Upper Keys Weekly 21-0325

1¢

Spring season is bringing all sorts of shots.

MOVING ON THE FILLS A park or an access point? | P. 10

FISHING GUIDE GREATS Film highlights history of bay | P. 16

SWEET SWING Boy enjoying park thanks to community | P. 14

INSPIRED DESIGN. UNPARALLELED SERVICE. FINEST MATERIALS.

88511 Overseas Hwy | Tavernier 305.852.4302 | kbspecialists.com CABINETRY | COUNTERTOPS | TILE | HARDWARE | PLUMBING FIXTURES & ACCESSORIES | DECORATIVE LIGHTS & MIRRORS

LOCATED AT MM 88.5 ON PLANTATION KEY

2

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

Please join us!

The 12th Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) – Oxitec Public Educational Webinar:

Community Partnerships: The Role Communities Play in Our Project

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31STat 5:00 P.M. Will take place

Environmentally Friendly Non-Biting Safe

Register here:

The webinar is one hour total, with a presentation the first half hour followed

by Q&A for the second half.

keysmosquitoproject.com/events

More than a restaurant...

Full Menu Take Out Available

Great Food • Cool Cocktails • Spectacular Sunsets • Nightly Music • Cruisin’ Tikis

305-453-5004 • www.snooks.com • Key Largo MM 99.8 Southbound Lane at Traffic Light • Behind the Sandal Factory Outlet

3

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

MESSAGE FROM THE SHERIFF Spring snuck up on us this year as the battle against COVID-19 has finally resulted in some positive news.

Many students are headed back to school Monday. And communities are making plans for lowering pandemic restrictions as the vaccine distribution continues to grow.

We had a great turnout for the Kids Wooden Bridge Fishing Tournament on Big Pine Key. Our friends over at Lower Keys Rotary, Winn-Dixie, Centennial Bank and First State Bank as well as the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office were so happy to see such a crowd.

Some safety reminders we inch back to normality: Kelly Balestra, PA-C

George vonHilsheimer, MD

Dee Dee Vazquez, PA-C

CLINICAL DERMATOLOGY

COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY

Skin Cancer Checks • Acne • MOHS Surgery • Sun Damage • Rosacea • Eczema

•

•

Chemical Peels • Laser Hair Removal • Sciton Laser • Fillers • Botox MENTION THIS AD

FOR

• Motorists need to be extra alert our school zones this Monday! Be mindful of children in the road near school zones.

• Deputies will be out looking for motorists failing to stop for school buses. Our law enforcement partners will also be looking for the same dangerous behavior.

• Be aware that the Center for Disease Control is still recommending that people wear masks and social distance. We’re still not fully out of the woods with this pandemic yet.

Stay safe!

Sheriff Rick Ramsay

FFIC $5UR0NEXO T COSMET ON YO APPOINTMENT

SCHEDULE YOUR ANNUAL SKIN EXAM WITH US TODAY! “The entire team at Keys Dermatology are professional, knowledgeable, and caring! Their expertise in skin care gives me great confidence in the treatment received. We recommend them to all our family and friends.” — Ron

Monroe County Sheriff, Rick Ramsay Download the MCSO App Today!

4

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

ON THE COVER

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

10,700,000 91760 Overseas Hwy. Tavernier, FL 33070 Office: 305.363.2957 www.keysweekly.com

A global supply estimator, Marex Spectron, says there will be a global deficit of 10.7 million bags of coffee in 2021-22.

The coffee shortage is due to shipping woes tied to the pandemic and damaged crops in Brazil. Expect prices of coffee to go up.

A boat rides on the flat waters along the Fills in Islamorada on March 22.

DAVID GROSS/Keys Weekly

Publisher

Jason Koler jason@keysweekly.com

Publishing Partner

Britt Myers britt@keysweekly.com

Editor

Jim McCarthy jim@keysweekly.com

Account Executives

Now Hiring jobs@keysweekly.com

Staff Writers

Sara Matthis sara@keysweekly.com Mandy Miles mandy@keysweekly.com Charlotte Twine charlotte@keysweekly.com

Copy Editor

Mike Howie mike@keysweekly.com

Office/Circulation Manager Charlotte Hruska char@keysweekly.com

Production Manager

Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com

Design / Pre-Press

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

Design / Web Master

Travis Cready travis@keysweekly.com

Classifieds

Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com 305.743.0844

Se habla español

THE UPPER KEYS 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.

GENETIC MOSQUITO TRIAL NEARS; VILLAGE HEARS FROM EXPERTS JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

C

onversations continue over Oxitec’s genetically modified mosquitoes amid the upcoming deployment of 130 boxes containing eggs in 15 areas in the Keys.

Exact locations weren’t made public, but the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District in February confirmed that it would be initiating trials in April with projects focused in a select number of neighborhoods between MM 10 and 93. Last May, the technology was approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for an experimental use permit in Monroe County.

On March 18, Islamorada Village Council heard from several independent scientists who discussed information and issues behind the genetically modified mosquitoes for population and disease suppression. The scientists collectively said they’re neither for nor against the release. A representative from the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District and one from Oxitec responded following the presentation.

Fred Gould, professor of North Carolina State’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, briefly explained the strain of mosquitoes (OX5034) set for release. He said he was involved with another strain of genetically modified mosquitoes in development in 2010 when a field case study was conducted in Mexico.

“In the laboratory, it turned out the male mosquitoes flew fine and mated well. But in the real environment, they weren’t as strong as the wild type mosquitoes and they basically had 3% of the matings. Instead of having half the matings, they had very few,” he said.

Gould went on to say that this is also shown in work by Oxitec in Brazil, where it turns out that the genetic mosquitoes “are not very fit.”

“It would take 30 of them, at least, to be equal to an individual wild type in terms of how many matings you have,” he said. “When you’re thinking about that, you have to recognize you have to

release a lot of mosquitoes in order to have any activity. I just want to bring that home to you that it goes up and down as to what that percent fitness is, and we don’t know what that’ll look like in Florida.

“Will it work? I want to say it might work just fine,” he continued. “There’s a chance that they’ll be doing these releases and it won’t be a simple thing.”

Jennifer Kuzma, professor of public and international affairs at NC State, outlined a lack of higher level oversight involving not only federal agencies, but also interested parties and external expert advisory panels. Specifically, Kuzma said the Environmental Protection Agency experimental use permit was closed for external input and public review. She also said there weren’t any published peer review studies prior to the decision, and no external, independent scientific panel was convened.

“I don’t know how much more oversight you can use, unless somebody is standing by each box with a flashlight overnight, which we might have to do to protect them from vandals.”

— Dr. Stan Zuba, member of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District board since 2016

“EPA also published the risk assessment document only after the public comment period was over and after the permit was granted,” she said.

“It’s quite unusual for a risk assessment on this biotechnology product not to be available prior to the public comment period. For example, when the FDA reviewed the prior Oxitec technology, the assessment was available prior to a public comment period and publication in the Federal Register.”

5

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

Natalie Kofler, molecular biologist at Harvard University and founder of Editing Nature, said she can see the technology’s public health benefit and reducing use of pesticides. However, she said there’s a big risk involved, and there’s a “real onus on all of us to try and make sure these decisions are made as responsively as possible.”

Koefler stressed the need for data transparency through establishment of a dashboard for public access, assessment by independent experts and citizenscience.

“It means community-based participation in scientific projects,” she said.

“There’s a potential to be able, for community members, to help collect mosquitoes and help submit those mosquitoes to those who are doing the monitoring.

There’s also the possibility for citizens themselves to differentiate from male and female mosquitoes.”

Dr. Stan Zuba, a member of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District board since 2016 and a local pediatrician, said the presentations were very thorough, but have been done over and over again. Zuba said the information presented has been answered, and the best comment that came out of it was from Kuzma, who said “even scientists have their own biases.”

“If there were any scientists who had biases, it was the scientists who spoke tonight,” he said. “They have clearly shown their biases throughout the years against Oxitec and against this experiment.”

During remarks, Zuba said the aedes aegypti has no business in the Keys, and it’s the carrier for dengue and zika, as well as dog and cat heartworm disease. The aedes aegypti was responsible for last year’s dengue outbreak that saw more than 50 cases in the Upper Keys and a 2010 outbreak in Key West.

In addition, Zuba said, the aedes aegypti is 100% resistant to the common pesticide permethrin, and up to 50% resistant to naled, which FKMCD use as an adulticide when mosquito numbers rise.

“This trial we are pursuing jointly with Oxitec is so important to residents of Monroe County. If proven successful in suppression, we will have another weapon to rid us of this horrific, invasive insect that shouldn’t be here in the first place,” he said. “This technology, which is already being studied in other countries and around the world, and despite what you heard, is being found to be very successful with no unintended consequences to public health or environmental issues.”

Responding to the independent scientists’ presentation, Zuba said Islamorada approved the mosquito release “over-

“Will it work? I want to say it might work just fine,” he continued. “There’s a chance that they’ll be doing these releases and it won’t be a simple thing.”

— Fred Gould, professor of North Carolina State’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

whelmingly” in a 2016 referendum. He said Oxitec’s technology was independently tested and evaluated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and eight Florida departments, including the departments of health, fish and wildlife and agriculture and consumer services.

Concerning oversight, Zuba said the project is closely watched by the local mosquito control board, U.S. EPA and Florida regulatory agencies.

Results of the release will be evaluated by the CDC, he said.

“I don’t know how much more oversight you can use, unless somebody is standing by each box with a flashlight overnight, which we might have to do to protect them from vandals,” he said.

As for no peer review, Zuba said more than 100 scientific studies have been published relating to Oxitec’s technology, all of which went through an exhaustive review process.

And as for the public being told “nothing," Zuba said the mosquito control has carried out extensive public engagement. He also said requests for trial boxes with Oxitec mosquito eggs are “going through the roof.”

“In fact, we’ve had 11 public educational webinars over the last six months or so, which have featured presentations by representatives explaining everything the presenters had concerns about,” he said. “When people say the public is uninformed, that’s an untruth.”

Nathan Rose, Oxitec’s head of scientific and regulatory affairs, said the EPA was thorough in assessing safety to humans and animals in the Keys.

Rose also said Oxitec addressed a letter U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez recently sent to the EPA containing questions regarding genetically modified mosquitoes released under the experimental use permit; adverse effects on the Keys ecosystem and specifically to threatened or endangered species; and the effect on the local food chain.

Rose concluded by stating that Oxitec has released over a billion mosquitoes worldwide with no adverse effects and effective control of the aedes aegypti. The EPA has put restrictions on where GMOs can be released within the vicinity of tetracycline, which can be found at citrus orchards or sewage treatment plants.

“This is not premature science that is either unknown or controversial.

Its success has been demonstrated in Brazil, particularly, with this new strain that will be used in Florida. All that’s planned in the Florida Keys is really just a demonstration in the U.S. of technology that has been demonstrated to work elsewhere.”

Councilman David Webb said all technologies need to be driven toward multispecies control. Even if Oxitec proves to be incredibly successful in removing aedes aegypti, it still leaves unknowns as to what happens next.

“Everything is in balance out there, and if you eliminate one, then somebody else might come in. It might be better. It might be worse,” he said.

“One of the criticisms in this particular experimental use permit it, they don’t have any way to measure that and they don’t have any idea what would happen if that happened.”

Webb said most concerns from citizens he’s heard from surround the lack of independent oversight over things Oxitec has done.

“They are very protective of their proprietary information, which is understandable,” he said. “But they’re not very open about changing any of that. From my standpoint, Oxitec’s approach is making it extra difficult for me to support, even though I know we need different technologies to control mosquitoes.

“I see our role though as you still follow up because there are still lingering questions,” he continued. “I think there’s additional levels of safety that can be added to this to make it even more reliable and credible as we go forward.”

6

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

OFFICIALS SEEK HELP IN GRUESOME STABBING OF PELICAN 2 DEPUTIES RESCUE FAMILY THROWN FROM BOAT NEAR DUCK KEY

Runaway boat with little girl crashes into mangrove island; no injuries reported SARA MATTHIS

sara@keysweekly.com

A

private boat hit a rogue wave. The violence of the impact launched the captain, two other adults and a young boy, 8 or 9 years old, into the water. Even the rub rails that the passengers were holding on to were ripped off. But one little girl, 7 years old, remained aboard the captainless, runaway boat. Fortunately, one of the adults in the water used a waterproof phone to call 911.

When the call came over the radio on March 16, Lt. Chuck Kellenberger was crossing Long Key Bridge, just north of Marathon, and Middle Keys Marine Deputy Willie Guerra was bayside in his boat off Marathon writing a citation.

Guerra told the guys he had caught with “shrimp-sized” lobster that it was their lucky day. He threw the undersized lobster back in the water and put his boat in gear — speeding northeast toward Duck Key. Kellenberger pulled over at Bay View Inn on Conch Key where he knew they had Jet Ski rentals, explained the emergency and asked to borrow the personal watercraft.

“I was in full uniform, dress pants, shiny shoes and all. I put on my life jacket and got on the ski,” he told the Keys Weekly.

“Within about two minutes I could see the boat crashed into the mangrove island, the engine shooting water straight up in the air,” Kellenberger said. “At first I didn’t see anybody or hear anything. Then I heard a faint ‘help’ and saw a little girl standing in the water about 100 feet away waving a pink T-shirt in the air.”

The island was most likely Channel Key on the bayside, opposite Duck Key.

Kellenberger got her on the Jet Ski and headed toward Guerra’s boat.

As Guerra approached from the southwest side of the island, he spotted a man in the water and brought him aboard. Within minutes, the man and his daughter were reunited.

Guerra said, “He told me, ‘This is the happiest I’ve ever been to see a cop!’”

The rest of the party — a man, woman and a young boy — were found on a nearby sandbar with the help of two more Monroe County Sheriff’s Office personnel: Capt. Derek Paul and Deputy Thomas McDonald. Those two were on the bridge with an eagle’s view of the scene, helping to direct Kellenberger and Guerra.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Coast Guard also arrived at the scene and the victims were transported back to Bayview Inn where they were met by a rescue crew.

“We were a little worried about the boy; he seemed lethargic. But when we got him to shore he started to come around. I think he was just in shock from the incident,” Kellenberger said.

Kellenberger and Guerra are quick to dismiss the hero label and both say it was a team effort not only by the sheriff’s office, but also FWC and Coast Guard.

Kellenberger said it was a very lucky day for the family.

“It’s always bad when there is an accident on the water, but especially when people are thrown into the water without life jackets. And then to have a runaway boat with a little girl onboard — anything could have happened. The boat could have missed the island and kept going. Bad things could have happened that fortunately did not,” said Kellenberger. “And that little girl was a champ. She flagged me down, told me what happened and was very calm.”

POSSIBLE CASH REWARD FOR THOSE WITH INFORMATION JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

A

uthorities are seeking help in a disturbing animal cruelty case that left a pelican succumbing to its injuries from multiple stab wounds reportedly inflicted by two men.

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commissioner officers received a call on March 8 of a severely wounded pelican on Tea Table Relief Bridge in Islamorada.

According to officers, two men reportedly stabbed the pelican multiple times, cutting the pouch and putting it over its head like a hood.

The pelican was taken to the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center in Tavernier where it was humanely euthanized. Jordan Budnik, executive director of the wild bird center, told the Weekly that the injuries were too severe to save the pelican.

“There were multiple stab wounds to the pouch, face, beak and skull. Several stabs were forceful enough to puncture the skull and one through the roof of the mouth and nasal cavity. This was deeply malicious behavior,” Budnik said. “We get animal cruelty cases every now and then, but this is one of the worst ones we’ve ever seen.”

Photos of the pelican’s injuries

Photos released by FWC of the two suspected of stabbing a pelican.

CONTRIBUTED

were released by the Wild Bird Center in hopes that someone comes forward to identify the two males believed to have stabbed the pelican. FWC says nearby camera footage shows the two men they’re looking to find.

“We’re looking to find these two individuals to file felony charges for cruelty to the animal,” said Bobby Dube, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation officer and public information officer.

Dube said there’s a possible cash reward for tips that lead to the arrest of the two men. Those with information on the case can call 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Left: A photo released by the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center of the pelican, which had its pouch pulled over its head like a hood. Right: Stab wounds to the pelican’s pouch. CONTRIBUTED

7

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

YES TO SOLAR We’ve Got the Power

`

CHARLOTTE TWINE NAMED SENIOR STAFF WRITER AT KEYS WEEKLY

C

harlotte Twine has joined Keys Weekly Newspapers as the senior staff writer, and she will help the county’s largest media company expand its coverage from Key West to Key Largo. The 50-year-old New Jersey native moved to Florida seven years ago. Despite starting out as a humble ice cream scooper, she fell deeper in love each year with the community and surrounding beauty.

Twine graduated from Vermont’s Marlboro College with a bachelor’s degree in theater in 1994, then enjoyed a publishing career for the better part of 20 years, working as a copy editor for magazines such as Glamour, Us Weekly and Travel + Leisure. Upon hightailing it to the Keys with her husband Roberto and their two elderly Pomeranians, she eventually found work as a reporter at the Free Press, then as a library technician at Monroe County Public Library. But she missed the publishing life, so she asked Upper Keys editor Jim McCarthy if he needed a part-time writer. The rest is history. She is excited to write stories about the passions of Keys locals.

“We’re so pleased to have Charlotte on board due to her love for writing, her creativity and her ability to connect with people,” said publisher Jason Koler. “She knows the importance of covering what makes the Florida Keys community tick and developing professional relationships.”

Already boasting the largest newspaper circulation in the Florida Keys, The Keys Weekly is the only locallyowned and -operated publishing company in South Florida – and fastest growing. Within the last three years, the Keys Weekly media company has nearly doubled its staff and opened a third office. The company produces three weekly community newspapers, owns the premier travel and news website in the Florida Keys and publishes a myriad of specialty magazines.

Have a lead for a story for Twine? A favorite Monty Python quote? A Johnny Cash song, or a photo of a fluffy dog? Give her a shout at charlotte@keysweekly.com or 305-850-9930.

— Weekly staff report

HIGH SAVINGS AHEAD SAVE 20-60% ON ELECTRIC BILLS WITH NO MONEY DOWN!

SOLARINTHEKEYS.COM

NOW

IS THE TIME TO POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH BROADWAVE

TWO MONTHS FREE

INTERNET WHEN YOU SWITCH YOUR BUSINESS TO BROADWAVE

INTERNET | WIFI | PHONES | CAMERAS CALL OR EMAIL TODAY: 305.767.1467 - INFO@BROADWAVE.COM WWW.BROADWAVE.COM

8

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021 MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

RESIDENCY QUESTIONS CONTINUE FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONER STEPDAUGHTER’S SWORN AFFIDAVIT SAYS EDDIE MARTINEZ DIDN’T LIVE IN KEY WEST WHEN ELECTED

A

lawsuit that claims County Commissioner Eddie Martinez did not live in the required district during his campaign and election heated up in recent weeks, when Martinez’s adult stepdaughter filed a sworn affidavit stating Martinez did not live in Key West during the campaign or 2020 election.

“A week or so after Eddie’s election, I asked my mom ‘what was next’ regarding Eddie being a county commissioner,” Martinez’s stepdaughter Natalie Guerra, 24, states in a sworn and notarized affidavit dated Feb 9, 2021. “She told me that they were looking for a place to live in Key West.

“On occasion Eddie said that if anyone questioned where he lived during the campaign, he planned to tell them that he lived at his Truman office, even though it was not true. He said that he would tell people that he had this business in Key West for a while before the election, so they won’t be able to prove otherwise. From pictures and my own experience, I believe the office was not livable. It was an enlarged storage closet with no proper shower or facilities. My sisters never slept there,” Guerra’s affidavit states.

“Eddie did not move to Key West during the campaign nor reside there on Election Day,” the affidavit continues. “…Eddie had no intention of living in Key West unless he won. We all thought he was going to lose. He didn’t know anybody in Key West and he was too sick to campaign. He was either in Key Largo or in a Miami hospital. Because of the prescribed medications from his surgeries, he was in no position to campaign or communicate with others.”

When the Keys Weekly reached Commissioner Martinez by phone on Thursday, March 18, Martinez said his stepdaughter, “has been bipolar since she was a child.”

“It really saddens me the lengths she has gone to, being so vicious about this. Natalie has always been jealous of her sisters because they’re half sisters, but I’ve taken care of Natalie since she was an infant,” Martinez said, adding that he has all the evidence to disprove the allegations in Guerra’s affidavit, but is still compiling it for his attorney.

When the Keys Weekly asked Martinez on Thursday where he is currently living, he replied, “Key West, of course, in my district.”

When asked where in Key West, Martinez replied, “Old Town. But I’m currently in Miami for physical therapy after all my surger-

County Commissioner Eddie Martinez was elected in November 2020 after defeating incumbent Democrat Heather Carruthers. In a pending lawsuit, Carruthers claims Martinez did not live in District 1 at the time of the election, which is required by law.

ies and two recent seizures during which I nearly bit my tongue in half.”

“But more than anything, that affidavit just saddens me,” Martinez said.

Upon reading Martinez’s comments about her, Guerra told the Keys Weekly, “The issue at hand is whether or not Eddie lived in [District 3] at the time of the election. I gave my honest statement. He did not. The fact that Eddie is trying to turn this into a family drama and continues to make ad hominem attacks against me shows the extent of his immaturity and inability to keep his professional life afloat, much less a county. [Editor’s note: ad hominem attacks are defined as arguments or reactions directed against a person rather than the position they are maintaining.]

A rocky relationship The relationship between Guerra and Martinez has been contentious in recent months.

In January 2021, the Keys Weekly reported that Key West police were called to a domestic dispute on Simonton Street involving Martinez and Guerra. As a result of that incident, Guerra was taken to jail for allegedly striking her stepfather after Martinez reportedly tried to hit Guerra, but missed.

The police reports state that Guerra’s younger sisters had called and asked her to come get them because their parents (Eddie and Maria Martinez) had been fighting for several days. Guerra told police she had traveled from Homestead to Key West to collect her young sisters and take them back to Homestead.

When Martinez refused to allow it, the police report states, the argument grew heated and ended with Guerra’s fiance grabbing Martinez “in a bear hug” and Guerra trying to separate the two by “smacking at them.” Martinez declined to press charges against his stepdaughter, but police took her to jail for misdemeanor battery.

Martinez told Keys Weekly on Jan. 15 that the incident was “nothing more than a rebellious stepchild, unfortunately. She did some bad things and got put in jail for it.

That’s my only comment.”

Election background Martinez, a Republican, narrowly defeated incumbent Democrat Heather Carruthers for the County Commission District 3 seat in November 2020. Soon after, on Nov. 23, Carruthers filed a lawsuit against Martinez, Monroe County, its commissioners and Supervisor of Elections Joyce Griffin.

In the case that’s pending before Judge Mark Jones, Carruthers’ attorneys claim Martinez did not live in the district he sought to represent (District 3) as required by Florida law. Carruthers’ attorneys filed a motion on Wednesday, March 17 asking Martinez and his attorneys to admit he did not live in District 3 before and at the time of his election.

No legal response had been filed to that request as of Thursday, March 18, according to online court records.

Carruthers’ lawsuit asks the court to overturn Martinez’s election and declare Carruthers the winner. But the court’s authority to do so is unclear, and it could be up to the governor to potentially remove and replace Martinez based on a judge’s ruling.

Martinez and wife say they’re facing bankruptcy The county commissioner is facing an additional lawsuit filed by a former landlord, Renata Coll.

Coll is suing Eddie and Maria Martinez for $8,000 that’s allegedly owed for rent, utilities, repairs and cleaning at a Key Haven property the Martinezes reportedly rented for two months, from February to April 2020, according to online court records.

The court minutes from a March 9 hearing state, “Defendants said they are filing for bankruptcy.” A mediation meeting in that case is scheduled for March 26, the court minutes state.

Due to the ongoing lawsuit against Monroe County and its representatives, County Mayor Michelle Coldiron, as well as other county employees and officials declined to comment on the matter.

9

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

BRIEFLY

Monroe County officials and staff join community members to reopen the south ballfield at Harry Harris Park last week. KRISTEN LIVENGOOD/Monroe County

HARRY FIELD REFURBISHMENT COMPLETE

T

he ballfields at Harry Harris Park in Key Largo are open following refurbishment from Hurricane Irma-related damages.

Early this year, the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners authorized an expedited process to refurbish and re-sod the ballfields for the Little League season. Monroe County Mayor Michelle Coldiron and County Commissioner Mike Forster, who represents Tavernier and Key Largo, joined staff from the county’s facilities department and a few families from the Upper Keys Little League last week to commemorate the reopening.

Especially notable was the attendance of Tom and Jan Gould, who are Thomas Lummus’ two grandchildren. The baseball fields at Harry Harris Park are named in honor of Lummus, who donated the first 2.2 acres of the park.

Repairs to Wilkinson Point and the swim area jetty are currently in regulatory approval with the Army Corps of Engineers through April 16. If moved through approvals, the request for proposal process can follow.

There will also be a few fencing repairs that will be completed shortly.

— Contributed

Biologist to discuss role of mangroves A Florida Park Service biologist will discuss the critical role of mangroves in both marine and upland habitats, in a free online webinar.

Janice Duquesnel will discuss “The Biology and Ecology of Mangroves” on Wednesday, March 31, at 7 p.m. Mangrove ecosystems have a critical role in both marine and upland habitats, not just in South Florida’s coastal areas, but in tropical regions worldwide. This lecture will include animals that are supported by South Florida mangrove habitats and how to identify the three native species of mangrove trees, as well as two non-native species that have been discovered here.

The Zoom webinar is presented by the Friends of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park. Registration is required at biologyofmangroves.eventbrite.com.

The event is limited to 100 participants, including the speaker and hosts.

Please plan to sign on a few minutes in advance of the presentation to ensure inclusion in the list of attendees.

There is no charge to attend the lectures, but participants are encouraged to become members of the Friends group or make a donation that will support park projects slated to be started this year.

Amara Cay announces new general manager Amara Cay Resort in Islamorada has announced Lauren Clevenger as new general manager. Generating a new perspective and passion around the 110-room resort, Clevenger has big plans for elevating the guest experience. “Lauren is a significant leader for the Amara Cay team as she brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion for making the guest experience the best possible,” said Eddie Sipple, regional general manager of Islamorada Resort Company.

Clevenger graduated from Middle Tennessee State University and has more than 10 years of customer service experience. Before stepping up as general manager, Clevenger worked her way through the Islamorada Resort Collection as a front desk guest services manager and events coordinator. Clevenger learned the art of guest satisfaction, monitoring staff performance as well as developing strategies and services to maximize productivity. “I am delighted to be a part of the Amara Cay team and so excited for our team’s effort to take this resort to the next level,” Clevenger said.

VACCINE ELIGIBILITY TO 50 AND OLDER Governor hoping to open shots to all by May, or sooner JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

A

ppointments for the COVID-19 vaccine opened up to more Floridians on March 22. In the Keys, more opportunities for shots are coming online with the addition of two pharmacies.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order on March 19 lowering the eligibility even further for residents, from 60 to 50 years of age. DeSantis went on to say during a recent press conference in Tallahassee that the state will “definitely be opening vaccine eligibility to everybody before May 1.”

“This past week with lowering it to 60, we saw some demand. But it was not in any way overwhelming,” he said. “Part of it is we have more distribution points than we did at the end of December. Part of it is people 60-64 qualified because they had co-morbidities. Some may have been in law enforcement and education.”

More than 7.6 million Floridians have received at least one shot, whether it be the one-dose series in Johnson & Johnson or the first in a two-dose series of Moderna or Pfizer, per data from the Florida Health Department on March 24.

DeSantis said the state’s closing in on 70% of the senior population being vaccinated.

“We probably can get a little higher than that. I would say once you hit 75%, based on what we’re seeing with demand among seniors, that’s probably the high water mark.

As you go down in age, the high water mark will go down,” he said.

DeSantis said the state received 42,000 additional doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week As to the reception among those

receiving the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot, DeSantis said it’s been great.

“It was little concerning because of the way it was characterized as not as good as Moderna and Pfizer, even though the clinical data showed 100 percent effectiveness to prevent death and serious illness.

It turns out any time we’ve done these J&J drives, people love it,” he said.

A mass vaccination clinic was held on March 24 at the Founders Park Community Center in Islamorada. Several hundred residents who signed up on the state’s website received the Johnson & Johnson shot

by Walgreens pharmacists.

A total of 175,830 Florida residents have completed the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot, while a little more than 2.7 million completed a two-dose series.

Monroe County is closing in on 19,500 residents receiving at least one dose of the vaccine. Around 10,600 have completed their series.

In Marathon, appointments opened up for shots at Marathon City Hall for the week of March 29. A total of 400 vaccines will be administered by Baptist Health South Florida.

Adding to the pharmacies in the Keys providing COVID-19 shots is the CVS Pharmacy on Stock Island and the Walgreens Pharmacy at MM 99.5 in Key Largo. People can visit cvs.com/immunizations/covid19-vaccine to learn more.

Winn-Dixie pharmacies in Tavernier and Key West are providing the vaccine, as well as Publix pharmacies in Islamorada and Key Plaza Shopping Center.

The Florida Health Department also continues vaccination clinics for those who signed up online via myvaccine.fl.gov.

10

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

‘FILL-ING’ THE REQUIREMENT

Council approves consultant for Fills master plan JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

O

range cones remain positioned on the Fills as part of a temporary control measure the village of Islamorada implemented upon securing state approval to manage the three small islands connecting Upper and Lower Matecumbe Keys.

With the village council’s approval of an engineering firm, another step was recently taken toward implementing long-term maintenance solutions to curb safety issues and chaos that once plagued the area.

In a 5-0 vote during a March 18 meeting, village council members approved CPH Inc. to assist the village in creating a master plan for property that’s owned by the Florida Department of Transportation and state Department of Environmental Protection.

It’s currently subleased to the village to manage and maintain per a pair of five-year agreements with the state in 2019 for the Indian Key boat ramp, owned by DEP, and property on the Fills owned by FDOT. While authorized to control parking and access, the village is also required to submit a management plan for each agency’s approval. A request for proposals for an engineering firm went out in January with three responses. An evaluation committee composed of the acting village manager, public works director, assistant to public works director and environmental resources manager recommended

CPH Inc. at a cost proposal of $55,000.

Last July, the former village council approved installing an estimated $322,000 cable barrier system to delineate parking areas while protecting grassy areas to keep vehicles from parking on the Overseas Highway. A preliminary Fills master plan was also created with a list of 14 elements, such as information signs and a permanent boat ramp, additional landscaping and bathrooms, for future consideration by FDOT. An adopted fiscal year 2020-21 budget for the capital projects fund included $350,000 for Fills master plan engineering and construction costs.

Councilman David Webb’s concerns surrounding the Fills were relayed to the dais and staff before approval. He said the area doesn’t provide access as a park should. In addition, he noted that the boat ramp on the Fills “isn’t really a boat ramp.”

Webb went on to ask A.J. Engelmeyer, public works director, if the resolution before the dais would memorialize the 14 items listed within the preliminary plan. Engelmeyer said the proposed elements can be modified at the council’s discretion.

“The main key points (to the plan) were the delineated parking and the cable barrier,” Engelmeyer said. “This is purely approval to work with the engineer to create a master plan.”

Webb said he would like the council to review the list of items the former council proposed in the Fills management plan. He also noted that he’d like to revisit FDOT’s original plan

of spending just north of $1 million to fence the Fills.

“It’s incredibly unacceptable, to me, to have a ‘make-believe park’ on a federal highway with high speeds, people trying to pass on the bridge, people trying to pull boats down there and pull on the side of the road on a tiny little parking space and have our village employees tasked with policing and cleaning up the incredible mess that’s left behind,” he said. “I don’t think it’s suitable geographically for a real park. There's a very strong argument to have some kind of access at some points that we should look at.”

Acting Village Manager Maria Bassett said gaining better management of the Fills and the visitors who frequent the area is the whole point behind creating a master plan. Bassett said the engineering firm will look to have two meetings with the council members to discuss the plan.

“We’re just trying to have staff better manage the area, and this is the first step in that direction,” she said.

Councilman Mark Gregg said the idea is to keep activities on the Fills simple, safe and functional.

“It’s not a park. It’s a right of way,” he said. “Safety is a concern.”

Construction crews recently completed restoration and strengthening of the shoreline along the Fills from damage during Hurricane Irma in 2017. The state-funded project that’s restored the shoreline up and down the Keys also restored the sea wall at the Fills.

11

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

FREE CUSTOM BANNERS! just pay shipping ($12)

2 Ways to Order: - promotionsguy.com/deal-of-the-month - email info@promotionsguy.com

The Monroe County Tourist Development Council has funding available to governmental entities and non-profit organizations for capital projects.

The facility must have the primary purpose of promoting tourism and must fall into one of the following categories: Convention Center, Sports Stadium, Sports Arena, Coliseum, Auditorium, Aquarium, Museum, Zoological Park, Nature Center, Fishing Pier, Beach or Beach Park Facility, Channel, Estuary or Lagoon, Public Facilities in Accordance with Conditions Set Forth in the Florida Statute The deadline for receipt of applications is April 27, 2021 and applications must be downloaded from Demandstar (www.monroecountybids.com) For more information please call the TDC Administrative Office at 305-296-1552 and ask to speak with Ammie or Maxine.

12

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

PA RT

DEATH AND LIMES AT INDIAN KEY MANY YEARS AFTER DR. PERRINE’S DEATH, THE FAMILY RECEIVED A LAND GRANT Editor’s note: This is the final installment of a four-part series about Dr. Henry Perrine. See the first three installments at keysweekly.com

Moving to the Florida Territory during the second escalation of the Seminole War proved a costly decision for Dr. Henry BRAD Perrine. He felt the island was far BERTELLI enough removed from the hostilities. The doctor was mistaken. ... is the curator The reality of the war arrived on for Islamorada’s Indian Key in 1837. After an atKeys History & tack at Key Largo’s Garden Cove, Discovery Center.

A published autwo scalped bodies were brought thor of six books, to the island. One of the bodies his favorite subwas Captain John Whalton of the jects are Indian lightship Florida.

Key and skunk Anxious to develop his Tropiapes. cal Plant Company, Perrine arrived at Indian Key with his family on Christmas Day 1838. According to an 1839 letter by Commodore Isaac Mayo, the island was still under the threat of attack. “I consider the post of great importance, for should the Indians capture it, they would be abundantly supplied with ammunition and arms, also a large supply of provisions.”

In the early days of August 1840, Perrine visited his experimental nursery on Lower Matecumbe Key. His daughter Hester wrote, “One memorable day, only three days before the Indians came to Indian Key, father and I went over, and he did but little work and then, telling me that he had found a place where it would be pleasant for us to lunch, took me about a mile down the beach and then turning into the forest soon brought me to a spot where he parted the branches and there was a ‘Fairy Grotto’. In the center was a small sparkling spring perhaps ten or fifteen feet across; various cacti in bloom and fruit, with other flowers upon the bank. … The overarching trees interlacing their boughs, while innumerable air plants in full bloom added brilliancy to the scene, the sun scarcely penetrating.”

Days later, in the early morning hours of Aug. 7, Indians attacked the island. At the time, about 50 people lived on Indian Key. Perrine and his family

were asleep in their home when shots rang out across the island. His family hid in a turtle crawl beneath the dock in front of the house. Perrine stayed inside and tried to reason with the Indians.

Some of them spoke Spanish. At first, it worked, but they came back, climbed the ladder, and burst through the trap door leading to the cupola where Perrine hid. The doctor was shot, and the house set afire.

His wife and three children heard the horrific event but survived. They buried his body near some sisal agave at his Lower Matecumbe nursery before moving back to Palmyra, New York.

Charles Howe, one of Perrine’s partners in the Tropical Plant Company, sent his children to live with them. It took decades for the Florida government to grant the land promised to Perrine’s plant company. His widow Ann petitioned the government to no avail.

Charles Howe worked to have the land grant recognized, but his efforts failed, too. In 1875, Henry Perrine Jr., who survived the attack at Indian Key as a boy, returned to South Florida as a man of nearly 50 with hopes of proving his family’s claim to the 36-square-mile plot of land.

In 1876, he visited Indian Key but could not find his father’s Lower Matecumbe Key burial site. His grave was moved metaphorically to the Palmyra Cemetery in Wayne County, New York, where a marker honors his memory.

Upon visiting Indian Key and his father’s former nursery sites, the only plants he found growing from his father’s collection were sisal agave and lime trees.

Citrus aurantiifolia, commonly called the Key lime, is often credited as one of the approximately 72 species of plants Perrine introduced from Mexico. However, by the time Perrine first ventured to the Yucatan Peninsula in 1827, the lime was already established in Cuba and South Florida. An advertisement dated Feb. 18, 1829, and published in the Key West Register and Commercial Advertizer makes that clear: “For Sale a Valuable Tract of Land Near Cape Florida Situare (sic) on the Miami River.

The Land is very good and will produce

Sugar Cane or Sea Island Cotton, equal if not superior to any other part of the Territory. There is a present number of bearing Banana and Lime trees and the fruit is inferior to none raised in the Island of Cuba.”

The tract of land for sale belonged to James Egan, who moved to Indian Key. In 1832, he built a two-and-a-halfstory structure topped by a cupola that was advertised in Key West as a boarding house promising to “Render satisfaction to those who may favor him with their company.” Egan later sold the house to Jacob Housman, who sold it to Charles Howe for a considerable profit.

Howe lived nearby in a large, single-story home. When Perrine and his family arrived at Indian Key on Christmas Day, it was Egan’s former boarding house where they lived and where the good doctor was murdered.

The land grant promised Perrine for his Tropical Plant Company was finally put in the family name on April 28, 1897.

Today, that area is known as Perrine, Florida, and is located about midway between Homestead and Miami.

Monument honoring Dr. Henry Perrine, Palmyra Cemetery, New York. CHERI BRANCA/Find A Grave

13

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

Paid Advertisement

COVID 19 – THE LOSS OF MEDICAL DIRECTION

ENTRY FEES MIGHT INCREASE AT HARRY HARRIS PARK Commissioner wants attendants to have enforcement abilities JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

H

arry Harris Park in Tavernier could see fees raised for visitors, as well as additional staff to deal with crowds and closing time.

County Commissioner Mike Forster took a moment during a recent board of county commissioners meeting to outline proposed changes to the park, which usually sees a high number of day trippers during holidays and weekends. Specifically, he proposed an increase in entry fees at Harry Harris that fall in line with rates at Founders Park in Islamorada.

Adults ages 18-64 would pay $8 on a normal day, while children 3-17 and senior citizens would pay $5. On holidays, adults would pay $15 and youths and seniors would pay $10.

Active military and disabled veterans would be admitted for free with proper documentation.

As for the boat ramp, Forster proposed a bump in the fee from $30 to $40.

Forster said the park is overrun at times, with one attendant working. Not only does the county worker close down the park after sunset, but the person is also left telling people to leave.

“People who come in by boat are indulging a little bit and are not so ready to leave. Here, you just have one person who’s asking people to leave,” Forster said. “We need to stagger and at least have two people closing at all times.”

Frustrations reached a boiling point on Feb. 14 when the park reached capacity. Several calls were made to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office that ranged from people expressing frustration that they couldn’t enter to the attendant being berated by those not allowed inside. No arrests were made from the calls.

The Tavernier Community Association crafted a letter to county commissioners urging some kind of action to mitigate the problems. Forster held a virtual town hall on March 1 to hear the concerns from neighborhood residents. Constituents and the county commissioner left the virtual gathering in agreement on the issues seen and measures to calm the chaos.

Proposals brought forth by Forster weren’t met with opposition from fellow county commissioners and county staff. Resolutions or ordinances will be brought back before the county commission for consideration and approval.

Forster said he’d also like to have park attendants go through parking enforcement training to issue tickets for illegal parking, littering and other citations. Not only will the park gain some cost-recovery through fines, but calls to the sheriff’s office will be reduced. Some 250 calls for service were made to Harry Harris Park in 2020, and Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said most of those were self-generated by deputies.

“We’re trying not to make the sheriff’s office the first call, but the second call,” Forster said. “I really believe since we’re in season now, we can get some cost recovery; we can generate some funds and get some compliance.”

I started my cardiovascular career in 1981, nine years after completing college. I have witnessed medical successes and failures in my career and it ALWAYS felt like we had a collaboration between research and us, the treating physicians. Doctors learned quickly whether a new technology or medication worked or didn’t. In short order we saw our outcomes enabling us to provide the best possible care for our patients. This has NOT been so with COVID-19.

Graduating doctors are committed to the Hippocratic Oath with its most famous Latin phrase of “Primum Non Nocere.” First, do no harm.

Unfortunately, the harm caused by the highest medical leadership during COVID-19 has become evident, horrifying and pathetic.

Politics and economic gain have been the driving forces whereby totally OMITTING research or even discussion of alternative treatments for COVID-19 such as Ivermectin, which is gaining tremendous GRASSROOTS attention, and has not even been addressed by medical leadership.

HOW many deaths could have been prevented over the last year had our leadership followed the basic tenet of research: Test all possible modalities that save lives?

Ivermectin, a medication found in the Japanese soil 50 years ago, costs pennies on the dollar, is listed by the World Health Organization as an essential medication and is used around the world for COVID-19 cannot even be discussed openly in the USA. Big Pharma and Tech provide the umbrella of protection.

Bought-and-paid-for campaign contributions to over 250 political representatives, silencing voices of healthcare personnel, organizations, removing congressional testimony from the public view while frightening the very people who took the Hippocratic Oath to protect you, our patients.

Incredibly, Merck (original manufacturer of Ivermectin), Pfizer and Eli Lilly are coming out with pills to ingest at the first signs of getting COVID-19. IVERMECTIN IS AN ANTIVIRAL PILL, IT’S INEXPENSIVE AND LOW RISK TO TAKE. The world has taken over 4 billion doses of Ivermectin, which is one of the safest pills ever, used for pinworms in children, lice and scabies. Now we get “Designer pills.” What will be the cost?

Advanced Urgent Care is offering Ivermectin Prophylaxis for those over the age of 18 (few exclusions).

A recent Ivermectin meta analysis (highest form of study analysis) of 21 randomized controlled double blinded studies confirms 89% EFFICACY AGAINST BEING INFECTED FROM COVID, OR IF YOU GET INFECTED, THE INFECTION MOST LIKELY WILL BE MILD. It’s exactly the same endpoint of vaccinations. Astra Zeneca just recently claims 79% efficacy.

Go to urgentcarefloridakeys.com, click on the SERVICES tab and go to IVERMECTIN PROPHYLACTIC PROTOCOL. Read the Links, review the web sites listed and decide if you want protection going forward. My wife and I have been taking it every two weeks for the past six months.

Please go to FLCCC.net and watch worldwide experts discussing the value of IVERMECTIN on March 18, 2021.

I am not an anti-vaxxer. I hope to see one that shows excellent long-term efficacy and does no harm.

Sincerely, Bruce L. Boros MD FACC Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author are his alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of this newspaper.

14

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021 JIM McCARTHY

F

jim@keysweekly.com

ive-year-old Blake Pera loves the park and a swing at the playground. Just ask his mom, Jessica, and babysitter, Rebecca Rowe.

The Pera family moved to Key Largo in September with Jessica and her husband securing jobs as spa manager and executive chef respectively at a local resort. Upon arriving, Jessica said she noticed there were no swings for special needs children at Key Largo Park.

Thanks to the community and some assistance from Monroe County, however, the young boy with cerebral palsy is having the time of his life.

Blake usually frequents the park three times a week after school and on weekends.

For a while, he’d ask if there was a swing for him to enjoy. The answer would be “no, not yet.” Jessica said she inquired about a special

COMMUNITY HELPS BOY WITH CEREBRAL PALSY ENJOY A SWING AT THE PARK

Five-year-old Blake Pera enjoys the new swing at Key Largo Park. Also pictured is Robert

Blake Pera with brothers Damian and Orlando. CONTRIBUTED

needs swing a few months ago.

“Blake has outgrown the infant swings and needs a supportive swing that accommodates children with disabilities,” she said. “This adventurous, active and fun boy has all the energy of a typical 5-year-old, but a body that just doesn’t cooperate.”

A special-needs swing at the park gained momentum following a post by Rowe to a local Facebook community page, known as the Real Locals of the Florida Keys, that told young Blake’s story. On March 14, Monroe County and Robert Glassmer, administrator of buildings, parks and beaches, had installed a swing Blake wanted at Key Largo Park. Above the swing is a name plate with Blake’s name.

With March being Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, Jessica said she couldn’t be more thankful to the community for allowing her son to have some fun at the park.

“Everybody from this community came in to help. We’re blown away and grateful to be

Blake with brothers, Orlando, 16, and Damian, 18. CONTRIBUTED

part of this community,” she said Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect the ability to move and maintain balance and posture. It’s the most common motor disability in childhood.

“Blake is the funniest kid you’ll ever meet,” Jessica said. “He has the best sense of humor.

He enjoys time with his brothers Damian (18) and Orlando (16).”

Jessica said the community’s been quite welcoming since their arrival to the Keys — as shown with the swing. People in the grocery store or at the restaurant usually say “hi” to him.

“We just want to say thanks to the community for such a warm welcome to Key Largo,” she said. “We’re excited to call this home and appreciate the community and all the love they have given to Blake and the boys.”

15

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

VETERANS PROGRAM • 5 FREE PRIVATE LESSONS WITH CHRIS • 20% OFF ALL SERVICES AT PILATES IN PARADISE SE ARADI P N I S TE ION AT PILA NIER LOCAT R TAVE

• LIMIT 5 NEW VETERANS A MONTH

TUESDAY THRU SATURDAY | LUNCH 11-2:30 | DINNER 5 -10 OPEN MONDAYS DURING FEBRUARY AND MARCH

TUESDAY THRU SATURDAY 4:20 -11 OPEN MONDAYS DURING FEBRUARY AND MARCH

Are you tired of having LIMITATIONS due to aches and pains?

PILATES CAN HELP

It has helped Retired Lt. Col. Chris and now he wants to help YOU!

GO TO OUR WEBSITE FOR FULL CLASS SCHEDULE!

www.pilatesinparadise.net | info@pilatesinparadise.net 305.453.0801 | Locations at Ocean Reef & Tavernier

WEDNESDAY THRU SUNDAY | LUNCH 11- 2:30 | DINNER 5 -10 OPEN MONDAYS DURING FEBRUARY AND MARCH

16

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

17

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

DOCUMENTARY WILL FEATURE ALL THE GREAT FISHING GUIDES Film focuses on history of Florida Bay and environmental awareness

W

ho better to tell the history of Florida Bay (and its decline) than the fishing guides and anglers who know every square inch of it? This history and question are the focus of the film “Voices of the Florida Bay: Honoring Tradition, Guiding Conservation,” created by Florida Bay Forever Save Our Waters, premiering virtually on Friday, March 26 at 6 p.m.

The film is the culmination of an oral history project conducted by the organization in 2020. “Florida Bay has seen so much devastation in recent decades, and the voices who have sounded the alarm again and again are fishing guides,” said executive director Emma Haydocy. “We wanted to celebrate the rich history of fishing in the Florida Keys and honor the contributions of the guide community to protecting Florida Bay.” The premiere will coincide with the launch of an oral history collection featuring interviews with legendary Florida Keys fishing guides and anglers, including Stu Apte, Billy Knowles, Eddie Wightman, Rick Ruoff, Vic Gaspeny, Steve Huff, Tim Carlile, Tim and Robert Klein, Craig Brewer and Sandy Moret.

The project was funded in part by grants from the Florida Humanities Council and the Florida Keys Fishing Guides Association. “The project is the historical record of the Florida Keys Fishing Guides Association and the tireless efforts of our members to preserve Florida Bay,” said Commodore Steve Friedman. “There have been so many instances where our knowledge of the bay has been ignored or diminished by water managers. It’s really special to be acknowledged and revered for the part we continue to play in the fight for clean water and a restored Florida Bay.” The feature film runs for about 45 minutes and documents the history of Florida Bay and its decline, and is a call-to-action for modern stakeholders and residents to stewardship for Florida Bay. Immediately after the film, there will be a panel discussion on conservation and Florida, Bay moderated by Haydocy and featuring current voices in the guide community: Friedman, Captain Paul Tejera and Captain Mark Krowka.

Tickets are available at www.floridabayforever.org/voices for a suggested donation starting at $25. All proceeds will benefit Florida Bay Forever Save Our Waters. More information is available from info@floridabayforever.org or 786-572-7051.

— Contributed

Photos by: DOUG FINGER/Keys Weekly Top row, from left: Craig Brewer, Eddie Wightman and Billy Knowles.

Second row, from left: Sandy Moret, and Tim and Robert Klein. Third row, from left: Stu Apte, Tim Carlile and Vic Gaspeny. Fourth row, from left: Steve Huff and Rick Ruoff

An aerial view of Islamorada Marina, located at MM 80.5, bayside. CONTRIBUTED

An aerial view of Smuggler’s Cove Marina, located at MM 85. CONTRIBUTED

ISLAMORADA MARINAS SEE NEW OWNERS JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

S

everal iconic Islamorada marinas have new owners.

Earlier this month, Miami-based Integra Marinas announced the sale of Islamorada and Angler House marinas to Safe Harbor Marinas for $18 million. Integra Marinas said it spent millions for improvements that included overhauling docks and wet slips to the building of a large tiki and resortstyle pool. Amenities were also upgraded, including the entrance of Islamorada Square Grouper to Islamorada Marina in 2019.

“We entered the Keys marina market in 2014 with the foresight to be a catalyst to Islamorada’s increased attractiveness and were successful in the transformation of these properties," said Victor Ballestas, principal of Integra Investments.

"Selling these assets was not our plan, but now allows Integra Marinas to place the capital into other opportunistic marina acquisitions where we can add tremendous value.”

With some 100 marinas in 22 states, Safe Harbor Marinas sets out to build a one-of-akind boating network that gives members access to a boating lifestyle.

Smuggler’s Cove Marina and adjacent property at MM

85, bayside, were recently acquired by Chief Marine Group.

Located next to the only drawbridge in the Florida Keys, Chief Marine Group and its partners say they’re dedicated to developing a waterfront destination that includes marina fuel, boat sales, services, nightly accommodations and a variety of dining options.

CMG said it’s composed of entrepreneur boating enthusiasts who are committed to creating a venue with a mariner’s lifestyle and encompassing the comforts for a family retreat. A South Florida investment team is the driving force behind the development. Managing the project and future operations at Smuggler’s Cove are Upper Keys residents Tommy Hofstetter and Gabriel Pacheco.

“Building the right team of people who are equally passionate in the boating world and want to make an impact, not only in the marine industry, but also committed to the community — is very rare,” said.

The group said it’s in the initial design phase to rebuild infrastructure and improve the property. The marina sale price wasn’t made available before press time.

“We are eager to bring this piece of paradise back to life, for all to enjoy, and give the community and visitors a fullservice, on the water destination,” Pacheco said.

18

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021 THE STUDENT OF THE WEEK

ERIC CLINE FOURTH GRADE

T

he Upper Keys Weekly is proud to partner with Ocean Studies Charter School faculty and staff in choosing “The Student of the Week.” Recipients are chosen on qualifications including academic standing, outstanding achievements, community involvement, individuality, and moral fortitude. We thank our future leaders and Ocean Studies for allowing us to share in a weekly dose of school pride and for giving us a glimpse into their world.

What do you like about Ocean Studies Charter School? I like how there’s a field trip every week. They’re usually out in the environment.

What is your favorite subject and why? P.E., because I love the teachers. I like to play soccer.

CLUB INSTALLS LITTLE FREE LIBRARY AT OCEAN STUDIES

What is the best rule at school?

Including all friends in activities like recess.

What’s your favorite food for lunch? Ramen noodles.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I don’t really know. One of the ideas I had … I kind of would like to write books.

What is one favorite way you like to spend your spare time? I like to play video games; my best friend, other friends and myself play this game “Among Us.”

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.

JIM McCARTHY/Keys Weekly Top: Ocean Studies Charter School students and staff gather with members from The Well Read Women Club to celebrate the Little Free Library.

Above: Ocean Studies Charter School students gather outside near the Little Free Library on March 18.

T

he Well Read Women Club is increasing reading opportunities for people of all ages in the Upper Keys with Little Free Libraries. On March 18, club members Susie Jannach, Carey Navarro, Robyn McIntyre and Susie Fryman presented the students and staff at Ocean Studies Charter School with a nauticaldecorated Little Free Library. Outside the school at MM 106 bayside in Key Largo, several club members stopped by to meet with young readers, who expressed gratitude to the club. “We are all thankful for your great generosity toward our school and are full of pleasure that you are helping and encouraging students to grow their reading habits,” said Ellie Rudolph, a student at Ocean Studies. Jannach and her mother, Claire Lang, started The Well Women Club 10 years ago.

“We all love to read,” Jannach told the students. “We enjoy eating and sharing ideas and reading books.” The Well Women Club has installed Little Libraries on Morada Way near Valerie Perreault’s art gallery and near the tennis courts at Founders Park.

— Weekly staff report

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

19

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

20 Locally Brewed on Draft Authentic Mexican Food Truck Live Music Huge Outdoor Beer Garden Open Daily 11-11 11pm 11 81611 Old Hwy,, Islamorada MM81.5

THU MAR 25 Webb & Davidson 5:30-9:30 FRI MAR 26 SPECIAL EVENT IGOR & RED ELVISES 5:30–9:30 SAT MAR 27 Mark Healey 11-3 Shadow Creek 5:30-9:30 SUN MAR 28 Harry French 11-3 Webb & Davidson 5:30-9:30 MON MAR 29 The Carousers 5:30-9:30 Michael Trixx @ Sunset TUE MAR 30 Harry French 5:30-9:30

305.664.2692 www.loreleicabanabar.com

WED MAR 31 Webb & Davidson 5:30-9:30 Michael Trixx @ Sunset

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

20

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

CARRIE BRAZER CENTER FOR AUTISM IN TAVERNIER OPENS

The Carrie Brazer Center for Autism will offer services to the community that include behavioral therapy, speech therapy, parent training and full-day school. CONTRIBUTED

W

ith Autism Awareness Month in April, the Carrie Brazer Center for Autism has announced its opening in Tavernier.

The new center will offer services to the community that include behavioral therapy, speech therapy, parent training and full-day school. The center accepts the McKay and Gardiner scholarships for full tuition and accepts most insurance plans to cover the costs of therapy.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects one in 54 children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By offering services locally, the center is able to provide access closer to home for many families in the Florida Keys. The goal is to assist the local community in awareness for ASD and support those within the community.

Many people are not aware of the signs of autism spectrum disorder and how early signs begin to appear. A person with an ASD might not respond to their name by 12 months; not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane flying over) by 14 months; not play “pretend” games (pretend to “feed” a doll) by 18 months. They also might avoid eye contact and want to be alone; have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings; have delayed speech and language skills; repeat words or phrases over and over (echolalia); or give unrelated answers to questions.

They might also get upset by minor changes; have obsessive interests; flap their hands, rock their body or spin in circles; and have unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look or feel.

Intervention and individual support can help those showing signs of ASD and other social and communicative disabilities to reach a higher quality of life and be able to enjoy the time they share with their loved ones. The Carrie Brazer Center for Autism intends to make a sensory friendly environment in the Keys that encourages growth and progression in a fun and safe surrounding.

Creating an environment that is accepting and encouraging starts at home.

When the parents and family implement interventions, the child can see consistency with the environment and be more productive. At the Carrie Brazer Center for Autism, weekly parent training is provided on site and via Zoom. The center has been in business in Miami for over 22 years.

The center is located at 92330 Overseas Hwy #102 in Tavernier; the phone is 305-741-7675.

— Contributed

NEW OFFICERS INSTALLED AT ELKS LODGE IN TAVERNIER

N

ew officers were installed at the Florida Keys Elks Lodge 1872 in Tavernier during a ceremony on March 21. Milton Muller, deputy grand exalted ruler in the South District, led the installation ceremony. Coming in as exalted ruler is Angela Sayre. Other officers include Tania Mattson, leading knight; Marcia Boswell, loyal knight; Jennifer Belz, lecturing knight; Ralph Moore, secretary; Michelle Lane, treasurer; Patty Burke, chaplain; Martha Huff, esquire; Brian Sayre, inner guard; and Clark Huff, tiler. Trustees include Tim Rosendal, Gary Falleur, Robert Lynch, Carl Mikuletzky and Frank Veltri. Exalted ruler awards were presented by Brenda Cockrell.

— Weekly staff report

21

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

“W

hat? Did he really say that?”

“You have got to be kidding me! Did she really do that?”

“No way, did you see that post?

HOW TO FEEL BETTER AND STOP THOSE NASTY TRIGGERS

What a jerk!”

Any of these statements sound familiar? How do they make you feel?

We all deal with situations and people daily, and more often than not, what someone else MELINDA says or does may trigger us and not make us feel VAN FLEET good.

Melinda Van What do you think of when you hear the Fleet is a consulword “trigger?” A trigger can be anything from a tant, coach and speaker who helps word, statement, person, situation or event that causes most commonly a negative emotional sales executives response or feeling. and their teams.

More informaHowever, triggers can be positive as they tion is at www. can help you bust through mindset blocks, shift goodkarmasucenergy or help you take action. It may be tough cesscoach.com. to do, but the outcome can be priceless.

I wrote about reframing and triggers in Chapter 6 of “Confidence Mastery for Couples - Roadmap to a More Intimate Relationship.”

The chapter states – “When you start to discuss triggers from an open and honest place, you can move forward. Triggers can be embarrassing for some people. Let’s face it, envy, which is a huge trigger, isn’t something folks openly admit to. Who comes out and says, ‘I am jealous of my neighbor’s cars’ and makes it a discussion.”

I have learned over the years to focus more and more on the positive aspect of overcoming a trigger. A trigger is meant to “wake you up” so you can grow and become the best possible person you are meant to be.

Recognizing it at first can be yucky, embarrassing, even shameful. But when you overcome the trigger and move past it, the same situation may not bother you the next time. What a huge win to not have the same situation bother you next time. In our household, we get to a place where we can laugh it off and make light of it. Over time, being able to “shake it off,” as Taylor Swift says, will lead you to feel accomplished, which helps build your confidence.

I speak, podcast and often write about “The Bucket Tool,” which breaks down the severity of whatever is transpiring and helps you move through to the next step. Along the path, you can also determine what caused the trigger, so you bust it.

I used it a few days ago when dealing with a situation with my neighbor. I decided to fix something, which took five minutes, made me feel better, and I know karma will be in my favor.

Here is The Bucket Tool breakdown: Visualize three buckets: Bucket 1 is virtually a no-change bucket.

You are not going to do anything. The trigger will pass, and you will be OK. Bucket 2 is moderate change. It would help if you took some action to move through this. Bucket 3 is a severe change. It would help if you took a lot of action to move through this. The action involved can be one or a combination of further tools. But in this example, taking the steps above to recognize where you are is a crucial move forward.

Building confidence step by step is the key to success. Every daily step you take, whether it be overcoming a trigger or taking action on something that makes you uncomfortable, you must celebrate and remember it’s a daily process. I know if I can figure it out and get better, you can too.

22

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

CITY OF KEY COLONY BEACH NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Commission of the City of Key Colony Beach, Florida will hold a public hearing on the request for a Development Agreement between the City Of Key Colony Beach, Florida, and JJO, LLC and Ocean Front Apts., Inc. for the development of the property, which is legally described as Ocean Front Apts Condo, units 1-22, recorded in the Official Records of Monroe County, Florida, Book 304, Page 239/261; and Book 1642-684/706 (AMD), having Monroe County, Florida - Real Estate Number: 00078380-000000; consisting of Monroe County, Florida Real Estate Numbers: 00078410-000000, 00078480-000000, 00078550-000000, 00078420-000000, 00078590-000000, 00078460-000000, 00078470-000000, 00078490-000000, 00078540-000000, 00078560-000000, 00078430-000000, 00078450-000000, 00078600-000000, 00078580-000000, 00078500-000000, 00078390-000000, 00078570-000000, 00078440-000000, 00078530-000000, 00078400-000000, 00078510-000000, and 00078520-000000, providing for conditions and requirements of development, including, but not limited to, a residential density of up to twenty-seven (27) dwelling units, a height of up to forty-five (45) feet, and a permitted use of residential.

Applicant: JJO, LLC and Ocean Front Apts., Inc. Project Address: 721 W. Ocean Drive, Key Colony Beach, Florida 33051 Date of Hearing: April 22, 2021 Time of Hearing: 9:30 AM Location of Hearing: 600 W. Ocean Dr., Key Colony Beach, FL 33051; Pursuant to Executive Order No. 20-69, Monroe County Emergency Directive 20-06 and Center for Disease control (“CDC”) social distancing guide- lines established to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, this meeting will be held virtually via Zoom Meetings.

Members of the public who wish to attend may join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85807917498.

Location Map: Interested parties may appear at the public hearing and be heard with respect to the request. Pursuant to Executive Order No. 20-69, Monroe County Emergency Directive 20-06 and Center for Disease control (“CDC”) social distancing guide- lines established to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, this meeting will be held virtually via Zoom Meetings. Members of the public who wish to attend may join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85807917498. Members of the public who wish to attend may email cityclerk@keycolonybeach.net for further instructions on attending via Zoom Meetings. Copies of the request and proposed agreement are available at 600 W. Ocean Dr., Key Colony Beach, FL 33051 Monday thru Friday between the hours of 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Pursuant to Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes, if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the Planning and Zoning Board or the City Commission with respect to any matter considered at such hearing or meeting, one will need a record of the proceedings and for such purpose that person may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made; such record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. If you are unable to attend the Hearing on Thursday, April 22, 2021 but wish to comment, please direct correspondence to: City Commission, P.O. Box 510141, Key Colony Beach, FL 33051, or cityclerk@keycolonybeach.net and your comments will be entered into the record.

Rebecca Todd, City Clerk | CITY OF KEY COLONY BEACH Publish: March 25, 2021. The Weekly Newspapers

Meeting Notice Monroe County Land Authority The Monroe County Land Authority Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting using Communications Media Technology (CMT) in the form of a conference telephone call on March 31, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Members of the public wishing to access the meeting should call 888-585-9008 and enter access code 177-166-577.

The meeting agenda is available online at www.monroecounty-fl.gov. For additional information or to submit written or other physical evidence for consideration at the meeting, contact Dina Gambuzza via phone at 305-295-5180; via email at gambuzza-dina@monroecounty-fl.gov; or via mail to Monroe County Land Authority, 1200 Truman Avenue, Suite 207, Key West, FL 33040.

ADA ASSISTANCE If you are a person with a disability who needs special accommodations in order to participate in these proceedings, 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”.

305.743.0844

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 ATLAS MARINE FIBERGLASS SYSTEMS located at 66 Coco Plum Drive, Marathon, FL 33050, intends to register said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.

By: Gary Buratti Publish: March 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

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 May 4, 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: Rowell’s Waterfront Park Phase I 05/04/2021 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 May 4, 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: March 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

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 3:00 P.M. on May 5, 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: Line of Credit for $10 Million for KWIA 05/05/2021 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 May 5, 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: March 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO. 20-CP-000099-P IN RE: ESTATE OF MICHAEL JAMES LEBOEUF, DECEASED. NOTICE OF TRUST MICHAEL JAMES LEBOEUF, a resident of Monroe County, Florida, who died on September 26, 2020, was the Grantor of a trust entitled the MICHAEL LEBOEUF REVOCABLE TRUST, dated April 21, 2010, which is a trust described in Section 733.707(3) of the Florida Probate Code, and is liable for the expenses of the administration of the decedent’s estate and enforceable claims of the decedent’s creditors to the extent of the decedent’s estate is insufficient to pay them, as provided in Section 733.607(2) of the Florida Probate Code.

The name and address of the Trustee is set forth below.

The clerk shall file and index this notice of trust in the same manner as a caveat, unless there exists a probate proceeding for the Grantor’s estate in which case this notice of trust must be filed in the probate proceeding and the clerk shall send a copy to the personal representative.

Signed on October 8, 2020.

DEAN LEBOEUF, Trustee 909 East Park Avenue Tallahassee, Florida 32301 Publish: March 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

PUBLIC SALE NOTICE OF SEIZURE JC Rentals LLC 92425 Overseas Hwy, Tavernier, FL 33070, will sell or otherwise dispose of the contents on the following unit to satisfy the delinquent storage lien.

All Contents in Yard 14 - Tony Romero Tavernier Mini Storage Inc. 135 Hood Ave, Tavernier, FL 33070, will sell or otherwise dispose of the contents on the following unit to satisfy the delinquent storage lien.

All Contents in Yard 3 - Gordon Young Upper Keys Commerce Center 97300 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 330037, will sell or otherwise dispose of the contents on the following unit to satisfy the delinquent storage lien.

All Contents in Unit 10 - Brandi Wolf Sale of all Goods: April 21, 2021 at 10:00AM Publish: March 25 & April 1, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: ROWELL’S WATERFRONT PARK PHASE I MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA Pursuant to F.S. § 50.0211(3) (a), all published competitive solicitation notices can be viewed at: www. floridapublicnotices.com, a searchable Statewide repository for all published legal notices.

Requirements for submission and the selection criteria may be requested from DemandStar 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

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: REVOLVING LINE OF CREDIT FOR $10 MILLION FOR KEY WEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA Pursuant to F.S. § 50.0211(3) (a), all published competitive solicitation notices can be viewed at: www. floridapublicnotices.com, a

NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY FOR MONROE COUNTY HUMAN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS Electronic applications for Monroe County Fiscal Year 2022 are now available to eligible 501(c)3 organizations. The new application is available on the Monroe County website on the Human Services Advisory Board page at: www.monroecounty-fl.gov/318/Human-Services-Advisory-Board Applications must be submitted electronically before noon, Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Applications are reviewed and funding recommendations are made by the Human Services Advisory Board, appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. All HSAB meetings are open to the public. For questions contact Janet Gunderson at Gunderson-Janet@monroecounty-fl.gov or 305-292-4470.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 2021-CP-18-P IN RE: ESTATE OF JANET S. WHEELER Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of JANET S. WHEELER, deceased, whose date of death was November 28, 2020, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88820 Overseas Highway, Plantation Key, FL 33070. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIOD SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is: March 18, 2021.

Personal Representative: NANCY W. COLLOTTI PO BOX 125 Richland, NJ 08350 Attorney for Personal Representative: Urban J. W. Patterson, Esq. Email: ujwplaw@gmail.com Secondary Email: ujwplawfirm@

23

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

My favorite souvenir from my vacation to Key West a couple years ago, by Jim Galloway at Southernmost Tattoo. It reminds me daily that regardless of my struggles and my demons … Belle Vie. Life is Beautiful. NICOLE STOLTZMAN/Contributed

Got my tattoo at Doc’s Tattooz in Marathon for my 60th birthday.

Original design by Chuck, love her heart on her tush. LAURIE OESTREICHER/Contributed

The sea star tattoo reflects my last name (star in Italian) and my love of the ocean. MARY STELLA/Contributed

My Keys tattoos. ELIZABETH BECKMAN/Contributed

I had this tattoo hand drawn to celebrate Key West after I first went in 2001 and fell in love with it. It has St. Mary’s, a conch shell, the Lighthouse, Southernmost Point and palms.

DANA SEBEK/Contributed

My mom was born on Valentine’s Day, so I have a heart with violets (the flower for February). She loved watching the hummingbirds and dragonflies in our backyard so I put them on either side of the heart.

WENDY SWEENEY/Contributed

Fresh ink from Anthony at South of Heaven Tattoo — a large piece showcasing Hello Kitty as Johnny Cash and David Bowie. YAAASSS. CHARLOTTE TWINE/Keys Weekly

Our pet iguana “Icky,” as tattooed by Allen Mertsock at Doc’s Tattooz. RON SMITH/CONTRIBUTED

TIFFANY DUONG

tiffany@keysweekly.com

O

ur theme for MARCH is ADDICTED TO INK. Get a head start on APRIL’s THEME: MOTHER NATURE! We’re showcasing how gorgeous, scary, incredible, and finicky weather in the Keys can be. Just in time for Earth Day, send us your favorite rainbows, April showers, Key deer, flowers blooming or ways to spend a day out in nature.

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.

24

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES • LEGAL NOTICES yahoo.com Florida Bar Number: 382035 Urban J. W. Patterson, P.A. P.O. Box 783 Islamorada, Florida 33036 Telephone: 305-664-5065 Publish: March 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO. 21-CP-000011-M DIVISION: PROBATE IN RE: ESTATE OF WILLIAM WILSON LEADBETTER DECEASED. NOTICE TO CREDITORS The ancillary administration of the estate of William Wilson Leadbetter, deceased, whose date of death was August 1, 2020, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 3117 Overseas Highway, Marathon, Florida 33050. The name and address of the ancillary personal representative and the ancillary 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 PULICATION 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 March 18, 2021.

ANCILLARY PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE: Beth L. Gordon 128 Dam View Rd. Media, PA 19063 ATTORNEY FOR ANCILLARY PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE: Deborah Doliner Deborah Doliner P.A. Florida Bar No. 705985 7875 S.W. 104th Street, Suite 202B Miami, Florida 33156 Telephone: (305) 662-9997 Email address: dolinerlaw@ bellsouth.net Publish: March 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 21-CP-21-M DIVISION: MIDDLE KEYS IN RE: ESTATE OF RICHARD A. CARLSTRAND Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Richard A. Carlstrand, deceased, whose date of death was January 20, 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

LEGAL NOTICES 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: March 18, 2021.

Personal Representative: Anna Mae Carlstrand 116 Primrose Lane Long Key, Florida 33001 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: March 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 2021-CP-15-M IN RE: ESTATE OF SIMON WILSON Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Simon Wilson, deceased, whose date of death was July 23, 2020, 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: March 18, 2021.

Personal Representative: Andrea Brome 7159 Overseas Highway, Apt. 401, Marathon FL, 33050 Attorney for Personal Representative:

LEGAL NOTICES Marc J. Gold Esq., Florida Bar Number: 360848 ADDRESS:1645 S.E. 3rd Court Ste. 101 Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441 Telephone: 954-698-0039 Fax: 954-698-0170 E-mail: mjgoldlaw@gmail.com Secondary E-Mail: marygoldlaw@gmail.com Publish: March 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION CASE NO.: 21-CP-000005-P IN RE: ESTATE OF MARITA PERKINS, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of MARITA PERKINS, deceased, whose date of death was July 28, 2020, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is Plantation Key Government Center, 88820 Overseas Highway, Plantation Key, FL 33070. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN 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: March 18, 2021.

Personal Representative: JAMES C. WHITE 106 Spoonbill Road Tavernier, FL 33070 Attorney for Personal Representative: VICTORIA MIRANDA, ESQ. Florida Bar No. 1015363 HERSHOFF, LUPINO & YAGEL, LLP 88539 Overseas Highway Tavernier, FL 33070 VMiranda@HLYlaw.com Publish: March 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 20-CP-000082-P IN RE: ESTATE OF DEE C. MEEKS Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Dee C. Meeks, deceased, whose date of death was January 11, 2020, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88820 Overseas Highway, Plantation Key, Florida 33070.

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

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims

LEGAL NOTICES 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: March 18, 2021.

Personal Representative: Beverly Jo Meeks 975 Lemon Bluff Rd. Osteen, Florida 32764 Attorney for Personal Representative: James W. Collins Attorney Florida Bar Number: 0173444 6151 Lake Osprey Drive, Suite 300 SARASOTA, FL 34240 Telephone: (941) 373-1432 Fax: (941) 451-7082 E-Mail: jim@lojwc.com Secondary E-Mail: jim54@ comcast.net Publish: March 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 21-CP-000015-K IN RE: ESTATE OF RONALD T. VOOG, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the Estate of Ronald T. Voog, Deceased, whose date of death was 11/30/2020; is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe, Florida, Probate Division, File Number 21-CP-000015-K; and the address of which is Monroe County Clerk of Court, 500 Whitehead St., 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, who have claims or demands against Decedent’s Estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, and who have been served a copy of this notice, must file their claims with this Court WITHIN THE LATER OF THREE (3) MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR THIRTY (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 the Decedent’s Estate, including unmatured or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with this Court WITHIN THREE (3) MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED 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. FIRST DATE OF THE PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE IS: March 25, 2021.

Personal Representative: Aaron Ronald Voog

305.743.0844

LEGAL NOTICES 75 Highstone St. East Taunton, MA 02718 Attorney for Personal Representative: Regina W. Drennan, Esquire Law Offices of Jason Turchin 2883 Executive Park Drive Suite 103 Weston, FL 33331 Telephone: 954-515-5000 Facsimile: 954-659-1380 Florida Bar #: 64792 Publish: March 25 & April 1, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION CASE NO.: 2017-CP-153-K IN RE: THE ESTATE OF ARLEAN MATTHEWS-WALTON, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of ARLEAN MATTHEWSWALTON, deceased, whose date of death was February 15, 2017, Case: 17-CP-153-K is pending in the Circuit Court, 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, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, on whom a copy of this notice is served must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. The date of first publication of this Notice is: March 25, 2021.

Personal Representative: ALZATA THURSTON c/o Samuel J. Kaufman Law Offices of Samuel J. Kaufman, P.A. 3130 Northside Drive Key West, Florida 33040 Attorney for Personal Representative: Samuel J. Kaufman, Esq. Florida Bar No. 0144304 Law Offices of Samuel J. Kaufman, P.A. 3130 Northside Drive Key West, Florida 33040 Email designation for service: Service.Probate@ samkaufmanlaw.com Telephone: (305) 292-3926 Fax: (305) 295-7947 Publish: March 25 & April 1, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION CASE NO.: 2021-CP-57-K IN RE: ESTATE OF ESMOND DAVID DE BEER Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Esmond David De Beer, deceased, whose date of death was November 19, 2020, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address

LEGAL NOTICES of which is 500 Whitehead St., 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. 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 FOR 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: March 25, 2021.

Personal Representative: Carol De Beer 20 Plaza St., Apt. F3 Brooklyn, NY 11238 Attorney for Personal Representative: Luis Davila, Esq. Davila & Torres, P.A. 911 N. Main St., Ste. 5 Kissimmee, FL 34741 Telephone: (407) 933-0307 luis@davilaandtorres.com Publish: March 25 & April 1, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 21-CP-24-M DIVISION: MIDDLE KEYS IN RE: ESTATE OF RALPH S. DIPADOVA Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Ralph S. Dipadova deceased, whose date of death was January 3, 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: March 25, 2021.

Personal Representative: Evelyn S. Lau 437 122nd Street Ocean

LEGAL NOTICES 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: March 25 & April 1, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION File No.: 21-CP-000062-K IN RE: ESTATE OF PAUL E. BEKAVAC Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Paul E. Bekavac, deceased, whose date of death was February 4, 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 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: March 25, 2021.

Personal Representative: Anthony J. Bekavac 201 Oakcrest Lane Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15236 Attorney for Personal Representative: Carl B Zacharia Attorney Florida Bar Number: 50784 111 W. McMurray Road McMurray, PA 15367 Telephone: (724) 942-6200 Fax: (724) 942-6202 E-Mail: czacharia@ pittsburghelderlaw.com Publish: March 25 & April 1, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 16TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CIVIL DIVISION CASE NO.: 2021-000049-K JUDGE: KOENIG LD DEVELOPMENT LLC, a Florida limited liability company, Plaintiff, v.

LEONARD E. WESTDALE, JR., and all unknown parties claiming by, through, under or against Defendant(s), whether living or not and whether said unknown parties claim as heirs, devisees, grantees, assignees, lienors, creditors, trustees or in

25

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

BOATS FOR SALE

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

any other capacity claiming by, through, under, or against the named Defendant(s).

Defendant.

NOTICE OF ACTION CONSTRUCTIVE SERVICE TO: Leonard E. Westdale, Jr. 3521 South Applecrest Ct. Ada, Michigan, 49301 YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action to Quiet Title on the following described property: A parcel of Land in a part of Lot 25 of “SUMMERLAND ESTATES”, as recorded in Plat Book 2, Page 167, of the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida and being more particularly described by metes and bounds as follows: Commencing at the Northwest Corner of Lot 25, bear North 72º and 29’ East, 264.75 feet; thence bear South 17º 31’ East 90 feet to the POINT OF BEGINNING of the parcel of land hereinafter described; from said POINT OF BEGINNING, continue bearing S17º 31’ East, 90 feet; thence bear North 72º 29’ East 264.75 feet; thence bear North 17º 31’ West, 90 feet; thence bear South 72º 29’ West, 264.75 feet back to the POINT OF BEGINNING. Property Identification Number: 00200670-000000 Property Address: Vacant Land located at Katherine Street Summerland Key, Florida 33042 has been filed against you and you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on Richard Lorenzo, Esq., Attorney for Plaintiff, whose address is The Law Office of Richard Lorenzo, P.A., 4649 Ponce De Leon Boulevard, Suite #301, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, and file the original with the Clerk of the above styled Court, Monroe County Courthouse, 302 Fleming Street, Key West, Florida 33040, on or before April 12, 2021, a date which is within thirty (30) days after the first publication of this Notice on the March 11, 2021, otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief prayed for in the complaint or petition.

This notice shall be published once each week for four consecutive weeks in the Keys Weekly.

Witness my hand and the Seal of said court at Key West, Florida, on this 3rd of March, 2021.

(Circuit Court Seal) Kevin Madok, CPA As Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Monroe County, Florida By: Shonta McLeod Deputy Clerk Publish: March 11, 18, 25 and April 1, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

Page 844, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”). (Contract No.: 2-18403) Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from this sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the lis pendens must file a claim before the clerk reports the surplus as unclaimed.

The sale is being held pursuant to the Final Judgment of Foreclosure, entered on January 27, 2021, in Civil Case No. 19-CA000597-K, pending in the Circuit Court in Monroe County, Florida.

WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 8TH day of February, 2021 KEVIN MADOK CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA By: Shonta McLeod Deputy Clerk Publish: March 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

Notice is hereby given that on April 5, 2021 at 11:00AM, the below named Clerk of Court will, at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the following described Timeshare Ownership Interest: Unit 5131, Week 48, Windward Pointe, a Leasehold Condominium (“Condominium”), according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1803, Page 844, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”). (Contract No.: 2-11495) Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from this sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the lis pendens must file a claim before the clerk reports the surplus as unclaimed.

The sale is being held pursuant to the Final Judgment of Foreclosure, entered on January 27, 2021, in Civil Case No. 19-CA000830-K, pending in the Circuit Court in Monroe County, Florida.

WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 8TH day of February, 2021 KEVIN MADOK CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA By: Shonta McLeod Deputy Clerk Publish: March 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 19-CA-000900-K DIVISION: Civil JUDGE TIMOTHY KOENIG Windward Pointe II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company Plaintiff, vs.

Michael Ross Wilson, et al.

Defendants.

Notice of Sale as to Count(s) I Notice is hereby given that on April 5, 2021 at 11:00AM, the below named Clerk of Court will, at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the following described Timeshare Ownership Interest: Unit 5132, Week 31, Annual Windward Pointe Condominium, a Leasehold Condominium (“Condominium”), according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1803, Page 844, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”). (Contract No.: 2-20559) Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from this sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the lis pendens must file a claim before the clerk reports the surplus as unclaimed.

The sale is being held pursuant to the Final Judgment of Foreclosure, entered on January 27, 2021, in Civil Case No. 19-CA000900-K, pending in the Circuit Court in Monroe County, Florida.

WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 8TH day of February, 2021 KEVIN MADOK CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA By: Shonta McLeod Deputy Clerk Publish: March 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

12' Aluminum boat with trailer plus 6hp Nissan motor +60 lb. thrust electric motor. Located in Marathon. $2,200 3 0 5 - 3 9 5 - 1 0 1 5

NOW HIRING: Sweet Savannah's is now hiring for all shifts. Please apply in person at 8919 Overseas Highway in Marathon.

NO EXPERIENCE N E C E S S A R Y ! ! !

Concrete Field Testing Technician needed. Fulltime. Year round. We train you to go to various job sites and collect samples.

Vehicle provided. Must speak English, live in Marathon and have clean driving record. Starting pay $16/hour. Pay rate will rise at intervals. 305-393-0643

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 19-CA-000830-K DIVISION: Civil JUDGE TIMOTHY KOENIG Windward Pointe II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company Plaintiff, vs.

Lise S. Haupt, et al.

Defendants.

Notice of Sale as to Count(s) II Notice is hereby given that on April 5, 2021 at 11:00AM, the below named Clerk of Court will, at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the following described Timeshare Ownership Interest: Unit 5132, Week 22, Annual Windward Pointe Condominium, a Leasehold Condominium (“Condominium”), according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1803,

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 19-CA-000830-K DIVISION: Civil JUDGE TIMOTHY KOENIG Windward Pointe II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company Plaintiff, vs.

Lise S. Haupt, et al.

Defendants.

Notice of Sale as to Count(s) III and IV Notice is hereby given that on April 5, 2021 at 11:00AM, the below named Clerk of Court will, at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the following described Timeshare Ownership Interest: Unit 5824, Week 51, Annual Windward Pointe Condominium, a Leasehold Condominium (“Condominium”), according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1803, Page 844, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”). (Contract No.: 2-19754) Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from this sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the lis pendens must file a claim before the clerk reports the surplus as unclaimed.

The sale is being held pursuant to the Final Judgment of Foreclosure, entered on January 27, 2021, in Civil Case No. 19-CA000830-K, pending in the Circuit Court in Monroe County, Florida.

WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 8TH day of February, 2021 KEVIN MADOK CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA By: Shonta McLeod Deputy Clerk Publish: March 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 19-CA-000830-K DIVISION: Civil JUDGE TIMOTHY KOENIG Windward Pointe II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company Plaintiff, vs.

Lise S. Haupt, et al.

Defendants.

Notice of Sale as to Count(s) IX and X

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 19-CA-000830-K DIVISION: Civil JUDGE TIMOTHY KOENIG Windward Pointe II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company Plaintiff, vs.

Lise S. Haupt, et al.

Defendants.

Notice of Sale as to Count(s) XIV Notice is hereby given that on April 5, 2021 at 11:00AM, the below named Clerk of Court will, at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the following described Timeshare Ownership Interest: Unit 5332, Week 44, Even Year Biennial Windward Pointe Condominium, a Leasehold Condominium (“Condominium”), according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1803, Page 844, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”). (Contract No.: 2-20472) Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from this sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the lis pendens must file a claim before the clerk reports the surplus as unclaimed.

The sale is being held pursuant to the Final Judgment of Foreclosure, entered on January 27, 2021, in Civil Case No. 19-CA000830-K, pending in the Circuit Court in Monroe County, Florida.

WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 8TH day of February, 2021 KEVIN MADOK CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA By: Shonta McLeod Deputy Clerk Publish: March 18 & 25, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL

AUTOS WANTED ALL YEARS! Junk or Used.

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

AUTOS FOR SALE 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan. Runs well, cold A/C, new tires. Located in Key Largo. $1,950 305-8523471 or cell 305-393-1587 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! Keys Cruiser - 2006 Chrysler Sebring. Runs, A/C works, located in Key Largo. $1,500.00 OBO 305-304-4989 SOLD IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK!!!

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!!

2005 21' Triumph Chaos.

Great fishing boat, has electronics, center console w/T-top.

150 4-stroke Yamaha engine w/800 hours. New dual axle Rocket trailer. Located in Marathon. $15,000 330-219-6774 1993 Boston Whaler 24 ft. Outrage $19,500 Call Kenny 305-394-7507 Located in Key Largo.

1999 World Cat 27' with twin 175 Suzuki motors.

Runs good. Dual stations.

Located on Duck Key. $40,000 OBO 305-481-1316 1973 36' Dufour Fiberglass Hull Sailboat.

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

SOLD IN LESS THAN THREE WEEKS!!!

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 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 Receptionist for Law Firm in Marathon. Mon-Fri 9-5 – Answer phones, light bookkeeping, scanning, mail, filing, typing, etc.

Should have knowledge of MS Office and Quickbooks.

Submit Resume to o f f i c e @ g m p a l aw. c o m LPS Contracting NOW HIRING: State-Licensed Land Surveyor & Field Techs.

Located in Marathon, FL. Email: info@ LPS-Contracting.com Call: 305-240-9882 Seeking Security Guard for Marathon Fairfield Marriott - 40 hrs a wk overnight position. $15/ hr to start. Must have security license. Call Ralons Security 786-615-5522 Come Join Our Family and Have Fun At Work! Hiring: Host, Hostess & Servers Full &/or part-time. AM & PM Shifts. Apply in person at Castaway Restaurant, end of 15th Street, Oceanside, Marathon or email: lobstercrawl@gmail.com.

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

The Marathon Yacht Club is looking to hire a Lead Server. The lead server will be responsible for overseeing the servers and training new staff.

Full time - competitive salary and guaranteed 20% gratuity in the tip pool. Call 305-743-6739 to schedule an interview.

Carpenter and Laborer needed in Upper Keys.

Must have valid driver's license and transportation.

Call 305-852-3002 Full-time Construction Workers needed.

Superintendents, Carpenters, Painters and Laborers. Top dollar for the right individuals. Start tomorrow. Apply in person, Dooley Construction, MM 88.5 Oceanside 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.

Keys Fisheries Fish House hiring Accounts Receivable. Also looking to hire Process Foods Manager, pie makers (night shift), process food workers (night shift), fork lift drivers and day & night shift supervisors to expand production of products we are now selling to supermarkets.

Full time positions will be eligible for a benefits package. Restaurant hiring for all positions. Apply within at 3390 Gulfview Avenue, Marathon 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.

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!

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!!

HOBBIES/COLLECT. PRIVATE COLLECTOR WANTS Rolex, Dive Watches and Pilot Watches.

Old Model Military Clocks & Watches.

Call 305-743-4578 BASEBALL AND SPORTS MEMORABILIA WANTED. Private collector buying pre-1980 sports cards, old programs, pennants, autographs, photographs, ticket stubs, bobbin’ head dolls, etc. Call March 25-27th Only - Alan 503-481-0719

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 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!

OFFICE SPACE 1,082 SF office space.

Renovated Corner Unit for rent 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 Gigantic Yard Sale - Sat. March 27 from 8am-2pm.

Tools, Fishing stuff, Indoor/ Outdoor Furniture, knickknacks, etc. 191 Hibiscus Street, Tavernier MM90 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!

26

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

T

CANES SPORTS STANDOUT ALEX STERNBERG

he Upper Keys Weekly is proud to partner with the Coral Shores’ Athletic Department to highlight this week’s “Canes Sports Standout.”

Recipients are chosen on qualifications of academic excellence, academic standing and community involvement. We thank our future leaders and the CSHS athletic department for allowing us to share a little “Hurricane Pride.”

A Canes tennis player since his freshman year, Sternberg remembers his sophomore year when he managed to come back from a heavy deficit to beat his opponent in a tiebreaker. Sternberg said playing sports helped him develop a strong mindset and get through difficult times. He owes his success to his coach, Ms. Browning, and his family. He serves as chairman of the Islamorada Youth Council and is a member of the National Honor Society and the Science National Honor Society. He will be attending the University of Miami to study microbiology and immunology, as he aspires to be a doctor one day. While sports is a great after-school activity, Sternberg says, “Don’t let your slip because it will affect how you do in sports. I want to thank everyone who helped me to get to where I am today,” he said. “Living in the Keys really shaped me into who I am, and it was one of the best experiences in my life.”

CANES VOLLEYBALL STAR SIGNS WITH WESTMINSTER COLLEGE

E

lise Jordan, a four-year volleyball standout at Coral Shores, recently signed a letter of intent to continue her volleyball career at Westminster College, located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.

Jordan, who has been playing volleyball since sixth grade, was courted by a number of quality volleyball programs around the country. She said the decision was not easy, but added, “I am super excited for what the future holds for me at Westminster College.”

A two-time All-Monroe County volleyball selection, Jordan thanked her high school coach, Kathy Ets-Hokin, for giving her the opportunity.

“I also want to personally thank my middle school coach, Mrs. Zepada. She has taught me everything about volleyball and all the dynamics behind it. Thank you for introducing me to the game I love.”

Ets-Hokin, who has coached Jordan throughout her Hurricane career, shared her delight in Jordan’s decision.

“I think Elise has made a great choice.

They (Westminster College coaches) are so excited to get her as a player. I wish her the best in her next chapter in life, playing at the next level. I am very proud of Elise and will miss her.”

Elise Jordan with Blake Fry, Coral Shores principal; Scott Jordan, dad; Rebecca Jordan, mom; Kathy Ets-Hokin, Coral Shores girl’s volleyball coach; and Rich Russell, athletic director. CONTRIBUTED

Asked what kind of player and person Westminster has signed, Ets-Hokin said, “Elise is a wonderful student-athlete who has excelled in volleyball. She is an excellent blocker who is adaptable and can read the hitters. She was my captain and earned the respect of every player. The younger ones would always ask her for help and she was always willing to give it, whether they needed help learning the equipment set up or their footwork on their approach/block.”

Ets-Hokin added that Jordan was a very valuable asset to the program, a great role model in the classroom and on the court who was always the first one to practice and the last to leave.

“This says a lot about an athlete; she is dedicated, loyal and patient. Whenever we would go up against a team who had a strong hitter, I would pull Elise aside and say ‘shut her down,’” Ets-Hokin said. “Elise never let me down, she lived for the block.

Her enthusiasm was contagious on the court and she could get the entire team pumped up with her loud voice and gestures.”

Coral Shores athletic director Rich Russell added that, “Unfortunately, the current rules do not allow the Westminster staff to comment publicly on Elise. That said, they have conveyed to Coach Ets-Hokin that Elise was a major target for their program and they are thrilled with her signing.

“They know what we know: Elise Jordan is a superior student-athlete and a wonderful young lady,” he continued. “I have full confidence that Elise will excel at the next level and Westminster will benefit greatly from her role on their volleyball team.”

— Contributed

27

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

City of Key Colony Beach

FULL TIME DRIVERS NEEDED (KEY WEST) FULL TIME POSITION

Police Officer The City of Key Colony Beach is accepting applications for a FULL TIME Police Officer. Applicants must possess a current Florida certification as a police officer. Applicants will undergo a thorough background investigation, including drug screening, medical, polygraph and psychological exams. Salary range $52,000 — $55,00 depending on qualifications.

Mail resume to: Chief ofPolice P.O. Box 510141 Key Colony Beach, FL. 33051

Or Call for additional information—305-289-1212 Equal Opportunity Employer

Busy Key Largo Dive Center has immediate openings for

BOAT CAPTAINS Experience Required. Paid per trip plus tips & sales commission.

Send resume to resumes@rainbowreef.com

FedEx Ground contracting company, ERGI Inc. is adding Full-Time Delivery Driver Positions

Qualifications: - 21 years or older

FOREMAN, CARPENTERS & LABORERS WANTED A small residential construction company in the middle keys is seeking skilled carpenters and general laborers for full-time work.

If you are willing to work and are looking to develop and grow in the trade, we would love to speak to you. We work on a variety of projects including new builds and renovations.

Work skills include building, installing, repairing and renovations.

Depending on experience, Carpenters can expect $22-$28/hour and Laborers $12- $18/hour.

If interested, please text 305-853-6056 or email acqe4C@gmail.com

- Motor Vehicle Record Screening

- Drug screen, background checks, physical required - Customer Service Skills

- No equipment necessary

- One year commercial driving experience strongly preferred - CDL is not required

Forward all inquiries to:

D’Asign Source is seeking the following professionals.

Overtime and benefits are available.

For full details, please visit DAsignSource.com/careers

SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS NEEDED!

Assists with construction project timelines, contracts, budget management & other administration tasks. Reports on project’s regularly to executives.

ERGI, Inc. Phone: 305-785-2068 Email: Ergiinc@gmail.com

Project Administrator

SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNER 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).

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.

TEMPORARY MARINE PUMPOUT WORKER KEY WEST  TPGM100 Monroe County BOCC is seeking an applicant with a dynamic personality and who is quick to adapt, a competent multi-tasker, and can communicate effectively for a new temporary position. Primary function is to assist marine captains with pump-out services for anchored vessels. Qualifications: 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

Monroe County School District

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

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

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

4290 Overseas Hwy, Marathon

An outdoor design specialist that works well with clients—producing designs, selections, and processing sales. Follows through with support for install teams.

Interior Designer Apply knowledge & creative skills to projects at our high-end design center. Must possess an interior design background and history of achievement in quality projects.

Architects We are seeking architectural staff at all levels—Intern Architects, Production Architects, and Project Architects. Experience in High End Residential design is a plus.

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

28

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

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

NOW HIRING:

NOW HIRING Floor Manager Daytime Host Experienced Servers Experienced Bartenders High volume restaurant in Key Largo.

Apply in person at Snooks Bayside, 99470 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL

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.

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER 58901 O/S Hwy - Grassy Key, FL Teaching... Learning...Caring

NOW HIRING! SIGN ON BONUS UP TO $ 1,500 NEEDED: INSTALLERS, APPRENTICES AND SERVICE TECHNICIANS PAY RANGE: $15  $30 PER HOUR BASED ON EXPERIENCE LOOKING FOR A LONGTERM CAREER? COME JOIN OUR TEAM, WE OFFER THE FOLLOWING: Competitive pay | Work Life Balance Continued Training | Opportunity for advancement Paid time off | Medical | 401K Apply via email: Joey@ellingtonac .com Call to schedule a meeting for employment 321.482.3158

GUEST SERVICES Dolphin Research Center has Full-Time & Part-Time Temporary positions for Guest Services. Duties are multifaceted including welcoming guests, taking reservations and photo sales. Job description available at: www.dolphins.org. E-mail your resume and a DRC application to: drc-hr@dolphins.org. EOE

F & B Manager Front Desk Agent Bell/Valet Line Cook Fine Dining Busser Room Attendant Pool Attendant/Resort Services Licensed Massage Therapist Spa Nail Technician Apply online at: www.noblehousehotels.com/careers Apply in person at: Zero Duval St.

Great pay, amazing benefits, & an awesome team!

EOE

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!

Of�ice (305) 596-0137 AHCA License #299992897

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER 58901 O/S Hwy - Grassy Key, FL Teaching... Learning...Caring

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: Hosts Waitstaff Bartenders Bar Backs Bussers Line Cooks Dishwashers

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

Dolphin Research Center has a FT opening for a Facility Maintenance Apprentice. Must work well with animals, in order to support Medical & Animal Care & Training departments & participate on Manatee Rescue Team.

Must be physically fit, able to lift 75 lbs., possess general “handy-man” skills, have a clean driving record & be diver certified or willing to become certified – knowledge of dive equipment maintenance is a plus. Successful candidate will be responsible, organized, & motivated with excellent team player skills.

Benefits include medical insurance, 401(k), vacation & paid holidays. Job description available at www.dolphins.org. Email resume & DRC application to drc-hr@dolphins.org. EOE

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

HIRING

SERVER HOSTESS/FOOD RUNNER Apply at S.S. Wreck 58835 Overseas Hwy. Grassy Key

Or call for appt. 305-481-3067

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

29

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC && LEGAL NOTICES • • 305.743.0844 • CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC LEGAL NOTICES 305.743.0844 NOW HIRING: EXPERIENCED MAINTENANCE MAN (MARATHON)

The Guidance/Care Center, Inc. a division of

“Uplifting the human spirit since 1973”

NOW HIRING RESTAURANT HOST SERVERS BARTENDERS FOOD RUNNER PUBLIC AREA ATTENDANT LAUNDRY ATTENDANT ROOM ATTENDANTS BELLMEN LINE COOKS SOUS CHEF BAKER

WATERSPORTS MAINTENANCE APPLY AT: bungalowskeylargo.com/careers Bungalows Key Largo is an EOE

THE GUIDANCE/CARE CENTER, Inc.

IS HIRING! KEY LARGO

Substance Abuse Counselor (PT) Client Advocate

KEY WEST Case Manager

Prevention Specialist Motivational Support Specialist (base location flexible) Substance Abuse Counselor Behavioral Health Counselor (Children) Engagement Specialist (Suicide Prevention) Behavioral Health Therapist (Adult) FL LCSW,LMHC, LMFT

MARATHON

Driver (CDL required) (FT) Temporary 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

NOW HIRING: Hosts Waitstaff Bartenders Bar Backs Bussers Line Cooks Dishwashers

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

Requirements:

• Work experience with Condominium Association general maintenance or Hotel general maintenance position • Proven knowledge of condominium (or similar) infrastructures and interactions with security and fire systems • Attend and participate in multidisciplinary team meetings • Working knowledge of use and maintenance of hand and small electric and gasoline tools • Ability to maintain schedule for routine tasks • Self-motivated • Organizational skills to prioritize • Pool maintenance and certification preferred (will provide training) • Hi lift certification preferred (will assist in obtaining qualifications) • Valid Florida driver license, good driving record and current auto insurance • Ability to Multi task and switch priorities easily • Excellent knowledge of safety procedures/protocols and documentation as required • Friendly demeanor, strong social interacting and communication skills • Work with central oversight • Good physical condition - Ability to lift ~ 50 pounds • Knowledge of Covid precautions and prevention • Integrity and professionalism • Must speak, read, write and understand English • High school degree or equivalent • 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, routine maintenance • Perform and follow-up on preventive maintenance throughout • Perform general cleaning including sweeping, pressure washing, trash removal as needed • Emergency door, entrance gate preventive maintenance • Irrigation/sprinkler head oversight and maintenance • Interact and communicate with property vendors

Interested applicants please call 305-393-5798

LOCAL COMPANY SEEKING PROJECT MANAGER

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

Hours: Monday-Friday 7am-4pm & On-Call Availability

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.

Keys All Area Roofing, Inc. is growing and is currently seeking a Construction/Roofing Project Manager Duties and Responsibilities to include but not limited to: • Collaborating with engineers, architects and construction/roofing personnel • Selecting subcontractors and delegating work • Problem-solving to address delays, emergencies or other issues • Comply with safety and building codes as well as legal requirements • Reporting progress to clients • Explaining contract and technical matters in a clear manner • Preparing budgets, cost estimates, schedules and timelines • Maintaining permitting for projects and requesting inspections Qualified Applicants should possess: • Great customer service, communication and customer service skills • Proven leadership skills and ability to delegate work • Exceptional time management skills, ability to estimate work effort and time needed for various construction/roofing jobs • Good writing skills for proposals and reports • Excellent technical skills and understanding of construction methods, contracts and blueprints • Previous experience working in the construction/roofing field • Knowledge of permitting and inspection procedures • Monday-Friday (Some weekend work may be required). Paid Salary plus commission.

PLEASE CALL: 305-743-4400

30

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

LET’S DO BUSINESS - 305.363.2957 y’s www.KeysSlidingGlassDoorRepair.com d n A Sliding Glass Door Repair Roller Maintenance Track Maintenance Door Alignment Security Pins Safety Locks Handles

Licensed & Insured #SP33799

ALL KEYS GLASS

We Also Repair & Replace Patio Door Screens

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Windows • Doors

Authorized Dealer

305-743-7800

305-998-8953 Insured • Professional • Reliable

Precision Pavers Belgard Brick | Clean & Seals | Old Castle Coastal WE WILL MAKE YOUR DRIVEWAY LOOK NEW AGAIN Brick Driveway | Patios | Pool | Decks | Retaining Walls

305.896.3599 OUT DOOR LIVING SPACES

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

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

Key West 305-292-2666

CALL US FOR A FREE HOME ESTIMATE

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

• SINCE 1989 •

305-289-1150

SP3102

Florida Solar Contractor CVC 56734

MARATHON

305-743-0506

KEY LARGO

305-852-5356

rainsavergutters@gmail.com

SOLAR DONE RIGHT!

FREE ESTIMATES | WILL NOT BE UNDERBID

When It Rains It Pours!

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

FRESH FLORIDA LOBSTERS FROM THE NICHOLS CREW DIRECT TO YOU

MM63 -MM74 | 305.393.1415

LIVE CALL FOR PRICE $11/TAIL

STONE CRABS ON REQUEST

Tewes ewes Mortgage

Your local, residential lending expert!

Call 305.495.6000

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

for a FREE Consultation

Brian Tewes

Customer service is my strength Brian@tewesmortgage.com

NMLS# 375025 Tewes Mortgage NMLS# 1453791 NMLSConsumerAccess.org

www.TewesMortgage.com

Sportfishing Adventures

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

info@johnnymaddoxcharters.com

Serving Monroe, Dade & Broward Including Airports & Ports.

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

Serving Key Largo to Key West

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

305-743-7454

fkes2011@gmail.com floridakeysexpressshuttle.com

Will Campbell President

305-481-3259

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

The Weekly Newspapers www.KeysWeekly.com

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

Only $50 Puts Your Business Card Here

305-743-0844

Licensed & Insured Contractor # CACO53827

ARTIC TEMP, INC. Air Conditioning & Refrigeration

Residential, Commercial & Marine Ice Machine - Sales - Service Phone: (305) 743-5288

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

Lic#SP-3562

Fax: (305) 743-6887

We Do Installations!

Licensed & Insured

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

289-3019

31

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

STICK WITH IT

1

KEY WEST BOYS LACROSSE DEFEATS CORAL SHORES

D

espite the green uniforms they wore at a St. Patrick’s Day lacrosse matchup, the Coral Shores High School Hurricanes fell to the Key West Conchs 13-6 during their March 17 game in Tavernier.

The Conchs’ celebration was short-lived, however, as they lost 15-1 on March 19 while playing at home against Miami’s Westminster Christian High School.

Key West will play Cardinal Gibbons in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, April 1 and again faces Coral Shores on Friday, April 2 in Key West.

6 7

— Weekly staff report

4 5

2 3

LANCE HILL/Keys Weekly 1. The Key West Conchs and Coral Shores Hurricanes face each other in Tavernier on March 17.

2. Key West will add one last point to the scoreboard for a final score of 13-6 on March 17.

3. Key West junior Paul Crespo breaks away from Coral Shores senior Jackson Hilson.

4. Toeing the line in a head-to-head battle.

5. Seniors Cory Vandehoof of Key West and Clayton Conley of Coral Shores battle it out in Tavernier.

6. Key West’s Jaydon Edwards takes a shot.

7. Conchs Dylan Olive and Reece Holtkamp celebrate.

32

UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / MARCH 25, 2021

#sold

+1 305 393 4061 nancy.hershoff@evrealestate.com Engel & Völkers Islamorada 90773 Old Highway, Suite 5, Tavernier, FL 33070