Resolution 380-2006
RESOLUTION NO. 380 - 2006
A RESOLUTION BY THE MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ADOPTING THE ANNUAL
ASSESSMENT OF MONROE COUNTY PUBLIC FACILITIES
CAPACITY FOR 2006 AS SUBMITTED BY THE MONROE
COUNTY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
DEPARTMENT.
WHEREAS, Section 9.5-292(b) of the Monroe County Land Development Regulations
requires the Board of County Commissioners to adopt an annual assessment of public facilities
capacity for unincorporated Monroe County; and
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners makes the following findings offacts:
I. This annual assessment is used to evaluate the existing level of services for roads, solid
waste, potable water, and educational facilities.
2. This report becomes the official assessment of public facilities upon which development
approvals will be reviewed and approved for the upcoming year.
3. Section 9.5-292 of the Land Development Regulations provides the minimum standards
for I,evel of service of roads, solid waste, potable water, and educational facilities.
4. Section 9.5-292 requires the annual assessment of public facilities capacity to clearly state
those portions of unincorporated Monroe County with inadequate or marginally adequate
public facilities.
5. The annual report finds that sufficient capacity exists for solid waste, potable water, and
educational facilities to meet anticipated growth through 2006.
6. The transportation section of the annual report is based upon the findings of the 2006 US-
I Travel Time and Delay Study prepared by URS, the County's transportation consultant.
7. U.S. I segments with reserve speeds of less than or equal to 3 mph ("marginally
adequate") should be given particular attention when approving development applications
8. Nine segments of U.S. I were classified as "marginally adequate" in terms of reserve
capacity and therefore development activities in these areas will be closely monitored to
minimize the possibility for further degradation in the level of service.
9. The Lower Matecumbe segment is below the LOS C threshold, and the Tea Table
segment is at LOS C without any reserve speed and the Lower Matecumbe and Tea Table
segments do not have any planned improvements to curtail the travel speed reductions.
10. The Florida Department of Transportation should conduct a special study along this
stretch of US 1.
11. The projected water use demand of 18.58 mgd in 2006 is anticipated to increase in 2007.
12. Water use Permit #13-00005 has allowed for withdrawal of 19.93 mgd to meet this
demand.
13. Monroe County should work with FKAA to investigate the renewal of Permit #13-00005
or seek a new permit.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that the annual assessment of
Monroe COlmty Public Facilities Capacity for 2006 is:
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County,
Florida at a regular meeting held on the 20th day of Sel>tember 2006.
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DEPUTY dLERK
Mayor Charles "Sonny" McCoy
Mayor Pro Tern Dixie Spehar
Commissioner Glenn Patton
Commissioner George Neugent
Commissioner Mario DiGennaro
YPR.
Yes
Absent
Yes
Yes
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OF MONROE CO Y, FLORIDA
BY
2006
MONROE COUNTY
PUBLIC FACILITIES
CAPACITY ASSESSMENT
REPORT
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EDUCATION
SOLID WASTE
POTABLE WATER
TRANSPORTATION
PARKS AND RECREATION
AUGUST 2006
PREPARED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... ... ...... ............ ............ ...... ......... ...... ......... ....... i-iv
INTRODUCTION... ...... ...... ............ ... ......... ......... ......... ...... ......... ............ 1-4
I. GROWTH ANALYSIS... ......... ............ ......... ............... ...... ......... ...... ...... 5-20
II. TRANSPORTATION FACIL/TIES......................................................... 21-33
III. POTABLE WATER......... ......... ............ ......... ......... ......... ...... ......... .... 34-39
IV. EDUCATION FACILITIES.................................................................. 40-45
V. SOLID WASTE FACILITIES................................................................. 46-49
VI. PARKS AND RECREATION... ............... ......... ......... ......... ......... .......... 50-54
EXECUTIVESUAfAfARY
The Monroe County Land Development
Regulations (hereafter referred to as "the
Code") mandate an annual assessment of the
roads, solid waste, potable water, and school
facilities serving the unincorporated portIOn of
Monroe County. In the event that these public
facilities have fallen or are projected to fall
below the level of service (LOS) required by
the Code. development activities must con-
form to special procedures to ensure that the
public facilities are not further burdened. The
Code clearly states that building permits shall
not be issued unless the proposed use is or
will be st:fved by adequate public or private
facilities.
As requin:d by the Code, the Board of County
Commissioners (BOCC) shall conSider and
approve the annual report, with or without
modifications. Any modifications that result
in an increase of development capacity must
be accompanied by findings of fact, including
the reasons for the increase and the funding
source to pay for the additional capacity re-
quired to serve the additional development.
Once approved, this document becomes the
official report of public facilities upon which
development approvals will be based for the
next year.
This repOlt distinguishes between areas of in-
adequate facility capacity and marginallyade-
quate cap,lCity. Inadequate facility capacity IS
defined as those areas with capacity below the
adopted LOS standard. Marginally adequate
capacity lis defined as those areas at the
adopted LOS standard or that are projected to
reach inadequate capacity within the next
twelve months.
Residential and Nonresidential
Growth for 2006
For the 2006 assessment, a population model
that uses a 2000 Census base population and
household data to estimate and forecast popu-
lation growth is used. The projected func-
tional population of unincorporated Monroe
County is expected to decline to 71,485 peo-
ple in 2006, a decrease from a population of
76,334 in 2005.
The projected permanent population was ini-
tially based on a methodology created by The
Department of Planning and EnVironmental
Resources and was based on 1990 Census
data Si~ce then the permanent population
model has been updated to report 2000 Census
data as the basis. The reason for the update in
the Permanent population figures is due to
new trends that were reflected in 2000 Census
data and again in the 2005 Estimates which
are showing a declining permanent popula-
tion. By 2000 the old model overestimated
permanent residents by 6,033 and the gap Wid-
ened to an over estimation of 11,976 of the
permanent residents in 2005. By applying the
new methodology and model with the 2000
year as the base year the population estimates
are more accurate. The Updated projectIOns
estimated 77,490 residents in 2005 while the
Census estimated 76,329 only a 1,161 differ-
ence. At this time the Planning and Environ-
mental Resources is revising the methodology
for population projection to update seasonal
population figures as well in order to arnve at
a revised overall functional population.
Policy 101.3.1, the County's nonresidential
ROGO policy in the 2010 Comprehensive
Plan, was passed by the Board of County
Commissioners in September of 2001 and was
approved by the Department of Community
Affairs (DCA) in December of 2001, but was
subsequently appealed. The appeal was with-
drawn in August 2002. The policy remains as
stated, non-residential growth, over the 15
year planning horizon, is limited to 239 square
feet of development for each new residential
unit.
Assessment of Public Facilities for
2006
This year's report finds that education, solid
waste, potable water, parks and recreation,
and transportation facilities all have sufficient
capacity 110 serve anticipated growth. Al-
though, State and county roads meet level of
service stlmdards,
Based on this years study, only the L Mate-
cumbe (Segment 17) segment is below the
LOS C threshold, and the Tea Table segment
is at LOS C without any reserve speed. The L
Matecumbe and Tea Table segments have re-
serve volume or reserve capacities within the
5% allocation. The Cross Key segment is
above the LOS C threshold despite the con-
struction work taking place at this segment.
The reduced speed limit may be a compensat-
ing factor. The decrease in traffic volume
might be another factor for the improved LOS
threshold for the Cross segment and other seg-
ments during this year's study. However, the
travel speeds on Cross Key segment is likely
to improve with the implementation of a high
level fixed bridge, completion is anticipated
within the next three years. The Lower Mate-
cumbe and Tea Table segments do not have
any plarmed improvements to curtail the travel
speed reductions. The Florida Department of
Transportation and/or the Monroe County
should conduct a special study along this
stretch of U. S. 1.
This years water demand shows no increase
through May of 2006 over last years demand
through the same period. However, the water
demand is still projected to increase to 18.58
MGD in 2006 up from the average of 17.73
MGD withdrawn in 2005. With Water Use
Permit (Pmmit # 13-00005W) providing up to
an average daily water withdrawal of 19.93
MGD there is an adequate supply of water to
meet demand. However, looking forward to
2007 with Permit # 13-00005W expiring there
will be 1765 MGD available. With projected
demand of 18.58 MGD in 2006 and with the
assumption that demand will only continue to
increase in 2007, based upon water demand
increasing steadily ever years since 1991 with
the exception of 2001, it can be anticipated
that water demand will outpace supply by
2007.
Solid Waste:
The combination of the existing haul-out con-
tract and the space available at the Cudjoe
Key landfill provides the County with suffi-
cient capacity to accommodate all existing and
approved development for up to thirteen
years.
Parks and Recreation:
Unincorporated Monroe County has enough
resource- and activity-based recreation areas
to serve the functional population and there-
fore has a LOS that is adequate. Additionally,
there is adequate reserve capacity to accom-
modate future population increases.
Schools:
The Monroe County Land Development Regula-
tions do not identify a numeric level of service
standard for schools (such as 10 square feet of
classroom space per student). Instead, Section
9.5-292 of the regulations requires classroom ca-
pacity "adequate" to accommodate the school-age
children generated by proposed land development
The School Board uses recommended capacities
provided by the Florida Department of Education
(FDOE) to determine each school's capacity. All
schools have adequate reserve capacity to accom-
modate the impacts of the additional land develop-
ment activities projected for 2005-2006 school
year. The capacity runs approximately 93-
95% of student stations which vary in number
from elementary, middle and high school due
to class size reduction. The class size reduc-
tion was a result of a state constitutional
amendment setting limits for the maximum
allowable number of student in a class by the
start of the 2010-11 school year that was
passed by Florida's voters in November 2002.
Enrollment figures for the 2004-2005 school year
and projected enrollment figures for the 2005-
2006 school year, show that none of the schools
11
are expectl:d to exceed their recommended capac-
ity. School facility plans are based on enrollment
projections, 5 years out. And the utilization rate 5
years out is between 50 to 90 percent confirming
adequate capacity. If utilization was projected to
exceed om, hundred percent then there would not
be sufficient capacity,
Potable Water:
A comparison between 2004 and 2005 shows
an increase in water consumption of .16%.
This years water demand shows no increase
through May of 2006 over last years demand
through the same period. However, the water
demand is still projected to increase to 18.58
MGD in 2006 up from the average of 17.73
MGD withdrawn in 2005. With Water Use
Permit (Permit.~ 13-00005W) providing up to
an average daily water withdrawal of 19,93
MGD there is an adequate supply of water to
meet demand, However, looking forward to
2007 with Permit # 13-00005W expiring there
will be 17,65 MGD available. With projected
demand of 18.58 MGD in 2006 and with the
assumption that demand will only continue to
increase in 2007, based upon water demand
increasing steadily ever years since 1991 with
the exception of 200 I, it can be anticipated
that water demand will outpace supply by
2007.
Roads:
The adopted level of service (LOS) standard
for US-I is LOS C. Based on the findings of
the 2006 US-I Arterial Travel Time and De-
lay Study for Monroe County, as prepared by
URS Inc., the overall 2006 level of service for
US-I is LOS C. The table on the following
page shows the LOS and "status" of US-I by
segment.
County regulations allow development activi-
ties to continue in "areas of marginally ade-
quate facility capacity" provided traffic speeds
do not fall below the standard by more than
five percent. Based on this years study, only
the L Matecumbe (Segment 17) segment is
below the LOS C threshold, and the Tea Table
ad on U.S. 1 b S ment
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1 Stock Island 4-5 B Adequate
2 Boca Chica 5-9 A Adequate
3 Big Coppitt 9-10.5 C Marginal
4 Saddle bunch 10,5-16.5 C Marginal
5 S ugarloaf 16,5-20.5 C Marginal
6 Cudjoe 20.5-23 A Adequate
7 Summerland 23-2 B Adequate
8 Ramrod 25-27.5 B Adequate
9 Torch 27.5-29.5 A Adequate
10 Big Pine 29,5-33 C Marginal
11 Bahia Honda 33-40 A Adequate
12 7-Mile Bridge 40-47 B Adequate
13 Marathon 47-54 A Adequate
14 Grassy Key 54-60,5 C Marginal
15 Duck Key 60.5-63 B Adequate
16 Long Key 63-73 B Adequate
Lower Mate-
17 cumbe 73-77.5 D Marginal
18 Tea Table 77.5-79.5 C Marginal
Upper Mate-
19 cumbe 79,5-84 C Marginal
20 Windley 84-86 A Adequate
21 Plantation 86-91.5 B Adequate
22 Tavernier 91.5-99.5 A Adequate
23 Largo 99.5-106 A Adequate
24 Cross 106-112.5 C M. inaI
Source: 2006 Arterial and Travel Time! Dela Stud , URS Inc.
segment is at LOS C without any reserve
speed. The L Matecumbe and Tea Table seg-
ments have reserve volume or reserve capaci-
ties within the 5% allocation. The Cross Key
segment is above the LOS C threshold despite
the construction work taking place at this seg-
ment The reduced speed limit may be a com-
pensating factor, The decrease in traffic vol-
ume might be another factor for the improved
LOS threshold for the Cross segment and
other segments during this year's study. How-
ever, the travel speeds on Cross Key segment
is likely to improve with the implementation
of a high level fixed bridge, completion is an-
ticipated within the next three years. The
Lower Matecumbe and Tea Table segments
do not have any planned improvements to cur-
tail the travel speed reductions, The Florida
Department of Transportation and/or the Mon-
III
roe Coun1y should conduct a special study
along this stretch of U.S. 1.
Name
Big Coppitl 9.0-10.5 1
Saddlebunch 10.5-16.5 2.5
Sugarloaf 16.5 - 20.5 0.5
Big Pine 29.5 - 33.0 0.7
Grassy 54.0 - 60.5 0.4
Lower Mate-
cumbe 73.0 - 77.5 -1.5
Tea Table 77.5 - 79.5 0
Upper Mate-
cumbe 79.5 - 84.0 0.1
Cross 106 - 112.5 0.3
Source: 2006 Arterial and Travel Timel Delay Study, URS
Inc.
County roads ate subject to a lower standard
(LOS D) than US-I. Based on the analysis
found in the Technical Document of the
Monroe County Year 2010 Comprehensive
Plan, all County roads are operating at or
above LOS D.
Overall, most public facilities continue to be
adequate; however demands on these facilities
continue to grow. The Growth Management
Division is committed to monitoring changes
in public facility demand and responding to
changes in consumption patterns. The ability
to coordinate with public facility providers
and other municipalities in the Keys will be-
come more and more critical as we strive to
maintain the quality oflife we all enjoy.
This year's report indicates that nine segments
are "marginally adequate" and any applica-
tions for new development which would gen-
erate traffic in marginally adequate areas must
submit a detailed traffic report for considera-
tion during review. Please see table below for
"marginally adequate" facilities:
IV
INTRODUCTION
This report is the annual assessment of public
facilities capacity mandated by Section 9.5-
292 of the Monroe County Land Develop-
ment Regulations (hereafter referred to as
"the Code"). The State of Florida requires all
local jurisdictions to adopt regulations ensur-
ing "concurrency". Concurrency means "that
the necessary public facilities and services to
maintain the adopted LOS standards are
available when the impacts of development
occur" (Chapter 9J-5 of the Florida Adminis-
trative Code). In other words, local govern-
ments must establish regulations to ensure
that public facilities and services that are
needed to support development are available
concurrent with the impacts of development.
In Monroe County, these regulations are con-
tained within Section 9.5-292 of the Code.
Section 9.5-292, titled Adequate facilities and
development review procedures, contains two
main sets of requirements: the minimum ser-
vice standards for the four primary public fa-
cilities (roads, solid waste, potable water,
schools), and an annual assessment process to
determine the available capacity of these pub-
lic faciliti es. In addition, Section 9.5-292 in-
cludes an equitable procedure for issuing per-
mits when the rate of growth is likely to out-
pace the current capacity of these public fa-
cilities.
Section 9.5-292 also requires the Director of
Planning to prepare an annual report to the
Board of County Commissioners on the ca-
pacity of available public facilities. This re-
port must determine the potential amount of
residential and nonresidential growth ex-
pected in the upcoming year, and make an
assessment of how well the roads, solid waste
facilities, water supply, and schools will ac-
commodate that growth. The report has a
one-year planning horizon, or only considers
potential growth and public facility capacity
for the next twelve months. In addition, the
report must identify areas of unincorporated
Monroe County with only marginal and/or
inadequate capacity for some or all public
facilities.
In the event that some or all public facilities
have fallen or are projected to fall below the
LOS standards required by the Code, devel-
opment activities must conform to special
procedures to ensure that the public facilities
are not further burdened. The Code clearly
states that building permits shall not be issued
unless the proposed use is or will be served
by adequate public or private facilities.
Board Action Required
Section 9.5-292(b)(4) requires the County
Commission to consider this report and ap-
prove its findings either with or without
modifications. The County Commission can-
not act to increase development capacity be-
yond that demonstrated in this report without
making specific findings of fact as to the rea-
sons for the increase, and identifying the
source of funds to be used to pay for the addi-
tional capacity.
Once approved by the County Commission,
this document becomes the official assess-
ment of public facilities upon which develop-
ment approvals will be based for the next
year.
Public Facility Standards
Section 9.5-292(a) of the Code pertains to the
minimum standards for public facilities. It
states, "After February 28, 1988, all develop-
ment or land shall be served by adequate
public facilities in accordance with the fol-
lowing standards: "
(I) Roads:
a. County Road 905 within three (3)
miles of a parcel proposed for develop-
ment shall have sufficient available ca-
pacity to operate at level of service D as
measured on an annual average daily
traffic (AADT) basis at all intersection
and/or roadway segments. US-I shall
have sufficient available capacity to op-
erate at level of service C on an overall
basis as measured by the US-I Level of
Service Task Force Methodology. In ad-
dition, the segment or segments of US-I,
as identified in the US-I Level of Ser-
vice Task Force Methodology, which
would be directly impacted by a pro-
posed development's access to US-I,
shall have sufficient available capacity to
operate at level of service C as measured
by the US-I Level of Service Task Force
Methodology.
b. All secondary roads where traffic is
entering or leaving a development or will
have direct access shall have sufficient
available capacity to operate at level of
service D as measured on an annual av-
erage daily traffic (AADT) basis.
c. In areas which are served by inade-
quate transportation facilities on US-I,
development may be approved provided
that the development in combination
with all other development will not de-
crease travel speeds by more than five
(5) percent below level of service C, as
measured by the US-I Level of Service
Task Force Methodology.
(2) Solid Waste:
Sufficient capacity shall be available at a
solid waste disposal site to accommodate
all existing and approved development
for a period of at least three (3) years
from the projected date of completion of
the proposed development or use. The
Monroe County Solid Waste and Re-
source Recovery Authority may enter
into agreements, including agreements
under section 163.01, Florida Statutes, to
dispose of solid waste outside Monroe
County.
(3) Potable Water:
Sufficient potable water from an ap-
proved and permitted source shall be
available to satisfy the projected water
needs of a proposed development, or use.
Approved and permitted sources shall
include cisterns, wells, FKAA distribu-
tion systems, individual water condensa-
tion systems, and any other system
which complies with the Florida stan-
dards for potable water.
(4) Schools:
Adequate school classroom capacity
shall be available to accommodate all
school age children to be generated by a
proposed development or use.
These are the four primary public facilities
that must be monitored for adequate capacity
according to the Code. The available capacity
for each of these facilities may be either suffi-
cient to accommodate projected growth over
the next year, marginally adequate, or inade-
quate. In situations where public facilities
serving an area are projected to be only mar-
ginally adequate or inadequate over the next
year, the Code sets out a review procedure to
be followed when issuing development per-
mits in that area.
The Code states that "the county shall not
approve applications for development in ar-
eas of the county which are served by inade-
quate facilities identified in the annual ade-
quate facilities (Public Facility Capacity As-
sessment) report, except the county may ap-
prove development that will have no reduc-
tion in the capacity of the facility or where
the developer agrees to increase the level of
service of the facility to the adopted level of
service standard." The Code goes on to state
that "in areas of marginal facility capacity as
identified in the current annual adequate fa-
cilities report, the county shall either deny the
application or condition the approval so that
the level of service standard is not violated."
2
The determination of an additional development's impact on existing public facilities in areas
with marginal or inadequate capacity is determined by a "facilities impact report" which must
be submitted with a development application.
Service Areas
Section 9.5-292(b)(2) of the Code divides unincorporated Monroe County into three service ar-
eas for the purposes of assessing potential growth and how public facilities can accommodate
that growth. The boundaries mentioned in the Code have been revised to account for recent in-
corporations. The map on the following page shows the three service areas of the Keys as they
are currently recognized.
The Upper Keys service area includes all unincorporated Monroe County north of the Tavernier
Creek Bridge. The Middle Keys includes the area of Unincorporated Monroe County between
the Seven-Mile Bridge and the Tavernier Creek Bridge. The Lower Keys is Unincorporated
Monroe County south of the Seven Mile Bridge.
Map of Service Areas
,
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.ct,
The Middle Keys
MM 91-47
The Upper Keys
MM 112-91
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The Lower Keys
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3
Unfortunately, the data available on popula-
tion, permitting, and public facilities does not
always conform to the above boundaries for
the Upper, Middle, and Lower Keys. Addi-
tionally, due to the incorporation of Islamo-
rada and Marathon (which are excluded from
this assessment where specified) the bounda-
ries identified in Section 9.5-292(b) are no
longer valid for unincorporated Monroe
County. This report makes use of the best
available data, aggregated as closely as possi-
ble to the boundaries shown in on the follow-
ing page.
Previous Board Action
Due to unavailability of any reserve capacity
for traffic on US-Ion Big Pine Key, the
County was required to impose a moratorium
in 1995 on any new development on Big
Pine. In December 1997, as a result of a
change in the methodology used to determine
level of service, the moratorium on Big Pine
Key was lifted. However, the results of the
1999 Travel Time and Delay Study indicated
that the segment of US-I through Big Pine
Key once again fell below the adopted LOS
standard. Due in part to the re-timing of the
intersection of US I and Key Deer Boule-
vard, the level of service on the Big Pine seg-
ment of US I improved in 2000, but de-
creased again in 2001 and 2002. Based on
the 2003 Arterial Travel Time and Delay
Study the LOS had increased to 'C'. Mean-
ing, there was sufficient reserve capacity, and
the moratorium on traffic generating develop-
ment was lifted. The improvement in the
LOS is due in part to further re-timing of the
intersection and an intersection improvement
project, which was completed by FDOT in
2005. It is not anticipated that these improve-
ments will permanently improve the LOS on
Big Pine Key, but a 3-laning project is being
designed by FDOT to achieve a longer term
acceptable level of service. The Planning and
Environmental Resources Department has
completed a Master Plan for Big Pine Key
and No Name Key, which has been adopted
and which will address future solutions to
traffic problems within the community.
Areas of Critical County Concern
At the County Commission's discretion, areas
with marginally adequate facilities may be
designated as Areas of Critical County Con-
cern (ACCC), pursuant to Sections 9.5-473
and 9.5-473.1 of the Code. The rationale be-
hind this designation is to assure that devel-
opment in ACCC areas does not impact exist-
ing public facilities to the extent that develop-
ment must be halted in the area.
Should the Board initiate the ACCC designa-
tion process, the Development Review Com-
mittee and Planning Commission must re-
view the proposed designation. Section 9.5-
473(c) requires the designation to include
"Specific findings regarding the purpose of
the designation, the time schedule for the
planning effort to be implemented, identifica-
tion of the sources offimdingfor the planning
and potential implementing mechanisms, de-
lineation of a work program, a schedule for
the work program and the appointment of an
advisory committee, if appropriate. "
4
I. GROWTH ANALYSIS
This section of the report examines the
growth of Monroe County over the last year.
This analysis considers the changes in popu-
lation, the number of residential building per-
mits issued, and the amount of nonresidential
floor area permissible. Growth trends will be
examined for both the unincorporated as well
as the incorporated portions of the County.
Population Composition
There are three different measurements of
population in Monroe County: the functional
population, the permanent population, and the
seasonal population. The capacity of most
public facilities is designed based on poten-
tial peak demand. To help assess peak de-
mand, the permanent and seasonal popula-
tions are often combined to gIVe a
"functional" population, or the maximum
population demanding services.
The projected permanent population was ini-
tially based on a methodology created by The
Department of Planning and Environmental
Resources, and was based on 1990 Census
data. Since then the permanent population
model ha~ been updated to report 2000 Cen-
sus data and 2005 estimated Census data.
The reason for the update in the Permanent
population figures is due to new trends that
were reflected in 2000 Census data and again
in the 2005 Estimates which are showing a
declining permanent population. Table 8a on
the following page shows that the old model
had overestimated the permanent population:
by 2000 the old model overestimated perma-
nent residents by 6,033 and the gap widened
to an over estimation of 11,976 of the perma-
nent residents in 2005. By applying the new
methodology and model with the 2000 year
as the base year the population estimates are
more accurate. The Updated projections esti-
mated 77.490 residents in 2005 while the
Census estimated 76,329 only a 1,161 differ-
ence. At this time the Planning and Envi-
ronmental Resources is revising the method-
ology for population projection to update sea-
sonal population figures as well in order to
arrive at a revised overall functional popula-
tion.
Projected permanent residents spend most or
all of the year in the County, while the sea-
sonal population includes seasonal residents
and the tourist population. Seasonal popula-
tion can be derived from hotels, motels,
campsites, recreational vehicles, live aboard
vessels, those staying with friends and rela-
tives, and vacation rentals (The vacation rent-
als are accounted for within the census data
under housing units, more specifically desig-
nated as "Vacant" and more specifically des-
ignated as "for seasonal, recreational, or oc-
casional use").
It is important to remember that permanent
population figures are for the entire calendar
year, while the seasonal population figures
used here is the number of seasonal residents
and visitors in the Keys on any given eve-
ning. Seasonal population figures are not the
total number of seasonal residents or visitors
in the county over the calendar year, but the
estimated number who stay on any given
night.
The Tourist Development Council indicates
that Monroe County hosts around three mil-
lion visitors a year, however not of all these
people are in the Keys on the same evening.
Peak seasonal population figures represent
the number of people who could stay on any
given evening based upon peak occupancy
rates, and therefore represent the peak de-
mand which could be placed on public facili-
ties from seasonal visitors on any given eve-
nmg.
When the peak seasonal population figures
are combined with the permanent resident
population, the result is the functional popu-
lation. Actual 2000 Census data for the per-
manent population indicates a trend towards a
higher seasonal percentage of the functional
5
population.
Planning Area Enumeration Dis-
tricts (PAEDs)
PAEDs, or Planning Area Enumeration Dis-
tricts, . are the basic unit of geographical
analysIs used by the Planning and Environ-
mental Resources Department. The PAEDs
are. a combination of the "planning areas"
ulihzed by the Planning Department in the
early 1980s and the US Census Bureau's
"enumeration districts". These two levels of
analysis were combined in 1987 for ease of
use. Since most PAEDs follow island
boundaries, they can be aggregated to match
most service districts for public facilities.
t.
"
PAED 15
"
PAEO 14
The chart below shows the individual PAEDs
by their mile marker ranges, and also shows
the islands included within a particular
PAED's boundary.
There are a total of twenty-two (22) PAEDs
in Unincorporated Monroe County. The City
of Key West (including northern Stock Is-
land) is not contained within any PAED
boundaries. The City of Key Colony Beach is
contained within the geographic area of
PAED 8, but is not included with the PAED
population figures. The City of Marathon en-
compasses PAEDs 7, 8, & 9, and its popula-
lion IS contained within unincorporated Mon-
roe County until 2000. The City of Layton
II
6
falls within PAED 11, but its population is
removed from Unincorporated Monroe
County. The Village of Islamorada occupies
PAEDs ]2A, ]2B, 13, & ]4, and has its own
population figures starting in ]998. PAEDs
] 9 and 20 are the last PAEDs before the
"bend" in US-], and have been grouped to-
gether in this report because of data con-
straints. The dividing line between PAEDs is
the center of US-I.
As mentioned earlier, Section 9.5-292 of the
Land Development Regulations (LDRs) di-
vides Monroe County into three service areas.
The Upper Keys service area includes PAEDs
]2B through 22, or the area from Mile
Marker 83.5 to 112, the Middle Keys in-
cludes PAEDs 7 through 13 (Mile Marker
47.5 to 83.4), and the Lower Keys service
area is composed of PAEDs ] through 6 from
Mile Marker 4 to 47.4.
Functional Population
The functional population is the sum of the
number of permanent residents and the peak
seasonal population. Figure 1. 3 shows the
functional population for all of Monroe
County (including the incorporated areas),
excluding Mainland Monroe County and the
population in the Dry Tortugas. The func-
tional population of Monroe County is pro-
jected to decrease by 938 people from 2005
to 20] 5 . This represents an decrease of
(.62%) over the ten year period. As men-
tioned earlier the seasonal population figures
are being revised which may change this fig-
ure.
Figure 1.4 shows the trend in Functional
Population Changes from ]990 to 20]5. One
will notice a dip in the chart in 2000 which is
due to updated permanent population figures
provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
I Stock Is land
2 Boca Chica, East Rockland, Big Coppitt, Geiger, Shark
3 Saddlebunch Keys, Lower Sugarloaf, Upper Sugarloaf
4a Cudjoe, Sunnnerland, Ramrod, Big-Middle-Little Torch
4b No NaIre Key
5 Big Pine Key
6 W. Sumrnerland, Spanish Harbor, Bahia Honda, Ohio, Missouri, Little Duck, Pigeon Key
7 Knight, Hog, Vaca, Boot, Stilmp (Mamthon)
8 Fat Deer, Little Crawl, Crawl #5, (Marathon) & (Key Colony Beach)
9 Grassy Key (Marathon)
10 Duck Key, Little Conch Key, Conch Key
11 Long Key, Fiesta Key, (Layton)
120 Craig Key, Lower Matecwnbe (Islamorada)
12b Windley Key (Islamorada)
13 T eatable Key, Upper Matecwnbe (Islarnomda)
14 Plantation Key (Islarnomda)
15 Key Largo (Iavernier area)
16 Key Largo
17 Key Largo (Rock Harbor)
18 Key Largo
19-20 Key Largo
21 Key Largo (North Key Largo, Ocean Reef, Card Sound area)
22 Cross Key (18 Mile Stretch area)
Source: Monroe Cowty Planning Depertment, 2006
4-6
7-12.4
125-205
20.6-29
N/A
29.5-33
34.5-46
47.5-53.2
53.3-56.4
56.5-60
61-64
65-71
72-78
83.5-85.5
79-83.4
85.6-91
91.1-94.5
94.6-98
98.1-100.6
100.7-103.5
103.6-107.5
N/A
107.6-112
The numerical and percent change columns
show that the rate of decrease will be steady
159000
157000
c
0
~ 155000
"
0- 153000
0
D-
(ij 151000
c
0 /--
~ 149000 ~
c
::>
"-
147000
145000
@ ~
S'! ~
over the same time period (see Figure 1.5).
2005
2010
2015
1:::::I#4j;fflll!~:: """(
1:!I::I:I'~lr~:'liii:il'I:~~:t
151,227 .
151,039 -188
150,101 -938
-0.12%
-0.62%
.
Source: Monroe Count Plannin D artment, 2006
~~.Al
\
'~.-......
-+--....-.....
~
l\l
'"
~
~
@
N
~
N
8
N
~
N
~
N
o
o
N
N
o
N
..
o
N
I Source: Monroe County Planninp; Department, 2006
1...+... Trend in Population Changes 1
"'"
'j; 3.00%
e
CJ 2.00%
c
.Q 1.00%
;;
"S
~ 0.00%
0
~
.~ -1.00%
~
'" -2.00%
c
m
"'"
() -3.00%
If. @
S'!
Functional Population
~~Jil
'-"'''..
'",'
Sl
'"
~
l\l
'"
~
ill
'"
@
N
~
N
8
N
~
N
~
N
o
o
N
N
o
N
..
o
N
Source: Monroe COlln Plannin D artmen 2006
1--..... Functional Fbpulation I
8
Projected Permanent and Seasonal
Population
The total permanent resident population in
Monroe County is projected to decrease from
78,024 people in 1990 to a potential 75,389
people in 2015, a decrease of 3.37% over the
twenty-five year period. The projected per-
manent resident population as a percentage of
the functional population fluctuates between
50% and 52% from 1990 to 2015. The years
1991 and 1993 were the only years in which
the county-wide permanent resident growth
rate exceeded one percent (1 %) per year.
The peak seasonal population in Monroe
County is projected to grow from 70,493 peo-
ple in 1990 to 74,712 people by 2015, an in-
crease of six percent (6%) over the twenty-
five year period. The peak seasonal popula-
tion as a percentage of the functional popula-
tion fluctuates between 47% in 1990 to 49%
by 2015. The county-wide peak seasonal
population growth rate exceeded four percent
(4%) in 1993. Growth rates fluctuated be-
tween -1. 7% and 1. 9% for the remainder of
the years under study, and are expected to
continue to decline. See figure 1.6.
The incorporation of Islamorada and Mara-
thon has created substantial reductions in
both permanent and seasonal population for
the Upper and Middle Keys service areas.
The Upper Keys service area lost 12% of its
functional population due to the incorporation
of Islamorada, and the Middle Keys service
area lost 87% of its functional population as a
result of the incorporation of the City of
Marathon.
2000 Census Population
The proj ected population data through 2015
presented in this report (both the permanent
and seasonal populations) was originally
based on 1990 census data The permanent
population model was updated in 2006 using
2000 Census population data as a base. A
comparison of the projected 2000 permanent
population and the actual population reported
in the 2000 census shows that the projection
overestimated the population of Monroe
County by 6,033 people.
Furthermore, based on 2005 estimated popu-
lations from the census bureau the gap be-
tween Monroe County projections for 2005
consisting of 88,305 people versus the esti-
mated census of 76,329 people shows the gap
widening even further to a difference of
11,976 people.
Taking this discrepancy into account the
model was revised and concluded that the
permanent population of Monroe County is
not growing as rapidly as predicted. In addi-
tion a new trend will need to be monitored
which has to do with the increase in
"seasonal, recreational, or occasional use"
housing units counted as "vacant" housing
unitS.
Housing units per the Census bureau are bro-
ken down into occupied and vacant units.
Occupied housing units form the basis for
population projections. 72.67% percent of
housing units were "occupied" in 1990 which
dropped to 67.97% in 2000. Since occupied
housing units form the basis of population it
would seem odd that there was still a slight
74,533
76,506
74,712
75,389
148517 153,080 151,227 151039 150101
Source: Monroe Count Plannin De artmen 2006
9
increase in population even though the occu-
pied housing units declined. See Figure I. 7
and Figures 1.8.
However, upon closer analysis it must be
noted that approximately 253 new housing
units are added to the market each year by
way of the Rate of Growth Ordinance. 253
new housing units added to the market each
year with an average household size of 2.23
one could expect this would add 564 resi-
dents to the population count each year.
However, as was mentioned earlier perma-
nent population is tied to housing units, and
since the number of occupied housing units
have been shrinking, therefore the population
has not been growing at an expected rate and
in fact as evidenced by 2005 Census esti-
mates the permanent population is actually
beginning to decline.
Number of Residential Permits
The second major component of the Growth
Analysis Section is the number of residential
permits issued. The majority of the new resi-
dential permits issued are for permanent resi-
dential use. However, some of the permits
issued for permanent dwellings are used by
the seasonal population.
One issue to remember when considering
"""""",{{,{"" '.. ... . ......'19\!lF........ "".""....,.".,. ....'.'..."... '..".."..."..,.,..t.' )),"20110"",::"" """""""""""""""".""."
'.'..,.'..,.'..'.'..,.'..,.'.....""..............".......'.'..'...'.....'.'..'......'. '....'...,...,.i...j~....'.}..."..:...i.:.i.i...i.i.f... .......i...'.............:.~.:.......'...........,',h.'......;.....~"""..... ......""".... .............~I. .....~_......
"'~.. .,,~.. ....~'" .. ~..,,~'''''''' ::::;;;;;;;;-:. ',"'.'..'. "",,"',:"..'.,.'. ...,.'.... :.......t,;..."'..r..'..........~.',,'......;." :.....:.~ :.......:..:.............
.tlmllll,:lili'lW'lillMj~~~' ........:...~.A.........~..~.....~...:....~..........~...:.:.:......,...:.1...:.:..... :.....i...ij.i.i~...:...:.".;...:._....~.........:.~.....i.i............I.I.... "'Do ,........*....
~~~~II~II: .i:II}".':.. }@jf);j... iItiii..1ii1iriil:I' i!..~i~~ll
Unincorporated
Area 52.032 N/A 36,036 39,273 34,979
Incorporated
Areas 25,992 N/A 43,553 46,349 41,350
Total 78,014 78,855 -831 79,589 85,622 -6,033 76,329
Source: U.S Census Bureau and MOlU'oe Count Plannin De artmen 2006
.......................-.-.'.-.-........
.....-.........'.....'.....'.......'....
"'k,fi!iiiiiI
..II~'..:
.:i!!~..
N/A
N/A
88,305
-11 ,976
1990 # 1990 2000 2000 Percent
of Units Percent # of
Units
Occupied 33583 72.67% 35086 67.97% -4.69%
Vacant 12632 27.33% 16531 32.03% 4.69%
For Rent 2010 15.91% 1716 10.38%
For Sale Only 943 7.47% 668 4.04%
Rented or sold, not 560 4.43% 358 2.17%
occupied
Seasonal, recrea- 7928 62.76% 12332 74.60% 11.84%
tional or occasional use
For Migrant Workers 6 0.05% 46 0.28%
Other 1185 9.38% 1411 8.54%
Total Housing Units 46215 100.00% 51617 100.00% 11.69%
Source: D.S Census Bureau and Monroe COUll PI D artment, 2006
10
growth based upon building permits is the
time lapse that occurs between when a permit
for a new residence is issued, and when that
residence is ultimately occupied. The knowl-
edge that the Rate of Growth Ordinance
(ROGO) was about to be adopted in the early
1990s caused many property owners to obtain
building permits prior to when they were pre-
pared to construct their dwellings. As a re-
sult, there are many dwellings in the Keys
that have permits, but are not yet fully con-
structed or are only partially complete.
Based upon this time lapse, the number of
residential permits issued overstates the ac-
tual number of new residential dwellings that
currently require public facilities.
The number of dwelling units (permanent and
seasonal) which can be permitted in Monroe
County has been controlled by ROGO since
July of 1992. ROGO was developed as a re-
sponse to the inability of the road network to
accommodate a large-scale hurricane evacua-
tion in a timely fashion. A series of complex
models developed during the first evacuation
study identified an approximate number of
additional dwelling units which could be per-
mitted and which would not have a detrimen-
tal effect on the amount of time needed to
evacuate the Keys. The ROGO system was
developed as a tool to equitably distribute the
remaining number of permits available both
geographically and over time.
The ROGO system distributes a set number
of allocations for new residential permits on a
yearly basis from July 14 of one year to July
13th of the following year. Year 13 of the
system started on July 14, 2004. Year 14 be-
gan on July 14, 2005. Each service area of
unincorporated Monroe County and several
of the incorporated areas receive a set number
of allocations for new residential permits that
can be issued during that particular ROGO
year. The number of allocations available to
a particular area was based upon the supply
of vacant buildable lots located in that area
prior to the start of the ROGO system. The
Ocean Reef area of north Key Largo is ex-
empted from the ROGO system due to its
proximity to Card Sound Road, an alternate
evacuation route.
The ROGO system allowed 255 allocations
for new residential units in unincorporated
Monroe County each year for the first six
years of the ROGO system. The number of
allocations available was reduced by the State
of Florida Administration Commission during
Year 7 of ROGO based upon a lack of pro-
gress on the implementation of the Year 2010
Comprehensive Plan. Available allocations
were reduced by twenty percent (20%), tak-
ing the available figure from 255 to 204 new
residential units.
The number of available allocations in unin-
corporated Monroe County was further re-
duced by the incorporation of Islamorada,
which now receives 22 residential allocations
per year. The incorporation of Islamorada
reduced the number of available allocations
in unincorporated Monroe County from 204
to 182. This number was further reduced by
the incorporation of Marathon, which re-
ceived a total of 24 new residential alloca-
tions. Marathon recently has had their alloca-
tions raised to 30. The incorporation of
Marathon reduced the number of available
new residential allocations in unincorporated
Monroe County from 182 to 158. Rule 28-20
if adopted by the Administrative Commission
will increase the County allocation back to
the original 197 units a year, 71 units a year
will be allocated for affordable housing. Rule
28-20 is pending approval of the Tier System.
The Tier system was approved by both the
BOCC and the State in 2006 however an ap-
peal to the Tier system has put the final ap-
proval on hold.
Based on the 158 allocations, the ROGO sys-
tem, in unincorporated Monroe County, now
allocates 46 units to the Upper Keys service
11
area, 7 units to the Middle Keys service area,
and 74 units to the Lower Keys, for an annual
total of 127 market rate residential units each
ROGO year. The remaining 31 allocations
are for affordable housing.
At the end of Quarter 3 Year 14 (April 2006)
there were 117.5 ROGO allocations for Very
Low, Low, & Median Income and 124.5 for
Moderate Income.
On Aug. 1,2006 Ty Symroski, Growth Man-
agement Director authorized the release of 40
Affordable Housing Allocations/Nutrient
Credits. Therefore the following is the
amount of Affordable Housing remaining at
the end of ROGO Year 14 (July 2006).
. 117.5 for Very Low, Low, & Median
Income
. 84.5 for Moderate Income
There are 202 remaining affordable housing
ROGO allocations to rollover to Year
15. With the addition of71 Affordable Hous-
ing ROGO allocations for year 15, the total
AFH for Year 15 is 273.
Figure 1.1 0, on the following page, shows
the breakdown of new residential permits is-
sued for unincorporated Monroe County
since 1992. The data presented in the table
does not include permits issued in Key West,
Key Colony Beach, Layton, or Islamorada.
Also, the boundaries between the Upper and
Middle Keys service areas, and the bounda-
ries used for this data are slightly different
The chart below compares the boundaries.
Basically, the service areas from the Code
breaks at Whale Harbor Channel, and does
not include Upper and Lower Matecumbe in
the Upper Keys, while the permitting records
break at Channel Five and do include Upper
and Lower Matecumbe in the Upper Keys.
Figure 1.9 explains these differences.
According to Building Department records
3,470 residential permits were issued from
1993 to 2005, with 79% (2,754) being issued
to single family residences. Only 12% (425)
of the residential permits were issued to du-
plex, multifamily, or mobile home projects.
1,369 residential permits issued in the past
decade were issued in 1991 to 1992 as appli-
cants were attempting to obtain permits prior
to ROGO. A total of 295 residential permits
were issued in unincorporated Monroe
Couoty in 2005, an increase from 2004.
Fi ure 1.9 - Bounda Com arison Table
;;;'itiIt!l\\iiiiliiiKi&M';i"tiIIW ;g,;i;i"i'l!iii\l~J)m&I} .....
:iliil&"~ililllilll~lilllillilllll!ii!iill!.&~.~I!
12B-22 83.5-112 12A-22 71-112
7-13 47.5- 83.4 7-13 47.5-70.9
1-6 4-47.4 1-6 4-47.4
Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Ke s
Source: Monroe Count Buildin D artment, 2006
12
Figure 1.10 - New and Replacement Residential and Selllional Unib Permitted by Year for Unincorporated Monroe County
:~~I~lli~::li' "J~ijHi ill~~~i~:: .. ..,. ." . . . .
;~ '.:!M@iMliiIMlli'iIJi ;(;ll:'\WlIl'Mil!:;
'in) ::. ,.,.,..,.,.,.,.,.,.,....,.,.,.,...--....--,. ......................
................................
.,..,..,..,..,..,...........,
1993 Upper Keys 104 0 0 5 0 109
Middle Keys 55 2 0 1 0 58
Lower Keys 80 0 0 1 0 81
Subtotal 239 2 0 7 0 248
1994 Upper Keys 109 0 0 3 0 112
Middle Keys 94 0 0 0 0 94
Lower Keys 36 0 0 1 0 37
Subtotal 239 0 0 4 0 243
1995 Upper Keys 131 2 0 4 0 137
Middle Keys 27 2 2 1 5 37
Lower Keys 144 0 0 0 0 144
Subtotal 302 4 2 5 5 318
1996 Upper Keys 114 0 3 3 0 120
Middle Keys 40 0 15 0 0 55
Lower Keys 83 0 0 6 0 89
Subtotal 237 0 18 9 0 264
1997 Upper Keys 89 0 12 0 0 101
Middle Keys 27 4 0 0 77 108
Lower Keys 73 0 0 0 0 73
Subtotal 189 4 12 0 77 282
1998 Upper Keys 78 0 0 3 0 81
Middle Keys 13 0 0 0 110 123
Lower Keys 66 0 0 0 0 66
Subtotal 157 0 0 3 110 270
1999 Upper Keys 138 0 0 2 0 140
Middle Keys 20 0 0 24 63 107
Lower Keys 87 0 0 0 1 88
Subtotal 245 0 0 26 64 335
2000 Upper Keys 67 0 35 0 0 102
Middle Keys 4 0 0 0 34 38
Lower Keys 75 0 0 0 0 75
Subtotal 146 0 35 0 34 215
2001 Upper Keys 62 0 13 7 1 83
Middle Keys 9 0 0 10 0 19
Lower Keys 80 0 0 38 0 118
Subtotal 151 0 13 55 1 220
2002 Upper Keys 75 0 0 14 0 89
Middle Keys 111 0 25 22 0 158
Lower Keys 7 0 0 45 0 52
Subtotal 193 0 25 81 0 299
2003 Upper Keys 72 0 0 17 0 89
Middle Keys 138 0 0 22 0 160
Lower Keys 25 0 0 5 0 30
Subtotal 235 0 0 44 0 279
2004 Upper Keys 41 0 0 37 0 78
Middle Keys 83 0 0 9 0 92
Lower Keys 2 0 0 1 0 3
Subtotal 126 0 0 47 0 173
2005 Upper Keys 81 0 0 15 0 96
Middle Keys 183 0 0 10 0 193
Lower Keys 31 0 0 4 0 35
Subtotal 295 0 0 29 0 324
TOTAL 2754 10 105 310 291 3470
Source: Monroe Count Buildin D artment, 2006
3
Figures 1.11 and 1.12 show the distribution
of new residential permits issued in unincor-
Figure 1.12 shows the composition of resi-
dential permits issued in 2004 and 2005. No
Figure 1.11- Comparison of Residential Permits by Service Area 2004-2005
LO\\erKeys
11%.
Upper Keys
30%
2005
Middle Keys
59%
Source: Monroe County Building Department 2006
Lower Keys
2%
2004
Upper Keys
45%
Middle Keys
53%
Figure 1.12 - Comparison of Residential Permit Type. 2004-2005
Mobile
HomelRV
9%
Multi-Family
0%
Duplex
0%
Hotel/Motel
0%
Source: Momoe County Building Department 2006
porated Monroe County during 2004 and
2005.
Figure 1.11 shows a decrease in the total
number of permits issued in the Upper and
Lower Keys service areas relative to the num-
ber issued in the Middle Keys from 2004 to
2005. There were 151 more new residential
permits issued in 2005 than 2004.
2004 HotellMotel
0.00%
Mobile
HomelRV
27.17%
Single
Family
72.83%
Multi-Family
Duplex
0.00% 0.00%
new duplexes or multi family dwelling units
were permitted in either year. Single family
residential permits occupy the largest per-
centage in both years, with 169 additional
single-family permits being issued in 2005.
The number of mobile home permits de-
creased by 18.
14
Figure 1.13 shows the total number of permits
issued in unincorporated Monroe County from
1993 to 2005.
Figure 1.14 shows the breakdown in the types
of residential permits issued over the last dec-
ade.
400
350
.~ 300
~ 250
0.
~ 200
0
-
0
.0 150
e
~
100
50
0
Figure 1.l3-Comparison of Residential Permit Types 1993-2005
1m ~ 1m I~ 1m 1m ~ = = = ~ = =
I D Single Family D Duplex. Multi-Family !lI Mobile HomeJRV. HoteVMotell
Figure 1.14 - Types of Penn its Issued 1993-2005
Mobile
HomelRV
9%
HoteVMotel
8%
Multi-Family
3%
Duplex
0%
Single Family
8oo/,
Source: Monroe County Building Department, 2006
IS
Non-Residential Square Footage
Nonresidential permitting also plays a role in
growth analysis. Nonresidential permits in-
clude everything that is not residential, like:
industrial, commercial, nonprofit & public
buildings, and replacement or remodeling of
existing nonresidential structures. Also in-
cluded are vested and ROGO exempt hotels,
motels, campgrounds, marinas and other
commercial facilities
With very little industrial and agricultural ac-
tivity in the Keys, the predominant form of
nonresidential development is commercial.
In Monroe County, there are two primary
types of commercial development: retail trade
and services (which includes tourism-related
development such as marinas and restau-
rants). Therefore, the impact of nonresiden-
tial development on public facilities varies
significantly based on the type of commercial
use.
Nonresidential and residential developments
tend to fuel one another. Residential popula-
tions provide markets for nonresidential ac-
tivities. Nonresidential development, in tum,
helps to drive population growth by provid-
ing services and employment. Certain types
of nonresidential development also concen-
trate the demand for public facilities within
certain locations and during peak periods.
The Monroe County Building Department
tracks the number of nonresidential permits
by subdistrict in unincorporated Monroe
County. In addition to the number of permits,
the Building Department tracks the amount of
square footage affected in each nonresidential
building permit issued.
Figure 1.15, on the following page, shows the
trends in nonresidential permitting from I993
to 2005. The subdistricts shown in the chart
do not directly correspond to the service areas
mandated in section of 9.5-292 of the Land
Development Regulations. Refer to the
boundary descriptions found in Figure 1.9 of
this report to compare the two areas. There
were ten non-residential permits issued for
commercial construction. In 2005 the head-
ing of Figure 1.15, on the following page,
was changed to exclude the previously used
term "redevelopment" in the heading. There-
fore the number of permits and corresponding
square footage refer only to new non-
residential development permits and the cor-
responding square footage. Figure USA is a
new table that was added to show the total
number of non-residential permits that were
issued in each sub-area.
Figure 1.15A - Number of Commer-
cial Perm~s bv Year
2004 Upper Keys 443
Middle Keys 51
Lower Keys 268
Subtotal 762
2005 Upper Keys 415
Middle Keys 68
Lower Keys 154
Subtotal 637
TOTALS 1,399
Source: Monroe County Blda. Deot. 2006
Figure 1.16 shows the relative amount of
square footage permitted in each of the three
service areas from 1993 to 2005.
Figure 1.16- New Commercial Square
Footage by Senice Area 1992-2004
Lower
Keys
17%
Upper
Keys
43%
Middle
Keys
40%
Source: Monroe County Building Department, 2006
16
1993 Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Keys
Subtotal
1994 Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Keys
Subtotal
1995 Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Keys
Subtotal
1996 Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Keys
Subtotal
1997 Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Keys
Subtotal
1998 Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Keys
Subtotal
1999 Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Keys
Subtotal
2000 Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Keys
Subtotal
2001 Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Keys
Subtotal
2002 Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Keys
Subtotal
2003 Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Keys
Subtotal
2004 Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Keys
Subtotal
2005 Upper Keys
Middle Keys
Lower Keys
Subtotal
4
4
4
12
4
7
4
15
24
12
8
44
17
6
2
25
14
83
2
99
4
73
1
78
8
68
1
77
8
68
5
81
31
1
4
36
3
o
26
29
7
37
o
44
2
2
2
6
3
5
2
10
556
:n:fMfJiMiiJ~:: :':'::::~:~Hrt/t:i:
16,334
24,812
27,236
68,382
24,648
31,079
o
55,727
147,319
109,331
10,004
266,654
102,795
93,334
14,149
210,278
93,503
8,420
18,327
120,250
60,936
16,304
24,152
101.392
14,861
84,715
2,054
101.630
33,873
75,584
19,168
128,625
73,307
4,998
8,575
86,880
3,773
o
110,805
1l4.578
13,651
110,446
o
124.097
5,200
5,598
7,480
18,278
Unk.
Unk.
Unk.
10,925
1 407, 696
TOTALS
Source: Monroe Count Buildin D artmen 2006
.Heading changcd in 2005 to indicate only "ncw" previously stated "new and redevelop-
ment". In addition the numbers onl reflect new commercial structures.
17
Figure 1.17 shows the trends in the amOlmt of
nonresidential permitting activity have fluctu-
ated throughout the last decade. The permit-
ting activity based on square footage affected
generally declined from 1990 through 1994
with a major jump in affected area occurring
in 1995 which resulted from the knowledge
of an impending implementation of a nonresi-
dential permit allocation system similar to the
ROGO system for residential development.
Comprehensive Plan proposed Policy
101.3.1, which states:
"Monroe County shall maintain a bal-
ance between residential and nonresidential
growth by limiting the gross square footage of
nonresidential development over the 15 year
planning horizon in order to maintain a ratio
of approximately 239 square feet of nonresi-
dential development for each new residential
Figure 1.17 - Nonresidential Pennits by Senice Area 1993-2005
31JO,000
~ 250,000
] 21JO,000
"
"
"'" 150,000
.;;
"
~ 100,000
~
~ 50,000
0
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
_UpperKeys _Middle Keys = Lower Keys -+-Total
Since residential development is constrained
through the Rate of Growth Ordinance and
the Permit Allocation System, it was thought
that nonresidential (commercial) develop-
ment should also be constrained in the inter-
est of maintaining a balance ofland uses.
At the time the Comprehensive Plan was pre-
pared in 1991, 17.6% of the land was under
residential use, while 4.6% was used for com-
mercial development as indicated in Table
2.1, Monroe County Existing Land Uses, in
the Monroe County Year 2010 Comprehen-
sive Plan Technical Document. 1t was deter-
mined that this balance was appropriate given
the knowledge available at the time the Com-
prehensive Plan was prepared.
To assure that balance was maintained, the
unit permitted through the Permit Allocation
In other words, the Comprehensive Plan lim-
its the square footage of new commercial de-
velopment that may be permitted. The com-
mercial square footage allocation is 239
square feet for each (1) new residential per-
mit issued. This equates to around 37,762
square feet of new commercial development
per year throughout unincorporated Monroe
County.
Between adoption of the 2010 Comprehen-
sive Plan on April 15, 1993, and December
31, 2001, permits were issued for 462,529
square feet of non-residential floor space,
which was not exempted from the compre-
hensive plan defined non-residential permit
allocation system. This amount of non-
residential floor space includes permits for
18
development within the Village ofIslamorada
and City of Marathon prior to their respective
incorporation.
Of the total square feet permitted, 276,641
square feet was permitted after April 15,
1993 (adoption of the 2010 Comprehensive
Plan) and prior to January 4, 1996. The re-
maining 185,888 square feet was permitted
after that date for projects vested from the
non-residential permit allocation system pro-
visions of the 2010 Comprehensive Plan.
The BOCC adopted NROGO in September
2001. The approval was challenged, but sub-
sequently a settlement was reached and
NROGO became effective November 2002.
Applicants were requesting 18,222 square
footage of floor area for the year 10 NROGO
allocation. There was 44,292 SF of non-
residential floor area available for year 10
(July 2001-July 2002). The BOCC approved
22,150 SF to be allocated for year 10. At the
end of the allocation period for year 10 there
was a total of 26,090 SF to be carried over to
year 11.
By year 12 (July 2003-July 2004), there was
approximately 85,858 SF of non-residential
floor area available for allocation. The Board
of County Commissioners approved the Plan-
ning Commission's recommendation that
10,700 square feet of floor area be made
available for Year 12. Monroe County Board
of County Commissioners later amended the
Year 12 annual allocation. By Resolution,
passed and adopted on March 18, 2004, the
Board of County Commissioners increased
the annual allocation for Year 12 to 16,000
square feet of floor area, all of which was
made available for applicants in a single allo-
cation in January, 2004. Of the 16,000
square feet, 11,913 were granted NROGO
allocations. 3,776 out of the remaining 4,587
square feet was allocated in July of 2004 with
the remaining 311 square feet of floor area to
be carried over.
By the year 13 (July 2004 - July 2005) there
was 80,741 square feet of non-residential
floor area available for allocation. On No-
vember 17, 2004 the Board of County Com-
missioners adopted in Resolution 424-2004
and approved 16,000 square feet of floor area
to be made obtainable for Year 13 (July 2004
- July 2005) with the first allocation of 8,000
square feet in January 2005, and the second
allocation of 8,000 square feet in July 2005.
5,075 out of the 16,000 square feet allocated
for year 13 was carried over to Year 14.
By year 14 (July 2005 - July 2006) there was
approximately 67,000 square feet of non-
residential floor area available for allocation.
On October 19, 2005 the Board of County
Commissioners adopted in Resolution 383-
2005 and approved 16,000 square feet of
floor area to be made obtainable for Year 14
(July 2005 - July 2006) with the first alloca-
tion of 8,000 square feet in January 2006 and
the second allocation of 8,000 in July 2006.
The BOCC will recommend in the fall of
2006 the amount of square feet to be allo-
cated for Year 15 (July 14, 2006 through July
13,2007)
Summary
To summarize, this growth analysis is based
upon projected changes in population as well
as residential and nonresidential permitting in
unincorporated Monroe County.
There are two groups that compose the popu-
lation in Monroe County: the permanent resi-
dent population, and the peak seasonal popu-
lation. The sum of these two groups gives
the functional population, or the maximum
number of people in the Keys on any given
evenmg.
The functional population of all Monroe
County is expected to grow very slightly
from 1990 to 2015. Planning Department
projections show the rate of increase in func-
19
tional population begins to slow after the year
2000.
The permanent population of all of Monroe
County, according to the 2000 Census was
reported as 79,589, an increase of 1,565 from
the 1990 Census. This is 6,093 less than the
proj ected 2000 popul ati on.
In terms of the number of residential permits,
a total of 324 residential permits (including
vested or ROGO exempt hotel rooms) were
issued in 2005, an increase from 2003.
From 1993 to 2005, 79% of the residential
permits (3,470) were issued to single family
residences, while only 12% (425) were issued
for multifamily, duplex, or mobile homes. A
total of 295 permits (79%) were issued for
single family residences in 2005.
The current rate of growth guidelines indicate
that unincorporated Monroe County has a
total of 158 permits it may issue during the
ROGO year (not including the additional 90
replacement affordable housing units which
were allowed by the DCA based upon the
lower enclosure removal program).
In terms of the number of new non-residential
permits, a total of 10,925 square feet of new
commercial development was issued between
July 2004 to July 2005. The Nonresidential
Rate of Growth Ordinance (NROGO) was
approved and became effective in November
2002. Based on approval by the BOCC, a
total of 16,000 square feet ofNROGO alloca-
tion was available for new non-residential
development in year 14. The BOCC will rec-
ommend in the fall of 2006 the amount of
square feet to be allocated for Year 15 (July2006 through July 2007).
20
IL TRANSPORTATION
FACILITIES
This section of the report investigates the cur-
rent capacity of the transportation network in
Monroe County. This analysis includes
changes in traffic volumes, the level of ser-
vice on U.S. 1, the reserve capacity of the
highway and county roads, and the Florida
Department of Transportation Five Year
Work Program for Monroe County.
Roads are one of the four critical public fa-
cilities identified for annual assessment in the
Land Development Regulations. In fact,
roads are the only public facility with clear
and specific standards for level of service
measurements identified in the Land Devel-
opment Regulations and Comprehensive
Plan. The regulations require all segments of
U.S. 1 to remain at a level of service of 'C',
and all County roads to be remain at a level
of service 'D'. Subsequent portions of this
section will explain the level of service meas-
urements, and how the level of service is cal-
culated.
Existing Roadway Facilities
Monroe County's roadway transportation
system is truly unique. Nowhere else is there
a chain of islands over 100 miles long con-
nected by 42 bridges along a single highway.
This single highway, the Overseas Highway
(U.S. 1), functions as a collector, an arterial,
and the "Main Street" for the Keys. U.S. 1 is
a lifeline for the Keys, from both economic
and public safety perspectives. Each day it
carries food, supplies, and tourists from the
mainland. In the event of a hurricane, it is
the only viable evacuation route to the
mainland for most of Monroe County.
U. S. 1 in Monroe County is predominantly a
two-lane road. Of its 112 total miles, ap-
proximately 80 miles (74%) are two-lane seg-
ments that are undivided. The four-lane sec-
tions are located on Key Largo, Tavernier
(MM 90 to 106), the Marathon area (MM 48
to 54), Bahia Honda (MM 35 to 37), and
from Key West to Boca Chica (MM 2 to 9).
In addition to U.S. 1, there are 450 miles of
County (secondary) roads with 38 bridges.
U.S. 1 and the County (secondary) roads have
a combined total of approximately 340 inter-
sections in the Keys. The Monroe County
Division of Public Works is charged with
maintaining and improving secondary roads
which are located within the boundaries of
unincorporated Monroe County. The Florida
Department of Transportation (FDOT) is re-
sponsible for maintaining U.S. 1.
Figure 2.1 identifies the traffic signals in op-
eration along the U.S. 1 corridor (excluding
those found on the island of Key West).
:mMi
mHliif
4.4 Stock Island College Road
4.6 Stock Island Cross Street
4.8 Stock Island MacDonald Avenue
19.5 Upper Sugarloaf Crane Boulevard
30.3 Big Pine Key Key Deer Blvd.
48.5 Marathon
50 Marathon
52.4 Marathon
52.5 Marathon
53 Marathon
53.5 Fat Deer Key
54 Fat Deer Key
33rd Street/School Cross-
Sombrero Beach Blvd.
107th Street
109th Street
Pedestrian Crossing
Key Colony Causeway
Coco Phun Drive
90 Plantation Key
90.5 Plantation Key
91.5 Tavernier
99. S Key Largo
10 1 Key Largo
10S Ke Lar 0
VVoodsAvenue/School
Snnshine Road
Ocean Boulevard
Atlantic Boulevard
Tradewinds
Pedestrian Crossi
ource: 2006 Arterial and Travel Time! Dela Stud VRS Inc.
21
Traffic Volumes
Traffic counts can be very useful in assessing
the capacity of the road network, and help
determine when capacity improvements need
to be made. The two primary measurements
for determining traffic volumes are the aver-
age daily traffic in an area (referred to as an
"ADT"), and the annual average daily traffic
(referred to as an "AADT"). Average daily
traffic counts are collected from both direc-
tions over seven twenty-four hour periods
which usually include a weekend. The
amount of traffic counted over the week is
then divided by five or seven to yield the av-
erage daily traffic for a particular location.
The "5-day ADT" measurement considers
only weekdays, and the "7-day ADT" in-
cludes the weekend. The ADT information
can then be used in a formula called a
"weekly factor" to estimate the annual aver-
age daily traffic, which is an estimate of the
average amount of traffic at a particular loca-
tion on any given day of the year.
In Monroe County, traffic counts have been
Fi ure 2.2
::I~jjij$:;t(:~ilOO
Big Pine Key (MM 30)
5-Day ADT 24,304
7-Day ADT 23,788
MDT 19,844
Marathon (MM 50)
5-Day ADT 37,405
7 -Day ADT 36,085
MDT 30,102
Upper Matecumbe (MM 84)
5-Day ADT 27,980
7-Day ADT 27,693
MDT 22,927
.I:.WiIljjij'
22,451
21,691
18,095
-7.62%
-8.82%
-8.81%
35,388
33,414
27,521
-5.39%
-7.40%
-8.57%
23,982
23,916
-14.29%
-13.64%
-12.98%
19,951
Source: 2006 Arterial and Travel Time! Dela Stud, URS Inc.
conducted in the same locations since 1992.
These counts occur at Mile Marker 84 on Up-
per Matecumbe, Mile Marker 50 in Mara-
thon, and at Mile Marker 30 on Big Pine Key.
The counts are usually performed during the
six-week peak tourist season which begins in
the second week of February. This year's
counts were completed between February 26
and March 11, 2006. Figure 2.2, on the fol-
lowing page, compares the traffic counts for
2006 with those for 2005.
Figure 2.2 shows that the average weekday
(5-Day ADT) and the average weekly (7-Day
ADT) traffic volumes, compared to last
year's data, decreased at Marathon, Upper
Matecumbe and Big Pine Key, The AADT
when compared to last year has decreased in
all three segments.
A detailed historical comparison of the
AADT traffic counts at all three locations for
the period from I996 to 2006 is shown in
Figure 2.3.
Figure 2.3 shows that the Marathon location
consistently records the highest traffic vol-
umes throughout the period, with counts gen-
erally in the upper 20,000 to 30,000 range.
The AADT counts for Big Pine hover in the
low 20,000 range over the period. Mean-
while Upper Matecumbe had been gradually
increasing from 1995 to 2004 from a range of
20,000 up to around 25,000. Since then Up-
per Matecumbe has been decreasing over the
past couple of years, now just under 20,000.
U.S. 1 historic traffic growth is depicted in a
regression analysis graph in Figure 2.4. A
linear regression analysis of the AADT at
each of the three locations over the last thir-
(1i!Wli@:1!lll~;
Big Pine Key 21,186 21,4% 19,866 20,843
Marathon 27,924 28,930 28,651 30,750
U erNlatecumbe 20083 21599 21301 22103
Source: 2006 Arterial and Travel Time! Dela Stud URS Inc.
E~ilili#i: :jl!lii! :::\:tjjijij
21,774 19,991 19,364 20,115 19,894 19,844 18,095
29,017 28,340 31,285 31,763 32,274 30,102 27,521
22410 21819 23 69 23 404 24328 22927 19951
22
teen years indicates that in the Big Pine Key
segment has negative growth rate of 0.76%
per year. Traffic growth rates in Marathon
and Upper Matecumbe segments of U.S. I
are positive 0.06% and .31% per year, respec-
tively.
Level of Service Background
Monroe County has conducted travel time
and delay studies of U.S. Ion an annual basis
since 1991. The primary objective of the
U.S. 1 Arterial
Travel Time
and Delay
Study is to
monitor the
level of ser-
vice on U.S.
Highway 1 for
concurrency
management
purposes pur-
suant to Chap-
ter 163, Flor-
ida Statutes
and Section
9.5-292 of the
Land Devel-
opment Regulations. The study utilizes an
empirical relationship between the volume-
based capacities and the speed-based level of
service methodology developed by the U.S. 1
Level of Service Task Force.
(Rural Two-Lane Highways) and Chapter 11
(Urban and Suburban Arterials) of the 1985
Highway Capacity Manual.
Overall Level of Service on U.S. 1
For the purposes of this study, overall speeds
are those speeds recorded over the 108-mile
length of US 1 in the Keys between Key
West and Dade County. Overall speeds re-
flect the conditions experienced during long
distance or through trips. Given that U.S. 1 is
Marathon
Figure 2.4 - Regression Analysis of AADTs 1996-2006
40000
30000
20000
10000
o
Rate of gro\\th
= .06% per year
....-_"'"'$_...=Ji::=.;.;..;~~ ...4i:....;..:.o;.;..;"
Upper Matecumbe Big Pine
... " Rate of omh Rate of grov.th
- -..... ... - - '#- - ... - -. - - ~~- -g:'II;'1' -... - - .- -... ,
' ,j'l % per year I PI' o-,per.,..earr I
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II
. Area '" Big Pine Key
Marathon .. .......... Upper Matecumbe
- Upper Matecumbe Trendhne - - Marathon Trendhne
- - - - Big Pine Key Trendhne
The U.S. 1 Level of Service Task Force is a
multi-agency group with members from
Monroe County, the Florida Department of
Transportation, and the Florida Department
of Community Affairs. A uniform methodol-
ogy was developed in 1993 and amended De-
cember 1997. The methodology adopted
considers both the overall level of service
from Key West to the mainland, and the level
of service on 24 selected segments. The
methodology was developed from basic crite-
ria and principles contained in Chapters 7
(Rural Multilane Highways), Chapter 8
the only principal arterial in Monroe County,
the movement of through traffic is an impor-
tant consideration.
The overall level of service or capacity of the
entire length of U.S. 1 is measured in the av-
erage speed of a vehicle traveling from one
end to the other of U.S. 1. The level of ser-
vice (LOS) criteria for overall speeds on U.S.
I in Monroe County, as adopted by the U.S. I
Level of Service Task Force, are as follows:
LOS A
LOSS
LOS C
LOS 0
LOS E
LOSF
51.0 mph or above
50.9 mph to 48 mph
47.9 mph to 45 mph
44.9 mph to 42 mph
41.9 mph to 36 mph
below 36 mph
Both Monroe County and the Florida Depart-
23
ment of Transportation have adopted a level
of service 'C' standard for the overall length
of u.s. 1. In other words, a vehicle traveling
from Mile Marker 4 to Mile Marker 112 (or
vice versa) must maintain an average speed
of at least 45 mph to achieve the level of ser-
vice 'C' standard.
The median overall speed during the 2006
study was 45.9 mph, which is 0.6 mph higher
than the 2005 median speed of 45.3 mph.
The mean operating speed was 45.9 mph with
a 95% confidence interval of plus or minus
0.5 mph. The mean and median speeds cor-
respond to LOS C conditions. The highest
overall speed recorded in the study was 48.3
mph (0 1 mph lower than the 2005 highest
overall speed of 48.4 mph), which occurred
on Thursday, March 2, 2006 between 3:30
p.m and 6:00 p.m, in the northbound direc-
tion. The lowest overall speed recorded was
40.8 mph (4.0 mph higher than the 2005 low-
est overall speed of 36.8 mph), which oc-
curred on Sunday, February 26, 2006 be-
tween 1:30 p.m. and 4:24 p.m in the
northbound direction. Figure 2.5 shows that
the overall median speed for U.S. 1 has re-
mained between 45.3 mph and 47.8 from
1992 to the present with it decreasing steadily
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
0.5
-0.1
0.5
-0.7
-0.7
-0.8
1
-0.3
I
-0.2
-1
-0.7
-0.1
0.6
Source: 2006 Arterial and Travel Time! Dela Stud URS Inc.
from 2002 through 2005, and then beginning
to climb back up in 2006. Should the overall
median speed ever fall below 45 mph (the
minimum LOS C standard), then the U. S. I
capacity would be considered inadequate.
Level of Service on U.S. 1 Segments
In addition to a determination of the overall
capacity throughout the entire 108 mile
length of U.S. 1 between Mile Marker 4 and
112, Section 9.5-292 of the Land Develop-
ment Regulations requires that the capacity of
portions or "segments" of U.S. I also be as-
sessed annually. There are a total of twenty
four (24) segments of U.S. I from Mile
Marker 4 to Mile Marker 112. A description
of the segment boundaries can be found in
Figure 2.6 on the following page. The seg-
ments were defined by the U. S. I Level of
Service Task Force to reflect roadway cross
sections, speed limits, and geographical
boundaries.
Segment speeds reflect the conditions experi-
enced during local trips. Given that U.S. I
serves as the "main street" of the Keys, the
movement of local traffic is also an important
consideration on this multipurpose highway.
However, the determination of the median
speed on a segment is a more involved proc-
ess than determining the overall level of ser-
vice since different segments have different
conditions. Segment conditions depend on
the flow characteristics and the posted speed
limits within the given segment.
The Land Development Regulations require
each segment of the highway to maintain a
level of service of 'C' or better. The level of
service criteria for segment speeds on U.S. I
in Monroe County depends on the flow char-
acteristics and the posted speed limits within
the given segment. Flow characteristics re-
late to the ability of a vehicle to travel
through a particular segment without being
slowed or stopped by traffic signals or other
24
..................
..............'...............'...
,.......,..,....,...
~.~~~ I:
IltiiiiillF
4 5 Cow Key Bridge (N) Key Haven Boulevard Stock Island, Key Haven
2 5 9 Key Haven Boule- Rockland Drive Boca Chica, Rockland 2
vard
3 9 10.5 Rockland Drive Boca Chica Road Big Coppitt 2
4 10.5 16.5 Boca Chica Road Harris Channel BridgeSha k S ddl b h 3
(N) r, a eunc
5 16.5 20.5 Harris Channel Bow Channel Bridge Lower & Upper Sngar- 3
Bridge (N) (N) loaf
6 20.5 23 Bow Channel Bridge S . h M' D' Cudjoe 4A
(N) pams am nve
7 23 25 Spanish Main Drive East Shore Drive Summerland 4A
8 25 27.5 East Shore Drive Torch-Ramrod Bridge R d 4A
(S) amre
9 27.5 29.5 Torch-Ramrod N. Pine Channel Little Torch 4A
Bridge (S) Bridge (N)
10 29.5 33 N. Pine Channel Long Beach Drive Big Pine 5
Bridge (N)
11 33 40 Long Beach Drive 7- Mile Bridge (S) W. Summerland, Bahia 6
Honda, Ohio
12 40 47 7- Mile Brid e (S) 7- Mile Brid e (N) 7-Mile Brid e 6
13 47 54 7- Mile Bridge (N) Cocoa Plum Drive Vaca, Key Colony Beach 7
14 54 60.5 Cocoa Plum Drive Toms Harbor Ch Fat Deer Crawl, Grassy 8
Bridge (S)
15 60.5 63 Toms Harbor Ch Long Key Bridge (S) Duck, Conch 10
Bridge (S)
16 63 73 L K B' d (S) Channel #2 Bridge Long, Fiesta, Craig II
ong ey n ge (N)
17 73 77.5 Channel #2 Bridge Lignumvitae Bridge Lower Matecwnbe 12A
(N) (S)
18 77.5 79.5 Lignumvitae Bridge Tea Table Relief Fill 12A
(S) Bridge (N)
19 79.5 84 Tea Table Relief Whale Harbor Bridge U M t be 13
Bridge (N) (S) pper a ecum
20 84 86 Whale Harbor Snake Creek Bridge Windley 12B
Bridge (S) (N)
21 86 91.5 Snake Creek Bridge Ocean Boulevard Plantation 14
22 91.5 99.5 Ocean Boulevard Atlantic Boulevard 15& 16
23 99.5 106 Atlantic Boulevard C-905 17 - 20
24 106 112.5 C-905 Count 22
aTE: .nd S refer to the north and south side of the brid es res ctivel
ource: 2006 Arterial and Travel Time! Dela Stud URS Inc.
25
devices. Segments with a series of perma-
nent traffic signals or other similar traffic
control devices in close proximity to each
other are considered to be "Interrupted Flow
Segments", and are expected to have longer
travel times due to the delays caused by these
signals or control devices. Roadway seg-
ments without a series of signals or control
devices are considered to be "Uninterrupted
Flow Segments". Uninterrupted segments
may have one or more traffic signals, but they
are not in close proximity to one another as in
the interrupted segment case. The methodol-
ogy used to determine median speed and
level of service on a particular segment is
based upon that segment's status as an inter-
rupted or uninterrupted flow segment. The
criteria, listed by type of flow characteristic,
are explained in Figure 2.7.
For all "uninterrupted" segments containing
isolated traffic signals, the travel times were
reduced by 25 seconds per signal to account
for lost time due to signals. The Marathon
and the Stock Island segments are considered
"interrupted" flow facilities. Therefore, no
adjustments were made to travel times on
these segments.
2006 travel time data yielded changes to
twelve segments, ten resulted in positive level
of service changes while two resulted in
negative level of service changes. Below is a
list of the following level of service changes
as compared to 2005 data:
0 The Big Coppit segment (Segment 3)
increased from LOS 'D' to LOS 'C'
0 The Sugarloaf (Segment 5) increased
from LOS 'D' to LOS 'C'
0 The Ramrod segment (Segment 8) de-
creased from LOS 'A' to LOS 'B'
0 The Big Pine segment (Segment 10) in-
creased from LOS 'D' to LOS 'C'
0 The Bahia Honda segment (Segment 11)
increased from LOS 'B' to LOS' A'
0 The 7-Mile Bridge segment (Segment
12) decreased from LOS 'A' to LOS 'B'
0 The Grassy segment (Segment 14) in-
creased from LOS 'D' to LOS 'C'
0 The Long Key segment (Segment 16)
increased from LOS 'C' to LOS 'B'
0 The Tea Table segment (Segment 18)
increased from LOS 'D' to LOS 'C'
0 The U Matecumbe segment (Segment
19) increased from LOS 'D' to LOS 'C'
0 The Plantation segment (Segment 21)
increased from LOS 'c' to LOS 'B'
0 The Cross segment (Segment 24) m-
creased from LOS 'D' to LOS 'C'
The segment limits, the median travel speeds,
and the 2005 and the 2006 LOS are presented Compared to 2005, the median segment
in Figure 2.8. Figure 2.9 is a map of the seg- speeds increased in eighteen of the 24 seg-
ment boundaries indicating 2006 LOS. The ments ranging between 0.2 mph to 2.8 mph.
median segment speed ranged from 57.7 mph Five segments experienced a decrease in me-
(LOS A) in the Boca Chica segment to 31.2 dian speeds, ranging from 0.4 mph to 2.8
mph (LOS B) in the Stock Island segment. mph, compared to last year's data. For seg-
The level of service determined from the ment 24, the speed decreased from previous
Figure 2.7 - Level of Service Standards Based on Flow Character- years, but the speed limits de-
isties creased as well due to construction.
Therefore, the segment level of ser-
vice improved.
>= 1.5 mph above speed limit
1.4 mph above to 1.5 mph below speed limit Reserve Capacities
1.6 mph below to 4.5 mph below speed limit Th d'''' b t th d'
.. e lllerence e ween e me Ian
4.6 mph below to 7.5 mph below speed Imllt .
7.6 mph below to 13.5 mph below speed speed and the LOS C standard gIves
E >~ 13 mph limit the reserve speed, which in turn can
F < 13 m h > 13.5 m h below eed limit be converted into an estimated re-
ource: 2006 Arterial and Travel Time! Oela Stud URS Inc.
26
serve capacity of additional traffic volume
and corresponding additional development.
The median overall speed of 45.9 mph com-
pared to the LOS C standard of 45 mph
leaves an overall reserve speed of 0.9 mph.
This reserve speed can be converted into an
estimated reserve capacity of additional traf-
fic volume and corresponding additional de-
velopment. This reserve speed is converted
into an estimated reserve volume (16,693
ally gives maximum reserve volumes for all
segments totaling 83,203 trips. These indi-
vidual reserve volumes may be unobtainable,
due to the constraints imposed by the overall
reserve volume.
As stated earlier, the Land Development
Regulations mandate a minimum level of ser-
vice of 'C' for all roadway segments of U.S
I. However, county regulations and FDOT
Figure 2.8 - US 1 Segment Statu., Median Speed., and Change 2005-
2006
I Stock Island
2 Boca Chica
3 Big Coppitt
4 Saddlebunch
5 Sugarloaf
6 Cudjoe
7 Summerland
8 Ramrod
9 Torch
10 Big Pine
II Bahia Honda
12 7-Mile Bridge
13 Marathon
14 Grassy
15 Duck
16 Long
17 L. Matecumbe
18 Tea Table
19 U. Matecum be
20 Windley
21 Plantation
22 Tavernier
23 Largo
24 Cross
Overall
II1II
B
A
D
C
D
A
B
A
A
D
B
A
A
D
B
C
D
D
D
A
C
A
A
D
C
'W" ,".',",",'. .'..,..'..,..:...:.'.,.:,..'..,'.'.....'.. :':':":':"':":";":::';";:;':";:;';";::', ...,...,...,...,.........._...
........u............... ............2005:::2006(,( :::NMliiiiltJ
iiii ilil~!liiiJtI'!li ::II~llfi:
B 30.2 31.2 1.0
A 55.8 57.7 1.9
C 44.7 46.2 1.5
C 50.9 52.1 1.2
C 46.6 48.1 1.5
A 47.8 48.1 0.3
B 45.7 45.7 0.0
B 47.8 46.3 -1.5
A 46.8 48.2 1.4
C 36.4 38.0 1.6
A 52.6 54.3 1.7
B 56.6 53.9 -2.7
A 35.2 36.0 0.8
C 49.5 50.3 0.8
B 53.6 53.9 0.3
B 50.8 52.1 1.3
D 50.0 49.0 -1.0
C 49.9 50.1 0.2
C 39.1 40.6 1.5
A 41.8 41.4 -0.4
B 39.4 42.2 2.8
A 47.7 49.0 1.3
A 44.7 45.9 1.2
C 44.4 44.0 -0.4
C 45.3 45.9 0.6
....'.....'.....'.....'....,;
daily trips).
Source: 2006 Arterial and Travel Time! Dela Stud URS Inc.
The estimated reserve capacity is then con-
verted into an estimated capacity for addi-
tional residential development (2,608 units),
assuming balanced growth of other land uses.
Applying the formula for reserve volume to
each of the 24 segments of U.S. 1 individu-
policy allow segments that fail to meet LOS
C standards to receive an allocation not to
exceed five percent below the LOS C stan-
dard. The resulting flexibility will allow a
limited amount of additional land develop-
ment to continue until traffic speeds are
measured again next year or until remedial
actions are implemented.
27
igure 2.9 -Map of US 1 Segments
28
These segments are candidates for being des-
ignated either "backlogged" or "constrained"
by FDOT. Applications for new develop-
ment located within backlogged or con-
strained segments are required to undergo a
thorough traffic analysis as part of the review
process. Based on this year's results, Lower
Matecurnbe (Segment 17) is the only segment
below the LOS C threshold, and Tea Table
(Segment 18) is at the LOS C threshold.
However both of these segments have re-
serve ca~acities within the 5% allocation.
Segments that have used-up all the 5% re-
serve trips are restricted in new development
or redevelopment, except where redevelop-
ment has no net increase in trips. A detailed
summary table displaying level of service and
reserve capacity values for each segment is
contained in Figure 2.10 on the next page.
In addition to the requirement that areas with
inadequate public facilities be identified in
the annual assessment, the Land Develop-
ment Regulations also require those areas
with marginally adequate public facilities to
be identified. For the purposes of this report,
U.S. 1 segments with reserve speeds of less
than or equal to 3 mph (Figure 2.10) in 2006
will be considered as "marginally adequate".
This year's report indicates that nine seg-
ments are "marginally adequate" and any ap-
plications for new development which would
generate traffic in marginally adequate areas
must submit a detailed traffic report for con-
sideration during review. Please see Figure
2.11 for "marginally adequate" facilities.
Level of Service on County Roads
Section 9.5-292 of the Land Development
Regulations establishes a level of service
standard of LOS D for all County roads, as
measured on a volume or annual average
daily traffic (AADT) basis.
Based on the results of this analysis as shown
on Table 4.7 in the Monroe County Year
Figure 2.11
"Marainallv Adeauate" Seaments
Mile Marker Reserve
# Name Range Speed
3 Bin Coccill 9.0 -10.5 1
4 Saddlebunch 10.5-16.5 2.5
5 Sunarloaf 16.5 - 20.5 0.5
10 Bic Pine 29.5 - 33.0 0.7
14 Grassy 54.0 - 60.5 0.4
17 LOv.Jer Matecumbe 73.0 - 77.5 -1.5
18 Tea Table 77.5 - 79.5 0
19 Upper Matecumbe 79.5 - 64.0 0.1
24 Cross 106 -112.5 0.3
Source: 2006 Arterial and Travel Timel Delay Study, URS
Inc.
2010 Comprehensive Plan Technical Docu-
ment, all of the County roads examined are
operating at or above the County standard of
LOSD.
Improvements to Roadway Facilities
Major improvements scheduled for U.S. 1 are
outlined in the Florida Department of Trans-
portation Five-Year Work Program. The ma-
jor project for unincorporated Monroe
County in the current FDOT Work Program
(2004/2005 to 2008/09) is to replace the J ew-
fish Creek drawbridge with a high-level
fixed-span bridge and the installation of cul-
verts to improve the tidal flow to the sur-
rounding wetlands. The construction phase
for this project began in 2005. Additionally,
construction on the 18 mile stretch between
the Jewfish Creek Bridge and Florida City
began in 2005.
Another major project on the 5-year Work
Program is the reconstruction of the Card
Sound Road/County Road 905 intersection
scheduled for 2007/08.
Other road projects in the current FDOT
Work Program include the preliminary engi-
neering phase for adding a center turn lane on
US-l at Big Coppitt Key, Knights Key (MM
46.9-49.1), Grassy Key (MM 57.5-59.9),
29
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30
Long Key (MM 65.3-66.0), and Plantation
Key (MM 85.7-86.7). These projects are
scheduled to begin construction in 2006, with
the exception of Long Key and Plantation
Key, which are scheduled for construction in
2007/08.
In addition to the turn lane projects, numer-
ous resurfacing projects are scheduled
throughout the Keys over the span of the 5-
year Work Plan.
In addition to the road projects on U.S. 1, the
construction of different segments of the
Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail are in-
cluded in the current 5-year Work Plan.
These construction projects include:
. The segment from MM 5.2-Key Haven to
MM 9.6-Big Coppitt Key
. The segment from MM 16.5-Sugarloaf
Key to MM 24.5-Surnrnerland Key
. The segment from MM 25-Surnrnerland
Key to MM 26.2-Rarnrod Key
. The segment from MM 26.2-Rarnrod Key
to 29.9 Big Pine Key,
. The segment from MM 33.3 Spanish Har-
bor Bridge to MM 40.5 (south end of the
7 -mile bridge),
. The segment from MM 59.2 on Grassy
Key to MM 65.2 Long Key
. The segment from City of Layton MM
68.4 to MM 70.8-ChanneI5 Bridge, and
. The segment from Channel 5-Bridge to
Anne's Beach.
The following historic bridges are also sched-
uled for reconstruction to be used as part of
the Overseas Heritage Trail:
. The old Park Channel Bridge at MM 18.7,
. The Bow Channel Historic Bridge at MM
20.2,
. The Kemp Channel Bridge at MM 23.6,
. The old South Pine Channel Bridge at MM
29,
. The Ohio-Bahia Honda Bridge at MM
38.7,
. The Ohio-Missouri Historic Bridge at MM
39.1,
. The Missouri-Little Duck Key at MM
39.8, and
. The old Long Key Bridge at MM 63.
Copies of the FDOT's most recent Five Year
Work Program are available at the Florida
Department of Transportation offices in
Marathon.
Summary
The Land Development Regulations provide
clear guidance for assessing the capacity of
the roadway system in Monroe County. U.S.
1 is required to maintain at least a level of
service of 'C', while County roads must
maintain a level of service of 'D'. Level of
service is determined using the speed-based
methodology developed by the U.S. I Level
of Service Task Force in 1993. The speed
based methodology utilizes the empirical re-
lationship between volume-based capacities,
and median vehicle speeds. The level of ser-
vice for U.S. 1 is measured for the overall
108 miles of the roadway as well as for the
24 individual segments making up the road-
way in the Keys.
The traffic volumes recorded at Big Pine,
Marathon and Upper Matecumbe have de-
creased as compared to the traffic volumes
during the 2005 study. The 2006 AADT for
all three locations are the lowest since 1994.
The overall travel speed on U.S. 1 for 2006
is .6 mph higher as compared to the 2005
overall travel speed. The reserve speed for
the entire length of U.S. 1 is .9 miles per
hour. This means that the entire segment is
operating with only marginal capacity.'
Compared to 2005 data, the travel speeds on
5 of the 24 segments decreased. These seg-
31
ments are:
The Summerland segment had no change in
travel speed between 2006 and 2005.
Though, travel speeds in 18 segments have
increased. They are:
-Stock Island (+1.0 mph)
-Boca Chica (+1.9 mph)
-Big Coppitt (+1.6 mph)
-Saddlebunch (+ 1.2 mph)
-Sugarloaf (+ 1.6 mph)
-Cudjoe (+0.4 mph)
-Torch (+1.3 mph)
-Big Pine (+ 1.6 mph)
- Bahia Honda (+ 1. 7 mph)
-Marathon (+0.9 mph)
-Grassy (+0.8 mph)
-Duck (+0.3 mph)
-Long (+1.3 mph)
-Tea Table (+0.2 mph)
-U Matecumbe (+1.5 mph)
-Plantation (+2.8 mph)
-Tavernier (+ 1.2 mph)
-Key Largo (+1.2 mph)
Compared to last year's (2005) study results,
there are changes in LOS to twelve of the
segments studied The Ramrod and 7-Mile
Bridge segments experienced decreases in
LOS from A to B. The Bahia Honda segment
has experienced an increase in LOS from B
to A. The Long Key and Plantation segments
experienced increases in LOS from C to B.
The Big Coppit, Sugarloaf, Big Pine, Grassy,
Tea Table, U Matecumbe, and Cross seg-
ments experienced increases in LOS from D
to C.
The largest speed increase of 2.8 mph was
recorded in the Plantation segment, while the
largest speed decrease of 2.8 mph was re-
corded in the 7-Mile Bridge segment.
U.S. I segments with reserve speeds of less
than or equal to 3 mph should be given par-
ticular attention when approving develop-
ment applications. This year, there are nine
segments of U.S. 1 in this category:
Name
Big Coppitt
Saddlebunch
Sugarloaf
Big Pine
Grassy
Lower Matecumbe
Tea Table
Upper Matecumbe
Cross
Mile Marker Range
9.0-10.5
10.5-16.5
16.5 - 20.5
29.5 - 33.0
54.0 - 60.5
73.0 - 77.5
77.5 - 79.5
79.5 - 64.0
106 - 112.5
Last year (2005) study, Big Coppit (Segment
3), Sugarloaf (Segment 5), Big Pine
(Segement 10), Grassy (Segment 14), L.
Matecumbe (Segment 17), Tea Table
(Segment 18), U. Matecumbe (Segment 19),
and Cross Key (Segment 24) were below the
LOS C threshold. In the 2006 study, only the
L Matecumbe (Segment 17) segment is be-
low the LOS threshold, and the Tea Table
segment is at LOS C without any reserve
speed. The L Matecumbe and Tea Table seg-
ments have reserve volume or reserve capaci-
ties within the 5% allocation. The Cross Key
segment is above the LOS C threshold de-
spite the construction work taking place at
this segment. The reduced speed limit may
be a compensating factor. The decrease in
32
traffic volume might be another factor for the
improved LOS threshold for the Cross seg-
ment and other segments during this year's
study. However, the travel speeds on Cross
Key segment is likely to improve with the
implementation of a high level fixed bridge,
completion is anticipated within the next
three years. The Lower Matecumbe and Tea
Table segments do not have any planned im-
provements to curtail the travel speed reduc-
tions. The Florida Department of Transporta-
tion and/or the Momoe County should con-
duct a special study along this stretch of U. S.
1.
The signal at the Key Deer Boulevard inter-
section in Big Pine (Segment 10) continues to
influence the travel speeds on this segment,
and has experienced 14 delay events com-
pared to the 15 from the 2005 study. How-
ever, the segment LOS improved, probably
due to lower traffic volumes.
All County roads have levels of service above
the required standard of 'D'.
33
IlL POTABLE WATER
The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority
(FKAA) is the provider of potable water in
the Florida Keys. The Biscayne Aquifer is
the groundwater supply source for the FKAA
The wellfield is located in a pinel and pre-
serve west of Florida City in Miami-Dade
County. The FKAA wellfield contains some
of the highest quality groundwater in the
State, meeting or exceeding all regulatory
standards prior to treatment. Strong laws
protect the wellfield from potentially con-
taminating adjacent land uses. Beyond the
County's requirements, FKAA is committed
to comply with and surpass all federal and
state water quality standards and require-
ments.
The groundwater from the wellfield is treated
at the 1. Robert Dean Water Treatment Facil-
ity in Florida City, which currently has a
maximum water treatment design capacity of
23.8 million gallons per day (MGD). The
water treatment process consists primarily of
lime softening, filtration, disinfection and
fluoridation. The treated water is pumped to
the Florida Keys through a 130-mile long
pipeline at a maximum pressure of 250
pounds per square inch (psi). The pipeline
varies in diameter from 36 inches in Key
Largo to 18 inches in Key West. The FKAA
distributes the treated water through 648
miles of distribution piping ranging in size
from % inch to 12 inches in diameter. The
FKAA's Water Distribution System Upgrade
Plan calls for the upgrade or replacement of
approximately 20,000 feet of water main dur-
ing fiscal year 2007.
The FKAA maintains storage tank facilities
which provide an overall storage capacity of
45.2 million gallons system wide. The size
of the tanks vary from 0.2 to 5.0 million gal-
lons. These tanks are utilized during periods
of peak water demand and serve as an emer-
gency water supply. Since the existing trans-
mission line serves the entire Florida Keys
(including Key West), and storage capacity is
an integral part of the system, the capacity of
the entire system must be considered to-
gether, rather than in separate service dis-
tricts.
Also, the two saltwater Reverse Osmosis
(RO) plants, located on Stock Island and
Marathon, are available to produce potable
water under emergency conditions. The RO
desalination plants are capable of producing
their designed capacities of 1.8 and 0.9 mil-
lion gallons per day (MGD) of water, respec-
tively.
At present, Key West is the only area of the
County served by a flow of potable water suf-
ficient to fight fires. Outside of Key West,
firefighters rely on a variety of water sources,
including tankers, swimming pools, and salt
water either from drafting sites on the open
water or from specially constructed fire wells.
Although sufficient flow to fight fires is not
guaranteed in the County, new hydrants are
being installed as water lines are replaced to
make water available for fire fighting pur-
poses and pump/tank stations are being up-
graded to provide additional fire flow and
pressure.
A map of the various FKAA facilities in the
Keys is shown on the next page.
Demand for Potable Water
In October 2002, South Florida Water Man-
agement District approved the FKAA's in-
crease in supply through a updated Water Use
Permit (WUP). The WUP increases FKAA's
potential withdrawals to an average of 19.93
and a maximum of 23.79 Million Gallons per
Day (MGD). In 2005, the FKAA distributed
an average of 17.73 and a maximum of 22.39
MGD to the Florida Keys. As a condition of
the WUP, the FKAA is constructing a Florid-
ian Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) sys-
34
Figure 3.1 - FKAA Facilities
tem. This system is designed to recharge and
store water from the Biscayne Aquifer during
the wet season (May through November) in
the Floridian Aquifer which is approximately
800-1,000 feet below the ground surface, and
then recover fresh water to supplement the
Biscayne Aquifer during the dry season
(December through April). In addition, until
the ASR system is online, the FKAA must
limit the dry season withdrawal from the Bis-
cayne Aquifer to 17.0 MGD by using an al-
ternative water source, pressure reduction,
public outreach, and assistance from munici-
pal agencies in enforcing water conservation
ordinances (i.e. irrigation ordinance).
In addition, the FKAA is designing a new 6
mgd RO plant. This plant will use the brack-
ish, Floridan Aquifer as an alternative source
of water supply to assist in handling the fu-
ture demands on the system.
Per SFWMD WUP 13-00005-W, FKAA has
an annual allocation of 7,274 MG
(19.93mgd) through October 2007. This
represents the increase in FKAA's projected
water demands from 2002 through 2007.
FKAA also has an annual allocation of 6,442
MG (17.65 mgd) through September 2025.
This represents a 20-year allocation for
FKAA's current use.
FKAA's current Water Use Perruit (Perruit #
13-00005W) from the South Florida Water
Management District was obtained in 2002,
and is good for a period of five years. The
current WUP allows an average daily water
withdrawal of 19.93 million gallons per day
(MGD), a maximum daily withdrawal of
23.79 MGD, and a yearly maximum of
7.274.45 billion gallons
Demand for potable water is influenced by
many factors, including the size of the perma-
nent resident and seasonal populations, the
demand for commercial water use, landscap-
ing practices, conservation measures, and the
weather.
35
8,000
~ 7,000
~ 6,000
.
o 5,000
't; 4,000
~ 3,000
:= 2,000
:l 1,000
o
Fi ure 3.2 - Annual Water Withdrawals 1980 to 2005
::':"I:II"~~IIIII..~.:.:.\WP.~.:.;.;...~.;.:...;.;.i..~...:.'..~.I.~.~.:...~.G.:.l.~.~."...l.:~.:...t.'.;...:.t.:...:........r...!...!.:.,.:.i.:..
::::;:::::;:,:::;:,:::;:;<:;:;:,:;:;,:::;:.:.:.:.:...... :\t.!.~ ;to
1980 2,854.90 N/A N/A
1981 3,101.10 8.60% N/A N/A
1982 3,497.30 12.80% N/A N/A
1983 3,390.20 -3.10% N/A N/A
1984 3,467.50 2.30% 4,450 982.5
1985 4,139.20 19.40% 4,450 310.8
1986 4,641.50 12.10% 5,110 468.5
1987 4,794.60 3.30% 5,110 315.4
1988 4,819.80 0.50% 5,110 290.2
1989 4,935.90 2.40% 5,110 174.1
1990 4,404.10 -10.80% 5,560 1,155.90
1991 4,286.00 -2.70% 5,560 1,274.00
1992 4,461.10 4.10% 5,560 1,098.90
1993 5,023.90 12.60% 5,560 536.1
1994 5,080.00 1.10% 5,560 480
1995 5,140.40 1.20% 5,778 637.6
1996 5,272.00 2.60% 5,778 506
1997 5,356.00 1.60% 5,778 422
1998 5,630.00 5.10% 5,778 148
1999 5,935.30 5.40% 5,778 -157.3
2000 6,228.00 10.60% 5,778 -450
2001 5,626.70 -9.70% 5,778 151.3
2002 6,191.16 10.03% 7,274 1083.29
2003 6,288.29 1.57% 7,274 985.84
2004 6,460.85 2.74% 7,274 813.15
2005 6,471.45 0.16% 7,274 802.55
Source: Florida Ke s A ueduct Authori , 2006
Figure 3.3 - FKAA Annual Water \\ithdrawl
Figure 3.4 - WUP Remaining Allocation
1,200
1,000
~ 800
=
0
'a 600
" 400
....
0 200
~
0 0
'"
:E .200
.400
-600
<\"~ <\"" <\"~ <S" <S''' <S'~
" " " 0; 0; 0;
:'.!..uJu4lri'- ~.~.
. .
*'....-%
~~$~$8&g~g8
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I ~ WUP Limit (MG) _.~.... Annual Withdra\W.! (MG) I
36
The projected water demand for 2006 is
18.58 MGD. However, preliminary figures
for 2006 indicate no increase through Mayas
compared to 2005 figures Figure 3.6 indi-
cates the amount of water available on a per
capita basis. Based on Functional Population
and permitted water withdrawal, the average
water available is above 100 gallons per cap-
ita (person). The 100 gallons per person per
day standard is commonly accepted as appro-
priate, and is reflected in Policy 701.1.1 of
the Year 2010 Comprehensive Plan. For
2006 Figure 3.6 shows a significant increase
with respect to the water available on a per
capita basis. This is due to revised popula-
tion estimates which have shown a decrease
in the per-
manent
population
which de-
creases the
functional
population.
Since water
availability
on a per cap-
ita basis is a
function of
total gallons divided by the population then,
when population declines availability in-
creases.
Improvements to Potable Water Fa-
cilities
FKAA has a long-range capital improvement
plan for both the distribution system and the
transmission and supply system, as shown in
the table below. The total cost of the sched-
uled improvements is approximately $118
million over the next 5 years. These projects
are to be funded by the newly revised water
rate structure, long-term bank loans, and
grants.
In 1989 FKAA embarked on the Distribution
System Upgrade Program to replace approxi-
mately 190 miles of galvanized lines through-
out the Keys. FKAA continues to replace and
upgrade its distribu-
tion system
throughout the Flor-
ida Keys and the
schedule for these
upgrades is re-
flected in their
long-range capital
improvement plan."
Fi ure 3.5 - Pro'ecled Water Demand in 2006
lif.'~:i.ilil.lllilllllail'illl:
Average Daily With-
drawal
Maximum Daily
Withdrawal 23.79
Annual Withdrawal 7,274
All I res are in millions 0 allons
Source: Florida Ke A ueduct Anthon ,2006
19.93
17.73
18.58
22.39
6,471
23.24
6,782
In addition to im-
provements to the
distribution system, FKAA also has signifi-
cant improvements planned for the transmis-
sion and supply system. FKAA expects to
expand the treatment capacity at the 1. Robert
Dean Water Treatment Plant to meet future
Fi ure 3.6. Per Ca ita Water Availabilit
Ifflf"lii~IIIIIIIIIIII"'~j~IIIIIIIIIII"llf~ililllll.ll~'lll
1998 156,120 15,830,000 101.4 19,190,000
1999 157,172 15,830,000 100.7 19,190,000
2000 159,113 15,830,000 99.5 19,190,000
2001 159,840 15,830,000 99 19,190,000
2002 160,568 19,930,000 124.1 23,790,000
2003 161,227 19,930,000 123.6 23,790,000
2004 161,235 19,930,000 123.6 23,790,000
2005 162,041 19,930,000 123 23,790,000
2006 151,218 19,930,000 132 23,790,000
Source: 1. Monroe County Population Estimates & Forecasts 1990 to 2015 (February, 2000)
2 Florida Ke s A ueduct Anthori , 2006
37
water demands. Also, the FKAA is planning
improvements to the pump stations to im-
prove flow/pressure and construction of water
storage tanks to provide additional emer-
gency water supply.
Figure 3.7 on the following pages shows the
projected capital improvements to the potable
water system planned by the FKAA.
In summary, although this years water de-
mand shows no increase through May of
2006 over last years demand the water de-
mand is still projected to increase to 18.58
MGD in 2006 up from the average of 17.73
MGD withdrawn in 2005. With Water Use
Permit (Permit # 13-00005W) providing up
to an average daily water withdrawal of 19.93
MGD there is an adequate supply of water to
meet demand. However, looking forward to
2007 with the Permit # 13-00005W expiring
there will be 17.65 MGD available. With
projected demand of 18.58 MGD in 2006 and
with the assumption that demand will only
continue to increase in 2007, based upon wa-
ter demand increasing steadily ever years
since 1991 with the expectation of 2001, it
can be anticipated that water demand will
outweigh supply in 2007.
38
~Ii
!t............
Wi......
::i
!!II: ~
flJi
:E.... "
- tJ?: ~
..!....... "'.'
q;Sf '"'g
!:: :....;t "'l
.N. 'i'
A. ""
~..:.......... ci
t,(4i)
i:j.........
dl
!Il
~I:
::~:
.jJ.
j:_i
~
,..,
""
"'"
~
...
-
-
,*.
""
'"
"'l.
."
....
N
~.
8
~
-
~i.
..
""
~
.-.
~..;
N
~
li
...
~
0\:
1'<"':.
...
~.
:;;
~
...
'"
N
~
-
.,;
-
...
~
q
Q
~
."
.......
~s:
~.,~,-:<
.;-;
t;>=:=
.s:i~
~'"
$~:; .
<<0 v; x:C
5""'t!
~1i...
~ ..
__$1:> W
eli~ i
Q..1S":!$l~
~.zi",
39
Fi ure 4.1 - Schools h Subdistrict
;J;:;;Jiliililll~iiii<<r~;t;>
Marathon MiddlelHigh
School (7-12) Key West High School (9-12)
Stanley Switlik Ele-
mentary (K-6) Horace O'Bryant Middle School (6-8)
IV. EDUCATION
FACILITIES
The Monroe County School Board oversees the
operation of 13 public schools located throughout
the Keys. Their data includes both unincorpo-
rated and incorporated Monroe County. The sys-
tem consists of three high schools, one middle
school, three middle/elementary schools, and six
elementary schools. Each school offers athletic
fields, computer labs, a cafetorium that serves as
both a cafeteria and auditorium, and bus service.
Approximately 54 busses transport about 4,316
students to and from school each day. In addition
to these standard facilities, all high schools and
some middle schools offer gymnasiums.
Coral Shores High School (9-12)
Key Largo Elementary /Middle
School (K-8)
Plantation Key Elementary/Middle
School (K-8)
The school system is divided into three subdis-
tricts that are similar, but not identical to the ser-
vice areas outlined in Section 9.5-292 of the Land
Development Regulations. One difference is that
the School Board includes Fiesta Key and the
islands that make up Islamorada in the Upper
Keys (Subdistrict I), while the Land Develop-
ment Regulations place them in the Middle Keys
(Subdistrict 2). Also, the School Board includes
Key West in the Lower Keys (Subdistrict 3),
while the Land Development Regulations do not
consider Key West. The data presented in this
section are based on the School Board's subdis-
tricts.
Subdistrict I covers the Upper Keys from Key
Largo to Lower Matecumbe Key and includes
Adams Elementary (K-5)
ArcherlReynolds Elementary (K-5)
Poinciana Elementary (K-5)
Sigsbee Elementary (K-5)
Big Pine Key Neighborhood School (Pre K-9)
/Middle School -8
Source: Monroe Count School Board, 2006
40
FIGURE 4.2
Enrollment by Grade L.evel
is~in~~~~~~Sh"rt9f.
oraF~r.-s~f9b'.~
..kl"_ E_llbry S<lhool
ynn AA:1lo, _tarY S<~OOI
$I!<na:ry;tntMidd..<~
Iyl..ltr~'~l~ry
Ov 11'10<' High $e1lOol
t>1ltt(>U'Hltro*M!Jl
n.~,C:~t)1l)J"
~~$od.c:~f"',K.yW.~t
n~otllsfam1Chitteii'
AC.~t.;O:..v.tK.lf.$.
ACE. Uppo,K..,.
''''Ion ~01/ EIom.IIl>ry _01
!'rtcl~f.S~EY".<::~
~~~Jrlf't\tary~l;\h:~
~..$\Vitlil<.$~'~.$tbAAr
... ~~~f~~~~t~..
.,~ELtIEEtI&EtEIUEII&UtjE
4(
$
a,
'"
one high school and two elementary/middle
schools, as shown in Figure 4.1. Snbdistrict 2
covers the Middle Keys from Long Key to the
Seven Mile Bridge and includes one high/middle
school and one elementary school. Subdistrict 3
covers the Lower Keys, from Bahia Honda to
Key West and includes one high school, one mid-
dle school, one elementary/middle school, and
five elementary schools.
Demand for School Facilities
The population of school age children in Momoe
County is influenced by many factors, including
the size of the resident and seasonal populations,
national demographic trends (such as the "baby
boom" generation), that result in decreasing
household size, economic factors such as military
employment, the price and availability of hous-
ing, and the movements of seasonal residents.
Student Demographics including District Charter
and Pace Center Schools had district emollment
at 8,372. Figure 4.2 breaks down the emollment
by Grade Level.
The School Board collects enrollment data peri-
odically throughout the year. Counts taken in the
winter are typically the highest, due to the pres-
ence of seasonal residents (Figure 4.2). The fol-
lowing table (Figure 4.3) shows the fall school
enrollments from 1992 to 2005 subdistrict as
taken from the School Board's Fall Student Sur-
vey.
n~'2;'::
9-~
fj{,~ T"
M! ,
}g~~Eg~~;
Level of Service of School Facilities
The Monroe County Land Development Regula-
tions do not identify a numeric level of service
standard for schools (such as 10 square feet of
classroom space per student). Instead, Section
9.5-292 of the regulations requires classroom ca-
pacity "adequate" to accommodate the school-age
children generated by proposed land develop-
ment.
The School Board uses recommended capacities
provided by the Florida Department of Education
(FDOE) to determine each school's capacity. All
schools have adequate reserve capacity to accom-
modate the impacts of the additional land devel-
opment activities projected for 2005-2006 school
year. Figures 4.3 and Figure 4.3a show fall
school enrollments while Figure 4.4 shows each
school's capacity and the projected number of
students. Lastly, Figure 4.4a shows Locations,
Capacities, and Planned Utilization Rates of cur-
rent Educational Facilities based on state require-
ments. The capacity runs approximately 93-
95% of student stations which vary in number
from elementary, middle and high school due
to class size reduction. The class size reduc-
tion was a result of a state constitutional
amendment setting limits for the maximum
allowable number of student in a class by the
start of the 2010-11 school year that was
passed by Florida's voters in November 2002.
41
Fi ure 4.3 - Fall School Enrollments 1992-2005
'nllilii' ........................,. 'Iillil'i ,:hili!I'a~0!I ,iil.iJf;; ;aililf ,nMI ;i:iUlilii' ,riM\! II_
::'1illi'!"m'l~Im;"
Subdistrict 1
Coral Shores (H) 605 597 649 702 672 701 757 758 800 810 801 811 619 760
Key Largo (ElM) 1,310 1,213 1,235 1,198 1,223 1,273 1,253 1,183 1,173 1117 1112 1073 992 985
Plantation 718 698 721 737 730 703 675 643 668 647 641 650 548 617
Subtotal 2,633 2.508 2,605 2.637 2,625 2.677 2,685 2,584 2,641 2.574 2,554 2,534 2,159 2362
Subdistrict 2
:Marathon (H) 545 523 578 642 637 612 637 660 679 682 693 654 596 '81
Switlik: E 734 775 776 769 782 815 834 791 671 687 714 676 624 600
Subtotal 1.279 1.298 1,354 1,411 1,419 1,427 1,471 1,451 1,350 1,369 1,407 1,330 1,220 1181
Subdistrict 3
Key West (II) 1,114 1,120 1,155 1,255 1,237 1,327 1,372 1,344 1,305 1,327 1301 1382 1303 1327
O'Bryant (M) 852 902 876 909 897 863 899 814 838 854 874 873 800 781
Sugarloaf (ElM) 899 810 1,039 1,013 987 960 937 913 941 854 901 904 718 767
Adams (E) 541 529 516 486 500 499 574 566 513 544 598 591 291 492
Archer (E) 480 441 462 454 454 520 493 460 393 376 386 382 360 354
Poinciana (E) 521 566 613 626 637 608 620 632 599 586 583 547 536 526
Sigsbee (E) 471 400 431 431 398 404 423 393 358 363 326 295 237 250
Sands 81 81 85 52 52 58 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Subtotal 4,959 4,849 5,177 5.226 5,162 5,239 5,319 5,122 4,947 4,904 4,969 4,974 4,245 4,497
Total 8,871 8,655 9,136 9,274 9206 9343 9,475 9,157 8,938 8,847 8930 8838 7,614 8,040
Source: Monroe Count School Board 2006
Figure 4.3a - Fall School Enrollments for District Charter Schools and
PACE Centers
Bi Pine Nei hborhood Charter
Monroe Count DJJ
Montessori Charter - K W
Montessori Island Charter
PACE - Lower Ke s
PACE- U erKe s
TOTAL
,I.,:
22
4
48
137
16
19
246
,nu~n'
...................
63
3
60
149
31
26
332
42
............,..,...'...
'::~.:.:<.:.:.:::::~::::~::.:. .',' ."
w."
IIIII&WIII
Subdistrict 1
Coral Shores 965 831 818 747
Key Largo 1,036 1,191 1,115 1,082
Plantation 650 645 653 665
Subtotnl 2,651 2,667 2,586 2,494
Subdistrict 2
Marathon 1,049 667 673 724
Switlik 921 668 674 684
Subtotnl 1,970 1,335 1347 1,408
Subdistrict 3
Key West 1,521 1,312 1,267 1,313
O'Bryant 1018 818 838 876
Sugarloaf 1,206 941 842 835
Adams 591 506 546 605
Archer 576 398 371 357
Poinciana 582 585 574 591
Sigsbee 522 357 373 327
Sands 0 0 0 0
Subtotnl 6,016 4917 4,811 4,904
Total 10,637 8,919 8,744 8,806
Source; Monroe Count School Board 2006
FIGURE 4.4a
w :.,.:.:.: ;:::;;;:;:;:,:;:::::;:;:::)t:::n:;
.'n'............
..'..,..'..,..'.............'....
........'.....'..,."......'..,.
......... ...
................"........
.. .................... ...........,.,...,........-.-.-'-.-
.,..,.,..:,..,...:.,.~:'.::Pi...:_....,:.'.'.,im:......,<._:,'".:".,..'.""...'...:'..~.','..."':'....,:,:..,..,.',.',.:,.':'i:mjjjllil~}.
~",,_~u,,::'~OO~!~Il!I:
835 771
1,031 933
649 622
2,515 2,326
665 610
651 604
1 316 1,214
1,408 1,335
887 811
888 770
552 480
350 311
550 528
284 241
0 0
4 919 4,476
8,750 8,016
Locations, Capacities, and Planned Utilization Rates of current
Educational Facilities 2005-2010
2005-05 Actual Actual Actual Projected Projected
2004-
FISH Satisfactorv 2005-06 05 2005-06 2009-10 2009-10
CO- Utiliza- Utiliza-
Location Student Stations FISH CaDacity FiE tion CO.fiE tion
Coral Shores HS 1,285 965 788 82% 732 76%
Gerald Adams School 691 591 490 83% 423 72%
Glynn Archer ES 579 576 314 55% 302 52%
Horace O'Bryant School 1,187 1,018 835 82% 747 73%
Key Largo School 1,323 1,036 945 91% 921 89%
Key West HS 1,601 1,521 1,335 88% 1,416 93%
Marathon HS 1,187 1,049 633 60% 660 63%
Plantation Key School 883 650 644 99% 574 88%
Poinciana ES 504 582 530 91% 509 87%
Sigsbee ES 563 522 243 47% 250 48%
Switlik School 921 948 606 64% 483 51%
Suaarloaf School 1,455 1,206 787 65% 740 61%
Total 12,179 10,664 8150 76% 7,757 73%
Source: Monroe Counlv School Board 2006 I
43
Enrollment figures for the 2004-2005 school year
and projected enrollment figures for the 2005-
2006 school year, show that none of the schools
are expected to exceed their recommended capac-
ity. School facility plans are based on enrollment
projections 5 years out for which Figure 4.4a cou-
firms adequate capacity by showing that pro-
jected utilization will be between 50 to 90 per-
cent. If utilization was projected to exceed one
hundred percent then there would not be suffi-
cient capacity.
Improvements to School Facilities
Florida Statute 163.3177 requires counties to
identifY lands and zoning districts needed to ac-
commodate future school expansions. In order to
bring the Monroe County Year 2010 Comprehen-
sive Plan into compliance with this statute, in
1998 the Monroe County Planning Department
and School Board conducted research to deter-
mine the existing school capacity and the poten-
tial need for future educational facilities in Mon-
roe County.
This study focused on land requirements for each
of the schools expansion needs. Overall, the
County has sufficient vacant and appropriately
zoned land to meet the area's current and future
school siting needs. The specific land require-
ments for the public schools in the County are
discussed below.
Kev Largo Elementary/Middle School (K-8)
Meeting the substantial land requirements of Key
Largo School is a top priority of the School
Board. The Department of Education (DOE) has
instructed the Monroe County School Board to
construct an additional 43,100 square feet of
school space. The School Board has worked with
the County, DCA and USFWS to come to terms
to build a new classroom building with the reno-
vation of the remaiuiug portions of the campus.
The agreement was due to the environmentally
sensitivity of the area proposed for development.
Plantation Kev Elementarv/Middle School (1(-8)
The DOE has instructed the Monroe County
School Board to construct an additional 16,600
square feet of school space for this school. The
parcel of land for this school proposed challenges
to the school Board due to the size and environ-
mentally sensitive nature of the area. The School
Board will work with the state for any variances
required to build the needed square footage for
the school due to the Village of Islamorada not
having jurisdictional oversight on the project.
Stanlev Switlik Elementarv
Expanding the existing school facilities into the
two parcels of land flanking the current site will
accommodate the land requirements for Stanley
Switlik Elementary. The school has a new cafete-
ria/kitchen/multipurpose building as well as new
parking and ballfields. Construction on the new
facilities has been completed.
Marathon High and Middle School
The land requirements for Marathon High and
Middle School are currently being met. The DOE
has instructed the Monroe County School Board
to construct a new 13,000 square foot audito-
rium for this school that could also serve as a
community center.
Coral Shores High School
The School Board is currently finishing construc-
tion on the replacement school which was com-
pleted.
Figure 4.5, on the following page, is a table
showing the results of the investigation com-
pleted by the Monroe County School Board and
Planning Department in 1998 and updated in
2004.
44
FIGURE 4.5
"B~liWUllllt~~l!;
;:; iInII~;im!8lf!nt~~~}
Key Largo ElementarylMiddle School (K-8)
o acres
27 acres (SC & SR)
2 acres (1)
Plantation Ke Elemen !Middle School K-8 N/A
Coral Shores Hi h School 20.13 acres SR N/A
S",nle Switlik Elementa 9.43 acres SC o acres
Marathon High and Middle Schools 27 acres (SR) o acres (3) o acres
Big Pine Neighborhood Elementary 4.5 acres (SC) o acres o acres
SugarloafMiddle and Elementary 42 acres (SC & NA) o acres o acres
(1) The School Board is working with Monroe County Planning Department to meet this need prior to the end of 2004.
There are approximately 70 acres of
vacant land zoned SR and 65 acres
zoned NA surrounding the current
site.
N/A
N/A
N/A
There are approximately 21 acres of
vacant land zoned NAsurrounding
the current site.
There are approximately 4.27 acres
of vacant land zoned SC and 8.6
acres of vacant land zoned IS sur-
roundin the current site.
There are approximately 27 acres of
vacant land zoned NA and 34 acres
zoned SR surrounding the current
site.
(2) Islamorada will address plans for Plantation Key School, Coral Shores High School and other educational facilities in their comprehensive plan.
(3) The Marathon High School and Middle School Boards want to partner with the County to create an auditorium that will also serves as a community
center.
Source: :Monroe Coun School Board, 2004
45
V. SOLID WASTE FACILI-
TIES
Monroe County's solid waste facilities are
managed by the Solid Waste Management
Department, which oversees a comprehensive
system of collection, recycling, and disposal
of solid waste. Prior to 1990, the County's
disposal methods consisted of incineration
and landfilling at sites on Key Largo, Long
Key, and Cudjoe Key. Combustible materials
were burned either in an incinerator or in an
air curtain destructor. The resulting ash was
used as cover on the landfills. Non-
combustible materials were deposited directly
in the landfills.
In August 1990, the County entered into a
contract with Waste Management, Inc.
(WMI) to transport the solid waste to the con-
tractor's private landfill in Broward County.
In accordance with County-approved fran-
chise agreements, private contractors perform
collection of solid waste. Residential collec-
tion takes place four times a week (2 garbage/
trash, 1 recycling, 1 yard waste); nonresiden-
tial collection varies by contract. The four
(4) contractors currently serving the Keys are
identified in Figure 5.1.
The County's incinerators and landfills are no
longer in operation. The landfill sites are
now used as transfer stations for wet garbage,
yard waste, and construction debris collected
throughout the Keys by the four curbside
contractors and prepared by WMI for ship-
ment out of the Keys. However, it is impor-
tant to note that a second, unused site on
Cudj oe Key could be opened if necessary.
Figure 5.2 below summarizes the status of the
County's landfills and incinerators.
The County's recycling efforts began in Oc-
tober 1994, when curbside collection of recy-
clable materials was made available to all
County residences and businesses. Recycling
transfer centers have been established in the
Lower, Middle, and Upper Keys. Some
agencies are mulching and reusing yard
waste, and private enterprises are collecting
aluminum and other recyclable materials.
White goods, waste oil, batteries and tires are
handled separately, with collection sites oper-
ating at each landfill/transfer station site. The
County collects household hazardous waste at
the Long Key and Cudjoe Key Transfer Sta-
tions, in addition to the Key Largo Recycling
Yard Hazardous waste from conditionally
Fi ure 5.1 - Solid Waste Contractors
",('nnMlitjjMi'lM() ',',"iOOiWilH.... ....,.,.......
Keys Sanitary Service & Waste Manage-
Mid-Keys Waste, Inc. ment of Florida,
Inc.
Closed 2/25/91
None
No Longer Active
Current! Inactive
o
90 000
Source: Monroe Coun Solid Waste Mana ementDe artment, 2006
46
exempt small quantity generators is collected
once a year, as part of an Amnesty Days pro-
gram. An electronics recycling program is in
the initial phases, and will be conducted in
cooperation with the Household Hazardous
Waste collections.
Demand for Solid Waste Facilities
For solid waste accounting purposes, the
County is divided into three districts which
are similar, but not identical to the service
areas outlined in Section 9.5-292 of the Land
Development Regulations (LDRs). One dif-
ference is that Windley Key, which is consid-
ered to be in the Upper Keys district in the
LDRs, is included in the Middle Keys district
for purposes of solid waste management. An-
other difference from the LDRs is that the
cities of Layton and Key Colony Beach are
included in the Middle Keys district for solid
waste management.
Although Islamorada incorporated on De-
cember 31, 1997, the municipality continued
to participate with Monroe County in the con-
tract with Waste Management Inc. until Sep-
tember 30, 1998. Data for Monroe County
solid waste generation is calculated by fiscal
year which runs from October 1 to September
30. Therefore, the effects of Islamorada's
incorporation on solid waste services appear
in the 1999 data. Data for the City of Key
West and the Village of Islamorada is not in-
cluded in this report.
Marathon's incorporation was effective on
October 1, 2000 and they continue to partici-
pate in the Waste Management Inc. contract.
Effects of the incorporation, if any, would
have appeared in the 2001 data.
Demand for solid waste facilities is influ-
enced by many factors, including the size and
income levels of resident and seasonal popu-
lations, the extent of recycling efforts, house-
hold consumptive practices, landscaping
practices, land development activities, and
natural events such as hurricanes and tropical
storms. Analyses provided by a private re-
search group indicate that the average single-
family house generates 2.15 tons of solid
waste per year. Mobile homes and multifam-
ily units, having smaller yards and household
sizes, typically generate less solid waste (1.96
and 1.28 tons per year, respectively).
The table and graph on the following page
summarize the solid waste generated by each
district. The totals for each district are a
combination of four categories of solid waste:
garbage, yard waste, bulk yard waste and
other (includes construction and demolition
debris).
After reaching a peak in 1988, the data shows
a general decline in the total amount of solid
waste generated throughout the County.
However, in 1993 there was an increase of 21
percent in the amount of solid waste gener-
ated. lbis increase is attributed to the demo-
lition and rebuilding associated with Hurri-
cane Andrew, which made landfall in South
Florida in late August 1992. For the next two
years the amount of solid waste generated in
the County was once again on the decline.
However, from 1996 onward the amount of
solid waste generated had been on the in-
crease until 1998, when it reached its highest
level yet. This increase is attributed to the
debris associated with Hurricane Georges,
which made landfall in the Keys in Septem-
ber of 1998. A portion of the decline seen
from 1998 to 1999 may be attributable to the
reduction in solid waste collected from Isla-
morada. The continuing decline shown in
2000 and 2001 is due to a reduction in con-
struction and demolition debris being brought
to the County transfer stations following the
implementation of the Specialty Hauler ordi-
nances. Generation continues to rise again
from 2002 through 2005 with a 6.2% increase
between 2004 and 2005. Once again a very
active hurricane season in 2005 could have
caused increased generation. Yearly fluc-
47
;.yii;i~"
1985
1987
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
28,585
32,193
31,173
28,430
26,356
27,544
37,211
30,110
28,604
31,573
32,003
33,119
29,382
32,635
29,663
31,018
31,529
32,193
36,035
Fi ure 5.3 - Solid Waste Generation b
m;jjMif'..........\m'.m'~ii.Ki<li..n!:
28,890 15,938
37,094 22,206
33,931 23,033
31,924 22,988
28,549 20,699
26,727 18,872
28,986 22,198
30,662 24,831
30,775 25,113
31,845 27,823
33,625 29,350
36,440 30,920
30,938 37,431
30,079 33,420
29,367 31,166
31,217 30,700
31,889 30,385
31,583 33,762
32,257 35,290
District
:.:nltfillii
73,413
91,493
88,137
83,342
75,604
73,143
88,395
85,603
84,492
91,241
94,978
100,479
97,751
96,134
90,196
92,935
93,803
97,538
103,582
!:,i:HWidillf' .;
NA
24.63%
-3.67%
-5.44%
-9.28%
-3.26%
20.85%
-3.16%
-1.30%
7.99%
4.10%
5.79%
-2.71%
-1.65%
-6.18%
3.04%
0.93%
3.98%
6.20%
Note: The figures from 1985 to 1991 include white goods, tires, construction debris, and yard waste.
The do not include source-se arated ree clables.
Source: Monroe Count Solid Waste Mana ement D artment, 2006
120000
100000
80000
00
" 60000
0
f-<
40000
20000
0
lilgure 5.4 - Solid Waste Generation 1985 -2004 by District
. ,..-"'--",- ... --",---"
/....._w ",. w__.. ~........._...---:'l!t"
-.."." /'-.-....--,...--~ ~
"-. :M:-.~
'\. '); ...., \l. e., b " 'b ~ ,~ " ,'); ,"" ~ ,e., ,10 ," ,'b ,"I
_ Year ,....., Key Largo = Long Key __Cudjoe Key...,.,... Total
Source: Monroe County Solid Wallie ManaRement Department, 2006
Remaining Capacity
(vollll11e in millions of cubic yards)
Remaining Capacity (time) 14 years 14 years
Source; Monroe Count Solid Waste Mana ment D artment 2006
34.2 yd3
32.3 yd3
30.5 yd3
14 years
12 years
26yd3
7 years
48
tuations are expected to continue due to in-
creasing storm activity and seasonal popula-
tion changes.
Level of Service of Solid Waste Fa-
cilities
Section 9.5-292 of the Land Development
Regulations requires that the County maintain
sufficient capacity to accommodate all exist-
ing and approved development for at least
three (3) years. The regulations specifically
recognize the concept of using disposal sites
outside Monroe County.
As of June 2006, Waste Management Inc.,
reports a reserve capacity of approximately
26 million cubic yards at their Central Sani-
tary Landfill in Broward County, a volume
sufficient to serve their clients for another
seven (7) years. Figure 5.5 on the previous
page shows the remaining capacity at the
Central Sanitary Landfill.
Monroe County has a contract with WMI au-
thorizing use of in-state facilities through
September 30, 2016, thereby providing the
County with approximately ten years of guar-
anteed capacity. Ongoing modifications at
the Central Sanitary Landfill are creating ad-
ditional air space and years of life. In addi-
tion to this contract, the 90,000 cubic yard
reserve at the County landfill on Cudjoe Key
would be sufficient to handle the County's
waste stream for an additional three years (at
current tonnage levels).
The combination of the existing haul-out con-
tract and the space available at the Cudjoe
Key landfill provides the County with suffi-
cient capacity to accommodate all existing
and approved development for up to thirteen
years.
49
VL PARKS AND
RECREATION
An annual assessment of parks and recrea-
tional facilities is not mandated by Section
9.5-292 of the Monroe County Land Devel-
opment Regulations, though it is required for
concurrency management systems by the
Florida Statutes. The following section has
been included in the 2005 Public Facilities
Capacity Assessment Report for informa-
tional purposes only.
Level of Service standards for parks and rec-
reational facilities are not mentioned in the
Land Development Regulations, but are listed
in Policy 1201.1.1 of the Monroe County
Year 2010 Comprehensive Plan.
Parks and Recreational Facilities
Level of Service Standard
The level of service (LOS) standard for
neighborhood and community parks in unin-
corporated Monroe County is 1.64 acres per
1,000 functional population. To ensure a bal-
ance between the provisions of resource- and
activity-based recreation areas the LOS stan-
dard has been divided equally between these
two types of recreation areas. Therefore, the
LOS standards are:
0.82 acres of resource-based recreation
area per 1,000 functional population
0.82 acres of activity-based recreation
area per 1,000 functional population
The LOS standards for each type of recrea-
tion area can be applied to unincorporated
Monroe County as a whole or to each sub-
area (Upper, Middle, and Lower Keys) of un-
incorporated Monroe County. In determining
how to apply the LOS standard for each type
of recreation area, the most important aspect
to consider is the difference between re-
source- and activity-based recreation areas.
Resource-based recreation areas are estab-
lished around existing natural or cultural re-
sources of significance, such as beach areas
or historic sites. Activity-based recreation
areas can be established anywhere there is
sufficient space for ball fields, tennis or bas-
ketball courts, or other athletic events.
Since the location of resource-based recrea-
tion areas depends upon the natural features
or cultural resources of the area and cannot
always be provided near the largest popula-
tion centers, it is reasonable to apply the LOS
standard for resource-based areas to all of
unincorporated Monroe County. Since activ-
ity-based recreation areas do not rely on natu-
ral features or cultural resources for their lo-
cation and because they can be provided in
areas with concentrated populations, it is
more appropriate to apply the LOS standard
to each subarea of the Keys.
It is important to note that the subareas used
for park and recreational facilities differ from
those subareas used in the population projec-
tions. For the purpose of park and recrea-
tional facilities, the Upper Keys are consid-
ered to be the area north of Tavernier (PAEDs
15 through 22). The Middle Keys are consid-
ered to be the area between Pigeon Key and
Long Key (PAEDs 6 through 11). The Lower
Keys are the area south of the Seven Mile
Bridge (PAEDs 1 through 6). Although the
Middle and Lower Keys subareas both con-
tain portions of PAED 6, the population of
PAED 6 is located in the Lower Keys su-
barea.
An inventory of Monroe County's parks and
recreational facilities is presented on the next
page. The facilities are grouped by subarea
and are classified according to the principal
use (resource or activity).
There are currently 97.96 acres of resource-
based recreation areas either owned or leased
by Monroe County as shown in Figure 6.1.
50
Garden Cove
Hibiscus Park
Friendship Park
Key Largo Community Park
Sunset Point
Harry Harris
Settler's Park
Sunn Haven
Key Largo Elementary
Coral Shores High School
Plantation Ke Elementar
Subarea TotRl
Pigeon Key
Marathon High School
Switlik Elementary
Subarea Total
Little Duck Key
Missouri Key
West Summerland
Heron Avenue
Palm Villa
Big Pine Leisure Club
Blue Heron Park
Watson Field
Ramrod Key Swim Hole
Summerland Estates
Little Torch Boat Ram
SugarloafElementary
Sugarloaf School
Baypoint Park
Palm Drive cul-de sac
Rockland Hanunock
Boca Chica Beach
Dewar Avenue
Big Coppitt Fire Dept Playground
Wilhelmina HalVey Children's Park
Bernstein Park
East Martello
West Martello
Higgs Beach/ Astra City
Figure 6.1 - Parks and Recreation Facilities Serving Unincorporated Monroe County
Upper Keys Subarea
Undevelo ed.
Undeveloped.
Two (2) basketball courts, playground, ball field, picnic shelters, public restrooms, and parking.
Soccer field, two (2) ball fields, six (6) tennis courts, jogging trail, three (3) basketball courts,
roller hockey, volleyball, skate park, playground, picnic shelters, public restrooms, aquatic cen-
ter and arkin .
Waterfront parle with a boat ramp.
Two (2) ball fields, playground, restrooms, picnic shelters, beach, parking (89), and boat ramp.
Playground, park benches, trails, and a historic platform.
Undevelo ed.
Monroe County School District; playground, ball field, running track, and indoor gym.
Monroe County School District; baseball field, football field, softball field, five (5) tennis courts,
and indoor
Monroe Coun School District; playground, tennis court, basketball court, and ball field.
Middle Keys Subarea
Historic structures, research/educational facilities, and a railroad museum.
Monroe County School District; football field, baseball field, softball field, three (3) tennis
courts three 3 basketball courts, and indoor
Monroe County School District; playground, (2) baseball fields, and shared soccer/football field.
Lower Keys Sllbarea
Picnic shelters, restrooms, boat ramp, and beach area.
Undeveloped.
Boat Ramp.
Undeveloped.
Playground and benches.
Undeveloped.
Playground, basketball court, youth center, and picnic shelters.
Two (2) tennis courts, ball field, playground, and volleyball.
Swimming area with no facilities.
Undeveloped.
Boatram .
Monroe County School District; baseball field and playground.
Monroe County School District; undeveloped.
Playground, volleyball, bocchi ball, two (2) tennis courts, and picnic area.
Undeveloped.
Undevelo ed.
Beach area.
Boat ramp.
Playground and benches.
Two (2) playground areas, a walking trail, and green space.
Ball field, soccer, basketball court, track, tennis courts, playground, restrooms, and volleyball.
Historic structures, teen center, and picnic area.
Historic structure.
Five (5) tennis courts, playground, volleyball, picnic shelters, beach area, pier, and public rest-
rooms.
Historic structure and museum.
Lighthouse Musewn
Subarea TotRl
UNINCORPORATED MONROE COUNTY TOTAL
Source: Monroe Count Plannin De artmen 2006
:"''1: ':'!:IMIImiII"ij"IWtSl#:':}':"
....-...'..........;..,.....,..-...-.,.,.....'..-.
1.5
0.46
1.92
14
1.2
16.4
3
0.09
3.4
5.79
10.1
1.7
47.98
5
7.'
2.5
5 10.3
25.5
3.5
31.'
0.69
0.57
1.75
5.5
2.4
0.5
0.13
0.1
3.1
6.6
1.58
0.1
2.5
6
0.2
0.75
0.65
11
14.58
0.'
15.5
0.77
87.17 49.4
97.96 107.68
Using the functional population projection for
2006 of 71,485 persons in unincorporated
Monroe County, and the LOS standard of
0.82 acres per 1,000 functional population,
the demand for resource based recreation ar-
eas is approximately 58.62 acres. The county
currently has a resource-based land to meet
the level of service with an extra 39.34 acres
of reserve capacity. See Figure 6.2
Level of Service Analysis for Activ-
ity- Based Recreation Areas
The Year 2010 Comprehensive Plan allows
activity-based recreational land found at edu-
cational facilities to be counted towards the
park and recreational concurrency. There is
currently a total of 107.68 acres of developed
activity-based recreation areas either owned
or leased by Monroe County and the Monroe
County School Board. This total represents
47.98 acres in the Upper Keys (including
Plantation Key in Islamorada), 10.3 acres in
the Middle Keys (including Marathon), and
49.4 acres in the Lower Keys. Based on a
LOS standard of 0.82 acres of activity-based
recreation areas per 1,000 functional popula-
tion in unincorporated Monroe County
(35,392-Upper, 4,0 I 7-middle, and 32,076-
Lower), the demand for these recreation areas
are 29.02, 3.29 and 26.30 acres for the Upper,
Middle, and Lower Keys, respectively.
There is currently a reserve of 18.96, 7.01,
and 23.10 (Upper, Middle, and Lower) for a
total of 49.06 acres of activity-based recrea-
tion areas for all of unincorporated Monroe
County. Figure 6.3 shows the level of service
analysis for activity-based recreation areas in
each subarea
Fi ure 6.2 - Level of Service Anal sis for Resource-Based Recreation Areas
",";.;.;.;.:.:.;.;.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. .
;;;, ........i.. ;:; i;:!f~1ll1iml~ij~~I;:;
:....:...:.:.:...:.:.~.;.;.....jlO...;........I1:~....::..~.I~.:"~..;;.n.~.... ~j i.:.i i:::i':ij~~~:!\~I~Ii
...... .........;....; H\;:Aila~iiblili' ..... ..
35,392 5.79
4,017 5
32,076 87.17
71,485 97.96
Upper Keys Total
Middle Keys Total
Lower Ke s Total
Total
::ti:::::iti:::i:i:~i:i:~i:::;::: .......,... ....... .....,...,...,.......,......,...,...,....
................................ ...................!....!........., ..."'!Ilfij!iWjj<;iij".....
i:iilr.~:~,'iii'ii'll!iii~~I~'ii!!i
29.02 -23.23
3.29 1.71
26.30 60.87
58.62 39.34
Source: Monroe Count Plannin D artment, 2006 Based on Uninco rated Monroe COWlt Functional Po ulation
Note: Population figures were updated based on 2006 Permanent Population Updates. However data was not
available by subarea therefore "Subarea" was extrapolated based on percentages of 2006 data for subarea. Sea-
sonal did not change, and the percentage of each category for 2006 remained the same however the total overall
ermanent 0 ulation fi e ch ed
IIliiilmt;\.? 'T;WAmm.
!i~~'I!~~]i!: :I:ii~iiijiii
35,392 47.98
4,017 10.3
32,076 49.4
71,485 107.68
Upper Keys Total
Middle Keys Total
Lower Ke sTatal
Total
.. .....,.....
....... "'w.W"
......-.............................'...
. ........ 'W'
18.96
7.01
23.10
49.06
Source: Monroe Coun Plannin D artment, 2006 Based on Uninco rated Monroe Count Functional P ulation
Note: Population figures were updated based on 2006 Permanent Population Updates. However data was not
available by subarea therefore "Subarea" was extrapolated based on percentages of 2006 data for subarea. Sea-
sonal did not change, and the percentage of each category for 2006 remained the same however the total overall
ermanent 0 ulation fi e ch ed
52
Future Parks and Recreation Plan-
ning
Monroe County is currently undertaking a
comprehensive analysis of its parks and rec-
reation system in order to more accurately
plan for the recreational needs of the popula-
tion. A parks and recreation master plan is
being prepared and is anticipated to be com-
pleted by the years end. The master plan will
assess the current level of service standard
and how it is applied throughout the county,
evaluate the current park system, recommend
areas where new park sites should be ac-
quired, and funding mechanisms which may
be used for that acquisition. The master plan
is mandated by the Year 2010 Comprehensive
Plan and will allow the county to address the
parks and recreation needs more accurately.
Identirying parks and recreation needs is also
a part of the on going Livable CommuniKeys
Program. This community based planning
initiative looks at all aspects of an area and,
among other planning concerns, identifies the
parks and recreation desires of the local
population. The Livable CommuniKeys Pro-
gram has been completed on Big Pine Key
and No Name Key, and Tavernier. The proc-
ess is near completion on Key Largo and
Stock Island.
Within the last year one new site, Sugarloaf
School (separate from the existing Sugarloaf
Elementary) has been added. At this time, it
is undeveloped and has no facilities, but it
consists of 6.6 acres of land allocated to be
activity-based park space. This increased the
total activity-based land for the Lower keys;
the total activity-based land for the Keys in
general; and the total land for parks. Al-
though Big Pine Park has been identified as a
potential park site and land has been acquired
it has not been added to the inventory. At the
time the park is funded and programmed it
will be added to the inventory list.
Acquisition of Additional Recreation
Areas
The Monroe County Year 2010 Comprehen-
sive Plan states in Objective 1201.2 that
"Monroe County shall secure additional acre-
age for use and/or development of resource-
based and activity-based neighborhood and
community parks consistent with the adopted
level of service standards." The elimination
of deficiencies in LOS standards for recrea-
tion areas can be accomplished in a number
of ways. Policy 1201.2.1 of the Comprehen-
sive Plan provides six (6) mechanisms that
are acceptable for solving deficits in park
level of service standards, as well as for pro-
viding adequate land to satisry the demand
for parks and recreation facilities that result
from additional residential development. The
six (6) mechanisms are:
. Development of park and recreational
facilities on land that is already owned
by the county but that is not being used
for park and recreation purposes;
. Acquisition of new park sites;
. Interlocal agreements with the Monroe
County School Board that would allow
for the use of existing school-park fa-
cilities by county residents;
. Interlocal agreements with incorporated
cities within Monroe County that
would allow for the use of existing
city-owned park facilities by county
residents;
. Intergovernmental agreements with
agencies of state and federal govern-
ments that would allow for the use of
existing publicly-owned lands or facili-
ties by county residents; and
. Long-term lease arrangements or joint
use agreements with private entities
that would allow for the use of private
park facilities by county residents.
To date, the county has employed two of
these six mechanisms - acquisition of new
park sites (number 2 above) and interlocal
53
agreements with the School Board (number 3
above). However, these agreements need to
be examined more closely to determine the
amount of available acreage for calculating
concurrency. Furthermore, Monroe County
cannot rely upon joint use facilities to elimi-
nate existing deficiencies or meet future LOS
requirements until interlocal, intergovern-
mental, or private use j oint agreements are
executed. For instance, the County is cur-
rently reviewing and revising the interlocal
agreements with the Monroe County School
Board to provide greater day time accessibil-
ity for students to public recreational facili-
ties. Once executed, these agreements will
ensure that the facilities will be available for
general use to Monroe County residents to
meet peak season, weekend, or time of day
recreation demands.
S4