Veterans Affairs

www.monroecounty-fl.gov/va

Monroe County Veterans Affairs provides entitlement assistance for more than 6,500 full-time veterans, 2,500 seasonal veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their families in the Florida Keys. Each year the Veterans Affairs Department has more than 18,000 client interactions while providing a wide variety of services

Monetary Compensation

• Service-related disabilities

• Non-service-connected pensions

• Burial benefits

• Survivor’s benefits

• Educational and vocational rehabilitation benefits

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Nonmonetary Benefits

• Military service medal, decoration, or replacement

• Military service records or document requisitions

• VA Healthcare application assistance

• Courtesy Veterans Transportation Program disability of 10 perce or g are entitled to a tax deduction or exemption on their home assessment.

1200 Truman Avenue, Suite 204, Key West

• Veterans Transportation Program: 305.295.5159

• Satellite Office: Marathon Public Library: 2nd Wednesday of each month.

340 - Islamorada

Veterans Affairs Director: Cathy Crane 305.295.5150

Crane-Cathy@ monroecounty-fl.gov

Employees: 8

Budget: $922,554

County Attorney

www.monroecounty-fl.gov/countyattorney

The County Attorney’s Office provides high quality, cost-effective legal services to the Board of County Commissioners, the County Administrator, the Senior Management Team, County departments, and County advisory boards. The legal staff provides counsel on virtually every major decision made by the BOCC and County staff. Staff lawyers handle topics ranging literally from A (airport law)to Z (zoning.).

Bocc Agendas

• Staff attorneys review every contract, interagency agreement, bid solicitation, resolution, and ordinance considered by the commission

• During 2022, the County Attorney’s Office processed and reviewed 559 resolutions, 46 ordinances, and 938 other agenda items, that included contracts/agreements/grants/and litigation items.

Elections

The office provides legal counsel to the Supervisor of Elections and the County Canvassing Board. During election years, the County Attorney’s Office guides the Canvassing Board through primary and general elections. In addition, the office represents the Supervisor of Elections and the Canvassing Board in election related suits in state and federal courts.

In 2022, the office successfully litigated a number of cases including one that protected the security and integrity of the County's voting equipment in a case with nationwide implications. The office also represented the Canvassing Board during two countywide elections including one machine and one manual recount due to close elections.

Public Records

The County’s Records Management Liaison Officer (RMLO) is in the County Attorney’s Office. The RMLO coordinates the County’s response to public records requests and ensures compliance with the Public Records Act and the Records Retention regulations. The office processed 3,200 records requests in 2022. To make a public records request, see page 8.

Litigation

Staff lawyers represented the County in more than a thousand cases in state and federal court as well as administrative hearings.

- These efforts fulfill the Board’s directive to emphasize prosecuting Vacation Rental Ordinance violations and collecting outstanding code compliance fines and costs in the amount of $1.329 million in FY21. Collected fines and costs are deposited in the County’s general fund, reducing property taxes.

- Staff lawyers also worked with the State of Florida to reimburse the County for costs associated with two long-outstanding Takings cases arising from the State imposed growth limits that had led to the County’s Rate of Growth Ordinance (ROGO). In both cases, the plaintiffs had sought over $30 million in damages but, due to the efforts of the County Attorney’s Office, the Courts awarded less than $1 million.

County Attorney

Bob Shillinger

305.292.3470

Shillinger-Bob@ monroecounty-fl.gov

Employees: 10 lawyers, 6 support staff

Budget: $10.5 million

Risk Management

• Implemented new software

• Reviewed and approved 1,038 agenda items.

• Reviewed all tort claims made against the County and determined the appropriate response.

The County’s 10 lawyers have more than 250 years of experience practicing law and the expertise to handle most matters inhouse. Seven of the County’s lawyers are board-certified by the Florida Bar as experts in City, County, and Local Government law - a distinction only 304 of the more than 109,000 (0.2%) members of the Florida Bar have earned.

2022 HIGHLIGHT:

The office assisted with the issuance of $40 million in bond funding to help finance the Key West International Airport terminal expansion project.