KCB considers development option

Key Colony Beach’s City Commission meeting June 20 offered intriguing possibilities of limiting development and whether to apply Monroe County’s Rate of Growth Ordinance if an owner of a property that previously housed 22 condominiums on West Ocean Drive destroyed in a hurricane can transfer 18 units offsite and instead build four single-family homes on the property.

Applicant Luis Alonso proposed swapping 18 developable units with the City of Marathon, which is under ROGO guidelines known as the Building Permit Allocation System (BPAS). The commission sought to understand the consequences, since the municipality of Key Colony Beach is not subject to any growth ordinance.

Unlike the county and other Keys municipalities, Key Colony Beach does not have a BPAS program that guides development. Alonso provided a sample resolution for the commission to consider, but the commission decided it need more information in order to proceed.

The commission also discussed Mayor Joey Raspe’s letter to offer Charles Antonio “Tony” Loreno of Key Colony Beach the positions of city building official, floodplain manager and building inspector at a salary of $85,000. A record search in the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation records shows he is eligible for the exam to be a building code administrator. The proposed contract offered Loreno a $15,000 salary increase upon receipt of test results when he can show he passed the state building code administrator test.

Discussion of the Key Colony Beach commissioners’ election showed no opponents filed for the four seats coming open in November, so the incumbent candidates who qualified for election will retain their governance roles. Vice Mayor Freddie Foster has two more years on his term.

The commission has scheduled two 2024-2025 budget meetings thus far. On July 15 at 9:30 a.m., the commission expects to have its first budget workshop; then on July 18, the commission expects to have its monthly meeting and set a millage (property tax) rate and select dates for budget adoption hearings.