Islamorada Village Council Seat 2 · Nov 3, 2026
Steve
Friedman
Steve Friedman, the incumbent, is running for Islamorada Village Council Seat 2 in the Nov 3, 2026 election, against Deb Gillis.
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The race · Village Council Seat 2
- 01Steve FriedmanYou’re reading
- 02Deb Gillis
Background
- About
- Full-time backcountry fishing guide and elected member of the Islamorada Village Council. He is a former Commodore of the Florida Keys Fishing Guides Association.
- Campaign website
- www.captsteveforislamorada.com
On the record: Steve Friedman
12 sourced01Staff pay1 sourced position
Voted yes on a motion to reduce budgeted personnel costs to $15,611,085.32 (failed 2-3, September 2026).
Council voteIslamorada · Sep 10, 2026LinkHow the council voted
02Budget2 sourced positions
Voted yes on the tentative budget for fiscal year 2026-2027 (passed 3-2, September 2026).
Council voteIslamorada · Sep 10, 2026LinkHow the council voted
Suggested starting the budget process earlier and holding more budget meetings after the election to find savings without cutting staff or services.
Own statementIslamorada · Sep 10, 2026Link
03Property tax rate1 sourced position
Voted yes on a tentative property tax rate of 2.7231 mills for 2026-2027 (passed 5-0, September 2026).
Council voteIslamorada · Sep 10, 2026LinkHow the council voted
04Charter amendments1 sourced position
Voted yes on a motion not to put a council compensation charter amendment on the ballot (passed 3-2, July 2026).
Council voteIslamorada · Jul 7, 2026LinkHow the council voted
05Freebee fare1 sourced position
Voted yes on directing Freebee to start charging riders a $2.00 fare on July 20, 2026 (passed 4-1, July 2026).
Council voteIslamorada · Jul 9, 2026LinkHow the council voted
06Land use1 sourced position
Voted yes on approving, with conditions, an appeal of a dwelling-unit determination for 86751 Old Highway (passed 3-1, August 2026).
Council voteIslamorada · Aug 20, 2026LinkHow the council voted
07Village contracts2 sourced positions
Voted no on a one-year extension of the GrayRobinson state lobbying agreement (passed 4-1, September 2026).
Council voteIslamorada · Sep 8, 2026Link
Voted no on an updated flat monthly fee retainer agreement for village attorney services (passed 4-1, September 2026).
Council voteIslamorada · Sep 8, 2026Link
08Public participation1 sourced position
Written answer to the Upper Keys Weekly candidate question, printed as submitted
Said the public should be able to comment on any issue or discussion, not only items with a vote.
The Public should be able to comment on any issue/discussion even if it’s not a voting issue.”
Forum answerKeys Weekly · Oct 15, 2026Link
09Meeting agendas1 sourced position
Written answer to the Upper Keys Weekly candidate question, printed as submitted
Called for publishing the agenda earlier and more consistently so the public has more time to read it.
Forum answerKeys Weekly · Oct 15, 2026Link
10Priorities1 sourced position
His campaign site calls for a local government that is efficient, fiscally responsible and protects local waters from pollution and overdevelopment.
We want a local government that is efficient and fiscally responsible, provides quality public services, and protects our local waters from pollution and overdevelopment.”
Own statementSteve Friedman for Council (campaign site)Link
Every claim links to its source and was checked against it before publishing. How this guide works
Steve Friedman: their words and their votes on the same issue
Budget
In their words
Suggested starting the budget process earlier and holding more budget meetings after the election to find savings without cutting staff or services.
Sep 10, 2026 ·Islamorada · Sep 10, 2026
On the record
Voted yes on the tentative budget for fiscal year 2026-2027 (passed 3-2, September 2026).
Sep 10, 2026 ·Islamorada · Sep 10, 2026
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