Comprehensive Plan Documents

Monroe County (Unincorporated) 2010-2030 Population Projections

A central tenant of long-range comprehensive planning is the projection of future population levels and characteristics.  Population growth trends and projections can have a significant effect on forecasting the needs and demands for a variety of services such as transportation, sanitary sewer, drainage, solid waste and parks and open space. Population has a major effect on private development like housing and economic sustainability; therefore, it is important to analyze past population growth trends and attempt to make valid population projections as part of the planning process. In this regard, Chapter 163 of the Florida Statutes and Chapter 9J-5.005(2)(e), Florida Administrative Code, requires that every comprehensive plan be based on resident (permanent) and seasonal population estimates and projections.

A report forecasting changes in population through the year 2030 has been prepared for the update of the Monroe County Comprehensive Plan.    The report identifies population according to upper/middle/lower (UML) keys and contains the assumptions and methodologies utilized to formulate the projections. The report, which was approved by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) on April 5, 2011, was prepared by the Keith and Schnars Team with primary support from team member Fishkind and Associates.

Based on the approved projections, the functional (permanent and seasonal) population of Monroe County is expected to increase by 3,418 people from 2010 to 2030 for a total unincorporated County functional population of 73,956. This represents an average increase of 158 people per year. It is projected that the permanent population will actually decline to 34,730 people while the seasonal population will increase to 39,226 people resulting in the slight net increase by 2030. Review the population projection report: Unincorporated Population Projections FINAL DCA 4-5-11

It should be recognized that population projections are dependent upon a number of factors and assumptions, some of which are beyond the control of the County. Some of the factors that may influence population projections are regional migration patterns, the availability and location of public services, the extent and location of natural resources, economic conditions and the growth philosophy of the community.  The population projections presented in this report are prepared for planning purposes only, and should not be construed to define actual population limits. Population forecasts are subject to revision which may be accomplished in the comprehensive plan update process.

Technical Document Overview
The Technical Document consists of various “Elements”, similar to chapters. The elements completed to date include 1.0 Introduction and Executive Summary; 2.0 Future Land Use; 3.0 Conservation and Coastal Management; 4.0 Traffic Circulation; 5.0 Mass Transit; 6.0 Ports, Aviation and Related Facilities; 7.0 Housing;  8.0 Potable Water; 9.0 Solid Waste; 10.0 Sanitary Sewer; 11.0 Drainage; 12.0 Natural Groundwater/Aquifer Recharge;  13.0 Recreation and Open Space; 14.0 Intergovernmental Coordination; 15.0 Capital Improvements;  and 16.0 Energy Conservation and Climate.

The Monroe County Comprehensive Plan Draft Map Atlas contains a series of maps that will be used as a tool to help facilitate planning and growth management decisions in the County. These maps are a requirement of the Florida Statutes and Florida Administrative Code. The draft atlas is extensive and contains a total of 134 maps. These maps are provided here in Adobe PDF. (For printable quality, Acrobat Reader 8.0 or greater is suggested). Hard copies are also available for viewing at the Monroe County Growth Management Division, located at 2798 Overseas Highway, Marathon. For your convenience, a Table of Contents for the overall draft atlas is provided as a separate PDF.

Public Comment Records
The attached file includes the unedited public comments related to the existing comprehensive plan and major issues facing the County. These comments were collected from residents and other stakeholders at four public meetings (April 6, 7, 8 and 21, 2010); project website responses; telephone calls to the project hotline; and emails and other correspondence sent directly to the project team. The comments help form the basis of the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) major issues section.

Monroe County existing 2010 Comprehensive Plan (as adopted in 1995)

Click here to view or download the existing 2010 Comprehensive Plan, as adopted in 1995. This is a large document and may take time to download.

Evaluation and Appraisal Report Updated List of Major Issues

The EAR process provides the opportunity to identify and analyze major issues for the community that is related to the comprehensive plan. Staff began by categorizing each comment received through the public and agency workshops by subject, and then gave each group of comments a heading, creating 16 major issues; staff has consolidated the comments into primary topics to be evaluated during the EAR process. The attached file identifies the updated List of Major Issues which includes the comments presented by reviewing agencies at both the Scoping Meeting (held May 13, 2010), and during the subsequent open comment period. The list is not in priority order.

Draft Evaluation and Appraisal Report

With the completion of the Technical Document, the draft Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) has now been prepared.  The EAR is a document that serves as a “report card” of the existing Comprehensive Plan by evaluating the existing goals, objectives and policies (GOPs) to determine their effectiveness in balancing growth; preserving natural resources; achieving water quality improvements; meeting hurricane evacuation requirements; and complying with State regulations.  The draft document (posted on the right) contains the following information:  Introduction, Chapter 1-Public Involvement Process, Chapter 2-Community-Wide Assessment, Chapter 3-Assessment of Comprehensive Plan Elements, Chapter 4-Major Issues Analysis, Chapter 5-Special Topics, and Chapter 6-Assessment of Changes to Florida Statutes, and Appendices.  Please note that some sections of this draft are still “under construction”, as noted within the draft EAR documents, and due to pdf conversion, minor adjustments in page breaks will be completed in the final EAR document.