STATE OF THE COUNTY 2017/18 HOME OF THE FABULOUS FLORIDA KEYS: ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY & RESILIENCE 2 Monroe County | monroecounty-fl.gov Monroe County – and all its citizens – have been through a lot these past few months. Our island paradise was hit by the strongest and largest storm to make landfall in the Keys in more than half a century. Hurricane Irma and her Category 4 winds and storm surge struck with fury. From Ocean Reef to Key West, no part of the Keys was spared her wrath. Some of our citizens lost their homes. Some of our citizens lost their businesses. Some areas were hit much worse than others. All of us saw our tropical island chain and blue waters transformed into a mess of barren trees, sunken boats and scattered debris. Nearly a week before the storm struck on Sept. 10, 2017, Monroe County and its Emergency Management Team began preparing specifically for Irma. We worked simultaneously to help our visitors and citizens evacu- ate to safe locations and shelters for Hurricane Irma, while also preparing to respond to whatever the storm left in her wake. As soon as the hurricane passed, Monroe County’s MESSAGE FROM Emergency Response was in high gear with help staged and ready to mobilize. It was a coordinated effort with COUNTY our five municipalities and many other responding federal, state and local entities – as well as a small ADMINISTRATOR army of volunteers who came from around the country to lend support. And, of course in the Keys, neighbors ROMAN GASTESI helped neighbors. Monroe County employees from all departments Anchor Navigation/Boating worked tirelessly to restore government services to its compass points Location bridge Wildlife palm tree history people. conch Land marks water date Thanks to everyone’s combined efforts, the County was ready within two days to begin a phased re-entry that occurred as quickly as utilities were restored, food and water resources were in place, and roads and bridges were made safe for travel. The Keys officially reopened to visitors on Oct. 1, less than three weeks after the storm battered the island chain. Tourism is our number one economic engine and it was an important milestone for our businesses that needed the customers and our service workforce who needed to work. State of the County 2017/18 3 By New Year’s Day 2018, more than 2.2 million cubic yards of hur- ricane debris had been collected throughout the County with most of it hauled to the mainland for proper disposal. While many parts of the Keys recov- ered quickly, our hardest hit areas from Big Pine Key to Big Coppitt Key We were almost finished with a $7 our operations to create our own will take longer to bounce back. million renovation project to over- austerity program, including a hir- Many people are still living in tem- haul Bernstein Park on Stock Island. ing freeze, to be prepared for lost porary housing situations. We were moving forward on projects revenue caused by the storm. to build a new Marathon Library, a But we are the Keys. We are resil- new Plantation Key Courthouse and Our Budget and Finance Department ient. We know this is a special place Jail complex, a new Cudjoe Key Fire has been working diligently to en- worth rebuilding. And this is an Station, a new Big Pine Swimming sure the County receives every penny opportunity not just to rebuild as Hole Vista for the Heritage Trail of possible FEMA reimbursement for it was, but to rebuild better – and Project and new amenities for the tens of millions spent on Irma’s even more resiliently. Rowell’s Waterfront Park in Key response and recovery efforts. We Largo. are in a good fiscal position to ab- We already have some of the stron- sorb this kind of disaster. gest building codes in the country, In 2017, we completed construc- and this showed in the damage tion of two roadway and drainage We are proud our Emergency assessments. Many homes survived improvement projects and in 2018 Management led a unified hur- winds of 130 mph or more – and we have two more similar projects ricane response of thousands of first many elevated homes suffered lim- in the works, all with sea level rise responders from local, state and ited damage from the same storm adaptation. federal agencies. surge that destroyed or substantially damaged non-elevated homes. A new $10 million runway renova- But we know there are areas for im- tion project is underway at the Key provement, including the re-entry The County is working on obtaining West International Airport, which process, communication capability federal and state funding to help is owned and operated by Monroe and debris removal. We will take the with resilient rebuilding and mitiga- County. lessons learned and apply them as tion for our citizens’ homes, local we update our emergency manage- businesses and local government While the County will need to work ment preparation and plans. infrastructure, including our beloved on repairing damage to County community parks that were dam- infrastructure, it will also continue In Monroe County, we share more aged by Irma. to move forward on the projects than just the Overseas Highway. We mentioned above, as well as other share a love of the Keys. Before the storm hit, Monroe County projects that have been budgeted and its economy were booming. as part of a master capital improve- We will continue to work to bring Your county government was work- ment plan. This plan was designed back the sense of island normalcy to ing on many projects and service to prepare and build for the future our citizens. This includes getting all upgrades to improve the lives of of the Keys. our parks and boat ramps opened. our citizens and business owners, Together, we can get through this and to make the Keys an even more The County knows it is especially disaster and rebuild a better and wonderful place for tourists to spend important in 2018 not to add any more resilient paradise community their vacation dollars. financial burden to our citizens. We for years to come. are evaluating and reprioritizing all 4 Monroe County | monroecounty-fl.gov MONROE: A UNIQUE HISTORY Florida East Coast Railway, Key West Extension. Railroad motor car on Long Key Viaduct in 1926. Photo by C.L. Matlack, Gift of Albert Perez. MONROE COUNTY’S HISTORY Key West became the County The County’s boundaries origi- Spanish Explorer Juan Ponce seat in 1828, when the nally were the entire south- de Leon discovered the Keys population was less than 600 ern portion of Florida. Over in 1513 during his search people and the main indus- the years, Dade, Broward, for the “Fountain of Youth.” tries were salvaging ship- Collier, Lee Henry and parts During the next three centu- wrecks on the coral reef and of Charlotte, Glades and Palm ries, Spain and Great Britain fishing. In 1845, Florida was Beach all formed within claimed Florida as a territory. granted statehood. Monroe County. In 1821, Spain ceded Florida The Keys were perpetually MONROE COUNTY TODAY to the United States in accor- changed with Henry Flagler’s Monroe County is the south- dance with the Adams-Onis decision to build a railroad ernmost county in the con- Treaty. A year later, a small from Miami to Key West at tinental United States and is naval depot was created in the turn of the 20th century. made up of the entire Florida Key West to help rid the area His first train rolled into Key Keys island chain, its sur- of pirates that were terrorizing West in 1912. The railway was rounding waters and a virtu- the sea trade route. destroyed in the Category 5 ally uninhabitable region that Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, includes sections of Everglades Next, in 1823, the Territorial but the federal government National Park and Big Cypress Legislature established rebuilt the rail lines as an National Preserve. More than Monroe County as the sixth automobile highway, helping 99 percent of the county’s county in Florida territory. tourism evolve into the major population lives in the Keys, It was named for the fifth industry it is today. although these islands make President of the United States, up only 13 percent of the James Monroe, who served county’s land mass. from 1817 to 1825. State of the County 2017/18 5 MONROE: A UNIQUE COUNTY Population: Area: Islands: Established: 79,077 3,738 1,783 1823 (2016 Census Estimate) square miles of 1 acre or larger 73 % Key West (percent water) 5 Districts County Seat Districting: Median Household Income: Number of companies: $60,303 14,413 46.8 (2012-2016) (2012 last data available) Median Age: The island chain is a special Most counties with a resi- Most counties also don’t have place, like none other in dential population of only the added expense of hav- the United States, with the about 79,000 do not need ing to provide governmental world’s third largest living three courthouses, three services to people who are coral reef off its shoreline. The government centers and three spread out in a linear fashion island chain is surrounded garages for fixing County ve- for 120 miles – and rely on by the Florida Keys National hicles, as well as nine County only one main road to get Marine Sanctuary. The county firehouses. This latter number around. And that one road is is so environmentally diverse does not even include the not a turnpike, but a me- and historically important municipal fire stations.