Action Alert  ! Action Alert  ! Action Alert  !

October 13, 2007 update - fom Bruce Ritson

The Key West City Attorney (KWCA) has quieted his objections to our successful petition drive and the City Charter Amendment is on the Nov 6th ballot. Since the petition certification by the is of Elections, the KW CA has contacted me to say that an unnamed attorney has questioned the legality of the ballot placement, that the City Commission must approve of it. I replied to object, stating that the purpose of the petition campaign was to remove the CC from any hand in the matter of this charter amendment. I believe that the CA wanted me to join him in this matter depite the fact that the City Clerk and the Supervisor of Elections rightly acted to place the initiative on the ballot as we satisfied every legal requirement of the current city Code of Ordinances as well as the City Charter requirements: he just wanted us to be 'sueable' along with the city [ and him! ] when the developers begin to assert that our charter change is illegal under state law. I believe that we are on solid ground on that matter as the State must re-write and re-do Secs 161 and 174 of the Florida Statutes to correct the obvious conflict of laws and the current unconstitutional limits on the rights of citizens to change their own municipal laws and governments. Recent Florida Supreme Court decisions have made citizen approval of massive construction porjects and massive infra-structure projects the now current law. We'll have to wait and see.

Annexing Stock Island

If our Charter Amendment passes on November 6th, we'll see some oppostion from developers as they'll have to begin the 'dance' to annex Stock Island, with it's hundreds of new, expensive private marina slips and many hundeds of very expensive condos, whose ownes will want the police, fire, sewer,t rash, streets and roads , and all other municpal services, which MUST be provided if we vote to annex them. Key Haven will also be on the table soon. The keys to the future will soon be in Key West voters hands and we'll be there to examine each and every proposal for "annexation or acquisition, by any means, of any real property" after our amendment passes.