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Key West approves $4.25M Southernmost Point Plaza contract, reaffirms historic buoy site with amendments
Summary
The commission awarded a $4,252,177 contract for the Southernmost Point Plaza, amended the project to set a 15 mph speed limit and defer bench placement, and voted to return and preserve the Southernmost Point buoy at Whitehead and South Street while limiting painting to one side and restoring a Bishop Key statue.
The Key West City Commission on June 1 awarded construction of the Southernmost Point Plaza to Charlie Topino & Sons for $4,252,177 and amended the project to set a 15 mph speed limit and postpone decisions about benches.
The vote followed hours of public comment and debate over drainage, historic preservation and neighborhood impacts. AJ Davila, speaking for a group of property owners, urged commissioners to approve the award, saying staff had been responsive and raised drainage as a central concern, while others urged caution and detailed engineering assurances. Engineering director Doug Bradshaw described the design as adding inlets, larger pipes and tie-ins to an outfall at Duval Street and said the system will be tied into a well and outfall to reduce flooding.
The commission also considered a related resolution affirming that the Southernmost Point buoy will be returned to and permanently remain at its historic oceanfront location at Whitehead and South Street. After public testimony and debate, the body amended the buoy resolution to require painting only on one side with an instruction that staff may cover the second side if the approach proves problematic; the amended buoy resolution also directed staff to return the Bishop Key statue to a pedestal.
Commissioners split over how quickly to act and how many changes to make at once, but a majority supported moving forward. In discussion of drainage concerns, Bradshaw said the project includes “additional inlets” and “increased piping size underneath the road,” and acknowledged that very heavy short-duration rain events and high tides will still cause temporary ponding.
The contract award and the buoy resolution each passed on recorded roll calls; the plaza award and amendments passed 6–1. Commissioners who opposed parts of the measures cited process, neighborhood input, or concerns about premature commitments while proponents pointed to flood mitigation, pedestrian safety and preserving the city’s historical markers.
The city manager said staff will return with follow-up items and that some design adjustments requested by neighbors will be brought forward for commission review. Construction is scheduled to begin after contract execution and permitting; staff said drainage work is part of the Plaza scope and that it will coordinate additional measures (such as loading zones and delivery restrictions) with businesses during implementation.
