OPINION: About Those Facts… They Are Very Inconvenient Things…
Key West has received nearly $20 million in major verified state and federal awards over the past decade — despite City Manager claims blaming previous administrations failed constituents.
KEY WEST, Fla. — I’m not going to call Key West City Manager Brian Barroso a liar.
But I will say that he has a peculiarly difficult relationship with the truth.
Wednesday morning’s City Commission meeting at 1300 White St. featured a familiar blend of civic self-congratulation and political theater.
There was the praise, the back-slapping, the celebration of legislative wins — and, of course, a green jacket that looked like it had been airlifted straight from Augusta National.
Actually, it was more like Reflecting Pool Green.
After Commissioner and mayoral candidate Sam Kaufman left to honor a prior professional commitment, the tone shifted further into a victory lap.
During his City Manager’s Report, Barroso — encouraged by part-time City Attorney Maryanne Downs — credited former Assistant City Manager Todd Stoughton and the city’s lobbying firm, The Southern Group, for delivering millions in state funding.
Stoughton, you might remember, was named in the first of two grand jury reports as somebody that should be gone from City Hall — along with Commissioner Lissette Carey.
Instead, he got a promotion.
Barroso argued the success reflected repaired relationships in Tallahassee after what he characterized as strained ties under the previous administration (for those playing along, he would be blaming former Mayor Teri Johnston and City Manager Al Childress for the most part.)
He unpacked and cascaded to commissioners that he could not recall another time in the past decade when Key West had secured this level of state and federal funding.
That claim raised a question.
Was the previous decade really that unproductive? Had Key West been left on the sidelines until this administration arrived?
Was it really necessary to sidle up to ICE, and not fight for Rainbow Crosswalks and an arch?
The public record suggests otherwise.
A review of city budgets, commission resolutions, grant agreements, and state and federal funding records shows the City of Key West has received nearly $20 million in major verified state and federal awards over the past decade—along with a far larger universe of recurring formula funding, reimbursements, and smaller grants that will likely push the total significantly higher once fully compiled.
Major Verified Awards (2016–2026)
A preliminary database of city records and funding agreements identifies 27 major awards totaling $19,889,111, including:
Mallory Square Phase I (Monroe County Tourist Development Council) — $4,620,000
HUD HOPWA Housing Grant — $1,519,564
Southernmost Plaza Phase II — $1,501,302
Harris & 10th Street Stormwater (CDBG) — $1,376,000
Southernmost Plaza Public Facilities — $1,000,000
Smathers Beach Restoration (FDEP) — $880,207
Park-and-Ride Garage (FDOT) — $800,000
Key West Rides Transit Expansion — $785,000
FTA Section 5311 Transit Operations — $757,566
Lower Keys Shuttle — $750,000
Mallory Square Restrooms — $713,387
CRRSA Transit Relief — $564,943
Safe Streets and Roads for All Safety Action Plan — $502,400
Von Phister Street Improvements — $500,000
Manhole Rehabilitation Project — $500,000
Petroleum Cleanup Grant — $500,000
Economic Corridor Resiliency Plan — $500,000
American Rescue Plan Transit Grant — $485,692
State Transit Block Grant — $286,372
Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan — $250,000
FTA Section 5339 Bus Facilities (FY2026) — $228,000
FTA Section 5339 Bus Facilities (FY2025) — $213,000
Coffee Butler Amphitheater Parking — $200,000
Smathers Beach Pavilions — $198,000
Charter Boat Row Improvements — $58,000
Police Academy Training Grant — $29,678
Transit Corridor Development Grant — $10,000
A Deeper Funding System
Those figures represent only the most clearly identifiable awards in city records.
In reality, Key West receives recurring annual and formula-based funding through multiple federal and state programs, including the Federal Transit Administration, Florida Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Department of Commerce, and others.
These funds support transit operations, bus replacement, affordable housing, hurricane recovery, stormwater management, environmental restoration, public safety, and long-term resiliency projects.
Budget records show outside funding has become increasingly important to the city’s capital program, particularly following Hurricane Irma and during the COVID-19 pandemic, when federal relief programs—including the CARES Act, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, and the American Rescue Plan—provided significant injections of transit and infrastructure funding.
The Larger Question
More recent awards, including a $502,400 U.S. Department of Transportation Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, reflect continued participation in competitive federal programs aimed at transportation safety and planning.
But the broader trend is not new.
While the current administration has highlighted recent legislative successes in Tallahassee, the public record shows that Key West has consistently secured substantial outside funding across multiple administrations, city managers, and political cycles.
It all just seems to be more political gaslighting.
The difference is not whether funding exists — it does — but how it is framed.
It is the very definition of political pandering… waffling around like a Belgian, hoping to list accomplishments that seem real — and blame those that came before you for your own failures.
The goal is not just to tally dollars — but to map how outside funding has shaped the city’s infrastructure, housing shortages, transportation system, and resilience planning over the past decade.
Because the numbers tell a different story than the rhetoric.
And in this case, the record is already public.
It just hasn’t been assembled in one place — until now.
You are welcome.
Thank you for doing the work, Ted. I think you’ve highlighted an issue that goes beyond politics: the public deserves an accurate accounting of its government’s history.
When a City Manager stands before the Commission and suggests that Key West was essentially shut out of significant state and federal funding over the past decade, the public record tells a different story. Your documentation of 27 documented grants awarded across multiple administrations speaks for itself. No one disputes that securing new funding is an accomplishment, and every administration deserves credit for successful grant applications and legislative advocacy. But those achievements should not come at the expense of erasing or diminishing the work of previous commissions, city managers, professional staff, and community partners.
The discussion of Todd Stoughton also raises legitimate questions. If the grand jury report criticized his continued role at City Hall, it is understandable that members of the public would question both his subsequent promotion and efforts to portray him as the driving force behind years of institutional accomplishments. In reality, major grants are rarely the result of one individual. They are typically the product of years of planning and collaboration involving elected officials, city staff, consultants, and state and federal partners across multiple administrations.
I also noticed that Commissioner Sam Kaufman had left for a prior professional commitment before the City Manager’s remarks. Whether or not his absence was coincidental, he was not present for what became a celebration of the current administration.”
Facts matter. Public records exist for a reason. They allow citizens to evaluate claims against documented history rather than political narratives. Your research demonstrates that Key West has consistently secured millions of dollars in outside funding for transportation, affordable housing, hurricane recovery, environmental protection, infrastructure, and resilience. That record reflects continuity—not a sudden transformation.
An informed community is better equipped to hold all of its leaders accountable and to give credit where it is genuinely due.
Lovely piece… more than just an opinion. And the facts sting the concept that the mayor uses to complain about what she had to fight before rather than being able to say what she did at all.