Key Biscayne voters will decide whether to require a public vote before the village spends more than $50 million on stormwater and flood projects. The question appears on the official sample ballot published for the Nov. 3 election.

The ballot also lists five candidates competing for three Village Council seats. Voter registration closes Monday, Oct. 5.

The ballot asks whether the Village Charter should be amended "to require a majority vote of the qualified electors to approve any stormwater and/or flood prevention project(s), whether separated into separate projects and/or phases, that are estimated to collectively cost over $50 million within a period of three fiscal years."

Petition followed debate over $320 million 'Big Dig'

The measure grew out of community backlash against the "Big Dig," an AECOM-designed stormwater overhaul once estimated at $320 million or more for the entire island. The Council voted 7-0 to reject that plan.

Betty Sime Conroy then led a 10-person team from the Key Biscayne Neighbors Association that collected signatures across the island. WLRN first reported in June that the drive gathered 913 verified signatures in 44 days, exceeding the 839 required.

At a special Council meeting on July 7, members unanimously approved the ballot wording, according to the Key Biscayne Portal. Village Attorney Chad Friedman said the question matched the petition's original language. Only the title had to be structured to fit the ballot format.

Council raises questions about amendment's scope

Not everyone on the Council was comfortable.

Councilman Fernando Vazquez, who is also running for re-election, raised concerns about "unintended consequences." He questioned whether a village-wide seawall or beach renourishment could fall under the "flood prevention" umbrella and trigger a required vote.

"How do we advise if we have an (emergency repair) … I don't know what a hurricane will do to us," Vazquez said at the July 7 meeting.

In a June statement reported by WLRN, Vazquez warned that South Florida's storms are not going away and that residents should be careful about creating unintended obstacles to solving flood problems.

Friedman said the petition offers no direct definition of what types of flood prevention projects the amendment covers. He added that the Council would have time to make those decisions if the measure passes. If a project vote were needed, it could take place as a special election at any time during the year.

The referendum is the first put to Key Biscayne voters since the $100 million General Obligation Bond passed in 2020 with 56.54% approval.

The proposed fiscal year 2027 budget includes $24 million for stormwater improvements, according to KB Independent. That figure alone falls below the $50 million threshold. Total infrastructure and resilience spending in the proposal reaches $56.2 million, though that includes $29 million for utility undergrounding.

Five candidates, three seats

The ballot lists five candidates for three open Council seats: incumbents Fernando Vazquez and Vice Mayor Oscar Sardiñas, former Councilman Luis "Lucho" de la Cruz, Claire London and Silvia Tarafa.

De la Cruz served on the Council from 2014 to 2018. London is the wife of term-limited Councilman Ed London. Tarafa, principal of Motivating Minds Academy and former principal of Key Biscayne K-8 Center, is a first-time candidate.

The three winners will serve alongside incoming Mayor Brett Moss, who ran unopposed.

Key dates

A candidate debate co-hosted by the Key Biscayne Chamber of Commerce and Islander News is set for Thursday, Oct. 1, at 6 p.m. at Council Chambers. Voter registration closes Monday, Oct. 5. The last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Thursday, Oct. 22.

Polls open Nov. 3 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Key Biscayne Community Center, 10 Village Green Way.