Monroe County BOCC - Florida Keys

Interested in knowing when the next king tides will be? Here are the upcoming dates. More information can be found at US National Weather Service Key West Florida Coastal Flooding site: https://www.weather.gov/key/coastal_flooding

Monroe County and the Tourist Development Council, along with the City of Marathon, will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with a special Semiquincentennial Sunset Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on the historic Old 7-Mile Bridge.

The free community event will feature live music and dancing with the Pierce August Band, Caribbean-inspired appetizers prepared by Marathon High School’s Culinary Team, and a sunset toast featuring Grimal Grove juices. Sunset will be approximately 7:05 p.m.

The celebration offers residents and visitors a chance to come together at one of the Florida Keys’ most iconic landmarks while commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary.

No parking will be available at the Old 7 Mile Bridge. Complimentary parking will be available by taking Pigeon Key’s trolley from the City of Marathon’s 7 Mile Marina, and van service will be available from the 33rd Street/Stanley Switlik parking area. Attendees may also walk to the event from Knights Key under the bridge.

UPCOMING MEETING REMINDER: Monroe County will hold an in-person/hybrid community meeting on Monday, Sept. 21, at 5:30 p.m., at the Marathon Government Center and via Zoom to discuss additional community requests regarding protections for Big Pine Key and No Name Key.

Among the topics to be discussed, based on ideas proposed in joint comments submitted by a group of community organizations, are:

• Development restrictions carried over from Habitat Conservation Plan/Incident Take Permit (HCP/ITP)
• HCP references within the Big Pine/No Name Key Livable CommuniKeys Plan
• HCP references within the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code
• Tier Map Criteria
• Management and Monitoring

The meeting will provide an opportunity for public comment and broader discussion of potential additional protections and community proposals affecting Big Pine Key and No Name Key. This will provide a dedicated forum to consider additional community requests. More information on HCP/ITC, Livable CommuniKeys Plan, Comprehensive Plan, Land Development Code, and Tier Maps is available at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/planning. The joint comments submitted by community organizations can be viewed at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/environmentalresources.

Zoom details can be found on the county calendar at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/calendar or this Zoom link on Monday, Sept. 21 at 5:30 p.m. https://mcbocc.zoom.us/j/86576770058.

UPDATED TRASH, RECYCLING & YARD WASTE SERVICE DAYS FOR THE LOWER KEYS

We have received some questions about new dates WM picks up trash in the Lower Keys.

🗑️ Trash collection
• Monday & Thursday: Stock Island to Cudjoe Key
• Tuesday & Friday: Summerland Key to Big Pine Key

♻️ Recycling and yard waste collection days vary by neighborhood, please see the schedule for your area.

Monroe County Mayor Michelle Lincoln, Commissioner Holly Merrill Raschein, and Legislative Director Lisa Tennyson are in Jacksonville this week representing the Florida Keys at the Florida Association of Counties’ 2026 Innovation & Policy Conference.

Lincoln is the immediate past president of the organization and Merrill Raschein is the chair of the Water Environment Sustainability Committee and a member of Guiding Principal Committee.

The annual conference brings county leaders from across Florida together to share innovative programs, discuss emerging policy issues, and collaborate on challenges facing local governments. This year’s discussions include topics such as property taxes, growth management, public safety, technology, and other issues affecting Florida counties.

New toll rates on Card Sound Road will be effective on Oct. 1, 2026. The toll adjustment follows the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index.

The following rates will take effect on Oct. 1, 2026:

SunPass
• $2.18 for two-axle vehicles: cars, pickup trucks, or motorcycles
• $4.17 for three-axles
• $1.39 for each additional axle

Toll-By-Plate
• $3.28 for two-axle vehicles: cars, pickup trucks, or motorcycles
• $6.27 for three-axles
• $2.09 for each additional axle

The toll is fully electronic and uses Toll-By-Plate, SunPass, or another highway pass, like E-Pass or EZ-Pass. No cash is accepted at the toll. The toll helps fund road maintenance costs and future repair and replacement of the five bridges along Card Sound Road.

Two discount programs are available for drivers with a two-axle vehicle and a SunPass account in good standing.

• Monthly Discount Program: Drivers do not need to sign up for the monthly discount program and will automatically receive a 40 percent rebate on their SunPass account after any calendar month in which 28 or more one-way trips are made through the toll.
• Annual Pass: The annual pass is for frequent users and allows unlimited travel through the toll. The fee is $545 annually from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2027. The annual pass will be available for purchase beginning December 2026. Additional details on the annual pass program will be released later this year.

For more information on the toll and discount programs, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/cardsoundtoll.

The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners met yesterday to discuss, approve, and finalize the $690.2 million Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget that begins Oct. 1, 2026. The budget is less than the proposed July budget of $695.8 million. The budget keeps the same countywide millage rate as the FY25 and FY26 budgets at 2.6929, likely the lowest in the State of Florida again. While continuing the trend of protecting public safety, the aggregate millage rate increased to 3.3975, up by 7.45 percent from last year.

The budget provides required compensation increases to attract and retain a qualified fire, EMS, and law enforcement workforce. It also includes funding to replace fire trucks, upgrade ambulances, and provide needed EMS operational equipment, along with various maintenance projects needed at the Monroe County Detention Center, including spalling, window, kitchen, and plumbing repairs.

“This budget reflects our unwavering commitment to public safety and core responsibilities that keep our island communities safe and accessible,” said Monroe County Administrator Christine Hurley. “Monroe County continues to meet the extraordinary demands of serving our 84,000 residents, and a functional population of approximately 160,000, that includes our 4 million visitors a year.”

The overall budget includes the Board of County Commissioners, the constitutional officers (Sheriff, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, and Clerk of Court), and other appropriations for the Tourist Development Council, capital projects, and reserves. Each entity has its own independent budget within the total budget.

The budget absorbs unavoidable increases in operational costs such as contractually obligated increases for vendors and collective bargaining unit employees and prioritizes public safety funding.

County departments made additional cuts to internal budgets to reduce the overall cost increase for FY27 and beyond. While the budget shows a year-over-year increase, it is primarily due to the Tourist Development Council’s use of accrued fund balance for additional community investment, capital projects, events, and advertising that is not paid through ad valorem (property) tax.

For more information on the budget, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/budget.

The Florida Keys & Key West

The Key West Public Library Branch, including the Florida Keys History Center, will close to the public beginning Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, for a complete roof replacement. The closure is expected to last approximately four weeks.

During the closure, library staff will continue serving the community through offsite programs and outreach events. Information about those events, along with project updates, will be posted at keyslibraries.org and on the Key West branch Facebook and Instagram accounts. Patrons may pick up and borrow library materials from the pickup locker and lending machine at Bernstein Park on Stock Island. The Monroe County Public Library also offers a large and growing digital collection of eBooks, audiobooks, streaming video, streaming music, and other online resources. Library staff, including Florida Keys History Center staff, will remain available to answer questions online. You may submit general library questions at keyslibraries.org/contact-us. You can reach the Florida Keys History Center directly at [email protected].

“Closing a public facility is never a decision we take lightly, especially one as important to the community as the Key West library,” said Monroe County Administrator Christine Hurley. “At the same time, we have a responsibility to protect and preserve the public facilities and resources entrusted to Monroe County.”

In addition to its expansive collection, the Key West library houses irreplaceable photographs, documents, and historical materials preserved by the Florida Keys History Center. Opened in 1959, it was the first location in the countywide library system, which now includes five branches in Key West, Big Pine Key, Marathon, Islamorada, and Key Largo.

Pictured: Monroe County Public Library, 700 Fleming Street, Key West, September 2026

Monroe County Public Library in Key West, 1959

Ribbon-cutting for the Monroe County Public Library in Key West, 1959. Karl Thompson, who donated the land for the library, cuts the ribbon while Library Director May Hill Russell (center) and Monroe County Mayor Gerald Saunders (left) look on.