it I think we begged, borrowed and stole people to come to it, so the room was full, as well as there were about 61 participants who were viewing it on Zoom. I will also say that everything we discussed, all of the talking points, the PowerPoint presentations are available for the public to obtain a copy of it and read through it on your own. We scheduled two hours for that first workshop. We ran almost three hours. It was so intense. The amount of information I feel like I could maybe pass the bar exam now when it comes to legally what a takings case means and what it means for Monroe County and how it’s not the doom and gloom we originally thought, so when we were originally presented the scenarios, I think the number they had for us was close to 8,000 and we all said where’d they come up with this number. So, after one of our county attorneys gave us his legal tutorial on everything about lawsuits, property rights, where we were, how vulnerable he thought we were, how many cases he believes we can defend, we then met with is our Director of Planning and Environmental Resources, and she has spent the past couple of months really investigating every one of the vacant lots in unincorporated Monroe County to come up with an accurate number.”

That number was reduced to 2,220.

Lincoln said, “Marathon’s reduced theirs by several hundred. We are still waiting to hear from Key West, but we believe that they have already allocated a permit for every one of their vacant lots. So there might just be a few out there floating. So I think when it’s all said and done, that number is going to be significantly lower. Then our guru of county land authority, gave us the overview of how robust we have been in purchasing land to get it off the takings cases. We are still going to be working diligently on reducing the number by purchasing land and then the resale program, which is amazing. So if somebody gives their land, donates their land, or gets the building right off of it, then someone else can if they want purchase the land, if it’s an adjacent property, then they can use it for a swimming pool or a shed no habitat, but a place for them to utilize the space. I think what shocked me the most was how many people weighed in under public comment about yes, we need to accept more, but we need to do it responsible growth, but that they weren’t all screaming no more, no more, no more. It was more of a yeah, 2,000 more homes isn’t the end of the world. Definitely all of us, the mindset was, if we accept them, we can continue the slow growth that we have done over the past decade, allocating these in a calm, slow fashion, that there’s not a timeframe in which we have to do this in a hurry. So this is really giving us time to, again, to continue to look at all of this, we will be having strategic planning meetings and workshops with the community at least once a month. We’ll be going to all of the homeowner associations and Rotaries and civic groups, and especially all the municipalities. We’re not just partners, we’re family and it’s important that we all are on the same page as much as we possibly can be. I was just so energized and impressed with our staff and the work they’ve done and I feel so confident with my fellow Commissioners and our community and our fellow electeds up and down the Keys. I know we are going to make the right decisions here that will impact the next several generations. I’m super excited. I did have a few more questions that I think we will dive into. We didn’t really discuss the mix of workforce housing. If we looked at taking 2,200 more allocations, that would be for all those lots that we feel could be buildable. But if we gave one lot that might have larger acreage more to do an apartment project, well, then that messes up the one per. I don’t think anyone really wanted to get into that discussion yet yesterday, but definitely will be a topic that we will address.”

Is the reduction of that initial number specifically due to those additional lots being deemed as not being able to be developed?

Lincoln confirmed, “Yes, it would have to be the lots that are environmentally sensitive. They’re either in a wetland, they’re already completely submerged, they’re in the hammock. So there are areas that are tier one. And our tier system always confuses me, because tier one is the ones that you cannot build on. Tier three are the ones that are already scarified, and the most capable of being built on. So to me, it’s always backwards. So I just have to always say to myself, this is backwards. But tear one meaning the most beautiful, the hammock, the environmentally sensitive area that you don’t want to tear up and fill in and build a house on that land. So yes, that’s exactly what that was. Then we also were looking at an urban boundary, because we have some of these lots are on plotted land that has never had a road put in, doesn’t have the sewer systems, it’s just an area that is outside of where we’ve already established neighborhoods. So I think that’ll be the next area that we would be able to say, look, this just isn’t buildable.”

What happened at the county commission meeting in the afternoon?

Lincoln said, “We had about 10 public hearings, but there was nothing that raised any eyebrows or caused anyone to even weigh in on. So it was pretty much just one of those standard meetings. We had one for the traffic study, which is always complicated. We didn’t approve the one several years ago because they did it without the new methodology. So we then asked them to do the study, again, using the new methodology, the methodology that FDOT uses. What came out of that study was that the consultants said that FDOT hadn’t figured the timing of their traffic lights correctly, and they were supposed to start reconfiguring the traffic lights and how long a light remains red. Also in that last study, they didn’t factor in that emergency construction project that happened when the water main broke in Islamorada. So there were several areas where that’s why the commissioners said no, we need you to do the study again, because we need it to be accurate. So FDOT was supposed to study their traffic light timing, and that was supposed to happen now. We were informed that FDOT delayed that timing traffic signal retiming study until June. We want to do our traffic study always at the peak of tourist season, which is right now, March and April. So did we want to go ahead and spend the $57,000 to have this study done to have the results come back with a consultant saying, well, it’s really not a valid answer, because the timing tables still haven’t been changed? To me, that’s the definition of crazy, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different answer. As much as sometimes people are like, oh, there go those commissioners again, kicking that can down the road. Not so here. This is us saving taxpayer’s money. We all want an accurate snapshot of what our traffic is. So let’s do the study a year from now, when everything is correct. The commissioners all agreed unanimously on that.”

With Governor Ron DeSantis signing a bill that has homeless restrictions, what could that do locally to homeless populations in the county?

Lincoln said, “I know this is a bill that I was actually following throughout session, because I kept thinking, what are the ramifications of this? My team is still diving in on what exactly this bill will do and not do because it’s pretty specific about if it impacts a business, you can’t keep the homeless camp and if you do establish a homeless camp, you have to provide mental health services, you have to have running water, you cannot allow any drugs or alcohol. It can’t be within X amount of square feet of any residential community. Well, gosh, that pretty much limits where it could even be erected and it can only be temporary. It can only be for like a year. We’re still looking at all of that.”

What about 20th Street in Marathon?

Lincoln noted, “That land right there is Florida Department of Transportation land, that’s FDOT land. That is not the city’s land and it is not the county’s land. So that just kind of puts a whole new wrinkle in the whole quagmire of that area. I’m not sure what the city of Marathon is doing right now with that. I did attend their one workshop that they held. I actually live in close proximity to 20th Street, so I see the problem. I see what’s going on over there. It is concerning. I’m confident that Marathon will figure out what to do and not to do, but again, that strip of land is FDOT.”

Does Marathon have the ability to allow that to continue if it’s not their land? The bill will prevent cities and counties starting October 1 from allowing people to sleep on public property, including public buildings and public rights of way.

Lincoln said, “I think that bill was designed for our larger counties further north than us that were having significant issues. I think Governor DeSantis was afraid it would turn into a San Diego type situation and didn’t want that. Sometimes the bills they make, when it trickles down to our beautiful Florida Keys, we just, we just don’t fit. It always just makes it a little more challenging for where we live.”

Senator Marco Rubio has been mentioned as a possible running mate for Donald Trump in the November election.

Lincoln said, “I always love watching what happens in towns like this. Senator Rubio has been a champion for the Florida Keys. He co sponsored a bill for protecting our coral reef through the whole chain of the coast. He co wrote it with Hawaii. It’s taken two years to get traction and finally passed legislation last year, I believe it was and so he truly knows the Keys. He comes down here often. He has a staff member who actually has the house down here in Marathon. To have him be our Vice President, that would be pretty awesome because it would be somebody who we already know his contact people.”

Construction projects are still ongoing.

Lincoln said, “April 1 through the 15th Key Deer Boulevard will be closed for an FDOT construction project. When that is finished, they’re going to move everything over to Watson. That will be then from April 15 through the end of April. We have confidence that this will go smoother than the last time they had to do the closure on Key Deer Boulevard. But I just want all of my friends in Big Pine to be aware that that will take place. I know there is a sign out on the road, but sometimes you drive by those signs and you don’t even look at them. So just trying to get that word out.”