In the Florida Keys, the county slashes 40 jobs to deliver a balanced budget

But fears that FEMA disaster relief will dry up could cost even more jobs plus nonprofit funding

Florida’s tourist gem, the 120-mile island chain known as the Keys, this week slashed 40 county jobs as the county administrator fears federal disaster relief will dry up, leaving local government without the millions it takes to recover from a single storm.

This week, 20 Keys residents, some having worked 15-20 years for Monroe County, were told their jobs had been eliminated under the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, set for $678.5 million — a decrease of $37 million from the previous year — for a county that has about 80,000 full-time residents.

Monroe County’s chief administrator cut 22 jobs this week, and suggested cutting more, plus ending $2 million in nonprofit funding to prevent property taxes from increasing and save for disaster relief. JEN GOLBECK/contributed

State and federal decreases in revenue, and trends of declining local sales and taxes on hotel rooms are cited in the proposed budget as factors for the proposed cuts.

And this budget, if approved by the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners this fall, would keep property taxes in the Keys the lowest in South Florida with only a minimal increase.

Deciding to eliminate people’s jobs “weighs heavily on all of us,” County Administrator Christine Hurley, said in a statement.

“This decision was not made lightly,” Hurley said. “Every option was considered, and we worked tirelessly to explore ways to minimize the impact while fulfilling our obligation to provide critical services to the community within our budget.”

But locals long familiar with the county government’s operations told me they don’t expect commissioners to reject Hurley’s proposal.

One called the layoffs and department consolidations an overreaction to fear of federal funding cuts: midterm elections come in November after all.

Saying they didn’t like using this phrase, the person told me this is an accurate reading of the layoffs:

“It’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem,” they said.

Even more jobs could be cut.

A list of 19 positions the county could add to the layoffs is also in the budget proposal. All but two are maintenance and library jobs and a dozen are currently filled.

The rest are vacant and would disappear.

It’s hurricane season. Housing costs keep soaring as inflation creeps up.

Now two dozen families have lost an annual salary and benefits.

County employees told me they didn’t see the layoffs coming.

Even after Hurley produced working lists of possible jobs to eliminate, with names attached to the filled positions, at least one supervisor told workers on the layoff list not to worry.

But on Thursday, some of the same people were handed two-weeks notice. Others can stay on through Sept. 30, when the county’s fiscal year ends.

Monroe County file photo

Pay raises remain intact for law enforcement, firefighters and paramedics — first responder jobs that have become even harder to fill.