Summary of the December 5th emergency BOCC meeting.

Held at Harvey Government Building in Key West. 2PM

- by Citizen Jane

December 7, 2007

First of all, Monroe Citizens need to see the broadcast of this meeting to witness for themselves grass root activism at it’s best.  Your neighbors fighting corruption and greed.

http://monroecofl.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/MonroeCoFL_MediaCalendar/?formid=158

Monroe Citizens came out in droves. There were over 17 speakers lined up to speak on this issue, The BOCC AICUZ workshop was held at 2PM December 5, 2007 in the Harvey Government Center in Key West.  NAS Key West’s AICUZ flight patterns had been changed and affected citizens wanted to know why.

Last July 2007, the AICUZ adoption was the focus of a Monroe County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting.  The Navy tried to force a vote to codify the AICUZ document into the County planning codes.  An ordinary citizen from Geiger Key, Paul Caruso, asked the question... Why was the 2004 AICUZ changed and why?  And, Who from the Monroe County Commission requested the changes?

No credible answers from anyone were provided at that meeting.  Not from Capt Brown of the Navy, our County Commissioners, our County Staff, no one knew the answers to these simple questions. It was the beginning of a mystery.

The BOCC asked the Navy to offer a public workshop to explain the actual military process that is necessary to change any part of an AICUZ document.  That Navy workshop was held October 23, 2007 at the Double Tree Grand Key Hotel.  The ballroom was filled with displays with Navy consultants prepared to answer any questions from the public.  No more than 4 people were allowed to listen or ask questions at the different stations.  No answers -- just a true horse and pony show.

Most Monroe County citizens knew that the real meeting, where they would be able to counter the Navy’s position, would be held on December 5, 2007, at the Harvey Government Center.

At first, the BOCC was not going to allow for public input. The question is Why?  Upon hearing about the elimination of public input, The citizenry began it’s assault on the BOCC,

demanding to have public input.  Many citizens emailed and contacted the BOCC commissioners to insure that their voices would be heard. The local newspapers and radio media supported the citizens on this issue by confronting all politicos involved in the partisan decision.  The citizens were victorious.

At the December 5th meeting, extensive information surfaced on hearing, health, environmental issues, home values and corruption in the AICUZ process. One by one, citizens came to the dais to share important facts about the debilitating effects brought on by the Navy’s AICUZ changes and F18 Super Hornet flyovers. Citizens began measuring noise from the jets flying over their homes, recording levels well over 110 decibels.  The Government agency, OSHA, considers any sound over 85 decibels unsafe for any human.  NAS Key West’s Captain Brown said there was no increase in sound levels from the larger jet known as the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.  This particular sound increase, over 400%, was never noted in their altered 2003 NAS Key West Environmental Assessment report.

Citizens who had purchased their homes years ago, and that were not inside the AICUZ zone, were now suffering under the current fight paths of the F18 Super Hornet Jets.  They assumed the flight paths had been changed from a affluent neighborhood over their neighborhood to satisfy the greed of a developer.  The AICUZ process was corrupted with the approval of the former NAS Key West commander.  Still, until Paul Caruso came to speak, no one knew who initiated the changes to the 2004 AICUZ or why.

When Paul Caruso, spoke, his message roared. Through numerous Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the Navy, Senators, the City of Key West and the State of Florida, the total extent of the scheme was revealed.  A team of individuals consisting of The Florida Keys Defense Alliance, (controlled by Attorney David Paul Horan), County Commissioner Dixie Spehar, Key West City Manager Jim Scholl (past NAS Key West commander) and the Key Haven Enchanted Isle developer team were all implicated in changing the AICUZ.  Internal Florida Keys Defense Alliance documents disclosed the extent to which the parties had conspired to make the changes to the 2004 AICUZ document.  All for the benefit of the former NAS Key West commander Jim Scholl (now the City of Key West City Manager at $185K a year), the Enchanted Isle Development team and at the expense of South Stock Island families.

Every Monroe County citizen needs to view the meeting on the county’s Video On Demand website. Paul Caruso’s information, available at www.stoptheplanes,com, has  focused on greed, corruption and cronyism that has continued to take place in County decisions that affect all citizens. 

Get involved!  The process of cleaning up our County includes and needs YOU to get involved.  Be aware of how the BOCC represents you.  Call your commissioner (or any commissioner) and let them know you care about how they vote and why they should care about YOU.  We are at a turning point.  Get involved and  remember... it only takes 3 of 5 votes on the BOCC, and the Developers have it. We need to get those votes BACK! November 8, 2008 will be Our Day for Change

- Citizen Jane