HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS SEPT. 18 MEETING IN KEY LARGO

KEY LARGO, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners held its monthly meeting Wednesday at the Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo. Below are some highlights:

FEMA Draft Map Presentation

The County received proposed draft Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodplain maps in August that demonstrate newly modeled recommended elevations that are used to determine where finished floors or Structural elements of structure must be constructed and indicate where structures must be constructed to be strong enough to withstand wave action during a flood. These maps are currently being reviewed by county staff and its consultant who was retained to assist the County with technical review of the maps and modeling to establish the new map boundaries. Comments on draft maps will be submitted to FEMA by the county.

“This is a long process and we are at the beginning,” said Christine Hurley, Assistant County Administrator. When FEMA receives comments from local governments on the draft maps, it is expected to issue preliminary maps on Dec. 9, 2019. The County has requested an extension for delivery of the preliminary maps until after the holidays. Once preliminary maps are issued and FEMA publishes required notices, the public will be able to submit official comments on the preliminary maps.

Current County zones include AE, VE, and X zones. New zones, including Coastal A, were added to the maps and now include a boundary that shows a LiMWA zone, where waves can also be expected to impact the strength of structures. Per the Florida Building Code, structures in a Coastal A zone are also required to be constructed strong enough to withstand wave action.

When the new maps are adopted, all new FEMA mapping elevations will be done in a different datum (NAVD88). Staff is available to assist the public in understanding how these proposed changes will impact each property owner.

The draft maps are not final. The final flood maps are expected to be adopted in 2021. The County is required to adopt the maps to be eligible for the National Flood Insurance Policy.  The email address to contact staff is [email protected].

If you are eligible for flood insurance, the Commissioners stressed purchasing a flood policy now even if you are self-insured or in an X Zone because under today’s existing rules existing flood policies can be grandfathered in and can be assumed by future buyers. More information on the draft maps and today’s presentation can be found at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/floodmaps.

Sounding Board Change

The sounding board is the process where a resident can initiate the placement of his or her own item on the agenda for the meeting to discuss items pertaining to County government that is not in litigation. Sounding board items take up less than one percent of the agenda.

The Board reconsidered the changes made at last month’s meeting. The Commissioners removed a provision placing sounding board items at the end of agenda time and reinstated the option to schedule these items at a time convenient to the speaker.  The Board also removed a rule limiting speakers from initiating a sounding board item to once every six months. The Commissioners retained the time allotted for initial speaker to five minutes with each additional speaker receiving three minutes. These time limits are consistent with the rules for almost all agenda items.

Career Source

The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners agreed to have staff investigate re-designating Monroe County as a separate and standalone Career Source entity splitting it from Region 23, which includes Miami-Dade. Career Source South Florida is responsible for initiating state and federally funded workforce development programs in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. It assists employers and job seekers with employment services and labor market information and provides workforce training for economically disadvantaged individuals.

County staff will be researching whether Monroe County has been receiving its share of the Title I funds awarded to Region 23. The Monroe County Clerk of Court’s Internal Audit Department is conducting a review of the funding provided to Monroe County from Career Source South Florida. The regional agreement expires June 30, 2020.

Monroe County Commissioner Michelle Coldiron was also appointed to a one-year term on the Career Source South Florida Board of Directors.

The Board also approved a resolution to request a revision of the State of Florida Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Action Plan to allow public universities and colleges, like The College of the Florida Keys, to receive direct funding for business trades and apprenticeship program expansion without having to go through Career Source.

Monroe County Fire Rescue Billing Staff Recognized

The Monroe County Fire and Ambulance Board of Governors approved awarding the Monroe County Fire Rescue billing staff a 10 percent lump sum bonus. The three staff members have a 66.52 percent inhouse collection rate compared to the 33.7 percent baseline for collection of fees from a previously contracted company.

2020 State Legislative Update

Lisa Tennyson, Director of Legislative Affairs, will present Monroe County’s legislative priorities at the 2020 State Legislative Delegation meeting held by Rep. Holly Raschein and Sen. Anitere Flores on Monday, Sept. 23 at 10:30 a.m. at Marathon City Hall. Members of the public are welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information about the meeting, contact Julio Rodriguez at 305-453-1202 or [email protected]. Monroe County’s legislative agenda can be viewed at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/legislativeaffairs.

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