Land Authority Purchase Reveals A Population of Imperiled Florida Banded Tree Snails in Key Largo12/9/2022 In October 2022, the Monroe County Land Authority purchased almost an acre of coveted hardwood hammock habitat in front of the Tradewinds Shopping Center in Key Largo. Upon inspection of the site, Assistant Land Steward Jim Duquesnel discovered just how special this particular piece is when he found nearly two dozen live Florida Banded Tree Snails (Orthalicus floridensis).
Monroe County Commissioner Holly Merrill Raschein, who had encouraged the original acquisition, acknowledged the importance of such land authority purchases. “The Land Authority acquiring this property shows the importance of this program,” said Merrill Raschein. “Not only did we protect this area in perpetuity, but we also found it is a habitat for native local snails.” This snail species has been under attack since the introduction of the New Guinea Flatworm, an invasive predator of snails, in the mid-2010s. As a result, the snail is currently part of the State of Florida’s Imperiled Species Management Plan. Merrill Raschein asked Land Authority staff to work on the purchase at the request of the Island of Key Largo Federation of Homeowners Association. The association conducted many cleanups of this parcel in the past and believed Land Authority ownership would help manage the site and ensure the long-term protection of this vital habitat. “The Land Authority Advisory Committee ranks priority parcels for purchase, and this property ended up being one that ranked well enough to acquire given its environmental importance,” said Linda Grist Cunningham, chair of the committee. Anyone interested in learning more about Florida’s native (and introduced) tree snails should visit:
To learn more about the invasive New Guinea Flatworm that is threatening these types of snails, visit: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/invertebrates/new-guinea-flatworm/. For information on the Monroe County Land Authority, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/landauthority.
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![]() The Florida Dept. of Transportation presented its 5-year tentative work plan for 2024-2028 to the Board of County Commissioners at the Wednesday meeting to address the transportation needs of the Florida Keys. The work plan has $498 million set aside for Monroe County projects during that time for bridge repairs and replacements, resurfacing, construction, safety, transit, and more. It also includes funding for demonstration projects, like micro-mobility. Micro-mobility uses smaller vehicles to transport people, rather than bigger buses. Monroe County conditionally approved a micro-mobility grant to start tentatively in 2023 for Stock Island to Key West transportation. The City of Key West and the Village of Islamorada have already implemented micro-mobility efforts. According to the tentative work plan, bridge repair and rehab are slated for Bahia Honda in 2025 and the 7 Mile Bridge over Moser Channel in 2026. Bridge replacements include the Long Key Bridge in 2027 and Card Sound Road at Tubby’s Creek and Mosquito Creek in 2025. The replacement of the 7 Mile Bridge is slated for 2030. Monroe County Mayor Craig Cates and the Board of County Commissioners presented Steve Sullivan, Building Inspector/Plans Examiner of the Monroe County Building Department 20 Years of Service Award at Wednesday’s meeting.
“Steve has truly been a wealth of knowledge over the years and a mentor to his co-workers,” said Rey Ortiz, Monroe County Assistant Building Official. Monroe County and Monroe County’s yard waste contractor will offer free compost (nutrient-rich black dirt) to the residents of unincorporated Monroe County and the cities of Marathon, Key Colony Beach, Islamorada, and Layton at the County’s three transfer stations on the dates below from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. or until it is gone. Residents can fill one 32-gallon trash can or six 5-gallon buckets with compost. Proof of residency is required in the form of a driver’s license, utility bill, tax bill, etc. Residents are limited to one pick-up per household. You must bring your own shovel and be able to load the containers on your own or bring someone to assist you.
Dates:
Monroe County’s transfer station locations:
“Earlier this year, the free compost giveaway was such a huge success for our residents,” said Monroe County Solid Waste Director Cheryl Sullivan. “This is a great way to spruce up your backyard.” UPDATES TO FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT TO TAKE EFFECT IN COORDINATION WITH FLORIDA BUILDING CODE11/21/2022 ![]() Monroe County is coordinating efforts across departments to ensure floodplain management ordinances are consistent with Florida Building Code and National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements and in anticipation of the new FEMA flood maps adoption. At its Nov. 15 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners adopted amendments to the County’s existing regulations based on the FEMA State Model Ordinance. The amendments are critical for the County to remain in good standing with the NFIP and to maintain Community Rating System (CRS) insurance discounts for NFIP policyholders. “The most important thing is that we stay in compliance and do not jeopardize our National Flood Insurance Program protections,” said Monroe County Planning Director Emily Schemper. In summary, the updates to the floodplain management regulations include the following:
At this time, there is no timeline for when the new FEMA flood maps will be adopted. Monroe County appealed several areas of FEMA’s preliminary maps and is still awaiting final decisions. Visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/floodmaps to view preliminary and appeal maps or learn more about flood map changes. ![]() MONROE COUNTY, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners approved the County’s state legislative priorities for the 2023 session at today’s regularly scheduled meeting. Legislative Affairs Director Lisa Tennyson presented and explained Monroe County’s priorities for the upcoming session from March 7 through May 5, 2023. Highlights of the agenda include:
“Monroe County has seen many successes in the past due to the committed leadership at the state level that has protected our unique and fragile ecosystem and those living and visiting the Florida Keys,” Tennyson said. “We are optimistic we will continue to see success in the 2023 session.” More information about Monroe County’s legislative priorities can be found at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/legislativeaffairs. The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners presented a 10 Years of Service pin to Lower Keys Roads and Bridges Heavy Equipment Operator Donald Baty at Tuesday’s meeting. Baty began working for the county in November 2012 as a Maintenance Worker II. Less than a year later, in July 2013, he was promoted to Heavy Equipment Operator.
“Donald is a reliable, hardworking member of the Lower Keys Road crew, and his personnel file contains numerous letters of thanks and commendations from residents he has assisted throughout the years,” said Judy Clarke, Director of Engineering. “One such letter referred to him as an artist for his equipment skills while repairing Hurricane Irma-damaged roads in Little Torch Key.” As part of the road crew, Baty addresses road problems in all types of weather, after hours, and on weekends, when necessary. “We are grateful for his dedication to Monroe County,” Clarke said. At Tuesday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting, the board chose Mayor Pro Tem Craig Cates to serve as Monroe County Mayor and Commissioner Holly Merrill Raschein to serve as Mayor Pro Tem for the next year. Mayor Cates has been a commissioner since 2019, and Mayor Pro Tem Holly Merrill Raschein since 2021.
Mayor Cates and Mayor Pro Tem Merrill Raschein recognized outgoing Mayor David Rice for his mayoral duties for the past year. The mayor title is given to the chairperson of the Board of County Commissioners. The commissioners choose the designee based on a majority vote, usually at the November board meeting. A mayor pro tem is also designated to fill in when the mayor is unavailable. The mayor presides over the Board of County Commissioners meetings and serves as the Monroe County representative at ceremonial occasions. The mayor is also responsible for signing and cosigning documents with the County Clerk. In addition to the ceremonial passing of the gavel, four of the five commissioners, Michelle Lincoln, Holly Merrill Raschein, David Rice, and Jim Scholl, were re-elected to their seats and were sworn in by the Clerk of the Court Kevin Madok. Michaela Manning, Senior Coordinator of Permitting in the Building Department, is named Monroe County’s Employee of the Third Quarter for 2022 for her exemplary attitude, recognized in the community and by her co-workers. She started with the County in March 2017. Her primary duties include ensuring her team in the Marathon office is well-trained in their positions. With the implementation of the new all-online permitting system, she embraced the challenge of working to assist all employees through the testing of the new program.
“Michaela has been, and continues to be, a key employee in our progress with our new electronic permitting software,” said Permitting Administrative Director Ed Koconis. The system went live in October, and she helped ensure the program worked properly. “We continue to laud her work and look forward to her continuing professionalism, not only with electronic permitting but with everything she does.” Monroe County Solid Waste Director Cheryl Sullivan presented solid waste management challenges and opportunities in southeast Florida at last Friday’s South Florida Regional Planning Council meeting in Boca Raton. Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties were at the conference. Also in attendance at the conference was Monroe County Commissioner Michelle Lincoln Coldiron. Sullivan discussed the unique challenges of solid waste and recycling collection along the 110-mile linear county that makes up the Florida Keys.
“Since we haul our trash to the mainland, collaboration with our northern neighbors is imperative to us in the Florida Keys,” said Lincoln Coldiron. “These counties face many of our same challenges, and we all work together to educate the public on best practices.” A new term used at the conference included “wishcycling” – putting a non-recyclable item in the recycling bin, hoping it will be recycled. In Monroe County, items do not need to be separated, and residents and visitors can recycle:
You cannot recycle:
To learn more about recycling and solid waste programs like the Household Hazardous Waste and e-waste collection details, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/solidwaste. |
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