BREAKING: Key West Commissioners to Weigh Two Rival Food-Aid Plans during Special Session
Late-added agenda reveals competing $75,000 proposals as the city responds to rising food insecurity.
After the agenda was published late Tuesday afternoon, commissioners learned they will vote on two competing resolutions at Wednesday’s special meeting as the City of Key West scrambles to address a sharp rise in food insecurity.
Mayor Danise Henriquez and Commissioner Sam Kaufman have each proposed separate plans to distribute $75,000 in emergency assistance to local food pantries — a rapid escalation following the commission’s widely criticized Dec. 2 decision rejecting earlier aid proposals.
Henriquez’s resolution would create a one-time grant and aid program managed directly by the city. Her plan establishes eligibility rules, an application process, and a first-come, first-served allocation method to give food-distribution nonprofits a formal pathway to apply for assistance. The funding would be transferred from the city’s “Other Promotional Expenses as Designated” account which was originally intended to fund the failed UNESCO literary initiative.
Kaufman’s competing measure also reallocates $75,000, but would direct the City Manager to distribute the funds through the Monroe County Continuum of Care (CoC), the nonprofit coordinating body for food and homelessness services across the Keys. His proposal aims to speed distribution by bypassing a city-run application system and relying instead on the CoC’s established network and administrative capacity.
The dueling resolutions come just a week after commissioners voted down a $40,000 food-aid plan and a scaled-back $20,000 compromise, prompting public backlash as local pantries reported record demand tied to the holiday season and a federal SNAP disruption triggered by the shutdown initiated by President Trump.
Wednesday’s special meeting begins at 3 p.m. at City Hall, 1300 White Street. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed live on the city website; for those unable to attend, public comment may be made at eComment.