Why Lucho?
I am running for a seat on the council to help all of you and the rest of Key Biscayne make the right choices and financial decisions going forward. I intend to be the most approachable and accessible council member ever. I am VERY interested in what you and your friends and neighbors believe or are concerned about.
I would love to meet with your friends who may not know me so they know who I am and what I stand for.
Please let me know if you want to gather a few of your friends and neighbors for a meet and greet.
My Promise to you
My Core Values
approachable
Accountable
Accessible
Let's talk
Cafecito with Lucho
Join me for coffee and a chat.
I would love to hear what concerns you and share my thoughts.
Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
9am-10am
at Golden Hog
lucho de La Cruz for village council
My Guiding Principles
I’m running for Council because I believe Key Biscayne deserves a local government that is more responsive, more accountable and more focused on the people it serves. I love this community, and I believe we can protect what makes Key Biscayne special while also being willing to question the way things have always been done. To me, good government isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about listening to residents, being responsible with their money, and making sure the people they elect are actually setting the direction of the Village. Those are the principles that will guide me as a Council member.
A Council that listens
For too long, residents have had too little opportunity to meaningfully participate in decisions that affect our community. Three minutes at a Council meeting is not enough.
I want to be the most accessible Council member Key Biscayne has ever had. I will establish regular times when residents can meet with me, bring me an idea, question a decision—or tell me they think I’m wrong.
Good government starts by listening.
Spend our money like it matters
Key Biscayne can afford excellent services. That doesn't mean we should accept wasteful spending.
I support periodically requiring every Village department to justify its spending from the ground up instead of assuming that every existing expense should continue indefinitely.
Taxpayers deserve to know not only how much we're spending, but what value we're receiving for it. We can maintain outstanding services while becoming more innovative, efficient and financially responsible.
Council sets policy. Management executes it
Key Biscayne can afford excellent services. That doesn't mean we should accept wasteful spending.
I support periodically requiring every Village department to justify its spending from the ground up instead of assuming that every existing expense should continue indefinitely.
Taxpayers deserve to know not only how much we're spending, but what value we're receiving for it. We can maintain outstanding services while becoming more innovative, efficient and financially responsible.
The Issues
Stormwater: We Can Do Better
For years, I opposed spending millions designing a massive stormwater project that would have destroyed hundreds of mature trees while pumping polluted stormwater into Biscayne Bay.
We needed flood protection—but I believed there was a better, less destructive and more financially responsible solution.
The community spoke up. The Village finally changed direction.
That experience taught me something important: before spending millions of taxpayer dollars, Council must insist on alternatives and never be afraid to change course when a better idea emerges
Protect What Makes Key Biscayne Special
Key Biscayne could become a model of what a resilient and sustainable coastal community should be.
Protecting our tree canopy, Biscayne Bay, our beaches and our water quality isn’t an environmental luxury. It’s fundamental to our quality of life and our property values.
Whether we’re dealing with stormwater, sargassum, landscaping or major infrastructure, environmental consequences should be considered at the beginning of every project—not after the decisions have already been made.
Our Beaches Are Too Important to Ignore
Our beaches are one of Key Biscayne’s greatest assets, and the growing sargassum problem isn’t going away.
We need a serious long-term strategy for removal, disposal and potentially productive reuse of sargassum, while closely monitoring its effects on beach and water quality.
Waiting for someone else to solve the problem isn’t a strategy. Key Biscayne should be helping lead the search for solutions.
Bear Cut and Virginia Key
I believe replacement of the Bear Cut Bridge and improvement of the Virginia Key portion of the Rickenbacker Causeway are two of the most important long-term issues facing Key Biscayne.
Development on Virginia Key will only increase pressure on our single roadway to the mainland.
We need a safer, hurricane-resilient bridge and a realistic plan to move traffic through Virginia Key without unnecessary stops, lights and bottlenecks.
These aren’t conveniences. For an island community with one road in and out, they are necessities.
Underground Our Utilities
Key Biscayne has talked about undergrounding utilities for years. It’s time to move from talking to doing.
An island exposed to hurricanes should have a more resilient electrical and communications system. And if we’re going to undertake a major undergrounding project, we should coordinate power, fiber and other infrastructure so we don’t repeatedly tear up the same streets.
This is exactly the kind of long-term project that requires persistent leadership and careful financial planning.
- Protect Our Local Government
I believe strongly in local government.
Key Biscayne incorporated so that decisions about our police, fire protection, parks, public works and community would be made here—not in Tallahassee.
That doesn’t mean defending every dollar the Village spends. Quite the opposite. Local control carries an obligation to spend responsibly and eliminate waste.
I want Key Biscayne to remain financially strong, locally controlled and accountable to the people who live here.
Protect Our Local Government
I believe strongly in local government.
Key Biscayne incorporated so that decisions about our police, fire protection, parks, public works and community would be made here—not in Tallahassee.
That doesn’t mean defending every dollar the Village spends. Quite the opposite. Local control carries an obligation to spend responsibly and eliminate waste.
I want Key Biscayne to remain financially strong, locally controlled and accountable to the people who live here.
Thoughts and Musings
IN MY OWN WORDS
I have lived in Key Biscayne for more than 50 years. I met my wife and raised two Key Rat
Why I’m running for Council
One of my biggest commitments is to become the most accessible Council member this Village has ever had. I plan
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Lucho de La cruz for village Council