Monroe County opens hurricane reentry applications with QR code credentials

Monroe County Emergency Management opened applications Monday for its Business Early Reentry Program, a gatekeeper for getting back into the Keys after a storm when fuel, food, prescriptions, medical supplies and repairs can all be in short supply. The county is replacing windshield placards with secure digital credentials, and it says no late applications will be accepted after 5 p.m. June 22.

Approved businesses and nonprofits will receive a unique QR code by email from the organization head once the county reopens for first responders and critical services. Cory Schwisow, the county’s emergency management director, said the shift is meant to make the system more efficient and secure, reduce counterfeiting, improve accountability and save taxpayer dollars. Monroe County says the new system should cut more than $4,000 a year in printing and administrative costs.

The program is limited to essential personnel, and the county says family members and friends do not qualify under the credential. Businesses are told to review the requirements carefully and complete the application in one session because there is no save-and-return option. For-profit businesses must submit a Monroe County business tax receipt, while nonprofits need 501(c)(3) or 4506-B documentation. The county also says applicants must be able to provide services to first responders, have essential employees willing to support recovery, and house and supply those workers while infrastructure is still down. Businesses tied to a memorandum of agreement or contract with a critical infrastructure agency, such as an electric utility, the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority or a municipality, may also qualify. Medical professionals are directed through hospitals, and critical businesses based in or operating within Ocean Reef must go through Ocean Reef Public Safety.

The county’s staged reentry system is based on the location and extent of damage and how quickly conditions can be made safe. Essential personnel go back first, but only after first responders are cleared in and major hazards, including bridge inspections on U.S. 1, are addressed. Monroe County also warns that anyone entering under a state of emergency may be coming into an area that is not yet safe and could lack basic life-support resources. The county says anyone reentering early must be self-sufficient for up to 14 days with shelter, food, water and other necessities.

The stakes are rooted in Hurricane Irma, which struck the Florida Keys on Sept. 10, 2017, as a Category 4 storm with 132 mph winds and storm surge of up to 8 feet in some areas. Monroe County says Irma destroyed 1,179 homes throughout the Keys, badly damaged 2,977 more, and left 1,761 homes in unincorporated Monroe County needing rebuilding. Three people drowned in the Keys, and 14 others died from hurricane-related causes, including inability to obtain life-saving medical treatment. The storm also helped spur the Monroe Emergency Reserve Corps, and the county says residents who complete CERT training and join MERC can obtain early reentry placards.