Upper Keys Weekly 20-0528

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Open the gates!

WHITE MARLIN

SWIM ZONE EYED | P. 15

CORAL CRAZE

CRF CELEBRATION GOES ON | P. 35

MOVING ON UP

EIGHTH GRADERS CELEBRATE | P. 28

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TIFFANY DUONG/Keys Weekly

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

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CORONAVIRUS

9709 Overseas Hwy. Marathon, FL 33050 Office: 305.743.0844 www.keysweekly.com

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Jim McCarthy jim@keysweekly.com

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

5

NUMBER OF THE WEEK In a study commissioned by Naked Nutrition, Americans have gained an average of 5 pounds during quarantine. But, gosh dang it, they’re trying. The study reports many are walking outside, using smartphone apps or taking virtual exercise classes. More than half of respondents said they purchased home gym equipment: dumbbells, mats, stationary bikes or ankle weights.

FOR UPDATES, WATCH THE WEB Events related to the coronavirus are changing rapidly as national, state and local governments make decisions aimed at controlling the spread of the virus. For updated information, please see keysweekly.com.

HURRICANE SHELTERS & CORONAVIRUS PLANS Include masks and hand sanitizer in the storm kit SARA MATTHIS

sara@keysweekly.com

B

y May 27 — five days before the official start of hurricane season on June 1 — the Atlantic Ocean already has seen two tropical storms: Arthur and Bertha. That follows the narrative of experts predicting anywhere between a “slightly above average” season to a “hyperactive” season. (Right now, the El Niño situation is neutral, but some worry it will ramp up later in the summer.)

Any type of hurricane this year will be exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. If there is a storm in South Florida, it will be a “double whammy,” according to Miami-Dade Emergency Management Director Frank Rollason.

“We’ve been telling people that they are safer at home and to isolate and to stay away from people,” he said.

If there is a hurricane approaching Florida, that message will change totally. “We are going to be telling people that this impending peril is more imminently dangerous and that you have to move.”

The Keys’ approach to this storm season is largely the same, with a few tweaks. As usual, in the event of a major hurricane (Category 3-5), all residents will be encouraged to evacuate to the mainland. The Florida International University and Fuchs Pavilion locations will be open, according to Monroe County Emergency Management Director Shannon Weiner.

Weiner said there will be temperature checks for anyone entering a shelter, hand sanitizer stations, required face covers and increased square footage per person.

Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall on May 26 in South Carolina. ACCUWEATHER

For category 1 or 2 hurricanes, the Keys’ normal shelters will open — Key West High School, Sugarloaf School, Marathon High School and Coral Shores High School. In years past, those seeking shelter gathered in one large space — the gymnasium or cafeteria, for example. In 2020, the increase of square footage guidelines between groups may mean opening some classrooms for family groups, or separate isolation sections of the school for those who are sick.

Although evacuees are always encouraged to seek more comfortable shelters in hotels or with friends and family, that message will be louder this year.

“If you can shelter safely with friends or family, do. Shelters should be a last resort, but if you need to come to a shelter, we are making it safe for you,” Weiner said.

The economic fallout of the pandemic is especially worrisome during hurricane season: it takes money to evacuate and shelter people and “If you can many in the Keys are just getting shelter safely back to work when the islands with friends reopen on June 1, or the official or family, do. start of the hurricane season. And, Shelters should governments are already preparing be a last resort, to slash budgets due to low sales tax but if you need receipts.

“We are reliant on tourism,” to come to a Weiner told U.S. Rep. Debbie shelter, we are Mucarsel-Powell during a recent making it safe press conference. “We would ask for your assistance in allowing some of for you.”

— County Emergency the recovery funds to come down Management Director quickly if a storm hits the Keys. It is a Shannon Weiner challenge we face after every storm.”

COMMUNITY NEWS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

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Food distribution in Key Largo In collaboration with Feeding South Florida, Monroe County, SOS Foundation and the Ocean Reef Community Foundation, United Way of Collier and the Keys announces that a free drivethrough food distribution will take place at St. Justin Martyr Church (105500 Overseas Highway, Key Largo) on Thursday, May 28 from noon to 2 p.m.

Mangrove Mike’s will also be distributing hot meals for carry-out at the event.

The food distribution is available to all who have lost income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple families may be represented in each vehicle.

All passengers in the vehicle must have a nose/ mouth covering and a box should be placed in the vehicle trunk in which the volunteers will place the food.

UWCK Keys Area President Leah Stockton said, “We are pleased to be a part of this collaborative effort to help our Keys friends and neighbors in need during this crisis. If you live in the Upper Keys and are struggling due to the pandemic, please participate to ensure your family has enough to eat.”

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The decision has been made to open the Keys to visitors June 1. As these people travel to the Keys to enjoy the islands that we love, or simply to escape the pandemic in their area, it would be in all our interests to encourage good behavior.

I am recommending that the electronic signs (variable message signs) above the Overseas Highway display positive messages regarding protecting our health and sanctuary’s environment.

The Keys’ government buildings, chambers of commerce, visitors centers, banks and businesses could also post these positive messages on signs and billboards starting in south Homestead, Key Largo, Tavernier, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine, all the way down to Key West.

Some examples include: “Keep the Keys Safe.”

“We love the Florida Keys.”

“Keys Pride” “Love and Protect the Keys.”

“Enjoy and Keep the Keys Safe.”

Wendy Cahill, Key Largo

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CORONAVIRUS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

TESTING, TESTING

Virus testing sites in Monroe County

S

ites up and down the Keys can conduct PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing for individuals with coronavirus symptoms. Each health care provider at each location will determine if testing for COVID-19 is needed. All sites are by appointment only. The following list provided by the Florida Health Department is subject to change based on testing availability.

Capabilities increasing to gauge situation JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

F

rom urgent care facilities and private doctors to CHI, testing capabilities have expanded from Key Largo to Key West.

As a reopening of the Keys nears, the Florida Health Department and Bob Eadie, health officer for Monroe County, said they’re standing by with a sufficient supply of nasal swab, or PCR, tests in the event there’s a surge.

Meanwhile, emergency response personnel are being trained in case they’re needed to help trace contacts.

A total of 2,550 tests have been performed in Monroe County since the coronavirus pandemic broke out in March. Of those, 107 came back positive and 2,443 negative for a 4.2% positivity rate, per health department data on May 27.

From May 17-24, a total of 618 tests came back from labs. Six were found to be positive during that time, while the rest were negative.

Securing tests during the pandemic’s outset was no easy task for doctors around the country and locally. Whenever tests were in hand, Dr. John Norris would go door-to-door in Key West to swab people who were sick and didn’t have the means to pay.

“When we started this pandemic, you couldn’t get tests. Literally, I begged for five,” said Norris, who also serves as chief of staff at Lower Keys Medical Center.

Today, more tests are making their way to doctors’ offices. Just last week, emergency management brought Norris 50 swabs, he said.

Eadie said the health department has more than 200 swab tests in stock in case the Keys witness some sort of surge as visitors begin to come down on June 1.

“Right now, the health department is still holding out for those who have symptoms or who have had contact with someone who’s been diagnosed with COVID-19,” Eadie said. “Those that need to be tested, there’s adequate sites throughout the county.”

With testing also comes the need for contact tracing. Eadie told county officials that the health department is developing a manual for the EMS community so they can conduct tracing within their jurisdiction.

“We will be training EMS personnel to do the contact tracing, if indeed that need should arise and the number of cases exceeds the number of contact tracers on the health department side right now,” he said.

Since day one of the pandemic, epidemiologists from the department of health have been the only group conducting in-depth contact tracing with all confirmed cases in Monroe County, with the formulation of a timeline of when their illness started and communicating with all close contacts of such cases. Calls are made to con-

A Florida Health Department worker collects a test. CONTRIBUTED

firmed cases and their close contacts daily.

A majority of positive cases reported in the county recently have come from Crystal Health & Rehab Center in Tavernier, where more than 20 residents and staff have been confirmed with COVID-19. Nursing homes and senior residence facilities have been major points of concern throughout the pandemic.

Nursing homes remain closed to visitors.

Locally, Eadie said a state incident management team is conducting testing at all senior residence facilities in Monroe County.

“They will continue through Friday morning, and then we will have had all those facilities tested. We’ll have some sort of benchmark before we open back to citizens from elsewhere,” he said.”

With PCR tests (which show current COVID-19 infection) has also come more antibody testing in the Keys. In the Upper Keys, more than 800 antibody tests were secured thanks to Dr. Bruce Boros, of Advanced Urgent Care in Key Largo, Dr. Stan Zuba, Good Health Clinic and executive director Kate Banick, and Key Largo resident Marlen Weeks. Of those tests, Boros’ urgent care facility in Key Largo received 500 tests. New and existing patients can call to pre-register. Good Health Clinic received around 375 tests, which will be used for its clients of low income. Banick said they also partnered with Zuba to test around 75 in the general population.

“For us to remain safe, we have to test and know statistically how many people are at risk when we open June 1,” Zuba told Islamorada council members, who were contemplating providing antibody testing for the community, during a May 22 meeting. “We need to do antibody testing. It will give us statistical numbers to see how many people are still susceptible.”

Zuba said he recently performed tests on behalf of Good Health Clinic at a nonprofit. Those he tested came back negative.

“Less than 2% is turning out to be positive for antibodies,” he said.

PCR viral tests — or polymerase chain reaction — tell people if they have a current infection. It may take between two and seven days to get results. Testing is done through the nose or throat.

Antibody tests tell if someone had a previous infection.

This rapid test can provide results within 10 minutes in some cases. This test may not be able to show current infection.

Testing is done via finger prick or blood draw. A viral test may still be needed to ensure you are not infectious. It is unknown if having antibodies to COVID-19 can protect from infection again, or how long the protection may last, the health department said.

ADVANCED URGENT CARE 1980 N Roosevelt Blvd, Key West 13365 Overseas Highway #102, Marathon 100460 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo Antibody testing also available Call 305-294-0011 CHI Free testing on Saturdays in Marathon, 2805 Overseas Highway Antibody testing also available Call 305-216-2107 or email KeysCovid19@chisouthfl.org FLORIDA KEYS AHEC Must be an existing patient. Call 305743-7111 ext. 210 JOHN W. NORRIS III MD PA 503 Southard St., #103, Key West Antibody testing also available Call 305-296-1022 KEY WEST URGENT CARE 1501 Government Road, Key West Call 305-295-7550 KEYS MEDICAL GROUP Must be an existing patient. Call 305293-4073 3224 North Roosevelt Blvd., Key West KEY WEST MEDICAL CENTER 2505 Flagler Ave, Key West Call 305-295-6790 RURAL HEALTH NETWORK MONROE COUNTY Free testing 3706 N. Roosevelt Blvd., Suite G, Key West Antibody testing also available Call 305-517-6613 URGENT CARE 101415 Overseas Hwy., Key Largo Call 305-453-0666

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

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CRYSTAL HEALTH RESIDENT DIES JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

A

CONGRESSWOMAN TESTS NEGATIVE FOR COVID-19 AFTER NURSING HOME VISIT Debbie Mucarsel-Powell talks with loved ones whose family members reside in Crystal Health & Rehab Center during a meeting at the Roth Building in Tavernier on May 19. JIM McCARTHY/Keys Weekly

Mucarsel-Powell calls for accountability JIM McCARTHY jim@keysweekly.com

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test performed recently on U.S. Rep. Debbie MucarselPowell for COVID-19 came back negative following possible exposure during a visit to a Tavernier long-term care facility.

The congresswoman went for a swab test on May 23 at the direction of the Florida Health Department and Bob Eadie, health officer of Monroe County, after she was invited inside Crystal Health & Rehab Center on Plantation Key on May 19. The next day, her office was informed that Mucarsel-Powell shouldn’t have been invited inside the facility, which has witnessed an outbreak in cases.

Mucarsel-Powell’s visit to the nursing facility came after she visited the Keys and sat down with family members of residents living there.

That meeting was held at the Roth Building in Tavernier, which sits in front of Crystal Health.

During the visit with the congresswoman, family members said they were exasperated that Crystal Health administration did not notify them of the cases in a timely manner. The Florida Health Department was notified of a positive case involving a speech pathologist around the first of May. Family members also expressed their anxiety in the meeting as they

waited more than a week for test results to come back for their loved ones.

Following the meeting with family members, Mucarsel-Powell called the facility to no avail — a problem many family members have experienced since the outbreak. That led to her visit to Crystal Health and Rehab Center.

Upon her arrival, the congresswoman spoke to the facility director, Ruth Robinson, who told her that certain areas of the facility were a “safe zone.” She was invited inside to a reception area not far from where she entered. She was shown a record of communications the facility had with family members during the visit.

Mucarsel-Powell was wearing a mask from her entry and through the duration of her visit.

“I had a little anxiety walking in, knowing there were positive COVID cases inside,” Mucarsel-Powell told the Weekly. “She (the director) assured me it was safe and I took her for her word. The fact that the director was not following guidelines and invited me into a place already identified as a red zone shows the facility is not being managed in a way to protect patients in there.”

Mucarsel-Powell subsequently spoke with Eadie and Dr. Aileen Marty, infectious disease expert at Florida International University. She said the two health experts believed her exposure was minimal during her visit.

Overall, Mucarsel-Powell said her experience inside the home further validates the families’ sincere

concerns for the well-being of their relatives at the facility. According to the data, one-third to one-half of all coronavirus deaths nationally are of nursing home residents or workers, and in Florida, nursing home residents and workers account for 42% of total COVID-related deaths.

In a statement released May 22, Crystal Health & Rehab Center said a state strike team entered the facility to conduct 150 tests earlier in the month after the first positive COVID-19 case was reported around the first of May. Those whose tests results were positive and their families were informed. While a number came back negative, several were found to be inconclusive. Another round of testing followed.

Just recently, Crystal Health installed a hotline for family members to call to receive timely updates. That number is 305-363-0252.

Mucarsel-Powell said she is staying in a room away from her husband and kids. Her 81-year-old mother, who usually lives with her, is staying with another family member for now.

“What it brings up, even for someone like myself who’s been strictly following guidelines and staying safe as possible, is that you cannot let your guard down and cannot assume the virus is not there,” she said.

91-year-old female resident of Crystal Health & Rehab Center died from COVID-19, the Florida Health Department reported on May 25. It’s the first COVID-19-related death the health department has reported at a nursing facility in the Keys.

The Tavernier long-term care facility first experienced an outbreak in cases in late April and early May when a speech pathologist tested positive.

As of May 25, the health department reported 24 cases inside the nursing home between residents, 18, and staff, six. No positive residents have been transferred out of the facility, according to the health department report.

With 73 patients currently residing at Crystal Health, the facility owner, Ira Chafetz, told the Weekly last week that test results for 57 residents were negative.

On May 21, the facility issued a message to family and friends amid growing concerns over safety and issues over communication. The facility said the residents who have tested positive are in isolation, with dedicated employees taking care of them. Since the pandemic, the facility said it has ample supplies of PPE. The statement also addresses the phone system after numerous complaints sparked by dropped calls and busy signals. The facility says it installed a brand-new phone system with a designated hotline for families to call for updates.

In consultation with various agencies, a second round of testing of all patients and staff was conducted.

After the first case was reported at the facility, a state strike team entered the facility to conduct some 150 tests. As results came back, those found to be positive were notified, as well as their families. But a number of families had heard nothing for more than a week.

Some waited as long as 12 days for results from a commercial lab. Among those awaiting results was Jennifer Baker, mother of 30-year-old Brittany, who resides at the facility.

Baker told U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell during a May 19 meeting that she was told her daughter’s results were inconclusive as they were “damaged.” She said the communication at the outset from the administration at the facility has been “honestly disgusting,” while testing has been a “joke.” She also said staff aren’t wearing gowns and face shields.

No visitors are currently allowed inside the facility with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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KEY WEST

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

NOT EVERY BUSINESS WILL REOPEN Empty storefronts increase in Key West

Dozens of Duval Street storefronts couldn’t survive the pandemic and now feature paper-covered windows. MANDY MILES/The Weekly The Fresh Produce clothing store at Eaton and Duval streets is permanently closed, along with the company’s other stores nationwide.

LARRY BLACKBURN/The Weekly Turtle Kraals won’t reopen, but is slated to house the Commodore and Boat House, which are currently located across the harbor.

LARRY BLACKBURN/The Weekly

M

any Key West business owners are preparing for the island’s June 1 reopening to visitors, but for others, it’s simply too late.

An increasing number of Key West businesses have thrown in the towel, unable to compete once the coronavirus forced them to close for 10 weeks.

“I’ve heard there are 50 storefronts on Duval Street with paper covering the windows,” said Scott Atwell, executive vice president of the Key West Chamber of Commerce and a Key West native. “It’s starting to look as it did when the Navy pulled out in 1972.”

Business owner Ed Swift made the same comparison to the Navy’s largescale departure from Key West in the 1970s.

“It took this town a good 15 or so years to build its tourism economy after the Navy left,” Swift said. “I watched Duval Street get boarded up, and that’s what we’re seeing again. The tax base plummeted as buildings changed hands at lower prices, and we’re likely to see that again.”

The Weekly has received multiple reports of local businesses closing for good, and Will Langley, principal real estate broker for Berkshire Hathaway in Key West, has been meeting with landlords and tenants to figure out the best way to keep businesses afloat.

“This uncertainty has to lead to an open and honest dialogue between tenants and landlords,” Langley told the Weekly. “We’ve been reminding landlords that their best horse in this race is an existing, good tenant, even if they have to defer their rent payments for a few months.”

Langley also said it’s too soon to tell whether rents on Duval Street are likely to go down in the coming months given the number of empty storefronts.

“People have always paid a premium to be on Duval Street to be in front of the masses, but if those masses aren’t here, then those businesses won’t be able to make their rent,” he said.

Fresh Produce clothing store on Duval Street is gone, along with Coffee Plantation on Caroline Street.

Turtle Kraals will not reopen, but that building is slated to house the Commodore and Boat House once the City Commission approves the lease reassignment. The City of Key West owns the properties around the Historic Seaport.

“That’s a bit of a bright spot in all this,” Langley said. “Here you have a

local, successful business that clearly believes in the bight neighborhood.”

Tom Wheaton announced with regret that he will not reopen Paradise Health and Fitness after more than 20 years in business. A recent online “Help Wanted” ad for sales associates at Sears states, “Store closing.”

The parent company of Sears and Kmart in recent years has closed hundreds of those stores nationwide, and the Key West Sears now looks to be joining them.

“For Lease” signs and brown paper fill the windows of dozens of Duval Street shops, where high rents challenge business owners in the best of times.

Any business that has survived will be “hanging by the thinnest of threads” when it reopens on June 1 or sometime after.

“Even owners who received federal PPP money burned through cash or lost employees,”Atwell said.

“If you’re local, go out and support your favorite small business. Practice all the safety precautions because we can’t afford a relapse. When visitors are back, thank them — from a distance.”

Several restaurants and retail businesses aren’t planning to reopen immediately on June 1, but will take a wait-and-see approach to gauge visitors’ behavior and keep a watchful eye on the continuing public health threat of COVID-19.

A survey of travelers’ intentions in the coming year “bodes well for Key West,” Atwell said, adding that the county’s Tourist Development Council will focus its marketing efforts on the drive-down markets as far north as Tennessee, given people’s stated reluctance to fly in the coming months or year.

“I’m hopeful we can attract enough visitors to get us through the slow months, when international travelers have traditionally buoyed the economy,” he added. “In the short term, without bars open, we will have to lean on the cultural and ecological virtues of the island. We also have a lot of great dining venues that I hope will be able to survive. That’s the toughest business.”

Atwell added that the cruise ship business “looks desolate, based on the survey data.”

In the meantime, he said, “the Key West Chamber of Commerce will continue to communicate and advocate for the working people of Key West.”

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

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MARINELAB SUMMER CAMP JUNE 8-12 AND JUNE 15-19 Key Largo’s MarineLab has educated thousands of students in marine science and our unique Florida Keys ecosystem for 35 years. We are now expanding our program to offer Summer Day Camp for our local families! Students entering 4th - 8th grade this fall are invited to enjoy the following: Snorkeling instruction • Daily snorkeling excursion on our fleet of boats • Hands-on labs with live critters • Engaging ecology discussions • Lunch & snack included daily • Safe, outdoor learning environment • Small group sizes for individualized instruction • Groups will enjoy all activities per CDC/social-distancing guidelines

MarineLab

Please visit our website www.marinelab.org for details, cost and to enroll.

305.451.1139 ext. 201 info@marinelab.org

12

UPPER KEYS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

Coral Shores soccer goalie Madeline Chilton signs with Bard College in New York to continue her education and playing career. CONTRIBUTED

CHILTON TAKING SOCCER TALENTS TO NEW YORK SCHOOL

M

adeline Chilton, the Monroe County Female Soccer Player of the Year, has chosen Bard College in New York to continue her education and playing

The Ron Levy Aquatic Center in Islamorada is open for aquatic fitness only. Activities include lap swimming, water aerobics and water jogging. VILLAGE OF ISLAMORADA/Contributed

BOAT RAMP, POOL OPEN IN ISLAMORADA JIM McCARTHY

I

jim@keysweekly.com

slamorada entered the next phase in reopening of Founders Park in mid-May. Farther south in the village to the Fills, Indian Key Fill boat ramp opened for public use effective May 12.

It’s the latest in a gradual reopening of Islamorada to local residents. The village has fared well throughout the spring with only two confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic hit Monroe County on March 20.

At Founders Park, the village council during its May 18 meeting agreed with staff in opening the Ron Levy Aquatic Center for aquatic fitness activities. Activities include lap swimming, water aerobics and water jogging, according to Maria Bagiotti, Founders Park director. The aquatic center isn’t open for recreational swimming or families enjoying a day poolside just yet.

“Just aquafit,” Bagiotti said. “Classes and just fitness, period.”

Park staff are conducting brief COVID-19 screenings before patrons are permitted to enter the aquatic facility. The screening includes verbal questions and temperature checks with a no-touch thermometer. This added measure is intended to provide an extra level of comfort for pool users. All village staff will have temperature checks upon arrival to work.

The aquatic center is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. The pool is closed on Sundays.

Pool users must limit swimming to one hour, limit lap swimming to one swimmer per lane at a time and bring their own swimming equipment.

Restrooms are open, but locker facilities and showers remain closed.

“I think this is really a positive move for the community,” said Vice Mayor Ken Davis. “Everybody has done social distancing. They’re wearing masks. We’ve been very lucky, but we’ve been lucky because we’ve worked hard at it. I think this is a nice little reward to the community.”

The splash pad, water slide, diving boards and water basketball remain closed.

The park office opened on May 18 for limited business, including issuance and renewals of park resident ID cards, resident memberships and nonresident pool memberships. Patrons must wear face coverings when entering the office and follow one-way entrance and exits.

The office is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Among the park amenities open to local residents are the tennis courts, basketball court and pickleball court.

At MM 78, Indian Key Fill boat ramp is now open, with parking in the lot limited to parallel parking for vehicles with trailers. The remainder of the Fills, the roadway and adjacent land along U.S. 1 connecting Upper Matecumbe and Lower Matecumbe Keys remain closed with no parking or recreational use allowed.

career.

Chilton began playing organized soccer at age 4. She took part in the Florida Keys Soccer Club before joining the Cutler Ridge Soccer program.

The three-time All-County goalie, Chilton has been training with the International Goalkeeper Training Club each of the past three years. She has been a fixture in goal for Coral Shores since her freshman season.

“My experiences at Coral Shores have taught me how to work well as a team and grown my leadership skills and goalie skills through all the great practice I got during games,” Chilton said.

“I’d like to thank Giuseppe Weller for providing me with such hard training that has prepared me for the great challenges ahead and being so supportive through my whole journey.

“I’d like to thank Coach (Pat) Fazio for helping me so much for so many years in club and high school, and finally, I’d like to thank my parents for being my biggest supporters and always having my back no matter what. Through everything, I definitely could not have done any of this without them,” she continued.

Bard College is a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic District, a National Historic Landmark.

The school is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division III. It competes in the Liberty League, with New York colleges including Clarkson University, St. Lawrence, Union College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Rochester Institute of Technology, among others.

“Madeline’s talent, dedication, and character are going to make a huge difference for our program going forward. I can’t wait for her to get started,” said William Kelly, Bard College women’s soccer head coach.

Fazio said Chilton is a very focused and hardworking player who always works to improve her skills.

“She’s a fantastic player,” he said. “She’s admired by all of her teammates.”

— Contributed

13

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

Back to the new normal

PLAZA GRILL City Council Steven Cook, Mayor Luis Gonzalez, Vice Mayor John Bartus, Councilmember Mark Senmartin, Councilmember Dr. Daniel Zieg, Councilmember

City Manager Chuck Lindsey

Please note that more than one Marathon City Council/Board/Committee member may participate in the meetings listed. To view the City of Marathon’s full calendar, please visit www.ci.marathon.fl.us/calendar

Firefighter Pension Board Meeting

6/02/20 • 5:00pm Virtual – Directions will be posted on www.ci.marathon.fl.us for viewing

City Council Meeting

6/09/20 • 5:30pm Virtual – Directions will be posted on www.ci.marathon.fl.us for viewing

Planning Commission Meeting

6/15/20 • 5:30pm Virtual – Directions will be posted on www.ci.marathon.fl.us for viewing Pursuant to Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes, if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Council with respect to any matter considered at any meeting or workshop noted herein, he or she will need a record of the proceedings and for such purposes he or she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made; which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. The City of Marathon complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are a disabled person requiring special accommodations or assistance, please notify the City Attorney at (305) 289-4130 of such need at least 72 hours (3 days) in advance. 5/27/20/hp

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14

ISLAMORADA

MAJORITY OF COUNCIL SUPPORTS CONTINUATION OF PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

$4.68-million project state funded JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

A

pedestrian bridge funded by the Florida Department of Transportation near Founders Park in Islamorada will move ahead after a majority of village council members said “no” to reconsidering and forgoing the project.

Councilman Chris Sante asked the council during the May 21 virtual meeting to rethink what’s now a $4.68 million project to construct a bridge with elevators and stairs to move people across U.S. 1. Sante said initial talks surrounded a walkway, but it morphed into something more to the point where it’s “way out of hand.” As for safety, Sante said crossing near Coral Shores High School is more dangerous.

“I just want us to reconsider, at least ask for a referendum,” Sante said.

Vice Mayor Ken Davis voiced support for the project and noted that FDOT has been working on it for several years, with a lot of money invested. Davis said the village doesn’t control the cost; it’s FDOT that decides the cost and what it will pay.

“If we suddenly dump it and say ‘never mind,’ we can kiss anything else we ask for in the next decade goodbye,” he said. “People are asking for a fixed bridge over Snake Creek or Whale Harbor to alleviate the opening of the bridge. That’s not going to happen if we tell them ‘no’ to this after they’ve done all the work.”

Councilman Jim Mooney said he isn’t changing his mind on the project.

“I’m not going to jeopardize anyone’s life,” he said. “It’s an FDOT project. They don’t do projects that they think won’t work. With traffic lights, FDOT said no more traffic lights. It makes traffic worse.”

A rendition of Founders Park pedestrian bridge in Islamorada. CONTRIBUTED

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

Sergies Duarte, senior community outreach specialist with FDOT, said the project has entered the design phase. A project schedule is being finalized, and no groundbreaking date has been set.

To complete the project, water and electric utilities in conflict with the pedestrian bridge’s location will need to be moved. Overhead and underground facilities on the north edge of the FDOT right-of-way next to Founders Park were to be relocated. Estimates back in January were anywhere from $250,000 and $300,000 for the overhead work and $700,000 to $800,000 for the underground work.

Since the initial examination of the project, Florida Keys Electric Coop said it was able to put together a more efficient design for the transmission pole so crews don’t have to move it. With that design change, FKEC estimates the overhead cost to be closer to $150,000 to $200,000.

The cost estimate for the underground work hasn’t changed.

Moving costs incurred from the elevated bridge project won’t be reimbursed by FDOT, meaning FKEC shareholders will pay. Davis said that’s $2.15 tacked on to the bill per month for a year.

Among the other utilities affected are the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority’s piping. Julie Cheon, public information manager, confirmed that 180 linear feet of 18-inch piping will be relocated as it’s in conflict with the bridge project where workers will need to dig. FDOT will take on moving costs due to a pre-existing agreement for an easement.

“It’s a lot less than what originally needed to be done,” Cheon told the Weekly in January. “Initially, they were looking to relocate 700 linear feet.”

Estimated costs to move the pipe were not immediately made available by FDOT. Councilwoman Deb Gillis said the project began with the village and not FDOT. She said she doesn’t believe FDOT would frown upon the decision to forgo the project since budgets are tight.

“I think the elevator would be a major expense and it would be broken more than it’s in service,” she said.

Mayor Mike Forster said he hasn’t changed his mind as a supporter of the project. With talks of a referendum, he said there should be 526 votes by a group of people who don’t want to see the bridge project happen.

“And that should have happened months ago, not two weeks from digging dirt and putting it up,” he said.

Forster added that the funds allocated for the bridge project cannot be moved to another village project like the Fills.

ISLAMORADA

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

ISLAMORADA MOVING FORWARD ON SWIM ZONE AT POPULAR BAYSIDE SPOT

JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

M

ore than 100 boats anchored off White Marlin Beach on Lower Matecumbe, near the Port Antigua community, on May 23. Several boats were spotted rafting, while groups of people gathered for what was a nice day on a rain-dominant Memorial Day weekend.

The bayside sandbar has grown in popularity over the years, and it’s led to an array of issues involving disorderly individuals stepping onto private beaches and properties. A resolution to mitigate some of the issues, however, is in the works as Islamorada prepares to place the first reading of an ordinance for the June meeting to implement a swim zone.

Discussions date back to 2014 when meetings among council members, residents and law enforcement discussed growing concern regarding activity at the popular sandbar and issues surrounding quality of life for homeowners who’ve had to force drunk individuals off their property.

At a Feb. 13 village council meeting, Port Antigua resident David Petkovich played for council members a 4-minute clip with pictures of numerous boats on the sandbar. Video during the clip showed disorderly people littering, trespassing on private property and even becoming physical with property owners.

The discussion led to talk of legislation that would target issues seen on the water — a proposal to implement a 300-foot swim area at White Marlin and Port Antigua beaches. During a May 21 meeting, Village Attorney Roget

White Marlin Beach on May 23, 2020. GEO TOTH/Contributed

Bryan briefly discussed the matter with council members and said the proposed swim zone “is the most expedient area to achieve positive results.”

Swim zones are typically marked off with buoys and rope. Boats would essentially be banned.

“It’s a pretty good idea. We just have to work on the law enforcement aspect,” councilman Chris Sante said.

“I’ve been down there (to the area of the sandbar). People are just disrespectful in the way they come through the yard and do nasty things and play music loud. It’s pretty bad.”

Port Antigua resident David Webb told council during the meeting that fixing the issues at White Marlin Beach is a high priority. He said the status quo cannot be acceptable any longer.

“The conditions down here have reached an unacceptable level from a safety and quality-of-life standpoint,” he said.

The next village council meeting is slated for Thursday, June 18 at 5:30 p.m.

15

16

CORONAVIRUS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

DRY TORTUGAS BEGINS INCREASING ACCESS

KEYS HISTORY & DISCOVERY CENTER ANNOUNCES ONLINE ACCESS TO EXHIBITS

Fort Jefferson on Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park reopened on May 25.

GLENN GARDNER/National Park Service

F

ollowing guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, Dry Tortugas National Park has increased recreational access. The National Park Service (NPS) is working with federal, state and local public health authorities to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic closely and is using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis.

Beginning May 25, entrance fees resumed and Dry Tortugas National Park reopened access to: • Outdoor areas on Garden Key, including Fort Jefferson, from sunrise to sunset.

• Loggerhead Key, from sunrise to sunset.

In addition, the following spaces continue to be available: • Marine waters.

• Garden Key Harbor.

• Bird Key Harbor.

With public health in mind, the following facilities and services remain closed at this time: • Concession tours.

• Campground.

• Visitor center and bookstore.

• Visitor programs.

“We are pleased to increase recreational access to Dry Tortugas National Park,” said Superintendent Pedro Ramos. “We recognize that outdoor recreation is important to our visitors and is possible while maintaining health and safety guidelines.”

The health and safety of visitors, employees, volunteers and

partners continues to be paramount. At Dry Tortugas National Park, the park service’s approach will be to examine each facility to ensure operations comply with current public health guidance, and will be regularly monitored. The park service will work closely with the NPS Office of Public Health using CDC guidance to ensure public and work spaces are safe and clean.

While these areas are accessible for visitors to enjoy, a return to full operations will continue to be phased and services may be limited. When recreating, the public should follow local area health orders, practice Leave No Trace principles, avoid crowding and avoid high-risk outdoor activities.

The CDC has offered guidance to help people recreating in parks and open spaces prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The park service will continue to monitor all park functions to ensure that visitors adhere to CDC guidance for mitigating risks associated with the transmission of COVID-19, and take any additional steps necessary to protect public health.

Virtual tours of Dry Tortugas National Park are available at nps. gov for people who are still home schooling or not traveling. The website, and the service’s social media channels, also have details and updates on park operations.

Updates about NPS operations will be posted on www.nps.gov/coronavirus.

— Contributed

Stories of the Upper Keys exhibit. KEYS HISTORY & DISCOVERY CENTER/ Contributed

T

he Keys History & Discovery Center is making content in its permanent exhibit kiosks available online as part of ongoing efforts to provide access to the museum during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each week will feature the content from a different museum exhibit kiosk, which is accessible at www.keysdiscovery.com/ exhibits.

The week of May 25 is focusing on “Stories of the Upper Keys: Communities of Key Largo.”

Following weeks will include: • Week of June 1 - “Stories of the Upper Keys: Plantation Key through Long Key.” • Week of June 8 - “Stories of the Upper Keys: The Hurricane Edition.”

The online access is another method by which the Discovery Center staff is providing access to the museum and offering lessons specific to Upper Keys history and ecology during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other virtual programming includes: • Aquarium biologist Blake Terry goes live on Facebook on Mondays at 1 p.m., looking at the Coral Reef Exploration exhibit in partnership with Mote Marine Laboratory.

• Museum virtual visits occur live on Facebook on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m., with Discovery Center curator Brad Bertelli, who provides a specific lesson from the museum’s permanent exhibits.

• On Field Trip Fridays, live on Facebook at 10 a.m., Bertelli visits a different historic site in the Upper Keys and provides a brief history lesson.

All livestream and program recordings are available on the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center YouTube channel.

In addition to Facebook and YouTube, Keys History & Discovery Center can also be found on Instagram @flkeyshistorydiscovery and Twitter @ keyshistory.

More information is available at 305-922-2237 or info@ keysdiscovery.com.

— Contributed

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

MELINDA VAN FLEET

TIPS ON SHIFTING YOUR MINDSET TO PEACE

I

was lucky. I didn’t grow up worrying about a lot. Granted, I had the same money mindset challenges as most people.

“Money doesn’t grow on trees” and “Keep dreaming, kid” were popular sayings in my house.

How do you start to break through that?

Our money mindset became frighteningly obvious when we were laid off at the same time and decided to move to The Keys, starting over from scratch. We had to keep working hard, watching every penny, but also have a good money mindset. All three actions at once were a lot to focus on.

I was working on my monthly newsletter, Monthly Monday Mojo, and thought to incorporate a monthly mantra to help with those thoughts of worry.

For May, the mantra is “I am at peace.”

Mantras can be very beneficial.

Having a mantra to refer to can be a small daily step in the right direction. I had been reflecting and realized how important it is to be at peace.

Synchronistically, I was reading a Richard Dotts book, “Your Greatest Gift.” Dotts always shares a great nugget, and his storytelling is relatable. I didn’t know, when I purchased the book, what the “greatest gift” would be. I just bought it because I read a few of his other books. So, spoiler alert! I learned that our greatest gift is peace.

Peace.

It’s something I think we take for granted or don’t even recognize at all. That state of zero where you aren’t upset about anything, but you aren’t falling over laughing either. Peace is a calmness that things are OK and will work out.

I believe that since we both lost our jobs at the same time in 2009, I have a deep understanding that somehow things will be OK no matter how tough it seems. It’s an inner peace that is with me. is a consultant, coach and speaker who helps sales executives and their teams navigate change and strengthen their communication skills to maximize their potential.

17

Dr. George vonHilsheimer, M.D.

How Often Should You Get A Skin Exam?

LOE MOSHKOVKA/Pexels

In a simple example, yesterday, I sat outside for 15 minutes and watched the beautiful cardinals and butterflies play and fly around.

Nothing else crossed my mind but to watch them fly around. I was at peace with this amazing world.

As I was reading this book, it opened my eyes to how often the word “peace” has been used, but I think we take it for granted.

Finding statements that work for you and help you realize that you can change your state to peace is what is most important.

Another tool I use regularly is called Ho’Oponopono. It is a mindset shift tool originating in the Hawaiian culture and brought to mainstream awareness by Hew Len and Joe Vitale.

Here are the four simple statements that you say and repeat: “I love you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Please forgive me.”

“Thank you.”

Try saying these statements out loud if you can. If not, say them in your head. Focus on them and repeat them over and over until you feel your energy shift.

It’s important to realize you are not alone if you are worried or stressed, especially now. Shifting your mindset is one of the best tools you have in your back pocket.

Learning and remembering to do it is the key!

Dermatologists recommend that you schedule a skin exam once every year. This yearly exam enables your dermatologist to thoroughly check your body for the presence of any suspicious spots. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the U.S., but annual exams can help detect it at its earliest and most treatable stages. This allows your dermatologist to find and remove precancerous lesions before they develop into skin cance This is especially true if you have one or more of the cancer. following risk factors: blonde or red hair, light eye color, skin that freckles or sunburns easily, family history of melanoma, tanning bed use, or if you have more than 50 moles.

After your first exam, the results of subsequent exams will also be compared to the one before it to look for any changes.

Your dermatologist may also make a note of a suspicious spot so it can be monitored over time. Photos may be taken so this skin exam can be compared with the next one. Your doctor may also want to take a small tissue sample of the lesion (a biopsy) to send to a lab for testing.

www.KeysDermatology.com Keys_Dermatology https://www.facebook.com/KeysDermatology/

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

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ENVIRONMENT

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

19

MARINE DEBRIS CLEANUPS MAKE AN IMPACT IN THE KEYS TIFFANY DUONG

I

tiffany@keysweekly.com

n March, the “Goal: Clean Seas Florida Keys” (GCS) program released a report showing the impact of marine debris cleanups done in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary through partnerships with local dive operators. It’s humbling.

The report shows, among other things, that the classic adage about the man walking along the beach, picking up starfish and throwing them one by one back into the ocean to save them, holds true.

When that one man is actually many men and women, who go out with the singular, shared goal of cleaning up our waters, the massive effort can help entire reefs struggling under the literal weight of our discarded debris.

While I participated in annual cleanup dives in California, where my dive career began, I’d never before witnessed or joined such regular, well-orchestrated community efforts to protect local waters as the cleanup dives here in the Keys.

Marine debris threatens the entire sanctuary. Lost traps and trap rope damage critical benthic habitats, such as reefs and seagrass beds. Many animals can become entangled and/or die, including dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, corals and sponges. Removing underwater marine debris and fishing gear protects marine habitats and ecosystems and prevents future damage.

I’ve grown my debris consciousness here in the Keys by participating in 12 Dives Against Debris run through the GCS program with three different

local partner dive operators. I even received my Dive Against Debris PADI certification. It’s inspiring to join such an active army of dedicated people who care so much and so often.

GSC is a partnership among Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (NMSF) and its local chapter, participating Blue Star dive operators, and the Project AWARE seafloor monitoring program Dive Against Debris.

Established in May 2018, the initiative aims to remove underwater marine debris from Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and educate the public about marine debris prevention.

GSC partners work with sanctuaryrecognized Blue Star dive operators to educate dive professionals and recreational divers on best practices for removal of marine debris before going out and cleaning up the waters.

It’s more complicated than simply picking up trash while diving. GSC activities require certain permits to ensure that removal is done in an environmentally-responsible manner and adheres to all applicable federal and state laws and regulations. Dive operators perform scoping dives to identify debris hotspots; remove, dispose of and recycle underwater debris; conduct post-removal data reporting and analysis; and engage the public in marine debris awareness and prevention through education and outreach.

In this way, through GSC, dive operators and recreational divers remove marine debris to protect wildlife, corals, sponges and the “blue economy” that relies on the health of these resources.

The numbers from the report are

Divers from the Dive Shop at Ocean Reef Club use lift bags to haul up lost traps. ALISIA CARLSON/Contributed

After a successful cleanup dive, divers led by DiveN2Life gather with hundreds of pounds of debris removed. DIVEN2LIFE/Contributed

staggering. In its first year, (July 2018 to July 2019), GSC funding allowed Blue Star operators to run 49 cleanup trips.

Nearly 450 recreational divers and 158 professional divers spent 897 hours underwater removing 14,693 pounds of miscellaneous debris, 78 intact, lost and damaged fishing and lobster traps, hundreds of pieces of trap debris and 16,369 feet of line. Dive operators report results through the Project AWARE Dive Against Debris citizen science program.

Mike Goldberg, owner of Key Dives, said, "Goal: Clean Seas Florida Keys allows us to offer a way for the Keys community to dive on the reef by going out on our boat for free and remove debris.”

Key Dives has taken the charge and led the pack. Recently, the Islamorada dive shop topped 10,000 pounds of total debris removed during its bi-monthly GCS clean-up dives and celebrated by aiming to reach the next 10,000 pounds.

“From our perspective, the program is a complete success,” Goldberg said. “I believe this has helped to bring our dive community together for a common purpose, one where the folks here, the reef and the dive operators all win.”

Michael Creese, owner of Island Ventures in Key Largo, said, “For us, participation means we’re literally keeping our house in order. We protect the wildlife and keep the coral reefs there for everyone’s enjoyment.”

Creese and Goldberg both received funding help from the GCS program in its first year, but that funding has since dried up. Still, both Island Ventures and Key Dives continue to host regular cleanup dives for their customers.

“Even when NOAA funding dried up, we still ran, and expect to keep

running, free dive trips for divers,” Creese said. “They’re donating their time free of charge to help the reefs, so we want to keep hosting these trips free of charge to give back to the community.”

Kris Sarri, president and CEO of NMSF, noted that this was precisely the intended goal of the program.

“The Goal: Clean Seas initiative empowers local community members and businesses to become stewards of the sanctuary through direct action,” she said, “and the data gleaned from these cleanup dives will help refine the focus on prevention in the future.”

NMSF plans to grow the successful GSC initiative and engage more Blue Star dive operators across the Upper, Middle and Lower Keys. The program will also coordinate with the sanctuary on kayak and shoreline cleanups and engage more local community partners such as school groups and fishing guides.

In addition, NMSF is working with partners to use lessons learned from the marine debris collected to better prevent marine debris from entering the environment in the first place.

On the broader horizon, NMSF intends to build a national Goal: Clean Seas initiative by engaging partners to develop similar marine debris removal and recycling efforts in other national marine sanctuaries. Modeled after the success in the Florida Keys, NMSF is working with the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and community partners to support shoreline cleanups along select beaches to prevent underwater marine debris.

To view the full impact report, visit https://marinesanctuary.org/wpcontent/uploads/2020/03/2020_Goal_ Clean_Seas_report_FINAL.pdf.

20

COMMUNITY NEWS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

BRIEFLY

LOPEZ ONLY STATE HOUSE CANDIDATE TO QUALIFY

BY PETITION

A

fter setting a record for the number of petition signatures gathered to qualify for the state representative election, Republican candidate Rhonda Rebman Lopez is now the only candidate in the District 120 race who has officially received enough signatures from voters to place her name on the ballot in this year’s election.

With the deadline for collecting signatures now past, the Florida Secretary of State reported that Rebman Lopez is the only candidate to obtain the 1,013 petition signatures necessary to qualify for the ballot.

Candidates may also qualify for the ballot by paying filing fees. Three others running for the seat are listed as active by the state elections division: Democrat Clint Barras and Republicans Jim Mooney and Alexandria Suarez.

Rhonda Rebman Incumbent Holly Raschein, who is Lopez. CONTRIBUTED terming out of the seat, this month endorsed Mooney.

“I’m grateful to the over 1,000 voters who have asked me to be their candidate for state representative,” Rebman Lopez said. “It says a lot about my candidacy that voters across the Keys and south Dade, of all party affiliations and walks of life, believe I should represent them in Tallahassee.

“It also says a lot about my opponents that the voters of District 120 rejected their candidacies and their efforts to gain support in the community,” she continued. “While my opponents continue to demonstrate anemic grassroots and financial support, I will continue to focus on my positive message of lower taxes, less regulation, and safeguarding our unique natural resources and agricultural region.”

Rebman Lopez said she has raised over $200,000 in her campaign for the seat and that she is the third-highest state house fundraising candidate in Florida.

— Weekly staff report

Governor approves Keys’ vacation rental plan The state has approved Monroe County’s plan which allows vacation rentals to resume on Monday, June 1 along with hotels and other lodging establishments, providing property owners and managers enhance protective measures for reservations, cleaning requirements, and new protocols for vacation rental housekeepers and property staff.

Under these new guidelines, reservations from COVID-19 hot spots identified by Gov. Ron DeSantis are to be avoided for the next 30 to 45 days.

Reservations from international guests will not be allowed until further notice.

Housecleaning procedures should conform to the new enhanced standards issued by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA.com), CDC, and Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. In addition to the enhanced standards, remote check-in and check-outs will be made available.

To view the plan, visit www.monroecountyem.com/covid19 and click on the “vacation rentals” tab.

Marine association hands out scholarships The Middle Keys Marine Association has awarded $1,000 scholarships to four Marathon High School students: Cole Taylor (MMI, votech), Taylor Sokolosky (FIU, psychology and education), Kayleigh Reed (UF, animal sciences and marine biology) and Jennifer Segura (FSU, marine biology).

Coconut Castaways launch on June 6 “Castaways Against Cancer” will make its annual seven-day, 150-mile kayak trek from Miami to Key West.

The group of paddlers will arrive in Key West on Saturday, June 13. Due to coronavirus, only family members will be there to greet the team when they arrive at the end. This year, the team is fundraising for the University of Miami’s Sylvester Cancer Center, which will match the amount and use the funds for research. To follow the group, check the Facebook page: @ castawaysagainstcancer.

Grants cover repairs at 3 Keys institutions Earlier this year, Monroe County was approved for three grants to repair damage sustained during 2017’s Hurricane Irma. Repairs include Key West Lighthouse for $138,932, repairs to Pigeon Key’s Honeymoon Cottage and Commissary for $482,550, and repairs to the citadel at Fort West Martello for $500,000.

"The county is so pleased to have been chosen by the DHR and NPS to be a recipient of these subgrants to help restore these historic properties," said Cary Knight, director of Monroe County Project Management. “The newly restored historical properties will be enjoyed by the residents and visitors who wish to experience these culturally significant parts of Monroe County history.”

Two Middle Keys resorts announce reopening Isla Bella Beach Resort in Marathon and Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key have both announced they will reopen on Monday, June 1 and follow local and state guidelines regarding distancing and sanitation.

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE 2020 LOCAL HEROES TARPON DAY A SUCCESS!

2020 FLORIDA KEYS

CHARTER SPONSORS Florida Keys AC Dolqueist Air & Plumbing Paradise Boat Wiring Skylight Management Design Center Kelley Buick GMC Arlington Electric Marathon Seawalls and Docks Keys Fisheries Keys Boat Works Keys Contracting Lighthouse Services Keys Weekly Jerry Ridley Marathon Garbage Service Superior Electric Discount Rock & Sand Byrk Designs Keys All Area Roofing Gonzalez Landscaping Mid-Key Rock & Sand Accurate Elevators

TIME/MONETARY DONATIONS Penny Hart, Lokation Real Estate Marathon Lumber Superior Exteriors Brad Jinks Wendy Esposito Habitat for Humanity Frank Ottolino Jessica Borraccino, Coldwell Banker Schmitt Publix Papa’s Pilar Rum 4C Contracting Bobby McMahon Marathon Boat Yard Kaylee Turner Gemaire Distributors Marathon Bagel Eric Wink Sue Corbin, P.A. Debbie & Jim Schulz Kyle Nichter Willis & Martha Herr Frank & Carol Jensen Rheem Nate Klutznick Lokation Real Estate Mary Stella

22

KEYS SCHOOLS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

HEADithOFthe school THEyearCLASS — 2020 complete, Keys high schools are proud

W

to announce the valedictorians and salutatorians of 2020.

With their high school journeys complete, these top students now embark on their next adventure to conquer new challenges. To the Class of 2020, congratulations.

VALEDICTORIAN

LAUREN HACK

CORAL SHORES HIGH SCHOOL GPA: 4.641 How would you describe your senior year experience? Is there anything you've learned as a student during the pandemic? My senior year was definitely the most fun out of any year of high school. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to experience all the events toward the end of the year like grad bash and prom. If there is something that I took more seriously during the pandemic it’s that life is not a guarantee. We should make the most of the time we have now.

Is there a fond memory you will always have from high school? There are plenty of football games, dances and events I will always remember from high school. However, one event that sticks out to me is this one football game where it started raining halfway through, and a group of us left to get pizza and we all just had a fun night.

What will you be studying or doing when you attend University of South Florida? I plan on majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in philosophy. I also plan to join clubs and do volunteer work.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In 10 years, I hope to have graduated college and be working with an automotive or aircraft industry or something similar. I also hope to have invented something useful to the world.

What's your message to the Class of 2020? My message to the Class of 2020 is to have the courage to follow your heart. Pursue a path you can truly call your own. There will be times when you lose track of what’s truly important, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get back on your path and keep moving forward.

CLARA WILLIAMS

MARATHON HIGH SCHOOL GPA: 4.563 How would you describe your senior year experience? Is there anything you've learned as a student during the pandemic? I feel like my senior experience has definitely been unique!

I missed the first week of school finishing my summer semester at Stanford and then I missed the last few months because of COVID, so it’s all gone by way too quickly. I have learned some important time management skills during virtual learning, and have had some spare time to pick up violin.

Is there a fond memory you will always have from high school?

I don’t think i’ll ever forget when my team and I were on our way home from a tennis match and we stopped at Chipotle for dinner, but ended up trying to rescue a stray kitten. Unfortunately despite about an hour’s worth of our rescue efforts, it escaped.

What will you be studying or doing when you attend college? I plan to major in the biological basis of behavior at the University of Pennsylvania, which is pretty much just a long way of saying neuroscience. I also plan on fulfilling pre-med requirements and attending medical school after college.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In 10 years I hope to be in my second year of residency in pediatrics, psychiatry or dermatology. Hopefully I’ll have also started a family.

What's your message to the Class of 2020? I want my class to know they can get through anything. We’ve been through Irma and COVID and we’ll come out much stronger than we would have if our high school experience had been smooth sailing. Remember how strong you are!

JASMINE SANDER

KEY WEST HIGH SCHOOL GPA: 4.673 How would you describe your senior year experience? Is there anything you've learned as a student during the pandemic? My senior year was filled with many ups and downs, but it was an incredible learning experience. In the most unexpected and unpredictable way possible, this pandemic helped me realize that change is permanent and we must expect the unexpected.

Is there a favorite memory you'll always keep from high school?

One of the fondest memories I have is being a freshman on the swim team and ending our swim practices with our team chant. It brought us together as a team and made our group feel more like a family than a sports team.

What will you study next year?

Currently, I plan to study chemistry at the University of Florida. Afterward, I hope to attend medical school and become an anesthesiologist.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In 10 years I hope to be starting my residency as a doctor and be headed down a path toward something I truly enjoy.

What's your message to the Class of 2020? I would like to say that you should always keep going, even when life gets tough and you feel as if the entire world is collapsing around you, keep going. Why would you stop amid the badness instead of continuing on, becoming happy and fulfilled in life? Always persevere and do what you love.

KEYS SCHOOLS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

SALUTATORIAN

NIOMI GARCIA

CORAL SHORES HIGH SCHOOL GPA: 4.600 How would you describe your senior year experience? Is there anything you've learned as a student during the pandemic? My senior year was very unique. Knowing we were seniors, I feel like my classmates and I really bonded this year. We had a lot of fun being seniors together and making the most of our last year in high school.

With our last quarter being online, I learned how to be flexible in adjusting to a new learning scenario. My teachers were very helpful in making sure we finished the year strong and as normally as possible.

Is there a fond memory you will always have from high school? My favorite memory from high school was winning powderpuff this past year. We always lost in the previous years, so it was really cool to win as seniors.

What will you be studying or doing when you attend college? I will be majoring in biomedical engineering while at North Carolina State University. I am also a member of the NC State Dance Team. I will definitely be busy, but I am very excited.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In 10 years, I see myself researching and working with other biomedical engineers to design and create new tools for the field of medicine.

What's your message to the Class of 2020? To the class of 2020, I’m so proud of everything we were able to accomplish, as well as all that we overcame. Our futures are bright and our dreams are big. I am so excited to see all that we can achieve in the future.

We made it!

HELENA HANLEY

MARATHON HIGH SCHOOL GPA: 4.542 How would you describe your senior year experience? Is there anything you've learned as a student during the pandemic? The beginning of my senior year was very memorable. I gained more close friends, which I did not think was possible so late in high school. If laughing extends your life, I would be able to live to 100 just from those couple of months. Not being able to end senior year with my classmates was a letdown, but I appreciated the effort by the community and school to continue to celebrate our graduation. I learned from the pandemic that it’s important to establish routine and have a support group.

Those two things make all the difference.

Is there a fond memory you will always have from high school?

There’s so many, but I particularly enjoyed my AP Environmental Project in my sophomore year. My group picked up trash and debris in the mangroves.

We called ourselves “the mangrovians.”

It was a win-win situation: I got to spend time with my friends outdoors while helping the environment.

What will you be studying or doing when you attend college? I will be studying chemistry or biochemistry at the University of Miami. Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved science, and I’m very excited to pursue my academic passion.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I’m not sure what the future will hold, but I definitely see myself having a Ph.D. in science or in residency after medical school. Making some more friends along the way and exploring much of the outdoors would be nice to accomplish as well.

What's your message to the Class of 2020? Despite experiencing a category 4 hurricane and pandemic during our high school career, we still managed to graduate. And although our future may seem uncertain, I believe our experiences have made us able to take on any of life’s curveballs, as long as we continue to support and care for those around us as we showed through these crises.

ALEXIS STURM

KEY WEST HIGH SCHOOL GPA: 4.651 How would you describe your senior year? What has the pandemic taught you? Although my senior year was cut short, I still made so many amazing memories to last a lifetime.

The pandemic has taught me the importance of being versatile to adapt to new circumstances. Switching to online school and not being able to see my friends every day was a struggle, but I think I've adapted well.

Is there a favorite memory you'll always keep from high school?

I've made so many memories throughout high school it's hard to choose just one. Although some of my favorite memories were during lacrosse season last year. Our team was a family and we had a record-breaking year. Our victory at districts last year is a memory I will take with me forever.

What will you study next year?

I will attend the University of Florida in the fall and will major in biomedical engineering.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In 10 years I hope to have my master’s or Ph.D. in biomedical engineering. I hope to have a stable job, own a home and be starting a family.

What's your message to the Class of 2020? Keep growing and see how far life can take you. Never let anything or anyone hold you back.

Every one of you has so much potential. Take risks and don’t be afraid of failure. Our time to shine doesn’t end here.

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SEEN AROUND TOWN

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

DRIVE-BY DIPLOMAS! MHS students get diplomas, dinner and a little dancing

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n May 22, D'Asign Source hosted a drive-by diploma pickup for Marathon High School graduates, complete with DJ, dinner for the family and family portraits. Oh, plus music and social-distanced dancing! The seniors will be featured in a virtual graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 28. Tune in to the school’s Facebook page for more details about the video.

— Weekly staff report SARA MATTHIS/Keys Weekly 1. Christina Gonzalez and Randi Sokolosky are the senior class sponsors. The ladies can be credited with going above and beyond to make the seniors feel special.

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2. Diosvaldo Rojas holds one of the goodie bags filled with items such as his diploma, cap and gown, a photo of the senior class, gift cards, sweets and a letter they wrote to themselves in the eighth grade.

3. Marathon High School principal Wendy McPherson cheers the drive-by graduates.

4. Lily, a miniature cheerleader, waves her pom poms and cheers the graduating class.

5. The last “station” is a portrait studio.

Here, Chloe Garcia is pictured with her family.

5

25

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

MANATEES HEAD BACK HOME

T

wo manatees rescued in the Florida Keys are back home in the ocean following their release on May 20 in Tavernier. Spookey, a female, suffered deep gashes from a boat strike on Oct. 6, 2019. She was rescued from the canal at the Jasmine Street area in Tavernier and transported to Miami Seaquarium. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Dolphin Research Center's licensed manatee rescue team and volunteers from Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder combined for her rescue.

Scott, a male, was rescued by Dolphin Research Center's licensed manatee rescue team on Feb. 4, 2020 from the area of 15th Street in Marathon. He had a large amount of monofilament fishing line around his left pectoral flipper. Scott had eluded help for several years, but was successfully rescued and taken to Miami Seaquarium for removal of the deeply entangled line and additional treatment and rehabilitation.

Spookey and Scott were living together at the Miami Seaquarium and although Spookey was released first, she waited and when Scott got in the water, she followed him away. — Contributed

Scott, a male, was rescued by Dolphin Research Center's Licensed Manatee Rescue Team on Feb. 4, 2020 from the area of 15th Street in Marathon. He was released into the water on May 20. KAITLIN PRINCE/Contributed

WILDLIFE

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KEYS SCHOOLS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

SEA DRAGON SENDOFF Eighth grade celebrates

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4

2

n Tuesday, Treasure Village Montessori Charter School (TVM) in Islamorada celebrated its eighth graders as they graduated from middle school and move on to high school. Even amid the pandemic and torrential downpours, thunder and lightning, the teachers, staff and family pulled off a memorable “plan C” event. Graduates were called one by one to walk the entire corridor, lined with classmates, teachers and friends.

Along the way, huge posters told their “Sea Dragon story,” about their time at TVM, what they’ve accomplished and who they’ve become. Friends and family walked behind them with balloons, foam confetti and noisemakers, cheering them on their final celebratory lap at TVM. — Weekly staff report TIFFANY DUONG/Keys Weekly 1. Principal Kelly Mangel and TVM teachers prepared gifts for each eighth grader, which included their certificate, their “Sea Dragon story,” stuff from their locker and other goodies.

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2. Carole Poholek, Pascal Weisberger’s grandmother, gazes at his graduation picture before walking in his stead in the TVM graduation ceremony. Weisberger was killed on May 7.

3. Tommy Cheung walks along the last leg of his celebratory loop, followed by his parents and applauded by his teachers and friends.

4. TVM graduates Madelyn French and Natalya Gneiser pose with teachers and parents for a photo after the ceremony.

6

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5. Eighth graders at TVM gather for pictures before the start of their graduation ceremony. For many, this was the first time they’d seen each other in months.

6. TVM graduate Jordan Lubis and his family pause for a picture before Lubis graduates from TVM in the rainy day celebration.

7. Friends sprayed silly string confetti on a recent graduate as he made his celebratory lap at TVM.

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

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SEEN AROUND TOWN

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

FULL SPEED AHEAD Somerset Island Prep holds onlyin-Key-West graduation

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5 1. Sergio Castellanos didn’t hesitate to power through the light chop and head for shore with his diploma. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly. 2. Robert Miller waves to relatives on a nearby pier after collecting his diploma while aboard a waverunner. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly. 3. Diploma in one hand and throttle in the other, valedictorian Verity Ponds heads back to shore. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly. 4. Graduate Kevin Shirley prepares to head out to a boat to collect his diploma. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly. 5. Swimmers at Key West’s South Beach get a front-row view as Tiago Rodriguez motors toward a diploma. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly

T

he graduation ceremony for Somerset Island Prep charter high school on May 26 was, quite possibly, the first of its kind.

In order to maintain social distancing while still celebrating the achievements of the 11 members of the Class of 2020, graduates took to WaveRunners and throttled out to a boat, where Principal Tom Rompella — and their diplomas — waited.

Fury Water Adventures provided the WaveRunners and “diploma boat,� along with in-water helpers for the few Key West kids who weren’t overly familiar or comfortable with that particular mode of transportation. Each graduate donned a life jacket under the maroon graduation gowns and waded out to the waiting WaveRunners while friends and relatives cheered from a nearby pier.

Valedictorian Verity Pond secured her graduation cap over her curly hair and smiled widely beneath her COVID-19 mask, still a requirement for the socially distant, but entirely fun, ceremony.

The Class of 2020 was the first to graduate from Somerset Island Prep, which opened last year on Flagler Avenue, near Key West High School. The school curriculum enables some students, including Pond, simultaneously to obtain their high school diploma and college associate’s degree.

Congratulations to graduates Bryan Abril, Johnathan Albury, Sergio Castellanos, Alyssa Fisher, Chase Floyd, Ernesto Killion, Robert Miller, Luis Perez-Lopez, Verity Pond, Tiago Rodriguez and Kevin Shirley. — Weekly staff report

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

Congratulations to All 55 New 2020 Graduates in Monroe County!

KEY WEST HIGH SCHOOL

MARATHON HIGH SCHOOL

CORAL SHORES HIGH SCHOOL

Mariyam Akhmetkaliyeva Amy Lynch

Georquis Batista Kim Cournoyer

Leia Bryan Kate Divoll

Brianna Clemente Elena Andreea Mihalcea

Yurisleidy Concepción Dana Vega

Francesco Drago Claire Murray

Irene Dugall Stephanie Griffiths

Eileen Ellington Mona Clark

Wendy Galo Tammie Murray

Leislany Garcia-Montero Dale Allen

Christopher Gonzalez Dave Geller

Cooper Holcomb Sam Kaufman

Elissa Lee Carrie Jo Howe

Ashley Lopez Cindy Bensen

Rendy Mogene Jim Sheagren

Abigail Moscoso Wende Shoer

Iliana Moscoso Tanya Litz

Divya Navani Christina Mattheessen

Abubakir Rahimov Damian Vantriglia

Kimberly Reategui Belotti Terri Hill

Kelly Rivera Jane Porter

Adam Silva Geoff Peattie

Savannah Smith Brenda Duley

Maria Valladares-Chevez Alex Hughes

Zoe Winemiller Julie Cuneo

Angelina Blanco Jamie Stevens

Irismel Cisneros Joanne Zimmerman

Yulícsa De Leon Diane Culver

Stephanie Erickson Tammy Collins

Sarah Gomez Buítrago Blair Shiver

Nakiah Leppke Weatherill Michelle Franck

Vanessa Martinez Cynthia McPherson

Luis Parrado Mike Puto

Christian Ruíz Jeffrey Smith

Luana Salgado Beth Pinkus

Jennifer Segura Diane Middlesworth

Rene Tur Bernal Joey Gonzalez

Camryn Woodall Marilyn Anita Darsey

Lina Coole Michele Zofchak

George Cuetara Cris Beaty

Amy Garcia Kathryn Schweiss

Luke Gutierrez William Goodwin

Susan Gutierrez Deanna Ferrari

Christopher Hernandez Andrew Engelmeyer

Kaylee Jensen Ashley Arrabal

April Klein Wendy Coffman

Victoria Lindsay Diana Platt

Orlinda Lorente Ann Sandlin

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

Rachel Machado Jennifer McComb

Antonio Molina Bob Tweedy

Imaní Murphy Tricia Hynes

OUR WONDERFUL 2020 DONORS

Jennifer Setchell Donna Webb

55 New 2020 Graduates!

Congratulations Students, Mentors, Families & Donors!

CHANGE A LIFE...

ONE CHILD AT A TIME! Volunteering just ONE hour a week, you can give a child a college education! Don’t wait, volunteer today!

Call 305-293-1546 for details and a Mentor application.

MonroeCountyEdFound.org Monroe County’s TOTAL of TSIC Graduates:

781!

Keys Children's Foundation Ocean Reef Community Foundation Upper Keys Rotary Foundation John R. Padget & Jacob Gelt Dekker M. Pat Miller Foundation Linda Downs & Angie Majors Clark & Jean Shannon Key West Sunrise Rotary Club of the Conch Republic Edward B. & Joan T. Knight Foundation Robert & Christa Murray The Rotary Club of Key Largo Dillard Foundation Steve & Sheila Cook John Taylor, Jr. Ken & Dee Meeks Scott George Evan & Barbara Corns Blake Hunter Vista Foundation American Legion Post 145 Frances McKenzie Singing For Change The Pantano Family Foundation Big Pine & Lower Keys Rotary Club Bruce Cohen Vicki Carr Music With Heart Lookout Foundation Brad & Hume Gile James Haymaker Marathon Chamber of Commerce Adelaide Skoglund Thoroughfare Fund The Kids Fund Bryan Green Centennial Bank Jackson Kaufelt Denny & Elena Ellerman The Kirby Family Foundation The Sexton Family Foundation Dr. Bill & Beverly Goldner William Regardie Campbell Cawood Matthew Helmerich Jack & Linda Paul Larry & Pam Satek Karen Kamfjord Jane Packard & James Rifkin Thibos Family Doing Good Fund Philip & Donna Wheeler Clements Family Charitable Trust Lynn Kaufelt

Fouad Samaha Phyllis Rose & Laurent De Brunhoff David Lawrence Dale Allen William & Julie Levinson Joy Brown Taylor Charles & Wayne Mary Ellen & Licis-Masson Clayton Beattie Jim & Mary Beth Jean Carper McCulloch Frederick Eberstadt Mary Petersen Susan Henshaw Jones Margaret Randall Holly Merrill Strunk Ace Mary Chambers Hardware Company Ann Reynolds Bill & Mary Smith Katrina Wiatt Mary Ann Westerlund Bill Archer & Tom Wilson Susan Kent Larry & Sheldon Davidson Carol Abramovitz & Susan Server The Bergstrom Mike & Foundation Phyllis Foster Persephone Wilma Garrison & Britt Gary Doug & The Key West Leslie Holmes Woman's Club Dennis Howley Dr. Jeffrey Leeds Ricky's Blue Heaven Loretta Mackay Anne Shaver Manley deBoer Patty & Lumber Company Chip Simpson The Melamed Alan & Jane Foundation Teitelbaum Patrick P. Lee Key West Elks Foundation Fund Lodge 551 Preferred Properties Cathy Wittman of Key West Todd German Neal Ruchman Don & Celeste Schettig Laurie Brooks Gwenn Smith Tim Deliniy Theme Runs Carole Fauth Truman & Co. M. Gordon Keiser Gregory Long & Frank & Scott Newman Peggy Kirwin Hemingway House Karen Kovarik Museum Lillian Luning P.A. Bender & Dan & Associates Architects Ruth Metzler Mary Jean Connors Mike Forster Evelyn McGlone Lorel Molina Living Trust Gail Murray Foundation for Michael & Florida's Future Kathryn Ovide Dr. Shirley Freeman Walter & The Gardens Hotel Joanna Schmida Christopher & Yvonne Simons Kathryn Kent Harvey & Tom & Sharon Warner Debbie Jackson Filip & James Leonard Michelle Wieland Mark & Frances Street Jane Porter Neighborhood Robert N. Alfandre Association Foundation Bob & Michael & Julie Marshall Naomi Rosenfeld Amazon Smile Sunset Rotary Club Foundation of Key West Coastal Counseling Ed & Services Linda Swift Ed & Upper Keys Ellen Handte Garden Club Mark Jones Jose Villafuerte Christine Latronico Kay Yaccarino Linda Louchheim The Ross Store Modern Foundation Automotive Tech Candy Block David Alfred & David & Linda Reinhardt Amy Dunn Suzanne Campbell Richard & & Hugh Johnson Carol Gross Noreen Collins Dr. Michael Berman Frank & Keys Contracting Shirley Piku Services Amanda Martin Mark & Kaisha Weeks Lisa Laskow

Daniel Ornelas Lisa Feliciano

Noel Quezada Maryann Warren

Kevin Robles James Meenan

OUR INVALUABLE 2020 MENTORS: GRADES 7-11 Bill Adamany Marie Adams Sherry Alana Suzanne Alexander Colette Anderson Tamara Anderson Tara Andrews Vicky Lynn Anthony Bill Archer Jermy Ashby Jill Baker Albi Balliu Daniel Ballon Ashley Baron John Bartus Ana Beaty Miriam Bedrick Robin Beede Mary Bell Christina Belotti Martina Belotti Peter Bennett Alvin Bentley Paige Bethel Erika Biddle Christina Boilini Mike Bourcier Sarah Brawer Thomas Bray Rebecca Bray Bette Brown Veronica Brown Joy Brown Taylor Spenser Bryan Javier Burga Jack Butler Colton Butler Regan Butler John Bynum Meggin Cabot Dennis Caltagirone Elizabeth Caltagirone Carolyn Campbell Raymond Casamayor Kim Caton Bianca Ceja Elizabeth Chamberlain Shelli Chase Jacqueline Cholewczynski Michelle Coldiron Amanda Coleman Ranya Cooke Kerry Cosme Jerome Covington Alyson Crean Melody Crowl Dodamead Susan Curry Joseph Don Darsey III Anthony Paul Davis Michael deBettencourt Karen DeMaria Trice Denny Frank Derfler Lucille DeRuvo Kathy Diaz Sarah Dolson David Dornseif Peggie Fabel Samantha Farist Michael Ferrari Bridget Flores Phyllis Foster Peary Fowler Bruce Franck Nancy Funt Mark Funt Anita Garcia George Garrett Lori Gaukel Dave Geller Yaniuska Gilmore Charmaine Gittens Dr. Bill Goldner Bev Goldner Esneider Gomez Lauren Gonzales John Griffin Cody Griffin Lorraine Grobarek Angela Gruetzmann Erica Hadaric James Hager Eva Hamilton Stanford Hancock

Mary Harris Elliot Hart Doris Hawkins Zully Hemeyer Lance Hernandez Alison Higgins Susan Hill Christopher Hinkle Celia Hitchins James Hottman Courtney Howard Thomas Hoyne Ollie Iarrobino Jonathan Ingham Raymond Jansen Debra Jiovenetta Hannah Johannes Matthew Johnson Latrice Johnson Julie Johnson Mallory Jones Sharon Jones William Jones Jackson Kaufelt Joelle Keane Ashley Keeney Lori Kelly Susan Kent Tricia King Judie Klitenick Michael Klitenick William Knetge George Kona Robert Kurz Luke Kuszewski Laura Kyer David LaRochelle Peg Laron Jim Leenhouts Joan Leggett Martin Lehmann Victoria Leigh Victoria Leonard Karine Leroy Jerry Lieberman Kristen Livengood Martin Liz Elizabeth Liz Liz Logan Thad Lovell Anthony Ludovici Debrigida Jessica Lugo Amy Lynch Rashon Lyons Loretta Mackay Ryan Maher Tim Maloney Kelly Mangel Jo Marcus Efrain Marin Nancy Masry Teodora Masters Tom Matthews Kerry Maxwell Kathleen McCarthy Nicole McCoy Gordon McIntosh Eric Mealus Matthew Merriman Steve Miller Pamela Molinaro Ranae Moore Donna Moore Yanaiz Morales Billy Muehlhauser Maureen Mueller Mary Anne Napier Kathryn Norris Sheila Novak Joy Nulisch Robin Nyberg

Victor Odoh Carlos Ornelas Veronica Ornelas Holly Padgett Patricia Patten Gary Patton Luana Peixoto Maritza Perez Larry Perll James Peterson Devon Pharo Matthew Pitcher Jennifer Potter Kevin Pribramsky Helen Purciello Steve Purciello Sue Puskedra Florence Quenin Elvin Quinones Jason Rafter Christopher Ramos Vyviana Rapozo Mardee Rath-Eamilao Jean Reed Ruth Reiter Heather Roberts Tray-Ci Roberts Paul Roberts Christine Robertson Jaymie Robinson Darryl Robinson Mark Roby April Ross Mary Roth Raymond Ruzek Charles Schottland Denise Schwarz Erin Shattuck Kristina Shearin Linda Signorelli Sharon Smith Larry Smith Janet Sneath Javier Soltero-Brown Chester Sparks Kawana Staffney Mary Steele Sam Steele Cheryl Sullivan Persephone Summers Ethan Swinehart Joy Swinehart M.J. Taylor Krystal Thomas Rachel Timmerman Devin Tolpin Irevi Troncoso Christine Trovato Nicholas Trovato Charlie Twiggs Nicole Twyman Emilio Vasquez Karen Vaught Amanda Velazquez Kristina Shephard Genesis Villatoro Natalie vonHilsheimer George vonHilsheimer Kirsten Walsh Cathy Walters Marika Weber Nikki Wellings Thelma Whyms Carolyn Wightman Camille Wiley Mike Williams Helen Williams Kristen Winters Joseph Wolkowsky Tim Wonderlin Brian Woodford

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KEYS EATS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

A

A TASTY FEAST MOVES TO FLORIDA KEYS BREWING COMPANY

feast has come to Florida Keys Brewing Company’s taproom and beer garden.

Beginning on May 22, A Moveable Feast food truck is located at the corner of Old Highway and Morada Way, MM 81.5 in Islamorada.

“We are very excited with this new partnership as we introduce several new menu items in addition to our signature specialties,” said founder Tony Corallo. New menu items include Asian BBQ pork belly tacos, “Frita” sliders, stuffed pretzel bites, and grilled pierogis.

To meet the demands of customers who often ask for specialty items, the food truck will also be offering the option to order provisions, including fresh baked artisan breads and other savory and sweet bakery items either at the truck, via phone or through its website www.flkeysfoodtruck.com.

A Movable Feast was founded by Corallo and is operated with his wife, Maryna, who is from Ukraine and lends a European flair.

A Movable Feast’s revolving menus feature global tacos, gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and sliders.

“We look forward to reconnecting with many old friends and making numerous new converts in our new location,” said Corallo. “We hope you will drop by and say hello again soon.”

— Contributed

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ENVIRONMENT

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

TIFFANY DUONG tiffany@keysweekly.com

CORALPALOOZA GOES DIGITAL THE WORLD’S BIGGEST REEF RESTORATION EVENT GOES VIRTUAL, AND EVERYONE’S INVITED

E

very June, in line with World Oceans Day, Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) in Tavernier hosts the world’s largest coral restoration event in the world, inviting divers from all over the globe to celebrate all things coral. From hands-on restoration of our local reefs to educational events aimed at stewardship of our ocean resources, Coralpalooza is an event that inspires hope in many.

In 2019, some 300 people from 11 countries took part, and in the Florida Keys alone more than 250 divers helped to return over 1,700 critically endangered corals to the Florida Reef Tract.

This year, the pandemic has inspired some changes that will help CRF take its mission and reach even further: the 6th annual Coralpalooza is going digital and will be freely accessible to everyone around the world. Coralpalooza Digital 2020 will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 6.

“Coralpalooza is one of CRF’s most important events of the year,” said Alice Grainger, CRF’s communications director.

“It is a chance for us to demonstrate that, by working together, we can achieve great things. It’s also a chance for people from all over to come and get involved in the biggest restoration effort on the planet. Going digital means that more people than ever before can join the fun.”

On Saturday, June 6, a fully interactive, state-of-the-art digital platform will bring the immersive event into attendees’ living rooms. In addition to exclusive, never-before-seen videos, interviews and presentations, CRF is promising a treasure hunt and special guests such as the famous artist Wyland, Richard Vevers of “Chasing Coral” and Philippe Cousteau, co-founder of EarthEcho International and grandson of celebrated explorer and film-maker Jacques Cousteau.

Divers restore local reefs as part of Coralpalooza 2019. TIFFANY DUONG/Keys Weekly

“Coral reefs are some of the most wondrous ecosystems in the world,” said Philippe Cousteau. “Coralpalooza Digital is a fun and exciting way to celebrate them and learn about how we can all come together to protect and restore them.”

So what exactly does a digital coral restoration event look like?

According to Grainger, there will be “digital booths” where people can stop by virtually to find out about different coral restoration projects around the world. They can live-chat with organization representatives, watch videos and download content.

Content is geared for people of all ages and experience with and knowledge about coral reefs, Grainger said. There will also be a Kids Zone with special activities for kids to do at home and an appearance by the infamous Captain Coral, CRF’s unofficial pirate spokesperson and coral crew leader.

CRF will also still be conducting physical restoration work on reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, weather permitting, Grainger said.

“Our restoration team will be out on the water, and we will be doing a live link-up to the boat,” she told the Weekly.

Kristel Siongco, a California native who took part in the event in 2019, said, “Coralpalooza was such an amazing way to experience the jewel-toned waters of the Florida Keys. I got to see up close how corals are being restored, which was very inspiring. I would have loved to have participated again this year in person, but will join virtually to support the cause.”

Roxane Boonstra, who heads up Coralpalooza planning for CRF, said, “Even though we can’t get together in person this year, we are excited that it’s allowed us to open the event up to more people than ever before – anyone can register. This really is the spirit of Coralpalooza –showing that large-scale, massive action and collaboration is required if we are going to be able to save and restore our precious coral reefs.”

More information is at coralrestoration. org. Registration is open until 1 p.m. EST on Saturday, June 6.

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36

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

WE’RE HERE TO HELP CALL AND WE CAN SCREEN YOUR ISSUES • RECURRENT URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS • URINARY RETENTION • KIDNEY STONES • PROSTATE CANCER • BLADDER CANCER Florida Keys Mosquito Control kills millions of mosquito larvae before you get to work in the morning.

To download our treatment notification app or to make a service request go to www.keysmosquito.org or call 305.292.7190.

We are committed to the safety of our patients as well as our staff and we are trying our best to schedule responsibly so that there is appropriate distancing.

With so many doctors not seeing patients, we are here to help and will send patients back to Primary Care Physicians when available.

*Please have your mask on before entering the office *You may also wait in your car and we will call you when we are ready to begin your appointment

BRUCE L. FARISS, M.D. 305.296.0000

Diplomate-Board of Urology | Urology and Urologic Surgery Lower Keys Urology, PLLC | 3714 N. Roosevelt Bvld. | Key West www.floridakeysurology.com

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www.sparkyslanding.com MM 53.5 Overseas Highway, Marathon, Florida Waterfront Location Adjacent To Holiday Inn Express

COMMUNITY NEWS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

OBITUARIES

JAMES A. MACMILLAN 1956 – 2020

J

ames A. MacMillan, 64, of Sanford, Florida, formerly of Peoria, Illinois, passed on Saturday, May 16, 2020, after a valiant fight with cancer. He was a 1975 graduate of Richwoods High School.

He was born May 1, 1956, in Pekin, Illinois, to William D. and Cherie J. (Plackett) MacMillan. He married Ashley Anderson March 26, 2017, in Marathon, Florida. She survives.

Also surviving are his mother, Cherie Ashburn; sons, James B. (Melinda), Jason, Zack (Nina), Tyler and Dallas; eight grandchildren; siblings, JoEllen (Patrick) Oberle, Marilee Wilgus, Kevin (Jan) MacMillan, and Kelly (Chuck) McGrath; several nieces, nephews and extended family.

He was preceded in death by his father, William D. MacMillan, paternal grandparents, maternal grandparents, and one niece.

Cremation rites have been accorded, with a celebration of life being scheduled at a later date.

A memorial fund will be set up soon for Dallas. More information is available from Ashley MacMillan.

SUSAN L. BARNES

S

usan Lane Barnes was born in Hanover, New Hampshire on Sept. 10, 1948.

She died on April 8, 2020, at home in Islamorada, Florida, with her loving husband Dick Barnes by her side.

In memories shared by her brother Jay Lane, Susan was a big sister who made sure he always toed the line. They were 10 months apart in age and inseparable. She was an honor roll student through her school career, graduating from Lebanon High School as one of the top-ranked in her class. She was a member of the student council and head cheerleader.

A journalism major, she first attended Northeastern University in Boston, then transferred to University of Connecticut for her sophomore year, from where she graduated.

Her first newspaper job was with the Hartford Courant, the largest daily newspaper in the

T

STEPHANIE HANCOCK

state then and now. Not an athletic person, she once became determined to run a marathon in honor of her father, who retired as a Marine Corps sergeant. She successfully ran the U.S. Marine Corps Marathon with a time of 4 hours, 11 minutes.

Later, as a career traveling artist, Susan joined Upper Keys Rotary in December 2014, becoming actively involved immediately, particularly with social media and marketing for the annual nautical flea market. She provided weekly emails about meetings using her special brand of humor and the inclusion of candid shots of members and speakers.

She met her husband, Dick, at a Rotary holiday party in December 2016 and they married the following year at the same holiday party. From the moment they met, they were inseparable.

Susan and Dick also were members of the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center, attending lectures and fundraising events regularly. She became a volunteer docent and was named the 2019 Volunteer of the Year for her time and dedication to the organization. In addition, the couple attended training sessions to become part of the Monroe County Certified Emergency Reserve Corps.

Her hobbies were many, including decorating, listening to 1970s music, reading nonfiction, cooking and politics.

She was predeceased by parents Dalice Lane and Maxine (Yelle) Lane, and younger brother Bruce Lane. In addition to Dick, she is survived by brother Jay and his wife Mary Lane, as well as several nieces and nephews.

Dick sends a special thank-you to the staff at Miami Cancer Institute for the loving care and personal friendliness with Susan during her long battle with cancer.

he COVID-19 virus has claimed a special angel here on earth. Stephanie Louise Hancock passed away in Clearwater, Florida on May 21, 2020.

Stephanie was born in Key West 51 years ago with spina bifida. The family was told she probably would not survive to adulthood. They didn’t know Stephanie!

She had great courage and determination. She went on to graduate high school in Key West despite her physical limitations.

She always had a beautiful smile for everyone and was a kind and gentle soul. The family is comforted by her deep religious beliefs. She shared her belief that she would be able to walk again in heaven.

Stephanie was preceded in death by her parents, Ed and Gloria Hancock. She is survived by her siblings, Steve Hancock, Shelley Martin-Vegue, Mike Hancock, Ed Hancock, Bettina Hancock, Jim Hancock and their spouses, as well as many nieces and nephews.

While we all miss her radiant smile, we find comfort in knowing she is in the arms of angels. She truly was a special person.

A family service will take place at Memorial Park Cemetery and Funeral Home in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The family wants citizens to take this virus seriously; it can strike anyone at any time. They said, “Please stay safe.”

37

38

OPINION

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

WE NEED MORE ARTIFICIAL REEFS NOW F

VANDENBERG: 11 YEARS OF MARINE LIFE

odor’s says “No” to the Florida Keys.

I read this headline a while ago, as we all did. I was more than a little concerned by its bluntness and its potential impacts, but not entirely surprised.

Everyone who lives here loves our environment, our fish, coral and clean water. And our visitors come for the same things.

While I’m not a scientist, I do have eyes and can see for myself that our reef is struggling. It’s heartbreaking for those of us who had the good fortune to have experienced the underwater world 30, 20 or even just 10 years ago.

Fodor’s is one of the top two travel guide companies in the world, by most accounts. Each year the company publishes its highly anticipated “Go” and “No” lists about high-end destinations.

Travelers worldwide rely on such information when planning vacations, and this year, for the first time ever, the Florida Keys made the “No” list.

The reason? The declining state of our coral reef. Happy vacations — fishing, diving and snorkeling — are the major products we produce here in the Florida Keys, where tourism is our lifeblood. It’s a lesson we’re painfully re-learning during this pandemic.

This Fodor’s critique is the canary in our coal mine. The message is both powerful and clear, so clear, in fact, that it won’t take many similar messages to damage our economy permanently.

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary’s draft environmental impact statement, known as the Restoration Blueprint, is currently being debated in our community and eventually will become the sanctuary’s management plan.

I have served on the Sanctuary Advisory Council for the past nine years, representing Lower Keys tourism and diving interests in the development of this draft document. I also worked for several years to sink the former military ship Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg as an artificial reef off Key West. This week marks the 11th anniversary of that ship’s last mission as an artificial reef.

I can assure everyone, balancing the need to sustain both our environment and our economy is at the center of every conversation at every sanctuary meeting.

The proposed Restoration Blueprint puts forth a series of recommendations. I support some, but not all.

All recommendations are experimental in nature, which is not necessarily a bad thing, as our efforts in the last 30 years to sustain and protect our marine environment have not worked. For a number of reasons, the health of the coral reef continues to decline rapidly.

It is now stated openly in publications and uttered aloud in meetings that 96% of hard coral cover is gone and will not recover in our lifetime.

Some experts, like those at the University of Hawaii, predict that hard coral will be mostly gone from the entire planet within 20 years.

The question no longer is whether we need more artificial reefs, but when.

As many in the Keys know, world-class artificial reefs take time to create and are expensive.

There are many new regulations and management activities currently proposed for our marine sanctuary. I see two challenges baked into some of the proposed new activities: 1.) We have not yet identified the cause of the rapid environmental decline, and 2.) If everything that’s proposed works perfectly, it will take several years to see the results.

Our economy and reputation could be gone by then.

We know artificial reefs work in the Keys.

We’ve seen it happen.

Currently there are several artificial reef projects on the drawing board or getting underway in the Florida Keys, along with a big project in Miami. The Islamorada Artificial Reef Project has been proposed and its feasibility is being determined. The same is true of the Marathon Artificial Reef Project. If successful, both efforts will result in a large ship being deployed offshore from their namesake communities.

Additional artificial reefs are being planned by a new group called the Recreation Action Committee. I created the RAC with pro-fishing activist Capt. Will Bensen and we’ve invited local community leaders to join our efforts. The RAC intends to explore many techniques, including small, experimental artificial reefs, to ensure that fishing — commercial and otherwise — is an occupation that endures in the FKNMS. I applaud and call your attention to the recently published position taken by the board of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and its chairman Robert Spottswood, who authored a comprehensive series of comments in response to the sanctuary’s proposed plan.

In my ever-optimistic perspective, I read the FWC’s comments as being very pro-artificial reef.

I encourage everyone to support the upcoming artificial reef projects. They will benefit us all, and quickly.

Respectfully, Capt. Joe Weatherby 30+ years Key West charter boat captain International artificial reefing consultant

39

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

Upper Keys Rotary Club has donated nearly $200,000 in scholarships in each of the last ten years. We provide funds for graduating seniors, for students already in college, and for people interested in technical education. This scholarship money comes from the Gigantic Nautical Flea Market held at the end of February.

We could not hold that event without more than 400 community volunteers and major help from the staff and leaders of the Village of Islamorada and the Florida Keys Electric Cooperative and from companies like CBT Construction, Ken Gentes Electrical Contractor, D. Horton Construction and Island Elevator.

Emma Lovell

Bridget Rader

Jon and Julie Landau Family Foundation

Lauren Hack

Marlie Cakans

Richard C. Fox Plumbing

Richard C. Fox Plumbing

Jennifer Setchell The Pool Spa and Billiards Store

Dominic Austin

Mariners Hospital Upper Keys Rotary Shared Scholarship

Matthew Darrow Hurricane Boat Lifts

Tom Thumb Food Stores

Isabella Bolivar

Samantha Wright

Chris Li Wong

Caribee Boat Sales and Marina

Florida Keys Electric Cooperative

Jessica Koval

Nicoletti Family Foundation

Dee Meeks Upper Keys Rotary Award

Kaylee Jensen

The Islander Resort

Raffie Baker

Islamorada Brewing and Distillery

Jason Castillo

Carolina Pinero

Keys Deck and Dock Supply

Alexys Brito

Massey-Richards Surveying and Mapping

Wright’s Impact Window and Door

Nola Frank

Advanced Disposal

Other recipients of scholarship awards from the Upper Keys Rotary Club are: Caroline Althouse | Olivia Betancourt | Bernado Burga | Bryce Bynum Vaclav Cernosek | Maggie Duckworth | Lauren Fundyk | Molly Gahagen | Amy Garcia Madeline Chilton | Carter Coussens | Wellington Gideon | Jessie Head | Jena Jones April Klein | Victoria Lindsay | Max Lindsey | Emma Lovell | Keanna Green Mesa Antonio Molina | Angela Ornelas | Joshua Prince | Karli Richards | Kyle Richards Emme Santayana | Colton Snodgrass | Jonathan Williams | Jaime Jara

40

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

Get a Keys Home Equity Line of Credit to create your dream home, pay for college or consolidate debt with fast local service, great rates and affordable payments.

To apply: Key West & Lower Keys Middle & Upper Keys Call John North at 305-293-6071 Call Dave Peck at 305-809-3456 NMLS# 1172912 NMLS# 785028 *Subject to credit approval. Restrictions may apply. Equal Housing Lender.

Membership is open to everyone who lives or works in the Florida Keys!

ZACH WOLTANSKI EIGHTH GRADE

The Upper Keys Weekly is proud to partner with Treasure Village Montessori faculty and students in choosing “The Student of the Day.” Recipients are chosen on qualifications including academic standing, athletics, outstanding achievements, community involvement, individuality and moral fortitude. We thank our future leaders and TVM for allowing us to share in a daily dose of “Sea Dragon” pride and for giving us a glimpse into their world.

What is something most people don’t know about you? Most people don’t know about how I played basketball for a while in a league.

Who is your all-time favorite teacher and why? Charles Fulco or Linda McKee. They both were very knowledgeable, unique, and consistently interesting.

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What is your favorite subject? My favorite subject is art because you get to apply your creativity.

What organizations and activities are you involved with at TVM? I am involved in the National Junior Honor Society.

What is the best rule at your school? The best rule is for kids to be encouraged to leave the bathroom as clean as they found it.

What is your favorite food for lunch? I am not sure what my favorite food is.

What do you want to be when you grow up? When I grow up, I would like to be either a writer or a reporter. I would enjoy either career.

What do you hope to be remembered for at TVM? I hope to be remembered for my jokes.

What is one favorite way to spend your spare time? My favorite way to spend my spare time is to sleep.

Will you make the Keys your permanent home? I probably will not. I would rather live in a city than on an island.

41

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

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42

COOL STUFF

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

Mainstreaming

10. They laugh maniacally at social distancing signs and no-wake zones.

9. They suddenly forget the words to “Cheeseburger in Paradise” but can sing the words to every Howard Livingston song in Spanish, German and Italian.

SIGNS A TOURIST MIGHT BE INFECTED WITH COVID-19

8. They claim their high temperature is related to massive amounts of sun, cocaine and Key lime pie.

7. They can’t spell the word “C-A-T” but insist on debating the tariffs on China and suggest a protracted siege on all imported goods.

6. The entire family is sporting Budweiser swimsuits and Confederate flag facemasks (stay away from these guys regardless).

5. They can suddenly decipher the taste difference between fried hogfish and farm-raised tilapia.

4. They complain about the amount of conch in their conch fritters.

3. They suddenly begin to obey basic traffic laws, use the turn lanes and turn signals.

2. The cooler in their 33-foot Contender has an “I [heart] Cuomo” sticker on it.

1. The garbage can at the vacation rental is full of empty hydroxychloroquine pill bottles.

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK

WATCH | LOST KINGDOM As Alfred the Great defends his kingdom from Norse invaders, Uhtred — born a Saxon but raised by Vikings — seeks to claim his birthright.

Now in its fourth season, which was released earlier this year, Alfred’s son and daughter, Edward and Aethelflaed, spar over the future of the Merica kingdom and their father’s dream of a united England. Meanwhile, Uhtred attempts to take back his birthright in Bebbanburg. Watch season four on Netflix.

LISTEN | NOTES ON A CONDITIONAL FORM The fourth studio album by the English band, The 1975, was recorded from August 2018 to February 2020 and produced by band members George Daniel and Matthew Healy, with some tracks also co-produced by Jonathan Gilmore. The 22-track album was preceded by seven singles, “People,” “Frail State of Mind,” “Me & You Together Song,” “The Birthday Party,” “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America,” “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)” and “Guys” over a nine-month period. Larry Fitzmaurice of Entertainment Weekly described the album as a genre-hopping blend of pop and rock music, similar to their previous albums, with a recurring theme of electronic pop and dance music.

READ | PRETTY THINGS Two wildly different women — one a grifter, the other an heiress — are brought together by the scam of a lifetime in a page-turner from the New York Times bestselling author of “Watch Me Disappear.”

Nina once bought into the idea that her fancy liberal arts degree would lead to a fulfilling career.

Vanessa is a privileged young heiress who wanted to make her mark in the world. Instead she becomes an Instagram influencer. Their paths collide on the cold shores of Lake Tahoe.

43

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

SPOTTSWOOD COMPANIES TO OPEN HOTELS & RESTAURANTS ON JUNE 26

JUST IN TIME TO WELCOME VISITORS FOR THE 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND! We will be carefully following governmental orders and all of the best scientific and medical guidance to keep our employees, guests and customers safe. We are revisioning our hotel and restaurant offerings to match with the new times ahead while delivering on the highest expectations of our guest and customers. Now that we have done so much to protect our health and safety, we have to get our economy going again! We want to do our part to put everyone back to work and help our community get back on its feet. We are looking for the best and the brightest people to join our team. Spottswood Companies has been here through many tough times in the past and we are dedicated to being here for generations to come.

We also have some housing options available for existing employees and new hires!

Please contact Teresa at 305.294.6100 to apply to become a member of our team.

We thank everyone in our community for all you have done during this latest crisis and look forward to serving you again soon!

TO LEARN ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE VOLUNTEER AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THE KEYS, VISIT CFFK.ORG

Lounge & Liquor

The Tradition Continues!

Liquor Store OPEN! LOCALS HELPING LOCALS! Crowned by locals as a "Staple & Historical Bar" The Monkey, is committed to helping our community and show support, one local business at a time.

Our thoughts are with you and your family during these times. Be safe and well.

L I Q U O R S T O R E 3 0 5 - 74 3 - 5 7 3 7 2 3 4 5 5 t h S t . K - M A R T P L A Z A M M 5 0

R E E T N U L O V OF THE WEEK SYNDA PATTEN KEY WEST GARDEN CLUB

SPONSORED

BY CFFK, KEYS WEEKLY, ISLAND RADIO 106.9FM AND OCEAN WELLNESS SPA

COMMUNITY NEWS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

near-decade since the last Shuttle flight, only Russia and China have had the capability of launching humans into space. Several other nations have plans to join the manned spaceflight club.

But as the leaders in space technology and achievement since the 1960s, the United States had fallen way behind. NASA developed the world’s most powerful rocket, the Saturn V, and sent multiple missions to the moon between 1969 and 1972.

It did this with mostly primitive computers and slide rules. Even though the shuttle was expensive, it made the International Space Station and the Hubble telescope possible, as well as lifting heavy payloads to low Earth orbit. And let’s not forget all the technological advances we take for granted that came directly from the space program. It seemed for a while that we lost our direction and sense of purpose when it came to space flight. It’s important as a symbol of national pride and international leadership that we once again will be sending humans into space from American soil.

Now that the day has (hopefully) come to pass, it would be good to see a new sense of direction with achievable goals for America’s space program. As a kid growing up near Cape Canaveral back in the 1960s, I was lucky enough to be at Ground Zero for our history-making voyages into space. I saw (and heard and felt) Saturn V rockets lift off the launch pad and slowly climb toward the heavens.

My father was a launch team leader in the Apollo/Saturn program, and was among over 400,000 people who contributed to our successes in space. Whatever direction we take, whatever goals we set, I’m just happy to be able to say... it’s good to be back.

••••• Mike Forster & Co. will be back at Brutus Seafood to distribute free hot lunches and boxes of produce this Saturday, May 30, starting at 11 a.m.

I will perform live this Thursday, May 28, at Sparky’s Landing in Marathon, at 6:30 p.m. And I will be playing my Social Distancing Concert 10 on Facebook Live, this Friday, May 29, at 7:30 p.m. from my Facebook page: www. facebook.com/john.bartus.

Catch John Thursdays at Sparky’s Landing, and Fridays at his Social Distancing Concerts on Facebook Live. Music available on CDBaby.com and iTunes, and wherever you get your streaming music. www.facebook.com/john.bartus

BA

REFOO

E

www.keysweekly.com

FINDING A WAY BACK TO SCHOOL

D

DOC TOR

H

opefully this weekend, two NASA astronauts — Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley — will fly the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule to the JOHN International Space Station. The best part BARTUS about this launch is is a City of Marathat it takes place on thon councilAmerican soil, the man. He also is first time astronauts a musician who performs around have lifted off from Cape Canaveral since town. For more the space shuttle’s see johnbartus. last flight in 2011. com Although the May 27 launch was canceled, the Crew Dragon/Falcon 9 will try again Saturday, May 30 at 3:22 p.m. EDT, or on Sunday, May 31 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. This flight is called Demo 2, and it will be the validation flight for future operational crewed missions. And it will open a new chapter in American space flight.

Behnken and Hurley will also become members of a very elite astronaut club: the first astronauts/pilots to flight-test a new spacecraft. John Young and Bob Crippen crewed the first space shuttle mission in 1981; Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele and Walter Cunningham flew Apollo 7; John Young and Gus Grissom piloted the first Gemini mission; and Alan Shepard was America’s first man in space for project Mercury.

Since the space shuttle was retired after Atlantis’ final flight in July 2011, the only way Americans (or other astronauts) could get to the International Space Station was by hitching a ride on Russian Soyuz rockets. At nearly $90 million per seat, as well as the increased tensions between Moscow and Washington, something had to be done.

Instead of NASA developing the Orion/Ares program, it financed the efforts of SpaceX and Boeing to develop a commercial crew vehicle. While Boeing has hit a few snags with its Starliner capsule, SpaceX has done amazing things with its Falcon rockets and Dragon capsules. The company pioneered relatively low-cost reusable boosters, and no one can deny that it’s amazing to see Falcon booster stages return to land at Cape Canaveral. With these reusable technologies, the cost per astronaut seat is just $55 million. Compare that to the average cost of a Space Shuttle mission at $450 million.

Boeing will get its Starliner issues resolved. NASA will continue to develop the Orion capsule and SLS launch system for the Artemis program to the moon and perhaps Mars. But in the

DR. STANLEY SACK

T

THE FINAL FRONTIER ASTRONAUTS BLAST OFF FROM U.S. SOIL ONCE AGAIN

TH

44

epending on Like so much how you define associated with the it, I regularly pandemic, specific tune in to just mandates weren’t one “reality” show: the made. The stateone in which people race ment did provide a around the world. (I like sort of “Oh, yeah, we the travelogue stuff.) gotta think about Several years ago, we that” list of considerDr. Stanley Sack were pleasantly surations for restarting prised when the last leg “regular” school. of one season of the show took Here’s a sampling of the many place in the Keys. I remember things discussed: one local’s comment, in particu• There are lots of things to lar, when a team was trying to consider in reopening: What the get to Big Pine Key: “There’s only virus is doing here and nationally; one way in, and one way out.” testing availability (and, I might We should be so lucky when add, a better sense of what posiit comes to COVID-19. There is tive and negative tests actually hardly anything resembling a mean); what can be done to consignpost or a road map to get trol the spread of COVID-19 and us through the pandemic. And increased knowledge about how among our uncharted territory is children transmit the virus. the road that leads our kids back • Acknowledge the learning to school. time that’s been lost throughout Normally when I’m travelthis era and adjust expectations ing, I’m one of those stubborn regarding kids’ academic progpeople who doesn’t want to ask ress. for directions. But in a situation • Realize that many children such as this, I’ll certainly seek depend on school meal programs them out. And as we begin to for nutrition and hunger, and be experience — at the very least — flexible in how these programs a respite from the worst of the are implemented. pandemic, we fortunately have • Be sensitive to the special some authorities weighing in on needs of students with disthe back-to-school question. abilities and/or high-risk medical When it comes to kids’ conditions, and to students with health, one trusted resource potential mental health issues is the American Academy of that started before, or as a result Pediatrics (AAP), which has at its of, the COVID-19 crisis. disposal the collective expertise • Continue to work with pubof many specialists. Doctors have lic health agencies on the multidevoted their careers to such tude of infection control issues specialties as infectious disease, such as sick kids, group size and child development, nutrition, physical distancing. sports medicine and mental There is clearly a lot to conhealth. There’s even a section sider as the responsible parties that puts it all together and sugdetermine the best route back gests a variety of policies affectto school. Remember, they have ing school health. no road map, either, and will Experts at the AAP have, of undoubtedly be asking for direccourse, been following COVID-19 tions. Let’s keep a good dialogue closely. On May 5, they came going about our best way forout with a statement, “COVID-19 ward.

Planning Considerations: ReThe AAP’s full statement turn to In-Person Education in outlining back-to-school considerSchools.” ations is available at aap.org.

45

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

The Center for Peace at St. Columba is proud to announce the winner of its 2020 Peace Scholarship,

Maizie Egan. Congratulations!

Thank you to all who help support The Center for Peace at St. Columba through generous donations given at The Incredible Fruit Stand every Saturday.

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A Touch of Grey and a Ton of Music

www.thegratefulguitar.com Open Monday – Saturday, 11:00 AM 7:00 PM. Closed Sunday 512 Eaton Street • (305) 453-6413

We wish to congratulate all the 2020 Marathon High School Graduates on their success! May God's graces be with you all as you step ahead towards your dreams.

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13 NRSV

Be Faithful in Prayer and Focus on God's Love.

WE OFFER A COMMUNITY OF PEACE, LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING.

St. Columba Episcopal Church 451 West 52nd St, Marathon Fl 305 743-6412 • www.stcolumbamarathon.org

46

MLKAR

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

- KEYS

Karen

TO THE KEY REAL ESTATE (SINCE 1990)

Bill

THIS WEEK’S SPECIALS !!

NEED DEEP WATER ACCESS TO OCEAN OR GULF?

2 bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths each side DUPLEX. Fully furnished. Breezy verandas to relax on. Four 50' deep-water boat slips on a protected basin. Minutes to the ocean or Gulf.

Vacation rental license in place with excellent rental record. $775,000 ML 589586

DEEP WATER ACCESS TO OCEAN OR GULF 1,800 sq ft 5 BR, 3BA home w/87’ dock and 14,000 boat lift. Metal roof. Superior 2’ X 6” construction. Covered parking. $725,000 ML588862

LIVE IN ONE, RENT THE OTHER Don’t pay rent anymore! 2 bedrooms, 1 bath 900 sq ft unit each side. Convenient to everything. Affordable living or a great investment.

REDUCED $238,000 each.

INVESTORS...PAY ATTENTION 2 two bedroom units and 1 three bedroom unit.

New roof. Great rental investment property.

Gross rent $5,175.00.

REDUCED $475,000 ML588359

(305) 743-2300

Karen Farley-Wilkinson, Bill Wilkinson

• TAX TALK • TAG TALK •

CHARITY OF THE MONTH T

he Marathon and Lower Keys Association of Realtors presented scholarships for $1,500 each to four Keys high school seniors. The students wrote essays about the importance of the real estate market and Realtors within our island community. Pictured are Wayne Carter, left, MLKAR CEO; Lisa Joseph, MLKAR president-elect and education committee chair; Gracie Wood of Key West High School; Clara Williams of Marathon High School; Kacie Butler of MHS; Cory Bisson of MHS; and Caitlin McKinney, MLKAR president.

— Contributed

JUNE

MIDDLE KEYS RESIDENTIAL APR 2020

Total Active Key/Island 2019

2020

New Listings

%

2019

2020

Number Sold

%

2019

2020

%

Average Sale Price 2019

2020

%

Residential:

• First Installment Tax Notices for 2020 were mailed out. If the first installment is not paid by July 31, 2020 you will be removed from the plan.

• Delinquent Tangible taxes for 2019 must be paid by June 30, 2020 or a warrant is issued in July.

• Local Business Tax renewals will be mailed out at the end of June for the coming year.

• Tax Collector Offices will be processing Driver License testing, by appointment only. Must wear a mask and you will have your temperature taken prior to the testing. Please arrive 10 minutes before appointment time, If late for your appointment you will be required to schedule another appointment.

Marathon

470

389

-17

222

194

-12

115

83

-27

591,908

668,627

12

Key Colony

142

133

-6

56

52

-7

25

38

52

506,440

783,508

54 27

Duck Key

84

83

-1

38

34

-10

20

11

-45

627,425

798,750

Conch Key

6

10

66

3

4

33

2

0

-

430,000

0

-

Long Key

19

23

21

10

15

50

2

6

200

636,250

432,483

-32

TOTALS

721

638

-12

329

299

-9

164

138

-16

558,405

670,842

20

LOWER KEYS RESIDENTIAL APR 2020

Total Active Key/Island 2019

2020

New Listings

%

2019

2020

Number Sold

%

Average Sale Price

2019

2020

%

2019

2020

%

Residential: Big Pine Key

194

166

-14

106

86

-18

59

46

-22

545,707

455,158

-16

No Name

4

5

25

2

4

100

0

1

+

0

459,000

+

Big Torch

5

6

20

4

1

-75

0

1

+

0 1,555,000

+

Middle Torch

1

0

-

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Little Torch

61

43

-29

34

21

-38

12

9

-25

555,375

499,500

-10

Ramrod Key

48

37

-22

29

16

-44

15

10

-33

597,233

591,900

0

Summerland

66

64

-3

35

32

-8

15

21

40

805,733

751,214

-6

Cudjoe Key

122

116

-4

57

48

-15

32

35

9

636,572

603,241

-5

Sugarloaf

66

74

12

32

38

18

25

14

-44

743,376

851,464

14

Big Coppitt

75

59

-21

39

31

-20

22

16

-27

450,250

471,898

4

TOTALS

642

570

-11

338

277

-18

180

153

-15

619,178

693,153

12

47

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

KEY BY THE SEA

KEY BY THE SEA

WATERFRONT MOBILE HOME $174,900 | MLS# 584200

VACANT DRY RV LOTS $129,900 EACH | MLS# 584464, 585607, 587619 AND 584201

7 MILE BRIDGE VIEW

18 COUNTY BUILDING

VACATION DREAM HOME $589,000 | MLS# 589139

RIGHTS AVAILABLE $1,700,000 | MLS# 584210

Done!

Congratulations

MALLORY PINTO | SALES ASSOCIATE C: 813.846.6759 | O: 305.735.4095 mpinto@oceansir.com

Hailey Wright & Marathon High School CLASS OF 2020

CONGRATS TO THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 2020!!

“THE MOST REWARDING THINGS IN LIFE ARE OFTEN THE ONES THAT LOOK LIKE THEY CANNOT BE DONE.” — ARNOLD PALMER

From left to right: Dr. Hector Guzman D.D.S, Dr. David McDonald D.M.D Dr. Natalia Vazquez-Marrero D.M.D and Dr. Oscar Rodriguez D.M.D

Located at 2758 N. Roosevelt Blvd. (in the Overseas Market) • Key West Phone 305.294.9914 • Fax 305.295.9691 • doc@docguzman.com • www.docguzman.com

48

KEYS SCHOOLS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

BUILDING BRIGHT FUTURES

Microsoft Office specialists at Plantation Key School are pictured with school board member Sue Woltanski, program sponsor John Padget, and MOS instructor Aimee Gilman.

HOLLY HOUSER www.keysweekly.

PLANTATION KEY SCHOOL STUDENTS EARN MICROSOFT OFFICE SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION

“I

am so excited that I achieved my Microsoft Office Specialist certification,” said Ambrose Sanchez. “I am in the Take Stock in Children program and because of that, I will receive a full ride to college.”

Ambrose is an eighth-grade student at Tavernier’s Plantation Key School (PKS), where 17 other students just like him are benefitting from the school’s Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification program this year.

Middle and high schools Monroe County-wide offer the MOS program. It is one of many certifications the Monroe County School District’s Career and Technical Education Department (CTE) provides to students

enrolled in computer science and internet technology courses.

This all began about six years ago when John Padget, a former superintendent of Monroe County Schools and a member of Florida’s state board of education, brought these certifications to the Keys and created an incentive program called <Monroe /> COMPUTE$. Sponsored by his organization, the Golden Fleece Foundation, his incentive program rewards students with a monetary prize for completing certifications. “<Monroe /> COMPUTE$ is exclusive to the Keys,” said Sibba Mira, the school district’s CTE coordinator. “When we began, we had 82 certifications. Last year, we did 702, of which 125 were Microsoft. In that time period, Adobe, AutoCad, Quickbooks and more certifications have come along.”

The MOS program is one of the most popular certification courses offered. While some Monroe County schools include it as a part of computer science curriculums, PKS offers MOS as an elective. The class, called Digital Info Technology, is composed entirely of honors students.

“Microsoft Office is an online course designed to certify students in PowerPoint, Word and Excel,” said Aimee Gilman, CTE,

MOS and photojournalism Instructor at PKS. “Once a student passes a certification test in all three programs, they become a Microsoft Office Specialist. They can then move on to Word Expert or Excel Expert.”

This year, all 18 of Gilman’s students are certified in PowerPoint and Word. Eleven of them are completely MOS certified, and the remaining seven are actively working toward Excel certification.

Gilman said her students “mastered the MOS class.” Two weeks ago, they received their prizes to prove it. Padget hand-delivered each MOS-certified student a $250 check. According to Gilman, most students plan to save their checks for college or for purchasing new computers and software. In all, PKS holds the most certifications of any school in Monroe County.

“These certifications not only demonstrate mastery of the curriculum, but many, such as Microsoft Office Specialist, also earn college credit,” explained Mira. “Employees that obtain an MOS certification typically earn an average of $16,000 more per year than employees that don’t have one.”

The value of these certifications extends far into the students’ futures. This was Padget’s goal, whose mission with the Golden Fleece Foundation is to “enable transformations” in education. “<Monroe /> COMPUTE$ is encouraging every Monroe County student to explore the computer sciences and internet technology,” said Padget. “Students who accumulate these industry-recognized certifications will be ready for higher-level certificates as they get older. We know that students earning the Microsoft Office Specialist certificate can perform better in high school, college and in any career.”

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

49

50

SURVEY

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

HIRING ALL POSITIONS! FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE AND GREAT PERKS!

APPLY IN PERSON & INTERVIEW SAME DAY AT BEALLS OUTLET 10950 O/S HWY • NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

SURVEY SAYS...

E ach week the Keys Weekly will conduct reader surveys on a variety of issues ranging from local politics to national trends. Our results and findings can be found right here in our print editions each week — offering our readers a snapshot of local public opinions. To see this week’s survey, visit keysweekly.com.

MAY 21-27

ls! a c o L A e W

BUY 1 DINNER ENTRÉE, GET 1 FREE

MONDAY‒FRIDAY | 5:30‒7:30PM

FEATURING $25 WINES BY THE BOTTLE* We are so excited to welcome you back to enjoy beautiful outdoor dining on our oceanfront patio or event lawn (limited seating due to social distancing, of course) and an amazing menu of the freshest locally sourced ingredients. Free Self-Parking.

WEEKEND BRUNCH WITH A SPLASH

SATURDAY & SUNDAY | 11AM‒4PM

FEATURING DELICIOUS SMALL PLATES & MORE

For a limited time only, after you join us for Brunch, we invite you to enjoy unprecedented access to our private pool and beach. Brunch Hours: 11AM–4PM; Access to Private Pool & Beach for Brunch Guests: 12–6PM. Free Self-Parking.

SHOULD KEY WEST ALLOW CRUISE SHIPS TO RETURN? (1,198 RESPONSES) 39% YES.

They are vital to the local economy and we should return to pre-COVID standards.

22% YES.

But with smaller ships, higher-end cabins, less frequency and environmental restrictions.

17% NO.

It’s an environmental decision.

They are detrimental to the reef and waters.

8% NO.

Scenic • Safe • Sanitary Dinner: Mon–Fri, 5:30–9:30 p.m. | Brunch: Sat–Sun, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Follow us on Facebook @FourMarlins | www.facebook.com/FourMarlins

1435 Simonton St. | reachresort.com | 305 293 6250 | Reservations Recommended Terms and Conditions: For the safety of all guests and team members and in compliance with the City of Key West’s parameters, all dining patrons will be required wear a mask and to have a temperature check prior to being seated. Social distancing must be maintained. Must be seated by 7:30pm and show local ID to receive the dinner special. Discount applied to entrée of equal or lesser value. Dine in only. Limited Seating.

Not valid for take-out. May not be combined with any other promotion, discount or special offer. Subject to cancellation. Not valid for Holiday menus or Sunday brunch. Other restrictions may apply. *$25 wine list is available while supplies last and is not available for additional discounts. Must be a brunch guest to enjoy access to pool and beach. One pool/beach wristband issued for each paid brunch. Lost wristbands will not be replaced. No coolers, outside food, beverage or beach chairs. Must be 21 or older to consume alcohol.

It’s an economic decision.

The Keys should find other alternatives of tourism that help more businesses.

14% MAYBE.

It should be put to a referendum so voters can decide.

51

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

www.ci.marathon.fl.us

www.ci.marathon.fl.us

City Attorney The City of Marathon, located in Monroe County is seeking a City Attorney to serve as the chief legal advisor to elected and appointed officials, City boards, and employees in the scope of their official duties. The City Attorney is appointed by a majority vote of the full Council and serves at the pleasure of the Council. The City is creating an in-house legal department, responsible for all management aspects of the legal department such as hiring a paralegal.

The City Attorney position requires being present at City Hall a minimum of 40 hours per week (in office) plus attendance at other meetings to provide legal services in addition to attending City Council and other board meetings and be available at all times for advice and counsel.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, EXPERIENCE: • Must have a Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.

• Minimum five (5) years of comprehensive experience in the practice of criminal and civil matters, to include a minimum of three (3) years of experience in the practice of municipal law and administrative practice in the State of Florida preferably as an assistant or city/county attorney.

• Membership in good standing in the Florida Bar with eligibility to practice law in the State of Florida at the time of application.

• Knowledge of areas designated critical state concern by the State of Florida.

• City, County and Local Government Board Certification is preferred.

• City of Marathon residence preferred.

BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION: Salary $100,000 - $150,000 Benefits include: • Health Insurance • Vacation and Sick Leave • Participation in ICMA 401A • Continued Legal Education for Florida Bar requirements Special Requirements: Possession of a valid State of Florida driver's license. Successful applicants must undergo a drug test, driver’s license and background check. E.O.E, Drug Free Workplace. Veterans preference given.

For the list of Essential Duties and Responsibilities and employment application, please visit https://www.ci.marathon.fl.us/hr/page/city-attorney Email resume, application, three letters of professional recommendation and proof of education to HR@ci.marathon.fl.us or fax to 305-289-4143.

g n i n e p O d n a r G

! s l a i c Spe • RV Park and Live Aboard Marina • Low Introductory Rates

• RV spaces starting at $2000/mo • Live Aboard Slips starting at $800/mo Call 305-289-7672 for Reservations 7200 Aviation Boulevard, Marathon, FL jim@coconutcay.com

52

HISTORY

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

THE BUM FARTO FILES:

A BUM RAP

A December 1968 newspaper headline announces the dismissal of charges against Key West Fire Chief Bum Farto. MIAMI HERALD ARCHIVES

Fire Chief Bum Farto calmly smokes a cigar at his suspension hearing in 1968. WRIGHT LANGLEY/Miami Herald archives

DAVID SLOAN is a Key West storyteller, publisher and producer.

Key West Fire Chief Joseph “Bum” Farto disappeared on Feb. 16, 1976, while awaitingsentencing for a drug trafficking conviction stemming from Operation Conch – a stingoperation that found Farto allegedly selling cocaine from the city’s fire station. Bum became the Jimmy Hoffa of Key West, and the island has swirled with rumors of his fate since he disappeared. David Sloan and Quincy Perkins have launched an unparalleled investigation into Chief Farto’s life, legends and disappearance in an attempt to find the truth. Each week they will share elements of their research here in the Keys Weekly while working to solve one of the greatest mysteries in the history of Key West.

Share your Bum Farto tips and stories at www.findbumfarto. com. President Harry S. Truman said, “You can’t get rich in politics unless you are a crook.”

K

ey West politics have always been a gamble, but when gambling becomes political in the Southernmost City, all bets are off.

Bum Farto was a great politician. He became fire chief in 1964 around the time Armando Perez was named police chief. Both men were well-respected leaders, as well as partners in crime, if you believe FBI documents linking them to the Tampa Mafia, which controlled the bolita gambling in Key West. Though most of the island viewed the numbers game as a harmless part of island culture, another contingent wanted gambling shut down. To accomplish this, they set their sights on Tampa-connected Police Chief Perez in March 1968.

Three members of a newly elected City Commission ordered gambling raids the moment Chief Perez left for vacation.

While Perez was on vacation, he was fired without notice and his position was offered to Bobby Brown, who was a candidate for county sheriff.. Legalities reversed the chief’s termination,

but Perez resigned amid threats that details of his personal life would be exposed to embarrass his family.

Commissioner Gwen McCook openly criticized her fellow commissioners for blackmailing the chief into resigning at a secret meeting. Meanwhile, the commissioners who had wanted Perez out now collected their chips and anted up for a game with the fire chief.

The commissioners suspended Bum Farto in November 1968 for “alleged irregularities in the fire department.” Charges included getting two firefighters to take out $600 loans on his behalf with the promise of payback and overtime; failing to give the fire captain a $20 per diem for a trip to Miami; destroying a department logbook and cashing a $90.73 hospitalization check made out to another fireman. A five-hour hearing chaired by Farto’s nephew revealed that Bum had threatened to fire one of his men who gave testimony, but cleared the chief on all other charges.

An unhappy commissioner suggested sending the case to the grand jury. Farto claimed the whole investigation came about because that commissioner was out to get him. Commissioner McCook later accused the commissioners who were attempting Bum’s ouster of being motivated by “personal, petty, political spite.” Bum went on to fight another day, but state officials were now watching the political poker game.

Historian and photographer Wright Langley summed up the state of the island in a May 28, 1968 Miami Herald editorial that said in part, “Gambling is a way of life in Key West. ... Gamblers have taken their stand with the candidates. … However, townspeople are learning if they don’t police themselves, they can expect it from the state. The Keys are no longer isolated, and no longer can the people ignore the state laws which govern the county. No longer are we living in the age of the ‘Conch Republic — the land of tomorrow,’ and we can no longer afford to put off today what we can do tomorrow.”

Politics were getting dirty in Conch Town. Alliances formed, lines were drawn in the sand, people plotted to take down their rivals and big brother was watching.

But no one at the table realized the island economy was a house of cards ready to fall.

53

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

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54

HOROSCOPE

REDA WIGLE

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

Barstool Astrology

Twin for the win, it’s Gemini season. Ruled

by Mercury, the planet of expression and communication, the Gemini mind moves with alarming speed among subjects, passions and moral stances.

A ferocious curiosity and an aptitude for language are hallmarks of the Gemini disposition and the season it governs. Geminis’ versatility can lead to distraction, leaving them vulnerable to superficiality, a lack of self-knowledge and a shaky sense of purpose. At their best, and in their full power, Geminis are driven by the desire to understand and reinterpret.

It’s been argued the Gemini constellation and the Gemini trajectory are marked by the seeking of completion in another person.

But the twins and their story represent the duality of the self, the parts of each of us that represent the godly and the creaturely. We all should seek not our other half, but the reconciliation of our whole selves. Be your own twin.

is a middle child and Taurus Fire Tiger named after a stigmatic saint.

She divides her time and affections between New Orleans and Key West.

GEMINI May 21-June 20 Flexibility is the beauty of the Gemini disposition. You can assume and discard a hundred habits and a dozen patterns. Spend your days in the sun cultivating what cures you and eliminating what cripples you. Take heart and instruction from the words of fellow Gemini, poet Theodore Roethke, “By daily dying, I have come to be.”

Notable Gemini: Lauryn Hill / May 26, 1975 CANCER June 21-July 22 In 1894, fellow crab Gustav Klimt was commissioned to paint a ceiling in the University of Vienna.

Featuring nude women as allegory, his contemporaries denounced the work as pornographic and it was never shown. These same works

WHAT THE STARS HAVE IN STORE

are now regarded as the beginning of a new visual language.

The lesson: Create without concern for critics. Genius is usually recognized from the vantage of hindsight.

Notable Cancer: Sylvester Stallone / July 6, 1946 LEO July 23-Aug. 22 Lions, your next leap forward may require a turn inward.

Slow down, sit tight, breathe deep and identify what actively brings you riotous joy and a fortifying sense of purpose.

Consider anything that doesn’t seem to be an attack on your potential. Wage righteous war for the territory of your self.

Notable Leo: Alfred Hitchcock / Aug. 13, 1899 VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22 My older sister, an avid gardener and my favorite Virgo, recently told me about a dream in which she was given a surplus of tulip bulbs, but worried immediately about where she would find the space to plant them all.

The lesson is this, Virgo: Do not fear abundance; make room for it. In the words of Mary Oliver, “Joy is not made to be a crumb.”

Notable Virgo: Wiz Khalifa / Sept. 8, 1987 LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22 Have the skeletons in your closet begun to rattle the locks? Are your allergies being activated by all you’ve brushed under the carpet? Dirty laundry giving you a weird rash? These are all symptoms of the toxicity of avoidance, dear Libra. A helpful remedy: Confront, admit, apologize, own, release, repeat.

You cannot welcome the future without first, and finally, reckoning with the past that is keeping you from it.

Notable Libra: El Greco / Oct. 1, 1541

SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21 Fellow Scorpio and dystopian writer Margaret Atwood confessed, “It disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.” I suspect this sentiment may strike a chord, or a pointed tail, with you, Scorpio.

I encourage you to be more mindful about your slings and arrows. What use is punishment without the purity of purpose?

Notable Scorpio: Colson Whitehead / Nov. 6, 1969 SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21 To summarize Newton’s Third Law of Motion, we get out what we put in. Where are you placing your time, energies and affections, Sagittarius? How you divide yourself is how you conceive of yourself. If you’re not getting the returns you want or the self-actualization you need, move in another direction.

Notable Sagittarius: Billie Eilish / Dec. 18, 2001 CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19 Your wisdom is of the hardwon and harder-lived variety. Allow the struggle that has made you ease the burden of those who are on their way to becoming. Share knowledge freely and cast judgment minimally.

Wisdom that goes unspoken is a spoiled gift.

Notable Capricorn: Gypsy Rose Lee / Jan. 8, 1911 AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18 Are you creating for the pure pursuit of pulling something out of yourself or because you need the world to notice?

Audiences are a nonessential service. Kris Kristofferson maintains, “If you’re in art for the right reasons, there’s a zero percent chance of failure.” Whatever art you make, whatever doing you do, let it be for you.

Notable Aquarius: Langston Hughes / Feb. 1, 1902 PISCES Feb. 19-March 20 There is nothing more liberating, or challenging, for a Pisces than to speak the startling truth that you are not, in fact, fine. In trying to keep it together, you lose sight of the need to repair and restore yourself. Listen closely. Your wants are not weaknesses; your needs are not frivolous. You won’t be fulfilled until you can admit when you are not satisfied.

Notable Pisces: Andrew Jackson / March 15, 1767 ARIES March 21-April 19 An Aries friend recently revealed that he bolds periods and exclamation points in his often fiery email correspondences. He didn’t say anything about question marks. I bring this to your attention in the hopes you will consider applying the same intensity you place on emphasis and endings, to your own seeking.

Notable Aries: Jericho Brown / April 14, 1976 TAURUS April 20-May 20 How do you see yourself, Taurus? As tin or gold? Are you settling for scraps at the feast or the consolation prize of being someone’s second choice?

Now, more than ever, you are attracting what you are reflecting. You’ve got a touch of the earthborn power of manifestation. The trick is, you can only bring forth what you think you deserve.

Notable Taurus: Catherine The Great / May 2, 1729

55

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

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56

WILDLIFE

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

THE SWARM TERMITES POPPING UP

T

here’s a pandemic. Hurricane season is upon us. And now: termite swarms.

With the start of rainy season upon us, it also means residents will begin to see termite swarms, specifically West Indian drywood termites (Cryptotermes brevis). Here in the Florida Keys, we have two economically damaging termites, Asian subterranean termites (Coptotermes gestroi) and West Indian drywood termites. Formosan subterranean and our native Eastern subterranean termites are very rare in the Keys. The global economic cost due to termite infestations is estimated to be at $40 billion annually.

In swarming events, reproductive adults called alates take flight to colonize new wood once their colony has matured, which typically happens about 5 years after initial establishment. Alates fly from dusk to dawn and are weak fliers, often drifting with the wind. They drop their wings within minutes of landing and break off into male and female pairs.

Termite alates can quickly succumb to predation and desiccation if they don’t find a suitable nuptial (mating) chamber. Wood with some type of defect like cracks, knots, or nail holes is preferred.

Termites are attracted to light, so often people will see them flying around street lights or other outdoor light fixtures. For West Indian Drywood termites this occurs from April to June and coincides with the rainy season, but for Asian subterranean termites, dispersal flights have been recorded from February to April.

While West Indian drywood termites are only found in buildings, infesting common building lumber, Asian subterranean termites and dampwood termites can also be found in live trees. Extensive damage to mature, living trees has been noted recently on some native trees by the invasive Asian subterranean termites.

The primary goal to prevent alates from entering your home is exclusion. Inspect your home for potential entry points. Termites can fit into very small spaces, so seal any cracks or crevices, keep soffits in good condition, and use mesh screening in attics. Since they are attracted to light, it’s best to keep lights off during this time, if it does not pose a security risk. Also keep windows and doors closed whenever possible during a swarm.

If you find termite alates or dealates (wingless) after a swarming event, you can send samples to your local Extension office for identification.

Samples are best preserved in a vial with alcohol.

County Extension agents work closely with termite specialists at the University of Florida to ensure accurate identification. An interactive map of termite distribution in Florida is maintained by specialists at the University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.

More information is at flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/termites-in-florida/.

— Contributed

SEEN AROUND TOWN

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

SOME GAVE ALL MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY HONORS MILITARY SACRIFICES

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T

he unmistakable melancholy of taps, escaping from Jay Cheville’s bagpipes, signaled the end of the Memorial Day service in the Key West cemetery.

Organized by the Key West Council of the Navy League, the annual event drew more than 100 masked attendees to the USS Maine Memorial in the cemetery.

Major James Blackburn, commanding officer of the Special Forces Underwater Operations School, thanked the generations of military men and women who gave everything in service to and protection of their country.

“In each generation, brave young men and women will answer the call to defend their country. We pause today and bow our heads for the patriots who laid down their lives for freedom,” Blackburn said, urging Americans to thank a member of the military for their service and sacrifice. “A thank-you is free but priceless when it comes from the heart.”

Michael Hudgins played “Amazing Grace” while representatives from the Navy League, VFW and Daughters of the American Revolution placed flowered wreaths at the military monument.

— Weekly staff report

5

MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly 1. American flags adorn the graves of hundreds of military veterans, who were honored on Memorial Day, in the Key West Cemetery.

2. Major James Blackburn, commanding officer of the Special Forces Underwater Operations School, speaks at the Navy League’s Memorial Day Service in Key West.

3. Ken Thompson and Abe Conn, representing VFW Post 3911, lay a wreath at the USS Maine Memorial.

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4. Members of the Navy League of the United States, Key West Council, organize the annual Memorial Day service to honor the military at Key West Cemetery.

5. Jay Cheville sounds the familiar notes of taps during the Memorial Day service.

6. Command Chaplain Lt. Joseph Frana offers a benediction at the May 25 ceremony.

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58

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

Soccer Registration Open Fall 2020 Season

Register ONLINE NOW: keywestsoccer.com AYSO Soccer Programs are open to all boys and girls born after September 1, 2006 through 2016.

Registration Cost $115 per player ($130 after July 1st) Financial assistance may be available. Inquire at aysoregion660@gmail.com

All soccer registration is done ONLINE, don’t delay, register TODAY!

keywestsoccer.com If needed, there is a google translate button that will appear on bottom right corner of the registration page.

ESPAÑOL: La inscripción es completamente en línea. Por favor, visite nuestro website keywestsoccer.com y ingrese o crear una cuenta. Si es necesario, hay un botón de traducir en Google translate en la parte inferior derecha de la página, una vez que este en el sistema.

KREYÒL AYISYEN: Enskripsyon se konplètman sou entènèt. Tanpri vizite sit nou an nan keywestsoccer.com epi antre oswa kreye yon kont. Si li nesesè, genyen yon bouton tradwi nan Google sou bò dwat nan paj la lè ou ap ouvri sesyon an.

59

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES 305.743.0844 • CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES • •305.743.0844 LEGAL NOTICES NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Wheatons Towing gives Notice of Foreclosure of Lien and intent to sell these vehicles on 06/07/2020, 10:00 am at 101500 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037, pursuant to subsection 713.78 of the Florida Statutes. Wheatons Towing reserves the right to accept or reject any and/ all bids.

2T1BR32E56C584810 2006 TOYOTA 3N1AB7AP8DL697819 2013 NISSAN 5WKBE1218F1031211 2015 FREEDOM Publish: May 21 & 28, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Wheatons Towing gives Notice of Foreclosure of Lien and intent to sell these vehicles on 06/26/2020, 10:00 am at 101500 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037, pursuant to subsection 713.78 of the Florida Statutes. Wheatons Towing reserves the right to accept or reject any and/ all bids.

JTDDR32T630161487 2003 TOYOTA Publish: May 28 & June 4, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers PUBLIC NOTICE On May 13, 2020, Philip Von Kahle, assignee for the benefit of creditors, filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission seeking consent to assign the license of station WKEZ-FM, 96.9 MHz, Tavernier, Florida, from Philip Von Kahle to Magnum Broadcasting, Inc..

Michael Stapleford is the President and 100% owner of Magnum Broadcasting, Inc. A copy of this application is available for public inspection on the FCC’s public inspection website at: https:// publicfiles.fcc.gov/.

Publish: May 21, 28 & June 4, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers FICTITIOUS NAME NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of LL’S TEST KITCHEN, located at 6000 PENINSULAR AVENUE, KEY WEST, FLORIDA 33040, intends to register said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.

By: SPOTTSWOOD MANAGEMENT, INC. Publish: May 28, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers FICTITIOUS NAME NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of KEYS LIFE BUILDERS, located at 34 SOUTH BOUNTY LANE, KEY LARGO, FLORIDA 33037, intends to register said name

LEGAL NOTICES with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.

By: KEYS LIFE INVESTMENTS, LLC Publish: May 28, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers FICTITIOUS NAME NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of CD ANCHOR, located at 3604 NORTHSIDE DRIVE, KEY WEST, FLORIDA 33040, intends to register said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.

By: VAN STADEN, INC Publish: May 28, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 2020-CP-25-P IN RE: ESTATE OF DONALD HUGH DAVIS Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of DONALD HUGH DAVIS, deceased, whose date of death was November 30, 2019, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88820 Overseas Highway, Plantation Key, FL 33070. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIOD SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is: May 21, 2020 Personal Representative: KENNETH S. DAVIS 4338 McColley Rd. Milford, Delaware 19963 Attorney for Personal Representative: Urban J. W. Patterson, Esq. Email: ujwplaw@gmail.com Secondary Email: ujwplawfirm@yahoo.com Florida Bar Number: 382035 Urban J. W. Patterson, P.A. P.O. Box 783 Islamorada, FL 33036

LEGAL NOTICES Telephone: 305-664-5065 Publish: May 21 & 28, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 20-CP-000089-K IN RE: ESTATE OF DEBRA ANNE TOBIN, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Debra Anne Tobin, deceased, whose date of death was March 1, 2020, at this time is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, Florida 33040. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is: May 21, 2020.

Personal Representative: NICOLE ROZING c/o Bryant Law Firm 28 West Flagler Street, Suite 1200 Miami, Florida 33130 Attorney for Personal Representative: RANDY A. BRYANT Florida Bar Number: 157945 SOFIA HENSHAW Florida Bar Number: 1019556 Bryant Law Firm 28 West Flagler Street, Suite 1200 Miami, Florida 33130 Telephone: (305) 456-2777 Fax: (305) 675-6153 E-Mail: rbryant@ miamiprobatefirm.com Publish: May 21 & 28, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 20-CP-000008-M IN RE: ESTATE OF WILLIAM C. NICHOLS, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

BOATS FOR SALE

The administration of the estate of William C. Nichols, deceased, whose date of death was November 5, 2019, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 3117 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050. The names and addresses of the personal representatives and the personal representatives’ attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is: May 21, 2020.

Personal Representatives: William J. Nichols 4323 43rd Avenue NE Seattle, Washington 98105 Marjorie L. Nichols Keith 14 Willow Road Carmel, New York 10512 Neta Nichols Sacks 58 Kitchawan Road Pound Ridge, New York 10576 Attorney for Personal Representative: Robert K. Miller, Esquire Florida Bar Number: 359173 Cunningham Miller Rhyne PA 10075 Overseas Hwy PO Box 500938 Marathon, FL 33050 Telephone: (305) 743-9428 Fax: (305) 743-8800 E-mail: service@ floridakeyslaw.com Secondary E-Mail: rmiller@ floridakeyslaw.com Publish: May 21 & 28, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is: May 21, 2020.

Personal Representative: Robert C. Strahm 141 Marina Avenue Key Largo, FL 33037 Attorney for Personal Representative: Anthony A. Velardi, Esq. Florida Bar No. 113917 Patricia Gessel, Esq. Florida Bar No. 84328 Patricia Gessel, PL 99530 Overseas Hwy., Suite 2 Key Largo, FL 33037 Tel: (305) 453-5277 Fax: (305) 453-4985 E-Mail: anthony@ keylargolaw.com & alonso.at12@aol.com Publish: May 21 & 28, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

Leasehold Condominium (“Condominium”), according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1803, Page 844, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”).

The default giving rise to these proceedings is the failure to pay condominium assessments and dues resulting in a Claim of Lien encumbering the Timeshare Ownership Interest as recorded in the Official Records of Monroe County, Florida. The Obligor has the right to object to this Trustee proceeding by serving written objection on the Trustee named below.

The Obligor has the right to cure the default and any junior interestholder may redeem its interest, for a minimum period of forty-five (45) days until the Trustee issues the Certificate of Sale.

The Lien may be cured by sending certified funds to the Trustee payable to the Lienholder in the amount of $5,072.39, plus interest (calculated by multiplying $0.00 times the number of days that have elapsed since May 8, 2020), plus the costs of this proceeding. Said funds for cure or redemption must be received by the Trustee before the Certificate of Sale is issued.

Nicholas A. Woo, Esq. Valerie N. Edgecombe Brown, Esq. Cynthia David, Esq. Michael E. Carleton, Esq. as Trustee pursuant to Fla. Stat. §721.82 P. O. Box 165028 Columbus, OH 43216-5028 Telephone: 407-404-5266 Telecopier: 614-220-5613 Publish: May 21 & 28, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

1965 Bruiel Express Sportfish - Built for Charter Fishing in the Keys. $14,000 or Best Offer.

Excellent hull condition. 2 Detroit 6V53 engines one fresh rebuilt.

Twin Disk 506 transmissions one fresh.

We’ve just installed: 1 New trany, 2 new 1 1/2 in shafts,2 new shaft logs, 2 new rebuilt struts, 2 new props ni-bril, New bottom paint, 1 engine new rebuild 5hrs. Located in Marathon. Call 305-4813259 for details.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA DIVISION: PROBATE FILE NO.: 20-CP-000033-P IN RE: ESTATE OF DONNA J. STRAHM A/K/A DONNA JEAN STRAHM, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Donna J. Strahm a/k/a Donna Jean Strahm, deceased, whose date of death was March 18, 2020, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88820 Overseas Hwy., Tavernier, FL 33070.

AUTOS WANTED NONJUDICIAL PROCEEDING TO FORECLOSE CLAIM OF LIEN BY TRUSTEE FILE NO.: 20-001586 WINDWARD POINTE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION OF KEY WEST, INC., A CORPORATION NOT-FOR-PROFIT UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA, Lienholder, vs.

ROBERT BRETT FINKELSTEIN; KEVRA DENISE FINKELSTEIN Obligor ________________/ TRUSTEE’S NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE PROCEEDING TO: Robert Brett Finkelstein 11750 Island Lakes Lane Boca Raton, FL 33498 Kevra Denise Finkelstein 11750 Island Lakes Lane Boca Raton, FL 33498 YOU ARE NOTIFIED that a TRUSTEE’S NON-JUDICIAL PROCEEDING to enforce a Lien has been instituted on the following Timeshare Ownership Interest at Windward Pointe Condominium described as: Unit 5214, Week 26, Odd Year Biennial, Windward Pointe Condominium, a

ALL YEARS! Junk or Used. Cars - Vans Trucks- Running or Not. $CASH$ 305-332-0483

EMPLOYMENT City of Marathon - Job Openings: Wastewater Plant Operator Trainee , Recreational Specialist, Street Maintenance and Utilities Maintenance.

EOE, FULL BENEFITS www.ci.marathon.fl.us Shelter Bay Marine in Marathon hiring Qualified Mechanics.

Contact Steve at 305-743-7008 Security Guard needed Full-time in Islamorada.

Keys Security, Lic# B2000155.

Call 305-684-0033.

Come Join Our Family and Have Fun At Work!

Hiring: Host, Hostess & Servers - Full &/or parttime. AM & PM Shifts.

Apply in person at Castaway Restaurant, end of 15th Street, Oceanside, Marathon or email: lobstercrawl@gmail.com.

HOBBIES/COLLECT. PRIVATE COLLECTOR WANTS Rolex, Dive Watches and Pilot Watches. Old Model Military Clocks & Watches.

Call 305-743-4578 HOUSING FOR RENT

BOATS FOR SALE

MARATHON GARBAGE SERVICE We are now hiring for the following positions:

Diesel Mechanic Truck Helpers CDL Drivers Applicants must apply in person to be considered.

4290 Overseas Hwy, Marathon

60

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC && LEGAL NOTICES • • 305.743.0844 • CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC LEGAL NOTICES 305.743.0844 HOUSING FOR RENT AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN MARATHON. Shared rooms available for short or long term rentals.

Single: $720/month; Double: $1,150/month; Plus tax; F/L/S. Units provide an Ideal option for temporary or long term housing. Furnished with bunk beds, full kitchen with all utensils, tables, desks, coin operated washer & dryer.

Residents share the kitchen, bathroom and dining areas. Linens, towels, consumables are not provided.

For i n f o r m a t i o n : Bob Brayman 305-7435929 bbrayman@ hallsdiving.com

The Guidance/Care Center, Inc. a division of

PART TIME HOUSEKEEPER

“Uplifting the human spirit since 1973”

NOW HIRING

20-30 hours/week. Must be able to work Saturdays & some Sundays.

Also looking for Saturday only housekeepers.

Call: 305-743-0240 or 305-587-0359 to apply.

FRONT DESK AGENT PUBLIC AREA ATTENDANTS HOUSEMEN ROOM ATTENDANTS

AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN MARATHON - Furnished apartment available for rent. $1,800/mo. F/L/$900 Security. 3 Bedrooms, Full bath, Full kitchen with all utensils. Apartment completely furnished.

Bedrooms sleep two and contain dresser, desk, partial closet and bunk beds. Shaded back yard, tables, chairs and BBQ grill. Limited inside living area.

Coin operated washer & dryer on property. Available June 6, 2020. For information call Bob Brayman 305743-5929 or bbrayman@ hallsdiving.com.

BELLMEN

NOW HIRING

Apprentice - No Exp $15/hr Installer - 6 mos to 1 yr exp $15–$22/hr Lead Installer - 3+ yrs exp plus leadership traits $22-$30/hr Maintenance Tech - 1+ yrs exp in service $16-$19/hr Service Tech (On-Call) 3+ yrs $25-$30/hr Looking for a career? Want to be part of a team orientated company? Want to make more money and have more time to spend with your family? Apply today via email: Joey@ellingtonac.com. Call 321-482-3158 to schedule meeting for employment.

If you have a passion for guest service and hospitality, please apply bungalowskeylargo.com/careers

Bungalows Key Largo is an EOE

THE GUIDANCE/CARE CENTER, Inc.

IS STILL HIRING! KEY WEST

Behavioral Health Therapist (Children & Adult) Case Manager (Forensic & Adult) Substance Abuse Counselor

MARATHON

RNs and LPNs (3 shifts) (PT& FT) *Behavioral Health Technicians (3 shifts) (PT/FT) Peer Support Specialist *Assisted Living Direct Care Worker (2 shifts) (PT/FT) Drop In Technician (PT) Research Assistant

*No experience necessary. Will train.

A caring heart & helpful hands required.

Ability to work some evening or weekend shifts a plus.

If you’ve wanted to get into the medical field but don’t have the education, this is the job for you!

Background and drug screen req.

GREAT BENEFITS! Check out all available positions at: www.westcare.com EEOC/DFWP

2BR/1.5BA Single Family Home for rent available in Marathon.

On canal, dockage available. $2,200/month F/L/S 508-958-2590 2BR/2BA Large Apt for Rent. 10828 5th Avenue Gulf, Marathon. $1,850/ month plus utilities.

F/L/S. Taking applications.

Call (305) 394-4545 OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT in Marathon: Office/Retail Space, 1500sf w/additional 2 covered porches incl.

Open water views, US-1 frontage, $2700/month.

Also small Office Space $500/month.

Wifi & Utilities included. Onsite storage & or yard space available - prices by size.

Call 305-743-7277 Small office space available for rent. Great location on U.S. 1 in Tavernier. Conveniently located to everything.

3 0 5 - 3 9 4 - 0 5 3 0 RV LOT FOR RENT RV Large Lot for Rent in Marathon. Available now. $1,400/month + util.

Key RV, 6099 Overseas Hwy #15-E. 760-5657210 or 760-574-4915

D’Asign Source is seeking the following professionals. Overtime and benefits are available. For full details & additional openings, please visit DAsignSource.com/careers

Finish Carpenter Framing & drywall repairs, kitchen & bathroom remodeling, etc. Must present high attention to detail; the finish work must be perfect!

Want a fresh start? Need a new career?

NOW HIRING Competitive wages for all levels of experience Local and family oriented Apply in person 1-305-289-9515 to schedule an appointment

NOW HIRING

Marathon, Big Pine Key & Stock Island Locations $15 per hour to start

Immediate opening for a HVAC Service Technician

NOW HIRING HOUSEKEEPERS

Upper & Middle Keys.

Great Pay • Paid Holidays • Sick Pay • Medical Insurance • Paid Vacation

Experience preferred, not required.

Competitive wages. FT/PT.

Apply in person

Email resumes to reservations@grassyflats.com or stop by to fill out an application.

171 Hood Ave • MM 91.5 • Tavernier p 305-852-2960 • f 305-852-0656

58182 Overseas Hwy, Grassy Key

FT Employees are eligible to participate in our health, dental, vision, Life Insurance. PTO and Profit Sharing is available to every member of our team (conditions apply).

HOW TO APPLY: Go to mytomthumb.com or call Cleveland (786) 295-5307.

61

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

LET’S DO BUSINESS - 305.453.6928 Licensed & Insured #SP33799

ALL KEYS GLASS

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Windows • Doors

305-743-7800

NEW & REPAIR

Authorized Dealer

305-664-0099

Sales & Installation • Tub & Shower Enclosures Safety & Tempered Glass • Mirror & Mirror Walls Plexi-Glass & Lexan

www.TikiHuts.com

STATE CERTIFIED THATCHING CONTRACTOR CYC 000002

Sportfishing Adventures

To order call 908.797.9430

Dolphin-Tuna-Wahoo-Billfish-Snapper-Grouper-Shark Deep Sea –Off Shore-Reef-Wrecks-Gulf

info@johnnymaddoxcharters.com

305-481-3259

Corporate accounts welcome, call (908) 797-9430 Ravi.Vaithinathan@tendbar.us - www.tendbar.us

Keys Fisheries Market & Marina Mile Marker 48.5, Marathon End of 35th Street Bayside

y’s www.KeysSlidingGlassDoorRepair.com And Sliding Glass Door Repair We Also Repair & Replace Patio Door Screens

Please remember, you must be 21 to purchase alcohol.

Operating Since 2004 Appliance and Air Conditioning

Sales - Service - Installation 1700 N. Roosevelt Blvd #2, Key West 305-294-0090 • www.kolhages.com

305-998-8953 Insured • Professional • Reliable

PROP DOC

KEY WEST,

inc.

Roller Maintenance Track Maintenance Door Alignment Security Pins Safety Locks Handles

Delivering groceries, beer, wine & spirits and other provisions to you in the Florida Keys from Marathon to Key West.

New & Used / Sales & Service Propellers, Shafts, Struts, Rudders

Only Laser Scanner in the Keys No Need to Send Your Prop to the Mainland & Waste Valuable Fishing Time Outboard Shafts 305-292-0012 Inboard and Outboard Straightened on Boat 6003 Peninsular Ave. Stock Island-FL Free Propeller Analysis

propdrkw@gmail.com

SOLAR DONE RIGHT! CALL US FOR A FREE HOME ESTIMATE

Sewer Connections 305

872-1876

• New Construction • Remodeling • Irrigation

305

We also service and sell: Marine A/C, Refrigeration, Watermakers, Batteries, Solar Systems, Anything Electrical!

NOW HIRING!

• SINCE 1989 •

296-BLUE

305-289-1150

• Heavy Equipment • Solar Lic## RF11067168

PC 606

Florida Solar Contractor CVC 56734

Serving Monroe, Dade & Broward Including Airports & Ports.

SUV, Van & Limousine options available Call us for special events.

1075 Duval St Located in Duval Square 305.433.1290

3229 Flager Ave Suite 102 305.517.6582

305-743-7454

www.saltenergy.net www.saltservice.net 2992 Overseas Highway Marathon, FL 33050

Only $50 Puts Your Business Card Here

fkes2011@gmail.com floridakeysexpressshuttle.com

Liz Samess Interiors

Design, Decorating, Drafting, & More…

Liz Samess Interior Designer

CELL: Email:

(954) 801-7883 interiordesignbyliz@gmail.com

Marathon, FL 33050

METAL ROOFING

SPECIALIST 305-664-1010 www.roofer.pro

62

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

LET’S DO BUSINESS - 305.743.0844 Licensed & Insured #SP33799

Open M-F 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

2001 O/S Hwy, Marathon

305-743-3530

sales@alkeysyamaha.com

METAL ROOFING

SPECIALIST 305-664-1010 www.roofer.pro

ALL KEYS GLASS

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Windows • Doors

305-743-7800

Authorized Dealer

FULL SERVICE YAMAHA DEALER • Yamaha Outboard Motor Repair, Sales & Service

Sales & Installation • Tub & Shower Enclosures Safety & Tempered Glass • Mirror & Mirror Walls Plexi-Glass & Lexan

• Certified Yamaha Technicians • Do it Yourself? Fully-stocked all Yamaha Parts & Accessories

Sportfishing Adventures

Dolphin-Tuna-Wahoo-Billfish-Snapper-Grouper-Shark Deep Sea –Off Shore-Reef-Wrecks-Gulf

info@johnnymaddoxcharters.com

305-481-3259

SOLAR DONE RIGHT! CALL US FOR A FREE HOME ESTIMATE

We also service and sell: Marine A/C, Refrigeration, Watermakers, Batteries, Solar Systems, Anything Electrical!

• SINCE 1989 •

305-289-1150

Keys Fisheries Market & Marina Mile Marker 48.5, Marathon End of 35th Street Bayside

Florida Solar Contractor CVC 56734

www.saltenergy.net www.saltservice.net 2992 Overseas Highway Marathon, FL 33050

Tewes Mortgage

Your local, residential lending expert!

Call 305.495.6000

Kitchen Cabinets Sales REAL Wood Cabinets at Particle Board Prices KitchenKorner/Fred's Beds 1333 O/S Hwy, MM 53.5 • 305-743-7277

for a FREE Consultation

Brian Tewes

Customer service is my strength Brian@tewesmortgage.com

NMLS# 375025 Tewes Mortgage NMLS# 1453791 NMLSConsumerAccess.org

www.TewesMortgage.com

Liz Samess Interiors

Licensed & Insured Contractor # CACO53827

Design, Decorating, Drafting, & More…

ARTIC TEMP, INC.

Liz Samess

Air Conditioning & Refrigeration

Interior Designer

CELL: Email:

(954) 801-7883 interiordesignbyliz@gmail.com

Residential, Commercial & Marine Ice Machine - Sales - Service

Marathon, FL 33050

Serving Key Largo to Key West

Cell: 305-363-8330 Office: 305-735-4626 will@cecflk.com www.CECFLK.com

Phone: (305) 743-5288

Fax: (305) 743-6887

Will Campbell President

Floor & Wall Tiles Porcelain/Planks Marble Carpets Quartz & Granite Countertops

P.E. Lic. No: 79269 5800 Overseas Hwy. Unit 32 Marathon, FL. 33050

Only $50 Puts Your Business Card Here

Lic#SP-3562

SAT math tutoring e

at all math subjects: priv oup gr & • calculus ons less • precalculus audrey • geometry ajmatthis3@gmail.com • trigonometry 305.395.9461.

• algebra group & private lessons • pre-algebra • etc.

We Do Installations!

Licensed & Insured

FREE ESTIMATES U.S.1 & 109th St, Marathon (Across from Beall’s Outlet)

289-3019

63

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

LET’S DO BUSINESS - 305.743.0844 MARATHON • KEY COLONY OWNERS

START EARNING 305 3902315

WWW.KEYSRENTALSONLINE.COM OFFER YOUR ENJOY EXPERT MAXIMIZE GUESTS A VIP PROPERTY YOUR INCOME EXPERIENCE MAINTENANCE POTENTIAL

NEW & REPAIR

305-664-0099 www.TikiHuts.com

Karen Raspe

Realtor 305-393-9010 karenraspe@bellsouth.net

9141 Overseas Highway Marathon, FL 33050 www.karenraspe.com

STATE CERTIFIED THATCHING CONTRACTOR CYC 000002

Petersen Repair & Maintenance Serving Monroe, Dade & Broward Including Airports & Ports.

SUV, Van & Limousine options available Call us for special events.

305-743-7454

fkes2011@gmail.com floridakeysexpressshuttle.com

• Flooring • Inside Trim Work • Door Replacement • Landscaping • Fencing

• Plastering & Stucco • Masonry & Spalling Repair • Waterproof & Roof Painting • Interior & Exterior Painting • Parking Lot Striping

SP# 4434, 4435, 4436, 4437, 4438. 4439. 4448, 4449, 4450, 4451

Charlie Petersen 920-371-3107 | PetersenRepair@yahoo.com

y’s www.KeysSlidingGlassDoorRepair.com And Sliding Glass Door Repair Roller Maintenance Track Maintenance Door Alignment Security Pins Safety Locks Handles

Barbara Sanchez Home & Offices Expertly Cleaned Fast Dependable Service “We Clean Your Place, Like it Was Our Place”

We Also Repair & Replace Patio Door Screens

305-998-8953 Insured • Professional • Reliable

Excellent References Upon Request

305-766-0819 305-924-0179

Nails by Ivis

Manicures • Pedicures Acrylics • Gelish • Facials • Waxing

When It Rains It Pours!

Need 7” Gutters? We have 6” & 7” Seamless • Copper Specialists MARATHON

305-743-0506 KEY LARGO 305-852-5356 rainsavergutters@gmail.com

Rachel Sanderson Rachellynnes94@gmail.com 305.393.3076

5177 Overseas Highway

(Between Office Depot & Main Post Office)

Marathon, FL 33050 305-289-1631

www.marathonhairandnailsalon.com

The Weekly Newspapers

Specializing in Color and Highlights Haircuts Keratin Treatments 5177 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050

SALES

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

(Between Office Depot and Main Post Office)

305-289-1631

www.KeysWeekly.com

305-743-0844

www.marathonhairandnailsalon.com

QUICK & RELIABLE OPEN WATER MARINE SERVICES JARED FRANK

OWNER

(305) 289-1551 towboatusmarathon.com

Only $50 Puts Your Business Card Here

64

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MAY 28, 2020

SAVE A LOCAL WEAR A MASK

MASK

112 IN PUBLIC

FLORIDA KEYS

IN PUBLIC - INSIDE OR OUT WITHIN 6 FT OF ANYONE WWW.MASKSINPUBLIC.COM @MASKSINPUBLICPROJECT INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK