Four candidates are competing for three open Key Biscayne Village Council seats in the Nov. 3 election, with the scrapped Big Dig stormwater project and a new charter referendum giving residents direct say over future infrastructure spending.

The qualifying window closes at noon Thursday, Aug. 20. As of Monday, Aug. 17, three candidates had officially filed at the Village Clerk's office: incumbent Vice Mayor Oscar Sardiñas, former Council Member Luis de la Cruz and first-time candidate Claire London, according to the Key Biscayne Independent. Incumbent Council Member Fernando Vazquez said he plans to file for re-election but had not yet done so.

Brett Moss, a former council member, will take office as mayor in November. He ran unopposed.

The Big Dig shadow

The scrapped Big Dig, which consumed at least $8 million before the Council killed it, hangs over the entire race. The Village Council ended the massive stormwater project at a special meeting on April 22 after costs soared, leaving Key Biscayne with sunk costs and no clear plan to address sea-level rise.

Every candidate has a position on it.

Sardiñas, a business development consultant finishing his first four-year term, was a reliable vote for outgoing Mayor Joe Rasco and Village Manager Steve Williamson, including on the Big Dig. He has said declining enrollment at the K-8 Center is a priority going forward.

De la Cruz, an attorney and 50-year Key Biscayne resident who served on the Council from 2014 to 2018, was a vocal Big Dig critic. He first flagged stormwater problems in his first month on the Council in 2014. A subsequent Village survey found more than 75 percent of the island's catch basins were non-functional. In an interview with Islander News published Aug. 6, de la Cruz described what that survey revealed: "They had not maintained them. The outfalls weren't working properly because the water wasn't getting there, nor were the gravity wells. It was horrible."

As we reported Aug. 6, de la Cruz said Moss being mayor-elect was a deciding factor in his decision to run for Council rather than mayor.

London has not held office but has been active in Village groups, including one that transformed the Council Chambers into a theater, the Key Biscayne Film Festival and the Dog Park. She is married to outgoing Council Member Ed London, who was the Big Dig's most persistent critic and is termed out after two four-year terms. She has said undergrounding utilities is her top priority.

Vazquez, who campaigned four years ago as "your flood control engineer," cast a pivotal vote to kill the Big Dig. He has said water quality and discharges into Biscayne Bay are his top priorities.

Charter referendum on the ballot

Voters will also decide a proposed amendment to the Village Charter requiring a public vote before the Village can spend more than $50 million on stormwater or flood prevention projects within three fiscal years.

The measure reached the ballot after the Key Biscayne Neighbors Association, led by Betty Sime Conroy, collected 913 verified signatures in 44 days, topping the required 839. The Council unanimously approved the referendum's ballot wording at a special meeting on July 7.

Vazquez raised concerns at that July 7 meeting about unintended consequences. "How do we advise if we have an (emergency repair) ... I don't know what a hurricane will do to us. How are we going to manage it, should (a large-scale vital project) arise?" he said.

Village Attorney Chad Friedman noted that if a future project triggered the threshold, the Village could hold a special election at any time during the year rather than waiting for a November ballot.

It would be the first public vote for Key Biscayne residents since the $100 million General Obligation Bond passed in 2020 with 56.54% approval.

What's next

The qualifying deadline is noon Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Village Clerk's office. Candidates must have lived in Key Biscayne for at least one year and pay a $100 filing fee. The next regular Council meeting is Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at 560 Crandon Blvd.