Your Weekly News and Updates |
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Police Officers throughout the Village of Key Biscayne are enforcing the use of masks to protect our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officers will offer residents and visitors who are in public without a mask a disposable facial mask to cover their mouth and nose along with a written warning.
If a person is found without a mask for a second time, a citation will be issued carrying a maximum fine of $100.
Additionally, Key Biscayne Police and Code Enforcement will be offering local businesses masks if staff or patrons are found without masks. Businesses will be given a formal warning upon receiving the masks.
If a business is found to not be complying with the mask mandate for a second time, a citation will be issued carrying a maximum fine of $500.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): COVID-19 can be spread by people who do not have symptoms and do not know that they are infected. That’s why it’s important for everyone to practice social distancing (staying at least 6 feet away from other people) and wear masks in public settings. Masks provide an extra layer to help prevent the respiratory droplets from traveling in the air and onto other people.
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Key Biscayne Residents Have Options for Covid-19 Testing |
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The Village of Key Biscayne has partnered with Curative Inc. to offer a COVID-19 testing kiosk at the southeast corner of the Village Green (by the public restrooms).
The kiosk is operational from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., six days a week (Monday through Saturday) until June 30, 2021. This site will offer oral-fluid swab testing to test for COVID-19. Test results will be emailed or texted to the individual within 24-48 hours, upon the lab receipt of the test. The self-service kiosk allows individuals to conduct the oral swab themselves for a more comfortable and painless experience. The sample collection process can be viewed here.
Curative offers patients this complimentary service that is billed via the individual’s health insurance or subsided by the federal CARES Act. There is no cost to The Village of Key Biscayne or the individual testing. The individual will not receive a bill for taking this test. Patients can sign-up for testing in advance by visiting the Curative website or on-site.
Additionally, drive-through testing at the Key Biscayne Community Center remains available 2-days per week by appointment only and is self-pay. The COVID-19 self-pay cost at the drive-through testing is $85 and registration is available on the Key Biscayne Community Foundation website. Dates are subject to change, please confirm your date and time when making your appointment.
A third option for COVID-19 testing is available to the community, seven days per week from 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., via the Baptist Health Urgent Care Express facility located at 240 Crandon Blvd. Suite #110. Patients that present to the Baptist Urgent Care Express will be seen and evaluated by the onsite practitioner, who will order the COVID-19 test (on-site rapid antigen, "gold standard" PCR, and/or antibody) as appropriate. Baptist Health does accept most insurances. For uninsured patients or patients with a non-contracted insurance, the COVID test self-pay cost is $199. Patients are welcome to walk in or to use the "Save my Spot" feature to minimize their wait times. For more information, click here.
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To bring extra joy this holiday season, the Village of Key Biscayne has commissioned a lights display along Crandon Blvd and a beautiful Christmas tree at the Monaco fountain. Residents and visitors are encouraged to drive around to admire the lights and even stop by the tree for family photos. |
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Council has approved moving Solid Waste and
Stormwater Fees to Tax Bill
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As the Ordinance and Resolution were approved in November of this year, the Village will still invoice from their internal billing system, as it has been historically done, for one more year.
Residents can expect to see the change on their tax bills received in November of 2021.
By adding the fees to the tax bill for garbage and recycling services, as well as stormwater, property owners will find it easier to ensure payment. For the Village, we expect this shift in billing to generate an approximately 98% collection rate.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Chief Financial Officer Benjamin Nussbaum, CPA, CGMA, CPPT at 305-365-8919 or email bnussbaum@keybiscayne.fl.gov.
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Do you know about Miami-Dade County’s Landscape Irrigation Ordinance?
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According to the University of Florida, IFAS Extension: overall, homeowners over-water by as much as 2–3 times the amount needed by the plants, based on estimates of climate demand.
Since 1991, Miami-Dade County (“County”) has had a landscape irrigation ordinance, codified in Section 32-8.2 of the County Code, to help protect our environment by encouraging more responsible use of water resources.
These restrictions are based off of general landscaping water needs in Florida. In general, a healthy landscape only needs 3/4 to 1 inch of water per week during the summer growing season and only as needed to supplement rainfall. During the winter season, when a lawn goes dormant, it requires even less.
The County’s two-day a week landscape irrigation ordinance is applicable across the County to all users of any water sources, including public or privately owned water utilities, private wells, and any private connections with surface water bodies including canals and lakes. Water restrictions are permanent and enforced year-round. To learn more about the County’s water restrictions, click here.
Recently, the South Florida Water Management District requested that all municipalities, including Key Biscayne, adopt the District’s model ordinance implementing landscape irrigation conservation measures to bring greater awareness to existing landscape irrigation measures. Key Biscayne has acknowledged the importance of implementing these landscape irrigation measures to protect and preserve Key Biscayne’s precious water supply and ecosystems.
If the Village Council adopts the ordinance on second reading, Village residents may:
- Continue irrigating two-days a week before 10:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m.; days depend on whether the property address is odd-numbered or even-numbered
- Continue watering using methods such as hoses with nozzle attachments and watering cans, which are low volume irrigation, without regard to schedule restrictions.
Prior to second reading, Village officials are working with the condominium associations and homeowners to clarify the ordinance and how it advances water conservation across the Village.
For more information about the Village’s proposed landscape irrigation ordinance, please contact Dr. Roland Samimy, Chief Resilience Officer for the Village of Key Biscayne at rsamimy@keybiscayne.fl.gov.
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Rickenbacker Causeway Green Bike Lane Project |
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Rickenbacker Causeway Comfort Station
No. 3 Sanitary Sewer Project
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Your Village Government
Mayor Michael W. Davey
Vice Mayor Edward London
Councilmembers:
Franklin H. Caplan
Luis Lauredo
Allison McCormick
Brett Moss
Ignacio J. Segurola
Village Manager Andrea Agha
Village Clerk Jocelyn Brewster Koch
Village Attorneys Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
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