Key Biscayne's Village Council will vote Tuesday, July 7, on whether to put a citizen-initiated charter amendment before voters that would require their direct approval for any stormwater or flood-prevention project costing more than $50 million.
The special meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Council Chambers, 560 Crandon Blvd. If the council approves the resolution and voters pass it Nov. 3, the village could not proceed with any stormwater or flood-prevention project estimated to collectively cost more than $50 million within three fiscal years without majority approval from qualified electors.
The effort is citizen-driven. The Key Biscayne Neighbors Association filed an affidavit March 24, launching the petition process under Section 6.02 of the village charter. The group submitted its petition to the village clerk May 21, and by June 4, the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections verified that enough signatures had been collected to force the question onto a ballot, according to Islander News.
What Voters Would Actually Decide
The proposed language asks voters a single yes-or-no question: whether the charter should be amended to require a majority vote of qualified electors before the village approves any stormwater or flood-prevention project, "whether separated into separate projects and/or phases," that is estimated to collectively cost over $50 million within three fiscal years.
The provision would create a new Section 4.16 of the village charter, according to the official council agenda.
How This Compares to the 2020 Bond Vote
The Nov. 3 referendum would be the first time Key Biscayne voters weigh in on a ballot question since the $100 million general obligation bond passed Nov. 3, 2020, with 56.54% approval from roughly 6,100 votes cast, according to Islander News.
That bond earmarked about $40 million for sea-level-rise and flooding mitigation, $23 million for beach and shoreline protection, and more than $49 million for infrastructure hardening, according to the Real Deal. Attorney David Winker, who represented a resident who sued the village over the measure, called the 2020 bond a "blank check" because it did not identify specific projects.
Why Flooding Is an Urgent Issue for the Island
Key Biscayne's existing gravity-fed stormwater system is "inadequate," according to the village's resilience planning documents, and will become less effective as sea levels rise and storms intensify. Roadways already flood during rain events. The island sits less than 5 feet above sea level, and the village's own planning documents project an additional 10 to 17 inches of rise by 2040.
The council has been actively studying fixes. A Jan. 8 workshop examined Zone 1 stormwater alternatives with GIT Consulting, and an April 22 special meeting weighed centralized versus decentralized systems based on a recommendation from the RIAP Ad Hoc Committee.
How to Weigh In Before the Vote
Mayor Joe I. Rasco, Vice Mayor Oscar Sardinas and council members Michael F. Bracken, Franklin H. Caplan, Edward London, Nancy Stoner and Fernando A. Vazquez are listed on the July 7 special meeting agenda.
If the resolution passes, the election notice must appear twice in Islander News at least 30 days before the Nov. 3 vote. The special election will run in conjunction with the general election that date.
Residents who want to speak at the meeting must fill out a blue request form at the Council Chamber entrance and submit it to the village clerk before the meeting begins. Speakers get three minutes. The meeting will also be broadcast live on VKB-TV at keybiscayne.fl.gov.
The next regular council meeting is Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 6:30 p.m.
