HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem L2 L2
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
COUNTY of MONROE �� i Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein,District 5
The Florida Keys Mayor Pro Tern James K.Scholl,District 3
Craig Cates,District 1
Michelle Lincoln,District 2
' David Rice,District 4
Board of County Commissioners Meeting
December 11, 2024
Agenda Item Number: L2
2023-3416
BULK ITEM: No DEPARTMENT: District 3
TIME APPROXIMATE: STAFF CONTACT: Sue Burke 305-292-3430
AGENDA ITEM WORDING: MAYOR SCHOLL: Monroe County Support for Sigsbee Housing
ITEM BACKGROUND:
The U.S. Navy owned and operated 166 units of townhouse-style housing on the western 18-acre parcel
at the Sigsbee Park facility within the City of Key West. The units sustained significant damage
because of Hurricane Wilma in 2005, which rendered many, if not all the 166 units uninhabitable. The
units sat in disrepair for 16 years until the Navy demolished the 166 units in May 2021. Between the
demolition of Sigsbee Housing in 2021 and the recent closure of 2 barracks on Truman Annex,Navy
personnel were issued military housing allowance to secure rental housing in the civilian market.
Monroe County has not recently addressed this issue. However, in 2015, the Key West City
Commission passed Resolution 16-015, which encouraged the Navy to make those units available to
both military and civilian personnel and families for workforce housing. In October 2024, the City of
Key West passed an updated resolution. The current Resolution differs slightly in that it requests that
the Navy and the federal delegation construct new base housing and incentivize current Navy personnel
to move back to Sigsbee Park, thereby vacating existing non-military housing throughout Key West.
This can result in increased rental inventory for the non-military residents of Key West.
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
N/A
INSURANCE REQUIRED:
No
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
N/A
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STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approval to pass the proposed Resolution.
DOCUMENTATION:
Sigsbee_Housing_Resolution—12.24 final.pdf
05-19-2022 Keys Weekly -New Navy Commander Inherits Housing Crisis - Article.pdf
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The current Resolution will not result in any costs to the County.
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Resolution No. -2025
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, OF
MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA, REQUESTING THAT THE U.S. NAVY
AND THE LOCAL FEDERAL DELEGATION CONSIDER
DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF NEW HOUSING ON THE
VACANT WESTERN PARCEL OF LAND AT SIGSBEE PARK FOR USE
BY MILITARY MEMBERS AND/OR CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES;
AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR OR DESIGNEE TO
WORK WITH NAVY PERSONNEL AND THE FEDERAL DELEGATION
TO IDENTIFY FUNDING, DETERMINE CRITERIA, AND DEVELOP
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES TO PROVIDE WORKFORCE HOUSING
AT SIGSBEE PARK; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, over decades, the Board of County Commissioners has
commissioned studies and passed numerous resolutions with the goal of increasing the
availability of affordable and workforce housing in unincorporated Monroe County and
its incorporated cities, particularly the City of Key West; and
WHEREAS, there are approximately 18 acres of undeveloped land at Sigsbee
Park, that was the site of 166 units of former Navy housing that was demolished in May
2021 after being largely uninhabited for 16 years after significant damage sustained
during Hurricane Wilma in 2005; and
WHEREAS, the vacant Sigsbee parcel could be developed as housing for Navy
personnel and civilian employees, without impact on certain building/development
criteria such as Rate of Growth Ordnance (ROGO)/ Building Permit Allocation System
(BPAS) that limit the construction of new housing on private or municipal properties in
Monroe County and Key West; and
WHEREAS, Navy personnel and civilians who are employed by the Navy and
supporting Federal agencies, comprise a substantial segment of the population in Key
West that occupy or require long-term workforce housing, and by providing new and
improved housing on base, the inventory of available long-term rentals in the City of Key
West and the Lower Keys may become more readily available to non-military families;
and
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners finds that it would be mutually
beneficial if additional housing is constructed within Sigsbee Park and made available
for rent to military and government civilian personnel within Key West and the Lower
Keys; and
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners endorses resolutions adopted
by the City of Key West in 2015 and 2024 which encourage the U.S. Navy to use (and
now develop) housing at Sigsbee Park for the military and civilian workforce in Key
West.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA, AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1: The Board of County Commissioners requests that the U.S. Navy
and the County's federal legislative delegation work with the City and County to develop
and construct affordable housing for military and civilian employees on the vacant
western parcel of land at Sigsbee Park in Key West.
Section 2: The County Administrator or designee is authorized to work with
the U.S. Navy and the federal delegation for Key West to identify funding and
development resources, and to determine acceptable criteria, policies, and procedures
for the construction of additional housing at Sigsbee Park in Key West.
Section 3: The Board of County Commissioners respectfully requests that the
County be provided a feasibility study that was conducted for the Sigsbee Park vacant
parcel that indicated housing is its best use.
Section 4: This resolution shall go into effect immediately upon adoption.
Section 5: The Clerk is directed to send copies to:
Senator Marco Rubio Senator Rick Scott
284 Russell Senate Office Building 716 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
Rep. Carlos Gimenez
448 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County,
Florida, at a regular meeting of said Board held on the 11t" day of December 2024.
Mayor James K. Scholl
Mayor Pro Tem Michelle Lincoln
Commissioner Craig Cates
Commissioner David Rice
Commissioner Holly Merrill Raschein
(SEAL) BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Attest: KEVIN MADOK, Clerk OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA
By: By:
As Deputy Clerk Mayor/Chairperson
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NEW NAVY COMMANDER INHERITS DOUSING CRISIS
By Mandy Mitts- May 19,2022
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The Navy demolished 166 housing units at Sigsbee Park in May 2021 alter they Hooded in Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and sat
empty for 16 years.CONTRIBUTED
o much for a learning curve.
Capt. Beth Regoli, the new commander of Naval Air Station Key West,
barely had time to unpack before running headlong into Key West's
housing crisis.
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Regoli took the helm from Capt. Mark Sohaney on May 12 and immediately had plenty
on her plate, with a May 15 news article on military.com about the lack of housing for
junior sailors at NAS Key West.
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The island's already critical housing shortage, which affects both milltary personnel
and civilians, was exacerbated in recent weeks by the Navy's closure of two barracks
buildings that can house up to 100 unmarried sailors.
The decision to close the barracks buildings for renovations occurred months ago
under Sohaney's command. Regoli was not involved in the discussions or decision, and
the military.com article published the day before her first official day on Monday.
But she is now tasked with finding solutions.
"Housing solutions are important as the health and safety of our sailors is a top
priority," Regoli told the Keys Weekly on Wednesday. "I'm looking forward to
continuing a great working relationship with the Public Private Venture office, and
finding solutions to upgrading and renovating homes for our sailors and families."
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The closure forced about 60 junior sailors, recently stationed to Key West, to compete
for limited on-base housing options or for private rental apartments. In the wildly
expensive Key West housing market, rents typically exceed the $2,364 monthly
housing allowance that junior sailors with no dependents receive in Key West.
With average rents for a one-bedroom apartment in Key West hovering around
$3,000, sailors willing to pay the difference between their allowance and their rent still
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must find an available unit— and come up with first and last months' rent and a
security deposit.
"The next option — privatized base housing — is also a nonstarter for young, single
sailors,"the article states.
Naval Air Station Key West spokeswoman Danette Baso Silvers acknowledged to
military.com that the current wait-list for privatized housing'can be up to four
months:
"In the interim, Silvers added, the Navy is making available vacation-rental style
trailers on military property, but sailors are charged the same rate as vacationing
military personnel — $127 a day or$3,810 per month. Split between two sailors, the
rent falls within their housing allowance. Of the 60 sailors Impacted by the barracks
closure, only 19 have yet to find alternative housing, Silvers told military.com."
Navy demolished, but didn't replace 166 units at Sigsbee,
'', Trending
➢, A1A RENAMED JIMMY BUFFE77 MEMORIAL HIGHWAY
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Closure of the two barracks buildings isn't the only housing issue at Naval Air Station
Key West, where 166 townhomes at Sigsbee Park sat empty and unused for more
than a decade after being flooded by Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
The Key West city commission in 2016 asked Navy personnel to expedite the repair or
replacement of those units. Returning those 166 units to active use for military
personnel would alleviate the competition between military members and civilians for
private rental housing, City Commissioner Sam Kaufman said at the time.
Five years later, in May 2021, the Navy demolished those 166 townhomes at Sigsbee
Park, and has yet to replace them. The Naval Facilities Command Southeast, which
manages navy properties, solicited proposals from interested developers. Those
proposals were due in December 2021.
"Now there are 18.13 acres of green space. We are awaiting a feasibility study and
then leadership will be able to determine options for the property,"Silvers said on
Wednesday, but did not have a timeline for the feasibility study.
"I'm looking forward to the next steps for the 18.13 acres on Sigsbee Park so we can
determine options for use of that property," Regoli added.
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