Village Weekly Update

July 28, 2025

Message from the Manager

The Citizens Budget Review Task Force, composed of residents I appointed to review the Village of Islamorada’s budget, held its first meeting on Thursday, July 17 to present their findings to me and the taxpayers of Islamorada. A video recording of the meeting as well as all financial information provided to the Task Force can be found here.

The Task Force did a great job, and I want to have them continue to focus on budget issues. I therefore have asked them to meet again tomorrow, July 29, at 5:30pm at Founders Park Community Center. Among the items I wish to have discussed are legal fees, increases in the Village’s Fire Rescue budget, and personnel and benefits.

The Village Council took the first step in the statutory budget process on July 22 by adopting a resolution to set a tentative millage rate for the proposed budget for the fiscal year which begins on October 1.

Public workshops on the proposed budget will be held on August 5, 6, and 7, with the budget set for final approval in September. The public is encouraged to attend all the workshops, meetings, and hearings and ask questions or give input.

Contact the Village Manager

Budget Breakdown

As we work on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, we want to bring you along for the journey. There’s a lot that goes into the process, some of it might not be noticeable at first glance. Each week leading to the budget hearings, we'll highlight different components through our "Budget Breakdowns" series. Some questions were brought up at the Public Information Session which we will address in this and future editions of the newsletter.

The Budget Process

There are state statutes that dictate the Village's budget process. The tentative millage rate must be set by the Village no later than August 4 to the Property Appraiser's Office to be included in the TRIM notices for the upcoming tax year. Once set, this millage rate is the highest levy, often called the "tax ceiling", that the Village can set for the upcoming fiscal year.

Following the setting of the tentative millage, staff presents a preliminary budget to the public and Council at the budget workshops. This year, the workshops will be held on Tuesday, August 5, through Thursday, August 7, beginning at 3pm. These workshops provide staff the opportunity to receive feedback on the presented budget while also allowing Council to give directive to support initiatives and/or reappropriate funds.

After the budget workshops, there are two statutorily required budget hearings to finalize the budget for the upcoming year. These hearings cannot conflict with the budget hearings for the Monroe County BOCC or the Monroe County School District. The goal of the hearings is to set the definitive millage rate and finalize all budgeted expenditures and revenues. This year, our budget hearings will be held on Thursday, September 4 and Tuesday, September 16, beginning at 5:30pm.

Retirement Options for Employees

The Village participates in Florida Retirement System (FRS) as a mandatory enrollment for all full-time and some part-time employees (those part-time employees meeting the FRS requirements). FRS offers two different types of retirement options – the standard Pension and an Investment plan. Full details for FRS can be found here. Links to plan performance and Summary Plan Descriptions can be found here.

There are currently four full-time employees who elected not to convert to FRS in January of 2016 when the Village decided to enroll in FRS as the primary retirement option (see attached resolution 15-10-102). These employees elected to retain a 401a plan (through Nationwide) that the Village currently contributes 4% and the individual employee contributes 0%.

Nationwide, Plan Member, and Voya are supplemental vendors that provide voluntary contribution plans (457) to which the Village does not match or contribute to.

Check out our budget calendar to review the next steps in our budget process. We welcome community feedback and hope to see you all at our public meetings and workshops.

Check Out Our Budget Calendar

News You Can Use

Skip the Stuff Summer

Join Monroe County and partners to reduce single-use waste! We are asking restaurants and businesses to take the 3-month pledge to “Skip the Stuff!” this summer. This means your establishment provides single-use silverware, straws, bags, napkins, condiment packets, etc. upon request. The goal of this program is to reduce single-use waste, show your business how much money it can save by actively providing products upon request only, and keep debris from entering the fragile Florida Keys waterways. Sign up by clicking on the button below.

Not a business, but still want to make an impact this summer? Check out Plastic Free July!

Founders Park Master Plan Poll

Following the feedback received at the June 24 Draft Master Plan workshop, Miller Legg has requested additional response from the public regarding the plan proposed. We encourage the public to participate in this short poll by clicking on the button below. You can see a picture of the conceptual plan here.

Answer the Poll

Lobster Sport (Mini) Season - July 30 and 31

Lobster Sport (Mini) Season is July 30 and 31. In addition to all state regulations, Islamorada does not allow snorkeling or diving within 300 feet of improved residential or commercial shoreline or any man-made or private canal, or any public or private marina. This rule applies during the three days preceding Sport Season, the entirety of Sport Season, and the first five days of Regular Season.

Please note, the East Ridge and Blackwood boat ramps will be closed for lobster mini-season beginning on Tuesday, July 29 at 9am until Friday, August 1 at 9am. The boat ramp at Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina will remain open to guests.

Recreation & Events

Near Shore Water Regulation Citizens Advisory Committee

July 29 | 5:15pm

Village Hall | Third Floor Conference Room

Citizens Budget Review Task Force Public Information Session

July 29 | 5:30pm