Mayors and Commissioners,

Below are links to several articles detailing the escalating risk and frequency of the rapid intensification of tropical storms into major hurricanes. They link this disturbing trend to the broader context of climate change and detail the heightened risks faced by coastal communities and ecosystems due to these intensified storms. 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/02/us/hurricane-season-2023-rapid-intensification.html?unlocked_article_code=1.DE0.nMru.6np8pW-gKQ15&hpgrp=k-abar&smid=url-share&utm_source=Key+West+Voices&utm_campaign=565fa3d96a-Mailchimp+Monday+a.m.+automatic+send&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9ce44a9130-565fa3d96a-480024973

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article282214728.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/10/19/atlantic-ocean-hurricanes-rapid-intensification-increasing/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/hurricanes-rapid-intensification-climate-change

In light of rapid intensification, Keys Last Stand urges our elected officials to keep the Phase 2 evacuation time at 24 hours and to include The City of Key West in the models. To ignore Key West is to ignore the most populous area in the Florida Keys. We cannot imagine a scenario when Key West would not evacuate when all of the rest of the Keys were ordered to do so. With rapid intensification, Keys Last Stand also questions any justification for raising or eliminating evacuation-based development limits in the Keys. We believe public safety is paramount, and any development or evacuation decisions made must be in the context of rapid intensification, which is now the new normal and not the exception. 

We know that evacuating the Keys in the event of an approaching storm is inherently challenging. If the roads become congested or flooded, a significant portion of our population may find it nearly impossible to reach safety. This is compounded by the fact that there are many more people living in and visiting the Keys today than there were years ago, and if our one road gets blocked, the death toll could easily number in the thousands.

The residents of and visitors to the Florida Keys need you to make the hard decisions now to limit future development to keep Keys residents and visitors safe.  

Board of Directors

Keys Last Stand

Keys Last Stand is a non-profit organization of volunteer citizens who are committed 

To preserving the Florida Keys’ unique quality of life and our fragile, beautiful natural environment.

Keys Last Stand - PO Box 146 - Key West, FL 33041

www.keyslaststand.org