Upper Keys Weekly 20-0813

Your rights are getting flabby; be sure to exercise on Tuesday.

Aug. 13, 2020

Get a bite of the facts | P. 22

CAMPAIGN CRAZE

Candidates face attacks | P. 6

BUNDLES OF JOY

Restored corals become parents | P. 29

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COMMUNITY NEWS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

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26.6%

The Monroe County Supervisor of Elections says more than 26% of voters have already cast a primary ballot. As of Aug. 12, the office had processed 9,713 mail ballots and 2,074 voters had cast their ballots during early voting.

LAWSUIT TARGETS POLICE, SCHOOL DISTRICT Chief defends officers who arrested young boy MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

T

he mother of a child who punched a Key West teacher in 2018 is suing the school district, the city of Key West and the police officers who arrested the boy, who was 8 at the time. Assault charges filed against the boy were later dismissed.

The boy’s mother, Bianca Di Gennaro, 48, is the daughter of former Monroe County Commissioner Mario Di Gennaro. She hired attorney Ben Crump, who is representing George Floyd’s family, to represent her in the two-yearold incident.

Crump has circulated a partial video of the arrest on news outlets and social media, showing that the handcuffs were too big for the boy’s hands.

Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg has supported his officers, who he said were following state statutes in arresting the child.

Florida laws provides for an upgraded charge when the victim of an assault is a public or school official.

Brandenburg and the Key West Police Department have been recognized for training all 97 officers in the department to recognize the signs and symptoms of autism and use that training in how they respond to various situations.

After punching a teacher in the cafeteria of Gerald Adams Elementary School, the boy, who, according to his mother, has ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, depression and anxiety, told the teacher, “My mom is gonna beat your ass.”

The boy’s father was called to the school and was present when his son was arrested.

The boy’s mother was out of town and on her way back from Miami at the time, according to the police report.

The video, taken by a police officer’s bodyworn camera, shows another officer telling the child in a calm tone that what he did was serious and that the boy had made a mistake when he punched a teacher in the lunchroom of Gerald Adams Elementary School.

The incident occurred in December 2018, but the lawsuit was filed this week, when the video gained traction online.

Charges against the student were dismissed by prosecutors nine months after the incident occurred.

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.

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ELECTION 2020

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

CAMPAIGNING GETS UGLY Mailers sling mud against candidates in state, county races

JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

E

arly primary voting is underway as candidates look to secure party nods going into the November general election. Some races are intensifying — and becoming somewhat ugly — with mailers targeting several candidates as the Aug. 18 primary nears.

Among the targets in recent weeks is current Islamorada councilman and state representative candidate on the Republican side, Jim Mooney. Multiple mailers paid for by a political committee, Conservatives for Truth, claim that Mooney received “socialist tainted funds,” while another says that “Big Sugar” is “bankrolling Jim Mooney.”

The front of another postcard mailed out asks, “Who is the real Jim Mooney?” It then drops to three separate bullets with the first one reading “Communist Sympathizer?” The others say “Fiscally Irresponsible?” and “Tax And Spend Liberal?” The mailer was paid for by the political committee South Florida First, which is chaired by Rhonda Rebman Lopez, who’s vying for the Republican nod against Mooney and Alexandria Suarez. The address stamped on the mailer matches the address for the political committee, and records of South Florida First show that $5,600 was paid by the group to Groundswell Strategies for mailers on Aug. 4.

The Weekly reached out to Lopez, who denied any involvement in the mailer associated with the group she chairs. Asked if her group was behind the mailer, she said, “I started an investigation on it already. I am investigating that and will see where it ends.

I want to find out what’s going on there and I want to know if it’s the exact name of the PAC and there’s no extra commas or spaces.”

More than five mailers have been sent criticizing Mooney in recent weeks, which he called “childish.” Two other postcards paid for by Voters Response, which has the same address as South Florida First, were recently mailed that include both Mooney and Mike Forster, current Islamorada mayor and candidate for Monroe County Commission’s District 5 seat. One calls the two “RINOs,” or “Republicans In Name Only.” The other says that Mooney and Forster are “2 Peas In A Pod” and “never saw a tax they didn’t raise or a debt they wouldn’t increase.” It goes on to state that the two raised taxes every year between 2015 and 2020 and that they’re leaving the village with a debt of $79.8 million.

A recent mailer went out against Rhonda Rebman Lopez accusing her of siding with socialists. CONTRIBUTED

This mailer goes at Mooney and Forster for raising taxes and leaving debt in the village of Islamorada. CONTRIBUTED

“I laughed,” Mooney said. “They (the ones who sent the mailer) wasted a lot of money.”

While the mailers came out of the blue, Forster said he wasn’t surprised, given the time Mooney and he spent on the council and their 20-plus-year friendship. Forster is running for the Republican nod in the county commission District 5 race against Robby Majeska.

“You’re always told to stay in your campaign and not get involved with anyone else’s,” he said. “As a friend, it was easy to back and support him (Mooney). We don’t agree on everything, but we agree to disagree. I feel like I got in the crosshairs obviously of his opponent and whoever else is behind it.”

Forster was also hit with a mailer paid by Voters Response that contained a 14-page document related to a sexual harassment lawsuit against him by a former employee at Mangrove Mike’s Cafe. Forster denies the claims and the suit was settled out of court.

The postcards attacking both Mooney and Forster come from Voters Response, an electronic communications organization

out of Tallahassee. In the past month alone, contributions to Voters Response totaled $110,300. Among the groups contributing to Voters Response is Citizens for Principled Leadership, which supplied $14,000 on July 22, $5,000 on July 28 and $6,000 on July 29.

As for contributions to Citizens for Principled Leadership, $10,000 was donated on July 28

by Cheryl Meads, former councilwoman who just recently threw her name back into the 2020 race for seat 2, and $10,000 from the Everglades Water Trust, which is supporting Rebman Lopez, on July 29.

Meads denied any involvement behind the mailers against Mooney and Forster, and she calls it “unfortunate gossip.” She told the Weekly she wishes “Jim and Mike well in their endeavors.”

“I do support Rhonda Rebman Lopez because she is pragmatic and forward thinking business woman who will bring an independent and fresh perspective to solving our district’s issues in Tallahassee,” she said.

Rebman Lopez, a resident of Ocean Reef Club and president of Peco International Electric Inc., said the mud-slinging didn’t start until she won the endorsement of Everglades Trust. She, too, has been the subject of attacks via numerous mailers and commercials.

A number of different mailers paid for by the Trump Committee PC accuse Lopez of defying President Donald Trump and siding with socialists having taken money linked to Nicholas Maduro. The PAC has received $194,000 in contributions that have come from real estate and freight management, agriculture and an attorney with addresses outside the district.

And the most recent mailer paid for by Liberate Florida, out of Pinecrest, attacks Rhonda for denying that “she is behind the lunatic lies against Republican Jim Mooney.” It also includes a website lyingrhonda.com.

“The Everglades Trust is the umbrella of all clean water initiative groups,” she said.

“When I got that is when all these mailers continued on page 14

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

VOTE CARLOS GIMENEZ FOR CONGRESS Balanced a budget of $9 BILLION 8 years in a row Cut taxes by $1,700 PER HOUSEHOLD Fought for TRANSPARENCY and ACCOUNTABILITY Saved taxpayers $1.9 BILLION IN WASTEFUL SPENDING Increased the POLICE BUDGET and number of officers PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITY Led one of the STRONGEST ECONOMIC COMEBACKS in South Florida history

PAID FOR BY CARLOS GIMENEZ FOR CONGRESS

ED ENDORS ATIVE ESENT R P E R Y B SCHEIN A R Y L L HO ATOR AND SEN LORES EF ANITER Jim is a lifelong resident of the Florida Keys. Through his experiences as a father, school teacher, coach, successful business owner, volunteer and Mayor/Councilman of the Village of Islamorada, Jim has extensive direct knowledge of the needs of our district as well as the resourcefulness to make sure those needs are met. Jim will utilize his years of experience and service to our community to fight for us on issues such as:

KNOWLEDGEABLE RESOURCEFUL TRUSTWORTHY

• Small business growth and job creation • Educational opportunities that empower families and prepare students for success • Create affordable housing and long-term solutions for our job force • Our district’s unique environment, which must be preserved for future generations

A REPUBLICAN, JIM IS UNIQUELY QUALIFIED TO APPLY HIS CONSERVATIVE APPROACH, TO MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE, FOR OUR COMMUNITY IN TALLAHASSEE.

POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT PAID FOR AND APPROVED BY JIM MOONEY, REPUBLICAN, FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE.

ELECTION 2020

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

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MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

WHAT IS A STATE COMMITTEEMAN, ANYWAY? Two seek Republican nod for position

Stephen Hammond

C

Casey Scheu

ampaign ads have appeared lately for a state committeeman position in Monroe County, with Casey Scheu challenging Stephen Hammond for the job and prompting the Keys Weekly to ask, “What is a state committeeman and what does he do?”

The position exists within the Republican Executive Committee in Monroe County and is elected by members of the Republican Party.

“The Republican Executive Committee (REC) is the governing body of the Republican Party of Monroe County. The REC is composed of elected representatives from the several precincts in Monroe County. The REC works with the three Keys Republican Clubs to support Republican candidates and promote the Republican Party throughout Monroe County,” states the party’s website for Monroe County.

The executive committee also includes a state committeewoman. Kathy Ovide is the party’s committeewoman in Monroe County. She was re-elected last year to a second four-year term without opposition.

“We attend meetings, and if there’s any business to discuss within our congressional district caucus, we’ll tackle those issues and questions,” Ovide said, adding that the committeeman and committeewoman are volunteer positions, aside from a $250 stipend for travel and meetings.

A similar position exists within the Democratic Party, but is selected from within the executive committee and not by the entire party.

“The committeeman position has to be elected during the primary for the Republican Party,” Ovide said, adding that Hammond has served as committeeman for the past five or six years. “Casey Scheu decided to challenge him this year.”

“The state committeeman is the field marshal for the Republican Party in Monroe,” Scheu writes on his campaign website. “As Committeeman, I will organize our 33 precincts, unite our voice, and make certain Republicans have a seat at the table in Monroe County.”

Hammond is a Key West Realtor who has served in the position of committeeman since 2016.

Suffragists lobby for women’s right to vote in the early 1900s. ACLU/Contributed

19TH AMENDMENT HITS CENTURY MARK White women have been voting since August 1920 MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

A

merican women, including those in the Florida Keys, can thank the state of Tennessee when they head to the polls or mail their ballots this August and November. Specifically, they can thank legislator Harry Burn, who was 24 when he changed his vote and supported the 19th Amendment “at the insistence of his elderly mother,” according to the U.S. government archives.

On Aug. 18, 1920 — 100 years ago, nearly to the day — Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing the three-fourths majority needed for it to take effect nationwide on Aug. 26, 1920, and allow women the right to vote, well, white women. The women’s voting measure had been introduced at every session of Congress for 42 years before its passage, but was always ignored or voted down, according to Smithsonian Magazine’s special section on the Women’s Vote Centennial. It finally passed Congress in 1919 and went to the states for ratification. In May, the House of Representatives passed it by a vote of 304 to 90; two weeks later, the Senate approved it 56 to 25.

The 19th Amendment excluded women of African, Asian, Hispanic and

American Indian descent from voting. Black women in America had to fight until August 1965 for the right to elect their leaders, even though black men had been allowed to vote since 1870. But throughout history, black women in America and Europe had supported their fellow females’ fight for suffrage.

Although it sounds similar, the word “suffrage” has nothing to do with suffering, but rather means, simply, the right to vote in political elections.

And while white women had won the voting battle, many male lawmakers refused to make the process easy for them.

“No matter how groundbreaking the 19th Amendment was, it failed to stipulate who was responsible for ensuring that this new voting bloc could — and would — cast ballots,” states Smithsonian Magazine.

“Officials in Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina decreed that individuals who had failed to register six months prior to the general election were ineligible to vote — a line of reasoning that conveniently overlooked the fact that women only won suffrage some three months after local registration deadlines had passed.”

The Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative is using the historic anniversary to consider and continue the fight for women’s and racial equality in the United States and the world.

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KEY WEST

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

One of the men’s dormitories at Keys Overnight Temporary Shelter, KOTS, the City of Key West’s homeless shelter on Stock Island, is seen in September 2019. JOHN TEETS/Contributed

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT? Key West seeks new homeless shelter operator MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

T

he managers of Key West’s homeless shelter, like many of their struggling clients, will be out of work next month.

The nonprofit Southernmost Homeless Assistance League (SHAL) has managed the Keys Overnight Temporary Shelter (KOTS) for the city since 2011 with a month-to-month contract.

City officials told SHAL directors on Aug. 4 that the management contract won’t be renewed after Sept. 30.

Officials are drafting a Request for Proposals to find another manager, city spokeswoman Alyson Crean told the Keys Weekly on Aug. 11.

The dormitory-style shelter is located on College Road on property owned by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. It houses up to 140 homeless adults and has typically opened in the evening and closed in the morning. But KOTS began offering 24-hour shelter operations at the start of the pandemic.

The city paid SHAL $472,000 to operate KOTS in 2019, according to budget documents.

City Commissioner Sam Kaufman, who has championed homeless

services, said he shares the sentiments of City Manager Greg Veliz, who complimented the work of SHAL and director Elicia Pintabona, but said the city is ready for a new direction.

Kaufman said the shelter’s efforts throughout the pandemic “deserve high praise” and added that he hopes the new management agency will “build upon the same success that the shelter has recently experienced.”

In an Aug. 4 press release, SHAL Chairman Peter Dswonyk said although the organization is “understandably disappointed with this action, we will of course support any decision made by the Key West City Commission. Our directors and staff are working hard to prepare to turn over KOTS operations to a new, as yet unidentified, entity. We are committed to ensuring the smoothest possible transition with minimal impact to KOTS clients and everyone else in the community.”

“SHAL's directors are carefully examining its mission and capabilities to determine the organization's future,” the press release states.

The timeline of the RFP and selection process is unknown, but Kaufman said he confirmed with Veliz that the Sept. 30 deadline would provide sufficient time to install a new operator.

JUDGE SENDS CRUISE SHIP QUESTIONS TO KEY WEST BALLOT MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

A

federal judge on Aug. 12 ruled in favor of the committee that wants Key West voters to decide on limitations to the island’s cruise ship industry.

The three questions will appear on the November ballot, Judge James King ruled.

“It will be on the ballot,” the judge ruled, but said he is not ruling on the merits of the case at this time.

Legal challenges to the proposed limitations on cruise ship size and capacity are expected if Key West voters approve the ballot referendums on Nov. 3.

At Wednesday’s bench trial, the Committee for Safer Cleaner Ships prevailed in a lawsuit filed by the Key West Bar Pilots and owners of the privately owned Pier B cruise ship pier. The lawsuit claims the local ballot referendum is improper, in part, because port operations are governed by maritime law, which is a federal issue, not a local issue.

King declined to rule on the merits of those claims, saying those can be decided after the election if the referendums pass.

“I think that’s something that should await the passage or failure of the ballot questions,” King said.

“This case is complex and far transcends the usual admiralty case of who gets the sunken treasure in Key West.

“Waiting until the election will have no impact on these businesses because cruise ships aren’t docking right now anyway,” King said during the nearly fourhour Zoom hearing.

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

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KEYS SCHOOLS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

SCHOOL STARTS NEXT WEEK

9 things you need to know SARA MATTHIS

sara@keysweekly.com

T

he Monroe County School District will launch virtual school on Wednesday, Aug. 19. About 8,000 students and 1,000 teachers and staff will be fully embracing a newly drawn digital platform.

Here are 9 things parents and students need to know.

1. Visit the school’s website Visit keysschools.com and then select a specific school on the upper right side of the page. Each school has information on its front page about the new school year.

2. Get your device One of the first things viewers will see on the school website is a materials pickup schedule that lasts throughout this week. Materials refers to Chromebooks, one per student, loaned to families who do not already have a device at home. Textbooks will not be passed out. “Everything is online now,” said Monroe County School District Superintendent Terri Axford. “Plus, during COVID-19 we don’t really want to be passing around papers or books.”

3. Meet the teacher Elementary school teachers are reaching out to students and parents to set up 15-minute “getting to know you” individual virtual meetings before the start of the school year. According to Axford, this is already underway.

4. Find your schedule Some middle and high school students have been able to use Canvas or Google Classroom to access their schedules. However, school officials will be sending out emails to students with this information as well. Incoming high school freshmen will be offered a video tutorial that offers students information about courses and other opportunities.

5. ‘I do, you do, we do’ Almost every class period will be broken into three parts — teacher instruction, solo studying, and full class engagement. “That’s one of the major differences this fall compared to last spring,” Axford said. “Teachers will be having virtual face-to-face conversations with students and that was lacking last year.” Google Meet will be the most used platform, Axford said.

6. Teachers are at school According to Axford, 80% of Monroe County School District teachers have returned to their respective classrooms. For teachers in Florida, it is optional whether they will return to school buildings until such time as instruction is face to face.

Teachers working from the school are to follow strict guidelines and social distancing requirements.

7. Feeding the kids In the spring of 2020, the district continued to provide meals (breakfast and lunch) and, at some points, weekend supplies to Keys students. What began as a pickup, then moved to distribution points, will look different this fall. School vehicles will generally follow school bus routes to drop off meals. Students must be signed up.

8. Sports & clubs The fact that the Big Ten just canceled its fall sports seasons CHARTER SCHOOL START DATES doesn’t bode well for Charter schools in Monroe County high school sports. have submitted their own plan Axford said the district is to the state for approval. Below working on a safe plan please see the list of start dates. where students can still Only Big Pine Academy will be play or practice or use offering in-person instruction to its school facilities such as youngest students in pre-kinderthe gymnasium. Band garten classes. and drama will happen virtually on a school-by• Big Pine Academy: Pre-kinderschool basis. garten (and VPK) in person on 9. Get pumped Aug. 17; Kindergarten to 5th grade “It’s amazing to see students virtual school starting how excited everybody Aug. 31. is, and how much enthu• May Sands Montessori: School siasm they have about starts virtually Aug. 31. working with the kids,” • Ocean Studies: School starts said Axford. “But we are virtually Aug. 17. following the COVID-19 • Sigsbee Charter School: School transmission rates very starts virtually Aug. 17. carefully because our • Somerset Academy: School starts ultimate goal is to return virtually Aug. 13. to in-person instruction.”

• Treasure Village Montessori: School starts virtually Aug. 31.

ENVIRONMENT

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

ANOTHER BIG VOTE NEXT WEEK Mosquito Control board to decide on experimental trials

O

n Tuesday, Aug. 18, the board of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District will finally vote on an experimental trial of the Oxitec genetically modified mosquito in the Florida Keys.

The portion of the meeting pertaining to the proposed Oxitec and FKMCD partnership will start at 5 p.m. sharp. To watch, visit keysmosquito.org and click on the board and meetings tab. Scroll down and look for the portal to the second half of the regular board meeting.

The vote was deferred in July, giving time for those for and against to present arguments and information.

Recently, Oxitec has been running a series of webinars covering a variety of subjects. The last is scheduled the day before the vote, on Monday, Aug. 17 at 5 p.m. (To watch, or see one of the archived webinars, visit oxitec.com/florida.) The subject of the final Oxitec webinar is “Review 20 Years of Independent Assessment, Oversight and Validation.” Oxitec said some webinars have attracted as many as 100 viewers, or as few as 25, but there are continuous hits on the archived presentations.

Barry Wray of the Florida Keys Environmental Coalition unveiled a billboard in the Upper Keys (MM 92.5) opposing the trial in late July. The billboard reads: “WARNING!!!

GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOSQUITOES TO BE RELEASED IN THE KEYS!!!” and lists a website, stopgmm.com.

Earlier in July, two groups hosted virtual meetings with a panel of experts.

The Center for Food Safety and Friends of the Earth presented on July 13 with panelists from Yale University, GeneWatch UK, Dr. John Norris of the Lower Keys Medical Center and Ed Russo of the Florida Keys Environmental Coalition.

On the following day, the FKMCD hosted a virtual meeting with panelists from the National Association of County and City Health Officials; Bob Eadie, health administrator for the state Department of Health in Monroe County; veterinarian Dr. Doug Mader; and a professor from the University of Florida’s medical entomology laboratory.

Oxitec’s experimental trial proposal has been cleared by federal and state officials. Oxitec has been courting the keys and FKMCD for more than a decade.

Whether or not the trial takes place is up to a vote by the board of the FKMCD. Oxitec says its technology can decrease the chances of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever — in 2020, Monroe County has confirmed 42 cases, see story at right — and zika.

In both versions of the technology, Oxitec takes a biologically modified mosquito and uses tetracycline to keep it alive to adulthood so that it can mate. A very basic layman’s explanation of the procedure is to say that when the tetracycline applications stop (when the mosquitoes are released into the wild), the mosquitoes and offspring die. In the 2nd generation technology, only female breeders are treated with tetracycline in the lab in the U.K. Then the male-only eggs can be shipped globally for distribution. (Male mosquitoes do not bite humans; only female mosquitoes require blood to reproduce.) Boxes of the maleonly eggs can be placed in neighborhoods.

Once in place, water and fluorescent markers are added to the boxes.

Monroe County’s most senior health officer, Bob Eadie, has endorsed the trials.

“You can never have enough tools,” he said, referring to the Oxitec technology.

“As we go forward we need to figure out how to control any type of outbreaks of infectious diseases. I go back to COVID. It’s possible we can create a vaccine for that, but decades of trials for a dengue vaccine have not been successful. We need some way to protect the public from mosquitoborne diseases and this looks like viable technology.”

— ­Weekly staff report

13

FIVE ADDITIONAL DENGUE CASES BRING TOTAL TO OVER 40

F

ive additional cases of dengue were confirmed on Aug. 10, bringing the total number infected to more than 40 since the outbreak began in mid-June, when a mosquito-borne illness advisory went into effect on June 19.

At that time, there were just two confirmed cases of dengue. Forty-two cases have been confirmed to the Florida Health Department since then.

As health officials continue to assess the outbreak, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District continues its intense mosquito control activities from Key Largo to Tavernier. The spraying continues while staff goes door-to-door to check for standing water — a prime breeding spot for mosquitoes that carry the disease.

FKMCD inspectors from across the Keys are converging on Key Largo and canvassing areas where dengue has been reported.

Chad Huff, public information officer with FKMCD, said these inspectors work tirelessly as they go house-to-house talking to property owners and helping them eliminate and treat potential and current breeding sites for mosquitoes.

“In addition, FKMCD aerial crews are flying numerous missions via helicopter over Key Largo as needed to apply both larvicide and adulticide products,” he said. “Over the course of the last several weeks, two of those weekly missions originate at Key Largo school which is being utilized as a temporary landing zone so our crews can refill the helicopter with liquid larvicide and return to the air quickly and maximize their time over the target.”

On the ground, truck missions to kill adult mosquitoes in the target area are being conducted as necessary. The location of spray missions is dictated by observations made by mosquito surveillance.

Dengue is spread by the bite of the female Aedes aegypti mosquito. This is very much an urban mosquito that thrives in populated areas and breeds in containers that hold water. Eliminate water filled containers and you eliminate the threat.

FKMCD is also using public relations to combat the outbreak. Residents can help in the effort and protect themselves from dengue by: avoiding mosquitoes and mosquito bites; walk around their property and dump any standing water; cover or turn over anything that might catch and hold water during a rain; wear long sleeves and pants if you are going to be outside; check all screens and keep doors closed; and use insect repellent if you are going to be outside.

— ­Weekly staff report

14

COMMUNITY NEWS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020 from page 6

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Chaos in the U. S. Postal system

Elections boss clarifies drop box

I'm in New York doing some personal business. Knowing that I won't be in Key West on Tuesday, August 18th — election day — I ordered an absentee ballot which was mailed first class on July 23, 19 days ago. It has not arrived.

In an abundance of caution, I ordered a second ballot which was mailed from Key West on July 31, 11 days ago. It has not arrived.

Keys' voters can use this informational intelligence to do the right thing this week. If you can deliver your "vote from home" ballot to the elections offices this week, please do so. If you can't, call FedEx or UPS, and make sure your vote is counted!

Or, just vote early if you can.

For good government, and sincerely,

We have been trying to get the word out about our drop boxes.

For many years some counties have used drop boxes. Some counties have put drop boxes in shopping malls.

I have been worried to use drop boxes, afraid of vandalism.

This year I found a drop box on wheels and to protect that drop box we have an employee to watch the box. The box is brought in every night at 5 p.m.; the ballots are taken out of the drop box and processed.

The drop box is not mandatory, it is a courtesy. Every day 50 voters are using the drop box in Key West. That is 50 voters that would have had to come into the office with other voters just to drop off their ballot. Each of them was happy it was there.

With the number of people in town that have gotten the COVID-19 virus, I am happy and proud of our drop boxes keeping voters safe.

Because we have never had drop boxes before, the employee is told, when they see a voter who has a Vote by Mail ballot, to ask them if can help and tell them about the drop box.

Use it, don’t use it, just vote; vote by mail, vote at an early voting site, or vote at the polls. Just vote.

Another big thank-you to our unsung heroes: Monroe County Public Works. They keep the toilets flushing and the AC on. They also deliver our voting equipment.

John R. Padget Key West

R. Joyce Griffin Supervisor of Elections

CAMPAIGNING GETS UGLY started. Commercial developers, realtors and big sugar don’t like clean water. They don’t like Everglades Trust.

“Rhonda Rebman Lopez is the only candidate in House 120, including our current representative, Holly (Raschein), that worked to get Trump elected,” Rebman Lopez continued. “I was his co-chair for Women of South Florida. I don’t know where the other people were, because they didn’t help us at all.”

Rebman Lopez went as far as to point to Suarez’s camp as the possible ones behind the attacks.

“When they did the Key West Hometown forum, they asked her who is socalist in 120,” Rebman Lopez said. “She (Suarez) said there’s socialism right out your front door in 120. I think she’s got an obsession with socialism or something.”

Firing back against the claims, Suarez said Rebman Lopez has run a campaign on “half truths in general.” Suarez, who formerly lived in Homestead and now resides in Key Largo, said she’s been vocal about having nothing to do with the slanders, texts, emails or mailers.

“Even if I had the money in my campaign like Rebman Lopez has, I wouldn’t spend one penny of donations given to me to run my campaign for the slanders and mailers she’s done,” she said. “I just don’t have time with only one week left in the race for the nonsense that she throws out there.

I believe the race is between me and Jim Mooney. It should be about merit, what we each have to offer, and I’m talking about why I have the strongest background and why I’m the right candidate for the seat.”

Attacks against Mooney date back to December 2019 when a letter went out to his supporters falsely stating that a criminal investigation was requested into connections between the supporters’ business activities and any official actions or favors undertaken by Mooney to benefit them.

The Monroe County State Attorney’s Office investigated the matter but couldn’t find the person or persons behind it.

“That was the first attack,” Mooney said. “Eight months later and I’m still under attack. It tells me they’re worried about something.”

Mooney, who’s received endorsements from Raschein and state Sen. Anitere Flores, was also attacked via mass text messages. The PAC that was stated in the text to have paid for it, Help Trump Secure the Border Political Action Committee, denied sending them out. The PAC is operated by one of Suarez’s consultants, but she said her camp didn’t send anything out. What raised eyebrows was the disclaimer in the text that Suarez said was inaccurate and fraudulent to make it look like she was the one behind it.

Suarez said her consultants are in contact with Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office over the matter. Mooney’s consultant said they haven’t been asked for anything, but are willing to cooperate. The Weekly reached out to the attorney general’s office to confirm the investigation, but didn’t get a response before press time.

“It’s a criminal, ethical violation,” Suarez said. “I hope it gets investigated even after elections. I do not think this is something that should be taken lightly.”

Rebman Lopez leads in the way of campaign contributions with $243,372, followed by Mooney, who’s collected $115,694. Suarez has received $52,756 in campaign contributions.

15

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

RE-ELECT

VOTE IN THE AUGUST 18TH PRIMARY

RICK HASKINS FOR MAYOR 5TH GENERATION CONCH

WHO WILL BE ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL Proudly Endorsed by POLICE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION AND KEY WEST FIRE FIGHTERS UNION

HASKINS >> BRINGING BACK BUSINESS COMMITMENT TO PROSPER TO >> PROTECTING KEY WEST ENVIRONMENTAL ASSETS >> MAKING KEY WEST AFFORDABLE TO LIVE AND TO WORK

Paid for by Rick Haskins for Mayor

VOTE AUGUST 18TH

FOR A STAKE IN OUR COMMUNITY EARLY VOTING AUGUST 3-15

Let’s keep Monroe County safe for our residents, our visitors, and our natural resources. www.DennisWard2020.com Paid by Dennis W. Ward, Republican, for State Attorney

16

ENVIRONMENT

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

1

2

WILSON AT SEA

3

4

Teen launches weather buoy off Middle Keys SARA MATTHIS

sara@keysweekly.com

O

n Aug. 8, Capt. Jim Knutson carefully launched the creation of Hayden Brophy. Knutson made a straight beeline from Marathon’s shore 17 miles into the Gulf Stream, gently lobbed “Wilson” into the sea and gave it a splash of Michelob Ultra for good luck.

Wilson is a homemade drifting buoy, named after the volleyball in the Tom Hanks movie “Cast Away.” It records air temperature, water temperature, humidity and barometric pressure — and, of course, its own location — transmitted via satellite uplink.

Its creator, Brophy, is a rising senior at a Washington state high school. And, no, he doesn’t plan to become a meteorologist.

“This is an experiment in the limitations of ‘the internet of things,’” Brophy explained, much like how a home security system or refrigerator can be linked to the internet. His best guess, he said, is that the device can survive 8 to 12 months at sea, locked inside its Pelican brand watertight case.

But right now, Brophy and the other followers of his experiment are biting their fingernails. As of Aug. 11, it has come dangerously close to the Florida coast, up near Pembroke Pines, blown by a westerly wind.

“It’s been two days since the launch and …

Wilson is chugging along at a solid 3 mph (2.7 knots),” Brophy texted the Keys Weekly on Aug. 10. “If Wilson had eyes, he would see the City of Miami Beach clearly. Our best estimates are that Wilson will be east of Virginia in two weeks.”

If everything goes according to plan, and Wilson doesn’t beach itself, Brophy expects the buoy to cross the Atlantic Ocean in about five months, reach the United Kingdom, travel south and be sent back to the Caribbean on an equatorial current.

Brophy said Wilson was inspired by a similar project; he set out to build the device almost two years ago with off-the-shelf parts. Wilson cost about $1,000 to construct and ship, carefully bubble wrapped, to the Florida Keys. It was received

by Knutson, a former colleague of Brophy’s father, for its Atlantic Ocean launch.

Amateur scientists can play a part in Wilson’s future. “Armchair Oceanographers” ($3 a month) can get a once-monthly 30- to 60-minute livestream with Hayden and the ability to ask questions and hear firsthand about the project and the developing research. There is also one spot ($43 a month), for a “Vicarious Cousteau” position. That person will be subsidizing the monthly cost of the satellite uplink and will also have the exclusive privilege of naming the next drifting buoy, currently under construction.

“The environment is a particular interest of mine, but not what I plan to study when I go to college. I want to be an aerospace engineer,” Brophy said.

To follow Wilson’s progress, learn about its construction, or join the donation platform, visit https://projectwilson2020.wixsite.com/mysite.

5

6 1. John Mirabella, forward, captains the boat with launch coordinator Capt. Jim Knutson, rear, who is cradling Wilson. CONTRIBUTED 2. Wilson at sea.

3. The electronics are sealed in a watertight case and engraved with a “pet ID” and return instructions.

4. Creator Hayden Brophy tests out the modem connection in San Francisco in 2018.

5. A look at the innards of Wilson that will record air temperature, water temperature, barometric pressure and location stats, uploaded via a satellite link.

6. A diagram of Wilson’s parts.

HERO OF DEMOCRACY POLL WORKERS ARE HEROES OF DEMOCRACY!

DON’T FORGET TO THANK A POLL WORKER FOR THEIR SERVICE.

17

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

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.

RE-ELECT BILLY

Paid by Billy Wardlow District 3

WARDLOW FOR DISTRICT 3 COMMISSIONER

MARRIED FOR 47 YEARS 30 YEARS WITH KEY WEST FIRE DEPT. RETIRED MEMBER OF IAFF QUALIFIED IN HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS - CERTIFIED THROUGH FEMA Being a lifetime resident of Key West, I feel my honesty, integrity and experience has given me the qualifications to continue working for you, our community and our future youth!

LET’S KEEP MOVING FORWARD

305.296.2723

ENDORSED BY: KEY WEST FIRE DEPARTMENT LOCAL 1424 SOUTH FLORIDA PBA (KWPD) | TEAMSTER LOCAL 769

BILLYWARDLOW2020@ATT.NET f RE-ELECT BILLY WARDLOW

18

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

You’re Invited!

FKMCD - Oxitec Public Educational Webinars Overview: Following the success of an earlier FKMCD-Oxitec Public Educational Webinar, FKMCD and Oxitec are hosting four additional webinars in a series of five.

Webinars are open to everyone. Join one or join all!

Past Webinars

Remaining Webinars

Webinar #1: FKMCD Public Educational Webinar

Webinar #4: Oxitec’s Vector Control Performance Tuesday, August 11th, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. ET

Webinar #2: Oxitec’s Technology from Lab to Field Webinar #3: Developing Partnerships with Communities

Webinar #5: Assessment, Oversight, and Validation Monday, August 17th, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. ET

Where: Events are held online. Please register here: keysmosquito.org/board-meetings or oxitec.com/florida To listen to and review materials from our previous webinars, please go to: oxitec.com/florida

Safe Environmentally friendly Non-biting

Learn more oxitec.com/florida

KEY WEST

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

19

CONGRATULATIONS To our BUYERS & SELLERS. We hope you enjoy your new homes.

Karen represented the Sellers of: 270 11th Street, Key Colony Beach, FL 33051 A member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates, LLC

Karen Raspe, PA | 305.393.9010 | karenraspe@bellsouth.net

COMMERCE CORNER NEIGHBORHOOD ARCH GETS A FACELIFT Crew reinstalls Bahama Village landmark Workers from Key West’s Community Services department on Aug. 7 reinstalled the landmark Bahama Village Arch at the corner of Duval and Petronia streets. The arch had been temporarily removed for a facelift in July after sun and time had left it faded. The same intersection features Key West’s iconic rainbow crosswalks. ALYSON CREAN/City of Key West

Gautier Tree & Landscaping handles design, installation, law maintenance, tree trimming, irrigation and garden pest control.

“We believe our experience and knowledge are unparalleled in the Florida Keys,” said owner Tyler Gautier. “We provide high-quality service.”

The company, established in 2019, has 11 employees and is headquartered in Tavernier.

Location: Tavernier Phone: 305-735-4668 Email: gautiertreelandscape@gmail.com.

20

CORONAVIRUS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

REMOTE LOCATIONS

COVID affects Florida Keys commercial leases

MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

T

he pandemic has affected and/or altered every aspect of life and society: education, communication, transportation and recreation; medicine, media, politics, relationships — and real estate.

Multinational corporations and their thousands of employees are adapting to the new business environment while global real estate giants work creatively to fill cavernous corporate campuses left vacant by the virus.

Zoom conferences have replaced morning sales calls in most sectors and business air travel has plummeted in the past five months.

“Since March 2020, the majority of office-occupying industries have been working from home, while sheltering in place. This abrupt shift in workplace operations has resulted in significant behavioral changes that will have a lasting impact on workspace design and use, while simultaneously altering the demand for commercial office space for years to come,” say experts from Jones Lang LaSalle, or JLL, the world’s second-largest real estate services company. “Many tenants are hopeful for a return to their workplaces, but the level of uncertainty and anxiety is very high regarding the timing and detail of that reentry. Significant collaboration will be needed among building owners, tenants, employees and governments to address the challenges that lie ahead.”

But as usual, the landscape looks a little different in the Florida Keys, where geography limits the number of corporate offices and the tourism economy reduces the need for cubicle-lined compounds.

“Office space leases have always been the least active sector of the commercial real estate market in Key West,” said Will Langley, principal broker at Berkshire Hathaway Keys Real Estate and Knight & Gardner Realty

in Key West. “We just don’t have many large, corporate, office-based employers, like the Microsoft or Google campus with space for thousands of workers, so I think we’ll be less exposed to that national issue of empty office space.”

Langley said Key West is seeing an increasing demand for small office spaces for one or two people.

“People who have been working from home for the past five months are now looking for a small, private workspace,” Langley said, adding that such spaces are available for $700 to $1,000 per month in locations such as the Professional Building and the Offices on Northside Drive.

The same is true elsewhere in the island chain, said Brian Schmitt, principal broker at Coldwell Banker Schmitt Real Estate.

“Office users are finding that they can often get along with less space as remote workers can utilize web apps like Zoom to handle office and client meetings. We do our sales meetings via Zoom weekly with typically 100 agents, many of whom now prefer to work from home,” Schmitt said. “But all of our retail shopping centers are virtually 100% occupied, all paying rent with continued requests from local, regional and national tenants.”

But vacant retail space remains a glaring concern on Key West’s Duval Street, where rents are among the highest in the country and where potential business owners are concerned about the unknowns of the city’s cruise ship industry, Langley said.

“People who want to reduce cruise ships say the cruise ship industry only brings a million visitors a year to Key West, but that’s a million people coming through a six-block area, which makes quite an impact. So that issue is certainly going to be a factor for lower Duval Street, which hasn’t had any cruise ship traffic since March.

“Things aren’t pretty on Duval Street these days, unless you’re in the business of printing my ‘For Lease’ signs that are in the windows,” Langley said wryly, adding that the increased supply of available space and the uncertainty of the cruise ship situation will likely lead to increased flexibility from landlords.

“Landlords are realizing they have to be more flexible to get good tenants in those storefronts,” Langley said. “But for now, that uncertainty will continue to be a factor down there.”

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

RISE & SHINE

WITH THE CREW AT CASTAWAY

B R E A K F A S T S E R V E D D A I LY U N T I L 2 P M • $3 Mimosas • $5 Breakfast Shots • Unique & Interesting Menu

MON - FRI 9AM TO CLOSE • SAT - SUN 8AM TO CLOSE HAPPY HOUR DAILY 2-6

• 35¢ Wings • Fried Chicken Livers!

• Pork Belly Sliders (available at breakfast, too!)

• Largest Draft Beer Selection in the Keys 1/2 OFF from 3-5 • $2 Pints of Yuengling and Bud Light!

• $7 Happy Hour Menu - 24 Delicious Selections • Sashimi & Nigiri - Bigger Happy Hour Portions!

LARGEST R DRAFT BEE IN N SELECTIO !

S Y E K THE

Open 7 Days a Week

CASTAWAYFLORIDAKEYS.COM

LUNCH & DINNER

• Prime Rib • Fri • Sat • Sun only • Cook Your Own Catch • Diver-speared Local Fish • Local Lobster • Great Seafood Selections

SUSHI (Starts at Noon)

• Toro • Lionfish • Poke • Hamachi Collar • Fresh Uni arrives on Wednesdays

Reservations at opentable.com

VETERAN OWNED & OPERATED

22

SHARK WEEK 2020

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

TIFFANY DUONG

tiffany@keysweekly.com

S

hark Week is an annual, week-long celebration of all things sharks. For many, it’s the one time of the year they get to experience the underwater world of these apex predators. Here in the Keys, it’s a different story: we enjoy these beautiful creatures on the reef year-round. Here are some of our favorite fun facts about sharks and Shark Week in the fabulous Keys!

• 2020 is Shark Week’s 32nd Anniversary. Shark Week originally premiered on July 17, 1988 on the Discovery Channel. Since 2010 (when it broke this record), it’s been the longest-running cable television program event in history and one of the most popular.

• Rumor has it that Shark Week was invented in a bar by a bunch of drunk Discovery Channel employees. After the idea was discussed, it was written on a cocktail napkin, and the rest is history. Sharks and beer — no wonder we’re so into it!

• In 2018, Shaquille “Shaq Attack” O’Neal hosted the 30th Anniversary edition and faced his fear of sharks by jumping into a cage to dive with them. A stray shark managed to wriggle into the cage, sending the 7’1”, 324-pound NBA superstar scrambling up the steps, but not before giving the slick shark the “MVP elbow” to the mouth, causing the shark to clench his teeth and preventing a bite. This year, Shaq returns to Shark Week, to swim with whale sharks. “Now listen, I’m not a fishologist

or whatever you call them, but whales eat people and sharks eat people, so I’m like, ‘Aww, both of these dudes are combined?’” he said. After filming, he said they were “very docile” and “gentle” giants. Sounds familiar, huh, Shaq?

• In the 2016 Shark Week episode “Wrath of a Great White Serial Killer,” Emmy award-winning underwater cinematographer and shark expert Andy Casagrande used a life-sized mock shark (which is still mounted at Key Largo Underwater Park) at Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo to simulate an attack in Maine by a 16-foot great white. Local Daniel Blezio worked as a support diver for the mission, “driving” the giant shark model in the water via scuba and a “bicycle-like handle” inside

or using scuba equipment to make bubbles underneath it to simulate movement. Blezio said the biggest challenge was getting the giant model to be neutrally buoyant, and that, overall, “it was a great experience to work with Discovery Channel.”

• According to spokesperson Kate Goggin, NOAA Fisheries manages 42 shark species and almost all of them occur, at least occasionally, within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Favorites include: nurse, sandbar, reef, hammerhead, bonnethead and bull sharks. Last year, great whites were even spotted near Geiger Key. • Sharks can pick up electrical fields given off by other animals in the water. Their receptors are so strong, nothing we’ve invented has that

SHARK WEEK 2020

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

23

SARA MATTHIS

sara@keysweekly.com

LOOKING FOR MONSTERS

Marathon’s ‘Bucko’ featured on Discovery’s Shark Week

T

“Wrath of a Great White Serial Killer” profiled a shark that was on a killing spree in Maine. The replica used in the filming can still be seen at Jules Undersea Lodge. IMDB.

degree of sensitivity to electrical currents. This allows sharks to hunt in dark and murky waters. Some scientists are trying to leverage this sense to keep sharks safe from fishing equipment.

• Sharks can only swim forward.

That’s why they have to “circle” their prey to get another look. Many species will actually sink if they stop swimming.

• The shark family group has been around for at least 420 million years, making them older than humans, dinosaurs, Mount Everest, and even trees, according to New Scientist.

• The U.S. led the world for unprovoked shark attacks (64%) in

2019, with 41 of 64 attacks worldwide. Florida accounted for 21 of those, a drop from the most recent 5-year average of 32 attacks per year for the sunshine state. Data comes from the Yearly Shark Attack Summary issued by International Shark Attack File.

• There were nine shark attacks in 2019 in Volusia County, Florida, home of New Smyrna Beach, unofficially known as the “shark attack capital of the world.” Three of those attacks occurred on the same day.

Data comes from the Yearly Shark Attack Summary issued by International Shark Attack File.

hey went lookin’ for “Big Moe” and they might have found him.

James M. Platt, better known as “Bucko” around Marathon, squired around a team of scientists and videographers for five or six days earlier this year. The group was searching for more scientific data about hammerheads, a particularly elusive shark, and TV magic. The result is called “Monsters Under the Bridge” and aired on Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 8 p.m. on the Discovery Channel.

It’s a very big deal to have a Florida Keys local featured on the Shark Week series, an annual week-long installment on Discovery Channel since 1988. And Big Moe is a Keys legend — a reported 18-foot long hammerhead — said to have eyeballs “as big as baseballs” and weighing close to 1,000 pounds. Most tales put Big Moe at the old Bahia Honda Bridge, while others have claimed to spot it, even land it, at 7 Mile Bridge.

Bucko said he and his fiancee, Melissa Bennett, and their boy James, were chosen for one simple reason — their tarpon-fishing skills.

“Tarpon fishing and hammerheads go hand in hand,” he said. “I do a lot of tarpon fishing on the bridge — 50 or 60 days a year — and we have a lot of hammerhead encounters,” he said.

So … did they find Big Moe? “Probably. We definitely saw and filmed sharks in the range of 15 to 18 feet,” Bucko said, adding that the scientists aboard concurred.

Scientists Tristan Guttridge and Neil Hammerschlag tagged and collected DNA samples from big and small hammerheads at the bridges. They also filmed the sharks underwater to watch their interaction. According to an article in the San Antonio Express News, the scientists sent the samples to a renowned marine scientist, David Portnoy, and the show will reveal whether or not these “monsters” are actually a new lineage of shark. (At presstime, the big reveal had yet to happen!)

Very little is known about the great hammerhead, giving strength to the epic “it-was-this-big” lore. The questions start with the most basic — where do hammerheads “spawn,” or pup? There are theories, but no scientific evidence. But researchers do know that the great hammerhead gives birth to live pups, about 25 to 50 at a time.

To watch full episodes of Shark Week that have already aired, including “Monsters Under the Bridge,” visit www.discovery.com/shows.

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MARATHON

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

CITY COUNCIL MEETING GOES 4+ HOURS Major developments get approval, including plans for 112 hotel rooms SARA MATTHIS

sara@keysweekly.com

B

y 10 p.m., only one member of the public was still on the phone waiting to comment on an item before the Marathon City Council. Although the meeting was broadcast on YouTube, citizens had to be connected via Zoom or on the telephone to make a comment. Repeatedly, the council and public “listened” to dead air as citizens attempted to speak. Often, a name was called and, after a 30-second delay with no response, the next speaker was called.

“We’ll circle back,” said Mayor Steve Cook more than once.

“Press star 6 to unmute yourself,” said Gaelan P. Jones more than once.

At one point, Planning Director George Garrett used his cellphone to call a citizen from the Coco Plum neighborhood and then held the device up to the camera and microphone on his own computer.

Until 9 p.m., the meeting moved slowly as it considered two projects, hearing from staff and developers.

The conditional use and development agreement for Seaview Commons II on Coco Plum passed its second reading, as did a project slated for the lot between 101st and 104th Streets called La Palma, which is a combination of housing and commercial space.

The Marathon City Council also voted to hire Steve Williams as the new in-house attorney. Most recently, Williams was employed by Monroe County as assistant county attorney.

He has lived in Marathon for 20 years and is familiar with Area of Critical Concern regulations.

He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and received his law degree from Samford University in Alabama.

“I want to thank the Marathon City Council for the exciting opportunity to join the city and work with them,” Williams said. “Also, I want to extend sincere heartfelt gratitude to Monroe County and the county attorney's office; it has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with such great attorneys and staff for so long.”

Williams and the council still must come to terms on a salary and benefits package.

The council and staff also discussed the difficulty of enforcing COVID-19 rules. In some cases, the city does not have the authority to ticket an offender; for example, a restaurant’s 50% capacity rule falls under the control of the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation whose nearest officers are located in Miami. Staff said they are awaiting physical ticket books and information on how the City of Key West intends to treat offenders.

Finally, the city approved projects for more hotel rooms in Marathon. Isla Bella Beach Resort on Knights Key sought and received approval to proceed on a plan to add 96 hotel rooms. And Crystal Cove received approval to add 16 hotel

rooms or cottages to a project in midtown Marathon on the gulfside, close to 50th Street, for a project renamed Latitude 24.

Both of those developments must purchase hotel room building rights in order to proceed. The most common method would be to purchase existing transient rentals, and simultaneously “retire” the nightly rental on the original room and “move” the building right to the new development. Because the Keys are an Area of Critical Concern, the state no longer grants new hotel room building rights in the Keys, with the exception of 100 allotted to Marathon by then-Gov. Rick Scott when he took office in 2011.

THE PROJECTS

Seaview Commons II: Six market rate homes and 60 affordable housing residential units on “the curve” on Coco Plum Drive are approved. The project has some of the same principals as an already approved project (Seaview Commons I) that features 64 affordable housing units across the street.

La Palma: Eight affordable housing units, four market rate houses and 32,000 square feet of commercial space located between 101st and 104th streets in Marathon. The commercial building would front U.S.1 and be three stories tall with an event space on the roof.

Grassy Flats Resort: The council accepted a new site plan for 43 hotel rooms previously approved (2019) to be added to the Grassy Flats Resort.

The new units would be located behind the shuttered Grassy Key Outpost restaurant and market.

Isla Bella Beach Resort The council approved an expansion of an existing conditional use permit for the existing 199-room resort on Knights Key, at the west end of Marathon. The plan calls for 96 more hotel rooms, another restaurant and “water feature.”

Latitude 24: One hundred affordable housing units are already under construction at the gulfside development near 50th Street called Crystal Cove. The developers sold the second phase of the project — a 28-spot RV Resort on the waterfront — to a new owner. The new owner sought and received permission to convert the 28 transient rentals RV spots into a 26 two- and threebedroom units, and 18 standard hotel rooms to be called Latitude 24.

25

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

Now Celebra�ng 7 Years of Providing No Cost High Quality Health Care for Our County’s Medically Vulnerable Children!

All Health Center Sites are Now Open!

Please Call 305 743-7111 ext. 210 to Schedule Your Student’s Appointment for a School Physical, Sport’s Physical, General Primary Care or Sick Child Visit.

Keys AHEC is now Offering Limited Tes�ng for Flu, Strep Throat, RSV and COVID-19 (An�gen/PCR) for Sick Pa�ents.

Sites and Hours: Horace O’Bryant 1105 Leon St. Key West M-Th: 8 AM to 4 PM

Sites and Hours: Marathon High School 350 Sombrero Blvd Marathon M, T & Th: 7 AM to 3 PM

Key West High School 2100 Flagler Ave Key West T, Th & F: 7 AM to 3 PM

Stanley Switlik School 3409 Overseas Hwy Marathon Friday: 8 AM to 4 PM

Gerald Adams 5855 Jr. College Rd Key West M, W & F: 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Coral Shores High School 89901 Overseas Hwy Tavernier W & F: 8 AM to 4 PM

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

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ELECTION 2020

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

SHANNON PITCHFORD www.keysweekly.com

FOR ELECTION DAY Here are 5 questions young voters are asking

Election season is here as voters in Monroe County are preparing to head to the polls (or their mailboxes), starting with Florida’s primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 18, and followed by the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3. As we enter one of the most paramount election seasons in recent years, it is the duty of citizens to be active voting members in our society. It is also important that young voters are prepared and motivated to vote. I asked a group of my peers about what questions they still had regarding the elections.

I am not 18 yet, can I still register to vote? Yes. In the state of Florida you can pre-register to vote when you turn 16. Simply go to RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov to get started. After you register, you will be able to vote in the upcoming 2020 presidential election as long as you turn 18 on or before Nov. 3.

Where do I go to vote? Your voting location can be found by accessing your voter information page on voterfocus.com. To get there, you can go to the website, RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov, and choose either “Register or Update” or “Am I Already Registered?” After signing in, click on the “Ballot and Precinct Information” link at the bottom of the page. This page will give you the address of your polling location. You can choose to drop off your mail-in ballots in person at this voting location, as long as they are turned in by 7 p.m. on election night.

Am I still able to vote when I move away to college? Yes. In this case, you would want to request an absentee ballot. In Florida, you can request an absentee ballot 10 days before an election. (It’s too late for the primary, but plenty of time for the November election.) Your ballot must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day at one of three elections offices in the Keys. If you have not mailed your ballot by Election Day, the Keys’ supervisor of elections advises voters to bring it to the polling place and hand it to a volunteer. The U.S. Postal Service recommends mailing your ballot 14 days prior to Election Day. This ensures your ballot is received by the deadline and your vote is counted.

Am I able to see if my mail-in ballot is counted? Yes. After checking your voter status or registering to vote on RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov, click on the “Ballot and Precinct Information” link at the bottom of the page. This link will send you to voterfocus.com which allows you to track the status of your ballot online. This page will update you when your mail-in ballot has been received and has been counted.

What is the difference between an absentee ballot and a mail-in ballot? A mail-in ballot is a broad term that refers to ballots that are sent through the mail. Due to COVID-19, some states decided to send out mail-in ballots to registered voters to reduce the risk of catching or spreading the virus when going to a polling location. An absentee ballot refers to a ballot that is filled out by a voter who cannot physically make it to a voting location on Election Day. In Florida, registered voters do not have to give a reason to request an absentee ballot, which is referred to as a no-excuse absentee ballot. Both terms mean the same thing: to vote by mail. The only difference is the circumstance under which it is received by the voter.

— Shannon Pitchford, a sophomore at Florida State University, is an intern with the Marathon Weekly.

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

YOU’RE WHAT?!

Mote’s lab-grown, restored corals become parents for the first time ever TIFFANY DUONG

tiffany@keysweekly.com

W

hen Hanna Koch, coral reproduction scientist at Mote’s Summerland Key facility, talks about spawning, or coral sex, she gets excited.

Last year, Koch hit a huge milestone when the first “homegrown” batch of corals produced entirely from Mote’s own restoration broodstock spawned in her lab during the annual August coral spawning event. This summer, she and her team are celebrating another huge breakthrough: for the first time ever documented, Mote’s restored coral colonies have become parents out on the reef.

In July, Koch identified gamete bundles of egg and sperm in two different species of corals that Mote had restored to the reef, evidence of sexual maturity. It was then that she knew the corals were gravid, or “pregnant,” and ready to spawn, or “become parents” by releasing their gamete bundles.

This critical developmental milestone is the first sign that the restored corals are capable of producing new generations of corals on their own.

One of the corals is a massive or mounding species called mountainous star coral (Orbicella faveolata) and the other is a branching staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis). Both species are listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act and are key, reef-building corals on the Florida Reef Tract. Both colonies were propagated within Mote’s land- and field-based nurseries, respectively, and outplanted at Newfound Harbor off Big Pine Key and Eastern Dry Rocks off Key West, respectively. The restoration sites are reefs in NOAA’s Seven Iconic Reefs program, sites that will receive a concentrated, collective effort of restoration support in the coming decades.

“We need corals to reproduce sexually for the survival of the species and for coral reefs as a whole,” Koch told the Keys Weekly. “Getting restored populations of key reef-building corals to a sexually-mature, self-sustaining state is a top priority of coral restoration scientists.”

As part of her research, Koch has been monitoring the survival, health, size and sexual maturation of these corals at both of these sites for the last three summers. 2020 is the first time she’s seen them gravid.

“I was both surprised and very excited, as I have been hoping they’d be sexually mature every summer I have monitored them,” said Koch. “But after negative results two years in a row, I wasn’t sure if or when these corals would become sexually mature, especially because there are a lot of stress-

ENVIRONMENT

ors these corals have experienced, including bleaching events, hurricanes and disease outbreaks.”

Mote spokeswoman Allison Delashmit added, “This is a monumental milestone for Florida's coral reef, coral reef restoration and conservation enthusiasts because it's proof that resilient coral can be propagated and grown in a lab, replanted on a degraded reef, and reach sexual maturity within a few short years.”

The pregnancies demonstrate that Mote’s science-based coral restoration strategy, combining resilience testing and multiple growth/ reproductive interventions, has been successful. The fact that they are spawning is the crowning achievement.

In the wild, slow-growing massive species like the mountainous star coral, tend to grow less than 1 centimeter per year and can take decades to grow and develop from “baby” size to sexual maturity. Mote’s scientists have hijacked that process and sped it up using propagation and outplanting methodology called “microfragmentation-fusion” or “reskinning” that allows them to produce sexually mature mountainous star corals in as little as five years instead of decades.

“Not only can we increase live coral cover quickly with this method, but we can also reduce the time to sexual maturity,” Koch said. The restored coral is the first massive or mounding species documented with gametes after being restored to Florida or Caribbean waters.

The restored mountainous star coral is the first massive or mounding species in the world restored through fragmentation and cluster outplanting that has become gravid and actually spawned, Dealshmit said.

“Today, I have even more good news — we got them reproducing on film!” Delashmit said on Aug. 12. “We were able to record these corals spawning in the wild, and it’s such a beautiful sight!”

The branching staghorn Koch observed is also the first Mote-planted coral of its species to reach sexual maturity and spawn. The colonies did so within two years of being restored to the reef, an observation that has been cited only once before.

Perhaps most encouraging is the fact that both colonies have proven to be resilient to global, regional and local stressors and still were able to produce gametes despite “incredibly hard conditions,” said Delashmit.

The mountainous star corals endured a 2015 global bleaching event, a 2017 Category 4 hurricane (Irma), and a 2019 outbreak of stony coral tissue loss disease on that particular reef. The staghorn corals also survived Hurricane Irma.

“These findings provide hope for the recovery of Florida’s coral reef and for coral restoration science in general,” Koch said.

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ELECTION 2020

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

Cheryl Meads discusses the South Florida Water Management District during a May 2019 chamber of commerce gathering in Islamorada. Meads, a former councilwoman, has thrown her name into the hat for village council. KEYS WEEKLY FILE PHOTO

ISLAMORADA RACES ALL CONTESTED Former councilwoman, two others step forward to challenge JIM McCARTHY

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T

he race to sit on the Islamorada village council saw only two contests not long ago. That’s since changed, however, with three local residents recently stepping in to the race.

Now, all village council seats will see a challenge this November.

Among the candidates who have entered the race is Cheryl Meads, former councilwoman and current at-large member of the South Florida Water Management District governing board. Meads stepped away from the dais early in the year when she was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to serve on the board. Meads had been on the dais since 2016. Chris Sante is currently filling out the rest of her term, but he’s not running for reelection.

“I love this community, and this is my home,” she said. “I serve with the pleasure of nothing to personally gain but the gratification to give back. I stand up during difficult issues, and it’s my desire to be transparent and treat everyone fairly.”

Asked if she would still remain on the SFWMD if elected to the dais, she said, “yes, I will continue to serve on the SFWMD governing board.”

Meads is vying for seat 2 against Mark Gregg, who’s a former councilman, mayor and vice mayor. He’s a current member of the Local Planning Agency and he’s served on the achievable housing committee.

“I’m going to campaign hard and keep it above the board and do the best I can,” Gregg said in response to the game plan now that the race is contested. “Hopefully the best person will win, which I think that will be me.”

In the seat 3 race, Joseph “Buddy” Pinder is challenging Jenny Bell-Thomson. Henry Rosenthal also entered the race recently to challenge incumbent and current Vice Mayor Ken Davis in seat 4. The Weekly reached out to Pinder and Rosenthal for comment but didn’t get a response by press time.

Bell-Thomson said the biggest change now is the money raising, which she didn’t need to do before. “’I’ve been working this last week getting everything together,” she said.

“I’m almost finished with my new Facebook page, and the signs ready to go.”

Bell-Thomson added that she welcomes Pinder’s challenge. “It’s good for the voters. Everybody needs the choice,” she said.

Commenting on the challenge for seat 4, Davis said he’s busted his tail the last two years, and “the people of Islamorada know and see it.”

The race for seat 1 will see a contest between Frank Lavin and Pete Bacheler, while seat 5 has Larry Zettwoch squaring off against David Webb.

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

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T

he membership of the Islamorada Moose Lodge 2151 recently recognized Dennis Ward as its 2020 Islamorada Moose Lodge Man of the Year.

Ward has been a leader in the lodge for many years, as he initiated and served as committee chairman for the annual Seafood and Bacon festivals; volunteered in the lodge’s community cleanup efforts; organized the feeding of Coast Guardsmen during the government shutdown; sponsored entertainment for events, organized a fundraiser for David Gonzalez, a severely injured fireman, which raised over $15,000; and spearheaded a food pantry drive when COVID-19 struck.

Outside of the lodge, Ward has served the community as an organizer of Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride, commander of the Key Largo VFW Lodge and vice junior commander for VFW District 5.

He also has held seats on the boards of many local institutions and Islamorada Village Council. He’s currently serving his second term as Monroe County State Attorney and seeking re-election.

The lodge recognized his commitment and constant willingness to donate his energy and resources for the Islamorada Moose Lodge and local community.

— Contributed

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COMMUNITY NEWS

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

COAST GUARD HELPS RESCUE, RELEASE TURTLES

“Emma,” a 150-pound female loggerhead sea turtle, and “Bubbles,” a 225-pound adult female green sea turtle, await their release with help from the U.S. Coast Guard. ANDY NEWMAN/Florida Keys News Bureau

T

wo endangered sea turtles, rehabilitated at the Marathon-based Turtle Hospital, were released back to the wild on Aug. 6 with the assistance of some of the U.S. Coast Guard staff who participated in each of the reptiles’ initial rescues.

“Emma,” a 150-pound female loggerhead sea turtle, was found in June floating in the Atlantic Ocean off Islamorada. After being rescued by personnel from Coast Guard Station Islamorada, Emma was taken to the Turtle Hospital, where treatment included emptying excess air out of her body cavity and a regimen of fluids, vitamins and diet of fish and squid.

“Bubbles,” a 225-pound adult female green sea turtle, was found entangled in an abandoned fishing trap line by recreational boaters in mid-June, off Long Key. Officers from Coast Guard Station Mara-

Coast Guard Station Islamorada releases one of two turtles on Aug. 6.

thon helped Turtle Hospital staff with the rescue.

The entanglement injury caused irreparable damage to Bubbles’ rear flipper, resulting in amputation surgery. Bubbles was also treated for pneumonia, and received daily nebulizer treatments, antibiotics, wound care, laser treatment, fluids, vitamins and a diet of lettuce, green peppers, cucumbers and natural sea grass.

U.S. Coast Guard First Class Petty Officer Michael Lees, who has served the last two years of his 10year tenure in the Keys, described the rescue and subsequent release of the sea turtles as a rare treat.

“It’s very fulfilling to see the final result of a turtle rescue,” Lees said. “In most of our cases involving people, it’s kind of an open-andshut case,” he added. “Rarely do we get to see the actual release of the turtle, and that’s very fulfilling and we’re very grateful we were allowed to do so.”

Lees said the Coast Guard plays other important roles beyond human marine safety.

“One of the Coast Guard’s missions is marine stewardship, and part of that is living marine resources, so it’s something we don’t get to do as often but whenever that opportunity comes up it’s something that we really enjoy doing.”

Since 1986, the Turtle Hospital has been rescuing, rehabilitating and returning sea turtles to the wild.

— Contributed

Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate Sherman Byrd was an expert in conventional, nuclear, biological and chemical bomb disposal.

CONTRIBUTED

LECTURE DELVES INTO FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN BOMB TECH

T

he History of Diving Museum will welcome author Cynthia Byrd Conner on Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. for a virtual Immerse Yourself presentation. Byrd Conner will detail her father’s life as the first African American explosive ordnance disposal technician in the United States Armed Forces, as depicted in her book, “Quiet Strong.”

Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate Sherman Byrd was an expert in conventional, nuclear, biological and chemical bomb disposal. It wouldn’t be until later in life that Byrd Conner would find out all of the accomplishments her father made during his time in the Navy.

Before reaching the rank of Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate, he graduated from Deep Sea Diving School and from the Naval School Underwater Swimmers in Key West in 1957.

Byrd Conner travels throughout the United States sharing her father’s historical naval contributions and leadership skills with those in the military and intrigued with this history. She is retired from the Department of the Navy, where she was a management and program analyst for over 25 years, working in ship maintenance and repair.

The museum and Byrd Conner will be co-hosting the presentation live through a private Zoom meeting. Those interested in joining

Cynthia Byrd Conner’s book, “Quiet Strong,” is based on the life of her father, Sherman Byrd, who was an expert in conventional, nuclear, biological and chemical bomb disposal.

may email Emily Kovacs, community outreach coordinator, at programs@divingmuseum.org or call the museum at 305-664-9737 to receive the Zoom meeting number and password. Meet capacity is limited to 100 participants; registration closes at noon on Aug 19. For those who can’t participate or would like to share later, the session will be recorded and posted on the HDM YouTube page.

The event sponsor is The Surgery Center.

— Contributed

SEEN AROUND TOWN

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

A LOOK BENEATH THE SURFACE

CAPTURING CRITTERS

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2

D

iving off the waters of the Keys brings all sorts of adventure and excitement, as you never know what you’ll swim upon. One day, divers might see nurse sharks. The next day, underwater explorers might run into a moon jelly or reef squid.

Here’s a look at some of the creatures and critters spotted during recent dives off the Upper Keys waters.

— Weekly staff report

3

4 5

TIFFANY DUONG/Keys Weekly 1. A curious reef squid comes to inspect a clean-up crew diving with Key Dives off Alligator Reef in Islamorada.

2. A grouper hides in the Coral Restoration Foundation Nursery in Tavernier.

Although a manmade environment, the CRF nursery is home to many animals.

3. A lettuce leaf sea slug hangs out in the shallows of Key Largo’s bayside.

They can often be found in crevices and under algae, swaying like lettuce leaves in water.

4. A moon jelly on Molasses Reef in Key Largo is the perfect protective transport for small fish hanging out in it’s bell.

5. The resident green sea turtle “Hubie” rests in the live rock section of the Coral Restoration Foundation Nursery in Tavernier.

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FUN

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

TIFFANY DUONG

tiffany@keysweekly.com

GET FEATURED IN THE KEYS WEEKLY!

A

1 2

THE KEYS IN YOUR EYES

re you slick with your iPhone? An ace with a drone?

Here in the Keys, it’s hard not to find something beautiful to take a picture of everyday. We’ve been amazed by some of the pictures people take of our island paradise and wanted to share their talent and images with the community.

We’re collecting our favorite shots of the Keys and featuring the photographers in the newspaper and on our social media channels. This month, the theme was SUNRISE/SUNSET, and we got some amazing stunners for you to enjoy. Next month, the theme is UNDER THE SEA. Send us your best shots from below the water for a chance to be featured!

Photos, captions and photo credit can be emailed to tiffany@keysweekly. com.

Rules, schmules: • All photos must be original work and feature something in the Keys.

• Photos can be images that have been published before.

• No third party may own or control any materials the photo contains, and the photo must not infringe upon the trademark, copyright, moral rights, intellectual rights, or rights of privacy of any entity or person.

• Any person agrees, by submitting photos, that photos submitted can be used by the Keys Weekly for advertising, future editorial, print in the newspapers or online or on social media posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and any other social media platforms as may come about.

3 4

1. Life is better at the beach! A sunset stunner from Jesse Koblentz at Siesta Key. JESSE KOBLENTZ/Love & Light Photography 2. We loved this bright shot of Bahia Honda Rail Bridge at dawn.

Those colors! CONCH LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY/Contributed 3. The best thing about morning fishing trips is the sunrise over the sea. Not a bad way to start a day of snapper fishing. SUPERFISH CHARTERS/Contributed 4. The summer sunsets have been unreal. Amy Stogner felt lucky to catch this magnificent shot in Key Largo walking by with her husband. AMY STOGNER/Contributed

BRIEFLY

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

COVID-19 testing in the Florida Keys Keys residents have several opportunities to be tested for COVID-19.

The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County, in partnership with Monroe County BOCC and Islamorada will be hosting a free mass testing event for COVID-19 on Thursday, Aug 13. Appointments are not required and tests will be administered via drivethrough from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Founders Park at 87000 Overseas Highway, Islamorada. Testing is at no cost. Criteria for testing include: being a Monroe County resident and having a valid ID. Patients must remain in the vehicle to be tested.

This event is scheduled as weather permits and may be canceled up until the time of the event.

The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County also will be hosting free community-based COVID-19 testing events in Marathon. Appointments are required.

To schedule, call 786-910-9764 or email TestingMonroe@flhealth.gov.

The testing will be performed at the Ruth Ivins Center at 3333 Overseas Highway, on Friday, Aug. 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Testing is at no cost. Criteria for testing include: being a Monroe County resident, having a valid ID, and being preregistered with name, address, phone number and date of birth.

No walk-ins are allowed. All events scheduled are as weather permits and may be canceled up until the time of the event.

The Rural Health Network will be hosting free COVID-19 testing on Thursday, Aug. 20 at the Keys Community Church, 30572 Overseas Highway on Big Pine Key. The testing is free and runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Appointments are suggested.

Please call 305-517-6613, Ext 500.

If you need to be tested as soon as possible and are currently experiencing symptoms, schedule care with your medical provider or emergency room rather than waiting for testing at community events.

Remember to call your provider ahead of your visit to ensure their respective protocols are followed.

For local information about available testing, including other free community-based testing events offered in Monroe County, visit www.tinyurl. com/c19monroe or for questions call 786-910-9764.

Marathon parks department dreams up virtual event The City of Marathon’s Parks and Recreation department is hosting a scavenger hunt. This program is free for all ages. It will begin on Monday, Aug. 31 and run through Sept. 5. Participants need to register on or before Saturday, Aug. 27. On Monday, Aug. 31, participants will receive an email at 8 a.m. that names a park and includes five different objects to photograph. All photographs must be sent to wardj@ci.marathon. fl.us by 8 p.m. that same night. The next day, a new park will be named and emailed. The most Facebook photos with the most likes will win a prize every day. To register, please email wardj@ci.marathon.fl.us. For more information on this family friendly event, please email or call Jennifer Ward at 305-743-6598.

Get scary with scarecrow contest The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden kicks off its second annual Scarecrows in the Forest event with a call to students, community amateur artists, not-for-profits and business/creative professionals to create their own scarecrows for display in the garden. Cash prizes will be awarded, with “Best in Show” chosen by garden visitors.

All entries will be on display from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30. Scarecrow creators are encouraged to use natural or recycled materials.

There will be three entry categories: 1) School age individuals or groups; 2) Not-for-profit groups and 3) Business/creative professionals and amateur individuals. Cash prizes will be awarded of $100, $50 and $25 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each category. A Best in Show $100 prize will be chosen by garden visitors. Registration is through Saturday, Aug. 15. Set up in the garden is Aug. 15-30. Details, tips for making scarecrows and a registration form are available at www.keywest. garden, emailing mmcrae@keywest. garden, or calling 305-296-1501.

The garden is located at 5210 College Road, on Stock Island.

Sanctuary meeting canceled for August The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council will not meet as scheduled in August in order for members to participate in the Water Quality Protection Program Steering Committee meeting in September. More information will be provided as dates, times and agenda items are finalized.

‘Community Wins’ replaces Royal Fantasy Fest campaign The Community Foundation of the Florida Keys (CFFK) has granted $20,000 to launch the new Community Wins initiative supporting emergency housing assistance in the Keys, thanks to a matching gift from the Edward B. and Joan T. Knight Foundation. CFFK is managing the new Community Wins Fund that will benefit residents served by four Keys health and human services nonprofits. CFFK’s challenge grant of $10,000 to Community Wins was immediately matched by a $10,000 gift from the Knight Foundation.

“We’re thrilled the very caring Knight Foundation accepted our challenge and agreed to unite with us in helping our residents in most need,” said Jennifer McComb, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “Community Wins is a win-win-win for our workers who are unemployed or underemployed right now, landlords who have invested in workforce housing, and compassionate donors who are able to help keep our workforce here in the Keys.”

Community Wins, created by A.H. of Monroe County to replace its annual royal campaign for the King and Queen of Fantasy Fest this year, will be split equally among A.H. Monroe, Florida Keys Outreach Coalition, The Sister Season Fund, and Samuel’s House. Funding will be used for Keys residents in dire need of housing assistance due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CFFK and the charitable nonprofits hope those who can will join other individuals in assisting with urgent housing needs. Every donation counts, no matter the dollar amount. Contributions can be made at cffk.org/communitywins or checks can be made to CFFK and mailed to 300 Southard St., Ste. 201, Key West, FL 33040 (please note “Community Wins” in the memo field).

With the cancellation of this year’s Fantasy Fest, AH’s annual royal campaign evolved into this initiative for 2020. “Seeing firsthand our community’s financial challenges forced us to rethink our 8-week fundraiser,” said Scott Pridgen, executive director of AH. “This represents a unique opportunity to care for our own. This year, the entire community wins!”

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Fed-backed mortgage info for homeowners For Monroe County residents experiencing mortgage payment difficulties due to financial hardship related to COVID-19, there are valuable options to help defer and reduce payments. This link provides helpful information about various options available to mortgagees, such as forbearance, payment deferrals at the end of a forbearance period, and loan modifications (in English and Spanish): https://www. fanniemae.com/heretohelp/kyo/ index.html.

If your mortgage is covered by the CARES Act, meaning it is backed by the federal government (many mortgages qualify), limited documentation is needed to show that financial circumstances were/are impacted by COVID-19. Under the CARES Act, federally backed mortgagees may extend forbearance plans for up to 12 months. Right now, there is still a federal moratorium on evictions and foreclosures of single-family properties with federally backed mortgages through Aug. 31, 2020.

To determine if your mortgage qualifies for assistance under the CARES Act, visit https://www. knowyouroptions.com/loanlookup.

In addition, many local banks/credit unions who may be holding mortgages (not federally backed) may have programs in place to forebear or defer payments. Monroe County also has a local rental and mortgage relief funding program for those who are behind in payments at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/covidhousingassistance.

38

HISTORY

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

Newspaper headlines accompanied accounts of black men being tarred and feathered in Key West.

DAVID SLOAN researches intriguing stories from Key West’s past to share island history people might not hear on the Conch Train.

The Beatles fought racism from a Key West motel. (You can read about that at keysweekly. com.) You can also fight racism.

While we celebrate Key West as “One Human Family,” we must not forget the island’s history of “un-human family” behavior, lest history repeats itself. Love Me Do is a weekly feature that invites readers to learn about the past and reflect on how their own actions and attitudes today might be viewed in the future.

T

he Key West chapter of the white supremacist hate group, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was formed on Feb. 26, 1921. Later that year, Manuel Cabeza was beaten, tarred and feathered by hooded Klansmen for loving a girl with skin that was a different color than his. Two people died in the revenge-driven violence that followed.

Still, the Key West Ku Klux Klan continued to engage in tar-and-feathering practices on the island for at least another 13 years.

Tarring and feathering is a method of public humiliation delivered by vigilante groups.

Victims in Key West were usually kidnapped, taken to the far side of the island, whipped, stripped naked and painted with hot tar or pitch. The group covered the victim in feathers, then forced him off the island or dumped him on Duval Street as a warning to others who might commit the same infraction. In Key West, newspaper accounts indicate the offense most commonly associated with that particular form of punishment was usually allegedly committed by a black man looking at a white woman “the wrong way.”

Claude Dorsett, a black man in Key West, was arrested for “making improper remarks and gesticulations to women,” and taken to the city jail. Officer Dalziel Albury later tried to transport Dorsett to the county jail for “safety.”

A band of 10 men interrupted their journey and removed Dorsett from Albury’s protection at gunpoint. A local newspaper reported, “Although Dorsett cannot be located, the officials are not fearful that great harm has befallen him. There are several reports in circulation, one being that Dorsett was whipped and told to leave town: the other that pools of blood were found near the old Martello tower, and nearby were feathers and spots of tar.”

LOVE ME DO

TARRED & FEATHERED BY THE KEY WEST KU KLUX KLAN

In May 1926, a Key West “lunacy commission” evaluated a black man for “making an insulting remark to a white woman.” The Nashville Banner reported he was tarred, feathered and told to hit the railroad tracks out of town.

The paper also said that this was Key West’s third kidnapping of a black man in two weeks following “alleged insults to white women.”

W. Shanon, a black man, was taken into custody at the Key West jail for “annoying a white woman” on May 2, 1926. The following night at 9:15 p.m., 15 heavily armed men wearing masks entered the jail. They demanded a key to Shanon’s cell from city jailer J.O Kemp.

Kemp consented to their demands, and the mob forcibly removed Shanon. The next day’s newspaper reported, “A colored man of giant proportions dressed only in a coat of tar and feathers and his BVDs was summarily dumped from an open touring car in front of Monroe Theater last night. The masked mob told him to ‘dig,’ and he didn’t fail to do it.” The reporter noted, “If he is as good a swimmer as he is a runner, he could have been to the mainland long before this time.” Four days later, the newspaper suggested fixing the island’s insect problem by printing, “All other suggestions having been ignored, how would it do to tar and feather the mosquitoes and give them 24 hours to get out of town?” More violence soon followed.

On May 12, 1926, the criminal court arraigned Criss Cooper before Judge J. Vining Harris. Judge Harris told Cooper, “I learn that you are charged with annoying a white woman on the streets of this city. It is a pity that I have to let you go, for all such cases as these should be punished to the very limit of the law. I am going to let you go now, but I warn you to shake the dust off your feet and get out of Key West at the earliest minute possible and never come back again.”

Perhaps Cooper would have moved a little faster had he known that Judge Harris was “Klaliff” — the second officer in charge of the Key West chapter of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. A group of white men abducted Cooper after he left the courtroom. They drove him to Stock Island, and delivered a “spanking he would remember all the days of his life,” the newspaper reported. He was then shown the railroad track and “knew mighty well what to do.” Cooper’s fate is uncertain.

Paige and Benn Roof married in Key West in November 1998. According to the June 27, 2015, Keynoter report, the two lived in the Lower Keys between 2005 and 2008. Here they raised Benn’s son, Dylann, who would have been 11 to 14 years old during his time in the Keys.

On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof attended a bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. During the bible study, Roof gunned down nine black members of the congregation.

According to media reports, Roof’s last words before murdering them were, “You rape our women and are taking over our country.”

Prejudice derived from the fear that black men will rape white women has origins in slavery. To blame Dylann Roof’s actions on tar-and-feather articles that ran in a Key West newspaper nearly 100 years ago would be dishonest. To claim that certain Key West citizens’ actions of 100 years ago have not taught prejudice to people living on the island today would be a lie, too. And while we cannot change our history, perhaps we can seek to identify which elements of it were driven by fear and hate — then ask how we can eliminate our own fears and hates, not for ourselves, but for the benefit of people who will live here long after we are gone.

39

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

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GIVING

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

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In August, the Marathon Women of the Moose helped collect school supplies and clothing for Keys students. “With so many families struggling more this year due to COVID-19, the members really showed their continued love for this community with their best supply drive ever. Donations were even sent in from out of state,” said Joanne Costa.

The elementary supplies were delivered to Phyllis Michaelis at KAIR and the secondary supplies were delivered to Tina Belotti at Marathon Middle High School (pictured).

Also assisting with the deliveries were Sharon Wagner, Pam Gauthier, Holly Kepcha and Renee Boyer. CONTRIBUTED

KEYS DISEASE

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

MORNING BEER

…and other Strange but True Musical Gigs

T

here’s no place in the world like the Florida Keys, and there are few better places in which to ply one’s trade if one plays music for a living. Luckily for me, I love the Keys and play music several nights each week.

An online musicians’ forum I sometimes cruise by had an interesting topic the other day: “What’s the weirdest gig you’ve ever played?”

Some of the replies were strange but common (performing on a parade float — done that), and some were just strange (performing in Carlsbad Caverns — sorry, I’ve got a thing about bat poop on my guitars).

The forum topic got me thinking about some of the somewhat abnormal musical engagements I’ve performed at throughout the years, and how those gigs would never have happened anywhere else but the Keys.

I’ve played a couple of small boat gigs, which are much more “fun” and “entertaining” than the larger cruise ship gigs. I’ve done a couple of the larger boats, however, and I have to tell you that there’s nothing quite so challenging as trying to perform without falling on a small cruise ship with dysfunctional stabilizers in 30foot seas. Then there’s that unique cruise dichotomy where a passenger or musician finds himself walking to the midday buffet, down halls where the railings are gaily festooned with barf bags.

Anyway, back to the small boats.

There used to be a small gambling boat out of Marathon called Mr. Lucky’s; the musician always had to set up on the covered upper deck.

For those who know about boats, this particular vessel was a Great Lakestype boat, with a broad rounded bottom. This means that it didn’t handle ocean-type waves very well. The best performing position was leaning with one’s ass against the rail, holding down the microphone stand with one foot so that the microphone wouldn’t fall away or come back and smack the musician in the mouth, all the while staying out of the way of the passengers who ran up from below decks to heave off the side.

Another time, I was paid a princely sum to take an acoustic guitar with me on a rather small boat as we went 20 miles offshore to fish for dolphin.

It was a beautiful (if hot) clear and calm summer day… I remember there being a lot of Jimmy Buffett songs and copious amounts of cold beer with very little shade and no head (just hang it over the side).

Here in the Keys, there’s every kind of outdoor gig one can imagine.

None, however, compares with the annual Seven Mile Bridge Run. For those JOHN BARTUS unfamiliar with this annual is a City of Mararitual, perhaps thon councilan explanaman. He also is tion is in order. a musician who performs around One Saturday morning each town. For more April, they actusee johnbartus. com ally close down the Seven Mile Bridge — the only link between Marathon and the Lower Keys — for an internationally famous running event. I have performed at this event each year for more than 30 years. The stage is a flatbed trailer, which in years past was parked in front of a gift shop inside a railroad car adjacent to a campground. (It’s now parked in front of the Gulf of Mexico at the end of 33rd Street when events become safe again.)

One of the strange parts is having to arrive at the gig at 5:30 a.m. to be able to access the staging area before the road is shut down — which is not necessarily that fun after a rockin’ Friday night gig. The performance time is usually from 9 to 10 a.m. as the runners return from their seven-mile journey. There are usually more than 2,000 runners, friends and volunteers in attendance, as well as a fully stocked beer truck. That’s right, there’s nothing like enjoying a springtime Saturday morning with thousands of healthy runners and friends guzzling low-carb Michelob Ultra not long past sunrise.

Though they may be sweltering and sweaty, musical gigs in the Keys are rarely boring. And if I ever start thinking about how routine things in the Keys may seem, I just remember that Saturday morning that happens each April, and how it really gives that old adage special new meaning in my life: Beer — it’s not just for breakfast anymore!

— Catch John Wednesdays at Herbie’s, Thursdays at Sparky’s Landing, Fridays on Facebook Live, and Saturdays at the Key Colony Inn! Music on Amazon, Apple, iTunes, Spotify and more. www.facebook.com/john.bartus

ST D U J OL S

41

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42

WILDLIFE

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

WHAT’S INSIDE A BURMESE PYTHON?

SCIENTIST GETS TO THE GUTS OF THE MATTER

C

hristina Romagosa is a research associate professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation in Gainesville, Florida, but much of her work is in South Florida. Her research focuses on how ecosystems respond to invasive species, or non-native species that do harm to the ecosystem. Now, she’s focusing on invasive Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park — especially what’s inside them.

What got you hooked on pythons? I’m very interested in invasion ecology. I wanted to learn more about how this top predator, the python, can affect all the fauna [animals]. This one animal can affect the birds, can affect the mammals, and can have some effect on the reptiles.

What happens when the Burmese python is present and how does that change the Everglades ecosystem?

Did you always know you were going to work in science? In college, I hadn’t come across any well-known biologists that came from my ethnic background and that made me feel a little alone. When I read Ariel Lugo’s interview (in my undergraduate biology textbook), I found it amazing that he was Puerto Rican and featured in the ecology section. I’m Cuban and I had never met anyone else with a Latinx background that had success in the field of ecology.

It was very motivating.

And now you can be a role model for your students. I never think of myself as a role model, but it makes me so happy to have students pull me aside to say that my being here makes them feel like they can do this because we have the same ethnic background. I’m their Ariel Lugo!

What motivated your studies on python diets? When we started this project, people had limited knowledge of the python diet. We knew that the majority of their diet was mammals. But we wanted to document and identify those animal groups that are most at risk of predation. Also, the insertion of a predator like a python into any ecosystem could cause changes in the food web called trophic cascades. We wanted to answer questions such as: How does an invasive species affect food webs in the greater Everglades? Does the python diet vary across space and time?

Pentastomes in the lung of a native Florida snake.

MELISSA MILLER/ Contributed

Dr. Romagosa studies what’s inside invasive Burmese pythons and uses that information to see how they are affecting the wildlife in Everglades National Park. R. CAMMAUF/National Park Service

A sampling of what the Romagosa lab finds inside a python’s gut. These gut contents were extracted from pythons caught all over Florida. CHRISTINA ROMAGOSA/Contributed

How did you get the pythons for your python diet project? I work with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service, and as part of the collaboration, I receive pythons that are brought to the park after they are caught either on or near park lands. USGS and park scientists perform necropsies (an autopsy of an animal) and extract the gut contents. At our lab, we clean (a subset of) the contents so we can see the structures better and find out what those pythons ate. We find hair, teeth and feathers, and the animals are identified visually from those structures by looking through a microscope.

Tell me more about the crazy lung parasite in Pythons. Pythons here have this crazy lung parasite that’s native to Asia and they’ve brought it over to Florida.

It’s a pentastome species, Raillietiella orientalis, and is actually more closely related to crustaceans (like sea lice) than nematodes (worm-like parasites). Many snake species native to Florida are highly susceptible to infection from this parasite.

We found that R. orientalis infected 13 species of native snakes, and that the infection rate was actually higher in the native snakes compared to pythons. The native snakes were more likely to be infected by the parasite and contained more parasites per host, compared with pythons.

Identifying by eye seems difficult. You never use DNA? Project collaborators at USGS tried to extract DNA and it didn’t work. We don’t really know what’s going on, but if you are extracting diet contents from a python’s lower gut, the DNA extraction doesn’t work. We think that the python stomach must be really acidic and that completely degrades the DNA. What have you found in the pythons’ guts?

Pythons have a pretty broad diet, but within the lower part of Everglades National Park, such as in the Mahogany Hammock and Flamingo areas, pythons are primarily eating rodents like hispid cotton rats. Depending on where the pythons come from, we’ll find other mammals like opossums, wading birds, alligators and we’ve even gotten iguana.

Do you know how native snakes are affected by these pentastomes? They (the native snakes) can have a lot of pentastomes in their lungs, and some have so many it can affect how they breathe. We found 77 pentastomes in one snake! More importantly, we are finding these pentastomes in native snakes where Burmese pythons are not found yet, so the native snakes could be giving them to each other.

— Antonia Florio, Everglades National Park

43

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

"When love is the way, there's plenty good room for all God's children."

- KEYS

Karen

TO THE KEY REAL ESTATE (SINCE 1990)

Bill

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44

HOUSING

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

SARA MATTHIS sara@keysweekly.com

The complex will feature 45 apartments ranging in size from a 1-bedroom, 1-bath to a 3-bedroom, 2-bath. Rents range from $1,410 to $3,012 depending on the size and income level of the tenants. SARA MATTHIS/Keys Weekly

SEAWARD LANDING NOW ACCEPTING LEASE APPLICATIONS

DEVELOPER SAYS HE IS COOPERATING WITH THE CITY REGARDING WIDENING CITY STREET

S

eaward Landing will start moving new tenants into apartments at the beginning of September. For now, they are accepting pre-leasing applications for the mix of 45 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in Marathon.

Developer Peter Rosasco said he’s particularly proud of the complex’s six-building design.

“This style was popular 10 or 15 years ago and what I like to call the front porch community,” Rosasco said.

The apartments are spacious with high-end touches including sound-proofing; the nearby highway is rendered silent even for units closest to the street. Every single one has a walk-in closet, stacked washer and dryer units, dishwasher, built-in microwave and kitchen counters made of Silestone.

“It’s a synthetic surface that looks like granite, but is easier to care for,” said Tracy Petersen, the on-site leasing manager.

Rosasco said the homes are designed to fit the needs of locals who fall into the medianincome category.

“I talked to many community partners — the sheriff, FWC, school district. This is the type of housing we need for mid-level executives.

They can live here while they increase their earning power — in safety and in comfort,” said Rosasco.

“We had a couple come by to look at the one-bedroom apartment. She works at Dolphin Research Center, he’s a deputy,” said Petersen, adding the space is 480 square feet. “She said, ‘This is perfect for me, my husband and my dog.’”

Still under construction are the playground and play areas. When those are finished, the developer will start on Seaward Point, market rate homes located on the waterfront edge of the parcel.

At the July meeting of the Marathon City Council, several residents spoke out about Seaward Landing; specifically, the width of the adjacent 86th Street.

“When is the developer going to widen 86th Street like he promised?” asked Angela White during public comments. “Right now two cars cannot pass each other.” City attorney Dirk Smits said he has reviewed the development agreement and conditional use that was approved by the city regarding Seaward Landing.

Smits said, “it was pretty clear intent there be some design for widening the road” and “evidence warrants more investigation.”

Rosasco said he has cooperated with the City of Marathon by granting a 5-foot easement on the west side of the property adjacent to 86th Street.

“We would love to see the city improve that street,” Rosasco said. “The problem is that the city would need property owners on the west side of the road to grant an easement as well and it’s doubtful they would agree as it would encroach into their yards and probably conflict with existing utilities and other things, like fences and mailboxes.”

Rosasco said the street widening should be funded by impact fees, road and infrastructure funds or some combination of those.

“There is no easy or inexpensive solution.

If the city does widen (86th Street), get ready to have every other substandard city-owned side street expect the same thing,” he said.

That issue aside, Rosasoc said he’s pleased to offer modern homes in a safe and friendly environment for 45 local families.

“We think that is the most important thing,” he said. “We also are pleased to have transformed a previously functionally obsolete and unattractive section of Overseas Highway into something our residents and the community can be proud of.”

Rosasco is partners with the Index Group of Florida and Sweden, including principals Bjarne Borg and Fredrik Alama.

Developer Peter Rosasco stands in one of the Seaward apartments soon ready to be occupied. The finishing details are topnotch, from stacked washer-dryer units to synthetic “granite” countertops.

THE RENTS 1 bedroom apartments: $1,410 for singles to $1,611 for two adults in the low-income category; $1,763 for singles to $2,014 for a couple in the median-income category.

2 bedroom apartments: $2,014 for two adults, $2,266 for three adults and $2,517 for four adults in the median-income category.

3 bedroom apartments: $2,719 for three adults and $3,012 for four adults in the moderate-income category.

(By the way, the 1-bedroom apartments set aside for low-income earners are identical to the median-income category.)

HOUSING

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020 SARA MATTHIS

sara@keysweekly.com

HABITAT FINISHES FOUR NEW HOMES IN MARATHON APPLICATIONS STILL OPEN FOR ONE OF THE UNITS

T

wo more Marathon families are happily ensconced in new homes. They are the 36th and 37th families to be served by Habitat for Humanity of the Middle Keys. The official move-in date was at the end of July, and the normal dedication ceremony was converted into a virtual affair.

Danny and Neli — with their children, Danny Jr. and Liana — have moved into their very own home built by Habitat for Humanity

Mac and Teri — with their children, Bella, Mackie and Bodhi — are settled in their new digs in midtown Marathon. CONTRIBUTED

Mac and Teri are in one of the four units with their three children, and Danny and Neli are in another with their two young children. The families are Habitat’s target family audience — school teachers, local government employees, retail and office workers.

“Owning our home is amazing,” said Teri, “because frankly I didn’t see that happening.

“But we love the neighborhood, too. We do a nightly walk around the neighborhood but we probably do more talking to our neighbors than walking,” Teri said, laughing.

Neli and Danny were even considering moving out of the Keys before this opportunity presented itself.

“We love this town and are so happy we get to stay here because we didn’t think it would be possible to purchase a home in the Keys with the high prices,” Neli said.

“We just can’t put enough emphasis on how grateful we are.”

This “build” is a little different from others in two ways. First the construction is steel frame, unlike the former modular construction, and required lots of volunteer help. Two, the land under the homes was made possible by a purchase from the Monroe County Land Authority.

“We have so many people to thank,” said Habitat for Humanity of the Middle Keys’ Chris Todd-Young. “Without the City of Marathon and Monroe County this could not have happened. We were able to lease the land and build the units.”

While professional builders oversaw the erection of the steel frame homes, this type of construction required lots of finishing touches completed by volunteers.

“The contractor guided our volunteers,” said Todd-Young.

Groups from around the country, as well as locally, including D’Asign Source and Zonta, helped finish the houses. They are three-bedroom, two-and-a-half baths that have about 1,200 square feet. As always, the new homeowners are paying a 0% interest mortgage and are responsible for paying their own taxes and mortgage.

Teri and Mac put a lot of “sweat equity” into the project as well and included their kids in the effort. In the Middle Keys, that often means supporting Habitat’s fundraising efforts — ringing the Salvation Army bell, selling tickets for the fishing tournament.

“Habitat is amazing. I don’t think many people recognize everything that they do,” said Teri.

“As the current board president I am privileged to have a great board and executive team to be able to provide home ownership to our hard working locals which is both affordable and safe place to raise their families,” said John Johnson, also Marathon’s fire chief. “ Last week we finished 4 units that will house those families. We look forward to building our community for years to come.”

The newest Habitat development is located in midtown Marathon.

Two families have already moved in, and a third is on the cusp. Habitat of the Middle Keys is accepting pre-qualified applicants for the fourth.

Download and print the 2-page prequalified application form from www. habitatmiddlekeys.org, complete it, scan it and send it back to fsm@ habitatmiddlekeys.org. Hard copies can also be picked up outside the Marathon office located at 8055 Overseas Highway in Marathon. Call

45

46

WEEKLY INTERVIEW

IT’S GOOD TO BE IN THIS DOG HOUSE Local works with national group renovating animal shelters SARA MATTHIS

sara@keysweekly.com

W

ho has the coolest job in the world?

Ryan McFarland.

Yep, this guy rebuilds animal shelters for a living.

“When Rescue Rebuild came to help out at the FKSPCA Marathon campus after Hurricane Irma, I jokingly asked whether or not they were hiring,” said McFarland. “My then-girlfriend just laughed at me. Two years later, though, and I applied for an open spot as program manager.

McFarland, a Big Pine Key resident, works for Rescue Rebuild and its parent company, GreaterGood.org. He’s married to Tara Vickrey McFarland, the shelter director in Marathon. (Even she admits to being a little envious. It really IS a cool job.)

Where are you from? I’m originally from Pennsylvania, but I had visited the Keys as a Boy Scout before coming to work as a ranger at the Boy Scouts camp on Summerland. Then I worked hospitality maintenance before starting my own landscaping company.

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

When did you start working with Rescue Rebuild? I worked with them as a volunteer in 2017 when they visited the Keys. The team worked so hard and maintained such high spirits.

It was really impressive. And then in 2019 I went on a “working interview” and really liked the crew and got along with everyone.

What is Rescue Rebuild? It’s a shelter renovation program with a team who travels to selected shelters. The goal is to make them more adoption-friendly, creating spaces that are engaging and enriching for pets and people.

We don’t just work at animal facilities, though. We also renovate domestic violence shelters and work in homeless and veteran housing situations so those clients can keep their pets.

Sometimes we also get the chance to work at wildlife sanctuaries.

How long has Rescue Rebuild been around? It was founded in 2007. Since then, the growing team has worked on more than 150 projects in 48 states and three countries.

Which project has made the most impact on you? Certainly, clearing up after Hurricane Irma was important; that’s when I met the team. But we also went to Grand Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian to rebuild that shelter and it made a big impact. The country suffered incredible damage, and so did the shelter — fences down, shade destroyed, severe flooding. Parts of the shelter took on six feet of flooding. The employees stayed in the shelter as Hurricane Dorian went over, pulling as many animals into the rafters as possible. Sadly, not all of them made it. Part of our

renovation included a raised platform over the kennels so animals can be lifted out of the floodwaters when another hurricane strikes. I get choked up talking about it.

You recently returned from a wild life conservation job? Yes, we were at The Wild Animal Sanctuary. This particular facility has about 10,000 acres where lions, tigers, bears and wolves can live out their life in a massive habitat that is closed to the public. I was working on a 50-acre habitat for some of the animals featured in the Netflix documentary “Tiger King.”

What was your takeaway from that show? Honestly, I was shocked to learn of the prevalence of big cat breeding, and how many big cats there are in the U.S. It was an eye opener.

What type of work does Rescue Rebuild do for domestic violence, homeless and veteran shelters? We make it possible for those types of facilities to accommodate someone with a pet — whether that’s a doggy or kitty door, or even renovating a barn so the animals and people have places to hang out together. Approximately 50% of domestic violence victims delay leaving abusive situations because they can’t find accommodations for their pets. Only about 10% of the DV shelters will allow victims to bring their pets. We aim to change that statistic.

How did the pandemic affect your work? Well, our team is based all over the country so we are used to Zoom meetings! And while we used to fly to renovation locations, we now drive. Prior to the pandemic, our jobs involved help from many, many volunteers; as many as 200 on a job. Now that type of help is limited to cut down on community spread.

What animals do you have at home.

We have two dogs —Palmetto and Bismarck. And a tortoise.

What’s your favorite movie about animals? “The Adventures of Milo and Otis.”

What set you on this path? Well, I met Tara, my wife. And together we rescued Sadowski, a dog that was hit by a car and paralyzed. We totally fell in love with her and are still sad that she is no longer with us. She taught me a lot about patience and greeting every day with joy.

47

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

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STUDENT OF THE WEEK

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

MIA DANIEL SOPHOMORE, KWHS Make your home more than a shelter with great rates, flexible payments and fast local service on a Keys Home Equity Line of Credit.

ELLA HALL www.keysweekly.com

Apply Now! John North Key West & Lower Keys Call 305-293-6071 NMLS# 785028

Dave Peck Middle & Upper Keys Call 305-809-3456 NMLS# 1172912

KeysFCU.org

Restrictions may apply. Subject to credit approval. Equal Housing Lender. Membership is open to everyone who lives or works in the Florida Keys, their families out of town and our local military.

What KWHS teacher has had the most influence on you? Mr. Truhan would always stay late with me after school and help me with math. Mrs. Gray is super cool to talk to and always listens to what you have to say. Finally, Mr. Murray would always talk to me about the next theater projects and Broadway shows.

What class, so far, has best prepared you for life after high school? Psychology and musical theater because if I don’t make it on Broadway, I would love to be a criminal profiler.

What was the biggest challenge of online learning for you during the pandemic? It was having so much school work from all of my teachers.

What advice would you give incoming freshmen? Make good relationships with your teachers — and join the drama club.

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What are your plans/goals after graduation? To attend Columbia, Yale, or New York University (NYU), and double major in musical theater and psychology, with a minor in criminology. After this, I plan to spend my time in New York, working hard every day to perfect my singing, dancing and acting skills to make it on Broadway. My goal in life is to become one of the best actresses ever known.

What three things would you like to have accomplished by your 10year high school reunion? I’d like to have made my Broadway debut

as a leading lady; have won a Tony Award for best actress in a musical, and to have completed many more acting projects, including movies, television shows and additional Broadway roles.

What social media app do you use most often? I use YouTube the most often because I rewatch my favorite YouTubers.

Where do you get most of your news? I get most of my news from my teachers and other social media outlets.

What local, national or global issue concerns you most? Equal rights for women, women’s abortion rights and clean energy in every country.

Do you plan to make the Keys your permanent home after high school or college? After I graduate, you will never see me again. I will move on to the next chapter in my life and never look back. I plan on living in New York for the rest of my life.

Who has influenced you the most in your life? My parents.

They have always supported my dreams, which I’m so grateful for.

Barbra Streisand and Sutton Foster have also influenced me, for being some of the most successful actresses of all time.

COOL STUFF

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

Mainstreaming

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK

WATCH | THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY On the same day in October 1989, 43 infants are inexplicably born to random, unconnected women who showed no signs of pregnancy the day before. Seven are adopted by Sir Reginald Hargreeves, a billionaire industrialist, who creates The Umbrella Academy and prepares his “children” to save the world. But not everything goes according to plan.

In their teenage years, the family fractures and the team disbands. Now, the six surviving thirty-something members reunite upon the news of Hargreeves’ passing. Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Vanya and Number Five work together to solve a mystery surrounding their father’s death.

Season two is out now. On Netflix.

LISTEN | BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE Luke Bryan is the epitome of an easygoing contemporary country superstar. His seventh studio album makes plenty of room for pop-informed bite in tracks like “What She Wants Tonight” with its gleaming, night-on-the-town hook and “One Margarita,” with its beachfront cadence and subtly metallic effects. Out now on all major services.

READ | THE GLASS HOTEL From the award-winning author of “Station Eleven,” an exhilarating novel set at the glittering intersection of two seemingly disparate events — a massive Ponzi scheme collapse and the mysterious disappearance of a woman from a ship at sea. Vincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star lodging on the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island. On the night she meets Jonathan Alkaitis, a hooded figure scrawls a message on the lobby’s glass wall: “Why don’t you swallow broken glass.” High above Manhattan, a greater crime is committed: Alkaitis is running an international Ponzi scheme, moving imaginary sums of money through clients’ accounts.

“CURES” THAT ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR COVID-19 10. Dion’s chicken

9. Chinese seeds that were mailed to you last week 8. Skin cream from a Key West cosmetic shop 7. Iguana poop 6. Advice from Sarah Palin (handle with care) 5. Alien DNA 4. Demon Semen 3. Tide Pods 2. Windex 1. Genetically Modified Mosquito bites

49

50

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

51

TIMES ARE CHANGING NEWS HAPPENS FAST

www.keysweekly.com Sign up today for daily email blasts and breaking news.

LOCAL NEWS | LOCALLY OWNED Key West 305-453-6928 | Marathon 305-743-0844 | Tavernier 305-363-2957

52

ENVIRONMENT

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

TIFFANY DUONG tiffany@keysweekly.com

WHAT ABOUT WATER QUALITY?

Nutrients from land enter nearshore waters where they can fuel macroalgae blooms in places where the water at one time was clear.

NOAA FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY/Contributed

SANCTUARY’S EXPERT TALKS ABOUT SOURCES, RESTORATION AND WHY IT MATTERS.

A

s the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary wades through the Restoration Blueprint public meetings, discussions, drafts and revisions processes, water quality remains a primary concern for all parties involved.

The Weekly caught up with Karen Bohnsack, who deals with all things water quality for the sanctuary, to learn more.

What is your primary objective as the associate director for water quality and ecosystem restoration for FKNMS? My goal is to work with the community and suite of partners who have authority over activities that impact water quality to understand the sources of water quality decline, and develop and implement solutions. Through my role, I want the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to be a leader in demonstrating commitment, action, and progress towards improving water quality in the Florida Keys.

Is your position relatively new with FKNMS? When did you start? Yes, my position is relatively new with the sanctuary, and was created with the recognition that we needed to have more dedicated attention to water quality issues and solutions. I started in mid-August 2019.

What are the biggest water quality challenges for the Sanctuary? Are these local, regional, global or a mix? Water quality in the sanctuary is affected by a mix of local, regional and global factors.

Locally, wastewater, stormwater runoff and land-based sources of pollution from the islands are among the most important contributors to water quality decline as they contribute high concentrations of nutrients and other pollutants into nearshore waters.

The Keys are made of a porous limestone bedrock, so pollutants that soak into the ground may eventually reach nearby surface waters.

We’re also influenced by waters that flow to the Keys from other locations, including the Gulf of Mexico and southern Florida, which is highly urbanized and home to 8 million people. This connectivity adds additional complexity to managing water quality locally, as wastewater and stormwater inputs from Florida’s east and southwest coasts also have the ability to influence Keys’ water quality.

Globally, increasing temperatures and ocean acidification will affect our waters, and sea level rise and changing storm and rainfall patterns may exacerbate local water quality issues by increasing runoff of various land-based pollutants into nearshore waters.

How are water quality and ecosystem restoration connected? Restoring and protecting water quality is essential for the overall recovery and sustainability of habitats, fish and wildlife in the Keys.

The coral reefs and seagrasses thrive in and rely on clean, clear water that is low in nutrients. Exposure to nutrients, toxins and other pollutants negatively affects these resources and their associated marine life, which over time causes shifts to algae dominated areas with cloudier water and fewer fish.

Can we restore our coral, seagrass, mangroves etc. if we don’t tackle water quality issues? Good water quality is fundamental to a healthy ecosystem and is important for the long term success of any restoration effort. We have and will continue to work on water quality solutions within the Florida Keys and regionally. However, understanding that such improvements are extremely complex and require significant time and financial investments, it is important to simultaneously pursue proactive restoration to maintain key ecosystem functions.

What is the Water Quality Protection Program, how can it help, and can folks get involved? The Water Quality Protection Program (WQPP) was created as part of the legislation that established the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. This program has worked for over 25 years to address sources of pollution and maintain the water quality conditions needed to sustain healthy coral reefs, seagrass and marine wildlife populations.

Through this program, a variety of corrective actions, education and outreach, monitoring, and research activities have been undertaken to better understand and address the sources of pollution contributing to water

quality degradation within the Florida Keys.

In addition to contributing strong scientific information and providing a forum for public input on water quality issues, the WQPP allows for collaboration among the different agencies with water quality responsibilities, which creates an opportunity to achieve meaningful improvements in water quality beyond what an individual agency or organization could accomplish alone.

Members of the community can attend WQPP meetings – both to become more informed about water quality issues and to share concerns or perspectives about water quality from their experience. Visit http:// ocean.floridamarine.org/FKNMS_WQPP/ to learn more.

What’s one thing people can do to help improve water quality? Protecting and improving water quality is complex and challenging, and requires both coordinated agency action and individual effort. Probably the best thing that each individual can do is to become informed about water quality, then consider their own activities and identify one way you can specifically change your behaviors to protect water quality.

This may include keeping nutrient-rich yard waste and fish scraps out of canals and nearshore waters, using vessel pumpout services, reducing fertilizer use or avoiding applications before rain, proper disposal of household chemicals and/or connecting to central sewer if you haven’t yet. Such small, individual efforts can help, especially if everyone contributes.

Bohnsack can be reached at karen.bohnsack@noaa.gov.

53

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

CONGRATULATIONS To our BUYERS & SELLERS. We hope you enjoy your new homes.

Jody & Lynn represented the Buyers of: 301 Ixora Drive Duck Key, FL 33050 A member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates, LLC

Jody Owen 305.923.1902 jodyowen@me.com

www.KeysRealEstate.com

Lynn B. Lucas 305.393.0559 lynn@keyshomehunter.com

Covering All The Keys From Key Largo To Key West Upper Keys Weekly 91760 O/S Hwy, Ste 3 Tavernier, FL 33070 305.363.2957

Marathon Weekly 9709 O/S Hwy Marathon, FL 33050 305.743.0844

Key West Weekly 5450 MacDonald Ave, Ste 5 Key West, FL 33040 305.453.6928

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54

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ADOPT FY2021 COMMERCIAL RATES FOR COLLECTION, DISPOSAL, AND RECYCLING IN MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA Notice is hereby given that the County Commission, Monroe County, Florida will conduct a virtual public hearing to adopt the FY2021 Commercial Rates for collection, disposal and recycling in Monroe County, Florida, as follows: The virtual public hearing will be held at 5:05 p.m. on September 3, 2020, at the following virtual address: https://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/BudgetSep3, for the purpose of receiving public comment on the proposed rates. All affected property owners have a right to appear virtually at the hearing and to file written objections with the County Commission within 20 calendar days of the date of this notice. Pursuant to section 286.0105, Florida Statutes, notice is given that if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the County Commission with respect to any matter considered at this virtual hearing, such person will need a record of the proceedings and may need to ensure that a verbatim record is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be made. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation or an interpreter to virtually participate in this proceeding should contact the County Administrator at (305) 292-4441, at least 48 hours prior to the date of the hearing. If hearing impaired, dial “711” for assistance.

If you have any questions, please contact the County at (305) 292-4536, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Pursuant to Executive Order No. 20-69 (extended by Executive Order Nos. 20-112, 20-139 and 20-179), Monroe County Emergency Directive 20-06, and the Center for Disease Control (“CDC”) social-distancing guidelines established to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, this meeting will be conducted via Communication Media Technology (“CMT”), using a Zoom Webinar platform @ https:// www.monroecounty-fl.gov/BudgetSep3.

The public is strongly encouraged to watch the meeting on Monroe County’s MCTV on Comcast Channel 76, or listen to audio-only from their phones by dialing (646) 518-9805 or (669) 900-6833 and, when prompted, enter the Webinar ID# 983 4697 9969 followed by the # key.

The public can watch the online meeting by visiting Monroe County’s meeting portal @ http://monroecountyfl.iqm2.com/Citizens/Default.aspx, and selecting the “Watch Live” banner to view with live closed-captioning on an integrated page that includes the Meeting Agenda/Agenda backup.

To join the Zoom Webinar, enter this address: https://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/BudgetSep3.

Or iPhone one-tap: US: +16465189805,,98346979969# or +16699006833,,98346979969# Or Telephone: Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 646 518 9805 or +1 669 900 6833 Webinar ID: 983 4697 9969 International numbers available: https://mcbocc.zoom.us/u/aeGkPNloxE If a person wishes to comment on a particular item on the public portion of the agenda, when the webinar monitor and/or the Mayor calls for speakers on the item on which you wish to comment: a) If phoning in: Dial *9 to “raise your hand” to be recognized by the Zoom webinar monitor; b) If watching online: click on/open the live Zoom Webinar link below: https://monroecounty-fl.gov/BudgetSep3 that appears in both the published Agenda and Agenda Packet. When prompted, enter your email address and name to join the webinar and then select the “Raised Hand” feature that appears at the bottom of the Zoom webinar screen to be recognized by the webinar monitor.

The webinar monitor/meeting host will request the Agenda Item # on which you wish to speak and will enable your participation when the Mayor calls for public speakers on your item. To report problems with the broadcast, please call (305) 872-8831.

A person may submit written or other physical evidence on a particular agenda item for consideration at the BOCC meeting to: Lindsey Ballard, via email, to: ballard-lindsey@monroecounty-fl.gov, or by mail to: The County Administrator’s Office, 1100 Simonton Street, Suite 205, Key West, FL 33040. The documents must be received by 3:00 PM on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, and must include the submitter’s name, address, phone number, email address, and the agenda item number to which the documents refer.

The following schedules reflect the proposed monthly rates for Commercial Waste Generators for the various franchise areas:

WASTE MANAGEMENT OF FLORIDA, INC. a) CAN PICKUP RATE SCHEDULE Number of Cans 2

3

4

5

6

Rate Element

COLLECTION RATE INCREASE: DISPOSAL RATE INCREASE: Number of Pick Ups Per Week 2 3 4

WASTE MANAGEMENT OF FLORIDA, INC. 1.40% 1.40% 5

6

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

18.11 27.19

27.11 40.71

36.21 54.28

45.30 67.90

54.35 81.46

45.30

67.88

90.49

113.20

135.81

Collection Disposal Recycling Total with Increase

27.54 40.70

40.71 61.04

54.35 81.46

67.94 101.82

81.69 122.63

68.24

101.75

135.81

169.76

204.32

36.21 54.50

54.35 81.83

67.94 109.06

90.61 136.34

108.67 163.58

90.71 45.30 67.89

136.18 67.94 101.82

177.00 90.61 135.78

226.95 113.42 169.66

272.25 130.75 200.37

113.19

169.76

226.39

283.08

331.12

54.36 80.93

81.69 122.18

108.67 162.89

135.978 203.60

163.07 244.34

135.28

203.87

271.56

339.57

407.41

Collection Disposal Recycling Total with Increase Collection Disposal Recycling Total with Increase Collection Disposal Recycling Total with Increase

b) CONTAINERIZED PICKUP RATE SCHEDULE Size of Containers 1

2

3

4

6

8

Rate Element Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

1

COLLECTION RATE INCREASE: DISPOSAL RATE INCREASE: Number of Pick Ups Per Week 2 3 4

1.40% 1.40% 5

6

7

48.19 42.95

79.43 85.92

110.90 128.87

139.07 171.83

172.42 214.80

200.20 257.76

231.54 300.73

91.14

165.35

239.77

311.80

387.22

457.96

532.27

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

79.18 86.666

140.05 171.83

197.71 257.76

260.23 343.66

306.98 429.59

374.80 515.53

432.22 601.421

165.84

311.88

455.47

603.89

736.57

890.33

1033.64

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

110.90 128.87

206.00 257.76

297.34 386.63

385.65 515.52

474.29 644.41

546.96 773.28

651.52 902.16

239.77

463.76

683.97

901.17

1118.70

1320.24

1553.68

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

140.05 171.83

260.23 343.66

369.63 515.53

489.70 687.36

604.38 859.20

718.72 1031.04

833.66 1202.88

311.88

603.89

885.16

1177.06

1463.58

1749.76

2036.54

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

200.20 257.76

374.80 515.53

547.04 773.28

718.72 1031.04

891.13 1288.79

1063.18 1542.52

1209.80 1804.33

457.96

890.33

1320.32

1749.76

2179.92

2605.70

3014.13

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

260.23 343.66

489.70 687.36

719.01 1031.04

948.37 1374.73

1177.83 1718.43

1407.24 2062.10

1636.71 2405.78

603.89

1177.06

1750.05

2323.10

2896.26

3469.34

4042.49

55

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

MARATHON GARBAGE SERVICE, INC. a) CAN PICKUP RATE SCHEDULE Number of Cans 2

3

4

5

6

COLLECTION RATE INCREASE: DISPOSAL RATE INCREASE: Number of Pick Ups Per Week 2 3 4

Rate Element

KEYS SANITARY SERVICE

5

6

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

21.32 27.18

32.01 40.70

42.55 54.28

53.24 67.89

63.94 81.46

48.50

72.71

96.83

121.13

145.40

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

31.90 40.70

48.04 61.04

63.94 81.46

79.90 101.82

95.93 122.18

72.60

109.08

145.40

181.72

218.11

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

42.55 54.50

63.94 81.83

85.27 109.06

106.54 136.34

127.88 163.58

97.05

145.77

194.33

242.88

291.46

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

53.24 67.89

79.90 101.82

106.54 135.78

133.33 169.66

159.90 203.60

121.13

181.72

242.32

302.99

363.50

63.93 81.46

95.93 122.18

127.88 162.89

159.90 203.60

191.91 244.37

145.39

218.11

290.77

363.50

436.28

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

b) CONTAINERIZED PICKUP RATE SCHEDULE

1.40% 1.40%

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

MARATHON GARBAGE SERVICE, INC. b) CONTAINERIZED PICKUP RATE SCHEDULE Size of Containers 1

Rate Element Collection Disposal Recycling ** Total with Increase

2

4

6

8

1

5

6

7

89.74 85.92

126.26 128.87

160.60 171.83

195.69 214.80

230.86 257.70

268.53 300.73

96.22

175.66

255.13

332.43

410.49

488.56

569.26

89.74 85.92

160.60 171.83

230.86 257.76

300.96 343.66

366.08 429.59

435.96 515.53

503.53 601.42

175.66

332.43

488.62

644.62

795.67

951.49

1104.95

Collection Disposal Recycling ** Total with Increase

123.77 124.87

230.86 249.77

335.05 374.63

435.95 499.53

537.22 624.42

638.38 773.28

739.69 902.16

248.64

480.63

709.68

935.48

1161.64

1411.66

1641.85

Collection Disposal Recycling ** Total with Increase

160.60 171.83

300.96 343.66

435.96 515.53

570.98 687.36

706.00 859.20

840.92 1031.04

955.79 1202.88

332.43

644.62

951.49

1258.34

1565.20

1871.96

2158.67

Collection Disposal Recycling ** Total with Increase

230.86 257.76

435.96 515.53

638.38 773.28

840.92 1031.04

1043.41 1288.79

1245.87 1542.52

1448.31 1804.33

488.62

951.49

1411.66

1871.96

2332.20

2788.39

3252.64

Collection Disposal Recycling ** Total with Increase

300.96 343.66

570.98 687.36

840.92 1031.04

1110.78 1374.73

1352.43 1718.43

1650.68 2062.10

1920.68 2405.38

644.62

1258.34

1871.96

2485.51

3070.86

3712.78

4326.06

KEY’S SANITARY SERVICE a) CAN PICKUP RATE SCHEDULE Number of Cans 2

Rate Element

COLLECTION RATE INCREASE: DISPOSAL RATE INCREASE: Number of Pick Ups Per Week 2 3 4

5

6

20.63 26.75

31.01 40.07

41.45 53.43

51.84 66.82

62.03 80.19

47.38

71.08

94.88

118.66

142.22

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

31.01 40.07

46.59 60.09

62.03 80.19

77.70 100.21

93.31 120.26

71.08

106.68

142.22

177.91

213.57

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

41.45 53.43

62.03 80.19

82.85 106.87

103.65 133.62

124.31 160.20

94.88

142.22

189.72

237.27

284.51

5

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

51.84 66.82

77.70 100.21

103.65 133.62

129.45 166.97

155.45 200.37

118.66

177.91

237.27

296.42

355.82

6

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

62.03 80.19

93.31 120.26

124.31 160.20

155.45 200.37

186.35 240.50

142.22

213.57

284.51

355.82

426.85

4

2

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

3

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

4

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

6

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

8

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

631.28

1 52.19 42.27

0.00

0.00

0.00

6 224.79 253.69

7

0.00

172.28

250.07

325.60

402.03

478.48

156.49 169.11

224.19 253.69

293.08 338.20

358.52 422.76

424.21 507.32

172.28

325.60

478.48

631.28

781.28

931.53

123.24 126.83

224.79 253.66

325.86 380.50

424.21 507.32

522.55 634.17

620.84 760.99

250.07

478.45

706.36

931.53

1156.72

1381.83

156.49 169.11

293.08 338.20

424.21 507.32

555.32 676.44

686.37 845.55

817.66 1014.65

325.60

631.28

931.53

1231.76

1531.92

1832.31

224.79 253.66

424.21 507.32

620.84 760.99

817.66 1014.65

1014.20 1268.30

1210.90 1521.99

478.45

931.53

1381.83

1832.31

2282.50

2732.89

293.08 338.20

555.32 676.44

817.66 1014.65

1079.89 1352.87

1341.97 1691.09

1604.29 2029.31

1231.76

1832.31

2432.76

3033.06

3633.60

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

OCEAN REEF CLUB, INC.

Number of Cans 2

3

4

5

6

COLLECTION RATE INCREASE: DISPOSAL RATE INCREASE: Number of Pick Ups Per Week 2 3 4

Rate Element

1.40% 1.40% 5

6

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

22.55 27.18

33.69 40.68

44.91 54.28

56.19 67.89

67.41 81.46

49.73

74.37

99.19

124.08

148.87

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

33.69 40.70

50.45 61.04

67.41 81.46

84.20 101.82

101.17 122.18

74.39

111.49

148.87

186.02

223.35

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

44.91 54.50

67.40 81.83

89.91 109.06

112.38 136.34

134.92 163.58

99.41

149.23

198.97

248.72

298.50

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

56.19 67.89

84.20 101.82

112.38 135.78

140.39 169.66

199.26 203.60

124.08

186.02

248.16

310.05

402.96

65.30 78.94

98.03 118.38

130.74 157.85

163.16 197.29

195.89 236.80

144.24

216.41

288.59

360.45

432.69

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

OCEAN REEF CLUB, INC.

1

0.00

5 190.64 211.39

94.46

a) CAN PICKUP RATE SCHEDULE

Size of Containers

0.00

1.40% 1.40%

87.73 84.55

b) CONTAINERIZED PICKUP RATE SCHEDULE

1.40% 1.40%

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

3

Rate Element Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

1.40% 1.40%

53.27 42.95

Collection Disposal Recycling ** Total with Increase

3

COLLECTION RATE INCREASE: DISPOSAL RATE INCREASE: Number of Pick Ups Per Week 2 3 4

Size of Containers 1

COLLECTION RATE INCREASE: DISPOSAL RATE INCREASE: Number of Pick Ups Per Week 2 3 4 87.73 123.24 156.49 84.55 126.83 169.11

2

3

4

6

8

Rate Element Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

COLLECTION RATE INCREASE: DISPOSAL RATE INCREASE: Number of Pick Ups Per Week 2 3 4

1

1.40% 1.40% 5

6

7

55.81 41.85

93.80 85.92

132.39 128.87

168.48 171.83

205.34 214.80

242.50 257.76

541.99 300.73

97.66

179.72

261.26

340.31

420.14

500.26

842.72

93.01 85.92

166.66 171.83

239.85 257.76

312.80 343.66

383.22 429.59

453.52 515.53

523.85 601.42

178.93

338.44

497.61

656.46

812.81

969.05

1125.27

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

130.95 128.87

239.85 257.76

348.16 386.63

453.46 515.52

558.97 644.41

664.52 773.28

769.87 902.16

259.82 166.66 171.83

497.61 312.80 343.66

734.79 453.52 515.53

968.98 594.23 687.36

1203.38 629.01 859.20

1437.80 875.44 1031.04

1672.03 1016.20 1202.88

338.49

656.46

969.05

1281.59

1488.21

1906.48

2219.08

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

239.75 257.76

453.52 515.53

664.52 773.28

875.44 1031.04

1086.43 1288.79

1297.42 1542.52

1508.35 1804.33

497.51

969.05

1437.80

1906.48

2375.22

2839.94

3312.68

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

312.80 343.66

594.23 687.36

875.44 1031.04

1156.83 1374.73

1438.16 1718.43

1684.05 2062.10

1959.48 2405.78

656.46

1281.59

1906.48

2531.56

3156.59

3746.15

4365.26

Collection Disposal Recycling** Total with Increase

**Rates for recycling services are not reflected in these tables. Those charges are based on a collection fee of $6.84 per cubic yard and a processing fee of $1.09 per cubic yard; there is no disposal fee for recycling services. Monthly charges will depend of the specific level of service.

Dated at Key West, Monroe County, Florida this 7th day of August 2020 BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA KEVIN MADOK, Clerk of the Circuit Court and ex officio Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida

Publish: August 13, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

56

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

** Unincorporated areas, City of Marathon, Layton and Key Colony Beach

NOTICE OF HEARING TO REIMPOSE AND PROVIDE FOR COLLECTION OF SOLID WASTE SERVICE SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS Notice is hereby given that the County Commission, Monroe County, Florida will conduct a virtual public hearing to consider reimposing solid waste service assessments for the Fiscal Year beginning October 1, 2020, against certain improved residential properties located within Monroe County and the City of Marathon, Layton and Key Colony Beach to fund the cost of solid waste collection services, facilities and programs provided to such properties and to authorize collection of such assessments on the tax bill.

The virtual public hearing will be held at 5:05 p.m. on September 3, 2020, at the following virtual address: https://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/BudgetSep3, for the purpose of receiving public comment on the proposed assessments. All affected property owners have a right to appear virtually at the hearing and to file written objections with the County Commission within 20 calendar days of the date of this notice. Pursuant to section 286.0105, Florida Statutes, notice is given that if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the County Commission with respect to any matter considered at the hearing, such person will need a record of the proceedings and may need to ensure that a verbatim record is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be made. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation or an interpreter to participate in this proceeding should contact the County Administrator at (305) 292-4441, at least 48 hours prior to the date of the hearing. If hearing impaired, contact the Florida Relay Service Number, by dialing “711” for assistance.

The total annual solid waste assessment revenue to be collected within Monroe County and the City of Marathon, Layton and Key Colony Beach for the upcoming fiscal year is estimated to be $12,900,000. The rate of assessment for the upcoming fiscal year shall be $407.00 per residential dwelling unit. The maximum rate of assessment that can be imposed in the fiscal year commencing October 1, 2020 and future fiscal years shall be $407.00 per residential dwelling unit. Copies of the legal documentation for the assessment program will be made available upon request by contacting the County Administrator’s office at (305)292-4441 Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m..

305.743.0844

NOTICE OF HEARING TO REIMPOSE AND PROVIDE FOR COLLECTION OF DUCK KEY SECURITY SERVICES SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS Notice is hereby given that the County Commission, Monroe County, Florida will conduct a virtual public hearing to consider reimposing security services assessments for the Fiscal Year beginning October 1, 2020, against certain improved and unimproved properties located within Duck Key, to fund the cost of security services provided to such properties and to authorize collection of such assessments on the tax bill.

The virtual public hearing will be held at 5:05 p.m. on September 3, 2020, at the following virtual address: https://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/BudgetSep3, for the purpose of receiving public comment on the proposed assessments. All affected property owners have a right to appear virtually at the hearing and to file written objections with the County Commission within 20 calendar days of the date of this notice. Pursuant to section 286.0105, Florida Statutes, notice is given that if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the County Commission with respect to any matter considered at this virtual hearing, such person will need a record of the proceedings and may need to ensure that a verbatim record is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be made. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation or an interpreter to virtually participate in this proceeding should contact the County Administrator at (305) 292-4441, at least 48 hours prior to the date of the hearing. If hearing impaired, dial “711” for assistance.

The annual Duck Key security assessment is based on the number of improved or unimproved lots contained within the Duck Key Security District. The total annual assessment revenue to be collected within Duck Key for the upcoming fiscal year is estimated to be $115,000. The annual assessment rates for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2020 remain the same as the current year at $292 per improved lot and $28 per unimproved lot.

Copies of the legal documentation for the assessment program will be made available upon request by contacting the County Attorney’s office at (305) 292-3470 Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, please contact the County at (305) 292-3470, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, please contact the County at (305)-295-4323 or (305) 292-4536, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The assessments will be collected on the ad valorem tax bill to be mailed in November 2020, as authorized by section 197.3632, Florida Statutes. Failure to pay the assessments will cause a tax certificate to be issued against the property which may result in a loss of title.

Pursuant to Executive Order No. 20-69 (extended by Executive Order Nos. 20-112, 20-139 and 20-179), Monroe County Emergency Directive 20-06, and the Center for Disease Control (“CDC”) social-distancing guidelines established to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, this meeting will be conducted via Communication Media Technology (“CMT”), using a Zoom Webinar platform @ https://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/BudgetSep3.

The assessments will be collected on the ad valorem tax bill to be mailed in November, 2020, as authorized by section 197.3632, Florida Statutes. Failure to pay the assessments will cause a tax certificate to be issued against the property which may result in a loss of title.

The public is strongly encouraged to watch the meeting on Monroe County’s MCTV on Comcast Channel 76, or listen to audio-only from their phone by dialing (646) 518-9805 or (669) 900-6833 and, when prompted, enter the Webinar ID# 969 4844 1250 followed by the #key.

The public is strongly encouraged to watch the meeting on Monroe County’s MCTV on Comcast Channel 76, or listen to audio-only from their phone by dialing (646) 518-9805 or (669) 900-6833 and, when prompted, enter the Webinar ID# 969 4844 1250 followed by the #key.

The public can watch the online meeting by visiting the County’s meeting portal @ http://monroecountyfl.iqm2.com/Citizens/Default.aspx, and selecting the “Watch Live” banner to view with live closed-captioning on an integrated page that includes the Agenda/Agenda backup.

The public can watch the online meeting by visiting the County’s meeting portal @ http://monroecountyfl.iqm2.com/Citizens/Default.aspx, and selecting the “Watch Live” banner to view with live closed-captioning on an integrated page that includes the Agenda/Agenda backup.

Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16465189805,,98346979969# or +16699006833,,98346979969# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 646 518 9805 or +1 669 900 6833 Webinar ID: 983 4697 9969 International numbers available: https://mcbocc.zoom.us/u/aeGkPNloxE

Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16465189805,,98346979969# or +16699006833,,98346979969# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 646 518 9805 or +1 669 900 6833 Webinar ID: 983 4697 9969 International numbers available: https://mcbocc.zoom.us/u/aeGkPNloxE

If a person wishes to comment on a particular item on the public portion of the agenda, when the webinar monitor and/or the Mayor calls for speakers on the item on which you wish to comment: a)If phoning in: Dial *9 to “raise your hand” to be recognized by the Zoom webinar monitor; b) If watching online: click on/open the live Zoom Webinar link below: https://monroecounty-fl.gov/BudgetSep3 that appears in both the published Agenda and Agenda Packet. When prompted, enter your email address and name to join the webinar and then select the “Raised Hand” feature that appears at the bottom of the Zoom webinar screen to be recognized by the webinar monitor.

The webinar monitor/meeting host will request the Agenda Item # on which you wish to speak and will enable your participation when the Mayor calls for public speakers on your item. To report problems with the broadcast, please call (305) 872-8831.

A person may submit written or other physical evidence on a particular agenda item for consideration at the BOCC meeting to: Lindsey Ballard, via email, to: ballard-lindsey@monroecounty-fl.gov, or by mail to: The County Administrator’s Office, 1100 Simonton Street, Suite 205, Key West, FL 33040. The documents must be received by 3:00 PM on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, and must include the submitter’s name, address, phone number, email address, and the agenda item number to which the documents refer.

Dated at Key West, Monroe County, Florida this 7th day of August 2020 BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA KEVIN MADOK, Clerk of the Circuit Court and ex officio Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida Publish: August 13, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

Pursuant to Executive Order No. 20-69 (extended by Executive Order Nos. 20-112, 20-139 and 20-179), Monroe County Emergency Directive 20-06, and the Center for Disease Control (“CDC”) social-distancing guidelines established to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, this meeting will be conducted via Communication Media Technology (“CMT”), using a Zoom Webinar platform @ https://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/BudgetSep3.

If a person wishes to comment on a particular item on the public portion of the agenda, when the webinar monitor and/or the Mayor calls for speakers on the item on which you wish to comment: a) If phoning in: Dial *9 to “raise your hand” to be recognized by the Zoom webinar monitor; b) If watching online: click on/open the live Zoom Webinar link below: https://monroecounty-fl.gov/BudgetSep3 that appears in both the published Agenda and Agenda Packet. When prompted, enter your email address and name to join the webinar and then select the “Raised Hand” feature that appears at the bottom of the Zoom webinar screen to be recognized by the webinar monitor.

The webinar monitor/meeting host will request the Agenda Item # on which you wish to speak and will enable your participation when the Mayor calls for public speakers on your item. To report problems with the broadcast, please call (305) 872-8831.

A person may submit written or other physical evidence on a particular agenda item for consideration at the BOCC meeting to: Lindsey Ballard, via email, to: ballard-lindsey@monroecounty-fl.gov, or by mail to: The County Administrator’s Office, 1100 Simonton Street, Suite 205, Key West, FL 33040. The documents must be received by 3:00 PM on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, and must include the submitter’s name, address, phone number, email address, and the agenda item number to which the documents refer.

Dated at Key West, Monroe County, Florida, this 7th day of August, 2020.

KEVIN MADOK, Clerk of the Circuit Court and ex officio Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida Publish: August 13, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

57

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

Due to safety issues we're running at 50% capacity and have raised our prices $10 per person.

Sharing the Water with Sea Turtles

Morning trip 9:30am-1:30pm Night trip 6:30pm-midnight

MARATHON LADY DOCKS U.S.1 at Vaca Cut Bridge Mile Marker 53, Marathon

305.743.5580

• Watch out for sea turtles on the surface • Avoid trap ropes that may be floating • Stay alert and obey speed limits

If you see a Sea Turtle in Distress: Call our 24 hr Hotline 305-481-7669 or Call FWC 888-404-FWCC or Radio Coast Guard VHF Ch. 16

www.turtlehospital.org

Marathon Lady • 73’ Party Boat Please make sure to call ahead for reservations and face coverings are required. Thank you!

www.MARATHONLADY.net

Want to Attract more Business?

You can have this spot for only $100!

Call Lesley at 305-395-9895

58

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

FICTITIOUS NAME NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of MORADA SANDS located at 83265 Old Hwy Islamorada FL 33036, intends to register said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.

By: ISLAMORADA SANDS, LLC Publish: August 13, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

Million 2. Twin Lakes Road Elevation and Drainage Improvement Project: $7.1 Million 3. Stillwright Point Road Elevation and Drainage Improvement Project: $21 Million 4. Public Works and Fleet Maintenance Facility Relocation to Rockland Key: $13.7 Million 5. Big Coppitt Key Road Elevation and Drainage Improvement Project: $8.5 Million In compliance with program requirements, the applications has been posted for public comment at the following website: http://www.monroecounty-fl. gov/1200/CDBG-MitigationPrograms for a 10-day public comment period.

The State of Florida, Department of Economic Opportunity has allocated $475 Million to the General Infrastructure Program (GIP), funded through the Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) Program. The GIP will allow units of general local government (UGLG) to enhance community lifelines by mitigating community infrastructure.

Pursuant to Executive Order No. 20-69, Monroe County Emergency Directive 20-06, and the Center for Disease Control (“CDC”) social-distancing guidelines established to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the August 19, 2020, meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida, will be conducted via Communication Media Technology (“CMT”), using a Zoom Webinar platform.

Executive Order 20-179 extends EO 20-69. If the Governor issues a subsequent order changing directives for Local Government Public Meetings, the County will provide updates on the County Website at MonroeCountyFL.Gov. Public Hearings will commence at 1:30P.M. Below are the various options available to the public to view the live meeting and/or to make public comments on certain agenda items.

The public is strongly encouraged to watch the meeting on Monroe County’s MCTV Comcast Channel 76, or listen to audio-only from their phones by dialing (646) 518-9805 and, when prompted, enter the Webinar ID number 982 2806 0317 followed by the # key.

The public can watch the meeting online by visiting the County’s meeting portal at: http://monroecountyfl.iqmZ. com/Citizens/Default.aspx to view with live closed-captioning on an integrated page that includes the Agenda/Agenda backup.

If a person wishes to comment on a particular item on the agenda, when the Mayor calls for speakers on the item on which you wish to comment: a) If phoning in: Dial *9 to “raise your hand” to be recognized by the Zoom webinar monitor; b) If watching online: open the Zoom Webinar link below: https://mcboccl.zoom. us/j/98228060317 When prompted, enter your email address and name to join the webinar and be recognized by the meeting monitor. The live Zoom Webinar link also appears in the published Agenda and Agenda Packet.

A person may submit written or other physical evidence on a particular agenda item for consideration at the BOCC meeting to: Lindsey Ballard, via email, to: ballard-lindsey@ monroecounty-fl.gov, or by mail to: The County Administrator’s Office, 1100 Simonton Street, Key West, FL 33040. The documents must be received

by 9:00A.M. on Monday, August 16, 2020, and must include the submitter’s name, address, phone number, email address, and the agenda item number to which the documents refer.

For additional assistance, please call (305) 292-4441, or email your request to your request or inquiry to: Lindsey Ballard (ballardlindsey@monroecounty-fl.gov), or Liz Yongue (yongue-liz@ monroecounty-fl.gov) ADA ASSISTANCE: If you are a person with a disability who needs special accommodation in order to participate in this meeting, please contact the County Administrator’s Office, by phoning (305) 292-4441, between the hours of 8:30 a.m.---5:00 p.m., no later than five (5) calendar days prior to the scheduled meeting; if you are hearing-or voice-impaired, call “711”.

Pursuant to Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes, notice is given that if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the Board with respect to any matter considered at such hearings or meetings, such person will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, such person 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.

Dated at Key West, Monroe County, Florida, this 5th day of August, 2020.

KEVIN MADOK, Clerk of the Circuit Court and ex officio Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida Publish: August 13, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

DAY STARTING AT 11 P.M. ON JULY 24, 2020 AND ENDING AT 5 A.M. ON AUGUST 19, 2020; PROHIBITING ALCOHOL SALES FROM 11 P.M. UNTIL 7 A.M. EACH DAY STARTING AT 11 P.M. ON JULY 24, 2020 AND ENDING AT 7 A.M. ON AUGUST 19, 2020; ESTABLISHING A MINIMUM COUNTY-WIDE REQUIREMENT, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT OF A MUNICIPAL ORDINANCE IN CONFLICT; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF ALL ORDINANCES INCONSISTENT HEREWITH; PROVIDING FOR TRANSMITTAL TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE AND SUNSET DATE. The August 19, 2020 Meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, FL will be conducted via Communication Media Technology (“CMT”) using a Zoom Webinar platform. The public is strongly encouraged to watch the meeting on Monroe County’s MCTV on Comcast Channel 76, AT&T UVerse Channel 99 or on the County’s web portal @ http:// monroecountyfl.iqm2.com/ Citizens/Default.aspx. Simply select the “Watch Live” banner to view the live meeting with live closed captioning on an integrated page that includes the agenda and agenda backup.

If a citizen has a Roku device, they can search for and add “MCTV” to their personal lineup.

Monroe County’s “MCTV” is also provided via the Monroe County mobile apps for iOS and Android and through our streaming web portal @ https://monroe-fl.vod.castus.tv/ vod/?live=ch1&nav=live.

Citizens can listen to audio only from their phone by dialing (646) 518-9805 or (669) 900-6833 and, when prompted, enter the Webinar ID# 982 2806 0317 followed by the # key.

The public can comment during the live Public Hearing either by phoning in or by connecting to the live Zoom webinar link using the following instructions: a) To comment on an item by phone: Dial (646) 518-9805 or (669) 900-6833 and, when prompted, enter the Webinar ID# 982 2806 0317 followed by the # key, then *9 to “Raise your hand” to be recognized by the Zoom webinar host. b) To comment on an item using the live Zoom webinar link: Open this live Zoom webinar link @ http://www. monroecounty-fl.gov/ BoccMeetingAugust19 (that also appears in both the published Agenda and Agenda Packet). When prompted, enter your email address and name to join the webinar. When the Mayor calls for speakers on the item(s) you wish to comment on, or when the Board is nearing your item(s) as the meeting progresses, select the “Raised Hand” feature that appears at the bottom of the Zoom webinar screen to be recognized by the Zoom webinar host.

The Zoom webinar host will request the item # you wish to speak on and enable your participation when the Mayor calls for public speakers on your item. To report problems with the broadcast or participation in the Zoom webinar, please call (305) 872-8831.

Pursuant to Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes, notice is given that if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the Board with respect to any matter considered at such hearings or meetings, he will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, he 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.

ADA ASSISTANCE: If you are a person with a disability who

needs special accommodations in order to participate in this proceeding, please contact the County Administrator’s Office, by phoning (305) 292-4441, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. prior to the scheduled meeting; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call “711”. Live Closed Captioning is available via our web portal @ http://monroecountyfl.iqm2. com/Citizens/Default.aspx for meetings of the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners.

Dated at Key West, Florida, this 19th day of August, 2020.

KEVIN MADOK, Clerk of the Circuit Court and ex officio Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida Publish: August 13, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 20-CP-000070-P IN RE: ESTATE OF ROBERT A. CUNNINGHAM, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Robert A. Cunningham, deceased, whose date of death was June 10, 2020, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 50 High Point Rd, Plantation Key, Florida 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 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: August 13, 2020.

Personal Representative: William Cunningham 90184 Overseas Highway, Apt. 7 Tavernier, Florida 33070 Attorney for Personal Representative: Robert K. Miller Attorney 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: August 13 & 20, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, 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: August 13, 2020.

Personal Representative: Monica J. Carter c/o Wilson & Johnson 2425 Tamiami Trail N. Ste. 211 Naples, FL 34103 Attorney for Personal Representative: George A. Wilson FL Bar No. 332127 2425 Tamiami Trail North Suite 211 Naples, FL 34103 Phone: (239) 436-1502 E-mail address: Gawilson@ naplesestatelaw.com Courtfilings@naplesestatelaw. com Publish: August 13 & 20, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Driftwood Marina & Storage, Inc. located at 13900 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050 will proceed with Section 328.17(1), Florida Statutes, on the following vessels located at our facility for unpaid storage and repair balance.

Unless said vessel redeemed from said marina by payment as allowed by law, the described vessel will be sold to satisfy the lien. If the vessel is not redeemed and that vessel remains unclaimed, or for which the charges for storage services remain unpaid, will be sold free of all prior liens. This is not a public invite to view vessels. This is an attempt to collect unpaid storage charges. Once the date has expired and only then, may you visit the facility and gain information about the vessels.

Any person attempting to board these vessels prior or without our permission, shall be charged with trespassing.

These vessels will be sold commencing on or after, 1:00 p.m. on the 21st day of August 2020.

Everett and Sarah Gardner Doc vessel #514686 with no Hull Number.

Publish: August 6 & 13, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Wheatons Towing gives Notice of Foreclosure of Lien and intent to sell these vehicles on 08/22/2020, 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.

1GCCS1443TK168802 1996 CHEVROLET Publish: August 6 & 13, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Wheatons Towing gives Notice of Foreclosure of Lien and intent to sell these vehicles on 08/23/2020, 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.

1HGCR2F59EA002589 2014 HONDA 4S2CM58V6S4354698 1995 ISUZU Publish: August 13 & 20, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, that on Wednesday, August 19, 2020, at 1:30P.M., the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida, intends to consider the following: A VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING REGARDING APPROVAL TO APPLY TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY (“DEO”) FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTMITIGATION (CDBG-MIT) FUNDING FOR THE BELOWDESCRIBED PROJECTS: 1. Sands Subdivision Road Elevation and Drainage Improvement Project: $8.5

NOTICE OF INTENTION TO CONSIDER ADOPTION OF COUNTY ORDINANCE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN that on August 19, 2020 at 1:30 P.M., or as soon thereafter as may be heard, the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida, intends to consider adoption of an ordinance or ordinance(s) amending one or both of the following County Ordinances related to COVID-19: ORDINANCE NO. 024 – 2020 AN UNCODIFIED ORDINANCE

BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 014-2020 AS AMENDED BY ORDINANCE 022-2020 TO MANDATE THAT INDIVIDUALS WEAR A FACE COVERING IN PUBLIC IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES; ESTABLISHING A MINIMUM COUNTY-WIDE REQUIREMENT, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT OF A MUNICIPAL ORDINANCE IN CONFLICT; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF ALL ORDINANCES INCONSISTENT HEREWITH; PROVIDING FOR TRANSMITTAL TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE AND SUNSET DATE. ORDINANCE NO. O25-2020 AN UNCODIFIED EMERGENCY ORDINANCE BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 023-2020 CREATING SECTION 3.(5) ALLOWING RESTAURANTS TO SELL FOOD TO CUSTOMERS THROUGH DRIVE THROUGH, DELIVERY AND/OR CURBSIDE SERVICES DURING THE HOURS OF 11:00 P.M. AND 5:00 A.M.; CREATING SECTION 4.(2) c. PROVIDING FOR A NO CONTEST FINE OF $250 IN LIEU OF CONTESTING AN ISSUED CITATION; TO MANDATE THAT ALL BARS, RESTAURANTS, AND FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS CLOSE FROM 11 P.M. UNTIL 5 A.M. EACH

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: STANDBY EMERGENCY FEEDING SERVICES MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA Pursuant to F.S. 50.0211(3) (a), all published competitive solicitation notices can be viewed at: www.floridapublicnotices.com, a searchable Statewide repository for all published legal notices. Requirements for submission and the selection criteria may be requested from DemandStar at www/demandstar.com OR www.monroecountybids.com In response to Covid-19, the Monroe County Purchasing Department will be implementing a new electronic process for receiving and opening sealed bids. Monroe County is committed to continuing to receive and process competitive solicitations while maintaining the health and safety of our employees and those who attend bid openings.

Please do not mail or attempt to deliver in person any sealed bids. Mailed/physically delivered bids/proposals/responses WILL NOT be accepted.

The Monroe County Purchasing Department hereby directs that bids be submitted via email to: OMB-BIDS@monroecounty-fl. gov, no later than 3:00P.M., on September 9, 2020. Please submit your confidential financial information in a SEPARATE EMAIL from your bid and required documents. Your subject line on both emails must read as follows: Standby Emergency Feeding Services 9/9/20 Files that do not contain this subject line WILL BE REJECTED. Please note that the maximum file size that will be accepted by email is 25MB. Should your bid documents exceed 25MB, please email: omb-purchasing@ monroecounty-fl.gov. The bid opening for this solicitation will be held virtually, via the internet, at 3:00 P.M., on September 9, 2020. You may call in by phone or internet using the following: Join Zoom Meeting https://mcbocc.zoom. us/J/4509326156 Meeting ID: 4509326156 One tap mobile: +16465189805,, 4509326156 (New York) +16699006833,, 4509326156 (San Jose) Dial by your location: +1 646 518 9805 (New York) +1 669 900 6833 (San Jose) Publish: August 13, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 2020-CP-000056-P IN RE: ESTATE OF WILLIAM H. CARTER, JR., Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of WILLIAM H. CARTER, JR., deceased, whose date of death was April 9, 2020; File No. 2020-CP-000056-P, is pending in the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88820 Overseas Highway, Tavernier, FL 33070. The name and address 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, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, on whom a copy of this notice is served, must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 20-CP-000171-K IN RE: ESTATE OF SANDRA SUSAN CRAWFORD, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of SANDRA SUSAN CRAWFORD, deceased, whose date of death was 9 July 2020, 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 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: August 13, 2020.

Signed on 26 July 2020.

Personal Representative: Kerry Cressman G46 Miriam St Key West, FL 33040 Attorney for Personal Representative: Kathleen Hendrickson Florida Bar Number: 379921 5701 Overseas Highway, #12 Marathon, Florida 33050 Telephone: (305) 393-2598 E-mail: KHendrickson.atty@ gmail.com Publish:

59

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES • LEGAL NOTICES August 13 & 20, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 20-CP-000055-P IN RE: ESTATE OF WESLEY DAVIS OTTO, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of WESLEY DAVIS OTTO, deceased, whose date of death was May 3, 2020; File No. 20-CP000055-P, is pending in the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88820 Overseas Highway, Plantation Key, Florida 33070. The name and address 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 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: August 13, 2020.

Signed on June 1, 2020.

Personal Representative: CHARLES F. OTTO, JR. 2699 Stirling Road, Suite C-207 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33312 Attorney for Personal Representative: STEPHEN J. STRALEY, ESQ. Florida Bar No. 254381 Stralley Otto 2699 Stirling Road, Suite C-207 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33312 Telephone: 954/962-7367 Publish: August 13 & 20, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION File No.: 20-CP-000065-K DIVISION: PROBATE IN RE: ESTATE OF TIMOTHY J. KEELER Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Timothy J. Keeler, deceased, whose date of death was December 24, 2019, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is Freeman Justice Center, 302 Fleming 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 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

305.743.0844

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

AUTOS WANTED

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: August 6, 2020.

Attorney for Personal Representative: Audrey Patrone Peartree Email Address: apeartree@ harrisbeach.com Florida Bar No. 108246 Harris Beach, PLLC 99 Garnsey Road Pittsford, New York 14534 Personal Representative: Paula Ludwig 106 Brookside Circle Greenville, South Carolina 29609 Publish: August 6 & 13, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

FILE # 44-2020-CP-000058-P IN RE: ESTATE OF WILLIAM PRICE, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of, WILLIAM PRICE, deceased, whose date of death was 30 March 2020, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88820 Overseas Highway, Tavernier, Florida 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, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, 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 DATE 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, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims 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: August 6, 2020.

Personal Representative: Raven Price 111 East 7th St., Unit B Port Angeles, WA 98362 Attorney for Personal Representative: Tom Woods, Esq. Florida Bar Number: 0525197 116 Porto Salvo Drive Islamorada, Florida 33036 Phone 305.664.2200 Publish: August 6 & 13, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

MARY ADELINE SCHONECK, deceased, her unknown heirs, devisees, grantees, creditors, and all other parties claiming by, through, under or against the aforesaid parties; and all unknown natural persons, if alive, and if dead or not known be dead or alive, their several and respective unknown spouses, heirs, devisees, grantees, creditors, or other parties claiming by, through or under those unknown natural persons; and the several and respective unknown assigns, successors in interest, trustees or any other person claiming by, through, under or against any named defendant; and all claimants, persons or parties, natural or corporate, or whose exact legal status is unknown, claiming under any of the above-named or described defendants or parties or claiming to have any right, title or interest in and to the lands hereinafter described, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a Complaint has been filed against you by the Plaintiff in the above-styled court for the purpose of quieting title to the following described property situate and being in Monroe County, Florida: A parcel of land on the Island of Key West and known as part of Lot Six (6), of Square Two (2), Tract Eighteen (18) according to George W. Nichols subdivision of said Tract recorded in Plat Book 1, Page 42 of the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, said parcel being more particularly described by metes and bounds as follows: COMMENCING at the intersection of the Southeasterly right of way line of Seminary Street with the Southwesterly right of way line of Whalton Street (aka Frances Street) and run thence Southeasterly along the Southwesterly right of way line of the said Whalton Street for a distance of 69.37 feet to the Point of Beginning; thence continue Southeasterly along the Southwesterly right of way line of the said Whalton Street for a distance of 2.63 feet to the Northerly corner of the lands described in Official Record Book 3001 at Page 2459 of the said Public Records of Monroe County, Florida; thence Southwesterly and at right angles along the Northwesterly boundary line of the said lands for a distance of 90.00 feet to the Westerly corner of said lands; thence Northwesterly and at right angles for a distance of 2.63 feet; thence Northeasterly and at right angles for a distance of 90.00 feet back to the Point of Beginning.

YOU ARE REQUIRED to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on Erica H. Sterling, Esq., Spottswood, Spottswood, Spottswood & Sterling, PLLC, Attorney for Plaintiffs, whose address is 500 Fleming Street, Key West, FL 33040, on or before the following date: September 9, 2020, and to file the original with the Clerk of the Court either before service on Plaintiffs’ attorney or immediately thereafter, otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

WITNESS my hand and seal of this Court on this 28th day of July, 2020.

Kevin Madok As Clerk of the Court Monroe County, Florida By: Tori Perez As Deputy Clerk Publish: July 30, August 6, 13 & 20, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

Division: Family DAVID KULKASKI, Petitioner, and GALINA KULKASKI, Respondent.

NOTICE OF ACTION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE TO: GALINA KULKASKI Respondent’s last known address: 260 SHADY OAK, PISCATAWAY, NJ 08854 YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for dissolution of marriage has been filed against you and that you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on: DAVID KULKASKI, whose address is 311 WOODS AVENUE, TAVERNIER, FL 33070, on or before August 29, 2020 and file the original with the clerk of this Court at 88820 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, PLANTATION KEY, FL 33070 before service on Petitioner or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do so, a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition.

The action is asking the court to decide how the following real or personal property should be divided: None Copies of all court documents in this case, including orders, are available at the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office. You may review these documents upon request.

You must keep the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office notified of your current address.

(You may file Designation of Current Mailing and E-Mail Address, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.915.) Future papers in this lawsuit will be mailed or e-mailed to the address(es) on record at the clerk’s office.

WARNING: Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, requires certain automatic disclosure of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal or striking of pleadings.

Dated: July 28, 2020 Kevin Madok, CPA Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida By: Jennifer Zemmel Deputy Clerk Publish: July 30, August 6, 13 & 20, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

review these documents upon request.

You must keep the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office notified of your current address.

(You may file Designation of Current Mailing and E-Mail Address, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.915.) Future papers in this lawsuit will be mailed or e-mailed to the address(es) on record at the clerk’s office.

WARNING: Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, requires certain automatic disclosure of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal or striking of pleadings.

Dated: July 2, 2020 Kevin Madok, CPA Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida By: Amber Dameron Deputy Clerk Publish: July 30, August 6, 13 & 20, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

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

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 2020-CP-68-P IN RE: ESTATE OF JAMES ERIC HACK Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of JAMES ERIC HACK, deceased, whose date of death was June 30, 2020, 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: August 6, 2020 Personal Representative: RICHARD A. HACK 40 High Point Road, Apt 1 Tavernier, FL 33070 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 Telephone: 305-664-5065 Publish: August 6 & 13, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CIVIL DIVISION CASE NO.: 20-CA-000410-K JUDGE: Bonnie J. Helms JOSEPH T. RESOR, III and JENNIFER RESOR Plaintiffs, vs.

ADELINE SCHONECK a/k/a MARY ADELINE SCHONECK, deceased, her unknown heirs, devisees, grantees, creditors, and all other parties claiming by, through, under or against the aforesaid parties; and all unknown natural persons, if alive, and if dead or not known be dead or alive, their several and respective unknown spouses, heirs, devisees, grantees, creditors, or other parties claiming by, through or under those unknown natural persons; and the several and respective unknown assigns, successors in interest, trustees or any other person claiming by, through, under or against any named Defendants; and all claimants, persons or parties, natural or corporate, or whose exact legal status is unknown, claiming under any of the above-named or described Defendants or parties or claiming to have any right, title or interest in and to the lands hereinafter described, Defendants.

NOTICE OF ACTION TO: ADELINE SCHONECK a/k/a

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA Case No.: 20-DR-276-P

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA Case No.: 20-DR-452-K Division: Family GIRANNE SAINTUS, Petitioner and JEAN LEON NOEL Respondent.

NOTICE OF ACTION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE TO: JEAN LEON NOEL Respondent’s last known address: 6500 MALONEY AVENUE, LOT 61, KEY WEST, FL 33040 YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for dissolution of marriage has been filed against you and that you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on: GIRANNE SAINTUS, whose address is B5 8TH AVENUE, KEY WEST, FL 33040, on or before August 31, 2020 and file the original with the clerk of this Court at 530 Whitehead Street, Key West FL 33040 before service on Petitioner or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do so, a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition.

The action is asking the court to decide how the following real or personal property should be divided: None Copies of all court documents in this case, including orders, are available at the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office. You may

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA Case No.: 20-DR-348-K Division: Family LADISLAV KOBLIHA, Petitioner and DAKOTA DEWAYNE DODDS Respondent.

NOTICE OF ACTION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE TO: DAKOTA DEWAYNE DODDS Respondent’s last known address: 311 CHARLESTON STREET, CAVE CITY, AR 72501 YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for dissolution of marriage has been filed against you and that you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on: LADISLAV KOBLIHA, whose address is 1721 JAMAICA DRIVE, KEY WEST, FL 33040, on or before September 14, 2020 and file the original with the clerk of this Court at 500 Whitehead Street, Key West FL 33040 before service on Petitioner or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do so, a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition.

The action is asking the court to decide how the following real or personal property should be divided: None Copies of all court documents in this case, including orders, are available at the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office. You may review these documents upon request.

You must keep the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office notified of your current address.

(You may file Designation of Current Mailing and E-Mail Address, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.915.) Future papers in this lawsuit will be mailed or e-mailed to the address(es) on record at the clerk’s office.

WARNING: Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, requires certain automatic disclosure of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal or striking of pleadings.

Dated: August 7, 2020 Kevin Madok, CPA Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida By: Jaquelyn Fonseca Deputy Clerk Publish: August 13, 20 & 27 and September 3, 2020 The Weekly Newspapers

BOATS FOR SALE

2001 Grady White 306 Bimini Center Console w/2008 Yamaha 4-stroke engine 216 hrs. Full length canvas cover. Has been stored at Shelter Bay Marina in Marathon for 15 years. Asking $72,500.

Call Mike at 713-446-5885 BOAT ENGINES

FOR SALE 2012 Yanmar model 3YM30, 3-cylinder diesel, 27 h.p., approx.

600 hours, $500.00 Contact Keith Douglass, Boy Scout Sea Base at 3 0 5 - 6 6 4 - 5 6 1 3 EMPLOYMENT

Marathon Electric Full-time position available, Experience preferred.

Apply in person at 10690 Aviation Boulevard, Marathon or call 305-743-5805 Seeking Security Guard in Middle Keys. 16 to 24 hrs a wk $13-$15 Must have security license.

Call Ralons Security 7 8 6 - 6 1 5 - 5 5 2 2 Seeking Security Guards in Key West. FT & PT avail. $13-$15 Must have security license.

Call Ralons Security 7 8 6 - 6 1 5 - 5 5 2 2 SERVE ON THE OCEAN FT/PT Ocean front private swim club is seeking customer service oriented server. Serve on pool deck, beach and/or bar lounge. Open year round, 10am - 7pm daily.

Full time/Part time. Small friendly staff.

Above average hourly wage plus tips. Apply in person or call April (305) 393-0631..

Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center (Tavernier, FL) NOW HIRING: Nonprofit Administrative Assistant $16/hour.

Part-time.

Looking for a driven worker with a positive attitude and exceptional organizational skills. Job duties include assisting the Executive Director in filing office paperwork, donor database upkeep, data entry, scheduling meetings and programs, maintaining inventory, and collaborating on fundraising efforts.

Send a resume and cover letter to jordan@ keepthemflying.org

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES 305.743.0844 • CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES • •305.743.0844 EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

HOUSING FOR RENT

The Fish House Restaurant now hiring Assistant Server/Busser and Cashier/Host/ Hostess. Looking for mature, high energy, motivated & reliable people to join our team.

Apply at 102401 Overseas Highway, Key Largo

in Key Colony Beach, hourly $15.

Beautiful environment, small friendly staff, open year round. Apply in person, email resume or call 305 393-0631 ask for April.

Long or short-term rental in Key Colony Beach, 4BR/4BA - 2 story home with pool, on large canal w/deep dockage.

Call 305-743-3338

Looking for Crew Man for Lobster boat in Marathon area.

Experience preferred. Call after 5pm 305-289-0792 and leave a message.

Caregiver– Mary Brown.

Over 20 years experience.

Assistance with every day maintenance.

Doctor appointments, meds, bath, sitting, etc. I have transportation and r e f e r e n c e s .

7 8 6 - 3 3 9 - 5 8 1 1

Superior Electric Hiring Office Assistant.

Must have Quickbooks experience. Bilingual a plus . Apply in person at 7849 Overseas Highway, Marathon.

Help wanted - Big Time Bait and Tackle - competitive wages and working 15-25 hrs a week. Contact John 239-209-7682 Shelter Bay Marine in Marathon hiring Qualified Mechanics.

Contact Steve at 305-743-7008

EMPLOYMENT WANTED

HOBBIES/COLLECT.

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

Call 305-743-4578 HOUSING FOR RENT

3BR/2BA Stilt Home for rent on Duck Key. Long term.

Available August 1st.

Call 3 0 5 - 4 8 1 - 1 3 1 6

NOW HIRING

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 A F F O R D A B L E HOUSING IN MARATHON. 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 information: Bob Brayman 305743-5929 bbrayman@ hallsdiving.com

With Upscale Casual Dining Experience,

Outgoing, friendly, open availability, flexible, will train, great benefits.

Apply in person Monday-Friday 9a-5p at: Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina

RV LOT FOR RENT

City of Marathon - Job Openings: Wastewater Plant Operator Trainee , Street Maintenance and Temporary Utilities Maintenance Worker.

EOE, FULL BENEFITS www.ci.marathon.fl.us 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.

LINE COOK, PT, Perfect second job!

Looking to pick up some extra hours? This is a perfect second job for night time cooks. Position hours (approximately) 12-3pm. Our Ocean Front Swim Club is open 10am - 7pm daily. Located

84001 Overseas Highway, Islamorada

Large RV Lot for rent in Marathon. Full hook up. $800/month plus utilities.

305-204-5601

Or send your resume to: Recruitment@holidayisle.com

SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS NEEDED! Monroe County School District

FOR SALE 2010 Suzuki Model DF115 - 4-Stroke Outboard Engine - Approximately 1,100 Hours- $3,500.00 Contact Keith Douglass Boy Scout Sea Base: 305-664-5613

Absolute Auction

3 Dough 5 Doughnut Shop Auction Tuesday August 18th @ 11AM

preview begins @ 9am morning of sale 1555 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33135 Belshaw T-50 Thermoglaze Oven, Belshaw Proofer Warmer, Faema Single Head Cappuccino Machine, 8 x 10 LIKE NEW Walk- In Freezer, Globe 30QT Mixer, Doughnut Filler, Groen 10QT Kettle, Heated Glazing Table, Coffee Machines, Coffee Grinders, Doughnut Clock, Doughnut Light, 5X5 Glass Wall, Tables, Chairs, Counter Top Stools, Doughnut Trays, Doughnut Racks, Fetco Coffee Maker / Dispenser, Wall Shelves, S/S Tables, Metro Racks, Turbo Air 1 Dr S/S Cooler, Dunn-age Racks, Camera System, Small Wares, & MORE

Bid IN-PERSON or ONLINE @ Proxibid.com

Toby Neverett Auctioneers www.neverettauctions.com 561-706-7218 * au872 ab628

Marina Attendant Engineers/Grounds Administrative Asst. to Engineering Staff Accountant Front Desk Agents/PBX Housekeeping Supervisor Housekeeping Line Cook –Daytime/Evening Bartender Food Runner/Busser Host/Hostess Servers

Salary $17.15 – $24.15/hour Key West, Sugarloaf, Marathon and Upper Keys (4 work locations) No Experience Required, Benefits, CDL Training Provided – work as a Bus Aide while training, Full Time or Flexible, Part Time Hours - 6 to 9 am or 1 or 2 to 5 pm Apply online: www.keysschools.com

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

DAYCARE TEACHER Grace Jones Daycare is a well-respected day care facility in Marathon looking for additional staff. We are dedicated to providing memorable experiences, quality child care, and excellent learning opportunities. This is YOUR opportunity to join our team of energetic and friendly teachers. We are looking for a caring, qualified, and professional full time teacher to join us in creating a positive learning environment. If you are, or wish to become, a qualified and passionate early childhood teacher, call the Executive Director, Kelly Ullrich, at 305-743-6064 during normal work hours.

Immediate opening for a HVAC Service Technician Upper & Middle Keys.

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

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

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC && LEGAL NOTICES • • 305.743.0844 • CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC LEGAL NOTICES 305.743.0844 The Guidance/Care Center, Inc. a division of

NOW HIRING Full or Part Time Guest Services

“Uplifting the human spirit since 1973”

Answer phones, take reservations, greet customers with a smile.

Cashier responsibilities, must be able to multi task.

NOW HIRING

Duties include taking photos, printing and selling photo packages & handling of cash. Must be able to multi task. Computer knowledge required. Experience with photo shop and imovie not required, but helpful.

RESTAURANT HOST

Duties include taking orders from customers, handling cash, cooking and serving. Must be 18 yrs. or older.

BARTENDERS

Full or Part Time Photo Tech Part Time Café Help

Please apply in person at Aquarium Encounters 11710 Overseas Hwy, Marathon

The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority is lookingCENTER for a D.S.O. to perform DOLPHIN RESEARCH entry-level, semi-skilled work, involving the repair and maintenance of FKAA water 58901 O/S Hwy - Grassy Key, FL distribution and transmission systems.

Employee must ensure safe work practices, Teaching... Learning...Caring maintain water flow, and test the water supply. Qualifications: H.S. diploma or GED; supplemented by 1 yr previous experience and/or training as a pipefitter with a public utility, construction comp, or plumbing company.

Must have afor valid CDL “A” license Dolphin Research Center has a FT opening anFLAccounting w/in 12 mos of hire date. Must obtain a FDEP Level 3 license w/in 18 mos of hire date.

Clerk: Responsible for daily, weekly & monthly accounting Salary: $19.80/hr. with excellent benefits. Location: Middle Keys. Apply online Must be a responsible, organized and motivated at:processes. http://www.fkaa.com/employment.htm EEO, VPE, ADA individual who demonstrates excellent “team player” skills.

Benefits include medical insurance, 401(k), vacation and paid holidays & much more. Job description available at www.dolphins.org. Email your resume & application to drc-hr@dolphins.org. EOE

SERVERS

FOOD RUNNER PUBLIC AREA ATTENDANT HOUSEMEN ROOM ATTENDANTS BELLMEN LINE COOK SOUS CHEF BAKER APPLY AT: bungalowskeylargo.com/careers

Bungalows Key Largo is an EOE

THE GUIDANCE/CARE CENTER, Inc.

IS HIRING! KEY WEST

Case Manager (Forensic) Substance Abuse Counselor Behavioral Health Therapist (Children, Adult) Front Desk Specialist Engagement Specialist

MARATHON

Care Coordinator Behavioral Health Therapist (Children) RNs and LPNs (3 shifts) (PT& FT) Peer Support Specialist Drop In Technician (PT) Research Assistant (2) Driver (CDL preferred) Engagement Specialist *Assisted Living Night Monitor (FREE HOUSING!) *Assisted Living Direct Care Worker (PT) *Behavioral Health Technicians (3 shifts) (PT/FT)

*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

DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM OPERATOR Salary: $19.80/hour Location: Lower Keys

The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority is looking for a D.S.O. to perform entry-level, semi-skilled work, involving the repair and maintenance of FKAA water distribution and transmission systems. Employee must ensure safe work practices, maintain water flow, and test the water supply. Qualifications: H.S. diploma or GED; supplemented by 1 yr previous experience and/or training as a pipefitter with a public utility, construction comp, or plumbing company. Must have a valid FL CDL “A” license w/in 12 mos of hire date. Must obtain a FDEP Level 3 license w/in 18 mos of hire date.

Salary: $19.80/hr. with excellent benefits.

Location: Middle Keys. Apply online at: http://www.fkaa.com/employment.htm EEO, VPE, ADA

D’Asign Source is seeking the following professionals.

Overtime and benefits are available.

For full details & additional openings, please visit DAsignSource.com/careers

Technical Project & Operations Administrator Assists with Coastal Source project timelines, analytics, budget management & other administration tasks. Reports on project’s regularly to management.

AV Technician Installs, maintains, tests and repairs audio, video & other systems on job sites and in showroom. Must excel at problem solving and trouble shooting.

Junior Interior Designer 1+ year experience with basic interior architecture detailing.

Strong knowledge of AutoCAD, Revit, and 20/20 a plus.

NOW HIRING

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

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

LET’S DO BUSINESS - 305.363.2957 Licensed & Insured #SP33799

ALL KEYS GLASS

NEW & REPAIR

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Windows • Doors

www.TikiHuts.com

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

305-664-0099 STATE CERTIFIED THATCHING CONTRACTOR CYC 000002

305-743-7800

METAL ROOFING

Authorized Dealer

Sportfishing Adventures

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

info@johnnymaddoxcharters.com

305-481-3259

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

SPECIALIST 305-664-1010 www.roofer.pro

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

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 for a FREE Consultation

Brian Tewes

When It Rains It Pours!

Customer service is my strength Brian@tewesmortgage.com

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

NMLS# 375025 Tewes Mortgage NMLS# 1453791 NMLSConsumerAccess.org

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

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

We Also Repair & Replace Patio Door Screens

Liz Samess Interiors

Design, Decorating, Drafting, & More…

Liz Samess Interior Designer

CELL: Email:

305-998-8953 Insured • Professional • Reliable

Serving Key Largo to Key West

www.TewesMortgage.com

Will Campbell President

(954) 801-7883 interiordesignbyliz@gmail.com

Marathon, FL 33050

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

Clear Cut Trees Plus

Only $50 Puts Your Business Card Here

RAS JL WHITE - owner ISA CERTIFIES ARBORIST MI-4398A

ARTIC TEMP, INC. Air Conditioning & Refrigeration

Residential, Commercial & Marine Ice Machine - Sales - Service Phone: (305) 743-5288

Serving all of the Florida Keys Cell: 305-363-8330 Office: 305-735-4626 will@cecflk.com www.CECFLK.com

Licensed & Insured Contractor # CACO53827

786.490.3073 replacm@gmail.com

The Weekly Newspapers www.KeysWeekly.com

305-743-0844

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

Lic#SP-3562

Fax: (305) 743-6887

We Do Installations!

Licensed & Insured

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

289-3019

KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

SHARE THE GOOD VIBES

TIPS ON HOW TO TAKE ACTION

W

hat did you decide today?

Interesting question, right? Most people live on autopilot. They wake up, have their coffee, take care of pets, children, or other people, maybe work out, (hopefully) shower and roll on with their day.

It’s unlikely that they think about what they wish to get better at, change, or affect.

Most of us may have a to-do list, but they could be simple things — take the garbage out, do the dishes, feed the dogs — and not have a goal or intention behind them.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish,” said Antoine de Saint Exupéry.

How can you start to incorporate your goals into your daily plan? How can you deMELINDA cide to take action in a life-changing direction?

VAN FLEET At the end of June, I decided to start a healthy eating program on July 6. I decided to take is a consultant, control of my eating habits. I realized that I coach and speaker who helps sales was on autopilot. I woke up and realized what I was doing. executives and their teams naviThat and a whole lot of “I deserve.” Do gate change and you do that too? “I deserve these cookies?” strengthen their “I deserve that glass of wine (or two).” When communication you are operating on autopilot, days go by, skills to maximize and then suddenly you look in the mirror and their potential. have a WTF moment. I had mine, and I am so glad I did.

And this thought process and mindset shift aren’t just about eating healthy. It could be about your business, your job or a relationship. Something you are just going through the motions on and it’s not getting better. It’s not moving you in a positive direction, or even fill you up with positive energy,

Change only happens when you do it! Seems simple right? But not always easy. How can you decide to make a change? What do you need to decide about in your life?

Here are some simple but not always easy steps: 1. Recognize what you are doing. Most of us know, we just try to ignore it or make excuses about it. Excuses hold you back in life. I knew I had to make a change and the options I heard about didn’t fit for me. Instead of making that an excuse, I got some help and a perfect choice came my way. As a coach, I hear excuses all the time. It’s the reason you are stuck.

2. Think of the times you did achieve something and how that happened. Did you have a strong why in regard to wanting to make the change? What was your motivation? When you get grounded in a past win and can use that as fuel, that helps you realize you can do it.

As the very lovely and powerful Glinda from The Wizard of Oz said, “You always had the power, my dear.”

3. Get going! Every day of your life is an incredible opportunity. Don’t let it pass you by. Come up with a plan, make the call, purchase what you need to purchase.

Remember, you have that power. Only you. People can try to influence you or support you. But it’s your life and your mind that has to come to terms with the fact you were on auto-pilot and decide to freaking do it!

I want to hear about your wins! Contact me directly, info@melindavanfleet.com, so I can help you celebrate or join my private FB group Good Vibes. If you need help making a plan of action, or changing your eating, let me know.

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KEY WEST / MARATHON / UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / AUGUST 13, 2020

LIFETIME MEMBER, ARATED

SOUTH FLORIDA COCHAIR FOR WOMEN FOR TRUMP, WOMEN FOR DESANTIS.

Political Advertisement Paid for and Approved by Rhonda Lopez, Republican, for State Representative, District 120.