Planning Commission recommends BOCC adopt revised Tavernier Historic District preservation guidelines

Monroe County Planning Commission on April 22 recommended that the Board of County Commissioners adopt revised preservation guidelines for the Tavernier Historic District, a document last adopted in 2005.

County staff told commissioners the update was prepared with consultant support and later revised with input from the Historic Preservation Commission to add regulatory clarification. The staff presentation noted a prior 2024 Planning Commission recommendation to deny the earlier draft and said the current package addresses implementation shortcomings identified by staff and the HPC.

Commissioners raised several editorial and clarity concerns, including incorrect page numbering, confusing photo captions, and punctuation that makes guidance hard for a homeowner to follow. “When I went looking for the first one to reference, I saw the page was incorrect,” Commissioner Scarpelli said, urging staff to fix typos and pagination before transmittal. A commissioner asked staff to proof the packet with a “fresh eye” to reduce confusion for homeowners.

After discussion Commissioner Scarpelli moved to recommend approval to the BOCC with staff instructed to correct grammatical errors and check pagination; the motion was seconded and carried without objection. The commission’s recommendation is a nonbinding action that will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for final adoption and transmittal to the state as required.

The advisory recommendation does not itself change local law; any final adoption by the BOCC would be the Board’s formal act.