Item H13
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: August 18. 2004
Division:
Growth Management
Bulk Item: Yes L No
Department: Planning
AGENDA ITEM WORDING:
Approval of a Resolution adopting the Annual Assessment of Public Facilities Capacity Report
for 2004.
ITEM BACKGROUND:
Section 9.5-292(b) of the Land Development Regulations (LDR's) requires that the BOCC adopt
an annual assessment of public facilities capacity for Monroe County. The Planning Department
has prepared a 2004 assessment for the BOCC's consideration and approval. This year's report
finds that education, solid waste, potable water, parks and recreation, and transportation facilities
all have sufficient capacity to serve anticipated growth. Although, State and county roads meet
level of service standards, two segments: Tea Table (segment 18) and Cross Key (segment 24),
are below the threshold. However both segments have reserve capacities within 5%. The travel
speeds on Cross Key segment is likely to improve with the implementation of a high level fixed
bridge, construction of which is anticipated to begin early next year.
PREVIOUS REVELANT BOCC ACTION:
The BOCC has approved assessments of public facilities capacity each year since 1987.
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
None.
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Approval.
TOTAL COST:
N/A
BUDGETED: Yes
No
COST TO COUNTY: N/A
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes
No -X- AMOUNT PER MONTH
Year
APPROVED BY: County Atty N/ A OMB/Purchasing N/ A . k Management N/ A
CP
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL:
DOCUMENTATION:
Included ...$..-
To Follow
-~
Not Required
AGENDA ITEM # 1-1/3
DISPOSITION:
Revised 2/27/01
'-1rt!
RESOLUTION NO.
- 2004
A RESOLUTION BY THE MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ADOPTING THE ANNUAL
ASSESSMENT OF MONROE COUNTY PUBLIC FACILITIES
CAPACITY FOR 2002 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, this annual assessment is used to evaluate the existing level of services for
roads, solid waste, potable water, and educational facilities; and
WHEREAS, once approved by the Board of County Commissioners, this report becomes
the official assessment of public facilities upon which development approvals will be reviewed
and approved for the upcoming year; and
WHEREAS, Section 9.5-292 of the Land Development Regulations provides the
minimum standards for level of service of roads, solid waste, potable water, and educational
facilities; and
WHEREAS, 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; and
WHEREAS, the annual report finds that sufficient capacity exists for solid waste,
potable water, and educational facilities to meet anticipated growth through 2004; and
WHEREAS, the transportation section of the annual report is based upon the findings of
the 2004 US-l Travel Time and Delay Study prepared by URS, the County's transportation
consultant; and
WHEREAS, ten segments of U.S. 1 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.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that the annual assessment of
Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity for 2004 is:
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County,
Florida at a regular meeting held on the day of 2004.
Mayor Murray Nelson
Mayor Pro Tern David P. Rice
Commissioner Dixie Spehar
Commissioner George Neugent
Commissioner Charles "Sonny" McCoy
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA
BY
Mayor Murray Nelson
(SEAL)
ATTEST:D~L.KOLHAGE,CLERK
l~tF
DEPUTY CLERK
I
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2004
MONROE COUNTY
PUBLIC FACILITIES
CAPACITY ASSESSMENT
REPORT
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EDUCATION
SOLID WASTE
POTABLE WATER
TRANSPORTATION
PARKS AND RECREATION
JULY 2004
PREPARED BY THE DEPAR'I'MENT OF PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
,
2004
MONROE COUNTY
PUBLIC FACILITIES
CAPACITY ASSESSMENT
REPORT
TRANSPORTATION
PARKS AND RECREATION
".
EDUCATION
SOLID WASTE
JULY 2004
PREPARED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARy...... .................. ............... ........... ................... ....2
I~1rIl{)I)1JC1rI()~....................................................................................6
I. GROWTH ANALySIS......... ............................................. ...... .......... .....1 0
II. TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES.................. ................... ................ .... 25
III. POTABLE WATER... .................................... ...... ............................ ...38
IV. EDUCATION FACILITIES.................. ............ ................................ .... 44
v. SOLID WASTE FACILITIES........................... .......... ......................... ...49
VI. P ARK.S AND RECREATION.................................... ... ....................... ..53
1
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
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 pro-
jected to fall below the level of service
(LOS) required by the Code, development
activities must conform to special proce-
dures to ensure that the public facilities are
not further burdened. The Code clearly
states that building permits shall not be is-
sued unless the proposed use is or will be
served by adequate public or private facili-
ties.
As required by the Code, the Board of
County Commissioners (BOCC) shall con-
sider 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 in-
crease and the funding source to pay for the
additional capacity required to serve the ad-
ditional development. Once approved, this
document becomes the official report of
public facilities upon which development
approvals will be based for the next year.
This report distinguishes between areas of
inadequate facility capacity and marginally
adequate capacity. Inadequate facility ca-
pacity is defined as those areas with capac-
ity below the adopted LOS standard. Mar-
ginally adequate capacity is 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 2004
For the 2004 assessment, a population
model that uses a 1990 Census base data
and Monroe County Certificates of Occu-
pancy to estimate and forecast population
growth is used. The model is based upon
the actual number of residential units built,
and is therefore more accurate than previous
models. The projected functional popula-
tion of unincorporated Monroe County is
expected to reach 75,801 people in 2004, a
slight increase from 2003.
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 200 1 and
was approved by the Department of Com-
munity Affairs (DCA) in December of
2001, but was subsequently appealed. The
appeal was withdrawn 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
2004
This year's report finds that education, solid
waste, potable water, parks and recreation,
and transportation facilities all have suffi-
cient capacity to serve anticipated growth.
Although, State and county roads meet level
of service standards, two segments: Tea Ta-
ble (segment 18) and Cross Key (segment
24), are below the threshold. However both
segments are presently operating within
their 5% reserve capacity. The status of
each facility is summarized below.
Solid Waste:
The combination of the existing haul-out
contract and the space available at the Cud-
joe Key landfill provides the County with
Executive Summary
2
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
sufficient capacity to accommodate all ex-
isting and approved development for up to
nineteen years.
Parks and Recreation:
The level of service (LOS) standard for
neighborhood and community parks in un-
incorporated Monroe County is 1.64 acres
per 1,000 functional population. To ensure
a balance between the provisions of re-
source- and activity-based recreation areas
the LOS standard has been divided equally
between these two types of recreation areas.
Unincorporated Monroe County has enough
resource- and activity-based recreation ar-
eas to serve the functional population and
therefore has a LOS that is adequate. Addi-
tionally, there is adequate reserve capacity
to accommodate future population in-
creases.
Schools:
Although enrollment figures for the 2003-
2004 school year and projected enrollment
figures for the 2004-2005 school year, show
that O'Bryant Middle School, and Adams
Elementary School exceed their recom-
mended capacity and that Key West School
is projected to exceed its recommend capac-
ity for the 2004-2005 school year, school
facility plans are based on enrollment pro-
jections 5 years out (2008-2009 school
year), at which time sufficient capacity will
be available. The remaining schools have
more than sufficient capacity to accommo-
date all fall enrollment in 2004 and future
years.
Potable Water:
A comparison between 2002 and 2003
shows an increase in water consumption of
1.57%. In October 2002, South Florida
Water Management District approved the
FKAA's increase in Water Use Permit
(WUP). The WUP increased FKAA's po-
tential withdraws to an average of 19.93 and
a maximum of 23.79 Million Gallons per
Day (MGD). In 2003, the FKAA distrib-
uted an average of 17.29 and a maximum of
22.2 MGD to the Florida Keys. Water dis-
tribution for 2004 is projected to average
17.57 with a maximum distribution of 22
MGD. An analysis of data shows that the
residential and overall LOS standards for
water consumption, as set out in Objective
701.1 of the Monroe County Year 2010
Comprehensive Plan, are being met.
As a condition of the WUP, the FKAA is
constructing a Floridian Aquifer Storage
and Recovery (ASR) system. 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 re-
cover fresh water to supplement the Bis-
cayne Aquifer during the dry season
(December through April). Unless the pro-
jected future water demands decrease, the
FKAA must also consider an alternative
source of water supply such as a brackish or
salt water source which will require a new
water treatment plant.
Roads:
The adopted level of service (LOS) standard
for US-1 is LOS C. The overall 2004 level
of service for US-1 is LOS C based on the
findings of the 2004 US-1 Arterial Travel
Time and Delay Study for Monroe County,
as prepared by URS Inc.,. The table on the
next page shows the LOS and "status" of
US-1 by segment.
County regulations allow development ac-
tivities to continue in "areas of inadequate
facility capacity" provided traffic speeds do
not fall below the standard by more than
Executive Summary
3
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
five percent. Tea Table (Segment 18), and
Cross Key (Segment 24) are below the LOS
C threshold, consistent with the past two
years of data. However both segments have
reserve capacities within 5%. Travel speed
on Cross Key segment is likely to improve
with the implementation of a high level
fixed bridge, construction of which is antici-
pated to begin early next year.
This year's report indicates that ten seg-
ments are "marginally adequate" and any
applications for new development which
would generate traffic in marginally ade-
quate areas must submit a detailed traffic
report for consideration during review.
Please see table titled "marginally adequate
segments".
County roads are 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, public facilities meet adequacy re-
quirements; however demands on these fa-
cilities continue to grow. The Growth Man-
agement Division is committed to monitor-
ing changes in public facility demand and
responding to changes in consumption pat-
terns. The ability to coordinate with public
facility providers and other municipalities in
the Keys will become more and more criti-
cal as we strive to maintain the quality of
life we all enjoy.
Executive Summary
4
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
4-5
5-9
9-10.5
10.5-16.5
16.5-20.5
20.5-23
23 -2
25-27.5
27.5-29.5
29.5-33
33 -40
40-47
47-54
54-60.5
60.5-63
63-73
73-77.5
77.5-79.5
79.5 -84
84-86
86-91.5
91.5-99.5
99.5-106
106-112.5
1 S to c k Isla n d
2 B 0 c a Chic a
3 Big Cop P itt
4 Sad d Ie bun c h
5 S u g a rlo a f
6 Cudjoe
7 Sum m e rla n d
8 Ramrod
9 T 0 rc h
lOB ig P in e
liB a h ia H 0 n d a
1 2 7 - M ile B rid g e
13 Marathon
14 Grassy Key
15 Duck Key
16 Long Key
17 Lower M atecumbe
1 8 Tea Tab Ie
19 Upper M atecumbe
20 W in d Ie y
21 PIa n tat io n
22 Tavernier
23 Largo
24 Cross
Source: 2004 Arterial and Travel Tim el Delay
B Adequate
A Ad e qua te
C Mar g in a 1
BAd e qua te
C Mar g in a 1
A Adequate
BAd e qua te
B Adequate
A Adequate
C M a rg in a 1
B Adequate
C Mar g in a 1
A Adequate
C M ar g in a 1
BAd e qua te
B Adequate
C M ar g in a 1
D Inadequate
C Mar g in a 1
A Ad e qua te
C M a rg in a 1
A Ad e qua te
A Adequate
D Inade uate
Study, URS Inc.
II M a rg in a lIy Ad e qua te II S e 9 men ts
Mile M a rke r Reserve
# N a me Range Speed
3 Big Coppitt 9.0 - 10.5 0.9
5 5 u g a rlo a f 16.5 - 20.5 0.7
10 B ig P in e 29.5 - 33.0 1 .2
12 7-M ile Bridge 40.0 - 47.0 2.6
14 G ra s s y 54.0 - 60.5 0.4
17 Lower M atecum be 73.0 - 77.5 0
18 Tea Table 77.5 - 79.5 -1.1
19 Upper M atecum be 79.5 - 84.0 0.4
21 Plantation 86.0 - 91.5 1 .8
24 C ro s s 106 - 112.5 -2.3
Source: 2004 A rterial and Travel Timel Delay Study, URS
In c.
Executive Summary
5
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
INTRODUCTION
This report is the annual assessment of pub-
lic facilities capacity mandated by Section
9.5-292 of the Monroe County Land Devel-
opment Regulations (hereafter referred to as
"the Code"). The State of Florida requires
all local jurisdictions to adopt regulations
ensuring "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 Administrative Code). In other
words, local governments must establish
regulations to ensure that public facilities
and services that are needed to support de-
velopment are available concurrent with the
impacts of development. In Monroe
County, these regulations are contained
within Section 9.5-292 ofthe Code.
Section 9.5-292, titled Adequate facilities
and development review procedures, con-
tains two main sets of requirements: the
minimum service standards for the four pri-
mary public facilities (roads, solid waste,
potable water, schools), and an annual as-
sessment process to determine the available
capacity of these public facilities. In addi-
tion, Section 9.5-292 includes an equitable
procedure for issuing permits when the rate
of growth is likely to outpace the current
capacity of these public facilities.
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
report 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 accommodate that growth. The report
has a one-year planning horizon, or only
considers potential growth and public facil-
ity capacity for the next twelve months. In
addition, the report must identify areas of
unincorporated Monroe County with mar-
ginal 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 facili-
ties 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 fa-
cilities.
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
cannot act to increase development capacity
beyond that demonstrated in this report
without making specific findings of fact as
to the reasons for the increase, and identify-
ing the source of funds to be used to pay for
the additional capacity.
Once approved by the County Commission,
this document becomes the official assess-
ment of public facilities upon which devel-
opment 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 de-
velopment or land shall be served by ade-
quate public facilities in accordance with
the following standards: "
Introduction
6
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
(1) Roads:
a. County Road 905 within three (3) miles
of a parcel proposed for development
shall have sufficient available capacity
to operate at level of service D as meas-
ured on an annual average daily traffic
(AADT) basis at all intersection and/or
roadway segments. US-l shall have
sufficient available capacity to operate
at level of service C on an overall basis
as measured by the US-l Level of Ser-
vice Task Force Methodology. In addi-
tion, the segment or segments of US-I,
as identified in the US-l 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 meas-
ured by the US-l Level of Service Task
Force Methodology.
b. All secondary roads where traffic is en-
tering 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 inadequate
transportation facilities on US-I, devel-
opment may be approved provided that
the development in combination with all
other development will not decrease
travel speeds by more than five (5) per-
cent below level of service C, as meas-
ured by the US-l Level of Service Task
Force Methodology.
(2) Solid Waste:
Sufficient capacity shall be available at
a solid waste disposal site to accommo-
date all existing and approved develop-
ment for a period of at least three (3)
years from the projected date of com-
pletion of the proposed development or
use. The Monroe County Solid Waste
and Resource Recovery Authority may
enter into agreements, including agree-
ments under section 163.01, Florida
Statutes, to dispose of solid waste out-
side 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 dis-
tribution systems, individual water con-
densation systems, and any other sys-
tem which complies with the Florida
standards 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 capac-
ity according to the Code. The available ca-
pacity for each of these facilities may be
either sufficient to accommodate projected
growth over the next year, marginally ade-
quate, or inadequate. In situations where
public facilities serving an area are pro-
jected to be only marginally adequate or
inadequate over the next year, the Code sets
out a review procedure to be followed when
issuing development permits in that area.
The Code states that "the county shall not
approve applications for development in
areas of the county which are served by in-
adequate facilities identified in the annual
adequate facilities (Public Facility Capacity
Assessment) report, except the county may
approve development that will have no re-
duction in the capacity of the facility or
Introduction
7
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
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 facilities report, the county shall
either deny the application or condition the
approval so that the level of service stan-
dard is not violated." The determination of
an additional development's impact on ex-
isting 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 areas 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 incorpo-
rations. The map below shows the three
service areas of the Keys as they are cur-
rently recognized.
The Upper Keys service area includes all
unincorporated Monroe County north of the
Map of Service Areas
..
The Upper Keys
MM 112-91
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The Lower Keys
MM 47-4
Introduction
8
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
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.
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.
Additionally, due to the recent incorporation
of Islamorada and Marathon (which are ex-
cluded from this assessment where speci-
fied) the boundaries identified in Section
9.5-292(b) are no longer valid for unincor-
porated Monroe County. This report makes
use of the best available data, aggregated as
closely as possible to the boundaries shown
in on the following page.
Previous Board Action
The County was required to impose a mora-
torium in 1995 on any new development on
Big Pine Key due to a lack of any reserve
capacity for traffic on US-I. In December
1997, as a result of a change in the method-
ology 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-l through Big Pine Key
once again fell below the adopted LOS stan-
dard. Due in part to the re-timing of the in-
tersection of US 1 and Key Deer Boulevard,
the level of service on the Big Pine segment
of US 1 improved in 2000, but decreased
again in 2001 and 2002. Based on the 2003
Arterial Travel Time and Delay Study the
LOS had increased to 'C'. Meaning, 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 im-
provement project, which was completed by
FDOT this year. It is not anticipated that
these improvements will permanently im-
prove 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 pro-
posed Master Plan for Big Pine Key and No
Name Key, that will address future solu-
tions to traffic problems within the commu-
nity.
Areas of Critical County Concern
At the County Commission's discretion, ar-
eas with marginally adequate facilities may
be designated as Areas of Critical County
Concern (ACCC), pursuant to Sections 9.5-
473 and 9.5-473.1 of the Code. The ration-
ale behind this designation is to assure that
development in ACCC areas does not im-
pact existing public facilities to the extent
that development must be halted in the area.
Should the Board initiate the ACCC desig-
nation process, the Development Review
Committee and Planning Commission must
review the proposed designation. Section
9.5-473(c) requires the designation to in-
clude "Specific findings regarding the pur-
pose of the designation, the time schedule
for the planning effort to be implemented,
identification of the sources of funding for
the planning and potential implementing
mechanisms, delineation of a work pro-
gram, a schedule for the work program and
the appointment of an advisory committee,
if appropriate. "
Introduction
9
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
I. GROWTH ANALYSIS
This section of the report examines the
growth of Monroe County over the last
year. This analysis considers the changes in
population, the number of residential build-
ing permits issued, and the amount of non-
residential floor area permissible. Growth
trends will be examined for both the unin-
corporated as well as the incorporated por-
tions of the County.
Population Composition
There are three different measurements of
population in Monroe County: the func-
tional population, the permanent population,
and the seasonal population. The capacity
of most public facilities is designed based
on potential peak demand. To help assess
peak demand, the permanent and seasonal
populations are often combined to give a
"functional" population, or the maximum
population demanding services.
The projected permanent population is
based on a methodology created by The De-
partment of Planning and Environmental
Resources, and is based on 1990 Census
data. Permanent population figures re-
ceived from the 2000 Census data reflect a
discrepancy in the estimates made by the
planning model and actual census figures.
At this time the Planning and Environ-
mental Resources is revising the methodol-
ogy for population projection to accurately
reflect the permanent population figures
published by the 2000 Census.
Projected permanent residents spend most
or all of the year in the County, while the
seasonal population includes seasonal resi-
dents and the tourist population. The sea-
sonal population includes the number of
seasonal residents, the number of people
staying in hotels, motels, vacation rentals,
campsites, recreational vehicles, live aboard
vessels, and those staying with friends and
relatives.
It is important to remember that permanent
population figures are for the entire calen-
dar year, while the seasonal population fig-
ures used here is the number of seasonal
residents and visitors in the Keys on any
given evening. Seasonal population figures
are not the total number of seasonal resi-
dents or visitors in the county over the cal-
endar year, but the estimated number who
stay on any given night.
The Tourist Development Council indicate
that Monroe County hosts around three mil-
lion visitors a year, however not all of 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 fa-
cilities from seasonal visitors on any given
evemng.
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
permanent population indicates a trend to-
wards a higher seasonal percentage of the
functional population.
Planning Area Enumeration Dis-
tricts (P AEDs)
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"
utilized by the Planning Department in the
early 1980s and the US Census Bureau's
"enumeration districts". These two levels
Growth Analysis
10
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
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.
There are a total of twenty-two (22) PAEDs
in Unincorporated Monroe County:
. The City of Key West (including north-
ern Stock Island) is not contained within
any PAED boundaries; and
. The City of Key Colony Beach is con-
tained within the geographic area of
PAED 8, but is not included with the
PAED population figures; and
.I.~
'"
PAED 17
~PAED 16
"-
PAED 15
" PAED 14
O'AED f
. The City of Marathon encompasses
PAEDs 7, 8, & 9, and its population is
contained within unincorporated Monroe
County until 2000; and
. The City of Layton falls within PAED
11, but its population is removed from
Unincorporated Monroe County; and
. The Village of Islamorada occupies
PAEDs 12A, 12B, 13, & 14, and has its
own population figures starting in 1998;
and
. PAEDs 19 and 20 are the last PAEDs be-
fore the "bend" in US-I, and have been
grouped together in this report because
of data constraints. The dividing line be-
Growth Analysis
11
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
tween 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 ar-
eas. The Upper Keys service area includes
PAEDs 12B through 22t or the area from
Mile Marker 83.5 to 112, the Middle Keys
includes PAEDs 7 through 13 (Mile Marker
47.5 to 83.4), and the Lower Keys service
area is composed of PAEDs 1 through 6
from Mile Marker 4 to 47.4.
Figure 1.2 below shows the individual
PAEDs by their mile marker ranges, and
also shows the islands included within a
particular PAED's boundary.
Functional Population
The functional population is the sum of the
permanent residents and the peak seasonal
population. Figure 1.3 shows the functional
population for all of Monroe County
(including the incorporated areas), exclud-
ing Mainland Monroe County and the popu-
lation in the Dry Tortugas. The functional
population of Monroe County is expected to
grow by 3,325 people from 2005 to 2015.
This represents an increase of two percent
(2%) over the fifteen year period.
Figure 1.4 shows the trend in Functional
Population Changes from 1990 to 2015.
However, the numerical and percent change
columns show that the rate of increase is
expected to slow dramatically over the same
time period (see Figure 1.5).
1 Stock Island
2 Boca O1ica, East Rockland, Big Coppitt, Gliger, Shark
3 Saddlebunch Keys, Lower Sugarloaf, Upper Sugarloaf
4a OJdjoe, Sumrerland, Ranrod, Big-Middle-little Torch
4b No Nam: Key
5 Big Pine Key
6 W. Sumrerland, Spanish Harbor, Bahia Honda, Ohio, Missouri, little Duck, Pigeon Key
7 Knight, Hog, Vaca, Boot, Stirrup (Marathon)
8 Fat Deer, little Caw~ Caw! #5, (Marathon) & (Key Colony Beach)
9 Gassy Key (Marathon)
10 Duck Key, little Conch Key, Conch Key
11 Long Key, Fiesta Key, (Layton)
12a Craig Key, Lower Matecurrbe (IslaIlDrada)
12b Windley Key (Islam>rada)
13 Teatable Key, Upper Matecurrbe (Islam>rada)
14 Plantation Key (Islam>rada)
15 Key largo (Tavernier area)
16 Key largo
17 Key largo (RockHarbor)
18 Key largo
19-20 Key largo
21 Key largo (North Key largo, Ocean Reef, Card Sound area)
22 Cross Ke 18 Mile Stretch area
Source: Monroe Comty Planning Depertment, 2004
4-6
7-12.4
12.5-20.5
20.6-29
N/A
29.5-33
34.5-46
47.5-53.2C53.3-56.4
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
Growth Analysis
12
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Figure 1.3 -ProJected Functional
Po ulation of Monroe Count
2005 162,041 · ·
2010 164,769 2,728 1.66%
2015 165,366 597 0.36%
Source: Monroe County Planning Departm ent, 2004
Figure 1.4 -Trend in Functional Population Changes
170,000
165,000
=
0
'.z:l
os
-; 160,000
P-
o
~
c;
= 155,000
0
'.z:l
u
=
=
~
150,000
145,000
~ ~ ~ # ~ # # # # # ~ ~ ~
.. ~' ~' .... ,,,,, '1i '1i '1i '1i '1i ",I:;) '1i ",I:;)
1_ Trend in Population Changes I
Figure 1.5 -Functional Population Rate of Increase
3.00%
1 2.50%
0 2.00%
5 1.50%
.~
"3 1.00%
8-
~
.5 0.50%
u
bO
a 0.00%
0 -0.50%
"#.
-1. 00%
~I:;) ~.... ~~ ~b ~q"
.... .... .... .... ....
rS'1:;) rS'.... rS'~ rS'b rS'q" :-,1:;) 1:;),.... ~
'1i '1i '1i '1i '1i ",I:;) '1i ....1:;)
I-+- Functional Population I
Growth Analysis
13
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Upper Keys 42,171 40.94% 37,541
Middle Keys 30,443 29.56% 4,154
Lower Ke s 30,387 29.50010 34,639
Unincorporated 103,001 100.00% 76,334 74.11% 78,277 76.00% 78,831 100.00%
Subtotal
Inco orated Areas 46,348 85,707 86,492 86,535
County Total 149,349 162,041 164,769 165,366
Source: Monroe Comty Planning Department, 2004
Figure 1.6 shows the breakdown in func-
tional population by the three service areas.
Regionally, the Upper Keys accounted for
the largest portion of the 1990 unincorpo-
rated functional population (42,171 people,
or 40.9% of the total). This is followed by
the Middle Keys, which is comprised of
29.6% (30,443 people) of the total 1990
functional population; and finally, the
Lower Keys, which contained 30,387 peo-
ple, or 29.5% of the unincorporated func-
tional population.
Based on projected functional population
projections for the year 2015, the Upper
Keys is expected to have the largest popula-
tion (38,362 or 48.7% of the total), followed
by the Lower Keys (36,263 or 46.0% of the
total) and lastly the Middle Keys (4,206 or
5.34% of the total). In the year 1997, the
Upper Keys service area lost twelve percent
(12%) of its functional population to the
incorporation of Islamorada. In the year
1999, the unincorporated functional popula-
tion of the Middle Keys dramatically de-
creased by more than eighty-seven percent
(87%), due to the incorporation of the City
of Marathon.
Projected Permanent and Seasonal
Population:
The total permanent resident population in
Monroe County is projected to grow from
78,855 people in 1990 to a potential 90,654
people in 2015, an increase of fifteen per-
cent (15%) over the twenty-five year period.
The projected permanent resident popula-
tion as a percentage of the functional popu-
lation fluctuates between 53% and 55%
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 (I %) per year.
The peak seasonal population in Monroe
County is projected to grow from 70,493
people in 1990 to 74,712 people by 2015,
an increase of six percent (6%) over the
twenty- five year period. The peak seasonal
Seasonal Population 70,493 73,491
Permanent Po ulation 78,855 85,622
Functional Population 149,348 159,113
Source: Monroe COWlty Planning Department, 2004
73,737
88,305
162,042
74,533
90,236
164,769
74,712
90,654
165,366
Growth Analysis
14
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
population as a percentage of the functional
population fluctuates between 47.20% in
1990 to 45.2% by 2015. The county-wide
peak seasonal population growth rate ex-
ceeded four percent (4%) in 1993. Growth
rates fluctuated between -1.7% and 1.9%
for the remainder of the years under study,
and are expected to continue to decline.
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.
As mentioned above, the Upper Keys ser-
vice area lost 12% of its functional popula-
tion, and the Middle Keys service area is
lost 87% of its functional population as a
result of the incorporation of the City of
Marathon.
The functional population in the Upper
Keys service area is expected to increase
from 37,061 to 37,314 (0.68%) from 2003
to 2004. This projected increase results
from the addition of 86 permanent residents
and 167 in the seasonal population.
The functional population in the Lower
Keys service area is expected to increase
from 34,034 to 34,347 (0.92%) from 2003
to 2004. This projected increase results
from the addition of 235 permanent resi-
dents and 78 in the seasonal population.
2000 Census Population
The projected population data through 2015
presented in this report (both the permanent
and seasonal populations) has been based
on 1990 census data. The population pro-
jection model has not yet been updated to
incorporate the Census 2000 data that was
released in late 2001. However, a compari-
son of the projected 2000 permanent popu-
lation and the actual population reported in
the 2000 census shows that the projection
overestimated the population of the unincor-
porated area by 3,298 people. Figure 1.8
shows that the difference between the pro-
jected 2000 data and the actual permanent
population reported by the 2000 census for
the entire Monroe County to be 6,093 per-
sons. Taking this discrepancy into account,
the permanent population of Monroe
County is not growing as rapidly as pre-
dicted. However, the functional population
remains a valid estimate for planning pur-
p
I I I
-
Pi>
, ,
~ - ~ ~ " ~ ~ ~~~.~M _
Un icorporated Area
Upper Keys 19,740 15,168 17,435 -2,267
Middle Keys 13 ,948 800 1,098 -298
Lower Keys 18,062 20,008 20,741 -733
Incorporated Areas
Islamorada N/A 6,846 7,665 -819
Layton 183 186 208 -22
Key Colony Beach 977 788 1,101 -313
Marathon N/A 10,255 11,272 -1,017
Key West 24,832 25,478 26,102 -624
Total 77,742 79,529 85,622 -6,093
Source: V.S Census Bureau and Monroe County Planning Department, 2004
Growth Analysis
15
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
poses because of an increase in the amount
of seasonal residents. In other words, al-
though the permanent population was esti-
mated to be larger than what was actually
reported in the 2000 Census, the number of
seasonal residents has increased. Therefore,
the functional population estimates remain
valid, and indicates an increase in the per-
centage of the seasonal population.
Number of Residential Permits
The second major component of the Growth
Analysis Section is the number of residen-
tial permits issued. The majority of the new
residential permits issued are for permanent
residential use. However, some of the per-
mits issued for permanent dwellings are
used by the seasonal population.
One issue to remember when considering
growth based upon building permits is the
time lapse that occurs between when a per-
mit for a new residence is issued, and when
that residence is ultimately occupied. The
knowledge that the Rate of Growth Ordi-
nance (ROGO) was about to be adopted in
the early 1990s caused many property own-
ers to obtain building permits prior to when
they were prepared to construct their dwell-
ings. As a result, there are many dwellings
in the Keys that have permits, but are not
yet fully constructed or are only partially
complete. Based upon this time lapse, the
number of residential permits issued over-
states the actual number of new residential
dwellings that currently require public fa-
cilities.
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 de-
veloped as a response to the inability of the
road network to accommodate a large-scale
hurricane evacuation in a timely fashion. A
series of complex models developed during
the fIrst evacuation study identifIed an ap-
proximate number of additional dwelling
units which could be permitted and which
would not have a detrimental 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 geo-
graphically 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. Each ser-
vice area of unincorporated Monroe County
and several of the incorporated areas receive
a set number of allocations for new residen-
tial permits that can be issued during that
particular ROGO year. The number of allo-
cations 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 exempted 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 progress on the implementation of the
Year 2010 Comprehensive Plan. Available
allocations were reduced by twenty percent
(20%), taking 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 alloca-
Growth Analysis
16
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
tions per year. The incorporation of Islamo-
rada reduced the number of available alloca-
tions in unincorporated Monroe County
from 204 to 182. This number was further
reduced by the incorporation of Marathon,
which received a total of 24 new residential
allocations. The incorporation of Marathon
reduced the number' of available new resi-
dential allocations in unincorporated Mon-
roe County from 182 to 158.
Based on the 158 allocations, the ROGO
system, in unincorporated Monroe County,
now allocates 46 units to the Upper Keys
service area, 7 units to the Middle Keys ser-
vice area, and 74 units to the Lower Keys,
for an annual total of 127 market rate resi-
dential units each ROGO year. The remain-
ing 31 allocations are for affordable hous-
ing. Thirty-six (36) affordable allocations
were rolled over from Year 12 making a to-
tal of 67 affordable allocations available for
year 13.
Figure 1.9, on the following page, shows
the breakdown of new and replacement resi-
dential permits issued for unincorporated
Monroe County since 1992. The data pre-
sented 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 boundaries used for this data
are slightly different. The chart below com-
pares the boundaries. Basically, the service
I Illl
,
Upper Keys 12B-22 83.5-112 12A-22 71-112
Middle Keys 7-13 47.5- 83.4 7-13 47.5-70.9
Lower KeyS 1-6 4-47.4 1-6 4-47.4
ScIRe: Monroe County Building Department. 2004
F1 110
areas from the Code breaks at Whale Har-
bor Channel, and does not include Upper
and Lower Matecumbe in the Upper Keys,
while the permitting records break at Chan-
nel Five and do include Upper and Lower
Matecumbe in the Upper Keys. Figure 1.10
explains these differences.
According to Building Department records
3,501 residential permits were issued from
1992 to 2003, with 84% (2,779) being is-
sued to single family residences. Only 12%
(408) of the residential permits were issued
to duplex, multifamily, or mobile home pro-
jects. Almost 37% (1,369) of all the resi-
dential permits issued in the past decade
were issued in 1991 to 1992 as applicants
were attempting to obtain permits prior to
ROGO. A total of 235 residential permits
were issued in unincorporated Monroe
County in 2003, a slight increase from
2002. There were more new residential per-
mits issued in 1999 than any previous year
back to 1992.
Figures 1.11 and 1.12 show the distribution
of new residential permits issued in unin-
corporated Monroe County during 2001 and
2002.
Figure 1.11 shows a decrease in the total
number of permits issued in the Upper and
Lower Keys service areas relative to the
number issued in the Middle Keys from
2002 to 2003. There were 42 more new
residential permits issued in 2003 than
2002.
Figure 1.12 shows the composition of resi-
dential permits issued in 2002 and 2003.
No new duplexes were permitted in either
year. Single family residential permits oc-
cupy the largest percentage in both years,
with 42 more single-family permits being
issued in 2003. The number of mobile
home, RV, and multi-family permits de-
Growth Analysis
17
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Figure 1.9 _ New and Replacement Residential and Seasonal Units Permitted by Year for Unincorporated Monroe County
1992 Upper Keys 190 38 0 6 23 257
Middle Keys 67 0 0 I 0 68
Lower Keys 189 0 14 0 0 203
Subtotal 446 38 14 7 23 528
1993 Upper Keys 104 0 0 5 0 109
Middle Keys 55 2 0 I 0 58
Lower Keys 80 0 0 I 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 I 0 37
Subtotal 239 0 0 4 0 243
1995 Upper Keys 131 2 0 4 0 137
Middle Keys 27 2 2 I 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 I 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 I 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 III 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
TOTAL 2,779 48 119 241 314 3,501
Source: Monroe County Buildin D artment, 2004
Growth Analysis 18
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Figure 1.11- Comparison of Residential Permits by Service Area 2002-2003
2003
Lo~ Keys
11%
Upper Keys
32%
Lo~ Keys
17"10
Upper Keys
30%
Source: Monroe CO\m Buildin t, 2004
Figure 1.12 - Comparison of Residential Permit Types 2002-2003
Multi-Family
0%
Duplex
0%
2003
Mobile
HomcIR V
270/.
2002
HotcVMotcl
0%
Single Family
84%
Multi-Family
8%
Duplex
0%
Single Family 446 239 239 302 237 189 157 245 146 151 193 235 2779
Duplex 38 2 0 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 48
Multi-Family 14 0 0 2 18 12 0 0 35 13 25 0 119
Mobile Home/RV 7 7 4 5 9 0 3 26 0 55 52 44 212
Hotel/Motel 23 0 0 5 0 77 110 64 34 1 0 0 314
Figure 1.13-Comparison of Res ide nti aI Permit Types 1992-2003
600
.1 500
ll.400
....
e 300
.,
-e 200
i 100
o
1992 1993
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 200 I 2002 2003
o Single Family 0 Duplex. Multi-Family. Mobile HotrelRV . HoteVMotel
Growth Analysis
19
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
creased.
Figure 1.13 shows the total number of per-
mits issued in unincorporated Monroe
County from 1992 to 2003. The chart
shows a swell in permitting activity prior to
Figure 1.14 - Types of Permits Issued 1992-2003
Mobile
Home/RV
6%
Muhi-Family
3%
Duplex
1%
HoteVMotel
9"10
Single Family
81%
the adoption of ROGO, and then declines
following its adoption.
Figure 1.14 shows the breakdown in the
types of residential permits issued over the
last decade.
Non-Residential Square Footage
Nonresidential permitting also plays a role
in growth analysis. Nonresidential permits
include everything that is not residential,
like: industrial, commercial, nonprofit &
public buildings, and replacement or remod-
eling of existing nonresidential structures.
Also included are vested and ROGO ex-
empt hotels, motels, campgrounds, marinas
and other commercial facilities.
With very little industrial and agricultural
activity in the Keys, the predominant form
of nonresidential development is commer-
ciaL In Monroe County, there are two pri-
mary types of commercial development:
retail trade and services (which includes
tourism-related development such as mari-
nas and restaurants). Therefore, the impact
of nonresidential development on public
facilities varies significantly based on the
type of commercial use.
Nonresidential and resi-
dential development tend
to fuel one another. Resi-
dential populations pro-
vide markets for nonresi-
dential activities. Non-
residential development,
in turn, helps to drive
population growth by pro-
viding services and em-
ployment. Certain types
of nonresidential develop-
ment also concentrate the
demand for public facili-
ties within certain loca-
tions and during peak pe-
riods.
The Monroe County Building Department
tracks the number of nonresidential permits
by subdistrict in unincorporated Monroe
County. In addition to the number of per-
mits, 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
1992 to 2003. The subdistricts shown in the
chart do not directly correspond to the ser-
vice areas mandated in section of 9.5-292 of
the Land Development Regulations. Refer
to the boundary descriptions found in Fig-
ure 1.10 of this report to compare the two
areas. Forty-four (44) non-residential build-
ing permits were issued in 2003 as com-
pared to twenty-nine (29) in 2002.
Growth Analysis
20
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
1992 Upper Keys 15 40,506
Middle Keys 2 7,263
Lower Keys 5 1,529
Subtotal 22 49,298
1993 Upper Keys 4 16,334
Middle Keys 4 24,812
Lower Keys 4 27,236
Subtotal 12 68,382
1994 Upper Keys 4 24,648
Middle Keys 7 31,079
Lower Keys 4 0
Subtotal 15 55,727
1995 Upper Keys 24 147,3 1 9
Middle Keys 12 109,331
Lower Keys 8 10,004
Subtotal 44 266,654
1996 Upper Keys 17 102,795
Middle Keys 6 93,334
Lower Keys 2 14,149
Subtotal 25 210,278
1997 Upper Keys 14 93,503
Middle Keys 83 8,420
Lower Keys 2 18,327
Subtotal 99 120,250
1998 Upper Keys 4 60,936
Middle Keys 73 16,304
Lower Keys I 24,152
Subtotal 78 101,392
1999 Upper Keys 8 14,861
Middle Keys 68 84,715
Lower Keys 1 2,054
Subtotal 77 101,630
2000 Upper Keys 8 33,873
Middle Keys 68 75,584
Lower Keys 5 19,168
Subtotal 81 128,625
2001 Upper Keys 31 73,307
Middle Keys I 4,998
Lower Keys 4 8,575
Subtotal 36 86,880
2002 Upper Keys 3 3,773
Middle Keys 0 0
Lower Keys 26 110,805
Subtotal 29 114,578
2003 Upper Keys 7 13,651
Middle Keys 37 110,446
Lower Keys 0 0
Subtotal 44 124,097
TOTALS 562 1,427,791
Source: Monroe County Building Department, 2004
Growth Analysis
21
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
40,5(X) 16,334 24,648 147,319 102,795 93,503 00,936 13,651
7;lfi3 24,812 31,079 100,331 93,334 8,4Zl 16,304 1l0,~
1,529 Zl)36 0 10,004 14,149 18,3Zl 24,152
49,298 68,382 55,TIl 266,654 210,278 lZl,250 101,392 101,630 128,625 86,00 114,578 124,007 1,427 791
tation of a nonresidential permit allocation
system similar to the ROGO system for
residential development. Non-residential
development slightly declined in 2000 and
2001 and increased again in 2002 and 2003
as the amount of development in the Upper,
Middle, and Lower Keys has fluctuated.
Figure 1.16-Commercial Square Footage by
Service Area 1992-2003
Lower
Key.
17% Upper
Keys
43%
Middle
Keys
40%
Figure 1.16 shows the relative amount of
square footage permitted in each of the
three service areas from 1992 to 2003.
Figure 1.17 shows the trends in the amount
of nonresidential permitting activity have
fluctuated throughout the last decade. The
permitting 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 imp lemen-
Since residential development is con-
strained through the Rate of Growth Ordi-
nance and the Permit Allocation System, it
was thought that nonresidential
(commercial) development should also be
constrained in the interest of maintaining a
balance of land uses.
At the time the Comprehensive Plan was
prepared in 1991, 17.6% of the land was
under residential use, while 4.6% was used
for commercial development as indicated in
Table 2.1, Monroe County Existing Land
Uses, in the Monroe County Year 2010
Comprehensive Plan Technical Document.
It was determined that this balance was ap-
Figure 1.17 - Nonresidential Permits by Service Area 1992-2003
u
~
0:1
(5 300,000
o
~
~ 250,000
::s
0-
tZl 200,000
:3
5 150,000
:'S!
'"
~ 100,000
I
=
~ 50,000
"0
u
~ 0
~
-<
1992 1993 1994 1995
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
_ Upper Keys _ Middle Keys c::::J Lower Keys -+- Yearly Total
Growth Analysis
22
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
propriate given the knowledge available at
the time the Comprehensive Plan was pre-
pared.
To assure that balance was maintained, the
Comprehensive Plan proposed Policy
101.3.1, which states:
"Monroe County shall maintain a balance
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
nonresidential development for each new
residential unit permitted through the Per-
mit Allocation"
In other words, the Comprehensive Plan
limits the square footage of new commer-
cial development that may be permitted.
The commercial square footage allocation is
239 square feet for each (1) new residential
permit issued. This equates to around
37,762 square feet of new commercial de-
velopment per year throughout unincorpo-
rated 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
development within the Village of Islamo-
rada and City of Marathon prior to their re-
spective 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
provisions of the 2010 Comprehensive Plan.
The BOCC adopted NROGO in September
2001. The approval was challenged, but
subsequently 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 Planning Commission's recommenda-
tion 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 alloca-
tion. By Resolution, passed and adopted on
March 18, 2004, the Board of County Com-
missioners 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 allocation in January,
2004. Of the 16,000 square feet, 11,913
were granted NROGO allocations. The re-
maining 4,587 square feet is to be allocated
in July of 2004. The BOCC will recom-
mend in the fall of 2004 the amount of
square feet to be allocated for Year 13 (July
14,2004 through July 13,2005).
Summary
To summarize, this growth analysis is based
upon projected changes in population as
well as residential and nonresidential per-
mitting in unincorporated Monroe County.
Growth Analysis
23
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
There are two groups that compose the
population in Monroe County: the perma-
nent resident population, and the peak sea-
sonal population. The sum of these two
groups gives the functional population, or
the maximum number of people in the Keys
. .
on any gIven evemng.
The functional population of all Monroe
County is expected to grow by more than
6,000 people from 1990 to 2015, an in-
crease of 11 % over the period. Planning
Department projections show the rate of
increase in functional population is ex-
pected to slow after the year 2000.
The functional population of unincorporated
Monroe County is expected to reach 75,801
people in 2003, a decrease of 27% from
1990 due to the incorporations of Islamo-
rada in 1997 and Marathon in 1999. The
Upper Keys portion of unincorporated Mon-
roe County accounts for 49.3% of the unin-
corporated functional population, while the
Lower Keys portions accounts for 45.3% in
2003. These percentages are expected to
remain relatively constant through 2015.
The permanent population of all of Monroe
County, according to the 2000 Census was
reported as 79,529, an increase of 1,787
from the 1990 Census. This is 6,093 less
than the projected 2000 population.
A total of 270 residential permits (including
vested or ROGO exempt hotel rooms) were
issued in 2002, a slight increase from 2001.
From 1992 to 2002, 80% of the residential
permits (2,544) were issued to single fam-
ily residences, while only 10% (335) were
issued for multifamily, duplex, or mobile
homes. A total of 193 permits (70%) were
issued for single family residences in 2002.
The current rate of growth guidelines indi-
cate that unincorporated Monroe County
has a total of 182 permits it may issue dur-
ing the ROGO year (not including the addi-
tional 90 replacement affordable housing
units which were allowed by the DCA
based upon the lower enclosure removal
program). After the incorporation of Mara-
thon, this number fell to 158 permits a year.
The Nonresidential Rate of Growth Ordi-
nance (NROGO) was approved and became
Growth Analysis
24
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
IL TRANSPORTATION
FACILITIES
This section of the report investigates the
current capacity of the transportation net-
work in Monroe County. This analysis in-
cludes changes in traffic volumes, the level
of service on U.S. 1, the reserve capacity of
the highway and county roads, and the Flor-
ida 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
measurements, and how the level of service
is calculated.
Existing Roadway Facilities
Monroe County's roadway transportation
system is truly unique. Nowhere else is
there a chain of islands over 100 miles long
connected by 42 bridges along a single
highway. This single highway, the Over-
seas Highway (U.S. 1), functions as a col-
lector, an arterial, and the "Main Street" for
the Keys. U.S. 1 is a lifeline for the Keys,
from both economic and public safety per-
spectives. Each day it carries food, sup-
plies, 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
segments that are undivided. The four-lane
sections are located on Key Largo, Tavern-
ier (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
intersections in the Keys. The Monroe
County Division of Public Works is charged
with maintaining and improving secondary
roads which are located within the bounda-
ries of unincorporated Monroe County. The
Florida Department of Transportation
(FDOT) is responsible for maintaining U.S.
1.
Figure 2.1 identifies the traffic signals in
operation along the U.S. I corridor
(excluding those found on the island of Key
West).
4.4 Stock Island College Road
4.6 Stock Island Cross Street
4.8 Stock Island MacDonald A venue
30.3 Big Pine Key Key Deer Blvd.
48.5 Marathon School Crossing
50 Marathon Sombrero Beach Blvd.
52.4 Marathon 107th Street
52.5 Marathon 109th Street
53 Marathon Pedestrian Crossing
53.5 Fat Deer Key Key Colony Causeway
54 Fat Deer Key Coco Plum Drive
90 Plantation Key Woods A venue
90.5 Plantation Key Sunshine Road
91.5 Tavernier Ocean Boulevard
99.5 Key Largo Atlantic Boulevard
101 Key Largo Tradewinds
105 Ke La 0 Pedestrian Crossin
Source: 2004 Arterial and Travel T ime/ Delay Study.
URS Inc.
Transportation Facilities
25
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Traffic Volumes
Traffic counts can be very useful in assess-
ing the capacity of the road network, and
help determine when capacity improve-
ments need to be made. The two primary
measurements for determining traffic vol-
umes are the average 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 directions over seven
twenty- four hour periods which usually in-
clude a weekend. The amount of traffic
counted over the week is then divided by
five or seven to yield the average daily traf-
fic for a particular location. The "5-day
ADT" measurement considers only week-
days, and the "7 -day ADT" includes the
weekend. The ADT information can then
be used in a formula called a ''weekly fac-
tor" to estimate the annual average daily
traffic, which is an estimate of the average
amount of traffic at a particular location on
any given day of the year.
In Monroe County, traffic counts have been
conducted in the same locations since 1992.
These counts occur at Mile Marker 84 on
Upper Matecumbe, Mile Marker 50 in
Marathon, and at Mile Marker 30 on Big
Pine Key. The counts are usually per-
formed during the six-week peak tourist
season which begins in the second week of
February. This year's counts were com-
pleted between March I and March 21
2004. Figure 2.2, on the following page:
compares the traffic counts for 2004 with
those for 2003.
The average weekday (5-Day ADT), aver-
age weekly (7-Day ADT), and the annual
average daily traffic (AADT) volumes,
compared to last year, have increased at the
Marathon and Upper Matecumbe locations.
While the 5-Day ADT, 7-Day ADT and the
AADT, when compared to last year, have
decreased at the Big Pine location.
Big Pine Key (MM 30)
5-Day ADT 23,341
7-Day ADT 22,788
AADT 22,788
Marathon (MM 50)
5-Day ADT 36,817 37,604
7-Day ADT 35,984 36,563
AADT 31,763 32,274
Upper Matecumbe (MM 84)
5-Day ADT 26,759 27,194 1.63%
7-Day ADT 26,514 27,561 3.95%
AADT 23,404 24,328 3.95%
Somce: 2004 Arterial and Travel Time/ Delay Study, URS
Inc.
23,108
22,538
22,538
-1.00010
-1.10%
-1.100tfo
2.14%
1.61%
1.61%
A detailed historical comparison of the
AADT traffic counts at all three locations
for the period from 1994 to 2004 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
generally in the upper 20,000 to 30,000
range. The AADT counts for Big Pine
hover in the low 20,000 range over the pe-
riod. Meanwhile Upper Matecumbe has
been gradually increasing from 1994 to
2004 from a range of 20,000 up to around
25,000.
A regression analysis of the AADT at each
of the three locations over the last eleven
y~ars indicate that traffic volumes in the Big
Pme Key segment have been increasing at a
rate of 0.07% per year. Traffic volumes in
the Marathon and Upper Matecumbe seg-
ments of U.S. 1 have been increasing at a
Transportation Facilities
26
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
21,186
27,924
Matecumbe 19,593 20,473 20,083
Somce: 2004 Arterial and TravelTImeI Delay Study, URS Inc.
o
o
o
o
..,.
~~
N
o
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
. Big Pine Key
. Marathon
rate of 1.51% and 2.37% per year respec-
tively. The Big Pine Key rate of growth is
lower, while the Marathon and Upper Mate-
cumbe rates of growth are higher than last
year's. U.S. 1 historic traffic growth is de-
picted in a regression analysis graph in Fig-
ure 2.4.
o Upper Matecumbe
Level of Service Background
Monroe County has conducted travel time
and delay studies of U.S. 1 on 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 service on
U.S. Highway 1 for concurrency manage-
ment purposes pursuant to Chapter 163,
Figure 2.4 - Regression Analysis of AADTs 1994-2004
Marathon
40,000 Rate of groMh
= 1.51 % per year ....-.
30,000 ... ._ L .....- --....
.- "'-e- -4- - .
. N,. n
20,000 - - - .- . -. - -., . -. . -~ - .. .. -., - .. - ..
.
Upper Matecumbe Big Pine
10,000 Rate of growth Rate of groMh
= 2.37% per year =0.07 % per
0 year
I 1 I I I I I 1 --,
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
. Big Pine Key . Marathon
Upper Matecurrbe - Upper Matecurrbe Trendline
- - Marathon Trendline - - - . Big Pine Key Trendline
&ut:e: 2004 Artcrial and Trave11irrc' U:Iay Study, URS n:.
Transportation Facilities
27
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Florida Statutes and Section 9.5-292 of the
Land Development Regulations. The study
utilizes an empirical relationship between
the volume-based capacities and the speed-
based level of service methodology devel-
oped by the U.S. 1 Level of Service Task
Force.
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 method-
ology was developed in 1993 and amended
December 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
criteria and principles contained in Chapters
7 (Rural Multilane Highways), Chapter 8
(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
Overall speeds are those speeds recorded
over the 108-mile length of the Keys be-
tween Key West and Miami-Dade County.
Overall speeds reflect the conditions experi-
enced by long distance traffic traveling the
entire length of the Keys. Given that U.S. 1
is the only principal arterial in unincorpo-
rated Monroe County, the movement of
long distance traffic is an important consid-
eration.
The overall level of service or capacity of
the entire length of U.S. 1 is measured in
the average speed of a vehicle traveling
from one end to the other of U.S. 1. The
level of service (LOS) criteria for overall
speeds on U.S. 1 in Monroe County, as
adopted by the U.S. 1 Level of Service Task
Force, are as follows:
LOS A = 51 mph or greater
LOS B = 48 mph to 50.9 mph
LOS C= 45 mph to 47.9 mph
LOS D= 42 mph to 44.9 mph
LOS E = 36 mph to 41.9 mph
LOS F = below 36 mph
Both Monroe County and the Florida. De-
partment 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 service 'c' standard.
The median overall speed during the 2004
study was 45.4 mph, which is 0.7 mph
lower than the 2003 median speed of 46.1
mph. The mean operating speed was 45.1
mph with a 95% confidence interval of plus
or minus 0.8 mph. All of these measure-
ments correspond to LOS C conditions.
The highest overall speed recorded in the
study was 47.9 mph ( 1.1 mph lower than
2003 highest overall speed), which occurred
on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 between
11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., in the northbound
direction. The lowest overall speed recorded
was 39.3 mph (2.2 mph lower than the 2003
lowest overall speed), which occurred on
Saturday March 13, 2004 between 9:30 a.m.
and 12:29 a.m. in the southbound direction.
Figure 2.5 shows that the overall median
speed for U.S. 1 has remained between 45.4
mph and 47.8 from 1992 to the present.
Should the overall median speed fall ever
below 45 mph (the minimum LOS C stan-
dard), then the U.S. 1 capacity would be
considered inadequate.
Transportation Facilities
28
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
1992 46.9 C
1993 47.4 C 0.5
1994 47.3 C -0.1
1995 47.8 C 0.5
1996 47.1 C -0.7
1997 46.5 C -0.7
1998 45.7 C -0.8
1999 46.7 C 1
2000 46.4 C -0.3
2001 46.9 C 1
2002 47.1 C -0.2
2003 46.1 C -1
2004 45.4 C -0.7
Source: 2004 Arterial and Travel Time/ Delay Study, URS Ine
48.0
'" 47.0
II)
II) 46.0
~
[; 45.0
:a
II)
::E 44.0
~'" ~~ ~Io ~"o rSJ<::> <S;'" rSJ~
" " " " '1,; ry '1,;
Years
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. 1 also be
assessed annually. There are a total of
twenty four (24) segments of U.S. 1 from
Mile Marker 4 to Mile Marker 112. A de-
scription of the segment boundaries can be
found in Figure 2.6 on the following page.
The segments were defined by the U.S. 1
Level of Service Task Force to reflect road-
way cross sections, speed limits, and geo-
graphical boundaries.
The capacity or level of service for a U.S. 1
segment is measured in median speeds,
similar to the overall capacity measurement.
Segment speeds are the speeds recorded
within individual links of U.S. 1, and reflect
the conditions experienced during local
trips. However, the determination of the
median speed on a segment is a more in-
volved process than determining the overall
level of service since different segments
have different conditions. Segment condi-
tions depend on the flow characteristics and
the posted speed limits within the given seg-
ment.
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.
1 in Monroe County depends on the flow
characteristics and the posted speed limits
Transportation Facilities
29
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
2 5 9 2
3 9 oca Chica Road 2
4 10.5 arris Channel Bridge (N) 3
5 16.5 ower & Upper Sugarloaf 3
6 20.5 4A
7 23 ast Shore Drive 4A
8 25 orch-Ramrod Bridge (S) 4A
9 27.5 orch-Ramrod Bridge . Pine Channel Bridge 4A
S) )
10 29.5 . Pine Channel ong Beach Drive 5
ridge (N)
11 33 ong Beach Drive 6
12 40 - Mile Bridge (S) - Mile Bridge (N) 6
13 47 - Mile Bridge (N) ocoa Plum Drive 7
14 54 ocoa Plum Drive oms Harbor Ch Bridge 8
S)
15 60.5 oms Harbor Ch ng Key Bridge (S) 10
ridge (S)
16 63 ong Key Bridge (S) hannel #2 Bridge (N) 11
17 73 12A
18 77.5 12A
19 79.5 13
20 84 12B
21 86 cean Boulevard 14
22 91.5 cean Boulevard 15 & 16
23 99.5 tlantic Boulevard 17 - 20
24 106 112.5 -905 ounty Line Sign 22
OTE: (N) and (S) refer to the north and south side of the bridges respectively
ource: 2004 Arterial and Travel Time! Delay Study, URS Inc.
Transportation Facilities
30
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
within the given segment. Flow character-
istics relate to the ability of a vehicle to
travel through a particular segment without
being slowed or stopped by traffic signals or
other devices. Segments with a series of
permanent 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. Road-
way segments without a series of signals or
control devices are considered to be
"Uninterrupted Flow Segments". Uninter-
rupted segments may have one or more traf-
fic signals, but they are not in close prox-
imity to one another as in the interrupted
segment case.
The methodology used to determine median
speed and level of service on a particular
segment is based upon that segment's status
as an interrupted or uninterrupted flow seg-
ment. The criteria, listed by type of flow
characteristic, are explained in Figure 2.7.
The Marathon and the Stock Island seg-
ments are considered "interrupted" flow fa-
cilities, the remainder of the segments are
considered uninterrupted. For all
"uninterrupted" segments containing iso-
lated traffic signals, the travel times were
reduced by 25 seconds to account for lost
time due to signals.
The segments, 2003 and 2004 median travel
speeds, and the 2003 and 2004 LOS are
shown on Figure 2.8. The median segment
speeds recorded a range from 58.0 mph in
the Boca Chic a segment to 32.0 mph in the
Stock Island segment. LOS ranged from A
to D. Compared to last year's (2003) study
results, there are level of service changes to
eight segments, three resulted in positive
level of service changes while five resulted
in negative level of service changes. Figure
2.9 is a map of the segment boundaries indi-
cating 2004 LOS.
Compared to 2003, the median segment
speeds decreased in fourteen (14) of the
twenty-four (24) segments ranging between
0.2 mph to 3.8 mph lower. Eight segments
experienced an increase in median speeds,
ranging from 0.2 mph to 1.5 mph, compared
to last year's data.
None of the changes in speed could be at-
tributed to any specific change in conditions
except the changes in traffic volumes and
minor signal timings.
Reserve Capacities
The median overall speed of U.S. 1 in 2004
is 45.4 mph, which is a decrease of 0.7 mph
from the 2003 overall median speed of 46.1
mph. The difference between the median
speed and the LOS C standard gives the re-
serve speed, which is converted into an esti-
mated reserve capacity of additional traffic
volume and corresponding additional devel-
opment. The median overall speed of 45.4
mph compared to the LOS C standard of 45
mph leaves an overall reserve speed of .4
mph. The reserve speed is then converted
into an estimated reserve capacity (7,419
daily trips).
The estimated reserve capacity is then con-
verted into an estimated capacity for addi-
tional residential development (1,159
units), assuming balanced growth of other
land uses. Applying the formula for reserve
volume to each of the 24 segments of U.S. 1
individually gives maximum reserve vol-
umes for all segments totaling 85,986 trips.
These individual reserve volumes may be
unobtainable, due to the constraints im-
posed by the overall reserve volume.
Transportation Facilities
31
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
A >= 35 mph >= L5 mph above speed limit
B >= 28 mph 1.4 mph above to 1.5 mph below speed limit
C >= 22 mph 1.6 mph below to 4.5 mph below speed limit
D >= 17 mph 4.6 mph below to 7.5 mph below speed limit
E >= 13 mph 7.6 mph below to 13.5 mph below speed limit
F < 13 m h > 13.5 m h below eed limit
Source: 2004 Arterial and Travel Time! Delay Study, URS Inc.
Figure 2.8
US 1 Segment Status, Median Speeds, and Change
2003-2004
1 Stock Island A B 35.8 32.0 -3.8
2 Boca Chica A A 58.0 58.2 0.2
3 Big Coppitt C C 46.1 46.1 0.0
4 Saddlebunch C B 52.3 53.7 1.4
5 Sugarloaf C C 47.9 48.3 0.4
6 Cudjoe A A 47.5 48.1 0.6
7 Summerland B B 45.3 46.4 1.1
8 Ramrod A B 46.7 46.4 -0.3
9 Torch A A 47.2 47.6 0.4
10 Big Pine C C 39.7 38.4 -1.3
11 Bahia Honda A B 54.2 52.5 -1.7
12 7-Mile Bridge B C 54.3 53.1 -1.2
13 Marathon A A 38.2 35.2 -3.0
14 Grassy C C 50.9 50.3 -0.6
15 Duck C B 53.0 54.4 1.4
16 Long B B 52.3 52.9 0.6
17 L. Matecumbe D C 50.1 50.5 0.4
18 Tea Table D D 49.2 49.0 -0.2
19 U. Matecumbe C C 41.7 40.9 -0.8
20 Windley A A 42.2 41.8 -0.4
21 Plantation B C 41.3 40.0 -1.3
22 Tavernier A A 49.9 48.3 -1.6
23 Largo A A 48.4 45.5 -2.9
24 Cross D D 46.2 45.0 -1.2
Overall C C 46.1 45.4 -0.7
Source: 2004 Arterial and Travel Time! Delay Study, URS Inc.
32
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Figure 2.9 -Map of US 1 Segments
i.~:~
......)
L'/
C..' c,:""v
'~..:)
,........~-
l:<,'"
\t "
~
q
it-.-:.ri ~
j;,:l>"
f?
~
."...'
33
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
As stated earlier, the Land Development
Regulations mandate a minimum level of
service of 'c' for all roadway segments of
U.S. I. However, county regulations and
FDOT policy allow segments that fail to
meet LOS C standards to receive an alloca-
tion not to exceed five percent below the
LOS C standard. The resulting flexibility
will allow a limited amount of additional
land development to continue until traffic
speeds are measured again next year or until
remedial actions are implemented. These
segments are candidates for being desig-
nated 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 re-
VIew process.
Based on this year's results, Tea Table
(Segment 18), and Cross Key (Segment 24)
are below the LOS C threshold, consistent
with past two years of data. However, both
segments have reserve capacities within the
5% allocation. Although both segments
have reserve capacities within the 5% allo-
cation, continuous degradation of travel
speeds in these segments should be of con-
cern. The travel speeds on Cross Key seg-
ment is likely to improve with the imple-
mentation of a high level fixed bridge, con-
struction of which is anticipated to begin
early next year. The Tea Table segment
does not have any planned improvements to
curtail the travel speed reductions. Florida
Department of Transportation and/or Mon-
roe County should conduct a special study
along this segment to determine what im-
provements, if any can be implemented to
improve the declining travel speeds. A de-
tailed summary table displaying level of
service and reserve capacity values for each
segment is contained in the "2004 U.S. I
Arterial Travel Time and Delay Study".
When no additional trips can be allocated to
a particular roadway segment, then it is con-
sidered as "inadequate" from a public facil-
ity standpoint. The Land Development
Regulations indicate that no additional de-
velopment which could impact an inade-
quate public facility may be permitted. No
facilities were designated as "inadequate"
under this guideline.
In addition to the requirement that areas
with inadequate public facilities be identi-
fied in the annual assessment, the Land De-
velopment Regulations also require those
areas with marginally adequate public fa-
cilities to be identified. For the purposes of
this report, U.S. I segments with reserve
speeds of less than or equal to 3 mph in
2004 will be considered as "marginally ade-
quate".
This year's report indicates that ten seg-
ments are "marginally adequate" and any
applications for new development which
would generate traffic in marginally ade-
quate areas must submit a detailed traffic
report for consideration during review.
Please see Figure 2.11 for "marginally ade-
quate" facilities.
"Marginally Adequate" Segments
Figure 2.11
ile Marker
# Name Ran e
3 Big Coppitt 9.0 - 10.5
5 Sugarloaf 16.5 - 20.5
10 Big Pine 29.5 - 33.0
12 7-Mile Bridge 40.0 - 47.0
14 Grassy 54.0 - 60.5
17 Lower Matecumbe 73.0 - 77.5
18 Tea Table 77.5 - 79.5
19 Upper Matecumbe 79.5 - 84.0
21 Plantation 86.0 - 91.5
24 Cross 106 - 112.5 -2.3
Source: 2004 Arterial and Travel Time! Delay Study, URS
Inc.
Transportation Facilities
34
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
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 2010 Comprehensive Plan Technical
Document, all of the County roads exam-
ined are operating at or above the County
standard of LOS D.
Improvements to Roadway Facilities
Major improvements scheduled for U.S. I
are outlined in the Florida Department of
Transportation Five-Year Work Pro-
gram. The major project for unincorporated
Monroe County in the current FDOT Work
Program (200412005 to 2008/09) is to re-
place the Jewfish Creek drawbridge with a
high-level fixed-span bridge and the instal-
lation of culverts to improve the tidal flow
to the surrounding wetlands. The construc-
tion phase for this project is scheduled for
2004/05.
Additionally, the 18 mile stretch between
the J ewfish Creek Bridge and Florida City
is also scheduled for reconstruction begin-
ning in 2004/05. These road projects are
pending final approval of environmental
permits.
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 proj ects in the current FDOT
Work Program include the preliminary en-
gineering phase for adding a center turn
lane on US-1 at Big Coppitt Key, Knights
Key (MM 46.9-49.1), Grassy Key (MM
57.5-59.9), Long Key (MM 65.3-66.0), and
Plantation Key (MM 85.7-86.7). These pro-
jects 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
included 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-Summerland Key
· the segment from MM 25-Summerland
Key to MM 26.2-Ramrod Key
· the segment from MM 26.2-Ramrod
Key to 29.9 Big Pine Key,
· the segment from MM 33.3 Spanish
Harbor 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-Channel 5 Bridge, and
· the segment from Channel 5-Bridge to
Anne's Beach.
The following historic bridges are also
scheduled for reconstruction to be used as
part of the Overseas Heritage Trail:
· The old Park Channel Bridge at MM
18.7,
· The old South Pine Channel Bridge at
MM 29,
Transportation Facilities
35
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
· The Ohio-Missouri Historic Bridge at
MM 39.1, 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 of-
fices in Marathon.
Summary
The Land Development Regulations pro-
vide clear guidance for assessing the capac-
ity 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. 1 Level of Service Task Force in
1993. The speed based methodology util-
izes the empirical relationship between vol-
ume-based capacities, and median vehicle
speeds. The level of service 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 roadway in the
Keys.
The traffic volumes recorded at Big Pine,
Marathon and Upper Matecumbe have in-
creased as compared to the traffic volumes
during the 2003 study. Using the historical
traffic data, incorporating the 2003 data
(based on a regression analysis), the three
count locations on U.S. 1 have shown a traf-
fic growth of 0.07%. 1.51%, and 2.37% per
year respectively.
The overall travel speed on U.S. I for 2004
is .7 mph lower compared to the 2003 over-
all travel speed. The reserve speed for the
entire length of U.S. 1 is .4 miles per hour.
This means that the entire segment is oper-
ating with only marginal capacity.
Compared to 2003 data. the travel speeds on
10 of the 24 segments increased. These
segments are:
Boca Chica (+0.2 mph)
Torch (+0.4 mph)
Saddlebunch (+ 1.5 mph)
Duck (+1.4 mph)
Sugarloaf (+0.1 mph)
Long (+0.7 mph)
Cudjoe (+0.5 mph)
L. Matecumbe (+0.4 mph)
Summerland (+ 1.1 mph)
Big Coppitt (+0.1 mph)
Travel speeds in 14 segments have de-
creased. These segments are:
Stock Island (-3.8 mph)
Tea Table (-0.2 mph)
Ramrod (-0.3 mph)
U. Matecumbe (-0.5 mph)
Big Pine (-1.4 mph)
Windley (-0.4 mph)
Bahia Honda (-1.7 mph)
Plantation (-1.2 mph)
7 -Mile Bridge (-1.2 mph)
Tavernier (-1.8 mph)
Marathon (-3.0 mph)
Largo (-2.8 mph)
Grassy (-0.8 mph)
Cross (-2.7 mph)
Compared to last year's (2003) study re-
sults, there are changes in LOS to eight of
the segments. The Stock Island. Ramrod.
and Bahia Honda segments experienced de-
creases in LOS from A to B. The Saddle-
bunch and Duck segments experienced in-
creases in LOS from C to B. The 7-Mile
Bridge and Plantation segments decreased
from LOS B to LOS C. The Lower Mate-
cumbe segment increased from LOS D to
LOSC.
The largest speed increase of 1.5 mph was
Transportation Facilities
36
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
recorded in the Saddlebunch segment, while
the largest speed decrease was 3.8 mph and
was recorded at both Stock Island and
Marathon.
In 2004 there were two segments which are
considered "inadequate": Tea Table
(Segment 18), and Cross Key (Segment 24)
are below the LOS C threshold, consistent
with the past two years of data. However,
both segments have reserve capacities
within the 5% allocation.
In 2004 there were ten segments which are
"marginally adequate" in terms of reserve
capacity.
All County roads have levels of service
above the required standard of 'D'.
Transportation Facilities
37
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
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 pine-
land preserve west of Florida City in Mi-
ami-Dade County. The FKAA wellfield
contains some of the highest quality
groundwater in the State, meeting or ex-
ceeding all regulatory standards prior to
treatment. Strong laws protect the wellfield
from potentially contaminating adjacent
land uses. Beyond the County's require-
ments, FKAA is committed to comply with
and surpass all federal and state water qual-
ity standards and requirements.
The groundwater from the wellfield is
treated at the J. Robert Dean Water Treat-
ment Facility in Florida City, which cur-
rently has a maximum water treatment de-
sign capacity of 22 million gallons per day
(MGD). The water treatment process con-
sists 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 maxi-
mum 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 distribu-
tion piping ranging in size from o/.i inch to
12 inches in diameter. In 2003, the FKAA
replaced over 141,000 feet of various size
distribution water mains. The FK.AA's Wa-
ter Distribution System Upgrade Plan calls
for the upgrade or replacement of 59,960
feet of water main during fiscal year 2003-
04.
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
gallons. These tanks are utilized during pe-
riods of peak: water demand and serve as an
emergency water supply. Since the existing
transmission line serves the entire Florida
Keys (including Key West), and storage ca-
pacit~ is an integra.l part of the system, the
capaCIty of the entire system must be con-
sidered together, rather than in separate ser-
vice districts.
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 ?allons per day (MGD) of water, re-
spectively.
At present, Key West is the only area of the
County served by a flow of potable water
sufficient 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 con-
structed 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 purposes and
pump/tank stations are being upgraded 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 Water Use Permit (WUP). The
WUP increases FKAA's potential withdraws
to an average of 19.93 and a maximum of
Potable Water
38
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Figure 3.1 - FKAA Facilities
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
KEY WEST ~~
2 100 liP I'UMPSlLSJlLSJ
1 200 liP PUWPS
~. ~..:&I. ~..
STOCK ISlAND
2:l(lOHPP~ ~1I; 5l1Cl. 51111
[jtJ ~J1IiCD. ~.&&,;
STA1IONR.o. flI.Nfl'
.' -_ 5 lie
, 6S!l HP PUMPS 1 20 HP PUlIP
BIG COPPlTT KEY
2 30 lIP PUMPS
~ BIG PINE KEY
~ 2 30 HP I'UIrS
~
23.79 Million Gallons per Day (MGD). In
2003, the FKAA distributed an average of
17.29 and a maximum of22.2 MGD to the
Florida Keys. As a condition of the WUP,
the FKAA is constructing a Floridan Aqui-
fer Storage and Recovery (ASR) system.
This system is designed to recharge and
store water from the Biscayne Aquifer dur-
ing the wet season (May through Novem-
ber) in the Floridan Aquifer which is ap-
proximately 800-1,000 feet below the
ground surface, and then recover fresh wa-
ter to supplement the Biscayne Aquifer dur-
ing the dry season (December through
April). Unless the projected future water
demands decrease, the FKAA must also
consider an alternative source of water sup-
ply such as a brackish or salt water source
which will require a new water treatment
plant.
Demand for potable water is influenced by
t;Q Fl~OA CITY
5~ ~~
22 _ lllEAlwarr PI.ANl
(~8fooll!$ '='[01
) eoo .. I'UIrS
.lY1
MARATHON
2 lIOO HPF'UIiIP$
2 lI5D HP PUlIPS
ISlAt.IOR.ADA ~~
230 UP PUMPS~~
LONG KEY ~
CRAWl KEY ~. ) BOO HP PUP.!
2 30 HI' P\llIPS ~
69th ST MARATHON
230HPPIIIoiPS~
MAR....THO"'~~
2 40 HP PUMPS ~
many factors, including the size of the per-
manent resident and seasonal populations,
the demand for commercial water use, land-
scaping practices, conservation measures,
and the weather. Figure 3.2 summarizes
FKAA's historic withdrawals, in millions of
gallons. The table also shows the percent
change in withdrawal from one year to the
next, the existing Water Use Permit (WUP)
withdrawal limits, and the reserve capacity
available for future development under the
existing WUP.
Potable Water
39
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
1980 2,854.90 N/A N/A
1981 3,IOLlO 8. 6()01o 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 4,64L50 12.10% 5,110 468.5
1987 4,794.60 3.30% 5,110 315.4
1988 4,819.80 0.50% 5,1l0 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"10 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.l0% 5,560 480
1995 5,140.40 1.20"10 5,n8 637.6
1996 5,272.00 2.6()01o 5,778 506
1997 5,356.00 1.60% 5,778 422
1998 5,630.00 5.10"10 5,n8 148
1999 5,935.30 5.40% 5,778 -157.3
2000 6,228.00 1O.6()01o 5,778 -450
2001 5,626.70 -9.70"10 5,778 15L3
2002 6,19Ll6 10.03% 7,274 1083.29
2003 6,288.29 1.57% 7,274 985.84
Source: Florida Aqueduct Authority, 2004
Figure 3.3 - FKAA Annual Water
Withdrawl
8,000
jg 7,000
~ 6,000
C1 5,000
"0 4,000_
~ 3,000~.
o
is 2,000
SS 1,000
04444
iiiil~i;&~&g
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~. -
~.
1- Annual Withdrawal (MG) -+- WUP Limit (MG) I
Figure 3.4 - WUP Remaining Allocation
l!!
o
=a
o
....
o
'"
c::
o
:=
~
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
o
-200
-400
-600
cfI'" cfI'J< cfllo cfI"o r;SJ\:J r;SJ'"
'" '" '" '" 'V 'V
Potable Water
40
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
The prevIous
graphs show the
relationship be-
tween the amount AverageDailyWithdrawal 19.93
f t 'th MaximmDailyWithdrawal 23.79
o wa er WI - AmuaJ Withdrawal 7,274
drawn on an an- All are in millions 0 rdlons
nual basis and the Source: Florida Keys Aqueduct AutOOrity, 2004
limit of the Water
Use Permit to the present. Figure 3.5 shows
the projected water demand for 2004. Fig-
ure 3.6 indicates the amount of water avail-
able on a per capita basis. Based on Func-
tional Population and permitted water with-
drawal, the average water available is above
100 gallons per capita (person). The 100
gallons per person per day standard is com-
monly accepted as appropriate, and is re-
flected in Policy 701.1.1 of the Year 2010
Comprehensive Plan.
FKAA's current Water Use Permit (Permit #
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.
Preliminary figures for 2004 indicate an in-
crease in average day water use of 2 percent
through May compared to 2003 figures.
Therefore, the average daily water demand
withdrawal projections for 2004 reflect this
Increase.
156,120
157,172
159,113
159,840
160,568
161,227
161,235
Source: Florida K e s A
15,830,000
15,830,000
15,830,000
15,830,000
19,930,000
19,930,000
19,930000
ueduct Authorit .2004
The 1999 Public
Facility Capacity
Assessment Report
indicated three rec-
ommended actions
to be considered by
the Board of County
Commissioners with respect to potable wa-
ter:
17.29
22.2
6,288
17.57
22
6,414
· Continue to monitor water consump
tion and return to the Board for fur
ther direction; and
· Prepare and adopt a series of ordi
nances related to water conservation,
including plumbing efficiency stan
dards, a landscaping ordinance, and
a permanent irrigation ordinance;
and
· Enter into a memorandum of under
standing with the FKAA to address
the above items.
The Growth Management Division plans to
work with the FKAA on water consumption
and conservation. Revised plumbing effi-
ciency standards have been implemented.
Efforts on a permanent irrigation ordinance
should be coordinated with Monroe County
and other local governments. The Growth
Management Division has offered to work
with the FKAA on the development of an
intergovernmental team to discuss water
conservation options since conservation ef-
forts must be undertaken by all jurisdictions
19,19 ,000
19,190,000
19,190,000
19,190,000
23,790,000
23,790,000
23,790,000
Potable Water
41
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
in the Keys to be successful.
Improvements to Potable Water
Facilities
FKAA has a long-range capital improve-
ment plan for both the distribution system
and the. transmission and supply system, as
shown In the table below. The total cost of
the scheduled improvements is approxi-
mately $67.5 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.
The scheduled distribution system improve-
ments include replacing and upgrading lines
in various subdivisions throughout the
Lower, Middle, and Upper Keys. These
improvements began in 1989, when FKAA
embarked on the Distribution System Up-
grade. Program to replace approximately
190 mIles of galvanized lines.
In addition to improvements to the distribu-
tion system, FKAA also has significant im-
provements planned for the transmission
and supply system. FKAA expects to ex-
pand the treatment capacity at the J. Robert
Dean Water Treatment Plant to meet future
,,:ater. demands. Also, the FKAA is plan-
ling Improvements to the pump stations to
improve flow/pressure and construction of
water storage tanks to provide additional
emergency water supply.
Figure 3.7 on the following pages shows the
projected capital improvements to the pota-
ble water system planned by the FKAA.
Potable Water
42
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
1077 Phase 11 - High Service Pump 100,000 1,574,000 1,674,000
1073 Aquifer Storage and Recovery 750,000 628,000 1,378,000
ASR
1079 WTP Control System 126,000 126,000
Security Cameras and 350,000 350,000
Li htin
Stock Island RO-Permeators 60,000 840,000 900,000
& Carbonation
Desalination Production 75,000 250,000 250,000 575,000
F acilit Desi n Onl
3,500,000 3,500,000 3,000,000 3,000,000 3,000,000 16,000,000
425,000 425,000 850,000
2186 Key West Plant Pump Station 400,000 3,470,000 1,530,000 5,400.000
2183 Cudjoe Tank & Pump Station 850,000 615,000 615,000 2,080,000
2191 Vaca Cut Tank & Pump 416,000 341,000 757,000
Station
2187 Islam orada TankstD istribu tion 50,000 750,000 800,000
1m
2189 Bi Pine Pum Station 550,000 270,000 820,000
Key Largo Storage Tank & 1,000,000 1,000,000 2,000,000
Dist. Pum Station
Water Tank Long Key Station I, I 00,000 1,100,000
Water Tank Ramrod Station 1,100,000 1,100,000
1075 100,000 900,000 1,000,000
1042 85,000 60,000 1,000,000 2,700,000 1,200,000 5,045,000
425,000 425,000 850,000
500,000 1,500,000 2,000,000
1064 3,500,000 2,000,000 50,000 5,550,000
150,000 150,000
100,000 100,000
300,000 300,000
1,500,000 2,000,000 3,500,000
3080 600,000 600,000
3073 50,000 50,000 464,000 564,000
150,000 150,000 500,000 800,000
100,000 500,000 4,000,000 4,600,000
3077 Marathon Cen Iral Warehouse 250,000 1,000,000 500,000 1,750,000
100,000 900,000 1,000,000
600,000 300,000 1,250,000 1,250,000 3,400,000
40,000 200,000 240,000
3083 120,000 120,000
TOTALS 12,412,000 18,488,000 18,129,000 11,400,000 7,OS','OO 67,47',0"
Source: Florida Ke . A ueduct Authorit ,2004
Potable Water 43
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
IV: EDUCATION
FACILITIES
The Monroe County School Board oversees
the operation of 13 public schools located
throughout the Keys. Their data includes
both unincorporated and incorporated Mon-
roe County. The system consists of three
high schools, one middle school, three mid-
dle/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 fa-
cilities, all high schools and some middle
schools offer gymnasiums.
The school system is divided into three sub-
districts that are similar, but not identical to
the service 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 Is-
lamorada in the Upper Keys (Subdistrict I),
while the Land Development 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 pre-
sented in this section are based on the
School Board's subdistricts.
Subdistrict I covers the Upper Keys from
Key Largo to Lower Matecumbe Key and
includes one high school and two elemen-
tary/middle schools, as shown in Figure 4.1.
Subdistrict 2 covers the Middle Keys from
Long Key to the Seven Mile Bridge and in-
cludes one high/middle school and one ele-
mentary school. Subdistrict 3 covers the
Lower Keys, from Bahia Honda to Key
West and includes one high school, one
middle school, one elementary/middle
school, and five elementary schools.
Demand for School Facilities
The population of school age children in
Monroe County is influenced by many fac-
tors, including the size of the resident ~d
seasonal populations, national demographIc
trends (such as the ''baby boom" genera-
tion), that result in decreasing household
size, economic factors such as military em-
ployment, the price and availability of hou~-
ing, and the movements of seasonal reSI-
dents.
The School Board collects enrollment data
periodically throughout the year. Counts
taken in the winter are typically the highest,
due to the presence of seasonal residents.
Coral Shores High School (9-12)
Key Largo Elementary/Middle
School (K-8) Stanley SwitIik Elementary (K-6)
Plantation Key Elementary/Middle
School (K-8)
Source: Monroe County School Board, 2004
Horace Q'Bryant Middle School (6-8)
Adams Elementary (K-5)
Archer/Reynolds Elementary (K-5)
Poinciana Elementary (K-5)
Sigsbee Elementary (K-5)
Big Pine Key Neighborhood School
(Pre K-3)
SugarIoaf Elementary/Middle School
K-8
Education Facilities
44
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Key Largo Bementary
Plantation Key
ElementarylMiddle
Stanley Switlik
Elementary
....
Coral Shores
High
Horace O'Bryant
Middle Big Pine
Neighborhood
Poinciana Elementary School
Marathon Hig,
Sigsbee Elementary
Key West High
Glynn Archer Elementary
Reynold Elementary
The following table (Figure 4.3) shows the
fall school enrollments from 1992 to 2003
by subdistrict as taken from the School
Board's Fall Student Survey.
Level of Service of School Facilities
The Monroe County Land Development
Regulations 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 capacity "adequate" to
accommodate the school-age children gen-
erated by proposed land development.
The School Board uses recommended ca-
pacities provided by the Florida Department
of Education (FDOE) to determine each
school's capacity. All schools have ade-
quate reserve capacity to accommodate the
impacts of the additional land development
activities projeeted for 2004-2005 school
year. Figure 4.4 shows each school's capac-
ity and the projected number of students.
Education Facilities
45
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Subdistrict 1
Coral Shores (H) 605 597 649 702 672 701 757 758 800 810 801 811
Key Largo (ElM) 1,310 1,213 1,235 1,198 1,223 1,273 1,253 1,183 1,173 1117 1112 1073
Plantation ElM 718 698 721 737 730 703 675 643 668 647 641 650
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
Subdistrict :1
Marathon (H) 545 523 578 642 637 612 637 660 679 682 693 654
Switlik E 734 775 776 769 782 815 834 791 671 687 714 676
Subtotal 1,279 1,298 1,354 1,41 I 1,419 1,427 1,471 1,451 1,350 1,369 1,407 1,330
Subdistrict 3
Key West (H) 1,114 1,120 1,155 1,255 1,237 1,327 1,372 1,344 1.305 1,327 1301 1382
O'Bryant (M) 852 902 876 909 897 863 899 814 838 854 874 873
Sugarloaf (ElM) 899 810 1,039 1,013 987 960 937 913 941 854 901 904
Adams (E) 541 529 516 486 500 499 574 566 513 544 598 591
Archer (E) 480 441 462 454 454 520 493 460 393 376 386 382
Poinciana (E) 521 566 613 626 637 608 620 632 599 586 583 547
Sigsbee (E) 471 400 431 431 398 404 423 393 358 363 326 295
Sands 81 81 85 52 52 58 1 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
TDtal 8,871 8,655 9,136 9,274 9,206 9,343 9,475 9,157 8,938 8,847 8,930 8,838
Source: Monroe Count School Board, 2004
9,600
9,400
9,200
9,000
8,800
8,600
8,400
8,200
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
I-+- Total Fall School Enrollment I
Subdistrict 1
Coral Shores 868 831 8 I 8 747 835
Key Largo 1,240 1,191 I, I I 5 1,082 1,031
Plantation 971 645 653 665 649
Su b to ta I 3,079 2,667 2,586 2,494 2,5 J 5
Subdistrict 2
Marathon 1,0 I 8 667 673 724 665
S w itlik 925 668 674 684 651
Subtotal 1,943 1,33 5 1,347 1,408 J ,3 J 6
Subdistrict 3
Key West 1,349 1,3 I 2 1,267 1,3 I 3 1,408
O'Bryant 833 8 I 8 838 876 887
Sugarloaf 1,356 941 842 835 888
A dam s 547 506 546 605 552
A rc her 470 398 371 357 350
Poinciana 660 585 574 591 550
Sigsbee 534 357 373 327 284
Sands 0 0 0 0 0
Subtotal 5,749 4,9 J 7 4,8 J J 4,904 4,9 J 9
T D ttll 10,771 8,919 8,744 8,806 8,750
Source: Monroe Count Scbool Board, 2004
Education Facilities 46
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Improvements to School Facilities
Florida Statute 163.3177 requires counties
to identify lands and zoning districts needed
to accommodate future school expansions.
In order to bring the Monroe County Year
2010 Comprehensive Plan into compliance
with this statute, in 1998 the Monroe
County Planning Department and School
Board conducted research to determine the
existing school capacity and the potential
need for future educational facilities in
Monroe County.
This study focused on land requirements for
each of the schools expansion needs. Over-
all, the County has sufficient vacant and ap-
propriately zoned land to meet the area's
current and future school siting needs. The
specific land requirements for the public
schools in the County are discussed below.
Key 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 Educa-
tion (DOE) has instructed the Monroe
County School Board to construct an addi-
tional 43,100 square feet of school space.
However, current land use regulations pro-
hibit the School Board from construction of
any additional facilities on or adjacent to its
current site due to the environmental sensi-
tivity of the area. The School Board re-
cently made an unsuccessful attempt to pur-
chase a new site on which to build the re-
quired school facilities. Unless the Board is
able to provide these facilities in Key Largo
they will be non-compliant with the mini-
mum DOE standards. Fully utilizing the
current Key Largo site would enable the
School Board to meet their DOE require-
ments and to minimize other secondary en-
vironmental impacts associated with the
construction of a new school. It has been
determined that the School Board may clear
the required amount of land, but the loca-
tion of the clearing is still under review by
the Planning and Environmental Resources
Department.
Plantation Key Elementarv/Middle School
(K-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 is
not large enough to accommodate this de-
velopment and regulations prohibit the
School Board from constructing any addi-
tional facilities on, or adjacent to, its current
site due to the environmentally sensitive
nature of the area. The new Village of Isla-
morada will address plans for Plantation
Key School and other educational facilities
in its comprehensive plan.
Stanley Switlik Elementary
Expanding the existing school facilities into
the two parcels of land flanking the current
site will accommodate the land require-
ments for Stanley Switlik Elementary. The
school has a new cafeteria/kitchenl
multipurpose building as well as new park-
ing 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 auditorium for this school that
could also serve as a community center.
Coral Shores Hil;rl1 School
The School Board is currently finishing
construction on the replacement school,
which is scheduled for completion by the
end of 2003.
Education Facilities
47
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Figure 4.5 is a table showing the results of
the investigation completed by the Monroe
County School Board and Planning Depart-
ment in 1998 and updated in 2004.
Key Largo
Elementary/Middle School 27 acres (SC & SR) 2 acres (I)
(K-8)
o acres
N/A
N/A
o acres
Marathon High and Middle 27 acres (SR) o acres (3) o acres
Schools
Big Pine Neighborhood 4.5 acres (SC) o acres o acres
Elementary
SugarloafMiddle and 42 acres (SC & NA) o acres o acres
Elementary
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 NA surrounding
the current site.
There are approximately 4.27 acres 0
vacant land zoned SC and 8.6 acres 0
vacant land zoned IS surrounding the
current site.
There are approximately 27 acres of
vacant land zoned NA and 34 acres
zoned SR surrounding the current
site.
(I) The School Board is working with Monroe County Planning Department to meet this need prior to the end of2004.
(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 communi center.
Source: Monroe Coun School Board, 2004
Education Facilities
48
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
~ SOLID WASTE
FACILITIES
Monroe County's solid waste facilities are
managed by the Solid Waste Management
Department, which oversees a comprehen-
sive system of collection, recycling, and
disposal of solid waste. Prior to 1990, the
County's disposal methods consisted of in-
cineration and landfilling at sites on Key
Largo, Long Key, and Cudjoe Key. Com-
bustible 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
contractor's private landfill in Broward
County. In accordance with County-
approved franchise agreements, private con-
tractors perform collection of solid waste.
Residential collection takes place four times
a week (2 garbage/trash, 1 recycling, 1 yard
waste); nonresidential collection varies by
contract. The four (4) contractors currently
serving the Keys are identified in Figure
5.1.
struction debris collected throughout the
Keys by the four curbside contractors and
prepared by WMI for shipment out of the
Keys. However, it is important to note that a
second, unused site on Cudjoe Key could be
opened if necessary. Figure 5.2 below sum-
marizes the status of the County's landfills
and incinerators.
The County's recycling efforts began in Oc-
tober 1994, when curbside collection of re-
cyclable materials was made available to all
County residences and businesses. Recy-
cling transfer centers have been established
in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Keys.
Waste Management, Inc. continues to proc-
ess yard waste into mulch. The mulch prod-
uct is then made available to the public. In
addition to County efforts, other govern-
ment agencies are mulching and reusing
yard waste, and private enterprises are col-
lecting aluminum and other recyclable ma-
terials.
White goods, waste oil, batteries and tires
are handled separately, with collection sites
operating at each landfill/transfer station
site. The County collects household hazard-
ous waste at the Long Key and Cudjoe Key
Transfer Stations, in addition to the Key
Largo Recycling Yard. Hazardous waste
5.1- SOOd Wlste <::bmido from condi-
tionally ex-
empt small
Md-KeysWSe,Ire. WSeMmgmnof quantity gen-
Fkrida, Ire. erators is col-
lected once a
year, as part
of an Am-
nesty Days
program.
The County's
incinerators
V",",ro Sanitary Service &
and landfills "'--)'"
are no longer O:eanReefOtb, Ire.
in operation. &uo::MnreGu1y~WNeMlmgmnDp:ab.lrd,D):t
The landfill
sites are now
used as
transfer sta- Ke Lar
tions for wet Lon K
garbage, Cudjoe
yard waste Old Site
d ' Unused Site
an con - Source: Monroe Coun
aosed 2125/91
None
Solid Waste
o
180,000
Solid Waste Facilities
49
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
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 difference is that Windley Key, which
is considered to be in the Upper Keys dis-
trict in the LDRs, is included in the Middle
Keys district for purposes of solid waste
management. Another 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 contin-
ued to participate with Monroe County in
the contract with Waste Management Inc.
until September 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 Is-
lamorada's incorporation on solid waste ser-
vices appear in the 1999 data. Data for the
City of Key West and the Village of Islamo-
rada is not included in this report.
Marathon's incorporation was effective on
October 1, 2000 and they continue to par-
ticipate in the Waste Management Inc. con-
tract. Effects of the incorporation, if any,
will appear 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
populations, the extent of recycling efforts,
household consumptive practices, landscap-
ing practices, land development activities,
and natural events such as hurricanes and
tropical storms. Analyses provided by a
private research group indicate that the av-
erage single-family house generates 2.15
tons of solid waste per year. Mobile homes
and multifamily units, having smaller yards
and household sizes, typically generate less
solid waste (1.96 and 1.28 tons per year,
respectively).
The following table and graph summarize
the solid waste generated by each district.
The totals for each district are a combina-
tion of four categories of solid waste: gar-
1985 28,585 28,890 15,938 73,413 NA
1987 32,193 37,094 22,206 91,493 24.63%
1989 31,173 33,931 23,033 88,137 -3.67%
1990 28,430 31,924 22,988 83,342 -5.44%
1991 26,356 28,549 20,699 75,604 -9.28%
1992 27,544 26,727 18,872 73,143 -3.26%
1993 37,211 28,986 22,198 88,395 20.85%
1994 30,110 30,662 24,831 85,603 -3.16%
1995 28,604 30,775 25,113 84,492 -1.30%
1996 31,573 31,845 27,823 91,241 7.99%
1997 32,003 33,625 29,350 94,978 4.10%
1998 33,119 36,440 30,920 100,479 5.79%
1999 29,382 30,938 37,431 97,751 -2.71%
2000 32,635 30,079 33,420 96,134 -1.65%
2001 29,663 29,367 31,166 90,196 -6.18%
2002 31,018 31,217 30,700 92,935 3.04%
2003 31,529 31,889 30,385 93,803 0.93%
Note: The figures from 1984 to 1991 include white goods, tires, construction debris, and yard waste. They do
not include source-se arated rec clables.
Source: M ooroe County Solid Waste Mana
Solid Waste Facilities
50
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Flgure 5.4 - Solid Waste Generation 1985 -2003 by District
120,000
100,000
80,000
U}
6 60,000
E-<
40,000
20,000
o
~~~#~~~~~#~#~####
, , , , , , , , , , , , , ~ ~ ~ ~
1- Key Largo - Long Key C=:t Cudjoe Key...... Total I
bage, yard waste, bulk yard waste and other
(includes construction and demolition de-
bris).
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 in-
crease of 21 percent in the amount of solid
waste generated. This increase is attributed
to the demolition and rebuilding associated
with Hurricane Andrew, which made land-
fall 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
has been on the increase 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 September of 1998. A portion
of the decline seen from 1998 to 1999 may
be attributable to the reduction in solid
waste collected from Islamorada. The con-
tinuing decline shown in 2000 and 2001 is
due to a reduction in construction and
demolition debris being brought to the
County transfer stations following the im-
plementation of the Specialty Hauler ordi-
nances. The increase in 2002 and 2003 may
be attributable to fluctuations In waste
streams from Islamorada.
Level of Service of Solid Waste Facilities
Section 9.5-292 of the Land Development
Regulations requires that the County main-
tain sufficient capacity to accommodate all
existing and approved development for at
least three (3) years. The regulations spe-
cifically recognize the concept of using dis-
posal sites outside Monroe County.
As of June 2004, Waste Management Inc.,
reports a reserve capacity of approximately
30.5 million cubic yards at their Central
Sanitary Landfill in Broward County, a vol-
ume sufficient to serve their clients for an-
other 14 years. Figure 5.5 below shows the
remaining capacity at the Central Sanitary
Landfill.
Monroe County has a contract with WMI
authorizing use of in-state facilities through
September 30, 2016, thereby providing the
County with approximately twelve years of
guaranteed capacity. Ongoing modifica-
tions at the Central Sanitary Landfill are
creating additional air space and years of
life. In addition to this contract, the
180,000 cubic yard reserve at the County
Solid Waste Facilities
51
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
landfill on Cudjoe Key would be sufficient
to handle the County's waste stream for an
additional four to five years (at current ton-
nage levels), should the County choose to
discontinue haul-out as the means of dis-
posal.
The combination of the existing haul-out
contract and the space available at the Cud-
joe Key landfill provides the County with
sufficient capacity to accommodate all ex-
isting and approved development for up to
nineteen years.
Remrining Capacity
(vohu:re in millions of cubic yards)
i tinr 14
Source: Monroe County Solid Waste Management Department, 2004
28y<f
27y<f
34.2 yd3
32.3 yd3
30.5 yd3
Solid Waste Facilities
52
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
VI. 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 2004 Public Facili-
ties Capacity Assessment Report for infor-
mational purposes only.
Level of Service standards for parks and
recreational 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 un-
incorporated Monroe County is 1.64 acres
per 1,000 functional population. To ensure
a balance between the provisions of re-
source- and activity-based recreation areas
the LOS standard 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
unincorporated Monroe County. In deter-
mining how to apply the LOS standard for
each type of recreation area, the most im-
portant aspect to consider is the difference
between resource- and activity-based rec-
reation areas. Resource-based recreation
areas are established around existing natural
or cultural resources 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 basketball 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
activity-based recreation areas do not rely
on natural features or cultural resources for
their location and because they can be pro-
vided in areas with concentrated popula-
tions, 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
projections. For the purpose of park and
recreational facilities, the Upper Keys are
considered to be the area north of Tavernier
(PAEDs 15 through 22). The Middle Keys
are considered to be the area between Pi-
geon 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 contain portions of PAED 6,
the population of PAED 6 is located in the
Lower Keys subarea.
An inventory of Monroe County's parks and
recreational facilities is presented below.
The facilities are grouped by subarea and
are classified according to the principal use
(resource or activity).
Parks and Recreation
53
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
Undevelo ed.
Undevelo ed.
Basketball courts (2), playground, ball field, picnic shelters,
arkin and ublic restrooms.
A soccer field. two (2) ball fields, six (6) tennis courts, a jogging
Ke Lar 0 Communit Park trail, three (3~ ~asketball courts,. roller hockey, vO.lleYball,
y g y playground, pICniC shelters, publtc restrooms, parking and
a uatic center.
Waterfront ark with a boat ram .
Two (2) ball fields, playground, restrooms, picnic shelters,
beach arkin 89 and boat ram .
PIa round ark benches trails, and a historic latform.
U ndevelo ed.
Undevelo ed. NOT IN MASTER PLAN
Monroe County School District; Playground, baseball field,
runnin track indoor m.
Monroe County School District; Baseball field, football field,
Coral Shores High School softball field 5 tennis courts indoor m.
Monroe County School District; playground, I tennis court, I
Plantation Key Elementary basketball court I baseball field.
Garden Cove
Hibiscus Park
Friendship Park
Sunset Point
Harry Harris
Settler's Park
Sunn Haven
Old S.R. 4-A
Key Largo Elementary
Subarea Total
Pigeon Key
Marathon High School
Switlik Elementary
Subarea Total
Little Duck Ke
Missouri Ke
West Sum m erland
Heron Avenue
Palm Villa
Bi Pine Leisure Club
Blue Heron Park
Watson Field
Ramrod Ke Swim Hole
Summerland Estates
Little Torch Boat Ram
S ugarloaf E lem entary
B aypoint Park
Palm Drive cuI-de sac
Rockland Hammock
Boca Chica Beach
Delmar Avenue
Big Coppitt Fire
De artment Pia round
Wilhelm ina Harvey
Children's Park
Bernstein Park
East Martello
West Martello
Higgs Beach/Astro City
Upper Keys Subarea
Middle Keys Subarea
Historic structures, research/educational facilities, and a railroad
museum.
Monroe County School District; Baseball and football field,
softball field, 3 tennis courts, 3 basketball courts, indoor gym.
Monroe County School District; Playground, 2 baseball fields.
shared soccer/football field.
Lower Keys Subarea
restroom s boat ram and beach area.
Playground, basketball court, youth center, and picnic shelters.
Two 2 tennis courts ball field, la round, and volle ball.
Swimmin area with no facilities.
U ndevelo ed.
Boat ram .
Monroe County School District;1 baseball field, playground.
bocchi ball, two (2) tennis courts, and
Playground and benches.
Two playground areas, a walking trail and green space.
tennis courts,
Ball field, soccer, basketball court. track,
la round restrooms and volle ball.
Historic structures teen center and icnic area.
Historic structure.
Five (5) tennis courts, playground, volleyball.
beach area ier and ublic restroom s.
Historic structure and museum.
picnic shelters,
Li hthouse Museum
Subarea Total
UNINCORPORA TED MONROE COUNTY TOTAL
Source: Monroe County Plannins Department, 2004
1.5
0.46
1.92
14
1.2
16.4
3
0.09
0.3
3.4
10.1
/.7
6.09 47.98
5
7.8
5
2.5
10.3
25.5
3.5
31.8
0.69
0.57
1.75
5.5
2.4
0.5
0.13
0.1
3.1
1.58
0.1
2.5
6
0.2
0.75
0.65
11
14.58
0.8
15.5
0.77
87.17
98.26
42.8
101.08
Parks and Recreation
S4
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
There are currently 98.26 acres of resource-
based recreation areas either owned or
leased by Monroe County shown in Figure
6.1. Using the functional population pro-
jection for 2004 of 75,801 persons in unin-
corporated Monroe County, and the LOS
standard of 0.82 acres per 1,000 functional
population, the demand for resource based
recreation areas is approximately 62.16
acres. The county currently has a resource-
based land to meet the level of service with
an extra 36.10 acres of reserve capacity.
Level of Service Analysis for Activ-
ity-Based Recreation Areas
The Year 2010 Comprehensive Plan allows
activity-based recreational land found at
educational facilities to be counted towards
the park and recreational concurrency.
There is currently a total of 101.08 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 Islamo-
rada), 10.3 acres in the Middle Keys
(including Marathon), and 42.8 acres in the
Lower Keys. Based on a LOS standard of
0.82 acres of activity-based recreation areas
per 1,000 functional population in unincor-
porated Monroe County (37,314-Upper,
4, 140-middle, and 34,347-Lower), the de-
mand for these recreation areas are 30.60,
3.39 and 28.16 acres for the Upper, Middle,
and Lower Keys, respectively.
Upper Keys Total
Middle Keys Total
Lower Ke s Total
Total
37,314
4,140
34,347
75,801
47.98
10.3
42.8
101.08
Source: Monroe County Planning Department, 2004
There is currently a reserve of 17.38, 6.9,
and 14.64 (Upper, Middle, and Lower) for a
total of 38.92 acres of activity-based recrea-
tion areas for all of unincorporated Monroe
County. Figure 6.2 shows the level of ser-
vice analysis for activity-based recreation
areas in each subarea.
Future Parks and Recreation Plan-
ning
Monroe County is currently undertaking a
comprehensive analysis of it's parks and
recreation system in order to more accu-
rately plan for the recreational needs of the
population. A parks and recreation master
plan is being prepared and is anticipated to
be complete within a year of this report.
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 acquired, and funding
mechanisms which may be used for that ac-
quisition. The master plan is mandated by
the Year 2010 Comprehensive Plan and will
allow the county to address the residents
parks and recreation needs more accurately.
Identifying parks and recreation needs is
also a part of the on going Livable Commu-
niKeys 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 Commu-
30.60
3.39
28.16
62.16
17.38
6.91
14.64
38.92
Parks and Recreation
55
2004 Monroe County Public Facilities Capacity Assessment
~Keys Program has been completed on Big
PIne Key and No Name Key, and Tavernier.
The process has recently begun in Key
Largo and will begin shortly in Stock Is-
land.
Acquisition of Additional Recrea-
tion Areas
~he Monroe County Year 2010 Comprehen-
SIve Plan states in Objective 1201.2 that
"Monroe County shall secure additional
acreage for use and/or development of re-
source-based and activity-based neighbor-
hood and community parks consistent with
the adopted level of service standards." The
elimination of deficiencies in LOS stan-
dards for recreation areas can be accom-
plished in a number of ways. Policy
1~01.2..1 of the Comprehensive Plan pro-
VIdes SIX (6) mechanisms that are accept-
able for solving deficits in park level of ser-
vice standards, as well as for providing ade-
quate land to satisfy the demand for parks
and recreation facilities that result from ad-
ditional 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
agreements with the School Board (number
3 above). However, these agreements need
to be examined more closely to determine
~he amount of available acreage for calculat-
Ing concurrency. Furthermore, Monroe
County cannot rely upon joint use facilities
to eliminate existing deficiencies or meet
future LOS requirements until interlocal
. ,
Intergovernmental, or private use joint
agreements are executed. For instance the
Co~ty is currently reviewing and reviSing
the Interlocal agreements with the Monroe
County School Board to provide greater day
time accessibility for students to public rec-
reational facilities. Once executed, these
agreements will ensure that the facilities
will be available for general use to Monroe
County reside~ts to meet peak season,
weekend, or tIme of day recreation de-
mands.
Parks and Recreation
56