Key West Weekly 21-0225

1¢

They call them day jobs for a reason.

February 25, 2021

GETTING RID OF GHOST TRAPS

MODERN-DAY TREASURE HUNT

LOCAL CAPTAINS PITCH IN FOR OCEAN RODEO | P. 12

METAL DETECTOR SAVES OFFSHORE ‘I DO’ | P. 13

BOOKS FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH

RECALLING THE PAST & CHANGING THE FUTURE | P. 28

WINNER TRIPADVISOR 2020 TRAVELERS’ CHOICE AWARD We are honored to be ranked among the TOP 10% OF RESTAURANTS WORLDWIDE. A special thank you to our suppliers, our staff and most of all, each and every one of our valued customers. Thank you — Maura & Danny Hughes

OLD KEY WEST WITH A TWIST OF SOMETHING NEW 512 FRONT STREET | WWW.TWOFRIENDS.COM

2

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

READY TO BUILD!

LUXURY WATERFRONT HOMES WITH BOAT SLIP

Nancy Swift, Realtor, CPA 305-849-2455 Debbie Swift Batty, Realtor, CAM 305-509-1958 PRESENTED BY:

3

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

FEATURED LISTING

1500 Atlantic Blvd #413 | Key West Fabulous top floor penthouse at the Key West beach Club!

Two levels of luxury with 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, soaring ceilings, stunning ocean views from almost every room, on both floors and especially from the spacious balcony! Quiet, elegant, private condominium property directly on the Atlantic with two heated pools, a fitness center, two poolside grilling kitchens, lovely shoreline, lapping waves, swaying palms... plus garage parking and DAWN THORNBURGH BROKER ASSOCIATE storage. Life in Key West is truly Office: 305.294.8433 best when lived on the ocean!

Cell: 305.304.1067

$2,200,000

info@kwreal.com

PRICE REDUCED!

620 White Street | Key West Legal Duplex, pool, and Old Town! Each unit is 2 beds/ 1 bath.

The front unit is tenant occupied with a washer/dryer, two bedrooms upstairs. Rear unit is owner occupied and has French doors facing the pool, outdoor shower, decking and landscaping.

$825,000 DARLENE THOMAS REALTOR® Office: 305.294.8433 Cell: 305.304.1043 darlenekw@aol.com

4

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

NUMBER OF THE WEEK Guess which state is leading the nation in vaccination? West Virginia. Or Alaska. It depends on the day. But West Virginia made the news this week with another interesting statistic: Based on the percentage of the population vaccinated, if West Virginia were a country, it would rank third in the world, according to npr.org.

5450 MacDonald Ave. No.5 Key West, FL 33040 Office: 305.453.6928 www.keysweekly.com

Publisher

Britt Myers britt@keysweekly.com

Publishing Partner

Jason Koler jason@keysweekly.com

Editor

Mandy Miles mandy@keysweekly.com

Account Executives

Stephanie Mitchell stephanie@keysweekly.com

Staff Writers

Sara Matthis sara@keysweekly.com

ON THE COVER The image is from the cover of Angie Thomas’ book, ‘The Hate U Give,’ featured in Karen Newfield’s book reviews. See page 28.

KEY WEST WORKS TO REGULATE E-BIKES NEW RULES ARE ON THE WAY

Jim McCarthy jim@keysweekly.com Tiffany Duong tiffany@keysweekly.com

Copy Editor

Mike Howie mike@keysweekly.com

Production Manager

Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com

Circulation Manager

Charlotte Hruska char@keysweekly.com

Design / Web Master

Travis Cready travis@keysweekly.com

Design / Pre-Press

Irene de Bruijn irene@keysweekly.com Javier Reyes javier@keysweekly.com

Classifieds

Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com 305.743.0844

Se habla español

THE KEY WEST WEEKLY (ISSN 1944-0812) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY FOR $125 PER YEAR

BY WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS, INC., 9709 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, MARATHON FL 33050. APPLICATION TO MAIL AT PERIODICALS POSTAGE RATES IS PENDING AT FORT LAUDERDALE FL AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. All stories, photos, and graphics are copyrighted materials.

POSTMASTER:

SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO THE KEYS WEEKLY, 9709 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, MARATHON FL 33050

News Deadline

Tuesday Noon

Advertising Deadline Tuesday 2 p.m.

MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

T

hey’re green. They reduce the number of cars on the road and they’re a fitness option.

But they’re also fast, cumbersome on sidewalks and all but silent when approaching a pedestrian or fellow bicyclist.

Electric bikes, or e-bikes, have been gaining in popularity on the island for two to three years, with residents purchasing them and businesses renting them to visitors.

And since the start of the pandemic, sales of e-bikes have increased by 70%, according to an August 2020 story in The New York Times.

City of Key West employees have been working for more than a year on an ordinance that regulates the use of such vehicles and addresses concerns about their speed on city sidewalks.

As it stands now, e-bikes will be prohibited on city sidewalks other than North and South Roosevelt boulevards and Atlantic Avenue. On North Roosevelt Boulevard, they must remain on the water side of the road, the ordinance states. In all other areas, they must ride on the street. The bikes must also be parked in designated bicycle parking areas, the ordinance states.

The new law, as currently written, also limits the speed of e-bikes to 15 mph everywhere in town, despite their ability to travel between 20 and 30 mph.

The city of Key West is in the process of regulating electric bikes, commonly known as e-bikes, that go faster than traditional bicycles. CONTRIBUTED

The City Commission on Feb. 17 approved that ordinance for the first of two required public readings.

“I think this is going to be a work in progress,” Mayor Teri Johnston said. “Because these e-bikes will only be allowed on certain sidewalks, we’re going to need a significant amount of signage telling people where they can and cannot ride.

Education just won’t cut it, as we have new groups of people coming to town every three days.”

Johnston also said she’s concerned about speed enforcement.

“I don’t really see KWPD officers using a radar gun to check the speed of e-bikes,” she said.

Key West resident Sandra Boland spoke to the commission during the discussion and said she has owned a personal e-bike for three years.

“E-bikes are here to stay,” she said. “They’re a mode of green transportation and they’re our future. The issue of rental e-bikes is a separate issue, but when it comes to private residents owning and using them, I’d ask you to look at integrating e-bikes into the community rather than demonizing the new kid on the block, because that’s what they are, the new kid in town.”

The second reading is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, March 16 to give city staff time to answer commissioners’ questions.

5

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

MOSQUITO TRIAL LOCATIONS IN KEYS WILL BE A SECRET PROJECT WILL START IN APRIL SARA MATTHIS sara@keysweekly.com

Key West’s Mallory Square, shown here before the pandemic canceled all cruise ship visits, is largely empty and unused during the day, but quickly fills up for the nightly Sunset Celebration. CONTRIBUTED

MAKING BETTER USE OF MALLORY SQUARE CITY OFFICIALS TO CONSIDER SUN

SHADES & 85-FOOT DOCK EXTENSION MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

K

ey West officials want to make more and better use of the iconic Mallory Square, which for decades has hosted the nightly Sunset Celebration but not much else.

And with the November vote to significantly reduce the number of cruise ships that can visit Key West, Mallory Square will see even less usage.

At their city commission meeting on Tuesday, March 2, officials are expected to accept a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation that would help pay for an 85-foot extension to the T-Pier at Mallory Square.

The total project cost is $3.4 million, but this portion of the upgrade will cost FDOT about $522,000 and will cost the city about $174,000, according to the March 2 agenda documents.

With additional funding sources on board, the city has identified $2.6 million of the $3.4 million total cost, the documents state, adding, “Staff anticipates the remaining project cost to be programmed incrementally in fiscal year 2022 and 2023. The funds are at a 75% / 25% cost share,” meaning the state pays the bulk of the costs and the city matches it with a 25% share.

“The Port of Key West’s existing berthing structure at Mallory T-Pier

is in need of an upgrade,” the documents state, but make no mention of the reduced cruise ship usage of the pier. “The Mallory T-Pier Extension/Improvements project will increase the length of the pier from its existing length of 115 feet to a length of 200 feet and install a new mooring monopile to allow safe dockage.”

The project will include other technical improvements and repairs to the bulkhead, underdeck concrete, stormwater management systems and other areas.

In a separate agenda item scheduled for March 2, the city is expected to formally accept $168,000 from the Monroe County Tourist Development Council for the installation of sun shades at Mallory Square.

“Since Mallory Square was converted in the early 1980s from a parking lot to the plaza as it is known today, it has only received minimal upgrades, limited to security updates, brick sealing, and landscaping here and there,” states the agenda document. “The project would therefore be the first dramatic public improvement made since the early 1980s.”

Mallory Square has become a hot topic in recent months, as voters approved the cruise ship reductions and officials now want to find new and better uses for the valuable waterfront area.

O

n Feb. 23, The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District announced it will begin trials of the Oxitec genetically modified mosquitoes in April. In a press release, the agency said the projects will be focused in a “select number of neighborhoods situated between mile markers 10 and 93.”

When the Keys Weekly Newspaper asked the agency for more detail, it declined.

FKMCD spokesman Chad Huff wrote in an email, “The physical location of each box is still being finalized. Since most will be situated on private property at owner request, FKMCD-Oxitec will NOT be providing specific addresses due to privacy concerns and protection of project integrity.”

Phil Goodman, chairman of the FKMCD, said the decision to keep addresses confidential was an operations decision, not a decision by the elected board.

“Right now, we don’t have any specific sites that are 100 percent selected,” said Andrea Leal, executive director of the FKMCD. “We are just narrowing down areas with potential.”

Leal said that no homeowner who volunteered to have “the box” installed on their property has been told definitively that they will receive one. Leal also said that a combination of Oxitec and FKMCD personnel have been going door-to-door in neighborhoods to gauge interest.

Leal said those who have been selected to have a box on the property, and neighbors, will be notified before the April or mid-April start of the trial.

“The experimental use permit from the EPA determines how many homeowners need to be notified,” Leal said. “That’s part of the trial, figuring out how far the mosquitoes are flying.”

The trial consists of deploying 130 boxes of Oxitec mosquito eggs in 15 areas and many mosquito traps to gauge the efficacy of the Oxitec technology. Goodman said the agency may offer more detail about the trial locations in the future.

“We might say something like, ‘We have two sites on Sugarloaf Key.’ But we are not going to get into specific addresses,” said Goodman.

Leal said she couldn’t promise to be more specific “at this point in time.”

Both Leal and Goodman said one reason to keep the locations private is to protect the integrity of the trial. Goodman said he doesn’t want “unruly” opponents of the trial to disrupt the experiment. “We want to get meaningful data to regulators so they can determine if it works or not,” he said.

Goodman said neighbors who might object to a box in the proximity of their home have no recourse and the trial doesn’t require it. “This is a heavily regulated trial. No boxes will be placed in anyone’s yard that doesn’t want it. I am sure there is going to be push-back,” he said.

When the boxes are deployed in April, it will be the culmination of years of preparation. In June 2020, Oxitec received permission from seven Florida agencies to conduct the experimental trial. That came after the federal approval in May of 2020. A similar trial will be conducted in Texas.

On Feb. 21, about two dozen protestors gathered to denounce the Oxitec trial in the Upper Keys. See keysweekly.com for more.

The trial targets the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits dengue, zika, chikungunya and yellow fever.

Oxitec’s 2nd Generation mosquitoes can be distributed as eggs in boxes and shipped globally. A box containing eggs could be placed in a backyard and filled with water, after which the males hatch and start to grow. When the mosquitoes emerge, they fly away into the neighborhood to find female mosquitoes to mate with. Only male progeny survive, also carrying the self-limiting gene to half its offspring that are male only … and so on. The 2nd Generation technology allows Oxitec to reduce the number of times the egg box must be refilled. And Oxitec says, when releases stop, the 2nd Generation mosquito dies out in the wild after a few generations.

More information is available at keysmosquitoproject.com.

6

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

ISLAND HOPPING

NATIONAL TV SHOW HIGHLIGHTS KEYS RESIDENTS & ENVIRONMENT

Host Christina Wilson prepares for a shoot during production of ‘Island Hopping: Florida Keys,’ which recently began airing across the United States. CRAWFORD ENTERTAINMENT/Contributed

T

alk about a cool job.

Christina Wilson’s “real” job is as a field inspector with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District. But the past few months have turned her into a television personality, as host of “Island Hopping: Florida Keys,” a syndicated, hour-long show, commissioned by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, that recently started airing in more than 70 U.S. markets.

“Island Hopping: Florida Keys” led Wilson

George Fernandez of the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory welcomes ‘Island Hopping: Florida Keys’ host Christina Wilson to the conservatory to film a “flamingle” encounter with the resident pink flamingos.

through a deep dive of Florida Keys adventures that even some longtime locals haven’t experienced, so she can share them with viewers.

Wilson, a free-spirited, six-year Keys resident, has a degree in biology and a commitment to conservation, which is one of the show’s primary topics. During the program’s journey through the 125-mile island chain, Wilson takes viewers through the Keys’ natural environment and ecotourism opportunities, water-based activities in the protected

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and aspects of the Keys’ lifestyle and signature cuisine.

Traveling down the Overseas Highway from Key Largo to Key West, the show also introduces local guides who share their perspectives on the region’s allure and philosophy of environmental responsibility.

“I was blown away by all the amazing individuals I met along my journey who are passionate about keeping these islands healthy and making sure they’re still here for future generations,” Wilson said.

The program aims to increase visitor awareness of the Keys’ natural world and open-air experiences, while commentary from the featured residents demonstrates their dedication to the environment and outdoor lifestyle.

Wilson catches her first tarpon with Middle Keys Capt. Jeff Malone, helps with a dolphin photo ID survey with Stephen McCulloch of Key Largo’s Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder, encounters bird life off Islamorada with Capt. Samantha Zeher and explores the remote Lower Keys backcountry on an eco-tour with Capt. Rob Oliverio.

“I couldn’t imagine a more personal ecoadventure than jumping off the beaten path and into these mangrove-lined waters,” said Wilson.

Viewers also watch her quest to become a certified scuba diver, first swimming with marine life at Marathon’s Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters, then earning her certification and roaming the ocean with Captain’s Corner Dive Center in Key West.

“I hope my experience in this aquamarine world inspires others to take the plunge,” she said.

Key West resident Christina Wilson hosts the TV show ‘Island Hopping: Florida Keys,’ which takes viewers along as Wilson enjoys eco-experiences throughout the island chain -- including a backcountry adventure where she discovers a primitive swing. The hour-long episodes will air in 70 markets around the country and were produced

by Crawford Entertainment and commissioned by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.

Other adventures include learning about invasive (and delicious) lionfish with John Mirabella at Marathon’s Castaway Waterfront Restaurant, enjoying a “flamingle” session with a pair of flamingos at the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory and discovering Key lime pie’s origins with author and Key lime pie expert David Sloan.

Hosting the program appealed both to Wilson’s adventurous nature and her love of the Keys’ richly diverse environment.

“I want viewers to see that these islands are more than a destination — they’re a treasure trove of ecological wonders just waiting to be explored,” she said.

Produced by Crawford Entertainment, “Island Hopping: Florida Keys” is confirmed to air in about 70 U.S. markets on local NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox affiliates.

After its syndication run, the show will air in the fall on Fox SunSports Network and then is set to enter the streaming world of on-demand television on “Discover Florida.”

— Contributed

7

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

A DEDICATED DECADE

POLICE CHIEF HONORS FOUR EMPLOYEES FOR 10 YEARS OF SERVICE

Denise Richardson

Quartermaster Fred Sellers

END OF LIFE DOULA Have you ever known a friend or loved one that died alone, scared or unsupported? Hannah of Eternal Grace ensures that you and your loved ones feel empowered, supported and dignified throughout the dying process and beyond. We all deserve end of life care that's in alignment with our own values and wishes throughout our final and most sacred act of living.

Services include: • End of life doula care • Vigil & home funeral planning • Bereavment support • Grief ceremonies • Community workshops • Death meditation

www.eternalgracedoula.com | 860 368 9154 hannah@eternalgracedoula.com | Key West

COME WORSHIP WITH US

“The churches of Christ greet you.” Romans 16:16 NKJV Detective Thomas Stutz

D

Sergeant Jeffrey Dean

uring an awards ceremony on Feb. 19 at the Doubletree Grand Key Resort, Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg honored four members of the department for their 10 years of service.

Sgt. Jeffrey Dean and Detective Thomas Stutz, along with Quartermaster Fred Sellers and Personnel Services Coordinator Denise Richardson, all joined the department in 2011.

— Contributed

ENGLISH SERVICE Sunday Bible Study 10am (on site) Service 11am (on site) Wednesday Bible Study 7:30pm (via teleconference)

KREYOL SEVIS Dimanch Klas Biblik 7pm (on site) Adorasyon 8pm (on site) Vandredi Klas Biblik 7:30pm (via teleconference)

Minister | Minis Rodrigue Aleandre Cell 305.296.3331

1700 VON PHISTER STEET KEY WEST

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

For those who wish to attend via teleconference dial 774.258.4149 or alternate # 716.293.9794 at the times listed above.

8

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021 SARA MATTHIS

sara@keysweekly.com

WHEN WILL SCHOOLS REOPEN?

DISTRICT PLANS ON ‘FIFTH’ QUARTER TO HELP STRUGGLING STUDENTS

E

arlier this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the next section of the population prioritized for vaccines are teachers and law enforcement officers age 50 or older.

According to DeSantis, teachers can be vaccinated at four FEMA-run locations around the state — Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami — that will open soon.

“I think we’re going to have the ability to do that between these federally supported sites and some of the new vaccine that may be coming online, very, very soon,” DeSantis said during a news conference.

That’s good news, but it doesn’t mean the Monroe County School District intends to open schools fully by the end of the year.

In fact, Keys schools will be offering a “fifth” quarter over the summer to help struggling students.

“We must continue to follow CDC guidelines and put safety first,” said Superintendent Terri Axford. “We have been extremely careful in the Monroe County School District. All you have to do is look at our COVID-19 dashboard to see Superintendent Terri Axford that. It’s an amazing tribute to our administration and teachers and all of our staff who have been vigilant in following the rules and adhering to them without fail.”

Across the country, COVID cases have fallen 44% over the past two weeks. Last week, the Keys Weekly reported that since Jan. 3, cases have fallen by 55% in Florida.

The same holds true for Florida schools (one of only four states where schools have been ordered to reopen). According to data from the state Department of Health, and reported by floridaphoenix.com, cases in schools have been dropping consistently across the entire state in recent weeks.

The Monroe County School District has been keeping a COVID-19 tally since Aug. 31, 2020. Since then, 172 students have been marked positive for the coronavirus, plus 29 teachers and 32 staff members. Since Feb. 8, MCSD reports 12 new student cases in the district.

The Keys Weekly Newspaper posed a series of questions to Axford about coronavirus in the schools.

Masked students leave Sugarloaf School on Feb. 23. LANCE HILL/Keys Weekly

Question: Are there plans to return to fulltime, in-person schooling before the end of the school year?

Answer: We are reviewing the new CDC guidelines with the Health Department as we work toward bringing more students back to a full five days a week schedule.

As you know all of our students are back on the A/B day in grades 6-12 except those who chose to stay completely virtual. All Pre-K – 5 students are attending full-time. In many buildings additional students have been attending five days a week based on need.

Those needs have been analyzed by each individual school and usually stem from students needing additional support due to poor performance with grades or other issues such as inability to use technology successfully.

One of the clear guidelines set by the CDC mandates that the number of cases per 100,000 in population must be between 20 and 49 new cases within two weeks to bring everyone back in the yellow (moderate transmission zone). Monroe County is well over 100. … We are, obviously, monitoring this closely. (Editor’s note: In the past 14 days, there have been 197 new cases for the Keys population of 76,325.)

We are examining all possibilities to bring additional students back by the end of the year. For instance, some high school classes may have available space in them because students are participating in other options for classes, such as dual enrollment. We are going to look for every space and fill those spaces when possible.

It’s important to note even with the new guidance, the CDC still requires social distancing, mask wearing and the avoidance of crowds. We’ve been doing all of these things all along which is what has enabled us to be successful with our efforts to date.

Q: How many Keys students are in danger of failing their current grade?

A: We don’t have that number yet, as we are still within the third nine weeks of school and students have the rest of this nine weeks and the last nine weeks to be evaluated.

Q: How does that compare with prior, nonpandemic years? And what is the district’s plan to deal with it?

A: We are planning an extensive summer program to support our students. We will have two four-week sessions for summer. Each of these four-week sessions will be designed to support students who have academic needs and as an enrichment program allowing students who want to add classes and activities to their schedules during the summer.

We anticipate a lot of participation. It will be like an additional fifth quarter (we usually have four) to provide remediation and enrichment.

One session will run from June 7-July 2 and the second four-week session will run from July 6-July 30.

Q: What are our attendance and absenteeism numbers like? We’ve been hearing nationally about significant absenteeism rates and about kids who are just absent or “missing” from online classes. Is that happening here as well, and what’s being done to prevent or manage it?

A: Our average daily attendance rate for 2019-20 was 94.52%; for 2020-21 it is 93.5%.

Q: Finally, how are things looking for inperson events, such as prom and graduation in the coming months?

A: We are planning all of our year-end events to be held in person with social distancing guidelines, mask wearing and handwashing in place.

Amber Archer Acevedo, former principal of Key West High School, will now serve the MCSD in the new role of coordinator of professional development and community relations, effective immediately.

She will be responsible for the development and communication of information to keep the staff, public and media informed of programs, events, accomplishments and services of the MCSD. In addition, Acevedo will supervise professional growth in the district with an emphasis on non-instructional staff.

9

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

GRANTS HELP HISTORIC RESTAURANTS

KEY WEST BUSINESS GUILD URGES LOCAL BUSINESSES TO APPLY FOR FUNDING

ARTISTS HELP ARTISTS WITH LOCAL GRANTS

SUPPORT AVAILABLE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO DEVELOP TALENTS

T

Historic restaurants that are at least 25 years old and in a historic building or neighborhood are eligible for a new grant program by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. CONTRIBUTED

T

he National Trust for Historic Preservation has partnered with American Express to launch a new grants program that aims to help restaurants’ recovery from the COVID pandemic.

The mission of “Backing Historic Small Restaurants” is to award $1 million in grants to 25 historic restaurants throughout the United States to help improve, upgrade and preserve their exterior physical spaces and online businesses.

“The program has a preference for restaurants owned by underrepresented groups, including people of color and women, who have often been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic,” states a press release circulated by the Key West Business Guild.

The partnership is seeking nominations of “cozy cafes, delicious dives, and other beloved restaurants that have stood

the test of time and served their communities for decades — but now are facing their biggest challenge yet from the COVID-19 pandemic,” the press release states. “Restaurant owners and restaurant lovers alike are encouraged to nominate their favorite business(es) for this opportunity by March 9.”

To be considered, restaurants must have a demonstrated financial hardship due to the pandemic. They must be at least 25 years old and must contribute to the community or neighborhood’s identity. They must be independently owned and located in a historic building or neighborhood.

Priority will be given to small restaurants that have not already received significant COVID-19-related aid, the release states.

— Contributed

he Anne McKee Artists Fund recently announced that 2021 grants will be available as of March 1.

The funds were created due to the exceptional response to the annual fine art auction held online this year for the first time from Feb. 4-17. Over 50 local artists submitted works to the cause and received 50% of the proceeds from the sale. The Anne McKee Fund receives the remainder of proceeds for grants to support the creative efforts of established and emerging Florida Keys artists. The fund is grateful to all the artists and art collectors who supported the online auction as without them we could not continue this “Artist helping Artist” tradition that is now in its 26th year.

The McKee Fund awards grants each year of up to $2,000 to assist with specific creative project-based endeavors by individual visual, performance and literary artists who live in Monroe County. Grant monies are intended to cover costs specific to the project for which they are proposed. Acceptable expenses typically include project material costs, framing, publishing expenses and advertising. Founded by longtime Key West resident and art patron, Anne McKee, the not-for-profit fund has awarded over $330,000 in grants since its inception in 1994.

Local students and young adults are eligible to receive grants that can assist in the development of their talents in the arts. Youth scholarships are available for 14 years and younger, and 14 years and older. The Jon McIntosh Student Grant for Artistic Advancement, named for lifelong Key West artist and mentor of new artists, Jon McIntosh, is specifically awarded to a high school student to advance their creativity.

The “Environmental Award” is a unique one-time project-based grant earmarked by a donation courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. This grant supports artists doing innovative work with repurposed recycled materials and/or a project with an environmental focus.

Applications and more detailed information are available as of March 1 at MckeeFund.org. Completed applications must be submitted no later than midnight EST on Wednesday, March 31. Grant recipients will be notified of their application status on or before April 14.

— Contributed

10

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

RAGS TO RICHES From farmers to fishermen to preservationists BRAD BERTELLI www.keysweekly.com

O

ceanfront properties have always been the most coveted parcels in the Florida Keys and not just because of the unobstructed views. In the pioneer days, before the age of in-home air-conditioning and governmentfunded mosquito control, ocean breezes were welcomed as both a cooling device and a rudimentary form of pest control. When Israel Lafayette Jones bought Porgy Key in the summer of 1897, one of the reasons the 63-acre island was affordable ($300) was because the mangrove-ringed island is mostly tucked behind Old Rhodes Key. Jones cleared land and planted commercial crops of pineapples and lime trees.

Porgy Key was not the only island he purchased; he eventually acquired Old Rhodes and Totten keys. The birth of his first son, King Arthur Lafayette Jones, would coincide with the purchase of his first island. The 1898 birth of his second son, Sir Lancelot Garfield Jones, occurred the same year he purchased his second island. Just as their father did back in North Carolina, the two boys grew up working in the fields. A primary difference, in this case, was that their father had more than likely been born to slaves, and Arthur and Lancelot had been born to a man in the middle of fulfilling the American dream.

Their initial schooling was provided by a tutor who was brought to Porgy Key. Later, the boys traveled to St. Augustine, where they continued their education at the Florida Baptist Academy, a school their father helped bring to fruition. Eventually, the school would move to Miami and is today recognized as Florida Memorial University. Arthur and

After a hurricane decimated the family’s lime grove, Lancelot Jones (pictured) and his brother turned to Mother Ocean to make a living. NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM/Contributed

Lancelot would become formally trained as a carpenter and mason before coming back to the family farms, which could now be found on Porgy, Old Rhodes and Totten keys.

When they were not working in the fields, as they had since they were boys, the two fished the local waters, perfecting techniques for catching, among other species, bonefish.

Their childhood passion led them to learn every nook and cranny of the northern Keys, an education that would serve them for the rest of their lives.

On Totten Key, the family developed a 50-acre lime grove. They created a “rail” system of 2x4 tracks that traveled between the fields and the packing house. To make shipping easier, they carved a trench that led away from the island, through the shallows, and out to the nearest creek. When the limes were producing, the trench made it possible for the Joneses to ship 250 barrels of limes to Miami every week. The family farms made the Joneses one of the largest independent producers of limes in the state.

Like the 1906 Hurricane that devastated the pineapple industry, two future hurricanes would eventually end the Joneses’ lime groves. The 1926 Great Miami Hurricane delivered a massive blow to South Florida and the northern Keys. The Joneses’ lime fields were no exception. Fortunately for Lancelot and Arthur, they were skilled fishermen who knew the local waters as well as they knew each other. In addition to catching fish for sport, the brothers fished commercially, harvesting lobster and stone crab they supplied to the Cocolobo Cay Club built on Adams Key by Carl Fisher in 1921. In 1935, Lancelot began working as a fishing guide for Fisher’s private club. On Sept. 2, Labor Day, the most powerful hurricane ever to strike North America (to this day) struck the Upper Keys.

The Category 5 storm marked the beginning of the end of the Joneses’ farming days, and by 1938 they had left their farming days behind them and began working more steadily as fishermen. Lancelot, guiding for members of the Cocolobo Cay Club, among others, would fish more than his fair share of presidents as well as other people of influence. Listed among them was Daniel Topping, once owner of the New York Yankees, and presidents Herbert Hoover, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.

King Arthur Lafayette Jones died in 1966.

His younger brother would live significantly longer and continue to live a storied life of his own that would include playing a part in the creation of Biscayne National Park. Lancelot and his sister-in-law would sell more than 277 acres of their land to the National Park Service in 1970 for $1.2 million, a transaction that included Lancelot’s island home, Porgy Key. An amendment to the sale was that Lancelot would be able to continue to live in his family home on Porgy Key. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 storm, was bearing down on South Florida. Lancelot, age 94 at the time, refused to leave his home and had to be evacuated from Porgy Key. The storm destroyed Lancelot’s home.

Sir Lancelot Garfield Jones would live the remainder of his years in Miami. He passed away in 1997, at the age of 99. The Joneses’ property was declared the Jones Family Historic District on Oct. 23, 2013. Not much more than the concrete foundation of their former residence is visible today, plus a plaque providing a brief history of the site that anyone who wanders up can read. Clearly, it is a story worth telling over and over.

11

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

56th

Old Island Days

February 27 & 28, 2021 10am - 5pm Truman Waterfront Park

www.KeyWestArtCenter.com NEW LOCATION! Truman Waterfront Park Over 100 Socially Distanced Local & National Artists Masks Required

Key West’s

!

E S I D A R A TASTE OF P Jerk Fish Tacos

Black Grouper, Wahoo, Sea Bass Baskets $18 Taco Tuesday Two Tacos $6 Happy Hour 3pm-7pm Daily

Wahoo Basket

Frozen Drinks

EAT IN OR TAKE AWAY!

305.396.7680

633 Duval Street Key West, FL www.KeyWestFishAndChips.com

320 Grinnell Street• Key West 305.440.3577 www.Marylinskeywest.com

12

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

LOCAL ANGLERS UNITE FOR CLEAN OCEANS ‘RODEO’ REMOVES DEBRIS, NOT FISH, FROM KEYS WATERS

MANDY MILES

MIKE SKUMANICK/Contributed

mandy@keysweekly.com

S

ix Key West charter captains spent three days this week getting paid to haul debris, not fish, from the waters around the Lower Keys.

Ocean Aid 360’s Ghost Trap Rodeo took place in Key West Feb. 22-24 and removed more than 6,000 pounds of ghost traps, trap line and other marine debris from the ocean and shorelines.

Ghost traps are abandoned stone crab or lobster traps that are lost when their floating buoy marker is dislodged from the trap and the owner can no longer locate it due to a storm or a boat propeller cutting the trap line.

Such traps continue to catch and kill marine life despite no longer being checked by an angler (called ghost fishing), and endanger vessels and marine mammals that may tangle in the gear.

These ghost traps become wasteful death traps for marine life that gets stuck inside them, but are never harvested. Animals die in the trap and then become the bait for the next batch of doomed fish.

“This was our first Ghost Trap Rodeo in Key West and by Day 2, our six captains hauled in 88 ghost traps and more than 6,700 pounds of traps, debris and line that could get caught in props or around a turtle or manatee. This is amazing and we still have a day to go,” Capt. Neill Holland, who created the rodeos in 2017 with his partner Danielle Dawley, said on Tuesday.

The first rodeo took place in Tampa Bay. The events now take place throughout Florida and are funded through grants from NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the angler-led nonprofit Grassy Creek Foundation, which provides the funding to pay each participating charter captain $500 per fourhour day. Foundation founder Chad Pike wanted to provide financial help for local captains during the pandemic struggle while also supporting the rodeo cleanup, Holland said.

Since their inception, Ocean Aid 360’s Ghost Trap Rodeos have collected 42,000 pounds of marine debris and more than 640 ghost traps, which includes the Day 1 total from the Key West event, Holland said.

In addition to their daily pay, participating captains — being the competitive bunch that they are — compete for $25,000 in prizes donated by tackle and gear companies to see which boat brings in the biggest haul.

Rodeo organizers provide the captains with a briefing before the event to ensure active traps aren’t disturbed. The rodeo is permitted by FWC and Monroe County, and event staff provides supplies needed to participate, including gloves, blankets and/or tarps (to safeguard their boats), tin snips, boat hooks and dip nets.

ADAM MARENGO/Contributed

Participating captains in the Key West rodeo were: Capt. Dan Bieszka of flatsforfun.com; Capt. Jeremy Loercher of AtSeaKeyWest.com; Capt. Todd “Otis” Brubaker of brubakerguideservice.com; Capt. Dane Karcher of walktheplankadventures.com; Captains Casey and Natalie Hunt of cnitadventures.com; Capt. Adam Marengo of skinnywatercharterskeywest.com; Capt. Forrest Shearin of gonecoastalcharterskw.com.

Six Key West and Lower Keys charter captains spent three days on the water removing ghost, or abandoned, stone crab and lobster traps, trap line and marine debris from local waters as part of Ocean Aid 360’s Ghost Trap Rodeo program that takes place throughout Florida and has removed more than 30,000 pounds of line and more than 500 ghost traps from the water. DANIELLE DAWLEY/Ocean Aid 360

13

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

MODERN-DAY TREASURE HUNT SAVES MARRIAGE PROPOSAL HE DROPPED THE RING IN THE OCEAN; A METAL DETECTOR FOUND IT MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

Alex Carpion, front, celebrates with Molly Murphy and Evan Dunaway after finding the couple’s lost engagement ring in the water off Key West.

Treasure finder Alex Carpion, Evan Dunaway, Molly Murphy and Matt Atkinson enjoy a champagne toast with the found ring securely on Murphy’s finger. CONTRIBUTED

S

he said yes. That’s what matters.

But try telling that to the devastated groom-to-be who watched a diamond engagement ring drop into the ocean and disappear in the sand below.

“I never even got a glimpse of it,” said Molly Murphy (as in Murphy’s Law), who was standing in about 6 inches of water with now-fiance Evan Dunaway (as in “done away” with the ring) at a pristine island about an hour offshore. “He was telling me how much he loves me. But the ring wasn’t secured in the setter inside the box, so it fell out as soon as he opened the box.”

The snafu occurred Feb. 22, when the couple’s friend Matt Atkinson took them out on his boat with the planned proposal a secret between the guys.

On the way to an1offshore sandbar, the trio MF_KWWeeklyAd_1.pdf 2/24/21 1:50 PM

spotted a pod of dolphins, and Atkinson looked at Dunaway, his raised eyebrow suggesting this would be a good time and place to pop the question. But Dunaway wanted to ask her at the sandbar.

That’s where it all fell apart.

“We searched for an hour and then called a friend to bring a metal detector out,” Murphy told Keys Weekly. “They came out and searched and we still couldn’t find it. Evan kept saying, ‘God, this is something you see in a YouTube video and you feel so badly for the poor guy.

Now, I’M that guy.’”

“I kept saying, ‘At least we’re engaged,’” Murphy said, “But it was still heartbreaking. The ring included a diamond from Evan’s mom and then some others surrounding that one.”

Upon learning of the disaster, Dunaway’s

mother found an online group of ‘ring finders’ with metal detectors. One of them, Alex Corpion, was in Key West.

“He’s an amazing human being,” Murphy said. “He left work early the next day and we headed back out to the sandbar with his professional-level metal detector. After searching for about an hour, he found it. We couldn’t believe it and we can’t begin to thank Alex for his miracle, modern-day treasure hunt. And he had just signed up for the ring-finder group two weeks ago. We were his first call.”

The couple moved to Key West nearly three years ago after meeting in the Virgin Islands in 2017.

“It’s absolutely stunning and I’m so, so happy,” Murphy said. “I feel like I have a piece of treasure on my finger for the rest of my life.”

C

BOUTIQUE

M

Key West

Y

Featuring Unique Island Wear For Women & Men, Local Fine Art & Jewelry.

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

(305) 295-7026

Zero Duval Street, Ocean Key Resort

Madda Fella Tropical Menswear

Poupette St Barth Women’s Apparel

Johnny Was Women’s Apparel

14

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

COVID CAN’T STOP LIVE THEATER

RED BARN THEATRE PRESENTS ONLINE PERFORMANCE OF ‘SEZ SHE’

Red Barn Theatre will present an online performance of ‘Sez She’ March 8-20.

Tickets to stream the play cost $10. RED BARN THEATRE/Contributed

K

ey West’s Red Barn Theatre will present the fourth online offering of its 41st season with a streaming production of Jane Martin’s funny and provocative “Sez She,” starring 16 of Key West’s top female actors, directed by the Barn’s artistic director, Joy Hawkins.

The show will run March 8-20 and can be accessed through the theater’s website at redbarntheatre.com. Tickets are $10, with viewing available 24/7 on any platform with an internet connection, be it TV, phone, computer or tablet.

“Sez She” is the late Martin’s final play in a series that has featured the life of modern-day women, told in a series of intimate and revealing monologues. Two previous plays, “Talking With” and “Vital Signs,” have won numerous awards, including the American Theatre Critics Best Play Award.

Martin was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her play “Keely and Du.” “Sez She” offers humorous and outspoken takes on everything from childhood regression, sex, the celebration of Damn Fools Day to the virtues of being green (yes, the color green). They touch chords of hilarity, surprise, homespun philosophy, frustration and even political commentary.

The cast includes Susannah Wells, George DiBraud, Caroline Taylor, Carolyn Cooper, Erin McKenna, Marjorie Paul Shook, Jessica Miano Kruel, Amber McDonald Good, Gerri Louise Gates, Melody G. Moore, Nicole Nurenberg, Zoe Hawkins-Wells, Vanessa McCaffrey and Mimi McDonald.

“These are women who are caught in some way,” Hawkins said, “and I guess we’re all caught in our own particular moment – our background, our station in life, and what we do with it. They take you through all kinds of reactions – warmth, enthusiasm, flabbergasting, humor and frustration. They tell it like it is, with deep truths that any woman – or man – can relate to.”

Despite the prominence of women in her writing, there has always been a controversy about who Jane Martin really was. The prevailing theory is that “she” was actually a man named John Jory, who founded and produced the prestigious Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky, where many of Jane Martin’s plays had their world premieres. Martin never gave an interview, and never appeared at any awards ceremony.

When asked point-blank whether he was also “Jane Martin,” Jory, himself a playwright, refused to answer, saying only, “I’m not going to talk about that.”

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune called “Sez She” “enormously entertaining, more like a Disney World ride aimed at adults. Lean back, take a deep breath, and grasp the handrail firmly.”

Patrons also have the opportunity to add a supporting donation when they buy tickets.

More information is at redbarntheatre.com or 305-296-9911.

— Contributed

15

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

REP. MOONEY CO-SPONSORS SWIM SAFETY BILL

FLORIDA LEADS NATION IN DROWNING DEATHS AMONG CHILDREN JIM McCARTHY jim@keysweekly.com

A

bill co-sponsored by Republican state Rep. Jim Mooney looks to tackle one of the leading causes of death among children ages 1-4 in Florida — drowning.

Filed Feb. 18, legislation would ask parents of children entering a private or public school to confirm their child had swimming lessons when entering the school system, notably when they start kindergarten. It would take effect during the 2022-23 school year, if approved in the House and Senate and signed by the governor.

Legislation doesn’t require parents to say whether their children have gone through swimming courses, but it would allow school authorities to identify students who may not know how to swim. The bill would also help parents with free or low-cost programs to ensure their child has an opportunity to learn, if there is a desire.

Per the Florida Department of Children and Families, 68 fatalities among children in 2020 resulted from drowning. That’s slightly up from 65 drowning fatalities among children in 2019.

Of the drowning deaths reported last year, 81% were among children 3 and under.

None were reported in Monroe County last year, while five were reported in Miami-Dade County.

“This is nonpartisan that should be approved 100%,” Mooney said. “The whole idea of this bill is when your child enters kindergarten, does your child know how to swim. The

idea is to collect the data so a public-private partnership can be formed to help these kids know how to swim.”

Joining Mooney in co-sponsoring the legislation is Democratic state Rep. Dan Daley of Coral Springs. The legislation has a Senate sponsor in state Sen. Laurie Berman, a Democrat from Boynton Beach.

The bill is named after Edna Mae “Em” McGovern, of Coral Springs, who lost her life in August 2009 from drowning.

The family had spent the day out by the pool Edna’s siblings, aged 10 and 3 at the time.

Following pool time, mother Cassie McGovern had put the young girl in a chair in a family room as she put away groceries and talked to her husband in another room. She wasn’t gone long, but it was enough for the toddler to slip outside of her family’s home and to the pool area without her parents noticing.

Having noticed Edna was gone, Cassie searched and found her in the pool. Em died days later on Aug. 11.

“The benefits of healthy, happy water activities can lead to a lifelong love and joy of the water,” Berman said. “Ensuring children learn water safety and swimming at an early age will lock in confidence in these children so they will have a love, and not fear, of water and water-related activities.”

Legislation in the House awaits consideration among committees. The bill in the Senate currently sits in the Education committee, the Children, Families, and Elder Affairs committee and the Rules committee.

BRIEFLY SHERIFF’S OFFICE EMPLOYEE INVESTIGATED AFTER ALLEGED ROAD RAGE INCIDENT The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a possible road rage incident involving Middle Keys victim advocate Sever Hustad, who works for Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. The incident occurred Feb. 22 in the Keys and involved the use of an MCSO-owned vehicle.

Hustad has been suspended without pay. The FHP is conducting a criminal investigation. Sheriff Rick Ramsay also opened an Internal Affairs investigation into the incident.

Hustad’s employment status will be determined at the conclusion of the investigations.

“This is an unfortunate case that required immediate action on my part,” said Ramsay. “My policy is always to be as transparent as possible with the citizens of this county. As always, when bad things happen in the sheriff’s office, I want you to hear it from me first.”

COUNTY LIBRARIES HOST COMMUNITY READING EVENT The Monroe County Public Library system presents a community reading event called “One Chain of Islands, One Book,” featuring the new novel, “The Empty Cell,” by Paulette Alden. The program culminates with a virtual book talk with the author at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, March 31. The talk will premiere on the library’s website, Facebook pages and the Key West Library’s YouTube channel. Registration is not required for this event. For more information, and to reserve your copy of the book, contact your local branch or visit keyslibraries.org.

Key West Library YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCQtMIWrdawcFzb4oaG-_QQg DANI HOLLIDAY NAMED UNSUNG HERO BY ANNE MCKEE ARTISTS FUND Each year the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys (CFFK) recognizes the outstanding volunteers who work on behalf of nonprofits throughout the Keys with the The Unsung Hero award.

This year, the Anne McKee Artists Fund board chose “the incomparable Dani Holliday” as its Unsung Hero “for bringing our organization into the 21st century,” fund officials said.

“Dani ... initiated online ticketing and produced slide shows that improved the impact of and attendance at our events. She digitally archived 25 years of fund history with accessible databases linking recipients, donors and past and present board members … to name just a few of the reasons she was selected.”

For more information on the Anne McKee Artists Fund, its grant opportunities and annual auction, visit www.mckeefund.org.

PAYNE WINS TOASTMASTERS SPEAKING COMPETITION Key West Toastmasters recently announced that Carrie Payne won the Area 55 Table Topics contest and will move on to the Division E contest later this month. Area 55 consists of two clubs in the Keys as well as Homestead, Cutler Bay and Progressive Insurance in South Dade.

Key West Toastmasters continues to meet at noon on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, but the meeting is held via Zoom. More information is available from 305-295-7501. Visitors are encouraged and there have been Zoom visitors from around the country and the world, as Toastmasters is an international organization that promotes communication, public speaking and leadership.

16

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021 A ruddy turnstone tries to blend in with the landscape on Big Pine Key. MARK HEDDEN/Keys Weekly

THE FINE ART OF BLENDING IN

MARK HEDDEN ... is a photographer, writer, and semi-professional birdwatcher. He has lived in Key West for more than 25 years and may no longer be employable in the real world. He is also executive director of the Florida Keys Audubon Society.

T

he wind made it difficult to think. Tilt your head the wrong way and your hat would fly off and tumbleweed down the beach. It didn’t matter if you were willing to look like an idiot and wear it backwards. The third time it happened, I just let it roll until it caught in a nearby sea lavender bush and left it there.

There was a nice view of the back side of the Bahia Honda Bridge, and I thought I might be able to pull off a decent photo with the long lens, but the wind buffeted it so much, it was difficult to line anything up, so I took a few dozen frames, hoping one might look like something. (The technical term for this method of photography is “spray and pray.”)

It’s hard to find birds when it’s windy. You can’t hear them, and if you do, the sound isn’t coming from where you think. You can’t look for their motion in the bushes because, well, everything is in motion. And they don’t fly much.

I made my way out to Long Beach on Big Pine. I figured if there were birds, there wouldn’t be a lot of places for them to hide. The tide was low and the beach wasn’t so much sand as an empty apron of smooth Miami oolite stretching between me and the water. I didn’t see any birds right away, but I sat down on a log and started to scan, working around the terrain with my binoculars.

Binoculars are funny things. Stare into them long enough and your brain kind of shifts its center; the part of you that perceives the world, at least visually, decamps and floats temporarily inside these parallel glass-capped tubes. Arguably it’s an out-of-body experience, though only a couple inches, not so far out-of-body that you have to worry.

The nothingness of the oolite apron was, of course, not nothingness. Amplified by the binoculars, it was a vast and complicated space, scattered with rocks, sponges and seaweed, pocked with shallow depressions, some of them filled with water that hadn’t evaporated or drained off.

I saw the turnstone the way Luke Skywalker saw the bantha in the first Star Wars, meaning I scanned past it, then came back quickly. (Fortunately I did not look up just afterwards to find a Tusken Raider about to club me with a gaffi stick.)

As often happens with ruddy turnstones, once I picked out one, I saw another, then another, and so on, until I counted 18 of the 10-inch-long birds standing around the oh-so-subtle terrain.

They were up near the water, but worked back slowly toward the row of sargasso weed pushed high on the beach by the last high tide.

There is nothing rare about ruddy turnstones. While they breed in the Arctic, in the winter they can be found on the shorelines of every continent except Antarctica. A smaller number of them, usually birds too young to breed, can be found in most coastal areas in the summer months. (If you’ve ever eaten at Keys Fisheries in Marathon, one of them no doubt tried to beg a french fry off of you.)

Ruddy turnstones got their name because they are ruddy, at least in breeding plumage, and because they turn stones, flipping them over to feast on the tiny bugs and crustaceans they find underneath. But they will flip anything over – shells, twigs, beer cans.

When they made it to the pile of sargassum closest to me they went to town, seaweed flying everywhere, the occasional twitter making itself heard above the wind. One of them was missing one of his bright orange legs and hopped in short arcs where the others walked, straying from the group and wandering closer to me, his lack of wariness perhaps connected to the event that cost him his leg.

A brown pelican worked its way upwind, flying as slowly as was possible for a bird to fly, its shadow dragging across the flock. The turnstones kept feeding. A magnificent frigatebird came by a few minutes later and did the same thing. The whole flock leapt into the air in a panic, shooting out over the water, the bright white pattern that spreads across their backs and wings when they fly flashing in the glare. It made me wonder if the occasional frigatebird snatched the occasional turnstone from the beach.

Or maybe their jumpiness was just a false alarm.

The frigatebird angled a wingtip up ever so slightly and caught a fast ride downwind. The turnstones returned and landed en masse back at the water’s edge, then kind of spread out, disappearing and reappearing in the terrain.

In a couple months, most of these birds will brighten up for breeding season, shifting from this dull, brown-gray, cryptic plumage to a golden russet mantle, trading off the ability to confuse the eyes of predators with the need to impress a mate. But right now the plumage was doing its job, allowing them to blend in to the landscape, as undramatic as it was.

When I rose from the log, the turnstones all leapt into the air again, but only five or 10 feet. I retrieved my hat from the sea lavender and left them to their own devices.

17

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

WOMANKIND & ZONTA GIVE THE HEART SOME LOVE

RUNNING OUT OF SPACE? CONTACT US TO DETERMINE YOUR INDIVIDUAL STORAGE NEEDS

IM#26 - MC450645 | DOT966624

WETHE MOVE COVID ISN’T ONLY YOU RELAX HEALTH CONCERN

305.295.6683 FLORIDA KEYS PROFESSIONAL MOVERS

305.295.6683 | 1.877.344.6683 | WWW.DRNMOVING.COM

D

espite the headlinegrabbing pandemic still wreaking havoc in our daily lives, the health care professionals at Key West’s Womankind are urgently reminding Keys residents that COVID hasn’t canceled out other health concerns, such as heart attacks, high blood pressure, breast cancer and a host of other issues.

For the past 11 years, Womankind has teamed up with Zonta service club every March to offer the Zonta Heart Health Program to uninsured women of the Florida Keys.

“In light of so much attention being placed on COVID-19, Womankind and Zonta aim to ensure that basic preventative health measures are not being ignored,” said Cali Roberts, Womankind executive director.

“Heart disease remains the number-one killer of women,” she said. “And cardiac events in women can have different symptoms than in men. For instance, lower back pain or cramping can actually be a symptom of a heart problem in women. So it’s important for women to know how healthy their heart is, or how vulnerable they are to problems that can be prevented with diet, exercise, weight loss or medication.”

The Zonta initiative provides a free basic health overview and risk assessment for heart disease for uninsured women of the Florida Keys.

Participation in the program involves two visits, one for

a blood draw and one for a discussion of the results. This year’s initiative is free for new, uninsured Womankind patients, while returning patients will receive a discounted price of $99, rather than the usual $214 for the screenings and follow-up care.

Zonta Heart Health patients are scheduled for an initial intake and blood work appointment. A risk assessment questionnaire is completed and a blood draw is tested for the complete blood count (CBC); complete metabolic panel (CMP); thyroid-stimulating hormone; and a lipid panel consisting of triglycerides, cholesterol and HDL. A follow-up appointment is scheduled with a Womankind provider to discuss the results. Zonta picks up the $214 tab for all the services for new patients.

If additional follow-up is necessary, Womankind’s partnership with the Health Foundation of South Florida allows primary care patients to have visits with a practitioner on a sliding fee scale.

With qualifying proof of income, the cost for ongoing treatment visits can be reduced 25% to 75% from the full cash price.

To make this opportunity available to the most women, eligible participants must be uninsured and new patients to Womankind.

Zonta Heart Health runs through the month of March.

Appointments are required and can be made by calling 305294-4004.

— Contributed

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

YOUR TALENTS ARE NEEDED! NOW HIRING: WEB EDITOR/ MARKETING SPECIALIST Keys Weekly, the only locally owned, community newspaper that covers the entire Keys, is seeking an experienced writer or marketing specialist to work with our editorial and sales teams on digital platforms including keysweekly.com, email blasts, social media channels and engagement campaigns. Work can be performed in one of three offices throughout the Keys with remote flexibility.

Our staff is passionate about the community and performs duties collaboratively. We are in need of a marketing professional or writer who is creative and organized with a high level of attention to detail to fill this full-time salaried position. $40,000 - $50,000 starting salary THE RIGHT PERSON WILL HAVE: • Ability to prioritize and balance multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

• Strong writing skills and/or marketing experience.

• Excellent teamwork and collaboration skills as well as the ability to work independently.

Please send your confidential resume to: jobs@keysweekly.com.

18

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

W

e at Keys Weekly want to honor the men and women serving in our local military installations. With help and advice from our community members in the armed forces, we’re proud to present our Military Spotlight

LANCE HILL/Keys Weekly

R

ecent talk of “reinventing” Duval Street has set social media abuzz the past few weeks. The company that secured the contract to lead the revitalization, KCI Technologies, included in its proposal various renderings and ideas, which included modernized features along Key West’s most historic artery.

As the debate rages forward between those who believe Duval should be left untouched and others who are calling for more pedestrian-friendly measures, one thing seems certain: No one wants to lose the historic nostalgia of Key West’s most iconic street.

Always here to help, we’ve come up with some other changes that should be ignored. Offering our…

WORST WAYS TO ‘REINVENT’ DUVAL STREET 10. Make it just like the place you moved here from.

9. Legalize heroin in the off-season. Just on Duval Street. Just to see how it goes.

8. Hunger Games — Tourist Edition (although this one may have some potential).

7. Chicken-feeding stations at each intersection.

6. Moving sidewalks.

5. Enclose the entire thing.

Add air conditioning and rename it “Duval Mall of the Seas.”

4. Enlist Disney as the corporate sponsor, with nightly parades and fireworks.

(Florida residents get half off at participating T-shirt shops).

3. Get rid of most of the only locally owned, community newspaper boxes along Duval without any discussions, returned calls or localpreference considerations.

(Whoopsie … too late).

2. Call it the “Great American Experiment.” Designate one side of the road for people who wear masks; the other side for those who don’t.

1. Add more Walgreens and CVS locations.

WILLIAM T. ROWLAND

Information specialist, U.S. Coast Guard/JIATF-South Why did you join the military? As a kid 9/11 really impacted me. As soon as I was able, I joined the U.S. Army, which happened to be during my senior year of high school in 2009. After many years in the Army I joined the U.S. Coast Guard to continue my service.

Best decision I ever made.

How many years have you been in the military? All in all about 10 years. I intend to be in for a few dozen more. I want to become Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard.

Had you ever been to the Florida Keys or Key West before your current assignment? I went on a couple of field trips to Key Largo while in school, and quickly realized the Keys are a very special place.

Did you choose Key West or were you just assigned here?

I chose here. I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to serve and live in Key West. Not only is the mission at Joint Interagency Task Force-South extraordinary, I love being in Key West.

The people here are amazing and there is always something to do.

What were your first thoughts upon learning that you were coming to the Keys? I was so excited I immediately called my family. I grew up in a small coastal community in McClellanville, South Carolina, with only 400 or so people. So I knew it was right up my alley.

Hobbies? I am a dedicated martial artist and train in Brazilian jiu jitsu nearly nonstop at Bone Island MMA. I am also a lifelong waterman, so fishing, surfing, diving and just anything on the water are my passions. Salt water is in my blood.

Favorite things to do? I really enjoy and look forward to my Brazilian jiu jitsu training time.

When I’m not doing that I’m usually at the beach, kayaking, fishing, or just exploring the Keys.

What do you like most about the Keys? I love Key West. The people, the food, the weather, the beaches … everything!

What do you like most about your assignment? I appreciate our mission. We focus on global counter-narcotics operations. We make differences every day that benefit the safety and wellbeing of future generations.

What would you change about living here in Key West if you had the power to do so? I would really push for enforcement of traffic violations for bicyclists. It really makes me nervous when folks speed through a busy intersection without stopping at stop signs, and darting in between traffic or cruising the wrong way down a tight one-way. Other than that, maybe free margaritas for everyone on Sundays?

19

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

STARTING 2021

LOCALS ENJOY ENTIRE 20% 5-6:30 BILL OFF DAILY WITH LOCAL ID AND NOT AVAILABLE WITH OTHER DISCOUNTS

1029 SOUTHARD ST | 305.294.0230 | CAFESOLE.COM

CHANGING LIVES ONE SMILE AT A TIME! From left to right: Dr. Hector Guzman D.D.S, Dr. David McDonald D.M.D Dr. Natalia Vazquez-Marrero D.M.D and Dr. Oscar Rodriguez D.M.D

Located at 2758 N. Roosevelt Blvd. (in the Overseas Market) • Key West, FL 33040 Phone 305.294.9914 • Fax 305.295.9691 • doc@docguzman.com • www.docguzman.com

20

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

DIVING INTO HISTORY

1

Black scuba divers uncover and document shipwrecks to heal slavery’s wounds TIFFANY DUONG

tiffany@keysweekly.com

S

ometimes you have to step back in order to move forward.

Ken Stewart, co-founder of Diving with a Purpose (DWP), takes this popular adage literally, but with an underwater twist. The organization’s special focus is to protect, document and interpret African slavetrade shipwrecks and the maritime history of African Americans.

Along with its youth branch — Youth Diving with a Purpose (YDWP) — DWP’s mandate is to train veteran scuba divers to map and document shipwrecks to analyze history. The Florida Keys are their training ground.

Through the organization’s weeklong, intensive flagship program, divers learn the history behind Keys shipwrecks like the Guerrero, an infamous slaveship that sank in North Key Largo, and the often-untold role that ships played in the African slave trade. Then, they deploy on an actual shipwreck in the Keys, doing historical detective work via scuba to map and document what they find.

History can teach us, Stewart maintained. In his high school, he never learned the details about slavery or the African diaspora. When he eventually did, through the search for the Guerrero, it blew him away. He began to see the remnants of that horrible period in history in the African American community today.

“Four hundred years of enslavement has an effect,” Stewart said.

“People forget that up to the ’60s, we couldn’t even vote. Segregation was going full-steam. And that’s only 60 years ago, my lifetime. So, for people to say, ‘Get over it,’ that ain’t happening. I think this needs to be taught so that history doesn’t repeat itself.”

Stewart plays his part in this generational knowledge exchange through DWP and other youth programs he leads.

“The young people will eventually change how the world is headed,” he said. “To change the way the world is going, you gotta do it with the young people. This is my way to change the world.”

Tristan Cannon is one of those students. Currently a junior at Tennessee State University in Nashville, he has been involved with DWP for three years and now gives back as an instructor. DWP didn’t teach him more about what happened with slavery but helped him feel more connected to it.

“You can read about things through books and you understand, but it’s not the same as being able to go down and see remnants yourself.

Doing that makes me feel a little closer to my history than any book or classroom could,” he said.

Experiencing the past first-hand has also allowed Cannon to draw his own conclusions about what happened, to change his perspective on history and how it affected people.

“When I see what those events actually produced, the artifacts, I understand,” he said. “And, hopefully, this little thing I can do will help in some small way to make the future better.”

Rachel Stewart, not related to Ken, is another DWP student-turned-instructor. Involved with YDWP and DWP since 2013, she notes that the dives, simultaneously cool and painful (in the historical context), help her feel closer to her ancestors.

1. DWP co-founder Ken Stewart maps out a shipwreck in the Florida Keys.

CONTRIBUTED 2. DWP divers deploy on a shipwreck in the Florida Keys to map, measure and document artifacts and clues about the ship’s history. KEN STEWART/Contributed 3. DWP youth divers train in the classroom before deploying on a shipwreck in the Florida Keys. TRISTAN CANNON/Contributed 4. Rachel Stewart does in-situ drawings with measurements on a Florida Keys shipwreck. CHRIS SEARLES/Contributed 5. Tristan Cannon measures and maps a shipwreck in the Florida Keys.

CONTRIBUTED

2

3

4

5

“I never thought much about shipwrecks in our history,” Rachel said.

“I’d known that the passage here (from Africa) was tough and hard, but I never thought about how ships wrecked, and about all the stories and lives that were lost. For me, the story just started when we got here.”

Since joining DWP, confronting those facts and diving on actual shipwrecks, new thoughts have entered Rachel’s internal dialogue. Now, she also thinks about what it might have felt like to be stolen from your land and packed on a ship, she says. And she considers the horror of hearing your ship was about to go under and thinking your life and story would be forgotten forever.

“That really gets me,” she said. “I think it’s really important that black people have a role in uncovering these stories because it is directly related to who we are and our identities.”

Of shipwrecks, history and identity, Rachel concludes, “You can’t see it at first, but eventually it reveals itself to you. At first glance, it might not look like much, but once you search, it will unfold in front of you as you learn what you’re looking for.”

21

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021 TIFFANY DUONG

tiffany@keysweekly.com

‘IT WASN’T A FRINGE ORGANIZATION’

HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR EXPLORES THE RISE AND FALL OF THE KKK IN KEY WEST IN VIRTUAL LECTURE

“W

e’re coming up on the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the (Ku Klux) Klan in Key West,” Arlo Haskell said. “It’s a ... chapter in Key West history that I wanted to know more about.”

Haskell, a historian and author in the Southernmost City, spent years researching the history of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in the Florida Keys — about who they were and how they operated. He presented his findings at the most recent Florida Keys History & Discovery Center virtual lecture.

While researching for “The Jews of Key West,” Haskell’s awardwinning book, the writer came across the founding documents for the Klan of the Keys.

“It contained a lot of prominent Key West names, and I wanted to know more,” Haskell told the Keys Weekly. “You’d recognize the surnames, like Maloney, Porter — Porter still has a plaque on Caroline Street.”

The KKK was established in Key West in the 1920s as a direct response to political organizing within the Black community.

“White America wasn’t a fan of Marcus Garvey,” Haskell explained.

“The Klan in Key West was founded during Garvey’s visit to show clear opposition to what he was doing.”

Garvey was an international figure who led a movement around the world preaching black equality, Haskell told the Keys Weekly. As a precursor to both Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the charismatic Garvey founded the hugely popular Universal Negro Improvement Association and coined the phrase “Black is beautiful.” His visit to Key West in 1921 prompted city leaders to establish the Klan of the Keys, Haskell said.

Under the Klan, violence and terror reigned in South Florida, with kidnappings, beatings and at least one murder, conducted “really with impunity,” Haskell said.

One man who headed up the Klan of the Keys, Charles Ketchum, also became the “grand dragon” for all of Florida. During his tenure, the state’s entire Klan organization was headquartered out of his Eaton Street office in Key West, Haskell said. Under Ketchum, the Klan in Florida became even more violent, including conducting more lynchings per capita than any other state. The Florida Klan also organized the notorious Rosewood Massacre of 1923, in which an angry white mob burned a predominantly black town in rural Florida to the ground, with several casualties. The town was abandoned by survivors.

For the author, the most “shocking” discovery was who was in the Klan and how widely accepted it was.

“It wasn’t a fringe organization.

It was the Monroe County sheriff, the police chief for the City of Key West, the tax collector, the fire department chief, the head of the criminal courts,” Haskell said. “All of the powers within the city of Key West were in the Klan. That haunted me, a little. It stuck with me.”

The Klan operated in broad daylight, sponsoring circuses and beauty contests. There were parades down the streets of Old Town Key West, and the newspapers advertised for them, Haskell said. This mainstream aspect of its operations struck the author as particularly relevant, given present-day race conflicts and clashes.

“We always learn something from history,” Haskell said. “Right now, we’re seeing white nationalist militant groups with support from the highest levels of government.

I think there’s certainly a connection between what was happening then and what we see now. When you look at history, you can find precursors of what we’re living through today.”

Haskell said there are consequences of this unequal past in today’s Key West. He often thinks of the entire generation of black Key

A typical Ku Klux Klan parade. Although this photo was taken in Miami, there were many similar parades in Key West during the 1920s. CONTRIBUTED

Key Wester Charles H. Ketchum (left) was Grand Dragon of the Florida Klan during the 1920s, when there were more lynchings per capita in Florida than any other state.

West residents who would’ve been around the age of his grandparents, subject to racial terror and without any recourse to justice.

“The kind of economic disenfranchisement, the kind of devastation that the Klan did to Key West’s black community, is a kind of trauma that passes down through generations.” he said.

Just as quickly as it mobilized, the Klan of the Keys fell into disarray.

As a takeaway from the talk, Haskell hoped his listeners would always question the versions of history most often told and read.

These stories tend to represent those with economic and political power, and there’s usually quite a bit left out, he said. It’s easier for historians to find out about men in the Klan conducting violence than about the black men they kidnapped and the black women they raped, Haskell said.

Marcus Garvey’s visit to Key West in 1921 prompted city leaders to establish the Klan of the Keys.

“Those stories aren’t told, relegated to a footnote,” he said. “The crimes of the powerful are covered up, and the tragedies of the poor are just as covered up. So, I hope people think twice about the stories they hear and remember there’s always another story that’s not being told.”

Haskell asked listeners to think about their own privileges. The generational implications of such a racist history have had great impact on what is available to people in the present day, he said.

“It is important to keep our eyes on the historic complication of people’s prospects and destinies,” he said. “It is all connected.”

22

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021 MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

VIEW FROM THE TOP

ON THIS ROCK…

ST. PETER BUILDS A NEW CHURCH

We’re still waiting for details, but this tall-bike rider drew plenty of attention while riding down U.S. 1 on Feb. 20. LANCE HILL/Keys Weekly

Horns honked and people waved at the towering sight of a tall-bike rider who made his way down U.S. 1 on Feb. 20 and ended his ride on Key West’s Duval Street.

LANCE HILL/Keys Weekly

Construction is nearing completion at the new St. Peter Catholic Church on Big Pine Key. The former church was heavily damaged by Hurricane Irma in September 2017, but parishioners managed to salvage 25 stained-glass windows, the altar and other items of spiritual significance.

LANCE HILL/Keys Weekly

MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

TALL BIKER DRAWS ATTENTION ON U.S. 1 & DUVAL STREET

K

eys Weekly is still awaiting some details about this attention-drawing bicyclist, who pedaled down U.S. 1 on Feb. 20 and then did a victory lap down Key West’s Duval Street.

The tall-bike movement is gaining momentum throughout Europe and North America, with riders generally creating their own towering bicycle with parts and frames from other regularsized bikes.

“There’s a real art to clambering aboard a bike whose seat is at shoulder height or above,” states a story about tall bikes on OregonLive.com about Portland, Oregon’s Pedalpalooza event that encourages bicycles over cars. Leah Bendlin made the boarding and dismounting look easy. First, she checked that her coaster brake was not engaged, then pushed off while stepping up on the left chainstay, pushed again with her free foot, then swung gracefully into the saddle.

There are other techniques, but all require practice and some degree of courage.

F

rom the devastation of Hurricane Irma rises the new St. Peter Catholic Church on Big Pine Key, where construction by Florida Lemark Corporation is in its final two to three months.

While the walls withstood Irma’s winds, the inside succumbed to water damage.

“The water went in the church and it was like a washing machine inside,” Father Jesus “Jets” Medina, parish administrator, said in a September 2019 story in Florida Catholic magazine. Once live Masses resumed amid the pandemic, the parish held weekly services in a tented, but air-conditioned outdoor pavilion.

The tent has clear cutouts through which parishioners can watch Key deer grazing on the nearby soccer field.

“We have Catholic deer,” parish bookkeeper Nancy McCrosson said in the Archdiocese of Miami magazine article.

“The ushers have to make sure the deer don’t come in.”

The new church, with an estimated cost of $9 million, is 5 feet higher than the former structure to help avoid future flooding, the Florida Catholic article states.

Parishioners managed to salvage the church’s altar, baptismal font and other items from the original structure.

They also saved 25 stainedglass windows that survived Irma in September 2017 thanks to hurricane shutters and impact windows.

St. Peter Church Facebook page provides regular construction photos and updates to parishioners that include both year-round and seasonal residents.

23

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Get up-close & personal E Y OSNION BUM IS ADET ONE G

E E R F ith alid w Not hver offers ot

FUNHE T FOR OLE WH ILY! FAM

Walk among hundreds of living butterflies and colorful birds.

1316 Duval Street | Key West 305.296.2988 | www.keywestbutterfly.com Conservatory 9am-4:30pm Gift Shop & Gallery 9am-5:30pm

HASSLE FREE TRAVEL BRUNCH 8AM-2PM DINNER 5:30-9:30PM HAPPY HOUR MON-FRI 5:30-7PM

YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS WITH AIR TREK PRIVATE JET CHARTERS FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1978!

FREE DINNER ENTREE ON YOUR BIRTHDAY (MUST HAVE ID)

530 Simonton Street 305.293.8181

sarabethskw.com

50% OFF

BOTTLES OF WINE

• No long lines, layovers, overbooked flights or lost luggage • Travel on your schedule – you pick the day and time! • Aircraft are cleaned and sanitized before and after each flight • All aircraft are pet friendly

1-800-247-8735 WWW.AIRTREK.AERO

24

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021 SHANNON WILEY

www.keysweekly.com

FISCHER’S WORK EMBLEMATIC OF TROPICAL STYLE Lynne Fischer has been painting professionally for over four decades. CONTRIBUTED

LOCAL ARTIST CONTINUES TO CREATE

L

ynne Fischer never ceases to amaze, and she refuses to slow down. Since her youth as a budding artist living in Toledo, Ohio she has loved to create.

In her early years she enjoyed drawing with pencil, on occasion adding color with pastels, but before long it became obvious she had talent and thus began a career in art and design.

Fischer said her formal training began in high school with a strong art focus. She later headed to nearby University of Toledo where she took classes at the Toledo Museum of Art. Moving to Key West in 1985, Fischer – like so many artists – gained profound inspiration from all the tropics have to offer.

She has become as much a part of the Keys as swaying palm trees and warm conch fritters. Her depictions of some of the famous scenes from Old Town Key West continue to draw in fans from around the globe.

Whether it be her fluffy cumulonimbus clouds standing tall and proud over calm teal waters, or her vivid portrayals of roosters

scurrying along Duval Street, her paintings are inspired works that are pure to Keys life.

Fischer has been painting professionally for over four decades now and currently manages Guild Hall Gallery, one of the oldest galleries along Duval Street – the first venue for her work when she was in her 20s.

“Back then, I would bring my paintings down to Guild Hall and they’d let me show them. Eventually my paintings would all sell, and I would be ready by then to bring them more and that is just how it all started,” she said.

Her works range in size from small canvas originals of fewer than 4 inches square, to massive gallery-wrapped canvases at 40 by 60 inches. She also has done far larger commissioned work for clients. Her prices range from under $200 to several thousand dollars for originals, but she offers top-quality prints of most of her pieces.

Fischer specializes in painting iconic businesses and historic homes that showcase the essence of tropical island living. Her realistic painting techniques make foliage

and botanicals highlight her subjects. She paints architectural structures in a style that brings to mind the best of trompe l’oeil, while using vivid pastel colors delicately applied in acrylic paint onto fine-quality linen canvas.

When asked what she loves most about her job as a full-time painter, she said: “I love sharing my work with others.” She and her husband Jack Louden (a photographer and musician) currently live on Big Pine Key, where they love the natural environment that surrounds that island.

You can see Fischer’s work at Guild Hall Gallery in Key West and at Shady Palm Gallery in Marathon. More information is at www.lynnefischerstudios.com

25

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Chest Pain?

Severe Abdominal Pain?

High Fever?

HAPPRY HOUTURDAY

THEY’RE CALLED

EMERGENCIES

FOR A REASON.

-SA MONDAPYM-6PM 4

FOOD $5 BAR HE GLASS

BY T $7 WINE ELL LIQUOR $4 W FT BEER $4 DRA ESTIC $3 DOM LES BOTT

Symptoms of a medical emergency need quick treatment. And in some cases, fast care can be life saving.

So don’t delay or be afraid to get help if you need it.

With limited entry points, screening for everyone, frequent deep cleaning and social distancing, we are taking extra precautions to keep you safe.

There’s a good reason to get to a hospital fast in an emergency – your life could depend on it.

LowerKeysER.com If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.

5620 MACDONALD AVE KEY WEST | 305.296.4999

26

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

LADY CONCHS ROLL PAST ‘CANES IN LACROSSE 5

6

1

DOUG FINGER/Keys Weekly

2

1. Coral Shores defender Alexis Martin (4) recovers the ball against Key West during the first half of play at Coral Shores.

T

he Key West Conchs traveled to face the Coral Shores ‘Canes for the first game of the girls lacrosse season on Feb. 19. The Conchs’ offensive firepower was on full display in a 16-2 win. The Canes, 0-2, are back home Friday, Feb. 26 to face Palmer Trinity at 6 p.m. The Conchs, 2-0, face Gulliver Prep on Friday, Feb. 26 at 4 p.m.

— Weekly staff report

2. Coral Shores midfielder Kaylee Stoky (23) squares off against Key West’s Naomi Grabus.

3. Key West’s Scarlett McMonigle gets the shot on goal against Coral Shores goalie Emily Murphy.

4. Key West Lacrosse team members Ericka Tunay (18) and Barbara Lopez (12) celebrate a goal against Coral Shores High School during the first half.

5. Coral Shores midfielder Kaylee Stoky (23) moves the ball upfield against Key West’s Scarlett McMonigle during the second half of play.

3

4

Do Your Hearing Aids Need Some Love & Attention?

If your hearing aids are not performing as you wish, require a repair or need some much needed love & attention...

Where can you go to get qualified Hearing aid care?

Regardless from where you purchased your devices, Dr. Michelle and her team offer professional state-of-the-art cleanings, adjustments and repairs, no matter what manufacturer or model you’re wearing.

Don’t let under-performing devices negatively impact your hearing, schedule your hearing aid check-up today.

6. Key West’s Devan Bittner shoots on goal against Coral Shores attacker Olivia Rodriguez during the first half of play.

Scan this on your phone to connect directly with CALL TO START YOUR HEARING JOURNEY! MIAMI 17670 NW 78th Avenue #201

(305) 403-9325

www.hear4uaudiology.com www.heardrmichelle.com

KEY WEST 513 Fleming Street, Suite 11 (2nd floor accessible via elevator)

(305) 809-6041

MARATHON 11399 Overseas Highway - Suite 7 The Exchange Building

(305) 747-7750

HOMESTEAD Towers Professional Plaza 151 NW 11th St., Ste. W-301

(305) 809-7663

TAVERNIER 93911 Overseas Hwy., Ste. 5 (2nd Floor) Tavernier, FL 33070

(305) 247-8227

27

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

HAPPENING AT CASA MARINA WEDNESDAYS: 7:00PM-10:00PM SUN-SUN CONCERT PIER

LIVE MUSIC

THURSDAYS: 7:30PM-9:30PM SUN-SUN CONCERT PIER

LIVE MUSIC

FRIDAYS: 7:30PM-9:30PM SUN-SUN CONCERT PIER

COCONUT VICTROLA SATURDAYS: 7:00PM-10:00PM SUN-SUN CONCERT PIER

LIVE MUSIC

DAILY: 5:00PM-10:00PM

HMF SIDECAR

Enjoy a drink and learn about the history of Henry Morrison Flagler at this cozy bar just off the main lobby.

Times subject to change. Weather permitting.

Scan this code with your phone to see everything that is happening at Casa Marina

Scan this code with your phone for Sun-Sun menus

305.296.3535 | casamarinaresort.com | 1500 Reynolds St., Key West, FL 33040

Serving the Keys for 20 Years!

ARTISTIC CONCRETE DESIGN

GOT CONCRETE? We can Preserve, Protect & Beautify ANY Concrete Surface For more information go to www.keysdecoconrete.com or call 305-923-0654

Licensed & Insured SP#3136

28

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

FREEDOM READERS KAREN NEWFIELD

Voices of Black History

First and foremost a reader, she has reviewed hundreds of books on her blog www. readingandeating. com. And, more recently, this new Keys resident has also begun writing.

THE HATE U GIVE

By Angie Thomas Late one night Starr Carter was driving, with her childhood friend Khalil, home from a party. At 16, Starr didn’t often go to parties in her neighborhood. Although she was raised in this poor Mississippi community, Starr’s parents enrolled their children in a fancy suburban private school. Daddy runs the local grocery while her mom works as an ER nurse and they know just how tough these streets can be.

Khalil and Starr are pulled over by the police. Terrified, Starr remembers what her mama drilled into her: keep your hands where they can be seen, no sudden movements and no speaking unless spoken to. Khalil is shot in the back three times. Blood is everywhere.

Starr questions her identity living in two very different worlds. The incident makes national headlines and Starr is the only witness. Her family, the local gang leaders and the entire neighborhood take to the streets. Riots, danger, fear in one world — AP exams and prom dresses in the other. It is time for this brave young lady to speak for her friends who no longer have a voice of their own.

KINDRED

By Octavia Butler Dana is a 26-year-old African American woman in 1976 California. She and her white husband Kevin just moved into their first home. One day Dana feels strange and as the room begins to spin she is terrifyingly swept away to another time. Dana awakens in antebellum Maryland. She sees a little boy drowning. Without hesitating, Dana saves his life and begins a journey her creative mind could have never imagined. She travels back and forth between centuries to repeatedly save this boy named Rufus. As a black woman she is thought to be a slave on his father’s plantation. Going along with the ruse and the limited historical facts she knows, Dana learns to survive while she tries to figure out this mysterious existence she has acquired.

Originally published in 1979, this fantastical historical fiction is 100 percent mesmerizing. To live, even for a short while, in a time that tested everything we believe about freedom and humankind is almost unimaginable. Octavia Butler takes you on a journey you will remember long after the final chapter.

THE NICKEL BOYS

By Colson Whitehead Elwood Curtis spends his days sweeping the floor at the local cigar shop and getting straight A’s at school. It is the early 1960s in Tallahassee, Florida and as Elwood listens to the speeches of Martin Luther King, he dreams of college and a bright future. His grandmother raised him on good manners, kindness and hope. On the first day of a college level class he is honored to take, Elwood is detained on the road and mistakenly sent to a juvenile detention center called The Nickel Academy. With no means to fight this archaic system filled with prejudice and a sadistic, self-serving staff, Elwood and his only friend Turner silently endure.

The boys here are beaten, raped and lied to repeatedly. Most barely survive and those who do not are labeled as runaways. Based on an actual reform school called Dozier which closed in 2011 – University of South Florida archaeology students uncovered the remains of bodies and evidence that made up this “school” for boys – this painful exploration is a haunting and truthful story of unimaginable brutality and a surprising friendship that simply cannot be missed.

29

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

WELCOME, SAILORS

N

aval Air Station Key West is building a new Navy Gateway Inns & Suites (NGIS) facility at Trumbo Point in Key West. The project, dubbed “Fly Navy 2,” is a $57 million replacement for three Key West lodging facilities at Boca Chica Field that were damaged during 2017’s Hurricane Irma. Fly Navy 2 will be four stories high with 244 rooms and is scheduled to be complete in 2022. In the photo, public works officer Lt. Cmdr.

Mike Duffy and construction manager Lt. J.G. Jeff Moore, both of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southeast, speak with Naval Air Station Key West Commanding Officer Capt. Mark Sohaney about the project. The original Fly Navy building can be seen in the background. TRICE DENNY/U.S. Navy

HALEY HERRIOTT

KEY WEST ART CENTER & GALLERY

WANT TO HELP OUR KEYS COMMUNITY? FIND OUT HOW AT CFFK.ORG

SUBS & SWEETS 305.304.1470

ORDER AT OR COME SEE US AT 218 WHITEHEAD STREET, UNIT 1!

(NEXT TO THE MEL FISHER MUSEUM)

IN PARADISE FOR GOOD

VOLUNTEER

OF THE WEEK

CHECK OUT OUR DAILY CUPCAKE SPECIALS

30

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

SAME OR NEXT DAY

APPOINTMENTS

• The only Ivy League affiliated cardiology practice in South Florida, backed by Columbia University.

• Close to you with two convenient locations in the Keys.

Dr. Joan Homan

Dr. Ray Rodriquez

Dr. Roger Steinfeld

CARDIOLOGY OF THE KEYS

Key West • Marathon • 305.674.CARE Physician and location subject to availability.

31

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021 Visit one of the city, county or state parks like Curry Hammock (pictured) on Grassy Key. CONTRIBUTED

CHILDREN: HEAVEN’S ANGELS WALK AMONG US

And if you believe that …

ARE YOU SPENDING ENOUGH TIME IN GREEN SPACE?

TAKE 20 MINUTES FOR YOUR HEALTH

R

ecently, one of my patients asked me to do a contribution on the health benefits of being outside. My wife, Mindy, was able to quickly find an article that was able to define how much and what type of outdoor time people need.

Does being outside make you healthy? Yes … maybe. Just being outside, watching the traffic go by, isn’t going to do much for you. WalkDR. JOHN ing, biking, jogging, playing pickleball, etc., will WOLTZ increase your cardio abilities and improve your … is a preventative health as we discussed in the past, but these are forms of exercise and not my focus today. health physician with Baptist The research is increasingly pointing to Health Primary being in green spaces as the key for maximum Care in Marathon. benefit to your health, both physically and psychologically. In a 20,000-person study published by Mathew White of the University of Exeter, people who spent two hours a week in green spaces reported better health and well-being than those who didn’t. These effects worked across all groups, no matter what income, race or ethnicity; they appeared for those who are healthy and those with chronic disease.

What is green space? In a nutshell, they are parks and other natural environments. I think it is important to focus on the natural environment. I am not talking about the local basketball park, which obviously is great exercise; I am talking about trees and green grass, the green and blue waters at the beach, etc. We have wonderful assets here in Marathon and in the Keys that provide us more nature than we can imagine. Some are free, some cost a few dollars. Most are reachable on foot, whether you are walking to Sombrero Beach or Oceanfront Park. I could write a whole paper describing all of the nature areas between Duck Key and Big Pine that we have access to.

So, you made it to a green space … now what? The Japanese call it forest bathing, which is a fancy way to say going for a walk through the woods. That’s the beauty of green space; you don’t actually have to do anything, just be there and appreciate the world that you are in. Turn the cell phone off, walk around, do some snorkeling, just immerse yourself in the space.

The benefits are amazing. Studies point to a wide array of effects, decreased aggression and attention deficit disorder, increased well-being, increased immune system abilities and more.

Bottom line: take that walk or jog to a local park, then spend 20 minutes there just being in nature; 20 minutes a day and you will be a healthier (and less stressed) you.

Have a great week, and be healthier today than you were yesterday.

Do you have a question for Dr. John Woltz? Email it to sara@keysweekly.com for consideration as a topic for his column.

“I

believe that children are our future…” – George Benson, “The Greatest Love of All” “I love children – parboiled!” – W.C. Fields Actually, George had it right – children are indeed our future.

Parents have one of the toughest and most important jobs of all – they are totally responsible for the lives of the youngsters who will inherit the Earth. They are tasked with the ultimate responsibility of shaping young minds and lives to take on the challenges that all previous generations of humanity have left for them.

And people wonder why I’m not an optimist.

I can’t say I’ve been impressed with several of the most recent generations of Homo sapiens who have walked the planet. At times, we really seem to be a one-step-forward-two-steps-back kind of species.

We make great technological and sociological advancements that are reduced in significance by the raging preponderance of human stupidity.

But I digress…

For those of you who are parents, either by choice or chance, you have my admiration and my sympathy. I wish you all the best. I hope you do good by your kids. I hope you give them all the love and discipline they need to realize their ultimate potential and fix all the problems we left for them.

If you are one of those parents, however, who believes your child to be a perfect angel from Heaven … perhaps you should quit reading the rest of this column and just come back next week. While the love of a parent may blind them to what’s blazingly obvious to everyone else, I must assert that there are children who fall into the Less Than Angelic category.

If you’ve ever wondered why most hotels and resorts offer adult beverage service around their swimming pools, the entire rationale can be summed up in just three words: “Mommy! Watch this!” Those three words, shrieked repeatedly at 112 dB, reflecting off the surface of the water and echoing through the concrete canyon of the surrounding hotel, invade one’s ear canal in the same manner as that of an ice pick.

Meanwhile Mommy, who is just trying to read an escape novel in peace while the kids play in the pool, can’t find the poolside waiter fast enough to order that rum runner and calm

her nerves … especially because Daddy is out on his fishing trip right now.

Now, not all parents are like that. Some dote on their children.

JOHN Some dote on BARATUS their children in an obsessive and is a City of Maraexcessive manthon councilner that is likely man. He also is a musician who to cause major performs around psychological town. For more damage to both see johnbartus. generations later com in life. I recently observed one parent-child interaction that made me want to bang my head against a wall. The 4-year-old daughter was literally running around in circles.

Repeatedly. Over and over again. Repeatedly. In the middle of a crowded thoroughfare where other families were trying to just peacefully pass through and avoid the annoying whirling dervish.

The mommy, instead of taking the energetic youngster out of the crowded passage, kept encouraging her progeny’s behavior while snapping literally hundreds of flash photographs, filling her 32 GB SD card with gigapixels of blurry images of a kid running around in circles. (Daddy must have been out fishing.)

At least this child wasn’t riding a scooter around the same crowded passageways, terrorizing pedestrians and diners and people just trying to relax by the pool, while the parents sat blissfully unaware of the commotion, sipping on their rum runners.

There’s an old saying that postulates that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. When I see a great kid – and there really are great kids out there – I really have to commend both the kids and their parents… and whisper a prayer of thanks that I never had to deal with a mini version of me.

- Catch John Wednesdays at Herbie’s, Thursdays at Sparky’s Landing, this Friday on Facebook Live for his Social Distancing Concert, and Saturday night at the Key Colony Inn. Music available wherever you get your streaming. www.facebook.com/john. bartus

32

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

VILLAGE TELLS ‘FLEA MARKETS’ TO CEASE IMMEDIATELY, CITING HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS

JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

S

everal events deemed as flea markets by the village of Islamorada were recently told to cease immediately due to an ongoing coronavirus pandemic and no issuance of temporary use permits at this time.

What constitutes a flea market and farmers market, however, has one organizer and the village going back and forth.

Michael Anzalone and Natalie Wheeler are owners of commercial property, known as the Galleria Shopping Center at MM 80.9, oceanside. It’s an area that usually sees some 30 vendors every Sunday to sell their products. Their farmers market is put on in conjunction with the Florida Keys Farmers Market, which has been operating for the past four years at MM 81, and organizer Andrea Segovia.

Just recently, however, Anzalone and Wheeler received a letter from the village’s code compliance department stating that their Sunday market had to cease immediately. The reason? Per the village’s development services director, Ty Harris, events such as theirs were operating as a flea market or sidewalk sales — not a farmers market.

Flea markets require temporary use permits to operate, as opposed to farmers markets, which don’t have a requirement since they’re allowed in highway-commercial zones.

The farmers market at Island Home Garden Center at MM 88.7 was also told to cease immediately.

A number of complaints from the general public were also sent regarding insufficient parking, the village said, leading to vehicles on bike paths and on private property, including a bank parking lot across the street.

Communication from the village to the public on Feb. 18 stated that flea markets aren’t currently permitted in Islamorada, as temporary use permits required for such events aren’t being issued. That’s due to a COVID-19 measure the village council unanimously agreed on during its first meeting together in November that put a hold on temporary use permits for events for the time being. Council members are set to discuss the matter in April.

Not only did the restriction include festivals at Founders Park, but also events and happenings outside the park. It affected everything from art walks every third Thursday of the month on Morada Way, full moon parties at Morada Bay, the annual Baygrass Bluegrass festival and the largest event in the Upper Keys, the annual Gigantic Nautical Flea Market.

The village is characterizing markets such as the one Anzalone, Wheeler and Segovia run as a flea market, as they say farmers markets strictly sell locally grown farm products — not clothes, artwork

and food. While village code and state statute doesn’t specifically define a farmer’s market, there is a section of Florida’s statute (570.02) related to the department of agriculture and consumer service that defines agriculture. Harris said he tried to keep the issue to the first layer — events weren’t running as farmers markets. That propelled him to examine the statute.

“Based on what they define as agriculture, we came up with what we thought as an appropriate farmers market,” Harris said. “We’re talking dairy, livestock, forms of farm product for purposes of market and promotion activities.

“We got asked about a guy selling fish. We said, ‘yes, he’s good,’” he continued. “Can he come and cook the fish? ‘No.’ We’ve tried to stretch it as far as we can stretch it and stay within the definition of agriculture.”

Harris added that temporary use permits give a layer of protection to the village and property owner, and they require a site plan, parking plan in order to move people from the parking area to the event and inspections to ensure cooking equipment isn’t near anything combustible or too close to a nearby tent.

Several conversations were had between council members and Harris over the issue. Harris said talks have been “all over the place.” continued on the next page

33

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Event organizers disagree with move “Our concern is we’re playing this favorite that we’re giving these guys a path to have an event, whereas we told the largest event we ever had which we’re not having — the Gigantic Nautical Flea Market — that they couldn’t do it. It becomes a perception of fairness.”

Councilman Mark Gregg is a regular patron of market events in the village. He’s also allowed farmers markets on his property in north Florida for several years. Gregg says while jewelry and art work are more in line with an art show or arts and crafts festival, they go hand-in-hand with a farmers market. But such events need to go through an application process and need regulation, he said.

“We need to have a discussion on how to do that,” he said. “And we need a specific definition of what is a farmers market, and maybe add one too for what is an art show or art festival. This is a good opportunity to explore and expand things that we want to have as part of the community.

“This isn’t an opportunity to clamp down and give people a hard time,” he continued. “And we don’t want to be painted as anti-farmers market. We’ve got a real good opportunity to sit down and see where we want to go so it’s fair, safe and fun for everybody.”

Anzalone maintains that his event every Sunday is a farmers market, and referenced similar events labeled as farmers markets in Big Pine Key, Key West and Marathon that are going on.

“They are all called farmers markets with the same vendors,” he said. “They sell everything from jewelry and produce, and they all go to the other markets.”

The farmers market at MM 80.9 at 81 was held Feb. 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., but it saw fewer vendors, between fears of confrontation and being shut down. Having heard that the village might close down the event with assistance from sheriff’s deputies, Councilman Henry Rosenthal reached out to fellow council members to garner support not only to prevent that from happening, but also to discuss the matter and allow for public comment at the meeting Thursday, Feb. 25.

“I’m not taking a position on this. I promised time to air everyone’s positions publicly, which they had not had the opportunity,” Rosenthal said. “The main objective is to provide an opportunity to have the public’s voice involved before any action is taken one way or another.”

Anzalone said the market on Feb. 21 was a banner day, between all the publicity it’s been getting via Facebook and on change.org where there’s a petition calling for equal opportunities as big box stores. More than 1,200 have signed it.

“I just feel that it’s helping the community,” Anzalone said. “And it’s helping vendors like a single mom with her two little kids who make smoothies.”

Segovia said it’s safer to shop outside at a farmers market than it is to shop in grocery store. She also said there’s a difference between a flea market, which sells secondary items, and a farmers market, which sells handcrafted goods and produce.

“Eighty percent of our vendors have locally handmade goods, and that’s what the farmer’s market is all about,” she said.

Harris said village staff won’t be writing up any citations as they await direction from the village council, which is set to meet Feb. 25 at 5:30 p.m. Mayor Buddy Pinder told the Weekly that the council will ask staff to come with a definition for a farmers market.

“We gotta have some guidelines here,” Pinder said.

HOSPITAL HELPS WITH HEART HEALTH PAY ATTENTION TO WARNING SIGNS

W

e’ve changed habits and actions to protect our health during the pandemic, but one thing remains the same – we need to take quick action with a possible heart attack or stroke.

Life-threatening blockages and arrhythmias need timely detection and treatment. Waiting to get help can increase the damage to heart muscle or brain tissue.

Lower Keys Medical Center has resources ready to support diagnosis and intervention in the event of heart attack or stroke, including a cardiac catheterization lab, echocardiogram lab, new cardiac imaging with MRI and contrast, and interventional cardiology, general cardiology and tele-neurology specialists on the medical staff.

Lower Keys Medical Center is accredited by the American College of Cardiology as a chest pain center and by the Joint Commission as a primary stroke center.

“When we opened the cardiac cath lab, our goal was to provide the community with an active interventional program to provide both diagnostic evaluations for cardiac problems and interventional therapies for acute heart attacks. The COVID-19 pandemic has not changed that commitment,” said Dr. Steven Rowe, an interventional cardiologist.

“Our team stands ready to help patients and the hospital has taken important precautions to protect staff and patients. timely action and COVID-19 safety are top of mind at all times.”

Concern for safety during the pandemic has kept many people from seeking medical help and that can get in the way of timely treatment in an emergency. Lower Keys Medical Center is actively working to maintain a safe place patients can get medical help, whether

for a medical emergency or routine care. The hospital is fully open, including all outpatient diagnostic departments, and ready to care for the community.

The hospital’s precautions include enhanced practices for infection prevention, restricted access to the facility, and furniture arrangement to support social distancing and patient flow.

Care for any COVID-19 positive patients is in a separate, designated unit.

Calling 911 for an ambulance is the best action, rather than trying to drive to the hospital yourself, when you or someone you are with experiences heart attack or stroke symptoms. EMS crews are trained to care for patients experiencing heart attack and stroke, so you’ll get medical care sooner.

Signs of a possible heart attack can include chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, and/or pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, back, arm or shoulder. Women also may feel nauseous, light-headed or unusually tired.

Symptoms of a stroke can be remembered with the acronym F-A-S-T: Face drooping – Does one side of the face droop or is it numb?

Arm weakness – Is one arm weak or numb?

Speech difficulty – Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand?

Time to call 911 – If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get them to the hospital immediately.

To learn more about your personal risk factors, schedule an appointment with your primary care physician or a cardiologist.

— Contributed

34

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Open 7 Days a Week 5 pm-10 pm Tapas | Cocktails | Live Music 15% Locals Discount Dinner also available at our new waterfront eatery, Chicken Walk www.TavernNTown.com | 305.296.8100 Located at the Key West Marriott Beachside Hotel 3841 N Roosevelt Blvd | Key West

97.7 FM

thezone977.com

35

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION AND PARADISE DON’T MIX Say goodbye to erectile dysfunction with a safe and proven drug free solution. Enjoy long term results and improve your overall sexual performance. Unlike other male enhancement procedures, penile lithotripsy therapy is drug and surgery free, completely non-invasive and has no side effects.

AN EASY SOLUTION AWAITS BRUCE L. FARISS, M.D. | PHONE 305.296.0000 Diplomate-Board of Urology | Urology and Urologic Surgery Lower Keys Urology, PLLC | 3714 N. Roosevelt Bvld. | Key West www.floridakeysurology.com

Y a d n u S Bru– nch 8:00am

2:00pm

Unlimited Small Plates, Bottomless Mimosas & Bloody Marys

$55/ PERSON Check out our other dockside bars & restaurants

saltty oy sal oyster

Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.

salt sal ty oy oyster dockside bar + grill Daily: 11am-8pm Happy Hour: 4-6pm

Friday – Sunday: 12pm-10pm Happy Hour: 5-7pm

7001 SHRIMP RD. KEY WEST, FL 33040 TEL: 305.294.3939 • Mattsstockisland.com

brunch-refresh-51082.indd 1

Serving Ipswich Whole Bellied Clams & Maine Lobster

12/30/20 12:54 PM

(305) 294-0102 11:30 AM – 10 PM 629 Duval St, Key West When you’re on Long Island be sure to visit our new location in Wantagh.

Call ahead for Daily Specials 516-900-1400.

36

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

HOME Is More Important Than Ever

GAME LOVE

3

Tennis season begins in the Florida Keys

T

he Marathon High School tennis team hosted the Key West Conchs on Feb. 19.

Key West came away the victor in Marathon’s season opener. “Veterans Lillian Guo and Celine Ponzoa competed well, and first-time players Clare Merryman and Rylan Chapa far exceeded expectations,” said Marathon Coach Richard Lorenz, “and we had fun competing.”

Marathon travels to Key West for a rematch on Friday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m.

4

BARRY GAUKEL/Keys Weekly For more photos or to purchase a copy, visit shadypalmphotography.com.

1. Celine Ponzoa, left, and Jesse Brandy shake hands over the net.

2. Clare Merryman gets ready to serve in her first season of Marathon tennis.

Locally owned and operated family business for over 60 years.

Whether ready to remodel, searching for the perfect piece of furniture, or looking to design your dream home—D’Asign Source knows what it takes to design, build, finish and furnish your space. Inside and out.

3. MHS’ Lillian Guo plays on the home court.

5

4. Jesse Brandy of Key West takes on Marathon’s Celine Ponzoa on court 2.

5. Marathon’s Celine Ponzoa returns the ball.

6. Court one featured the Conchs’ number one player, Sofia Lyashenko, taking on number one Lady Fin, Lillian Guo. 7. Key West’s Mali Strunk returns a serve.

6

Architecture • Construction • Landscapes Interior Design • Furniture Local, Fully Licensed #CGC026675, #AA26001284, #B26000844, #LA6667217

1 2 7

Home Decor & More!

11500 Overseas Hwy, Marathon | MM 53 | 305-743-7130 | DAsignSource.com

37

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE Say goodbye to erectile dysfunction with a safe and proven drug free solution. Enjoy long term results and improve your overall sexual performance. Unlike other male enhancement procedures, penile lithotripsy therapy is drug and surgery free, completely non-invasive and has no side effects.

AN EASY SOLUTION AWAITS

BRUCE L. FARISS, M.D. | PHONE 305.296.0000 Diplomate-Board of Urology | Urology and Urologic Surgery Lower Keys Urology, PLLC | 3714 N. Roosevelt Bvld. | Key West www.floridakeysurology.com

OPEN TUESDAY THRU SATURDAY! 11AM-4PM

PRIVATE SHOPPING PARTIES AVAILABLE

BY RESERVATION VINTAGE | EXCELLENT CONDITION | PRE-LOVED & NEW WOMEN’S CLOTHING | ACCESSORIES 218 WHITEHEAD STREET #4 | KEY WEST | 305.847.9977 PAID PARKING GARAGE NEXT TO MARGARITAVILLE RESORT

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @KIRBYSCLOSETKW

38

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

LIC# CCC1329991

LIC# CGC032862

THANK YOU KEY WEST!

VOTED BEST CONTRACTOR 5 YEARS IN A ROW! Second Annual

MIKE GARCIA • 305-304-4188 CONCHROOFING@GMAIL.COM WWW.CONCHCONSTRUCTIONANDROOFING.COM

It’s time to get back to the basics of good recycling 1

2

Empty bottles, cans, paper and cardboard.

3 Keep food and liquid out.

Recyclables go directly into the cart.

NEED A BAGGSTER?

Purchase one from your local hardware stores, then call the 800 number to set up a pickup.

ROLLOFF CONTAINERS and PORTABLE TOILETS available.

Call us at 305.296.8297.

: g n i r u t a e F w o N

(The Local Butcher items are not applicable towards the Free Birthday Entrée Offer)

39

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021 CHARLOTTE TWINE

1

www.keysweekly.com

S

afe to say, most people hate mosquitoes. They hate them for reasons ranging from their ruining a gorgeous, cocktailed-up sunset to causing angry, itchy red spots on ankles, to carrying scary diseases such as Zika and dengue fever.

But biotech firm Oxitec says it has a solution. At some point this year, with the permission of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, the company will release their genetically modified male mosquitoes in targeted areas of the island chain.

The engineered bugs are designed to mate with the females in the local population. Their genetic modification means that female offspring die before reaching adulthood, reducing the mosquito population. (Only females bite.) Bye-bye, pesky skeeters, hello peaceful evenings and good health?

Concerned locals say it’s not so simple. A group of about 30 citizens gathered at the Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo on the morning of Feb. 21 to hold signs in protest of Oxitec’s plan.

“We want better regulation. Science is growing faster than our regulatory agencies. We’ve been battling the EPA for five years to regulate this,” said Mara Daly, who helped organize the event. She told Keys Weekly, “I am really getting tired of the Oxitec press releases stating how much the locals are in full support of this trial.”

CHARLOTTE TWINE/Keys Weekly 1. Meagun Hull, of Upper Sugarloaf Key, carries red signs. Hull says she is concerned about the lack of transparency throughout the whole process of getting the GMO mosquito pilot project approved.

2. Kim Sikora of Key Largo said, ‘The Mosquito Control has not been transparent about letting the public know which neighborhoods they will choose to release the mosquitoes in.’

3. The Wogsland family of Kammie, mom; Derek, dad; Lance, son; and Isabelle, daughter hold signs.

4. Protester Mara Daly sets up a sign by the highway in front of the Murray Nelson Center.

5. Local residents concerned with the Oxitec project hold signs. Barry Wray of the Florida Keys Environmental Coalition said, “We want this technology to be scientifically reviewed. They paid for a lobbyist to bully the EPA and lowered the scientific rigor that would normally be there.”

2

3

CITIZENS PROTEST UPCOMING RELEASE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOSQUITOES

4

5

40

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

• 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 NEGRIL CBD located at 88005 Overseas Highway 10-231, Islamorada, FL 33036, intends to register said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.

By: PAPA JOE’S OF ISLAMORADA LLC Publish: February 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

DISADVANTAGED The Monroe County Local Coordinating Board (LCB) will be holding its regularly scheduled quarterly meeting on Friday, March 5, 2021 from 10:00am – 11:30am. Members of the public are invited to attend.

Oceanfront Park, 9805 Overseas Hwy, Marathon, FL 33050.

Conference Line Dial in: 786535-4360, Access code: 110.

The primary purpose of the Coordinating Board is to provide information and advice to the Community Transportation Coordinator on the coordination of services provided to the transportation disadvantaged population of Monroe County, pursuant to Chapter 427.0157, Florida Statutes. Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), any person requiring special accommodations at this meeting due to a disability or physical impairment, and any related questions or inquiries concerning this meeting should be directed to Vanessa Naranjo at the Health Council of South Florida, Inc. at (305) 592-1452 at least 72 hours prior to the date of the meeting.

Publish: February 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

ADVISOR SERVICES KEY WEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TERMINAL EXPANSION PROGRAM MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA The selection committee will evaluate the proposals received in response to the Request for Qualifications issued for the above-named project. The evaluation and recommendation of the selection committee are to be submitted to the Board of County Commissioners.

Persons interested in this issue are invited to attend.

For more information, please contact Beth Leto, Deputy Director, Airport Finance and Admin. via email to: leto-beth@ monroecounty-fl.gov Join Zoom webinar Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://mcbocc.zoom. us/j/97769259575 Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16465189805,, 97769259575# or +16699006833,, 97769259575# 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: 977 6925 9575 International numbers available: https://mcbocc.zoom. us/u/aig0hsqNS 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., 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 of County Commissioners with respect to any matter considered at such meetings or hearings, that person will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, that person may need to ensure that a verbatim record is made of the proceedings, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.

Dated this 17th day of February, 2021.

Publish: February 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

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 by Onvia at www.demandstar.com OR www.monroecountybids. com. The Public Record is available upon request.

In response to Covid-19, the Monroe County Purchasing Department has implemented a new electronic process for reviewing 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/ proposal/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 5:00 P.M. on April 27, 2021. 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: FY 2022 Brick and Mortar Capital Projects 04/27/2021 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. Please plan accordingly to ensure that your bid is not rejected due to the file size. Should your bid documents exceed 25MB or otherwise be rejected or undeliverable to OMB-BIDS@ monroecounty-fl.gov, in advance of the bid opening, please email: omb-purchasing@ monroecounty-fl.gov so accommodations for delivery of your bid can be made prior to the bid opening. Please be advised that it is the bidder’s sole responsibility to ensure delivery of their bid and waiting until the bid opening to address or confirm your bid submission delivery will result in your bid being rejected.

The bid opening for this solicitation will be held virtually, via the internet, at 5:00 P.M., on April 27, 2021. 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# US (New York) +16699006833,, 4509326156# US (San Jose) Dial by your location: +1 646 518 9805 US (New York) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Publish: February 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

Monroe County Purchasing Department has implemented a new electronic process for reviewing 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/ proposal/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 3:00 P.M. on April 6, 2021. 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: Professional Advertising Services for Monroe County Tourist Development Council 04/06/2021 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. Please plan accordingly to ensure that your bid is not rejected due to the file size. Should your bid documents exceed 25MB or otherwise be rejected or undeliverable to OMB-BIDS@ monroecounty-fl.gov, in advance of the bid opening, please email: omb-purchasing@ monroecounty-fl.gov so accommodations for delivery of your bid can be made prior to the bid opening. Please be advised that it is the bidder’s sole responsibility to ensure delivery of their bid and waiting until the bid opening to address or confirm your bid submission delivery will result in your bid being rejected.

The bid opening for this solicitation will be held virtually, via the internet, at 3:00 P.M., on April 6, 2021. 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# US (New York) +16699006833,, 4509326156# US (San Jose) Dial by your location: +1 646 518 9805 US (New York) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Publish: February 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

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: February 18, 2021.

Personal Representative: MATTHEW JAMES BROWN 2 The Fairway Sheffield S10 4LW, United Kingdom Attorney for Personal Representative: SHELBY L. LOVELESS, FBN 125061 Weaver Loveless Law 240 E. Park Ave. Lake Wales, FL 33853 Tel.: 863.676.6000 Fax: 863.678.1515 E-Mail: sloveless@lakewaleslaw. net Secondary E-Mail: jimweaver@ lakewaleslaw.net Publish: February 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

FICTITIOUS NAME NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of Aqua Find Leak Detection located at 1109 76th Street, Marathon, FL 33050, intends to register said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.

By: Carl Fitzpatrick/Eric Dunford Publish: February 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers FICTITIOUS NAME NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of Key West Construction located at 11 Amaryllis Dr., Key West, FL 33040, intends to register said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.

By: John P. Castro, Managing Sole Member on behalf of Key West Construction, LLC, a Florida limited liability company.

Publish: February 25 & March 4, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING QUARTERLY MEETING NOTICE: LOCAL COORDINATING BOARD FOR THE TRANSPORTATION

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN that on FRIDAY, February 26, 2021, beginning at 2:00 P.M., a PUBLIC MEETING will be held at the Key West International Airport Conference Room, 3491 South Roosevelt Blvd., Key West, Florida 33040 and via Communication Media Technology (CMT) using a Zoom Webinar platform. A meeting will be held by the SELECTION COMMITTEE for PROPOSALS FOR FINANCIAL

ISLAMORADA, VILLAGE OF ISLANDS NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Monday, March 8, 2021 at 5:30 P.M., the Local Planning Agency of Islamorada, Village of Islands will hold a public hearing at Founders Park Community Center located at 87000 Overseas Highway, Islamorada, Florida and via Communications Media Technology. Pursuant to Executive Order No. 20-69 and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) social distancing guidelines established to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the March 8, 2021 Local Planning Agency Meeting will also be conducted utilizing Communication Media Technology (CMT) via a Zoom video conferencing application. For additional information regarding options for viewing the meeting and participation through public comment please contact the Village Clerk at 305-664-6412 or via email at clerk@islamorada.fl.us The purpose of the public hearing is to consider the following item: AN ORDINANCE OF ISLAMORADA, VILLAGE OF ISLANDS, FLORIDA, CONSIDERING THE REQUEST OF AEC BUILD ON BEHALF OF BOYS SCOUTS OF AMERICA TO AMEND THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAP FROM THE RESIDENTIAL SINGLE FAMILY (R1) ZONING DISTRICT TO THE RESIDENTIAL DUPLEX (R2) ZONING DISTRICT FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT APPROXIMATELY MILE MARKER 73.8 WITH REAL ESTATE NUMBER 00391020-000000, AS LEGALLY DESCRIBED HEREIN; PROVIDING FOR THE TRANSMITTAL OF THIS ORDINANCE TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE UPON THE APPROVAL OF THIS ORDINANCE BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. A copy of the item may be reviewed at the Village Administrative Center and Public Safety Headquarters, 86800 Overseas Highway, Islamorada, Florida.

Affected parties may appear at the public hearing via the Zoom video conferencing tool for the public hearing, be heard and submit evidence with respect to the application.

Pursuant to Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes, anyone wishing to appeal any decision made by the Islamorada Village Council with respect to any matter considered at such meeting or hearing will need a record of the proceedings and, for such purpose, may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceeding is made, prepared by a court reporter at the appellant’s expense; such record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.

ADA Assistance: In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, all persons who are disabled and who need special accommodations to participate in this meeting because of that disability should contact the office of the Village ADA Coordinator at (305) 664-6448 (TTY 664-8890) at least three days prior thereto.

Two or more committee members from various committees may be present at this meeting.

Ty Harris Development Services Director

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING: MONROE COUNTY CONTRACTORS EXAMINING BOARD MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA Notice is Hereby Given To Whom it may concern, that on Tuesday, March 9th, 2021 the Monroe County Contractors Examining Board (CEB) will hold a scheduled meeting at the Marathon Government Center, 2798 Overseas Highway, Second Floor, BOCC Room, Marathon, Florida commencing at 9:30 A.M. This meeting is to hear the following: any person(s) to come before the board; any reports from Monroe County Assistant Attorney; any reports from Monroe County Building Official; any reports from Staff.

Monroe County Facial Covering Ordinance 026-2020 remains in effect. Guidelines established to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Monroe County Contractors Examining Board (“CEB”) will review Certificate of Competency Trade Applications via Communication Media Technology (“CMT”) using Zoom Webinar platform, during the scheduled meeting.

Zoom Webinar information will be made available on the Monroe County Web Calendar.

PURSUANT TO FLORIDA STATUTE SECTION 286.0105, be advised that, if a person decides to appeal the decision made by the Contractors’ Examining Board with respect to any matter considered at today’s hearing, that person will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, he or she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.

ADA ASSISTANCE: If you are a person with a disability who needs special recommendations 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., no later than five (5) calendar days prior to the scheduled meeting; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call “711”.

NOTICE: It shall be the responsibility of each Respondent or other person addressing the Board to have an interpreter if the party is not able to understand or speak the English language.

Rick Griffin, Building Official/ Board Secretary Maria Partington, Senior Coordinator – CEB Board Monroe County Building Department Publish: February 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, at 9:00 A.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: FY 2022 BRICK AND MORTAR CAPITAL PROJECTS MONROE COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL Pursuant to F.S. § 50.0211(3) (a), all published competitive

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: PROFESSIONAL ADVERTISING SERVICES FOR MONROE COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL 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 by Onvia at www.demandstar.com OR www.monroecountybids. com. The Public Record is available upon request.

In response to Covid-19, the

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION File No.: 2020-CP-0308-K IN RE: ESTATE OF STEPHEN MARCUS WRIGHT a/k/a STEVE WRIGHT Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of STEPHEN MARCUS WRIGHT a/k/a STEVE WRIGHT, deceased, whose date of death was August 11, 2020, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 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.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 16TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 21-CP-000009-P IN RE: ESTATE OF ALFRED L. CHURCH Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the Estate of Alfred L. Church, deceased, whose date of death was August 28, 2020, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is Plantation Key Courthouse, 88820 Overseas Hwy, Tavernier, 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 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: February 18, 2021.

Personal Representative: Allison M. Joseph 159 Harbison Road Valencia, PA 16059 Attorney for Personal Representative: Elizabeth D. Grant, Esq. (Florida Bar No: 123818) Counsel to Allison M. Joseph STOLZENBERG GELLES FLYNN & ARANGO, LLP 1533 Sunset Drive, Suite 150 Coral Gables, Florida 33143 Tel: (305) 961-1450/ Fax: (305) 423-3979 E-mail: egrant@sgfcounsel.com

41

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES • LEGAL NOTICES Publish: February 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 21-CP-14-M DIVISION: MIDDLE KEYS IN RE: ESTATE OF DELLA MARIE UHDE Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Della Marie Uhde, deceased, whose date of death was January 16, 2021, is pending in the Circuit Court for MONROE County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 3117 Overseas Highway, Marathon, Florida 33050. 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: February 18, 2021.

Personal Representative: Roxane Uhde Hager 560 70th Street Gulf Marathon, Florida 33050 Attorney for Personal Representative: RICHARD E. WARNER Attorney Florida Bar Number: 283134 RICHARD E. WARNER, P.A. 12221 Overseas Highway MARATHON, FL 33050 Telephone: (305) 743-6022 Fax: (305) 743-6216 E-mail: richard@rewarnerlaw. com Secondary E-Mail: pamela2@ rewarnerlaw.com Publish: February 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 21-CP-12-P IN RE: ESTATE OF FRANCES G. POPE, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of FRANCES G. POPE, deceased, whose date of death was December 12, 2020, File Number 21-CP-12-P is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is Plantation Key Government Center, 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 has been 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 TIME OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

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 SO FILED 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: February 18, 2021.

Personal Representative: WILLIAM R. POPE, JR. 109 Caloosa Street Tavernier, FL 330070 Attorney for Personal Representative: JOE A. CATARINEAU Florida Bar Number: 0517291 91750 Overseas Highway Tavernier, FL 33070 Telephone: (305) 852-4833 Publish: February 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Angela Elaine Priebel, deceased, whose date of death was March 24, 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 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: February 25, 2021.

Personal Representative: Michael A. Priebel 28539 Channel View Drive Little Torch Key, Florida 33042 Attorney for Personal Representative: Imani A. Boykin, Esq. Attorney Florida Bar Number: 0017508 6160 Arlington Expressway Jacksonville, FL 32211 Office: (904) 632-4836 Facsimile: (904) 399-8348 E-Mail: Pleadings@ BoykinElderLaw.com E-Mail2: Tiffany@ BoykinElderLaw.com Publish: February 25 & March 4, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

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: February 25, 2021.

UNDER PENALTIES OF PERJURY, I declare that we have read the foregoing, and the facts alleged are true, to the best of our knowledge and belief.

Signed on this 15th day for February, 2021.

JOHNATHAN HINDE, Petitioner VANESSA HINDE, Petitioner Anwar E. Hadeed, Esq. Florida Bar Number: 1018036 The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm Samah T. Abukhodeir, Esq. Florida Bar Number: 108015 2600 S. Douglas Rd., Suite 502 Coral Gables, FL 33134 Office Line: (305) 677-5119 Facsimile: (305) 735-6468 Email: anwar@flpfl.com eservice@flpfl.com Publish: February 25 & March 4, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 44-2021-CP-00017-K IN RE: ESTATE OF PATRICIA C. MOLLOY, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of PATRICIA C. MOLLOY, deceased, whose date of death was January 2, 2021, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 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 THE DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE TO CREDITORS OR, AS TO ANY CREDITOR REQUIRED TO BE SERVED WITH A COPY OF THE NOTICE TO CREDITORS, 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE ON THE CREDITOR. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is: February 25, 2021.

Personal Representative: MAUREEN MOLLOY Attorney for Personal Representative: MAUREEN MOLLOY Fla. Bar No.: 0821063 P.O. Box 771388 Ocala, Florida 34477 E-mail: mmolloylaw@aol.com Publish: February 25 & March 4, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 44-2021-CP-000034-K IN RE: ESTATE OF ANGELA ELAINE PRIEBEL, DECEASED.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 20-CP-000208-K IN RE: ESTATE OF GILBERT TROY HINDE, Deceased.

AMENDED NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of GILBERT TROY HINDE, deceased, whose date of death was April 12, 2020, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 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 has been 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 733.703 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 16TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA Case No.: 21-DR-86-K Division: Family DELROY CAMPBELL, Petitioner, and SHARON ROBINSON Respondent.

NOTICE OF ACTION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE TO: Sharon Robinson Last Known Address: 2821 Southwest 5th, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 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 Delroy Campbell, whose address is 811 Seminole Street, Apt. 302, Key West, FL 33040, on or before March 15, 2021, 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: 2/5/2021 Kevin Madok, CPA Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida By: Amber Dameron Deputy Clerk Publish: February 11, 18, 25 and March 4, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

305.743.0844

THEME: MARCH MADNESS ACROSS 1. Theories 5. T in Greek 8. Tarzan’s mom, e.g.

11. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, e.g.

12. Ingredient in talcum powder 13. Spectator 15. 5,280 feet 16. Tiny river 17. Note taker 18. *Last NCAA basketball winner 20. Any day now 21. Antiquarian’s concern, pl.

22. Diana Ross and Michael Jackson movie, with The 23. Saw a nightmare 26. Caribbean rattles 30. Witch’s spell 31. Flocked-to destinations 34. Goo or slime 35. Plural of ostium 37. Leo mo.

38. Eurasian goat-like antelope 39. Showing signs of use 40. “Yo, ____!”

42. *Nothing but it 43. Wrap a baby 45. *____-elimination 47. Outrage 48. Fraternity K 50. One of the Bridges 52. *____ 1 schools only 55. ____less but pennywise 56. Decanter 57. In a frenzy 59. Threesome 60. Turkish monetary unit, plural 61. Dumpy establishment 62. Common conjunction 63. New York time 64. Male deer

Down 1. Singular of #1 Across 2. Rikers Island weapon 3. Burkina Faso neighbor 4. Himalayan mountaineer 5. Tarnish 6. “____ ____ fair in love and war” 7. *School with most NCAA basketball titles 8. Choir member 9. Hammer part 10. Blunder 12. Sad, to mademoiselle 13. Radio studio sign 14. *Mid-major school that’s become major powerhouse 19. Kind of ray 22. Is no longer 23. Arabian sailing vessels 24. Restart from seed 25. Uncredited actor 26. The Wise Men 27. Acting as a prompter 28. Snow impression 29. Eric Heiden’s “shoe” 32. *Oklahoma State’s super freshman ____ Cunningham 33. Mixed breed puppy 36. *2021 NCAA Tournament location 38. What Edward Scissorhands does 40. Stout relative 41. Dream big 44. Ancient Celtic priest 46. Water nymphs 48. Fuzzy fruit, pl.

49. Deflect 50. Sanders’ campaign slogan “Feel the ____” 51. “National Velvet” author Bagnold 52. Expunge 53. Fail to mention 54. Scotia preceder 55. School-related org.

58. Liquor store pony

42

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

AUTOS WANTED

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

LOST & FOUND

ALL YEARS! Junk or Used.

Cars - Vans - TrucksRunning or Not. $CASH$ 305-332-0483

The Marathon Yacht Club is looking to hire a Bartender/Server. Hourly pay and guaranteed 20% gratuity. Private club – friendly atmosphere.

Tuesday-Saturday 4p-10p.

Call 305-743-6739 to schedule an interview.

Keys Fisheries looking to hire Process Foods Manager, pie makers (night shift), process food workers (night shift), fork lift drivers, day & night shift supervisors and fuel dock attendant 7am-12p (perfect for retiree) to expand production of products we are now selling to supermarkets. Full time positions will be eligible for a benefits package.

Fish House hiring Accounts Receivable.

Restaurant hiring for all positions.

Apply within at 3390 Gulfview Avenue, Marathon

Place your Employment ad here. Only $25.00/week for up to five lines of copy.

Call 305-743-0844 today and get the job filled!

LOST: Werner Kayak Paddle off Morton Street, Grassy Key. Sentimental value. $$ Reward $$- Call 5 1 8 - 2 5 7 - 0 3 0 1

Bridge Operator position available in the Snake Creek Drawbridge, located in Islamorada.

Paid training will be provided.

Payrate: $10.50/hr. Email resume to jschultz@ fdi.team or call Jeff Schultz at 708-214-0311.

HIRED TWO NEW EMPLOYEES thanks to advertising in the Keys Weekly Newspapers!!

MISC. FOR SALE

City of Marathon - Job O p e n i n g : Street Maintenance.

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

Digital Marketing Consultant needed. Great growth opportunities.

Will train right person.

Key West Office, more at TwoOceansDigital.com/ jobs HIRED IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK!!

AUTOS FOR SALE 2010 Dodge Calibur w/2.0 engine. 83,087 miles. Cold A/C, Very clean car. Located in Marathon. $4,500 OBO 305-289-9884 2007 LXR Cadillac, 14,000 miles, Silver, Located in Key West, $34,000.

Call 419-467-0788 Place your Car For Sale ad here. Only $25.00/ week for up to five lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today and Sell Your Car! 1988 Buick Park Avenue $2,000 Gray 271k miles.

Great 2nd family car.

New battery, vinyl top.

Marathon 305-923-0266 SOLD IN LESS THAN 2 WEEKS!!!

2001 XK8 Jaguar Red Convertible. 74k miles.

Excellent condition.

Located in Upper Keys. $6,000 Call 305-766-6804 SOLD IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!!

BOATS FOR SALE 1973 36' Dufour Fiberglass Hull Sailboat.

Located at 15th Street Marina in Marathon Contact Marina Manager, Ronnie at 305-3930383. Asking $4,000.00.

1999 World Cat 27' with twin 175 Suzuki motors.

Runs good.

Dual stations. Located on Duck Key. $40,000 OBO 305-481-1316 Place your Boat For Sale ad here. Only $25.00/ week for up to five lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today and Sell Your Boat!

EMPLOYMENT Carpenter and Laborer needed in Upper Keys.

Must have valid driver's license and transportation. Call 3058 5 2 - 3 0 0 2 Habitat for Humanity of the Upper Keys ReStore is hiring a part time furniture mover. Must be able to lift 75+ lbs and pass a background check. Pay is $15-$17/ hour DOE. Call 305453-0050 x 1 for more information or to apply.

The Marathon Yacht Club is looking to hire a Line Cook to assist our Chef. Please call us at 305-743-6739 to schedule an interview.

DK’s Beach Boutique is looking for a part time team member for Fri. & Sat. 303 Sadowski Causeway, Key Colony Beach 3 0 5 - 9 2 2 - 2 4 9 3 The Art Studio/ Coffee Loft hiring full time barista/art studio staff. 40hrs a week.

Apply in person 12535 Overseas Hwy, Marathon or (305)289-9013 Seeking well organized individual to fill permanent, F/T accounting position in Marathon. Requires accounting background and working knowledge of Excel & QuickBooks.

QB Enterprise is an integral component of the company; Excellent computer skills necessary.

Please email resume to: finance@cbschmitt.com Help Wanted: Cooks & Service. Immediate hire.

Experience preferred but willing to train.

Afternoon and evening shifts. Apply in person at Barnacle Barney's 1688 O/S Hwy. Marathon 3 0 5 - 2 8 9 - 6 7 0 9 Seeking Security Guard in Marathon -40 hrs a wk - overnight position. $15/hr to start.

Must have security license.

Call Ralons Security 786-615-5522 Fl Keys Diesel - Marathon now hiring: Diesel Technician - Competitive compensation package.

Exp in the marine field preferred but not necessary. Exp w/ Caterpillar and Cummins Marine Engines a plus.

Diesel Mechanic Assistant position available.

Motivated candidate willing to learn a new trade or expand current skills.

Company willing to train.

Qualified applicants please call 305-2892070 or email resume to neil@allkeysdiesel.com . Drug Free and valid Drivers License a must.

Serve/Bartend on the ocean FT/PT Ocean front private swim club is seeking customer service oriented Server/ Bartender. 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 at Cabana Club, 425 E. Ocean Dr. Key Colony Beach or call April (305) 393-0631.

Boat rental company in Marathon needs mechanic with knowledge of outboard motors Call 305-481-7006 Come Join Our Family and Have Fun At Work!

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

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

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

Call 305-743-4578 HOUSING FOR RENT 2BR/2BA Large Apt. 10826 5th Avenue Gulf, Marathon. $1,850/month plus utilities.

F/L/S. Taking applications.

Call (305) 394-4545 2BR/2BA unfurnished house in Marathon. Walk to grocery, post office, shopping. Large fenced yard, pets negotiable. $2,400/month + utilities.

F/L/$2000 Security.

Call 305-481-6735 Place your Home For Rent ad here. Only $25.00/week for up to five lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today and rent your house!

EW-29 Electric Trike New Located in Key West. $1,400 Call 305-731-9999 OFFICE SPACE 1,082 SF office space.

Renovated Corner Unit in Islamorada. $ 3 , 0 0 0 / m o n t h Call 305.712.8888 Beautiful Office Space available for rent now on US1 in Tavernier @ MM92. Call 305-394-0530 YARD SALES Estate Sale Fri/Sat/Sun Feb. 26-28 from 8a-1p Furniture & household items. Everything must go!

444 91st Street, Marathon Community Yard Sale Sat. Feb. 27 from 8am-12pm. Over 35 households participating.

1361 Overseas Highway in Gallway Bay, Marathon Estate Sale Sat. Feb. 27th from 9am-2pm. Living room furnishings, glass top tables, cabinet, beds, office furniture, lamps, oriental rug & artwork.

Everything must go. 224 South Ocean Shores Drive, Key Largo, MM99 Place your Yard Sale ad here. Only $25.00/week for up to five lines of copy.

Call 305-743-0844 today and get your stuff sold!

Absolute Auction Contents of 2 Local Catering Companies Tuesday March 2nd @ 11AM 2171 N Dixie Hwy., Pompano Beach, FL 33060 Large Quantity of China, Large Quantity of Misc. Displays, 35 Chaffers, Blenders, Glassware, Assorted S/S Tables, Large Quantity of Paper Goods, Metro Racks, 4 Sandwich Prep Tables, Bev-Air 2DR S/S Cooler, Warming Cabinets, Elec. Convection Ovens, Lavazza Cappuccino Machine, Bakers Pride C/T Elec. Pizza Oven, S/S Dish Warmer, 60” U/C Cooler, 60” U/C Freezer, True 2DR Glass Cooler, True 2DR Glass Freezer, 48” Char-Broiler, 36” Griddle, 2 Portable Char-Broilers, Hot/Cold Cambro Boxes, Pots, Pans, Inserts, Small Wares & MORE..

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

NOW HIRING Key West Marriott Beachside

Association Manager (CAM License Preferred) Banquet Manager Security Guard Sous Chef at Tavern N Town Line Cook at Tavern N Town Shuttle Driver Night Auditor Bellperson

Stock Island Yacht Club & Marina

Pool Bar Server Pool Bar Runner Executive Chef at LL’s Test Kitchen

Spottswood Companies Housekeeping Manager Room Inspector Room Attendant Houseperson Laundry Attendant

Excellent Benefits Package EOE M/F/D/V Apply online: www.spottswood.com/careers

SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS NEEDED! Monroe County School District

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

SUDOKU

SOLUTION

43

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

An island night out on the town. ERIC CORNEAU/Contributed

Island Love. MARITZA THIBOS/Maritza Thibos Photography

View for two. JO-ANNA MARY/Contributed 41 years <3. SANDY SCHNEIDER/ Contributed

Love and a sunset in Islamorada.

PAMELA SHARP/Contributed

Liam Lucas and his buddy, Lucy, pose for a Valentine picture in front of a beautifully decorated home on William Street. GINA MILLER/Contributed

Just sittin on the deck and this happens. TOM OLKEWICZ/Contributed

Love living in paradise. SULLY PORTILLO/Contributed

My wife Deborah and I were married on Valentine’s Day 45 years ago and came to the Keys for our honeymoon. Now, we make annual pilgrimages as “snowbirds.” BERNARD FAGEN/Contributed

TIFFANY DUONG

tiffany@keysweekly.com

O

ur theme for FEBRUARY is LOVE ON THE ROCK. In MARCH, we’re showcasing how we’re ADDICTED TO INK! Lots of us (all of us?) on the rock have some beautiful tattoos to show off, so send us pictures of your favorites!

And, if you’ve got a great story behind what it is, share it with us!

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 any and all purposes, including but not limited to advertising, charity work, sales, 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.

44

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

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

SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNER FULL-TIME ANIMAL CARE ASSOCIATE The FKSPCA Marathon Campus is hiring a F/T Animal Care Associate. Join our awesome team and work directly with animals! Qualifications include HS Diploma, a valid driver’s license, a safe driving record and must be 21 years or older. The right candidate is passionate about animal welfare, compassionate and professional. Ability to pass a criminal background check is required. Generous benefit package including employer paid medical insurance. Salary DOE. Email cover letter & resume to: Tara@fkspca.org

NOW HIRING

FULL TIME CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

The Monroe County Planning & Environmental Resources Department is seeking a qualified, detail oriented person with a strong background in regulatory permit review in both biological/environmental AND planning disciplines. Technical skill in plan review for compliance with land development regulations is essential. Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in related field & 4 years prior experience in permit and plan review -OR- Master’s degree in related field & 3 years experience in permit and plan review. Comprehensive knowledge of the flora and fauna native to the Florida Keys preferred. Salary $61,277.81/40 hpw (based on experience).

Hosts Waitstaff Bartenders Bar Backs Bussers Line Cooks Dishwashers

To apply, please contact Human Resources at careers@monroecounty-fl.gov. APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE AT WWW.MONROECOUNTY-FL.GOV. 305-292-4557. Veteran’s Preference Available; E.O.E.

Apply in person at Sunset Grille & Raw Bar, 7 Knight’s Key Blvd, Marathon

TEMPORARY MARINE PUMPOUT WORKER KEY WEST  TPGM100

Superintendents, carpenters, painters and laborers

Monroe County BOCC is seeking an applicant with a dynamic personality and who is quick to adapt,

TOP DOLLAR FOR THE RIGHT INDIVIDUALS START TOMORROW

function is to assist marine captains with pump-out services for anchored vessels. Qualifications:

Apply in person, Dooley Construction MM 88.5 Oceanside

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

CROSSWORD

NOW HIRING:

a competent multi-tasker, and can communicate effectively for a new temporary position. Primary Florida driver’s license, fluent in English (Spanish fluency helpful), and 1 to 2 years boating experience. Salary: $17.50 per hour. To apply, please contact Monroe County HR at: Careers@monroecounty-fl.gov. APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE AT: WWW.MONROECOUNTY-FL.GOV. 305-292-4557. Veteran’s Preference Available; E.O.E

Home Care Agency Founded in 2007

NOW HIRING! Experienced personnel from Key Largo to Key West!

RN/LPN P/T , O/T & Speech Therapists Social Workers Private Duty Aides

Please email your resume to: Vanessa@amerihealthhomecare.com

We look forward to hearing from you!

AHCA License #299992897

RETAIL MANAGER

Position immediately available for an energetic store manager.

Retail experience required, supermarket experience a plus. Duties include managing inventory, hiring, training and scheduling of store associates, facility maintenance and other duties as assigned. Reports to the General Manager. Salary based on experience. Competitive salary and benefits. Applicants must complete company application form found on-line at www.faustos.com.

Applicants may also apply in person at Fausto’s Food Palace.

1105 White Street, Key West.

PART-TIME PREVENTION PROGRAM MANAGER POSITION FOR BUSY NON-PROFIT 20 hours per week. Must have excellent communication, organizational, and computer skills. Must be compassionate and professional. Bachelor’s degree and field experience a plus. Spanish speaker.

Drug free workplace, EOE. Please send resume and cover letter to sholt@fkoc.org. No phone calls.

SOLUTION DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER 58901 O/S Hwy - Grassy Key, FL Teaching... Learning... Caring Do you love dolphins, being outdoors and taking photographs?

We have the job for you! Dolphin Research Center has full-time openings for Visual Communications Staff Members (Permanent & Seasonal opportunities available). Applicants should be familiar with digital photography/videography. Benefits include medical, life, disability insurance, 401(k), paid vacation, sick & holidays.

Job description available at www.dolphins.org. E-mail cover letter, DRC application and your resume to drc-hr@dolphins.org. EOE

NOW HIRING:

F & B Manager Licensed Massage Therapist Spa Nail Technician Line Cook Kitchen Steward/Dishwasher Fine Dining Busser/Food Runner Sunset Pier Resort Services Pool Attendant Housekeeper Apply online at: www.noblehousehotels.com/careers Apply in person at: Zero Duval St.

Great pay, amazing benefits, & an awesome team!

EOE

45

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

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

“Uplifting the human spirit since 1973”

THE GUIDANCE/CARE CENTER, Inc.

NOW HIRING RESTAURANT HOST SERVERS BARTENDERS FOOD RUNNER PUBLIC AREA ATTENDANT LAUNDRY ATTENDANT ROOM ATTENDANTS BELLMEN LINE COOK SOUS CHEF BAKER APPLY AT: bungalowskeylargo.com/careers

Bungalows Key Largo is an EOE

NOW HIRING Key West Marriott Beachside

Association Manager (CAM License Preferred) Banquet Manager Security Guard Sous Chef at Tavern N Town Line Cook at Tavern N Town Shuttle Driver Night Auditor Bellperson

Stock Island Yacht Club & Marina

Pool Bar Server Pool Bar Runner Executive Chef at LL’s Test Kitchen

Spottswood Companies Housekeeping Manager Room Inspector Room Attendant Houseperson Laundry Attendant

Excellent Benefits Package EOE M/F/D/V Apply online: www.spottswood.com/careers

IS HIRING! KEY LARGO Client Advocate KEY WEST

Prevention Specialist Substance Abuse Counselor Behavioral Health Counselor (Children) Engagement Specialist (Suicide Prevention) Behavioral Health Therapist (Adult) FL LCSW,LMHC, LMFT Crisis Counselor

MARATHON

Behavioral Health Therapist (Children) RNs and LPNs (3 shifts) (PT/FT & per diem) Drop In Technician (PT) *Assisted Living Direct Care Worker (PT/FT) *Behavioral Health Technicians (3 shifts) (PT/FT & per diem) *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

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.

NOW HIRING: EXPERIENCED MAINTENANCE MAN (MARATHON) Hours: Monday-Friday 7am-4pm & On-Call Availability Requirements:

• Proven work experience in a condominium complex or hotel position or equivalent • Proven knowledge of condominium (or similar) infrastructures and interactions with security and fire systems • Self-motivated • Organizational skills to prioritize • Carry out and participate actively in team decisions • Basic working knowledge of hand and small electric and gasoline tools • Friendly demeanor, strong social interacting and communication skills • Ability to Multi task and switch priorities easily • Ability to maintain schedule for routine tasks • Good physical health required • Excellent knowledge of safety procedures/protocols for work • Knowledge of Covid precautions and prevention • Integrity and professionalism • Must speak, read, write and understand English • High school degree or equivalent • Pool maintenance and certification preferred (CAN TRAIN) • Hi lift certification preferred • Ability to lift up to 50 pounds • Valid Florida driver license, good driving record and current auto insurance • Willing to be on-call for emergencies after hours

Responsibilities:

• Weekly Operations/Maintenance Meetings with progress reports • Log and communicate the need for property repairs with office / Log completed tasks • Carry out daily property observation rounds for maintenance needs • Perform a wide range of tasks including landscaping, sanding/painting, caulking, light bulb replacement, etc.

• Perform and follow-up on preventive maintenance • Perform general cleaning including sweeping, pressure washing, trash removal, etc.

• Door, gate and mechanical lubricating • Irrigation/sprinkler head repairs • Interact and communicate with property vendors

Interested applicants please call 305-393-5798

46

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

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

GENERAL CONTRACTORS & ENGINEERS

SPALLING

ALL KEYS GLASS

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Windows • Doors

305-743-7800

Authorized Dealer

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

EXPERTS

2728 North Roosevelt Blvd.

Overseas Market Key West

NOW HIRING!

Sewer Connections 305

872-1876

• New Construction • Remodeling • Irrigation

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

305-998-8953

305

296-BLUE

• Heavy Equipment • Solar Lic## RF11067168

PC 606

Proud member of:

INTERNATIONAL

CONCRETE REPAIR INSTITUTE

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

Appliance and Air Conditioning

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

Insured • Professional • Reliable

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

Tewes Mortgage

Your local, residential lending expert!

Call 305.495.6000

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!

for a FREE Consultation

Brian Tewes

• SINCE 1989 •

Customer service is my strength Brian@tewesmortgage.com

305-289-1150

NMLS# 375025 Tewes Mortgage NMLS# 1453791 NMLSConsumerAccess.org

www.TewesMortgage.com

Florida Solar Contractor CVC 56734

Serving Key Largo to Key West

Serving Monroe, Dade & Broward Including Airports & Ports.

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

Only $50 Puts Your Business Card Here

305-743-7454

fkes2011@gmail.com floridakeysexpressshuttle.com

When It Rains It Pours!

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

Key West 305-292-2666

MARATHON

305-743-0506

KEY LARGO

305-852-5356

rainsavergutters@gmail.com

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

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

Will Campbell President

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

47

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

A KEY WEST FAMILY TRADITION IN FINE FOODS SINCE 1926

DELIVERY & GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE

FRESH NEW MENU

522 FLEMING STREET 1105 WHITE STREET WWW.FAUSTOS.COM

NEW PATIO DINING

&

1405 Duval Street, Key West // 305.295.6550

Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

southernmostbeachresort.com #somolife

Million$ & Million$ in Inventory!

Coastal

CHIC

IN STOCK & READY FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY! Lexington’s Collection

Call 305-481-1790 to schedule a complimentary in-home consultation, or stop by any of our three stores:

www.RoyalFurnitureAndDesign.com

KEY LARGO

MARATHON

KEY WEST

305-451-5700

305-743-4397

305-295-6400

MM 99 Median

MM 50 Oceanside

Searstown by Publix

48

KEY WEST WEEKLY / FEBRUARY 25, 2021

FAMILY, FOOD & FUN

Join us daily 4-6pm for $3 small plates, domestic drafts, wine & liquor!

And don’t miss our Live Music! Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 5-8pm