Monroe County officials back guardrails as Tallahassee negotiates ROGO allocation bills

Monroe County leaders told state lawmakers this week they want any change to hurricane-evacuation clearance rules linked to steps that steer new density to workforce housing and vacant buildable lots and pace new allocations over a set period.

Lisa Tennyson, speaking from Tallahassee as the county's legislative representative, said Monroe County’s position is embodied in a resolution the Board of County Commissioners passed Dec. 19, 2024, and reiterated that the board supports changing the evacuation clearing time only if protective conditions accompany any new ROGO allocations. “The board’s clear position is … supports a change to the clearance time from 24 hours to up to 26 hours and a maximum of 3,550 allocations with the following key protective conditions attached,” Tennyson told the county at its March meeting.

Why it matters: The rules determining how long it must take to evacuate the Florida Keys influence how many new housing allocations…