.

Come on in, the water's fine.

So fine, in fact, that County Administrator Tom Willi apparently believes we won't need the Marine Resources Department anymore.

While cuts at the Monroe County Extension Service — also facing the budget ax — have been blamed on budget constraints, the Marine Resources Department closure is being linked to performance.

Since boondoggles and blunders have left the county crippled financially, at least budget concerns seem valid. But with all the services provided by — and required from — the Marine Resources Department, performance complaints ring hollow.

On July 11, Marine Resources Department Director George Garrett and Marine Projects Coordinator Kim McGee, both longtime county employees, were given 30 days' notice that the department would be cut. A third department employee will be moved to another position within the Growth Management department, and McGee has since been notified she may be moved to a clerical position at the airport. Most populated portions of Monroe County are completely surrounded by water. In light of this obvious — and oft repeated — fact, why would the county's only staff dedicated to a natural resource, residents' primary recreational destination and our tourism industry's main selling point be let go?

"There was not enough work," according to Growth Management Director Andrew Trivette.

"The positions were not a cost effective use of our resources," said Willi. He believes functions performed by the department could be better handled by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. *FWC disagrees.*

FWC officials said the agency does not oversee the removal of derelict vessels. Even after the Marine Resources Department's admirable cleanup efforts in the wake of the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, a 100-ton casino boat still waits to be removed in the Lower Keys. Perhaps, as one concerned marine activist suggested, derelict vessels — which are found even when hurricane winds haven't blown through the Keys — will wash up on the highway and become a Florida Department of Transportation problem.

Aside from derelict boat removal, the Marine Resources Department has worked, to the benefit of Monroe County residents and visitors alike, on the following:

* Channel marking, no wake and other vessel control buoys * Buoy maintenance * Marathon mooring field * Big Pine Channel no-anchor zone * Pump-out boat * As liaison with state and federal marine officials * County wastewater master plan and protecting working waterfronts

These are just a few major services provided, the last dealing with comprehensive plan changes and land development regulations that address the disappearance of working waterfronts. That issue has been rather contentious, and concerned developers will go to great lengths to retain the right to build on valuable waterfront property.

In terms of value, the service and department cuts are especially troublesome, considering the fact that many of the Monroe County's top brass, and more than a few underperformers, earn top dollar.

The county recently promoted a planner to Growth Management director at a salary of $110,000 — $12,600 more than the advertised top of the salary range for that position — and nine county employees are included on a list of Keys government officials earning more than $100,000 per year. Willi, notably, ranks third on the list with a salary of $165,627. Two new people whom he hired within the past eight months make $88,000 and $85,000. One, the county administrator's project manager, even gets a $500 monthly car allowance. Then there's the County Commission's decision last week to raise attorney Jerry Coleman's fee as an affordable housing consultant from $350 to $500 per hour by the end of the year.

But, according to Willi, "There are no sacred cows" in the county budget. It appears there are at least a few sacred cows, and the sacrifices we make to them are marine services in Monroe County. If the county is worried about performance and return on investment, it need look no further than its own administrator.

In the quest to cut dead weight, the county should start by revisiting the issue of firing Willi.