Village groups hash out housing plans - Key West Citizen

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2018 • VOLUME 31, N0. 5 • 24 PAGES

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Village groups hash out housing plans BY CHUCK WICKENHOFER Free Press Staff

ISLAMORADA — Hurricane Irma looms in the background of the ongoing affordable housing crisis in the Florida Keys, and two Islamorada committees met Monday to debate the best approach to the decades-old problem

that is becoming an existential threat to a workforce that took a significant blow when dozens of affordable homes were severely damaged or destroyed last September. Local attorney and developer Mark Gregg wants to see the village allow for accessory dwelling units, or small apartments built into existing single-family

homes that would use space already available. His view is that such an arrangement would be an end around the arduous process of securing state issued allocations for building affordable housing, which many developers shy away from anyway due to low profit projections. Gregg believes that ADUs provide a more immediate

solution for village workers who don’t know where they’ll be living in a few months or are commuting from increasingly long distances. “The folks in the trailer parks on Plantation Key are gone. They need a place right now; they don’t have time to go through the process and wait,” he said. “If folks can’t live here, if they

On the horizon?

have to come down on a bus every day, we’re not going to survive. It’s going to fail.” He’s a member of the Local Planning Agency, a committee that makes recommendations to the Village Council and has been discussing affordable housing exclusively in its monthly meetings since Irma. The Achievable

Housing Citizens Advisory Committee is another local group focused on the crisis, and though their joint meeting happened after press time, AHC vice chair Rebekah Susa said before the meeting that she objects to accessory development units as currently conceived. See VILLAGE, page 6A

Boating crashes fewer in 2017, but more deadly BY THERESA JAVA Free Press Staff

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U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke released a draft proposal last Thursday of possible new areas around the country where leases for offshore drilling could be allowed, which includes the northern Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Straits. The new drilling maps have been met with vocal opposition by both Democrat and Republican elected officials in Florida. See story on page 2A.

FLORIDA KEYS — While reported boating accidents dropped last year, fatalities and injuries crept up, according to figures from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Preliminary numbers for 2017 show 90 boating accidents, with five fatalities and 53 injuries. The official numbers won’t be available until April, according to FWC Public Information Officer Robert Klepper. In 2016, Monroe County had 105 reported accidents, with three fatalities and 52 injuries. Of Florida’s 67 counties, Monroe has ranked among the top 10 deadliest for almost a decade, often competing neck-and-neck for first with Miami-Dade, despite being one with

the fewest registered vessels among those deadliest counties at 29,106. The FWC divides the number of registered vessels by the number of reportable accidents to calculate the accident rate. In 2016, the rate in Monroe was 1 in 227. The most recent boating death in the Florida Keys occurred in November when powerboat operator Joe Sgro flipped his vessel over during a poker run. Earlier in the year, a 13-year-old girl died after being struck by a boat propeller while boating with her family. Information on the other three boat-related deaths was not available before press time. Local FWC spokesman Bobby Dube said there’s a simple reason why See BOATING, page 3A

New senior center has large turnout Flagler railcar gets BY THERESA JAVA Free Press Staff

PLANTATION KEY — Senior centers act as a community focal point and are one of the most widely used services among older Americans, according to the National Council on Aging. The large number of attendees at the JOY Center’s first weekly program last week evidenced that. “We know if we ever get

a senior center, we will need parking for at least 50. People just keep coming and coming,” said attendee Diane Schleider. JOY, which is an acronym for Just Older Adults, was founded by the Upper Keys Life Enrichment Coalition and Keys to Peace to offer the community a place to grow, learn and make friends. It will run for a total

BY JILL ZIMA BORSKI Free Press Contributor

THERESA JAVA/Free Press

The JOY Center’s mahjong learning and playing session during See CENTER, page 7A its first weekly event was well-attended.

INDEX

Business & Real Estate ............. 10A Classifieds...........................10-12B

Waterfront Dining & Tiki Bar

Happy Hour 4-7 pm

Crossword .................................. 9B Horoscope .................................. 9B

MARATHON — A railcar from the era of Henry Flagler’s Over-sea Railway has a new home along the highway in front of Crane Point Museum and Nature Center. The red train car is receiving some protective maintenance and paint, which

Opinion .................................... 11A Sports & Recreation ............6-7, 9B

are the first steps in a plan for the historic railcar that will eventually include a replica train station and platform along with a pocket park, tentatively named Train Central Park, at mile marker 50. 5, bayside. The railcar most recently served as the Pigeon Key Information Center on See RAILCAR, page 12A

Tides .......................................... 7B TV Guide .................................... 8B

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2A • January 10, 2018 • Florida Keys Free Press

county & state news FLORIDA

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MONROE COUNTY

Hotel stays extended for Irma survivors

FIRM hosts flood mitigation workshops

Free disaster recovery legal help offered

FLORIDA — Eligible Hurricane Irma survivors receiving Transitional Sheltering Assistance may receive an extension to stay temporarily in hotels while they look for an alternative place to live, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA’s TSA, which pays for short-term hotel stays, has extended eligibility from Jan. 7 to Feb. 10, with hotel checkout Feb. 11. Participants in TSA will receive a phone call telling them whether they are eligible for the extension and what they need to do to remain at their current hotel or find a new hotel. Applicants must meet certain requirements to remain eligible. FEMA pays directly for the room and any applicable taxes. Applicants are responsible for all other incidental costs, such as meals, transportation, etc. Hotels may require a credit card for incidental expenses. TSA-eligible applicants must find and book their own hotel rooms. The list of participating hotels is on disasterassistance.gov, under the link Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program, or call the FEMA helpline at 800-6213362.

FLORIDA KEYS — Fair Insurance Rates in Monroe is offering free flood mitigation workshops in January. The focus will be elevation of homes and buildings in order to reduce both flood risk and rising insurance costs. The workshops will also discuss “dry floodproofing” techniques that can help to prevent floodwaters from entering a structure. Local government floodplain managers and building department personnel will also be on hand to answer questions. The workshops, which take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., are scheduled for Jan. 16 at the Harvey Government Center in Key West, Jan. 17 at the Murray E. Nelson Government and Cultural Center in Key Largo and Jan. 18 at the Marathon Government Center in Marathon. Those wishing to attend can register by calling 305294-3476, emailing [email protected] or visiting firmkeys.org. FIRM is a non-partisan grassroots organization formed to fight for fair property insurance rates for property owners and residents of Monroe County.

KEY LARGO — Legal Services of Greater Miami Inc. is a nonprofit providing free legal services to low-income residents of Monroe and Miami-Dade counties, including disaster recovery help. Staff attorney Maria Alvarez is focusing primarily on individuals who were denied benefits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency by preparing and processing appeals as well as assisting with property insurance issues. The deadline to appeal a FEMA decision is 60 days from the date of the denial letter. Clients can contact Alvarez directly at 305-438-2423 or through the main line at 305-576-0080. Legal Services also provides assistance with mortgage foreclosure, landlord/tenant disputes, Medicaid and healthcare access, disability benefits, food stamps, veterans benefits, divorce and domestic violence, among other issues. Monthly clinics for these services are held at the Key Largo Public Library, mile marker 101.4, oceanside. Call 877-715-7464 to be scheduled for a clinic.

Oil drilling expansion opposed

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