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Your weekly slice of island life.

2021-09-09

Hello Key Biscayne!

If you’re kind of curious about the technicalities of our municipal budget, but don’t know where to start, this one is for you. That might be the least appealing opening line ever written in here.

Sunrise Key Biscayne beach august 2021Who gets up this early?

We take what we got. Let’s go.

Boring budget banter

Itโ€™s budget time on the Key and the Village Council will be deciding exactly how much to spend, and what to spend it on, in the next two weeks. In short, itโ€™s taxes up, taxes the same, or taxes down. Hereโ€™s how it works:

The manager comes up with a number of what it will cost to run the town for the next year, the council then discusses the details, and finally they either approve that number or an amended number. Last night was the first of those discussions, and the final vote is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 21.

A few months ago the preliminary budget number that the manager proposed was a good amount more than last year, but itโ€™s been scaled down a bit now that the discussions are here. Thatโ€™s normal; you estimate a little higher so that when push comes to shove youโ€™re not caught off guard. Still, the new number is a bit higher than last year (ie. looking like taxes up). You can read more about the details here and here.

A year ago we were deep in Covid, property values were just barely starting to show some good signs after years on the down, and the Council was looking to cut costs anywhere possible. Given the changes since then, itโ€™ll be interesting to see how things turn out this year.

From the peanut gallery

On last week’s Rickenbacker Causeway powwow:

I was at the meeting and I never heard too much (anything) about the proposal itself pretty much what you wrote.

I suggest that the causeway be only part of the deal. The Tennis Center and Crandon Golf are both poorly run and the latter it seems strictly as the golf cash cow. Letโ€™s throw those 2 facilities into the deal as well. The town, preferably, or private ownership has to be able to do a better job.

-GO

On who will be the Key’s next top cop:

I say Freddie Cruz! Heโ€™s easy on the eyes. ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿคท๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ

-C

Ed note: Sorry to say, he didn’t make the cut.

Calendar

Around Town

Last week's sales

Location SQFT Rooms Prev Price
Le Phare 43C 875 2/2 '87 $94k $499k
OC LT 411 2602 3/3 '15 $1.8m $1.838
290 Sunrise 3J 610 1/1 '11 $203k $310k
KC III 229 1532 2/2 '80 $132k $895k
GB Tower 1008 2840 3/4 '00 $825k $2.4m
OC CT I 101 1330 2/2 '05 $650k $1.15m
Casa del Mar 12B 1875 2/2 '09 $810k $1.65m
Towers D402 1782 2/2 '07 $770k $1.025m
OC RV II PH9 1830 3/3 '14 $1.425m $1.375m
OC OT II 407 3581 4/5.5 '13 $2.84m $4.25m
462 Woodcrest 3190 4/3 '12 $1.7m $2.8m
Galen Breakers 2C 1325 2/2 '05 $620k $490k
KC I 1238 1556 2/2 '02 $640k $1.35m
CC South 603 895 1/1 '13 $415k $550k
240 Galen 109 1100 2/1 '13 $345k $540k

Motion to adjourn

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Questions, comments, tips, or to budget a little barbecue at the beach park together ๐Ÿ–, write to hi@tropicalrag.com.

It is soooo slow out here. Maybe next week :/

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