Watch Last Stand President Ann Olsen speak against overdevelopment at the October 16th Monroe Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting. Ann highlighted critical issues threatening the Florida Keys, including hurricane evacuation safety, water quality, and the environmental impacts of overdevelopment. She urged the BOCC to reassess current building allowances, citing flawed evacuation models that encourage unsafe growth.

Ann stressed that the conversations surrounding development in the Florida Keys often overlook that the hurricane evacuation model is a proxy for the area's carrying capacity. Legal limits on development were intended to ensure that growth does not exceed the capacity of our natural systems and infrastructure. Key points of concern include:

• Declining Reef Health: The coral reef is now 98% dead, starkly contrasting its condition in the 1990s when growth limitations were first imposed.

• Increasing Hurricane Intensity: Hurricanes have become more intense, with rapid intensification observed in storms like Milton and Helene, which even surprised meteorologists with their size and speed of intensification.

• Impaired Water Quality: Water quality continues declining, leading to more frequent fish die-offs and aberrant behaviors.

Ann stressed that the Keys' environment is vital to its economy, and any growth management decisions must address environmental conditions. We cannot ignore that our marine environment may be on the brink of collapse, potentially leading to irreversible degradation.