Watch Last Stand President Ann Olsen speak out against overdevelopment at the October 16th Monroe County BOCC meeting. Ann highlighted urgent concerns for the Florida Keys, such as hurricane evacuation safety, declining water quality, and environmental impacts from unchecked growth. She urged the BOCC to rethink building allowances, citing flawed evacuation models that falsely justify growth.

Watch Last Stand Board Member Dottie Moses, along with Last Stand Members Edie Primaver and Nancy Diersing, address the Monroe Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on September 11, 2024, regarding the proposed Wilson-Avirett Tier change in North Key Largo. Last Stand opposes this Tier change as the area, designated as Tier I for its environmental sensitivity, is home to the largest contiguous West Indian hardwood hammock in the U.S. and endangered species such as the Key Largo cotton mouse and Schaus Swallowtail butterfly. For decades, state land acquisition efforts and the Tier I designation have protected this fragile ecosystem from overdevelopment and maintained its vital role in hurricane evacuation. Changing the Tier designation would jeopardize these protections, set a harmful precedent for future development, and undermine ongoing conservation efforts.

Last Stand and 15 Keys organizations, representing thousands of Keys residents, are concerned about the County's potential request for additional ROGOs from the State due to fears of significant takings liabilities. Currently, County staff are revising the estimate of buildable lots from the previous count of 2,220, which is expected to be lower. The County holds 444 administrative relief ROGOs, with 300 specifically allocated for early evacuation affordable workforce housing. These ROGOs are intended solely to resolve takings claims and not increase development potential.

The September 11 BOCC agenda includes a proposal to amend the Comprehensive Plan to create Tavernier Workforce Housing Subarea 1, which would allocate 86 early evacuation ROGOs for a new housing project. Approving this would divert 86 ROGOs, valued at over $38.7 million, from addressing takings claims. Given the county’s estimated liability of $1 billion, how can the approval of this proposal be reconciled with the justification for requesting more market rate ROGOs to mitigate taking liability? We urge you to reject the proposed Goal 113 and Policy 113.1.1.

Last Stand and 15 Keys organizations, representing thousands of Florida Keys residents, are closely monitoring the County’s evaluation process regarding additional ROGOs (Rate of Growth Ordinances) from the State. They have noted that the latest hurricane evacuation model released by Florida Commerce in November 2023 has not been thoroughly analyzed by County staff, nor has an external consultant been engaged.

They have identified several critical flaws in the model:

1. It assumes evacuation ends at Florida City, excluding evacuees from South Florida and Ocean Reef.

2. It suggests evacuations occur evenly over 24 hours.

3. It omits certain permanent residents and vacation home occupants.

4. It underrepresents the number of vacation rental units.

5. It fails to account for future mobile home conversions.

Given the importance of accurate hurricane evacuation planning, we urge the County to commission an independent analysis of the 2023 model’s methodologies and assumptions.

Keys Last Stand raises concerns about the County’s approach to evaluating new Rate of Growth Ordinances (ROGOs). Despite recent efforts to reassess buildable lots, the community engagement process and data analysis are problematic:

• Independent Review Needed: No independent analysis of the hurricane evacuation model, which previously had significant errors.

• Survey Issues: The current survey lacks expert review and provides outdated, limited options.

• Misleading Figures: The $1 billion Takings liability figure is inaccurately used, diverting attention from true financial impacts.

Accurate, peer-reviewed data is essential for managing development and ensuring safety. The 24-hour evacuation statute, based on extensive research, should not be ignored. Proper analysis is critical for responsible decision-making and protecting the Keys’ unique environment.

Last Stand and 15 Keys organizations oppose the County's support for Marathon’s request for ten new residential building allocations. We argue that Marathon should have used its existing allocations and implemented a moratorium pending a capacity analysis, avoiding any takings liability. We question the County's support for new allocations before completing its transparency analysis and independent audit of the hurricane evacuation model. We believe the proposed ten new allocations significantly exceed Marathon’s fair share. We urge you to vote against the proposal.

Last Stand and 15 other Keys organizations are concerned about the County’s potential request for new market-rate ROGOs, particularly given the BOCC's recent direction to recompute the number of buildable lots, which we believe is currently inflated. We stress the need for a thorough carrying capacity analysis to assess the impact on infrastructure, environment, and costs to taxpayers before any new ROGOs are approved. Additionally, we object to using an inflated $1 billion estimate of takings liability in County surveys, which seems intended to skew results and mislead the public. We urge immediate correction and a moratorium on new ROGOs pending a comprehensive analysis.

Last Stand has raised serious concerns about a permit submitted by Floridian Holdings, LLC for the Valhalla Island Resort on Crawl Key. The proposal involves dredging and filling activities that would remove 1,500 sq ft of road, 9,100 sq ft of protected red mangroves, and 15,275 sq ft of additional dredging to supposedly restore water flow. This project threatens our vital ecosystems, which are already under significant stress from overdevelopment and climate change.

Here are the full comments from the July 17th, 2024, Monroe County Board of County Commissioners regarding potential new ROGO allocations, including the County’s analysis of possible takings cases.

Comments to the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on July 17th, 2024, by Last Stand President Ann Olsen, addressing concerns about the County’s analysis of potential “takings” liability and the proposed request for new ROGOs. Last Stand emphasized that the number of viable takings cases is overstated and urged the county to prioritize public safety and residents' quality of life by recalculating buildable lots.

16 organizations, representing thousands of Keys residents, have concerns about the County’s analysis of potential “takings” liability and the proposed request for new ROGOs. Last Stand believes the public benefit of limiting new development outweighs private property interests. The current analysis lacks realistic computation of potential takings liability and overestimates the number of buildable residential lots. We urge the County to request no more ROGOs for market-rate units to ensure safety and preserve the Keys' natural resources.

Last Stand seeks clarification from Florida Commerce regarding the sudden reversal of its decision on the Tavernier Key Commercial Overlay District (TKCOD). Initially rejected for being inconsistent with the Monroe County Comprehensive Plan, the amended final order approved the TKCOD without explanation. Last Stand questions the new information that led to this reversal and requests a detailed explanation of the basis and responsible parties for this decision. We strive to protect the Florida Keys from overdevelopment and seek transparency in this process.

Tune in as Last Stand Board member Dottie Moses discusses our mission to preserve the Florida Keys, the dangers of "forever chemicals," and the recent victory in keeping Wisteria Island under government protection on US 1 Radio's Morning Magazine. She also touches on Governor DeSantis's environmental budget and its impact on our community.

In 2024, Last Stand, with renewed determination, reinforced its steadfast dedication to preserving the distinctive quality of life and the fragile ecosystem of the Florida Keys. This year, Last Stand continued to make significant progress in advocating for policies and educational programs that support our goals of managing growth, enhancing water quality, and expanding workforce housing, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to the cause.

Through our comprehensive approach of research, education, outreach, and action, Last Stand has worked diligently to influence responsible growth management, improve water quality standards, and promote affordable housing solutions for the workforce.

Last Stand urges denial of the proposed expansion of the Pier B cruise port due to its detrimental impact on local water quality and its location in environmentally sensitive areas. Despite lack of inspection by the Department of Environmental Protection since 2019, evidence suggests adverse effects without an environmental impact assessment. The expansion contradicts the wishes of Key West citizens, who have consistently voted to limit cruise ship sizes. Denial of the lease would not harm the applicant's business, as they could continue operations under the existing lease.

FloridaCommerce’s 2023 Hurricane Evacuation Model and local governments’ responses to it have been in the news recently. While hurricane evacuation time is important to consider when thinking about Keys’ capacity, it is far from the only meaningful factor. Let’s also consider waste water and its effect on the environment, fresh water, traffic, and housing; all of which weigh on our quality of life.

Dottie Moses, Last Stand board member, spoke at the Monroe County Commission's ROGO workshop, stressing the need to protect the future of the Florida Keys. She highlighted the Comprehensive Plan's focus on limited growth and environmental preservation. Despite past efforts, overdevelopment threats persist, straining infrastructure and endangering the environment. Moses urged against unsustainable growth, advocating for strategic allocation of remaining ROGOs to address community needs like affordable housing and infrastructure. Each decision must prioritize the well-being of the Keys.

Last Stand has supported successful litigation against Marathon's use of shallow wells for sewage disposal, advocating for implementing deep wells instead. Now, Last Stand opposes Marathon's petition to expand the use of the Area 3 wastewater treatment plant and shallow wells, citing concerns about increased flow of partially treated sewage and data from an EPA-funded study indicating contamination exceeding acceptable levels. They argue that any discharge expansion from a wastewater treatment plant already violating its permit should be rejected, particularly considering Marathon's admission that the expansion is intended for future development.

On December 14, 2023, Robert S. Gold, representing Last Stand, stressed Hurricane Evacuation Planning should prioritize public safety and environmental protection, echoing concerns voiced at the BOCC meeting. He urged inclusion of Key West in evacuation models with a 24-hour limit due to the increasing threat of rapidly intensifying storms. Gold called for reconsidering evacuation time limits considering evolving weather patterns and environmental capacity amidst infrastructure challenges and vacation rental expansion. He urged Key West's leaders to advocate for these concerns at county and state levels while prioritizing safety and containing development. Last Stand is eager to collaborate on this vital issue.

Keys Last Stand commends the City of Marathon for its transition from shallow injection wells to deep sewage wells, addressing concerns regarding wastewater's impact on surface waters and marine life in the Florida Keys. Last Stand urges prompt action to safeguard nearshore waters and marine habitats, emphasizing the significance of responsible sewage disposal and environmental preservation.