In an effort to provide greater familiarity and communication between the Key Colony Beach City Commission candidates and our readers, the Marathon Weekly sent each of them a series of questions concerning their backgrounds and stances on pressing city issues. The Weekly will continue to print each candidate’s responses in a Q&A series leading up to the Nov. 8 election, in which two candidates will win commission seats. Have a question you’d like to see answered by the candidates? Send it to alex@keysweekly.com for potential inclusion throughout the series.
Answers are printed exactly as submitted by candidates, with responses limited to 100 words.
This week: What is one issue for KCB residents that you feel has not received an appropriate amount of attention thus far and should be addressed?
JOHN DENEALE
KCB as all the Keys is faced with how to maintain our quality of life that we enjoy in the face of fast-growing vacation rentals. In KCB, vacation rentals are over 60% of our homes, up from 30% just 5 years ago. Further, the latest census shows that our resident population is decreasing. With vacation rentals growing we still need a citizen population of likeminded people sharing the same values to maintain the stability of our community. We need strong leadership to keep our city’s values and character as the “Gem of the Florida Keys.”
BETH RAMSAY-VICKREY
Mitigating the negative impacts of vacation rentals to ensure the best quality of life for KCB residents and visitors alike, and ensuring we not only have a seat at the table, but a voice in decision making during County emergency operations (hurricanes).
These issues can be addressed through better communication, better teamwork, better cooperation, and stronger partnerships.
As your KCB City Commissioner, I’ve been reaching out and having these conversations. I’ve been making sure we have a voice, and we are heard through the many meetings, planning sessions, and networking events I have been attending representing you and our City.
FREDDIE FOSTER
Citizen concerns. Their voices are not always heard. As the environment and dynamics of the city change, we must find a balance between the resident citizens’ concerns, new state rules and regulations, and investors’ responsibilities. We need to work with homeowners, investment property owners, and local and state government to find solutions. This can only be achieved by rolling up our sleeves, listening to the community, and working together! A term we hear in the business community is “customer service”. We need to be focused on “citizens’ service” as well as our city’s business, development, and maintenance.
