Public comment at the Dec. 2 City of Key West commission meeting focused heavily on a stalled nearshore water‑quality monitoring contract the commission voted to award in October.

Mary Spalane and Chris Massacott, speaking for the conservation group Keyes’ Last Stand, said the finalized contract with Stantec was expected on the November agenda but never appeared. “We are now more than 60 days past the Commission's vote with no public explanation and no timeline,” Spalane said, arguing the city has allowed an important monitoring gap to widen. Massacott said city staff told him legal received the contract on Nov. 20 and that the item would be on a January agenda; he described that timeline as inadequate for a program the ordinance requires.

Why it matters: Chapter 80 requires nearshore water sampling that helps the city and regulators track trends and beach‑closure risks; residents said months without monitoring reduces the city’s ability to detect anomalies and inform public‑health or resource decisions.

What staff said: The city attorney and staff said the Stantec contract has been under legal review. The city attorney told the dais a first meeting with Stantec was Oct. 29, that new language was not in the city’s redline until Nov. 20, and that attorneys planned a final redline review in the days after the meeting. Staff and the city attorney said there was no intentional delay and that the city is coordinating with Stantec to incorporate the commission’s concerns.

Commission response and follow‑up: Commissioners pressed for clearer timelines, and at least one asked staff to circulate a list of current, overlapping water programs run by other agencies as an interim measure to assure residents monitoring continues. The city manager said staff would re‑distribute the existing list of agencies conducting water testing and provide an update on the contract status at or before the January meeting.

Next steps: Legal said the city would finalize its redlines and return the contract to Stantec for consideration; the revised contract is expected to be back before the commission in January. The commission did not take a vote on the contract at this meeting.