IN-DEPTH: Winter Grand Jury Report Maps Overhaul Of Key West City Hall, Citing Staffing, Code And Oversight Failures
Report released Thursday details systemic breakdowns and outlines sweeping reforms to restructure city government and restore accountability.
The Winter Term Monroe County Grand Jury report released Thursday offers a sweeping, in-depth examination of Key West city government, laying out a detailed roadmap for restructuring with calls for new oversight committees, tighter planning controls, and stricter enforcement to address what it describes as systemic inefficiencies and breakdowns in accountability.
In its Winter Term 2026 report, jurors said that while the city has taken steps in response to a prior Grand Jury review, the city “has made efforts to comply with the previous Grand Jury’s recommendations; however, additional areas of concern remain.”
Those lingering concerns, jurors wrote, include multiple layers of management, contradictory land development regulations and procedural failures that continue to slow decision-making and erode public trust.
Central to the report is a proposal to create a five-member reorganization committee to evaluate the city’s structure and staffing.
Reorganization Committee (City Structure & Staffing)
Five-member panel to review organizational structure, management layers and staffing levels
Benchmark Key West against similarly sized cities nationwide
Evaluate departmental workloads and responsibilities
Require justification for any department exceeding 125% of recommended staffing levels
Identify opportunities to consolidate functions and improve efficiency
Deliver recommendations within six months, with public input included
Jurors wrote that “there are multiple layers of management which can create inefficiencies and delays in decision-making,” adding that a comprehensive review is needed to ensure “resources are aligned with workload demands and operational needs.”
The Grand Jury also called for a seven-member regulation review committee to examine the city’s building and land development codes, which it said are often unclear and internally inconsistent.
Regulation Review Committee (Code Overhaul)
Seven-member panel to review building and land development regulations
Identify conflicts, redundancies and gaps in existing codes
Address contradictory provisions that create confusion
Propose revisions to improve transparency, participation and consistency
Submit initial findings within 60 days, followed by City Attorney review
The report states that “current regulations can be contradictory, with some provisions allowing certain actions while others prohibit similar actions,” creating confusion for applicants, staff and decision-makers.
In addition to structural and regulatory changes, the report recommends significant reforms to the Planning Board, citing concerns about qualifications, ethics and decision-making processes.
Planning Board Reforms
Require members to be Key West residents for at least one year
Prohibit participation by contractors, developers or affiliated parties
Mandate ethics and conflict-of-interest training within 60 days
Require ongoing annual education
Limit ex parte communications on pending matters
Require disclosure of any outside communications
Jurors emphasized that Planning Board decisions carry “significant and lasting impacts on the community” and said members must be equipped with “proper training, ethical guidance and clear standards to ensure fair and informed decision-making.”
The Grand Jury also identified procedural failures in the city’s variance process, recommending stricter controls before applications reach public hearings.
Variance Process Changes
Do not place applications on agendas until all required documents are complete
Require Planning Department verification before scheduling
Prohibit discussion of merits if an item is postponed or incomplete
Address cases where inaccurate or incomplete plans were presented
The report cites instances in which “inaccurate and incomplete plans were presented,” forcing staff and board members to review unreliable information and contributing to delays and inefficiencies in the process.
To strengthen accountability, jurors recommended enhanced verification requirements and potential penalties for inaccurate submissions.
Verification & Enforcement Measures
Require notarized verification forms
Warn applicants of criminal penalties for false statements (F.S. 837.06)
Consider financial penalties or waiting periods for misleading submissions
Address issues with misrepresented surveys, site plans and stormwater plans
Jurors wrote that stronger safeguards are needed to prevent “false or misleading information from entering the review process,” noting that inaccurate submissions can undermine decision-making and public confidence.
The report also includes operational fixes aimed at improving compliance in the field.
Inspection & Compliance Fixes
Print approved variance details directly on building permits
Allow inspectors to verify compliance during inspections
Improve coordination between approval and enforcement stages
The recommendation is intended to ensure that approved conditions are “readily available for verification in the field,” improving consistency between approvals and on-site enforcement.
City Manager Brian Barroso said in a statement Friday that the city acknowledges the Grand Jury’s work but does not support the creation of additional advisory committees.
“The City appreciates the Grand Jury’s time and commitment in reviewing City operations,” said Barroso. “Many of their observations align with initiatives we already have underway to strengthen organizational performance, improve fiscal discipline, and enhance service delivery.”
Barroso said the city believes its current governance structure remains appropriate.
“At this time, we believe the existing City Charter provides a strong and appropriate governance framework,” said Barroso. “For that reason, we are not recommending the creation of additional advisory bodies. Instead, we are focusing on actionable improvements already in progress.”
He pointed to ongoing budget measures as evidence of that approach.
“Through the budget process and the 10% reduction exercise, departments are identifying opportunities to streamline costs, improve operations, remove redundancies, and enhance revenue,” said Barroso. “These recommendations will be shared openly with the Commission and the public and we remain committed to transparent communication, data-driven decision making, and measurable progress.”
The Grand Jury urged the Key West City Commission to take up its recommendations in a public forum, setting up a potential policy debate over whether structural changes or internal reforms will shape the city’s path forward.
This is an evolving story. Watch this space.