BREAKING: Mayor Dodges Debates, Misses Office Hours as Transparency Questions Grow in Key West Race
Kaufman launches weekly forums amid unanswered inquiries, the mayor’s undefined first-year record and criticism over grand jury response and transparency.
KEY WEST, Fla. — Key West’s incumbent mayor, Danise Henriquez has declined to engage in additional public debates, failed to respond to repeated media inquiries and campaign outreach, and routinely canceled or missed scheduled public office hours, raising mounting questions about accessibility, transparency and accountability as the city enters an election cycle.
Emails sent to the mayor seeking comment for this story were not returned by press time.
The lack of response comes as the mayor continues to point to broad “progress” in public statements about her first year in office, without clearly identifying specific policy achievements or measurable outcomes tied to that claim.
Transparency has been a central theme of the mayor’s public messaging, particularly in response to two critical grand jury reports examining city operations. The mayor has cited her administration’s handling of those findings as evidence of progress. However, critics say the response from the mayor and City Manager Brian Barroso has been incomplete and lacking in transparency, with limited public detail on corrective actions, timelines or measurable outcomes.
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Public records and city calendar postings show the mayor has maintained regularly scheduled Monday “office hours,” intended to provide residents direct access to City Hall. However, those sessions have been repeatedly canceled or missed in recent months, limiting one of the few consistent avenues for public engagement.
The last time Henriquez has addressed the public other than at her own campaign events was at the Hometown Key West Meet the Candidates forum on March 9 — where she made a public gaffe claiming to have been mayor since 2004.
The issue has taken on added urgency as no candidate debates are scheduled until late July — after voting will already be underway. A debate is scheduled for July 23 and will be hosted by the League of Women Voters of Monroe County, but no additional forums have been confirmed.
According to challenger Sam Kaufman’s campaign, the mayor declined to coordinate on earlier or additional debate dates despite requests to do so.
Kaufman sent the mayor a letter on April 29th requesting to coordinate both public forums or additional debates. Kaufman asked for a response from the mayor by May 5. No answer was ever received.
The invitation could not be considered a violation of Florida’s Sunshine Law, which prohibits elected officials from communicating about government business as it is a campaign issue and not something they would be voting on.
Kaufman, a city commissioner of 11 years representing District 2, announced this week he will begin hosting a series of weekly public forums, branded “Q & A with SAM,” starting in mid-May. The events will rotate between in-person meetings, Zoom sessions and live streams on social media, with residents invited to submit questions in advance or participate live, with more information available next week.
Kaufman said the forums are intended to provide voters direct access to a mayoral candidate in the absence of debates and amid what he described as limited public availability from the incumbent.
“Key West residents have been asking for a debate because they deserve nothing less than to hear directly from the people asking to lead this city,” Kaufman said. “My campaign is about openness, honesty, and restoring trust in local government.”
Kaufman is running on a platform centered on public input, accountability, workforce housing, infrastructure and water quality.
He first discussed his candidacy in an interview with Above the Fold, making the publication the first media outlet in the Florida Keys to report on his campaign.
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Residents will be able to access the weekly forums online or in person, with details posted through campaign channels.
The mayor has not publicly addressed the lack of scheduled debates, the status of her office hours, questions about specific first-year accomplishments, or criticism of her administration’s handling of the grand jury findings.
Hometown is hosting a Candidates Forum on July 13th from 5:30 - 7:30pm at Tennessee Williams Theater. The Chamber is also hosting one on June 23rd from 5-8pm, also at TWT. I’m sure that one will be completely unbiased. Their members, who donate $1k to “sponsor” the event, will get two minutes to speak at the beginning. Complete waste of audience time.