Monroe County Commission district boundaries change slightly due to new census data showing more people live in the Keys and a state law requiring a redistribution every 10 years.

According to the latest maps, District 2 of the Lower Keys and District 3 of Key West would add voters. Changes in the electoral population are also observed in District 1 in Key West, District 4 in Islamorada and District 5 in Tavernier.

Monroe County Commissioners unanimously approved new preliminary maps at the Oct. 20 meeting in Marathon. The 2020 census brought the population of the Keys to 82,847 in April 2020. This represents an increase of 9,757 people from the 2010 census.

County District Attorney Bob Shillinger said census data usually arrives in the middle of the year, but this time it arrived on October 4. The next day, October 5, planning staff had prepared draft cards in time to meet the October 5 deadline for inclusion. on the agenda for October 20.

The Florida Constitution requires counties to recompose districts from county commissions after each decennial census. The state legislature requires the process to take place in an odd year to allow for the creation of new districts before the next electoral cycle.

With the new data, the five districts are expected to have around 16,569 people per district. The law requires that districts be contiguous, keep census blocks intact, and have a gap of less than 10% between larger and smaller districts. The largest population gap on accepted cards is 3.29%.

District 3, currently held by County Commissioner Eddie Martinez, is the smallest according to the latest census. Key areas in District 1, represented by Craig Cates, that the Martinez District would take over as part of the new redistribution proposal include Key West High School and the Key West By the Sea Association on South Roosevelt Boulevard. The district would also add sections of the north side of Sunset Drive to 17th Street. The proposed district boundary changes would give the district an additional 3,811 people.

A proposed boundary change would see people moved from District 2, represented by Mayor Michelle Coldiron, to District 1 of Cates. Shillinger said Coldiron District 2 includes Rockland and Boca Chica Keys, and was drawn this way 10 years ago to balance the districts. . As the population moves, areas south of US 1 on Boca Chica and Rockland will go to District 1.

Some 800 people would move from District 4, represented by David Rice and stretching from Marathon in Islamorada, to District 2 in Coldiron. Specifically, Coldiron would take over the northern sections of 64th to 106th Street. A final proposed change would see 169 people move from District 5, represented by Holly Raschein and stretching from Key Largo to the upper parts of Plantation Key in Islamorada and part of Tavernier, to District 4.

“It is impossible for a redistribution plan to achieve 100% compliance with every directive,” said Shillinger. “Our staff balance individual criteria with each other using population as the dominant criterion.”

Coldiron inquired about the current, but confusing, sequencing of districts, county and if there was a way to fix this. District 3 represented by Martinez includes the western part of Key West, while District 1 of Cates contains the eastern part of Key West, as well as Stock Island and Key Haven. As for District 2, it starts around Boca Chica heading north.

Shillinger said the numbers run from west to east, meaning District 3 is the southernmost area, followed by Districts 1, 2, 4 and 5.

“Tom Hambright (or) maybe someone who’s been around for a long time can understand how we arrived at these numbers. They came before me, ”said Shillinger. “There’s no easy way to put them back in sequence completely. ”

Shillinger added that state law provides that Districts 1, 3 and 5 operate during presidential election years and Districts 2 and 4 operate during governorship years.

“Unless we had some vacancies on the board, we’d be removing the existing commissioners, basically saying that these are the new cards, that you don’t live in your district (and) would force you to do.” to leave your seat or move in mid-term. It seems like a lot of effort just to get numbers at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

“We are not trying to solve the problem at the moment,” he continued. “We see it. Someday, if we’re going to charter, it might be time to sort out this little problem. “

Final adoption of the proposed maps will take place at the Dec. 8 County Board meeting at the Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo. The process must be completed by December 31st.