Critics blast Islamorada council pay raise amid tax relief debate

Islamorada is heading toward a politically sensitive vote: a proposal to raise council pay to $1,500 a month is moving forward at the same time residents are being asked to think about property-tax relief. The change would increase annual compensation for each council member from $12,000 to $18,000, a jump that has drawn scrutiny because the village’s tax burden is already a flashpoint.

The Islamorada Charter Review Committee unanimously recommended the pay question on March 4, 2026. Under the proposal, the council’s monthly stipend would rise from $1,000 to $1,500, and annual cost-of-living adjustments would be tied to the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers. A village Business Impact Estimate says the ordinance would create one ballot question for voters and would allow council COLAs to mirror staff COLAs in the same fiscal year.

The timing has sharpened criticism. Village budget documents show Islamorada approved a tentative FY 2025-26 millage rate of 2.65 mills, a rate the village said would generate $18.2 million from property taxpayers, or about $265 for every $100,000 of assessed value. The adopted FY 2025-2026 budget totals $92 million, and the village said proposed operating expenditures are 2.5% higher than the prior year’s total operating expenditures.

That backdrop has fueled taxpayer frustration well beyond the council chamber. Local advocacy messaging says property taxes in Islamorada are up 58% since 2020, even though the population has not increased. For residents already pressing village leaders on ad valorem revenue and spending, the prospect of a pay hike for elected officials has landed as a tough sell.

The proposal would also come before voters in a crowded political year. Islamorada’s next municipal election is scheduled for November 3, 2026, when all five Village Council seats will be on the ballot. Council terms remain two years long, and the village has been paid $1,000 a month since the early 2000s.

The issue is not new. Voters were already set to weigh a council pay increase and term limits at the November 5, 2024 election. Now, with another compensation vote looming and tax relief still at the center of local debate, Islamorada leaders are once again asking residents to decide how much their elected officials should be paid.