The proposed installation of three speed tables on Key Royale Drive has proven controversial.
Holmes Beach resident Marykate Scott’s public comments at a June 10 Holmes Beach Commission meeting sparked a debate on the dais about the planned traffic-slowing measure.
In April, the commission voted 4-1 to approve a work order that included the installation of three 3-inch-high speed tables in the 500 block of Key Royale Drive to address longtime concerns about speeding. The speed tables were requested by a group of residents who met with Mayor Judy Titsworth, police Chief Bill Tokajer and city engineer Sage Kamiya.
Commissioner Carol Whitmore voted “no” after voicing opposition to the speed tables, which she said were tried unsuccessfully in the past.
Whitmore is not the only one who opposes the speed tables, which have yet to be installed.
Residents Catharina and Michael Klotz, as well as Jeff Wilkie, emailed Titsworth and city commissioners June 9 to express opposition to the speed tables.
“While a small group of residents near the proposed locations may support the speed tables, the majority of us, who depend on Key Royale Drive as the sole access to our homes, find this measure unnecessary and disruptive,” Catharina Klotz wrote.
“I urge the city to consider alternatives that can address safety and speeding concerns without imposing such a widespread inconvenience,” Michael Klotz wrote.
Wilkie said three speed tables would not address the problem. He called for additional policing in the area.
During the June 10 meeting, Scott said she opposes the speed tables and asked city officials to consider installing temporary speed tables so they could gather feedback.
Titsworth said the city tried a temporary speed table along the stretch of roadway in the past but called it “noisy” and “terrible.”
She said it would be difficult to assess the proposed speed tables by using temporary ones because they did not perform the same.
Titsworth added that she has heard complaints about speeding motorists on Key Royale Drive since she became mayor and the speed tables would finally address those concerns.
“What we have been trying to do isn’t working. So it’s like our hands are sort of tied at this point,” she said. “We couldn’t ignore it anymore.”
Commissioner Terry Schaefer backed up the planned speed tables as a sort of last resort for addressing speeding concerns.
On the other hand, Whitmore said she was 100% against installing the speed tables and called for the city to gather more public feedback.
“We’ve determined the destiny without a real, true community interaction and approval,” she said. “If the citizens of Key Royale want this, we should do it. … But I don’t think we were really transparent.”
Commissioner Steve Oelfke said similar speed tables on Sixth Avenue were “uncomfortable” to drive over at the 25-mph speed limit and sympathized with concerns.
There was no action taken on the matter.
The city commission will meet next at 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive.
