We, the undersigned parents, residents, and families of Key Biscayne, respectfully request that the Village of Key Biscayne implement enhanced hygiene and sanitation standards throughout the children’s areas of the Community Center.

The Community Center is one of the most important gathering places for families in our village and serves hundreds of children each week. We deeply value these facilities and appreciate the role they play in supporting recreation, learning, and community engagement. This petition is not intended to reduce or eliminate any children’s amenities. Rather, it seeks to ensure that these spaces are maintained according to standards that reflect the needs of a family-oriented community.

Many parents have expressed ongoing concerns regarding the cleanliness and sanitation of several children’s areas, particularly the indoor Jungle Gym and carpeted play spaces.

With respect to the Jungle Gym, parents have been informed that the structure is cleaned only once per month despite being used daily by a large number of children. Many families have reported persistent unpleasant odors and have expressed concerns that the current cleaning schedule is insufficient for a heavily used indoor play environment. As a result, some parents choose to limit or avoid use of the Jungle Gym due to hygiene concerns.

Parents have also raised concerns regarding the extensive use of carpeting in children’s play areas. These carpets are regularly exposed to heavy foot traffic, food spills, drinks, bodily fluids, accidents, and other substances commonly associated with spaces used by young children. Many parents have observed persistent odors and visible signs of wear and staining despite periodic cleaning efforts.

Because young children frequently sit, crawl, play, and sometimes walk barefoot on these surfaces, many families believe that carpeted flooring may no longer represent the most hygienic option for these high-use areas. Modern child-focused facilities increasingly utilize hard, non-porous, easily sanitized flooring materials that can be disinfected more effectively and maintained to a higher standard of cleanliness.

As a community composed primarily of families with children, we believe that maintaining healthy and sanitary recreational environments should be a priority. Our request is practical, constructive, and intended to improve facilities that we want our children to continue enjoying for years to come.

Therefore, we respectfully request that the Village of Key Biscayne:

Increase the cleaning and sanitization frequency of the indoor Jungle Gym to a minimum of two times per week.
Review and upgrade sanitation protocols for all children’s play areas, with particular attention to high-touch surfaces and enclosed play equipment.
Conduct an evaluation of the carpeted children’s areas and consider replacing existing carpeting with more hygienic, non-porous flooring materials that can be cleaned and disinfected effectively.
Establish and communicate regular cleaning and sanitation schedules to Community Center members and residents.
Periodically assess facility conditions and implement additional sanitation measures when warranted by usage levels or seasonal illness trends.
We are proud to live in a community that prioritizes children and families. We respectfully ask Village leadership to work together with residents to ensure that the Community Center’s children’s areas reflect the level of cleanliness, safety, and care that our families expect and deserve.

Sincerely,

Concerned Parents and Residents of Key Biscayne