A true public servant

1. Pictured from left, David Rice, county commissioner; Bob Shillinger, county attorney; Sylvia Murphy; and Lisa Tennyson, legislative affairs director, at Keys Day in 2014. KEYS WEEKLY FILE PHOTO

2. Monroe County Commissioner Sylvia Murphy sits at her desk. She represented portions of the Upper Keys, from North Key Largo to Tavernier, from 2006 to 2020. CONTRIBUTED

3. Then-Monroe County Mayor Sylvia Murphy presents Jeanette Nuñez with an Honorary Conch certificate during a gathering in Marathon in 2019. CONTRIBUTED

4. Sylvia Murphy is recognized as mayor emeritus during a Dec. 8, 2021 meeting of the Monroe County Commission. MONROE COUNTY BOCC/ Contributed

JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

FORMER KEYS COMMISSIONER SYLVIA MURPHY PASSES AWAY AT 86 ‘ULTIMATE PUBLIC SERVANT’

Former Monroe County Commissioner Sylvia Murphy was instrumental in broker-

ing a deal for Rowell’s Park in Key Largo. She also played a pivotal role in saving lives during her career as an EMT. A Keys resident dating back to her late teenage years, Murphy passed away during the morning hours of Nov. 26. She was 86. Feisty, a walking history book and a true public servant, Murphy served 14 years as a county commissioner. But she was also a contributor to the community in ways many people didn’t see. A few weeks before the 13th annual Light Up Key Largo on Nov. 19, Murphy called Nola Acker, one of the event organizers. The two have known each other for many years. Murphy appointed Acker to serve on the Tourist Development Council’s District Advisory Committee in 2017. Murphy was a regular contributor to Key Largo’s holiday event and donated funds so every kid could enjoy a hot dog and a drink. Acker told Murphy they were having some difficulties obtaining everything they needed for the event. Murphy stepped up to help fill the holes. “It was a two-hour conversation that night,” Acker said. “She was so excited when I talked to her three weeks ago. She’s like, ‘Nola I’ll give you $1,000; $250 to the kids and take the difference and put it where you need to put it.’” Murphy spent much of her life serving the public, including her years as an EMT with Monroe County Emergency Medical Services, from which she retired in 1996, and two decades with the Tavernier Volunteer Fire Department. She was elected to Monroe County Commission’s District 5, which serves North Key Largo and portions of Tavernier, in 2006. She kept serving and running for reelection until she decided to retire in November 2020. “At 86, was I going to be a county commissioner at 90? Come on,” Murphy said during a sitdown interview with the Keys Weekly in December 2021. County Commissioner Michelle Lincoln served two years with Murphy. But her time getting to know Murphy dates back to Lincoln’s days on the Marathon City Council. “The first time I met her professionally, she said, ‘I’m going to give you some advice. You’re going to make some votes that won’t always make you popular. But do your homework, make your vote and move on to the next one.’ I loved that advice she had for me,” Lincoln said. Murphy’s commitment to the job and Florida Keys residents was recognized by fellow commissioners, as she was named mayor emeritus on Dec. 8, 2021. She joined Wilhelmina Harvey as the only two to have the title. “Sylvia is very active out in the community,” County Commissioner David Rice said in a 2021 interview on Murphy’s recognition. “She truly seemed to enjoy her job. As a county commissioner, she ran up and down the Keys, going to everything. And you never have to question where Sylvia’s thoughts are, because they are at the tip of her tongue. And she would agree with that. I love Sylvia, and I think that she would appreciate the honor. It hasn’t been done that many times, so why not?” Murphy told the Keys Weekly one of her proudest accomplishments was Key Largo’s Rowell’s Park at MM 104, bayside. She knew the owner of that land and was instrumental in brokering the deal. “It doesn’t matter if the park sits vacant, it belongs to the county,” she said. “One day, after hurricanes pass and roads are raised, it will be a beautiful park. I arranged for Roman (county administrator Roman Gastesi) to meet with the owners of the marina with the price he quoted me. Roman met them for lunch and finalized it.” State Attorney Dennis Ward was a close friend to Murphy. Describing her as frank, candid and a supporter of the county and its natural resources, Ward said Murphy was the ultimate public servant. He also said she was a walking history book. “We used to travel together a lot to Key West for events. Every time you get into an area she’d tell a story when she was an EMT and the different calls she went on,” Ward said. “The history and knowledge of the community that she had was incredible. Things would come up and she would know what people were around at that period of time and the events.” Acker will remember Murphy’s passion and feistiness. “All I had to do was say ‘I have a problem,’ and she’d say, ‘Let me send an email,’” Acker said. “Every time I asked her for anything she helped. She even got into a dunk tank for me during a 4th of July picnic.” An outpouring of social media posts followed Murphy’s passing. Steve Torrence worked with Murphy on the county Health and Services Advisory Board. In a post, Torrence said Murphy was a tenacious spirit and had a wicked sense of humor. “She said what she thought and thought what she said,” he wrote. State Rep. Jim Mooney said Murphy was a lifelong public servant and truly loved the island chain. “The Keys lost a fruitful part of the community,” he said. A celebration of life for Murphy will be held Monday, Dec. 19 at 3 p.m. at the Murray Nelson Government Center.

NEW-LOOK SCHOOL BOARD TACKLES TRUMBO HOUSING DETAILS

Griffiths, Woltanski to serve as chair, vice chair

The 2022 Monroe County School Board. From left: board member John Dick, vice chair Sue Woltanski, board member Darren Horan, board chair Andy Griffiths, board member Mindy Conn. MONROE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT/Contributed

ALEX RICKERT

alex@keysweekly.com

The Monroe County School Board welcomed one new face and two familiar ones as newly-elected District 1 board member Darren Horan and re-elected District 4 and 5 board members John Dick and Dr. Sue Woltanski were sworn in at the board’s annual organizational meeting on Nov. 22. Horan, a Key West-based attorney, secured a victory over Gabrielle Brown with 58% of the vote in August’s primary election. Woltanski will enter her second term on the board after earning a win with just shy of 54% of the vote in a hotly-contested campaign against Alexandria Suarez. Unopposed in August’s primary, former chair Dick will enter his fifth term with the board. Andy Griffiths will serve as the board’s new chair, with Woltanski chosen as vice chair. The evening’s largest agenda item revolved around proposed divisions of units and rental rates for the upcoming housing development at the district’s Trumbo Road property in Key West, slated for construction through SPGL LLC. Designated as affordable housing, an initial draft from SPGL proposed to rent 25% of the development’s units at rental rates calculated from 80% of the area median income (AMI), 45% at rates calculated from 100% AMI, and 30% calculated from 120% of AMI. In the 80% AMI category, a onebedroom unit would rent for roughly $1,350 per month, with two-bedroom units at $1,500 for households earning a maximum of $57,400 for a single family or $65,600 for a two-person family. 100% AMI units would rent for $1,700 and $1,900 for one- and twobedroom units, with income limits of $71,500 and $82,000 for one- and twoperson families. One- and two-bedroom 120% AMI units would rent for $2,000 and $2,300, respectively, with income limits of $86,000 and $98,000 for one- and two-person families. Board member Mindy Conn said she was concerned that while the proposed rates may be suitable for some teachers, other critical district personnel would still find the units unaffordable. “I would like to see rent reflect housing that we can have bus drivers and maintenance workers and paraprofessionals live in, not just teachers,” she said. “Some of those rents might still be too high for brand-new teachers … or filling those other positions that are hourly pay.” Superintendent Theresa Axford defended the proposed rents, saying the units were “better than anything anybody can get right now” in Key West. “I understand how amazing they are,” Conn continued. “But if people can’t afford them, it doesn’t matter. I want to figure out … which people would still be able to afford to live there, and if we’re missing some section of our employees that still can’t afford to live there, even at those great Key West rates.” With no official vote taken, the board asked attorney Gaelan Jones to work with SPGL on several proposals for several splits in unit sizes and rental rates in the upcoming complex. As currently proposed, the development’s 80 units would consist of 16 one-bedroom units, 40 two-bedroom units and 24 three-bedroom units. “I think everybody, myself included, that are involved in these negotiations believe that the three-bedrooms are going to be the hardest to fill,” he said. Jones also cautioned that addition of more 80% AMI units would likely be met with a compensatory addition of 120% units to recoup the lost rental income, decreasing the pool of 100% AMI units. The board will work to potentially approve a final agreement at its Dec. 13 meeting, with Axford and Jones offering to bring an analysis of district salaries to the meeting to inform the final decision.

CARL JAMES WORDEN

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather Carl James (CJ) Worden passed away at the age of 80. Carl was born on Jan. 13, 1942 in Kansas City, Missouri to Carl and Dorothy Worden. He received his master’s degree in education at Central Missouri State College in 1969. He taught history and social studies at Butler High School in Butler, Missouri from 1965 to 1974. During his tenure at Butler High School, Carl founded the school’s first wrestling program. He then relocated to the Florida Keys and taught history, geography, social studies, science and horticulture at Coral Shores High School in Tavernier from 1974 to 2007. He also coached wrestling and football for many years during his tenure at Coral Shores. Carl was married to Theresa Miscella for 41 years, with whom he had two children, Theodore (TJ) Worden and Theresa (Tessie) Robertson. Previously married to Carolyn Abrams for 17 years, he had six children: Renee Canella, Janelle Christon, Raymond Worden, Mitchell Worden and preceded in death by daughter Melinda Worden and son Carl (Sonny) Worden. He had 13 grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren. Carl was a member of the Christian community from a young age. He was involved in Lutheran ministries in Kansas City and Butler, Missouri and continued his walk at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tavernier. He became a member of First Baptist Church of Key Largo in 1999, where he enjoyed singing, performing in church productions and participating in prayer groups and Bible studies. Along with teaching, he loved coaching football and wrestling, and dedicated himself to his students. He was known to be a stern disciplinarian with a fatherly disposition to all. A proud Eagle Scout, he was also a staff member of Youth Conservation Corps to support efforts to preserve the Everglades. He also enjoyed gardening and traveling with his family. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Key Largo. 99001 Overseas Highway, Key Largo. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent in memory of Carl Worden to: First Baptist Church of Key Largo Student Ministries, 99001 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037, fbckl.com/give (student ministries) or The Upper Keys Foundation in support of CSHS Athletics, P.O. Box 2009 Islamorada, FL 33036 (theupperkeysfoundation. org).