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“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” — Henry David Thoreau

September 23, 2021

IN GOOD HANDS

KEY WEST CITY MANAGER HIT THE GROUND RUNNING | P. 7

WHO CAN VOTE IN FLORIDA? MORE PEOPLE THAN YOU MIGHT THINK | P. 4

A SALUTE TO FOOD AND LOCAL SPECIALS | P. 11

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

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

The percentage of Monroe County residents ages 12 and over who received the COVID-19 vaccine is at 79, per the latest Florida Health Department report. That’s the third-highest percentage in the state, with Miami-Dade County leading the way at 90% and Broward County at 80%. In total, 54,144 Monroe County residents have received either the two-shot Moderna or Pfizer, or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

ON THE COVER Eliza Silva, a server at Casa Marina Resort’s Sun Sun Beach Bar & Grill serves an heirloom tomato salad with burrata cheese, peaches and pesto. See page 13. NICK DOLL/ NickDollPhotography.com

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FLORIDA VOTING LAWS FAIL TO DEFINE RESIDENCY

Voters need not live in Florida for any length of time MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

ost people know only legal residents of Florida can vote here. And many people assume the same rules used to establish residency in Florida for tax purposes also determine voter eligibility.

But that’s not the case. Did you know, according to the Florida Division of Elections, “legal residency is not defined by law.” In its 2018 Voter Residency Guide, the Florida Division of Elections goes on to state, “However, over the years, the courts and the Florida Department of State/Division of Elections have construed legal residency to be where a person mentally intends to make his or her permanent residence for purposes of voter registration.” Yes, you read that correctly. “State law (in Florida) does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible to vote,” states the nonprofit website Ballotpedia. Florida does require people to live here for more than six months (commonly referred to as the 183-day rule) in order to claim the Sunshine State as their primary residence for purposes of avoiding state income tax elsewhere or claiming a homestead exemption on a Florida residence. Such residency requirements are investigated and enforced by county property appraisers throughout Florida. But for purposes of voting in Florida, the residency requirements are much less stringent, and often are

based largely on the honor system. The supervisor of elections in each Florida county typically must believe people when they say, for example, that they live in Key West or in Monroe County. “We do have a lot of very fortunate people in Monroe County, and elsewhere in Florida, who have two, three or four homes,” Monroe County Supervisor of Elections Joyce Griffin told the Keys Weekly on Sept. 21. “Those people have to pick where they will vote and where their place of residence is. I usually advise those people to contact their lawyer, because chances are, the attorney has designated one of their homes as a primary residence for tax purposes.” Griffin added, “We also have people who are only here a week of the year, but they vote here. But I have no legal powers. I know there is ugly in the world and I know there are liars. But some people simply don’t know the law.” A 2016 article in the Sun Sentinel states that perhaps too much of Florida’s voter registration process is based on the honor system. Griffin said she doesn't think the issue is a widespread problem in continued on the next page

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

Monroe County, and she said she and her staff work hard to ensure the integrity of all elections. She encourages anyone who suspects voter fraud to contact her office — they can remain anonymous — with a name for her to research. Griffin added that the national Electronic Registration Information Center, known as ERIC, will help identify voter fraud or double voting, which occurs when people vote in two different states. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in August 2019 that Florida would join ERIC, which is a voluntary program meant to ensure election integrity. But Florida had not completed its registration with ERIC prior to the November 2020 general election, according to a September 2020 story by WPTV in West Palm Beach. Florida is now a member of ERIC, according to the ERIC website. Former Key West city commissioner Margaret Romero also is hopeful that ERIC will help identify voters who don’t live where they vote. Romero recently sent a letter to the governor, the attorney general, Florida Keys State Rep. Jim Mooney and Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez. In the letter, Romero points out the lack of clarity in Florida’s voter residency laws and urges the state lawmakers to “require that each Florida voter is a legal Florida resident and does not vote in any other state or county.” “There is no definition of what constitutes a legal resident of Florida as pertains to voting in Florida,” Romero writes. “The voter registration application form indicates that you must be a Florida resident, along with being a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old. Nothing stipulates the requirements of residency. Nothing says you cannot be registered to vote in more than one county or state. “The form requires Florida driver’s license number or Florida identification card number, or the last four digits of the social security number. These are only for identification purposes and not for proof of Florida residency. Also of note: If the applicant is 65 or older, they need not show a photo ID.”

This lack of clarity, Romero writes, “provides an excuse for supervisors of election to say things like ‘I just have to believe what they say’ when a perceived voting violation is brought to their attention. … The absence of definition 1.) creates an environment where deception and misrepresentation go unchecked, 2.) facilitates voter fraud/cheating, and 3.) diminishes the integrity and value of valid voters who actually live in the precinct, county or state.” “How does one prosecute or rectify the situation if there is no definition or set standards of what rules are being broken?” she asks in her letter, but she has not received a response. Election watchers in other Florida counties have shared similar concerns for several years. A January 2016 article in the Sun Sentinel, states, “All this talk of voter fraud all these years and it turns out Florida election officials might have been looking in the wrong place. The problem isn't just felons or non-citizens improperly casting ballots; it's also well-off snowbirds with homes in two states who are registered — and voting — in both states. “At least that's what a local data analyst has discovered, as he found dozens of Broward and Palm Beach County voters (and about 50 statewide) also cast ballots in New York, New Jersey and North Carolina in the 2014 general election. “‘This shows there can be just as much fraud with people who are better off,’ said Andrew Ladanowski, an information technology consultant from Coral Springs. “Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes said being registered in two states is not a crime, and that the voting law needs clarification. “‘I think it should be one person, one vote, but I think our statute should be clearer on that,’ Snipes said. ‘The way it's written now, I think the whole thing is a legal loophole.’”

STAFFING SHORTAGES LEAD TO OUTSOURCING

KEY WEST HIRES CONSULTANTS TO SUPPLEMENT PLANNING DEPARTMENT MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

he city of Key West has had to outsource its planning department — at least temporarily — due to staffing shortages in one of the city’s busiest departments. City Manager Patti McLauchlin has hired the Corradino Group, a national, but Florida-based, company that provides urban planning, engineering and environmental consulting services to government agencies. The company has done previous work for the city and will now handle much of the day-to-day planning responsibilities, including site reviews, staff reports and interpretations of the city’s development laws to determine whether a construction project is feasible. “They’ll primarily be doing things virtually unless we pay them extra to come down here, but they’ll handle our development reviews for the time being,” McLauchlin said. “They can also handle any changes we need to make to our Comprehensive Plan, which guides all development in Key West,” said planning director Katie Halloran, who remains in the city’s in-house department. McLauchlin said she hopes the Corradino contract for dayto-day planning services will be temporary, just until the city approves its new salary schedule and hopefully recruits new planning professionals. “That department is one of the toughest with regard to turnover, recruitment and retention,” McLauchlin said.

The Evergreen consulting company that recently completed a salary study for the city acknowledged the difficulties in recruiting young planning professionals for those jobs. Jeff Ling, CEO of Evergreen, told the city commissioners that some municipalities have started offering signing bonuses for those hard-to-fill positions. Halloran plans to provide the city’s appointed planning board with a report about the Corradino Group’s new role at next month’s planning board meeting. In the past, the group has worked as consultants on specific projects, and will still be consulted on initiatives such as the city’s regulation of recreational rental vehicles, and the redevelopment of Peary Court, where developers want to add 48 units. “Some would be new builds and some would be created by splitting existing two-bedroom units into one-bedroom units,” McLauchlin said. According to the city’s website, the planning department “works with the community to craft policy documents, such as the adopted Comprehensive Plan, that guide future actions. We also work to create regulations to implement policy directives through the adopted Land Development Regulations (LDRs). On a day-to-day basis, our staff meets with the public to help interpret regulations, explain development approval processes, and discuss specific projects.”

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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hosts and Gravestones Key West has made the 2021 USA TODAY 10 Best Readers Choice Awards for Best Ghost Tour. Nominees are chosen by a panel that includes a combination of editors from USA TODAY; editors from 10Best.com; contributors; and sources for both these media and other Gannett properties. All voting is done digitally. Ghosts & Gravestones Frightseeing Tour offers guests an evening excursion into Key West’s strange and macabre past. Key West, originally known as Cayo Hueso or “Isle of Bones,” is one of the most haunted cities in the United States. Along their journey, guests learn about lo-

cal legend Robert the Doll — the most haunted child’s plaything in the world. They ride past forgotten burial grounds, the eerie Marrero Mansion, the ominous Artist’s House, and even explore the Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum’s eerie basement. They hear the bizarre story of the Count Von Cosel and his beloved Elena, as well as grave-robbing, murder and mayhem, and ride the Trolley of the Doomed exploring the dark side of our island city. Tours depart nightly beginning at 7 p.m. through 10 p.m. Reservations are required. More information is at ghostsandgravestones. com/key-west. — Contributed

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

CITY MANAGER PATTI MCLAUCHLIN LOOKS BACK ON HER FIRST MONTHS ON THE JOB

MANAGING QUITE WELL MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

atti McLauchlin has seven bosses, 520 or so employees and 25,000 shareholders, and she answers to all of them on a near-daily basis. But the Key West city manager found some time on Sept. 21 to sit down with the Keys Weekly and review her first few months on the job. McLauchlin has been doing the job of city manager since her predecessor Greg Veliz departed City Hall on April 16 for a position with Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority. She was dubbed interim city manager for a while, while the city commissioners decided what sort of a search they should conduct for Veliz’s replacement. But then a search committee composed of members appointed by the commissioners — and Veliz — heartily recommended McLauchlin for the full-time manager position. She signed a two-year contract in June with an option to extend it for two years. McLauchlin had worked for the city of Key West for 40 years in various departments before taking the reins as city manager. “I think we’ve hit the ground running, and I’m truly excited to be part of what we’re doing in the city right now,” she told the Keys Weekly while thumbing through a stack of ongoing, completed and still-to-come projects and programs. No matter how many items she checks off, the woman’s to-do list never gets shorter. “But I’m excited about so many things that are happening, both internally and outside in the city,” she said, adding that the city recently approved its long-awaited strategic plan that outlines goals and objectives. “I think the most important part of that plan is that we listened to our employees and to our community,” she said. McLauchlin has also been commended for listening to restaurant owners with regard to the city’s new Sidewalk Cafe program, which will be officially unveiled next month, but is already underway, with restaurants placing tables outside to help with social distancing during the pandemic.

Key West City Manager Patti McLauchlin has an unending to-do list, but is humbled by the support she’s received on the job. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg Late Supreme Court Justice

“Todd Stoughton, assistant city manager, has been instrumental to me, with the cafe program and many other initiatives,” McLauchlin said. “I really have a great staff.” McLauchlin is also proud of the calmness she feels she has brought to City Hall. “I think I bring balance and a calmness that wasn’t always here before,” she said, adding that she has installed a suggestion box for city employees and started writing an internal employee newsletter twice a month called “Patti’s Pen.” She also organized the first employee picnic at the amphitheater on Aug. 7 for staff and their families. “The Evergreen salary study is something near and dear to my heart,” McLauchin said, referring to a comprehensive comparison of salaries paid by the city versus Monroe County, Keys Energy Services, the aqueduct authority and the local sheriff’s office. City salaries, the report found, lag behind other public employers by 12% to 17%, a gap that is being corrected in upcoming budgets.

“I was adamant about seeing this through and getting us caught up in order to recruit and retain good people,” she said. “And I give the utmost praise to Mark Finigan and the finance team for finding money in the budget to start implementing the new pay schedules.” Outside City Hall, things are happening as well. The city is finally making headway on the workforce housing that’s been planned for the final 3.2 acres of Truman Waterfront. Duval Street and Mallory Square are in line for a significant makeover and McLauchlin wants to turn White Street Pier into a more inviting space for locals and families. “I hope to see both Mallory Square and White Street Pier come alive for our locals and visitors.” Despite days of overwhelming emails, updates and inquiries, McLauchlin seems to be comfortable in her element. “I’ve been so humbled by the support I’ve received from the community, the city staff and the commission,” she said. “People are constantly thanking me for listening, and I think that’s a huge part of my job before making decisions.” When it is time to decide, McLauchlin finds herself glancing up at the quote that hangs on her office wall by the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.”

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

SUAREZ VIES FOR SCHOOL BOARD

FORMER TEACHER SAYS MASKS FOR STUDENTS A PERSONAL CHOICE FOR PARENTS JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

parent of six kids, a teacher for 10 years and a current prosecutor for the Monroe County State Attorney’s OfAlexandria Suarez fice is putting her name forth for a school board seat. Life hasn’t slowed down for Alexandria Suarez since her run for state representative last year. This past week, the Key Largo resident and prosecutor who works in Marathon secured a guilty verdict in a driving under the influence case. Next month, she’ll be getting married to her fiance of eight years. Add to that a run for school board, and Suarez said she’s excited for an opportunity to bring her experience and knowledge to the community, if elected. Suarez recently filed for the school board’s District 5 seat, which is currently held by Sue Woltanski and will be up for election in November 2022. Suarez’s education resume includes teaching at-risk students and working with special-needs students. She’s also spent a number of years teaching middle schoolers in the Miami-Dade School District. Suarez said she was part of a committee that evaluated magnet schools, which specialize in an area study or teaching method. She was also a lead facilitator of the Socratic learning curriculum in middle school, which focused on critical thinking among students. “I have this background that just fits perfectly,” she said. “I have all this vast experience in education, and with everything going on around us, our students are under a lot of pressure. “Being a member of the community and wanting to give back, in what capacity am I able to do it well? Education is the right fit,” she continued. “It’s in my wheelhouse.” A unique community and learning opportunities for students not seen in other school districts were among the factors that enticed Suarez to run for school board. But she acknowledges the many challenges faced by school boards, especially when members con-

tinue to navigate through an ongoing pandemic. Overall, Suarez said she can bring the knowledge and perspective from the sides of a parent and a teacher. “A lot of times, it’s very easy for people to point the finger at teachers. At the end of the day, you need to let them do their job. You need to let them do what they do best, which is teach,” she said. “There’s no better way than another teacher on the school board to be able to support them.” She also said there should be no polarity and adversity with “private versus public” within the school district. Each school has an opportunity to offer programs and curriculum that parents want their kids to be in, Suarez said. Suarez said she’s committed to the issues facing parents and students in the community. Discussions continue over mask mandates and vaccinations, and Suarez anticipates those issues continuing if she’s elected. Suarez served on a pediatric and pulmonary team while teaching. “The school board has the authority to do certain things and doesn’t have authority to do other things. We need to make sure we’re not only staying in our lane as a school board, but we’re also not marginalizing anyone whether it’s parents or students. We’re all in this together,” she said. Asked what approach she’d take when it comes to masks, Suarez said it’s a personal decision with many factors considered. She said the parents are in the best position to understand what’s right and what works for their own children. “You don’t know what child has to visit an allergist, has asthma or has some other type of issue that won’t fit into ‘to mask or not to mask.’ We should be there to support the safety of our children, but at the same time not be so blind sided to marginalize our parents and the stakeholders in that child’s life who are in the best position to say what they need and don’t need,” she said. Suarez also touched on the ongoing problems of retaining teachers in a county with a high cost of living. She said the school board’s done a good job in coming up with ways to create housing that’s affordable for teachers and staff. With slight bumps in salaries, Suarez said more is needed to retain people who are hired. “It would be a great way to have our own community not leave us after everything’s invested in them. Ideally, it would be great to have our own students who want to come back to the community and want to teach or run for school board,” she said. “And when you do have to recruit from the outside, they are able to stay here.”

WITH COVID NUMBERS DOWN, SCHOOL MASK MANDATE TO STAY AS IS

Board members say masking debate has become ‘political’ CHARLOTTE TWINE

charlotte@keysweekly.com

t first, the Sept. 21 Monroe County School Board meeting was deceptively “normal,” much like the meetings had been before the pandemic. There were no updates from the health department about rising COVID numbers. No long list of public speakers itching to sound off about the current mask mandate and parental opt-out (OK, five speakers mentioned masks). District staff shared news about a May 23 completion date for the new Sugarloaf Elementary school and raises for nonunion staff. But then… The time came for board members to speak freely during the Reports segment of the meeting. And the members got a bit testy. Board member Mindy Conn asked permission from the legal department to speak directly to fellow board member Sue Woltanski. Permission was granted, as the meeting was publicly advertised, and Conn turned to Woltanski. “Last night I had a constituent come up to me and they were very upset because they feel like the school board’s doing a really good job, and they heard you on the radio saying you were disappointed with your fellow school board members and their decision making,” Conn said. “And I have to say that I’m disappointed that you’re bringing your personal politics to school board meetings.” At the Sept. 7 board meeting, Conn said the continuous harping on masking had become political. At that same meeting, Woltanski had fought to oppose Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order protecting a parent’s right to decide on masks, and she made a motion for everyone to wear facial covering indoors, with an opt-out by medical necessity only, due to “our status being extremely high.” No board member seconded her motion. Back to the Sept. 21 meeting, the board moved on to discuss the mask mandate. In previous meetings, when positive COVID cases were rising in the county in August, the board decided to revisit the mask mandate for teachers,

staff and children, with parental opt-out, every two weeks. Board chairman John Dick said that since positive cases were going down in the county, he felt the board should no longer revisit the mask mandate every two weeks. He suggested just keeping the current policy with a parental opt-out as it is and discussing it when “we determine it’s necessary.” “Some of the people think the board is doing a political maneuver and they’re not thinking about the children. Well, quite frankly, I think it’s quite the opposite,” Dick said. He agreed with Conn that recent discussions had leaned too heavily on masking and as an example stated that England has decided to stop masking in schools. Instead, the country’s children are tested at home two or three times a week. “It seems like I’m the only person in the world that knows that Florida was given two-thirds of a billion dollars to do (COVID testing),” he said. “Where the money is, no one seems to know. You can’t get a straight answer. I think a lot of the reason why it’s not happening is they want to keep doing this mask challenge. … It’s all political.” “I don’t believe the comments earlier reflect what I said on the radio yesterday,” Woltanski said in retort to Conn. “I understand my role as a school board member that when we agree to something, I stick to it. And that is what I said at the school board. Of course, I proposed something because I hoped it would be considered. And if someone recognized my disappointment in that, that’s fine, but I did clearly state that I would follow what the board decides.” In the end, Dick made a motion to keep the mask mandate with parental opt-out and only bring it back to discuss if needed, rather than every two weeks. The motion was seconded by Conn. The motion passed 4 to 1, with board member Andy Griffiths voting against.

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

A JACK OF ALL TRADES

ack Louden, a little known treasure here in the Florida Keys, brings to mind the term Renaissance man. He hails from both Darby, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware. His formal is in choral studSHANNON P. education ies but he is also a naturally WILEY gifted lyricist and performer. Louden earned his masShannon Wiley is ter’s degree from Georgia a native Floridian born in Hialeah, State University in Atlanta. Florida. He’s an After teaching in Georartist, muralist, gia for a large part of his graphic designer, teacher and coach. career, he found his way to the Florida Keys. He and his He currently lives in Marathon with wife Lynne made a home his two children. for themselves on Big Pine Besides painting, Key where the surrounding he enjoys all the scenery and wildlife inspire wonders of the them both as artists. He is Florida Keys. a proud father of four and when asked what he enjoys most about photography he shared: “I love being out there in the wild just experiencing nature.” Louden, the quintessential lover of life, brings his unique spirit to each of the many disciplines and projects he pursues. I am proud to have had the pleasure of working with him for the past three years at Stanley Switlik School in Marathon. Louden built a wonderful music program at Switlik teaching youngsters to sing songs, play countless instruments, and even experience drama while they learned performing arts skills. This year he retired from teaching, truly a loss for us,

but those who know Louden are well aware he will not be slowing down. He still plans to tutor in music when needed. He also continues his work as a professional pianist, sharing his faith and his talents with two of our local Catholic churches, something he has done for the past several years. Despite his rather full plate, Louden used the start of the pandemic as a way to kick-start his newest endeavor, photography. Shortly after purchasing the photo equipment and his beloved Nikon camera, he began sharing snapshots of majestic Keys sunsets, water birds nestled among mangrove trees, and adorable Key deer nibbling berries edging the Big Pine Key preserves. Some of his newest additions to his collection are photos of local landmarks, Conch-style and shotgun houses, colorful illuminated docksides, and even all our favorite bridges connecting us with our neighbors. His chosen subjects keep expanding along with Jack’s extensive product line. His matted and framed photos, printed greeting cards, and much more, are available for purchase at Guild Hall Gallery, 614 Duval Street in Old Town, Key West. His prices range from just a few dollars for note cards and coffee mugs, to several hundred dollars for his vivid reproductions applied to canvas and aluminum surfaces. You can see his work online at www.JackLoudenPhotography.com. Top: Photographer Jack Louden is inspired by his surroundings. CONTRIBUTED Center: Louden’s photos are available on notecards as well as framed prints. JACK LOUDEN/Contributed Bottom: Birds are a particular source of fascination for the photographer. JACK LOUDEN/Contributed

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

Weekly staff report

FALL FLAVORS FILL THE FLORIDA KEYS KEYS WEEKLY CELEBRATES PARTNERS THIS SEPTEMBER

eptember in the Florida Keys brings the first day of fall, but not falling temperatures. That usually happens in October. But the most-anticipated seasonal change comes with local specials in local restaurants. Whether it’s a BOGO entree, an extended happy hour or half-price pasta, September is the month for locals to enjoy the culinary creations of our friends and neighbors, while restaurant and bar owners often show their appreciation with fall food and drink specials. Some local specials last through September, while others are offered all year long. The Keys Weekly adds our own gratitude this month to our restaurant partners by reminding readers of some of the best spots in town to enjoy refreshing drinks, fresh seafood, prime steaks, decadent desserts and so much more. Prices, menus and specials are always subject to change, and some places take a well-deserved vacation in September, so please check a restaurant’s website or social media for the most up-to-date options. And then, pull up a seat and enjoy the best of these local businesses: DJ’s Clam Shack Poke’ In The Rear Rams Head Southernmost Bistro 245 Two Friends Patio Cafe Sole Square Grouper (re-opens Oct. 7) Little Whitehouse Subs Roostica Bel Mare White Tarpon Berlin’s Alonzo’s Oyster Bar A&B Lobster House Four Marlins Sun Sun at the Casa Marina Green Pineapple Wellness Cafe Mangoes Tavern n Town LL’s Test Kitchen One Love Food Truck The Moosepit

Bagatelle Matt’s Stock Island Sloppy Joe’s Dockside The Pepper Pot Southernmost Beach Cafe Hogfish Duetto Beards & Brews Better Than Sex The Funky Rooster Firefly Tiger Bar Champagne Room One Duval at Pier House La Trattoria The Roost 22& CO Sandy’s Cafe The Gardens Great Lakes Coffee @ The Perry Wahlburgers Sarabeth’s

1. Bel Mare serves local homemade pasta, coastal Italian cuisine, stunning waterfront views and September specials for locals. CHE ANDRE/Contributed 2. White Tarpon’s Key lime martini is legendary. ANNIE BRIENING/Overseas Media Group 2. Ramshead Southernmost offers nightly dinner specials, including local, pan-fried yellowtail snapper. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

BUSINESS MINDS KEY WEST CHAMBER HOSTS COVID PANEL DISCUSSION

he Key West Chamber of Commerce luncheon was a busy one on Sept. 22 at the Opal Key Resort & Marina. Chamber president Suzanne Moore announced that the business organization has increased its membership to become “500 strong,” thanks to the efforts of its membership committee. Moore also introduced the 2022 chamber board members and officers. Moore will retain the president’s gavel for another year, and will be joined by treasurer Karen Sharp; secretary Diane Schmidt, 2nd vice president Brittany Snyder, 1st vice president Patricia Neyra and past president Greg Sullivan. The luncheon included a panel discussion about COVID, its prevention, treatment and presence in Monroe County. Monroe County Health Department administrator Bob Eadie, Lower Keys Medical Center CEO David Clay and Pat Lefere, the school district’s director of operations and planning, each discussed current trends and statistics in their agencies, with some good news — finally — to share. Lower Keys Medical Center is at its lowest patient positivity rate in a long time, Clay said. “Things are looking up and our numbers are going down,” Eadie said. “But there is still a great deal of COVID being transmitted in Monroe County,” where 79% of residents are vaccinated, he said. Lefere added to the encouragement by reporting that 43% of eligible students are vaccinated. “We do believe the numbers are plateauing,” he said, adding that quarantine protocols for students who have been in close contact with COVID continue to be a challenge. “One of our biggest concerns is the impact of sending students home, as we learned pretty quickly in March 2020 that virtual learning is not as effective as in-person instruction.” — Weekly staff report

The Island Holistic Trainer COMPLEMENTARY CONSULTATIONS

3 1. Key West Chamber of Commerce President Suzanne Moore thanks the panelists who spoke at Wednesday’s luncheon. From left, Monroe County Health Department administrator Bob Eadie, Moore, Lower Keys Medical Center CEO David Clay and Pat Lefere, the school district’s director of operations and planning. ANNIE BRIENING/Overseas Media Group 2. Patricia Neyra, co-chair of the membership committee, welcomes several new members to the Key West Chamber of Commerce. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly

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3. The Key West Chamber of Commerce packs the house at Opal Key Resort for its September membership luncheon. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly 4. Lower Keys Medical Center CEO David Clay is able to share some encouraging news about COVID positivity rates at the hospital. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly 5. Past president Greg Sullivan talks up the Key West Chamber of Commerce upcoming golf tournament during the Sept. 22 luncheon at Opal Key Resort & Marina. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly

SARAH BIBEAU

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

e are early into the NFL season, when every fan remains hopeful that this year is THE YEAR their team lands in the Super Bowl. And here in south Florida, nothing beats the blind optimism of loyal and faithful Miami Dolphins fans, who last made it to the big game in 1984. Always here to help, we offer the …

SIGNS THE DOLPHINS WILL LIKELY NOT WIN THE SUPER BOWL 10. Because the last time they made it to the big game, “Owner of a Lonely Heart” was the #1 song in America and Ronald Reagan just embarked on a second term.

6. Because you just logged more yardage on your Fitbit walking to the mailbox and back than starting running back Myles Gaskin has recorded through two games.

9. It’s never a good sign when your owner is recruiting a quarterback facing 22 lawsuits over allegations of sexual misconduct to replace your current starting “franchise” quarterback.

5. Because nothing has gone right ever since Marino and Snowflake were kidnapped. #ace

8. Because team owners Venus and Serena Williams won more titles before age 19 than the Dolphins have logged in their lifetimes. 7. Because your previous owner, who also owned Blockbuster, used a similar “business adaptation approach” for both companies.

4. Because Ryan Tannehill is still on his “it wasn’t me, it was you” kiss-myass tour in Tennessee. 3. Because there was only one Don Shula and will never be another. #respect 2. Because you made Hootie cry. #Hootiecurse 1. Because it is the Miami Dolphins

CATCHING UP WITH CORAL Reef gets in-depth interview with sheriff’s K9

Monroe County Sheriff’s K9 Coral. MCSO/Contributed

i friends! Reef the fox here for another weekly edition of “Reef’s Report,” and boy, do I have a special treat. As many may know, I have friends in high places, and I reached out to my good friend K9 Coral from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office to see if she would be interested in sitting down for an exclusive interview. R: Hi Coral! It’s been a long time. Last time we saw each other I was just a young fox and we all had our photos taken with Sheriff Rick Ramsay. Such a cool day. I know I smelled kind of funny, I’m not partial to baths. I have some questions for you. First off, I am dying to know, where were you born because you sort of have an exotic flare about you! C: Hi Reef, yes, you do smell funny… I was born in Columbia and… R: Oh my goodness. I knew it. I just knew you weren’t from around here. Your fur is so luxurious and you are so mysterious, yet charming and funny. So when did you start working with MCSO? And did you always know you wanted to be a police K9? C: I started training and working with the Sheriff’s Office in September 2020 and yes, I always wanted to be a police K9. R: So what is your favorite part of the job? C: Going to work with my dad and playing with my Kong toy! R: What is your favorite treat? C: Dingos! R: Dingos? What the heck are dingos? I’ve never had a Dingo! Mom, K9 Coral gets Dingos. I want Dingos. If she is eating them and gets to be a

cop, then maybe if I eat them I can be the first fox cop in the history of the MCSO. C: Um, Reef… R: Sorry, sorry, back to the interview. What is your REEF favorite toy? THE FOX C: My KONG! R: Oh yes, the Reef is a red fox KONG. They are that was saved tough toys and I from a fur farm. often have trouble He now lives in Key Largo with his destroying them. I human, Nicole prefer softer and Navarro. more vulnerable toys that I can easily tear apart. So how many hours of beauty sleep do you get a night? C: If I’m not working, I get eight hours, I sleep a lot. R: Girl, me too. I sleep from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day and then get to disrupting when the sun goes down. I am a nocturnal beast. Now for the serious stuff. Have you ever met anyone famous and what is the coolest thing you’ve ever sniffed with your snoot? C: I’ve met a lot of federal agents and other members of law enforcement and I am a pro at sniffing out and shredding coconuts. R: Last question and then I’ll let you get back to work. Do you have any advice for other canines looking to get into law enforcement? C: Stay out of trouble and get ready for all the petting that comes with being a good doggo. R: Welp, then that counts me out. I can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Thanks so much for talking to me, Coral. You are one cool K9 and you have such an important job! Special thank you to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office for their contribution to this interview. Now for a cool event that’s happening soon: The Good Health Clinic is hosting its 9th annual Luau For Health on Oct. 2 at Dolphins Plus Bayside in Key Largo. The Good Health Clinic is the collaborative entity that works with over 100 medical provider volunteers throughout South Florida. Patients receive top-notch primary care within our clinic and benefit from care coordination and access to countless medically necessary services donated by their generous partners. To find out more and get tickets go to goodhealthclinic.org. I wonder if I can go and meet a dolphin? Anywho, that’s all for this week’s report! I hope you enjoyed it. Remember, you can find me and all of my fox family at pawsitivebeginnings.org and you can email me directly at reef@ pawsitivebeginnings.org if you have any fox-related questions.

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

SPORTS & MORE RALPH MORROW

RALPHIE HENRIQUEZ: KEY WEST’S LEGENDARY BASEBALL FAMILY LIVES ON

orty-five states and 12 years spent trying to make it to the Big Leagues, then ... a veteran sports one more year spent helping others columnist, says reach the same goal. And then it was the only sport over. It was time for Ralphie Henriquez to he doesn’t follow is cricket. That come home. leaves plenty His middle name is Manuel. So is his of others to fill father’s. His grandfather’s, too. And perhaps his time. his great grandfather’s. That would make him ralphmoro1936 Ralph Henriquez IV. But somewhere along the @gmail.com way, he became Ralphie — a catcher with a world of promise. Ralphie the catcher in 2005 led Key West to its 11th state championship and days after that, he was a second-round amateur draft selection by the Houston Astros — the 72nd player selected. He was a valued selection, so well thought of that the Astros put a bonus of $485,000 in the 18-year-old’s bank account. There were some good seasons along the way, good enough that he played in AAA leagues, just one step below the coveted major leagues. Ralphie’s most noted minor league batting appearance came on June 19, 2008, when ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte came in as a reliever for the Staten Island Yankees against Ralphie’s Brooklyn Cyclones. After walking the first batter, he faced the switch-hitting Henriquez. With Henriquez lined up to bat right-handed, Venditte moved to pitch right-handed. So, Ralphie moved to bat left-handed. They both alternated until the umpire forced Henriquez to bat with his right hand, and let Venditte pitch with his right. Ralphie struck out on four pitches to end the game. Ralphie played 12 seasons in the minor leagues, with farm teams from the Astros, Mets, Dodgers, Mariners and Pirates, then added another season, in 2017, as a coach in the Atlanta Braves system, primarily as a catching coach in the Gulf Coast League. It was there that he worked with a 16-year-old prospect from Venezuela. “He received a bonus of $4 million,” recalled Ralphie, marveling at the way bonuses had jumped since his payday. “I really enjoyed coaching with the Braves,” he explained. “But the next year, 2018, there was too much on my dad’s plate. I told the Braves that I needed to go home.” And so he did, essentially ending his playing as well as his pro coaching career. Now, he helps his mother, Dee Dee Henriquez, run Waterview Estates, a 14-unit long- and short-term rental operation, two trailer parks down from Boyd’s Campground off Maloney Avenue on Stock Island. His family purchased it in 2013. “We offer seven- and 28-day rentals,” he said. He’s also not far from youth baseball. He helps his father coach the Conch varsity and travels with Keys youth teams. He has plenty of opportunities to help

Ralphie Henriquez is enjoying ‘just living life in Key West.’ CONTRIBUTED

teenagers. This weekend, he was to be in Port Charlotte, along with three Keys youth teams and coaches Ralph Henriquez, T.J. Niles, Juanito Menendez, Brooks Carey and Doug Mientkiewicz, the latter the Coral Shores High School coach, who spent 13 years in the Majors and is one of five players who won gold medals at the 2000 Olympics as well as playing in the majors. The teams, while predominantly from Key West, also include players from up the Keys. Ralphie says his goal was always “Plan A, get to the big leagues. And if that doesn’t happen, Plan B — don’t let Plan A fail.” He says he’s all right with not getting to the major leagues. “I’m OK with that. I enjoyed every day, every game. I’m good. I worked hard. It wasn’t always about ability. Everybody can’t be Mike Trout.” “Now,” he says, “I’m just living life in Key West.” He says it’s different playing in Key West. “Here,” says Henriquez, “you play for a community, the history of the program. Everyone wants to beat Key West in Key West.”

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 A ruddy turnstone tries to blend in with the landscape on Big Pine Key. MARK HEDDEN/Keys Weekly

GETTING SLIPPED A MISSISSIPPI KITE

he sequence of events was this: I was riding my bike through the cemetery, I saw a couple of birds, I got a Toni Basil song stuck in my head. This was unexpected but also, in certain ways, largely predictable. I entered the cemetery via Frances Street, the entrance the sexton tried to close off a couple years ago to keep out the riff raff, passed the elongated Captain Outrageous plinth with its crouching MARK fairy-angel on top, then the Otto family plot with all HEDDEN the bricks, the small statue of their pet Key deer, and the headstone over their pet Yorkie, which had ... is a photographer, writer, and my wife’s favorite epigraph, “His little spirit was semi-professional a challenge to love.” I scared a few iguanas and birdwatcher. He watched them scurry into the crypts, dodged an has lived in Key oncoming car that was not inclined to share the West for more than 25 years and road, and was heading toward the turn that would may no longer go by the USS Maine memorial, when I saw it. be employable in It’s the first American kestrel of the season, I the real world. He thought, though before I even finished thinking it, I is also executive knew it wasn’t quite right. The bird had the pointed director of the Florida Keys Audu- wings, and at first glance it was sort of in the same bon Society. size range, but American kestrels have this mixture of lightness and intensity when they fly that comes across as part windblown leaf, part bullet. I thought briefly about the next biggest falcon we get in the Keys, the merlin, but a merlin’s flight pattern is also part windblown leaf, part bullet, if you skip the windblown leaf part, and that also didn’t match. Then I thought about the Peregrine falcons, but this bird wasn’t bulky enough and didn’t have the commanding musculature of the fastest animal on the planet. I stopped my bike and just watched the thing loop slowly overhead. The bird was backlit and in silhouette. Binoculars would have been useful. The loops were kind of effortless, imbued with a casual elegance, a poised refinement you don’t always see in falcons. Still though, the pointed wings … and I bounced around in the search pattern in my head, trying to cram an octagonal peg into a round hole, before I realized I was experiencing a very specific deja vu. I’d felt that exact confusion before, specifically while standing in a field on Long Point Key about 15 years before, the first time I’d seen one of these birds, and pretty much every time I saw my first one at the beginning of the migration season. Sure, pointed wingtips are diagnostic on a falcon, but the wings were lankier, the tail longer, which brought about the sense of mellow figure-skater grace. It was a Mississippi kite. Mississippi kites are middle-of-the-country birds, breeding in the Great Plains, along the Mississippi River, and a smattering of other places, including the Florida Panhandle. There’s a population of about 200,000 to 250,000, and in the fall, the vast bulk of them migrate through Mexico and Panama to South America. But a small handful every year take the Keys route. They count an average of 57 Mississippi kites every year at the Florida Keys Hawkwatch. (They count an average of 5,378 falcons.)

Mississippi kites’ flight patterns tend to be less aggressive than those of falcons because they don’t attack their prey – which consists mostly of insects, lizards and the occasional slow-witted songbird – so much as pluck it unsuspecting from tree branches and shrubs, or in midair. Which is not to say they are gentle creatures. Alexander Wilson, who first described the species to science in the 1800s, described handling an injured Mississippi kite and having it talon him to the bone. There’s a shorthand that birders use called bander’s codes (properly called alpha codes) – four letter abbreviations for bird names. Instead of writing out m-a-g-n-i-f-i-c-e-n-t f-r-i-g-a-t-e-b-i-r-d in your notebook, you write MAFR. It’s a real time saver, and if you hang around with birders enough, you’ll start to hear them out loud – a mourning dove is a MODO, a Peregrine falcon is a PEFA, a blackthroated blue warbler is a BTBW. There’s an official list organized and updated every year by the America Ornithological Society, but delving into it feels akin to reading tax law. They’re largely intuitive anyway, so I mostly wing it, though I have looked at codes I’d written down years before in old notebooks and had no idea what bird I was talking about. The Mississippi kite is as straightforward as it gets: MIKI. Toni Basil has had a long and illustrious career as a dancer and choreographer, working with David Byrne, David Bowie and several famous people not named David. (Her Wikipedia page is chock full of surprising facts, including that she choreographed all the crazy moves in the Talking Heads “Once in a Lifetime” video. Same as it ever was…) And there was a video that went viral a couple years ago of the then 74-year-old Basil busting a long series of age-defying dance moves. (It is impossible not to be impressed. See markhedden.com/notes for a link.) But anyone who had MTV in the early 1980s most likely knows Toni Basil from her high-energy, cheerleader-themed, one-hit-wonder hit, “Hey Mickey.” And standing there in the cemetery, watching the Mississippi kite slowly rise up and over the horizon, I knew there was no way to not hear her relentless earworm chant of the chorus stuck in my head… Oh MIKI / you’re so fine you’re so fine you blow my mind Hey MIKI / Hey MIKI It wasn’t a bad thing to have stuck there. And it was true. Which is good, because I knew I was going to be living in that moment for the rest of the day.

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

DON’T LET COVID DELAY MAMMOGRAMS EARLY DETECTION IS THE BEST PROTECTION A discounted self-pay rate is available through the month of October. Call 305-294-5535, Ext. 3308 for information.

reast cancer and other illnesses remain a risk for women, even during a pandemic. Unfortunately, due to concerns about the virus, many women have postponed their annual mammograms, which increases their risk of undetected cancer. Lower Keys Medical Center urges women who may have delayed their mammograms to schedule the screening now, because when breast cancer is detected early, life-saving treatment can begin immediately. “When screenings are delayed, diagnosis is delayed, and treatment is delayed,” said Dr. Stanley Santiago of Keys Medical Group’s Obstetrics and Gynecology. “The best chance for survival of any cancer is early diagnosis and treatment. Women should not be afraid to get a mammogram. Many stringent safety precautions have been put in place in our imaging center to protect everyone from COVID-19, so don’t put off a mammogram any longer.” October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As such, Lower Keys Medical Center has expanded the mammography hours of its Women’s Imaging Center in the Professional Building on 12th Street. The center will offer mammograms Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday, Oct. 16 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Early detection saves lives Nearly all breast cancers can be treated successfully if found early. The most effective way to detect breast cancer at an early, treatable stage is to have yearly mammograms. Since mammography became widely used in the 1980s, the U.S. breast cancer death rate in women has dropped by 43%. The American College of Radiology and Society of Breast Imaging recommend that all women, particularly AfricanAmericans and those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, should have a risk assessment at age 30 to see if annual screenings are needed before age 40. Women who were previously diagnosed with breast cancer should be screened with magnetic resonance imaging, an MRI. For women of average risk, annual mammograms are recommended starting at age 40, with no upper age limit as long as the woman is in good health. A screening mammogram can help detect breast cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages. COVID-19 safety measures For the protection of patients and staff, Lower Keys Medical Center pre-screens all patients for any COVID-19 symptoms, limits appointments to maintain social distancing, requires staff and patients to wear masks, and cleans frequently touched surfaces with greater frequency. Mammograms can be scheduled by calling 305-294-5535, Ext. 3308. — Contributed

BRIEFLY Bertha Street roadwork changes traffic patterns As Monroe County continues improvements on Bertha Street, motorists will have to adjust to some interrupted traffic patterns beginning next week. Weather permitting, work crews will move to the last block of Bertha Street, where it intersects with South Roosevelt Boulevard. Beginning Sept. 29, traffic on that block will be outbound only. This means motorists can head to the airport and other locations on South Roosevelt from Bertha. But motorists coming inbound to Key West from South Roosevelt must turn left and use either Flagler Avenue or North Roosevelt Boulevard to get to their destination. The work is expected to last into the first week in November, so Bertha Street will remain outbound only during that entire period.

Key West Chamber seeks Athena Award nominations The Key West Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications to honor a woman who exemplifies leadership in her profession and industry by presenting her with the Athena Award, sponsored by Niles Sales and Service. The recipient will have exhibited initiative and creativity enhancing the efficacy of her business or profession and the stability and improvement of the community. Lastly, the recipient will have demonstrated support of the goals of professional women and have provided unselfish assistance on their behalf. To nominate a local woman, contact Kerry Baker at the Key West Chamber at 305-294-2587 or membership@keywestchamber.org. The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, Nov. 19,

Books & Books sponsors student speaking competition Books and Books at The Studios of Key West will hold the Great Works Speaking Competition, a reading and performance contest open to high school students in Key West and the Lower Keys. It is free to enter. Participating students will select a work of writing from an author with a Florida Keys connection. They’ll prepare a short presentation about their selection, including an introduction of themselves and the work. On Oct. 16, each contestant will present their prepared work and read their selection to an audience at Hugh’s View Rooftop Terrace. A panel of judges will assess each contestant based their reasons for selecting that piece to eye contact and stage presence. Cash prizes are as follows: $750 for first place, $500 for second place, and $250 for third place. A suggested list of authors and online registration for the contest can be found at booksandbookskw.com/ great-works. Registration is open through Thursday, Oct. 14. Contact Emily Berg at emily@ tskw.org or 305-320-0208.

Big Pine Park hosts martial arts workshop On Saturday, Oct. 16, martial arts enthusiasts can visit the dojo at Big Pine Key Community Park, 31009 Atlantis Dr., for an aikido workshop by Southernmost Aikikai. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., participants can hone their skills with sensei John Duke and other senseis from Texas and Miami. The $40 workshop fee covers lunch for the day, and is only open to vaccinated individuals. For more information, contact John Duke of Southernmost Aikikai at 305-304-5100 or southernmostaikikai@gmail. com.

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

SCRAPE, SCRAPE, SCRAPE

REEL LIFE

FLORIDA RANKS 5TH IN FISHING SURVEY

Captain Mike points out that growth on your boat can cause a host of problems. CONTRIBUTED

unsets viewed from a boat, over cocktails with friends, are something akin to church attendance. If you are in a big harbor, you will likely hear one or more conch horns or maybe a bangsite cannon. If you are really lucky someone will blow “Call to Colors” followed by taps on a bugle. After the main event the temperatures cool down with a sea breeze as the land mass releases its stored-up heat. This is the time for good food and the inevitable conversations about our latest boating conundrums. The other night just such a conversation occurred with a fellow who claimed that he is having problems with his fuel economy. Further, that his boat trim tabs don’t seem to be operating correctly. His logical progression was to link the two problems, meaning that the trim tabs were creating drag and not allowing his hull to reach its normal efficiency. He assumed that the trim tab problem was a hydraulic issue and I agreed to bring some tools over to help resolve it. Now, hydraulic issues are really straightforward; you fix any leaks, bleed the system of air and voila, they start working again. I’m thinking this will be an easy situation and will absolutely require a sea trial to the Gulf Stream and Mahi for the next sunset. Unfortunately, as he boarded his dinghy to leave later in the evening I could not help but be amazed at the marine growth on it. I mean it had barnacles and green hair a foot long. Occam's Razor persuades us to spend our time trouble-shooting issues starting with solutions that require the fewest number of assumptions. After seeing how unkept his dinghy bottom was I couldn’t help wonder what his mother-

ship looked like. If the mother-ship (a 50-foot Bertram) had half the growth of his dinghy, that would explain all his problems. The next day I loaded up some CAPT. MIKE tools and, still bothBARBER ered by the growth observation, I Capt’n Mike has loaded an air bottle an undergraduate and hose. Upon ardegree in marine rival at his boat he technology and 50 years of sailing immediately invited me onboard. I told the oceans of the world. Currently, him that if he didn’t he visits the mind I would like to Florida Keys reefs jump in the water conducting eco and inspect his tours. trim tabs before we started messing with the hydraulics. I couldn’t tell if the expression on his face was puzzlement or amusement, but he said “knock yourself out.” I donned a mask and snorkel to have a cursory look. Occam’s Razor saved a lot of trouble-shooting. His hull was its own ecosystem and made his dinghy look clean. There was so much cretaceous growth on his trim tabs that it was a wonder that they moved at all. Three hours and two bottles of air later I was too worn out from scraping to even consider a sea trial. However, the next day the sea trial went great, the boat trimmed flawlessly, and the Mahi fillets were a wonderful addition to our story at sunset. His lesson learned, I let him scrape the dinghy himself.

Angler Doug Easter and his guide are ecstatic with a permit caught and released on fly tackle while fishing off Sugarloaf Key. STEVE BLY/Florida Keys News Bureau

ational Hunting and Fishing Day is fast approaching on Saturday, Sept. 25. Not all of America’s countless lakes, rivers, and shores are an angler’s paradise, but Florida recently ranked No. 5 among the best fishing states in the nation, topped by Alaska, Michigan, Maine and Rhode Island, in that order, according to a survey by LawnLove.com. The Sunshine State, however, ranked No. 1 for the number of fishing charters and guides, helped no doubt by the Florida Keys fishing fleet. Florida ranked second for amount of shoreline mileage and 13th for the number of bait and tackle shops per 100,000 residents. But Florida fell to 27th in terms of the affordability of fishing licenses, tags, permits and stamps. In ranking the best and worst states for fishing, the survey considered levels of community interest in the sport, an abundance of water sources, easy access to gear

and affordable fishing licenses, among other factors. The survey results have this to say about Florida fishing: “Between Rhode Island and Hawaii in our ranking falls subtropical Florida (No. 5), the self-proclaimed ‘Fishing Capital of the World’ and a tourist destination where fishing is a billion-dollar industry. Rev up your engines because the state is also the leading seller of powerboats. “Florida fell behind other states in cost (No. 27) and supplies (No. 39), meaning it’s a bit pricier to get your fishing permits. Bait and tackle shops also are lacking throughout the state. “Pro tip: Look but don’t reel by Florida’s coral reefs, where the delicate but important ecosystem is threatened by overfishing. Instead, opt for Key West, or ‘Fisherman’s Paradise.’ Here you can expect to find plentiful fish swimming through the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.” — Contributed

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

TWO-WHEELED FASHION

BIKE SAFETY GROUP SELLS CLOTHING DESIGNED FOR KEY WEST

HOME TURF

SOCCER FIELD GETS RESURFACED AT TRUMAN WATERFRONT PARK

The statewide Bicycle Action Committee sells bicycle clothing designed for participating cities, and then donates the profits back to the city for use on bike safety awareness programs. CONTRIBUTED

MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

re you a cyclist or athlete? Want to promote bicycle safety and awareness, as well as Key West, and look good while doing it? Road cyclist Richard Cahlin has launched a statewide nonprofit Bicycle Action Committee that encourages businesses and city governments to support bike safety and awareness. “Through the sale of city-specific bike clothing, the Bicycle Action Committee raises money to be given back to the cities to spend on local bike projects and initiatives,” states the organization’s website at bicycleactioncommittee.com. Cahlin launched the committee in 2008 to encourage “Share the Road” awareness, while acknowledging that both cars and bicycles have a responsibility toward each other to know and obey the rules.

“We partner with cities and put the city name, colors and city seal on high-performance bicycle clothing with ‘Share the Road’ messaging,” Cahlin told the Keys Weekly after Key West signed on to participate. “We raise the $6,000 or $7,000 from private sector donations to pay for the clothing, and then we donate any funds raised above that back to the city. We also donate 100 outfits to the cities to raffle off or give away at bicycle awareness events.” The committee is active in 20 Florida cities, but Cahlin, an accountant by trade, hopes to make the initiative nationwide as soon as he finds enough time. “I went through the proper channels with the city and got approved for Key West, and now I’m working with the Key West Chamber of Commerce to help spread the word,” Cahlin said. For more information, or to order an outfit, visit bicycleactioncommittee.com.

Crews lay the brand new turf on the soccer field at Truman Waterfront Park. CITY OF KEY WEST/Contributed

fter a delay due to baby birds, turf is being installed at the ballfield at Truman Waterfront Park, and the entire project is nearing completion. The project, termed Phase 1b, includes the rebuilding of the Shine Forbes Building, a dog park, the ball field, a concession stand, and new quarters for the police horses. Work continued on the building during the ballfield delay and is nearly complete, but in June the installation of the turf was put on hold. Least terns – a protected species – prefer to use large

gravel expanses as their rookery. When the old PAL gym was renovated to become the Shine Forbes Building, the gravel roof was done away with. However, the nearby gravel bed looked like the perfect nesting ground for a large number of terns. The nests were scattered across the field, and as the eggs hatched, fledglings were skittering around the gravel patch on new legs. Now that they’ve flown the nest, crews are installing turf, and a scoreboard will be installed. — Contributed

Left: Concession stands are always crowd pleasers at any athletic event. Right: New horse stables are a welcome addition to the waterfront.

Bart Kahler, Charles Cole and Anne Barnett in November 2020 celebrated the launch of Jump Start, a bike recycling program for homeless people, organized by Cornerstone Resource Alliance, which operates Key West’s homeless shelter. CAROL TEDESCO/Contributed

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

FLORIDA KEYS TABLE FOOD, DRINKS & PEOPLE

the menu. The skilled professionals who define our local hospitality industry do much more than mix creative cocktails and serve delicious meals. These hard-working men and women are ambassadors, social directors, travel advisors and unlicensed — but often effective — therapists. To celebrate our unique culinary culture, Keys Weekly brings you this bi-weekly

feature to highlight the food, libations and local personalities that define our “must-try” destinations across the Florida Keys. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a fifth-generation local, your options are endless. Indulge in something new or revisit a familiar favorite. And above all, support the local owners and loyal employees who are vital to our Keys communities.

CRAB CAKE Marathon Grill and Ale House “People rant and rave about this dish,” assistant general manager Tiffany Scibilia said. “It’s 90% crab meat, served with roasted red pepper aioli. It can be an app, an entree or a sandwich.” Chef Dan Payne said, “This is good crab meat, hard to get. I won’t reveal my source. But we only use jumbo lump crab meat here with no filler, all crab.” He’s right — the lumps are so big they fall off the fork when you dig in.

ALLEN HILL Café Solé, Key West Allen Hill has lived in Key West and worked in its top restaurants for 17 years. But he can’t say enough about Café Solé on Southard Street. “It’s a wonderful environment with great people and outstanding food,” said Hill, a native of Lexington, Kentucky. Café Solé’s signature hogfish entrée also happens to be Hill’s favorite dish. Chef/owner John Correa ensures the generous portion of flaky hog snapper is skillfully fileted, perfectly pan-fried and served atop an unforgettably decadent roasted red bell pepper hollandaise. The food, service and welcoming atmosphere bring locals and visitors back time and again to Café Solé, 1029 Southard St.

ALFALFA TRADITIONAL MEAD Keys Meads, Key Largo A sweet, traditional mead made from alfalfa honey, it’s aged 17 months in a used beer barrel, which creates a strong, distinct flavor that’s become a fan favorite. The more you consume it, the more you crave it. It’s made by winemaker Jeffrey Kesling Jr. at Keys Meads, located at MM 99.4 in Key Largo.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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Despite being the first resident on this stretch of US 1, in time new comers and developers arrived & began complaining about the “eyesore”. Papio was harassed and fined for his “junkyard” to the point that he was jailed six times by Monroe County for zoning violations. His response by the 1970’s was to weld sculptures from the piles of material lying around his property. With his junkyard art he opened “Stanley’s Art Museum”, charging 25 cents admission. His work was playful, satirical, and filled with social commentary often depictions directed towards his community adversaries. Papio’s popularity grew with; the public, art critics, museums and experts, all recognizing his genius, imagination, and uncanny welding skills. Eventually his outsider art placed him as one of Florida’s pioneering folk artists. Unlike many artists, Papio’s art was appreciated during his lifetime, and his works toured Europe & Canada with the U.S. State Department’s America Now exhibition. He is listed in the Directory of American Folk Art and The World Encyclopedia of Naive Art. Papio was offered a professorship at the University of Miami, but turned it down saying, “How can I teach this, when I don’t know what I’m doing!” Works Available on Approval & Concierge Services from Key West to Key Largo The Gallery on Greene | 606 Greene Street | Key West, Florida galleryongreene.com | 305-304-2323

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

MAKING BEAUTIFUL MUSIC Underwater fest brings tunes, marine life together

ea creatures and mermaids dipped below the surface for some music and entertainment during the annual Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival at Looe Key Reef. Located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, about 6 miles south of Big Pine Key, snorkelers and divers not only had the chance to view corals and marine life, but they also witnessed the “sub-sea” concert as mermaids and creatures played musical instruments. “Under the Sea” and the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” could be heard underwater through speakers placed beneath boats above the reef. Put on by the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce with coordination by US1 Radio 104.1 FM, the event highlighted the balance between enjoying the underwater beauty and keeping the environment clean and healthy. — Weekly staff report

1 2

ASHLEY SCHMIDT/Keys Weekly 1. From left, Ralph Welch as a music shark; Lynne. T. Murphy as a lobster; Amanda Quasunella as a sea cucumber; and Frank Gunn as a shrimp. 2. Musical shark Ralph Welch plays the guitar during the “sub-sea” concert. 3. Mermaids dive beneath the surface. 4. Mermaid “Wave” relaxes underneath the surface as lobster Lynne T. Murphy plays guitar. 5. Sea cucumber Amanda Quasunella plays a colorful guitar.

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

KEY WEST ENJOYS BOLD LEADERSHIP ON CRUISE SHIPS Dear Editor, Thanks to The Keys Weekly for your excellent coverage of cruise ships in the Keys. I am writing to dispute the assertions of John Wells on Sept. 16 against our Mayor Teri Johnston and the work done by Safer Cleaner Ships. He accuses her of being a mere “mouthpiece” for the “all false . . . lies and misinformation” of SCS. Wells also says she has “anti-cruise ship prejudice.” In fact, it is Mr. Wells who exhibits a vitriolic prejudice full of the real “false lies” concerning the development of the widely supported ordinance we the people, through our commissioners and city attorney, are crafting to limit the harmful effects we accurately believe cruise ships have on our environment and town. First, Mr. Wells attacks the mayor and SCS for providing a list of questions for our able City Attorney Shawn Smith to ask any potential outside legal adviser he and our commissioners would choose to hire as his assistant. These are eminently sensible questions, e.g., whether the potential adviser has “an existing legal relationship” with any of the three “bar pilots associations” benefiting from the cruise ships. Mr. Wells does not object to a single one of the 15 sensible questions. His fellow supporters could submit a similar set of questions, and Mr. Smith could make as much use, if any, of them as he wishes. Note the hard-working SCS committee is again acting to help our whole community, for free, with no financial benefits even remotely to be gained. Also note that Mr. Wells, in his honestly admitted profit-making position as a “Ship’s Agent,” is making no such helpful efforts on our behalf, but rather focuses his energy on denigrating those who are trying to help us all, just in order to protect the very

high salaries and dividends of the small number who benefit the most from ever-more cruise ships. Mr. Wells then compares SCS to Hitler — literally, not by name, but as the “Chancellor of Germany” — for spreading “lies ... not one (of which) has withstood close scrutiny nor scientific review.” In fact, the information the commissioners formally REQUESTED on turbidity and public health dangers is, unlike Mr. Wells’ group’s accusations, supported by 11 peer-reviewed scientific studies detailing the degradation of water quality and dangers of infectious diseases — COVID and the flu — presented by cruise ships. These scientific publications have appeared over the past 21 years, not just yesterday, so if even a single one of them had not “withstood close scrutiny nor scientific review,” cruise ship supporters have had plenty of time to critique them. Instead, the pro-cruise ship industry has not a single scientific objection to the wealth of damning studies of their ill effects. Instead, they just have Mr. Wells calling such work the product of “corrupted ... malevolent intent.” Mr. Wells, for shame. We should be thanking our attorney and commissioners for withstanding these continuing attacks by business interests whose only goal is to make windfall profits at the expense of our environment and public health. That is the bold leadership we need and are in fact getting from them. Sincerely, Rick Boettger Avid cruiser who bought a home in Key West in part because cruise ships always stop at the best towns, but who came to see with his own eyes the damage done by them to his favorite snorkel spots here, in St. Thomas, and around Turks and Caicos.

NEW FOX BUSINESS SHOW FEATURES KEY WEST ‘A MERICAN DREAM HOME’ FOLLOWS BUYERS MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

new home-buying show on FOX Business Network featured Key West and the Florida Keys in its premiere episode on Sept. 21 and is still available to stream. In the first episode of “American Dream Home,” a couple, Ty and Shelly Rogers, take a leap of faith, deciding to sell everything and move to the Keys from Los Angeles after a cross-country RV trip with friends had ended in the Southernmost City. The empty nesters were seeking an oceanfront dream home, and found it in Key West, although the episode also shows them looking at homes on Sugarloaf Key and Marathon with Realtor Matt Baldwin. “They now live the island life in their dream home, with iguanas that roam the property, and dolphins and fish right in their backyard,” show host Cheryl Casone told the Keys Weekly. “This home is their forever home and the Rogers love the floor-to-ceiling windows and amazing views. They enjoy the island lifestyle of paddleboarding, boating, fishing, jet skiing and watching the sun come up with their toes in the sand.” It’s their first home in the Keys, and they plan to live here full-time, Casone said, adding, “The view from their backyard is to die for.” The Florida Keys episode was filmed from June 29 through July 1, said Casone, who joined FOX Business Network when it launched in 2007. She has anchored coverage spanning the 2008 financial crisis to the real estate boom. Casone told the Keys Weekly she was thrilled to return to Key West to film the premiere episode of “American Dream Home” after spending “a sun-soaked weekend” here a few years ago. Casone said she fell in love with the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum and its resident cats during her first visit, and enjoyed “a few very large, slushy cocktails.” “American Dream Home” will air Tuesdays at 8 and 8:30 p.m. on FOX Business Network.

Cheryl Casone has been with FOX Business Network since 2007 and recently finished filming the network’s ‘American Dream Home’ in 20 locations across the country. CONTRIBUTED

The subsequent 19 episodes feature dream home seekers in locations that include: Blue Ridge, Georgia; New Smyrna Beach, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Destin and Gulf Breeze, Florida; Breckenridge, Durango and Vail, Colorado; Virginia Beach; Livingston, Montana; Captain Cook, Hawaii; Big Bear and South Lake Tahoe, California; Tucson, Arizona; North Topsail Beach, North Carolina; and Sevierviille, Tennessee. “American Dream Home” is one in a series of new primetime programming on FOX Business Network that “celebrates American industry and ingenuity,” said Lauren Petterson, president of the network. “Starting Sept. 20, the new long-form series lineup will showcase FOX News Media talent, including FBN’s Stuart Varney and Cheryl Casone as well as FOX Nation’s John Rich and Kacie McDonnell, all of whom will host new weekly programs for the network, while veteran television personality Mike Rowe will narrate.” “We are thrilled to introduce a new engaging and inspirational primetime lineup focused on success stories across key American industries to our loyal viewers,” Petterson said.

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 The last train to the Florida Keys. JERRY WILKINSON COLLECTION/Contributed

A STORMY END TO FLAGLER’S DREAM

Recounting the first and last train in the Keys

H BRAD BERTELLI ... is an author, speaker, and Florida Keys historian. His latest book, “The Florida Keys Skunk Ape Files,” is a fun blend of two of his favorite subjects–Florida Keys history and the Skunk Ape.

enry Flagler arrived in Key West on Jan. 22, 1912. Thousands attended the heralded event. One of those attendees was a 12-year-old boy named Marvin Thompson. Decades later, he wrote of his memories in an article printed in the Key West Citizen on March 6, 1967, called “The First and Last Trains.” Thompson described the fanfare associated with that celebrated day: “Many tents had been erected on the man-made desert that was Trumbo for the comfort of the thirsty and hungry throngs. Baked ham and pork sandwiches were consumed as fast as the church ladies could turn them out. Wooden wine barrels filled with Key lime juice mixed with sugar, syrup and cooled with chunks of ice made a limeade that could not be equaled. Guava pie and fresh coconut ice cream also hit the spot. Other raters on the menu were turtle stew, crawfish enchilada and conch chowder, topped off with genuine Key lime pie.” While 1912 was when Flagler reached the terminus of the Key West Extension of his Florida East Coast Railway, the date did not mark the completion of his Over-Sea Railroad. During Flagler’s trip in 1912, he traveled over temporary wooden trestle bridges when crossing Channel 2 and Channel 5 between Lower Matecumbe and Fiesta keys. The last of the permanent concrete bridges were completed in 1916, marking the official completion of the bridges and tracks connecting Key West to the mainland. The relatively short-lived life of the train to Key West was never the success Flagler imagined. The beginning of the end came with the opening of the New Orleans-based Seatrain line in 1929. Competition for business

between the two lines only intensified with the Great Depression. Because Flagler’s train and the train ferry operating between Key West and Havana were affiliated with the Florida East Coast Railway, the Interstate Commerce Commission assessed additional taxes on goods being shipped. Subsequently, Seatrain was able to offer cheaper shipping rates. As a result, the Florida East Coast shipping traffic substantially dwindled — nearly to nothing. With the railroad already a failing enterprise, the impending Category 5 hurricane that would go on to destroy 40 miles of track and bridges would only be the final nail in the Key West Extension’s already constructed coffin. As for what happened on Monday, Sept. 2, 1935, at 3:30 a.m., the Weather Bureau called the FERA office at the Matecumbe Hotel in Islamorada to relay the message, “Caution high tides and gales on Florida Keys.” Miami Daily News reporter William Johns called FERA officials at the hotel at 9:30 a.m. and talked to Ray Sheldon. Johns was told that if the weather got too bad, two trains in Miami were available to make the run to Islamorada and could arrive on three or four hours’ notice. Ernest Carson, of the Miami office at the Weather Bureau, called Sheldon at 10:30 a.m. to inform him that hurricane warnings had been issued in Key West. Sheldon told Carson that they would be evacuating the hundreds of veterans stationed in work camps at Windley Key and Lower Matecumbe. Sheldon called his boss, Fred Ghent, to get approval. On that day, Ghent slept in late and then went out for a late lunch. No one in his office knew where he went, and the two men were unable to connect until 1:45 p.m.

It was not until almost two o’clock that the Florida East Coast Railway was contacted and the rescue train ordered. It took two hours to assemble locomotive number 447, six passenger cars, three baggage cars, and a pair of boxcars. The train rolled out of the rail yard at 4:25 p.m. Miami Daily News reporter William Johns was on board. Almost immediately, the train was halted by a drawbridge to allow boat traffic to pass through. The train sat on the tracks for 10 minutes. It reached Homestead at 5:15 p.m. Telephone wires and repair crews were boarded. Thinking it would be quicker to push the train out of the Keys, the locomotive was turned around in order to pull the cars down the tracks to the Keys in reverse. The train rolled out of Homestead at 5:30 p.m. It arrived on Windley Key at Veteran Camp 1 at 6:50 p.m. As it began to depart, it became entangled in a cable that had fallen across the tracks. It took 80 minutes to untangle the heavygauge cable from the wheels, and the train did not arrive at the Islamorada Depot until 8:10 p.m. Wind blew one of the 75-ton boxcars over. At about 8:20 p.m., the hurricane’s tidal surge crashed over the island and toppled the train. Reporter William Johns said, “We had been stopped but 10 or 15 minutes when a wall of water from 15 to 20 feet high picks up our coaches and swirls them about like straws.” Twenty-three years after Henry Flagler’s dream arrived at Key West, the last train to roll over the Florida Keys experienced what can only be described as a living nightmare. It never steamed over the island chain again.

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

REDA WIGLE

www.keysweekly.com

DIG IT

GRIMAL GROVE HOSTS FIRST GARDEN GALA

ig Pine had itself a fine time on Sept. 18, when Grimal Grove welcomed visitors to its first-ever gala. Owner Patrick Garvey, who purchased and restored the grove in 2013 only to see his efforts washed away by Hurricane Irma, has spent several years rebuilding the property and replanting it with breadfruit trees. For him, the event was a long-awaited cause for celebration. “This is our first time doing something on this scale,” he said. “Getting the place ready took a lot of work. I’m so excited that I’m able to share this place with others, and to see all the smiling faces and people being kind of amazed walking through the breadfruit trees, the diversity of the crowd, this is a magical place.” The event kicked off with tree poses among the trees as Kristin Peterson led an all-levels yoga class. Revelry continued with a breadfruit recipe contest highlighting pancakes, a spicy souffle and vegan chocolate cupcakes. No official winner was declared, but the cupcakes prepared by Jen DeMaria of Big Pine bed and breakfast Deer Run on the Atlantic, were a crowd favorite. Friendly and objectively attractive bartenders poured craft cocktails made with Mutiny Island Vodka, a liquor distilled with breadfruit. Harpist Scott Marishen set an ethereal tone to the evening, playing a beautiful and seasonally apropos rendition of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon.” A vendor village featured a collection of supportive friends and local artisans including market and nursery items from Grimal Grove, local honey, fish fin jewelry from Forever Salty and a pop-up boutique curated by event coordinator Luanna Simmons. The evening was a family affair for Simmons; her mother Suely Moura offered items from

One Hemp Family, her line of sustainable hemp clothing and her father Philip Simmons of Bangalore Key West sold breadfruit and lentil curry topped with chutney sourced from Grimal Grove’s own mango trees. Simmons was heartened and humbled by the community response. “We’ve had a really great turnout and lots of people who have never been here before. People are excited about volunteering and more events in the future. I wanted to get people here, so they will want to come back.” Simmons and Garvey promise that as the weather cools and the trees climb, coming back will be more common and more events will be underway. To keep up to date or to explore volunteer opportunities visit Grimal Grove’s Facebook and Instagram pages. 1. Luanna Simmons poses with her parents, Philip Simmons and Suely Moura. REDA WIGLE/ Keys Weekly 2. Harpist and hype man Scott Marishen. REDA WIGLE/Keys Weekly 3. Todd Manley of Mutiny Vodka poses with his product. REDA WIGLE/Keys Weekly

4. Kristin Peterson teaches a yoga class at Grimal Grove. CONTRIBUTED 5. Patrick Garvey of Grimal Grove stands between two breadfruit trees at the entrance of Grimal Grove on Big Pine Key. REDA WIGLE/ Keys Weekly 6. Jen DeMaria poses with her crowd-pleasing vegan breadfruit cupcakes. REDA WIGLE/Keys Weekly

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

‘I WOULD HAVE BEEN ANOTHER KID LOST IN THE SYSTEM’ Keys student triumphs with Take Stock program CHARLOTTE TWINE

charlotte@keysweekly.com

dian Hernandez is a Keys kid with a dream. He is currently attending Orlando’s Universal Technical Institute for auto mechanics. It’s five days a week from 6 to 9 in the morning, then he goes to work at Seminole Toyota immediately afterward. “I come home, change and go straight to work until 6:30,” he said. “I come back. Shower. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.” But he has a mission, and it’s the motivation that powers him through his tough schedule: He wants to return to Marathon and open his own auto repair business. But Edian wasn’t always so directed in his life. “Without Take Stock, oh man … without the scholarship, I would have dropped out of high school. I would still be in the Keys in a bad situation with a couple of bad things on my record. The scholarship gave me an opportunity and changed my life. The scholarship is for poor kids with good grades. I don't think they realize how much they helped me. I would have been another kid lost in the system.” Take Stock in Children is a statewide Florida nonprofit that identifies students from low-income families in middle school and offers a contract for the student and parents to sign. If the child stays in school, out of trouble and

Edian Hernandez credits Take Stock for Children with giving him the direction needed to pursue a dream to open an auto repair business in the Keys. CONTRIBUTED

maintains at least a C average, Take Stock will pay tuition for two years at a Florida state college and then two years at a state university. But what many don’t realize is that Take Stock also pays tuition for vocational schools. Marathon Rotary Club donated $25,000 to Take Stock in Children Monroe and designated Hernandez as the 2021 Marathon Rotary Named Scholar specifically because of his interest in auto mechanics. “Marathon Rotary has been supportive of career technical education in the past and Edian was a perfect fit,” said Chuck Licis-Masson, executive director of the Monroe County Education Foundation for Take Stock in Children. “They liked the idea of Take Stock in Children going into a technical field with an auto or marine focus, supporting students locally to come back to Marathon to work.” “Edian is one of the only students going to technical school recently,” said Katrina Wiatt, his Take Stock college success coach. “We’re excited he’s on this path.” However, the path to a Take Stock scholarship wasn’t always smooth sailing for Hernandez. “I was supposed to get into Take Stock in my middle school years, but I had trouble with behavior,” Hernandez recalled. “I had a lot of stuff going on and trouble with grades. I had stuff in the house going on. But in high school I got taken in by foster parents — Michelle Smith and Brooks Dopps. They took me in and took care of me for a year and and half. They were the only reason I was able to get the scholarship. I never had a figure like that to keep me on track. They got strict with

me and helped me get the scholarship.” Hernandez had a few Take Stock mentors, including during a period when he moved to Key West in 10th grade and his foster parents had moved to Jacksonville. Wiatt stepped in shortly after he moved back to Marathon for 11th grade. “It was good to have somebody to talk to and express myself,” Hernandez said about Wiatt. “He came to our program as a ninth grader. He had been on Take Stock’s watch list for a couple of years,” said Wiatt. “Teachers said the program would give him focus. He lived with an unofficial foster family, which put him into gear. He was a classic gifted student, smart enough to get acceptable grades, but he didn't want to do homework; and attendance was an issue due to his family.” Toward the end of his high school career, his attendance was still a problem. But Hernandez told Wiatt about his dream to go to auto mechanics school, and he promised that his behavior would change. “We as adults put too much emphasis on what kids do in high school,” said Wiatt. “We forget they can be far more successful after high school. I’ve had a few kids like Edian: ‘Should we remove him from the program?’ Sometimes we don’t know until after. We gotta hang onto them and give them a chance. He was the type to be successful after high school, and he’s proving me right.” For now, Hernandez is happy with his life in Orlando with his girlfriend. He will graduate with an associate’s degree from Universal Technical Institute with the certifications needed to be a mechanic. He has tentative plans to stay in Orlando for a few years, get experience, then bring an auto repair business to the Keys. “I grew up there and it will always be my community,” he said. “It would be nice to have something to go back down to.”

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

Outplanted sponges are secured to the seafloor using zip ties, marine epoxy and old pieces of coral. TIFFANY DUONG/Keys Weekly

‘SPONGE BOBBIE,’ A MARINE BIOLOGIST

IS RESTORING ISLAMORADA’S SPONGES

Bobbie Renfro and Kylie Smith restore sponges and corals, respectively, to Islamorada reefs.

TIFFANY DUONG tiffany@keysweekly.com

hile Islamorada is a few worlds away from Bikini Bottom, the cartoon home of SpongeBob SquarePants, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t still a connection. Take Bobbie Renfro, for instance. She’s a Ph.D. candidate at Florida State University in the biological sciences. With a specialty in coral reef ecology, Renfro, who is lovingly called “Sponge Bobbie,” has a focus on — you guessed it — sponges. Now, she’s using her research with these underrated marine animals to bolster our local coral restoration efforts. “Sponges are hugely important and little known,” Renfro said. “They’re probably even little-studied, but they keep the ecosystem intact.” As part of her research, Renfro has spent the summer outplanting sponges on Islamorada reefs. “We’re really taking restoration seriously in Islamorada,” she told the Weekly. “We’re restoring the entire ecosystem to add to the coral restoration work that Kylie has already done.”

The “Kylie” she refers to is Kylie Smith, co-founder of I.CARE, the Islamorada nonprofit organization galvanizing the community behind coral restoration efforts on its most famous reefs. Every week, I.CARE partners with local dive shops and businesses to plant endangered corals back onto degraded reefs. The hope and the goal is that these will continue to grow and stabilize the coral reef ecosystem on which the Keys economy and way of life rely. And, the “entire ecosystem” that Renfro mentions really does mean the entire ecosystem. NOAA, through its “Mission: Iconic Reefs” endeavor, hopes to restore not just corals, which Smith and her team at I.CARE are working feverishly to do, but also sponges, invertebrates and other organisms that complete a tropical reef ecosystem. Hence, Sponge Bobbie comes to the Keys. To drive the point home, the marine biologist explained how sponges and corals are ecologically connected. Sponges serve three critical functions for corals and the reef, she said. First, they act as the “Brita filter” of the reef, ensuring that our Keys waters remain infamously crystal clear. Sponges naturally filter out pollutants and toxins from the water, and other organisms like corals benefit from being around them. Sponges also act as “glue” on the reef. They grow on the seafloor and around corals, holding sediment together, buying time for slowergrowing corals to permanently attach. This also helps corals stay affixed through heavy wave action, hurricanes and more. Additionally, this function helps newlyrestored coral fragments. In one study Renfro cited, survival rates of coral outplants plummeted from 96% to 60% after the experimental removal of sponges nearby. Finally, Renfro noted, sponges also provide substrate, habitat and even sustenance for many iconic Keys critters.

This summer, Renfro and Smith worked together to restore 350 sponges onto Islamorada reefs. They focused on three species of branching sponges because these naturally break up in storms, land on reefs and regrow from those broken pieces. It’s a very similar mechanism to the one that coral restoration practitioners exploit in their work. “We chose sponges that naturally fragment and grow because those are already good at binding corals together,” Renfro said. The restored sponges are secured to the reef using a simple mix of zip ties, marine epoxy and an old piece of dead coral. Eventually, after the sponges attach to their coral pieces, the zip ties will be cut off and removed from the reef. The goal is to monitor these sponges and the ecosystem benefits they confer and to expand this research next year. In expanding on why she loves sponges so much, Renfro emphasized that the sponges’ biggest job right now is to be the glue so that outplanted corals have something to stick to. “We at I.CARE take a community-wide approach to restoration, when it comes to doing the work and rebuilding a functional ecosystem,” Smith told the Weekly. “I’ve learned so much about sponges over the last few months and how important they are and the role they play in the ecosystem to stabilize the structure for future coral outplants.” As the teams finished, one of the divers on the boat commented, “So many people down here are invested in bringing this ecosystem back. It’s really inspiring to see and be a part of.”

Divers prepare to restore sponges onto an Islamorada reef.

A group of citizen-science divers gets ready to participate in sponge restoration diving in Islamorada.

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

KAREN NEWFIELD ... a reader and now a writer, has hundreds of book reviews at: www. readingandeating.com. For questions and comments, email karen@newfield. org.

BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS

TALK BOOKISH TO ME By Kate Bromley Kara is a romance novelist. After a string of bestsellers she is experiencing writer’s block. With a deadline fast approaching and daily reminders from her publisher, Kara is frantic. Lately, the only bright spot is helping her best friend with her extravagant wedding plans. At the couple’s celebratory dinner, Kara bumps into her ex, who broke her heart in college — Ryan Thompson. Kara is speechless, facing the man she has spent a decade trying to forget. While Ryan and Kara struggle to leave the past behind them, they are thrown together by nuptial duties and sneaky friends.The icing on the cake: Kara is writing again. Writer’s unblock, a gift from the gods and she will do whatever it takes to keep the chapter’s coming. Bookmark this adorably hot HEA (Happily Ever After)!

ROMANCE REPLAY, SECOND CHANCES AND DREAM LOVERS: FOUR FAVORITES NOT TO BE MISSED.

THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY By Gabrielle Zevin A.J. Fikry owns a small book shop on Alice Island. In this quaint village, Island Books is every reader’s dream until A.J.’s life falls apart. Following the death of his beloved wife, sales plummet. After all, this was her hometown he adopted and he is often still the outsider. A.J. becomes unapproachable and lonely. His love of books cannot fill the incredibly deep void that has become his life. He refuses to socialize and pushes any dogooders away until a series of unexpected events changes everything. A chance meeting with a quirky publishing representative named Amelia. A theft of an extremely valuable book of Poe. And a mysterious package left at his store containing a note. This beautifully written novel graciously teaches us about life, love and books, all in one simple story.

THE BOOK THIEF By Markus Zusak This book is narrated by Death. A concept hard to grasp until we meet Liesel Meminger and Death is never questioned again. It is 1939, Nazi Germany. Liesel is taken in by a foster family in Munich. Books and reading are things Liesel has only dreamed of. She survives by stealing things here and there, with a special penchant for books. Liesel’s kind foster father brings her the gift of words by teaching her to read. When the family takes in a Jewish man to hide in their basement, Liesel develops a unique relationship with him and her new friend Rudy. This exceptional story, written from a rare perspective, is filled with compassion, love, good and evil. Death is thinking — what is with all this killing? I can barely keep up, are you people crazy? Yes, yes they were.

THE BOOKSELLER By Cynthia Swanson 1963, small town Colorado, Kitty and Freida are single women running a lovely bookshop. With no husbands or children but plenty to read, they do not see themselves as the spinsters this era portrays them to be. Kitty shares a charming home with her cat Aslan and her parents live nearby. Lately, when Kitty goes to sleep she dreams of a world similar to her own but also not. Each night she falls more deeply into her dreams, waking up shaken as they become filled with impossible details and coincidences. Some are pure happiness with a handsome loving man, but then they begin to frighten her. Kitty’s sense of time and space is off kilter. She doesn’t know whom to confide in without sounding completely mad. A love story about family, time and the choices we make along the way.

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

Dr. Cindy Lewis is not only a trailblazer in the coral community, but also a wonderful member of the community. CONTRIBUTED Instructor and captain Justin Benson, of Key Dives, always makes a dive trip fun. KURT TIDD/Contributed Tom Higgins is in charge of our water systems at the Turtle Hospital. Tom is passionate about sea turtles and lends a helping hand wherever needed. Tom radiates a positive attitude and is an amazing support for all of our team. Not to mention he has the strength of a superhero. BETTE ZIRKELBACH/ Contributed

Mike Goldberg, owner of Key Dives and co-founder of I.CARE, knows his way around boats, diving and saving our oceans. TIFFANY DUONG/Keys Weekly

Sometimes, it seems that people are destined to be great at something. Just ask artist, poet and all-around amazing human, Valerie Perreault of Portside Studios. CONTRIBUTED

Cathy Gohagen has been a vital part of our community for many years. Besides her kind and welcoming smile at The Catch, she constantly sponsors special fund raising events like the Witches ride and the Pink Bar Walk. Jim Horan’s the kind of bartender you always want to come back and see. MARY MAGRATH/Contributed

k r o w t a Good

Capt. Andy Downs of Emerald Water Charters is really good at what he does. He works so well with the kids on his boat and is so patient with them. They always leave his boat with a love of fishing and a sense of respect for the water and the creatures that live there. VALERIE PERREAULT/Contributed

TIFFANY DUONG

n SEPTEMBER, we’re celebrating the people who are amazing at what they do. In honor of LABOR DAY, we’re shining a spotlight on anyone in the Keys who’s doing an excellent job. Love your local teacher/ fishing guide/mailman/nurse/newspaper reporter? Send us a picture of them and a sentence about why they rock. Photos, captions and photo credit can be emailed to tiffany@keysweekly.com.

tiffany@keysweekly.com

RULES, SCHMULES: All photos must be original work and feature something or someone related to 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.

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

ON MASKS AND MANDATES An open letter to the Monroe County School Board about masks and vaccines: For the record, I am Captain Ed Davidson, chairman of the Florida Keys Citizens Coalition, on behalf of which I have addressed previous boards (for five minutes) many times. It has been a while since I sat on this school board myself for four years, and things may have changed a bit. Let’s see, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. There’s just five. There is not a sixth seat for the governor. So it’s just you five with local authority, elected by citizens of our local communities, where — let me remind you — roughly 90% of school funding for the Florida Keys is paid for by local taxpayers -- not by the state government, or the State Board of Education. For clarity in these and related discussions, it should also be born in mind that not everything that comes out of Tallahassee is sanctified law. 1. Actual laws are passed by the 160 members of the Florida House and Senate, with a minimum of more than 80 agreeing after extensive public debate. Florida laws thus passed remain in effect for many years after the legislators who approved them leave office — or leave the planet, for that matter. 2. The state commissioner of education, however, is un-elected to the job, and is instead a political appointee to that temporary office by the State Board of Education, whose seven members are in turn political appointees to their temporary seats by the temporary governor. 3. All of any governor’s executive orders are created by a single person, without public participation, and often deliberately bypass the legislative process with regard to issues where the governor’s authority is sometimes unclear and debatable, and challengeable in the courts. Such is the case with Gov. DeSantis’ current prohibition of COVID mask mandates in schools — along with his equally questionable authority to penalize the paychecks of school board members and superintendents who work for local taxpayers and are not employees of the governor. It should be noted that all such executive orders can be, and often are, repealed by the next incoming governor.. 4. Then there are the courts, where rulings on governmental vaccine and mask mandates are nothing new. The Supreme Court first voted 7-2 to support a mandatory public vaccination policy in 1905 (Jacobson v Massachusetts). They reaffirmed that support in 1922, which, do the math, was 99 years ago. (Zucht v King).

5. But most clearly compelling was the third Supreme Court review in 1944 that ruled in part, and I quote: “The family itself is not beyond regulation in the public interest … and neither rights of religion nor rights of parenthood are beyond limitation. … The right to practice religion freely does not include liberty to expose the community or the child to communicable disease, or the latter to ill health or death.” (Prince v Massachusetts 321 US at 166-67). 6. That’s three rulings over 39 years by three different sets of Supreme Court justices, which is generally referred to as “Settled Law.” 7. So this issue is not just about knee-jerk obedience to “The Law,” because the school masking prohibition is NOT “the law.” It is a temporary executive order issued by a public official elected to a temporary office, and administered through temporary, politically appointed officials — while under active current legal challenge in the courts by parents of school children, and actively opposed by more than a dozen elected Florida school boards. 8. The issue instead IS most definitely about your responsibilities to the health and welfare of the majority of local taxpayer families who elected you to safeguard their kids in their community-funded schools. 9. And by the way, this is the current Monroe County School District form (hold up and wave) listing all the other vaccinations of the type that this and most other school systems in all 50 states in America have required all students to have before entering public schools for well over 100 years. 10. I might also mention anecdotally that as I was packing up to deploy for more than 200 combat missions in Vietnam in order to keep hordes of actual Communist conspirators at bay, I was required to get 13 vaccines, and managed to survive them all. Signed, Capt. Ed Davidson

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

LEGAL NOTICES

FICTITIOUS NAME NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of Florida Keys Captain located at 129 1st Road, Key Largo, Florida 33037 intends to register said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida. By: Robert Barrett Publish: September 23, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

4th Avenue, Gulf, Marathon, FL 33050. The terms of the sale will be cash only. Island Storage, Inc. reserves the right to refuse any bids. Publish: September 16 & 23, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

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: ombpurchasing@monroecountyfl.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 November 10, 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: September 23, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

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 October 19, 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: Unleaded Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Supplier 10/19/2021 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 OMBBIDS@monroecounty-fl. gov, in advance of the bid opening, please email: ombpurchasing@monroecountyfl.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 October 19, 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: September 23, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

CONSERVATION LANDS MAINTENANCE TREATMENT 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 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 October 27, 2021. Please submit your confidential financial information in a SEPARATE EMAIL from your bid and required documents. Your subject line on both emails must read as follows: Removal of invasive exotic plants from Monroe County conservation lands maintenance treatment 10/27/2021 Files that do not contain this subject line WILL BE REJECTED. Please note that the maximum file size that will be accepted by email is 25MB. Please plan accordingly to ensure that your bid is not rejected due to the file size. Should your bid documents exceed 25MB or otherwise be rejected or undeliverable to OMBBIDS@monroecounty-fl. gov, in advance of the bid opening, please email: ombpurchasing@monroecountyfl.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 October 27, 2021. You may call in by phone or internet using the following: Join Zoom Meeting https://mcbocc.zoom. us/j/4509326156 Meeting ID: 4509326156 One tap mobile: +16465189805,,4509326156# US (New York) +16699006833,,4509326156# US (San Jose) Dial by your location: +1 646 518 9805 US (New

FICTITIOUS NAME NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of Consortium For Waste Circularity located at 99411 Overseas Highway #4, Key Largo, Florida 33037 intends to register said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida. By: Consortium For Waste To Syngas Circularity Publish: September 23, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers FICTITIOUS NAME NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of ONE ORANGE CITY SERVICE located at 6529 Maloney Ave, Lot 4, Monroe County in the City of Key West, Florida 33040-6094 intends to register the said name with the Division of Corporations of the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida. Dated at Key West, Florida this 22nd day of September, 2021. By: Kernardo A. Williams Publish: September 23, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Island Storage, Inc., 10730 4th Avenue, Gulf, Marathon, Florida 33050, will sell or otherwise dispose of the contents of the following units to satisfy delinquent storage liens. The following unit contains miscellaneous items, tools: Aaron Schneider Unit # 8 $903.01 Auction will occur from 8:00AM – 10:00AM on Thursday, September 30, 2021 at Island Storage, Inc., 10730

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: AIRCRAFT OVERFLOW APRON AND MITIGATION 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 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 November 10, 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: Aircraft overflow apron and mitigation KWIA 11/10/2021 Files that do not contain this subject line WILL BE

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Tuesday, October 19, 2021, at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: UNLEADED GASOLINE AND DIESEL FUEL SUPPLIER FOR 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.

Meeting Notice Monroe County Land Authority The Monroe County Land Authority Advisory Committee will meet in the Monroe Regional Service Center (State Building) located at 2796 Overseas Highway, Suite 104, Marathon, Florida on September 29, 2021 beginning at 9:00 a.m. The agenda is available online at www.monroecounty-fl.gov or by contacting the Monroe County Land Authority office at 305-295-5180. 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”.

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: REMOVAL OF INVASIVE EXOTIC PLANTS FROM MONROE COUNTY

LEGAL NOTICES York) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Publish: September 23, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Thursday, October 28, 2021, at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: ROCKLAND KEY TEMPORARY MONROE COUNTY FLEET GARAGE BUILD OUT 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 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 October 28, 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: ROCKLAND KEY TEMPORARY MONROE COUNTY FLEET GARAGE BUILD OUT 10/28/2021 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 OMBBIDS@monroecounty-fl. gov, in advance of the bid opening, please email: ombpurchasing@monroecountyfl.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

LEGAL NOTICES virtually, via the internet, at 3:00 P.M., on October 28, 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: September 23, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR Cleaning Services City of Marathon City Hall, Utility/Public Works Building, and Fire Station NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that sealed bids will be received by the CITY OF MARATHON, until 3:00 P.M., local time, Wednesday, October 20, 2021, at the offices of the City of Marathon located at 9805 Overseas Highway, Marathon, Florida, 33050, and commencing at 3:00 P.M., on the above date, such bids as received will be opened and read aloud in the Council Chambers, City Hall. The work for which BIDS are to be submitted consists of furnishing all labor, materials, supervision, equipment, supplies, tools, services, and all other necessary incidentals required to perform complete cleaning services at City Hall, Utility/Public Works Building and Marathon Fire Station Public Areas. BIDS shall be prepared, addressed and submitted in compliance with detailed instructions as set forth in the contract documents. Bid packages may be picked up at City Hall, 9805 Overseas Highway, Marathon, Florida, 33050. A bid package will be available for inspection at City Hall. There will be no mandatory pre-bid conference. You may contact the clerk’s office to arrange a site inspection for the buildings by emailing cityofmarathon@ci.marathon. fl.us City of Marathon Local Preference Ordinance 2014-02 applies to this bid and is attached to the bid document. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to waive irregularities, technical errors and formalities, and to award the contract as it deems will best serve the interest of the City. The City is not responsible for any costs incurred by bidders in developing their RFQ. Publish: September 23, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 21-CP-105-P IN RE: ESTATE OF THOMAS M. BECKER,

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

LEGAL NOTICES

AUTOS WANTED

EMPLOYMENT

Deceased. NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Thomas M. Becker, deceased, whose date of death was August 15, 2021, 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 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: September 23, 2021. Personal Representative: Brian G. Becker 5 Ivanhoe Circle Greenville, South Carolina 29615 Attorney for Personal Representative: Robert K. Miller, Esq. Attorney Florida Bar Number: 359173 Cunningham Miller Rhyne PA 10075 Overseas Hwy PO Box 500938 Marathon, FL 33050 Telephone: (305) 743-9428 Fax: (305) 743-8800 E-Mail: service@ floridakeyslaw.com Secondary E-Mail: rmiller@ floridakeyslaw.com Publish: September 23 & 30, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

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: September 23, 2021. Personal Representative: CAROL ANN HARK 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: September 23 & 30, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

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: September 16, 2021. Personal Representative: Gregory W. Lewis 131 Zane Grey Creek Drive Layton, Florida 33001 Attorney for Personal Representative: RICHARD E. WARNER 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: September 16 & 23, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

in Monroe County, Florida: Lots 26 and 27, Block 10, Harris Ocean Park Estates First Addition, according to the map or plat thereof as recorded in Plat Book 4, Page 139, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, as well as a 1969 68’ Single Wide Jami Mobile Home with Title Number 8195791 and Real Property Number R104643. has been filed against you and you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on Plaintiff’s attorney, Richard B. Storfer, Esquire, of the firm of Lorium Law, whose address is 101 NE 3rd Avenue, Suite 1800, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301, on or before October 16, 2021, and file the original with the Clerk of of this Court either before service on Plaintiff’s attorneys or immediately thereafter, otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint. Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act you are advised that this law firm is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purposes. Witness my hand and the Seal of said court at Monroe County, Florida this 1st day of September, 2021. Kevin Madok, CPA As Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida By: Jennifer Zemmel Deputy Clerk Publish: September 16 & 23, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

the Circuit Court’s office. You may review these documents upon request. You must keep the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office notified of your current address. (You may file Designation of Current Mailing and E-Mail Address, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.915.) Future papers in this lawsuit will be mailed or e-mailed to the address(es) on record at the clerk’s office. WARNING: Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, requires certain automatic disclosure of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal or striking of pleadings. Dated: August 27, 2021 Kevin Madok, CPA Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida By: Shakia Mitchell Deputy Clerk Publish: September 2, 9, 16 & 23, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

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

RN’s needed for Crisis Stabilization Unit. PT/FT/ per diem. Open 24/7. Day & night avail with shift diff. Drug screen. w e s t c a r e . c o m

BOATS FOR SALE

Night Monitor - The Heron. FREE HOUSING/ food stipend vs. salary. Must be onsite 10p-8a. Sleep OK. 5 days on 5 days off. Drug screen required. w e s t c a r e . c o m

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION CASE NO.: 21-CP-248-K IN RE: THE ESTATE OF CHARLES ZABRISKIE, Deceased. NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of CHARLES ZABRISKIE, deceased, whose date of death was August 1, 2021, Case: 21-CP-248-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

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 21-CP-98-P DIVISION: UPPER KEYS IN RE: ESTATE OF BERTOLD KEIL Deceased. NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Bertold Keil, deceased, whose date of death was August 6, 2021, is pending in the Circuit Court for MONROE County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88820 Overseas Highway, Tavernier, Florida 33070. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate 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

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 16TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA GENERAL JURISDICTION DIVISION CASE NO.: 21-CA-297-P CENTENNIAL BANK, Plaintiff, vs. ALL UNKNOWN PERSONS WHO MAY BE HEIRS, DEVISEES, LEGATEES, GRANTEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES, ASSIGNEES OR OTHER CLAIMANTS OF GEORGE A. PARKER, DECEASED, AND ALL OTHER PERSONS CLAIMING AN INTEREST BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST HIM AND ALL PERSONS HAVING OR CLAIMING TO HAVE ANY RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY, UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF GEORGE A. PARKER, COUNTY OF MONROE, U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, FLORIDA and UNKNOWN TENANT IN POSSESSION, Defendants. NOTICE OF ACTION CONSTRUCTIVE SERVICE PROPERTY TO: All unknown persons who may be heirs, devisees, legatees, grantees, lienors, creditors, trustees, assignees or other claimants of George A. Parker, deceased, Residence Unknown, if alive, and if dead, George A. Parker’s heirs, devisees, grantees, devisees, legatees, lienors, creditors, trustees, assignees or other claimants and all other parties claiming interests, by through, under or against George A. Parker, and all parties having or claiming to have any right, title or interest in the property herein described. YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action to foreclosure a mortgage on the abovestyled by the above-named Plaintiff and encumbering the following described property

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 16TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA Case No.: 21-DR-000129-M Division: Family RAUL LLANES, Petitioner, and ROSA I ARAMBURU INFANTE, Respondent. NOTICE OF ACTION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE (NO CHILD OR FINANCIAL SUPPORT) TO: ROSA I ARAMBURU INFANTE Last Known Address: 2371 SW 13TH STREET, MIAMI, FL 33145 YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for Dissolution of Marriage has been filed against you and that you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on RAUL LLANES, whose address is 243 ORANGE AVENUE, MARATHON, FL 33050, on or before October 4, 2021, and file the original with the clerk of this Court at 3117 OVERSEAS HWY, MARATHON, FL 33050, before service on Petitioner or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do so, a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition. The action is asking the court to decide how the following real or personal property should be divided: NONE Copies of all court documents in this case, including orders, are available at the Clerk of

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA FILE NO.: 21-CA-000240-K PROBATE DIVISION IN RE: THE ESTATE OF JOHN LEE PEPPARD Deceased. NOTICE OF ACTION TO: JOHN LEE PEPPARD, and ALL OTHER PERSONS HAVING OR CLAIMING ANY RIGHT, TITLE, OR INTEREST IN THE ESTATE OF JOHN LEE PEPPARD WHO ARE NOT KNOWN TO BE DEAD OR ALIVE, WHETHER SAID UNKNOWN PARTIES MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSE, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES OR OTHER CLAIMENTS YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a Petition for Order Declaring Death of John Lee Peppard, a Petition for Summary Administration and a Petition to Determine Beneficiaries has been filed against you and you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to Jessica Yero, Esq., attorney for Petitioner, at 1440 Coral Ridge Drive, #303, Coral Springs, FL 33071, and file the original with the clerk of this court on or before October 12, 2021 a date which is not less than 28 and not more than 60 days after the first publication of this notice, either before service on the Petitioner or immediately thereafter; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint or petition. DATED: September 3, 2021 Kevin Madok Clerk of the Circuit Court By: Lisa M. Pierce Deputy Clerk Publish: September 9, 16, 23 & 30, 2021 The Weekly Newspapers

30' C & C Sailboat for sale in Key West. $3,500 305-399-9525 12' Jon Boat w/ 6 hp Nissan motor, and trailer. Located in Marathon. $1,400 305-395-1015 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 City of Marathon – Job Openings: Right of Way Technician, Marina Custodian/Maintenance, Marina Technician/Pump Out Captain, and Utility Maintenance Worker. Full Benefits. EOE Please see City website for details w w w. c i . m a r a t h o n . f l. u s Join Our TEAM! Busy Vacation Rental business in Marathon is looking for a team player. Have fun at work with flexible hours and excellent pay. Customer service to guests and homeowners. Please reach out via email to Scott@ IslandBreezeVacations.com for the full job description and income information. Groundskeeper/ Maintenance person, KCB, Sea Isle Condominium, 20 hrs. per week, $20 per hr., apply by e-mail to HardingThomasL@aol.com, text or call 734-476-0531. TAVERNIER ACE HARDWARE is hiring 1 FULL TIME employee (4 full day shifts per week.) Please email: Stacey@ t h e h a rd wa re s to re. co m CENTENNIAL BANK IS HIRING! MORTGAGE LOAN ORIGINATOR MARATHON/KEY WEST GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Solicits residential first mortgages through contacts with Realtors, builders, and developers. Interview loan applicants and makes credit decisions. EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Broad knowledge of such fields as accounting, marketing, business administration, finance, etc. Equivalent to a four year college degree, plus 4 years related experience and/or training, and 2 years related management experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience. To apply, please visit our careers page: www. my100bank . c om/ careers

The 16th Judicial Circuit is seeking applicants for a Full-time Administrative Assistant II in Key West. The essential function of this position is to provide administrative and paralegal support for three circuit judges’ offices at the Freeman Justice Center in Key West. The position requires a working knowledge of the rules and procedures governing the various circuit court areas including civil, felony, family law, domestic abuse and repeat violence, probate, guardianship, delinquency and dependency. Salary is $36,500 annually, plus Monroe County benefits. Interested applicants should submit a State of Florida Application, cover letter and resume to Personnel@Keyscourts. net or Personnel, 302 Fleming Street, Key West, Florida 33040. State of Florida applications and complete job description can be found at www. Keyscourts.net. The successful applicant will be required to pass a complete background check. Applications are being accepted until September 27, 2021. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, age, disability or sexual orientation. EOE. If you need an accommodation to participate in the application/selection process, please notify us in at advance at 305292-3423; to make call through the Florida Relay Center, you can dial 7-1-1. The Marathon Yacht Club is looking to hire part time Bartenders/Servers. $12/ hr and guaranteed 20% gratuity - Employee Meals - Private Club - Friendly Atmosphere - Tuesday Saturday 4pm to 10 pm - Call 305-743-6739 to schedule an interview. NOW HIRING: Sweet Savannah's is now hiring for all shifts. Please apply in person at 8919 Overseas Highway in Marathon. Immediate openings for experienced plumbers and helpers (with or without experience - we will train the right person). Must have a valid driver's license & clean driving record. Please apply in person at 10700 5th Avenue Gulf, Marathon or email resume to: eerpinc@gmail.com

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES • EMPLOYMENT

LOT FOR SALE

Charter Captain / Mate Busy fishing charter business in Marathon looking for experienced fishing Captain/Mate. Busy boats and location. Offshore, Inshore, Reef/ Wreck. Also part-time Boat Cleaner needed for afternoons. Send text or call 305-481-3259

LOT FOR SALE 100' x 100' - Venetian Shores, MM 86, Snake Creek Bridge views. Asking $1.3 Million. Call 561-579-8399

Come Join Our Family and Have Fun At Work! Hiring: Host, Hostess & Servers - Full &/or parttime. AM & PM Shifts. Apply in person at Castaway Restaurant, end of 15th Street, Oceanside, Marathon or email: lobstercrawl@gmail.com. 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. Place your EMPLOYMENT/ HELP WANTED ad here for only $25.00/week for up to five lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today!!

HOBBIES/COLLECT. PRIVATE COLLECTOR WANTS Rolex, Dive Watches and Pilot Watches. Old Model Military Clocks & W a t c h e s . Call 305-743-4578

MISC. FOR SALE Jet Ski Engine 1100cc for sale in Marathon. Direct injection marine engine. Runs. $600.00 305-2899 8 8 4 SOLD IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK!

Marathon - For Sale: 1.5 acre -suitable for up to 10 houses. On site: House, Duplex and Mobile Home. Waterfront - oceanside, dock possible, gated. Zoned MU. Appraised $1.9 million. 305-610-8002

HOUSING FOR RENT Marathon - For Rent 1 small bedroom efficiency Conch House AND 1 large bedroom Conch House. Very quiet, gated property. Dock available. Year lease No Pets. 305-610-8002 Place your HOUSING FOR RENT ad here. Only $25.00/week for up to five lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today!

Careers Available In: Retail & Online Banking • Accounting • IT Maintenance • Business Development Excellent Starting Salary Quarterly Cash Proﬁt Sharing

SPACE FOR RENT

Great Hours - Closed Sundays

401K Employer Match Tuition Reimbursement Entry Level - Management Positions Available

Apply Online! KeysBank.com/Careers

RV SITE FOR RENT Member FDIC

Place your RV SITE FOR RENT ad here. Only $25.00/week for up to five lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today! up to five lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today!

YARD SALES SARA’S ESTATE SALE — So many light fishing rods! Also: Beautiful black leather sectional, book cases, Danish modern teak dressers (high and low), Ethan-Allen Style dining room table with six chairs, king and queen size beds, rugs, tropical and modern dishware, wicker bedroom furniture, occasional tables and more. Located at 12 Flamingo Hammock Road, Islamorada. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 24-25, 9am to 1pm both days. See pictures on Facebook (@sarasestatesales) and Craigslist.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has an opening for a Plantation Key School Crossing Guard. 4 hour work days with split shifts of 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. Hourly rate is $17.57. Applicants must fill out the online preliminary application at: www.keysso.net. Contact Charles Slebodnick at 305-292-7044. EEO/AAP

Health, Dental, Vision & Life Insurance

Commercial Building US 1 frontage for lease in Marathon. 2550 sq ft of office & warehouse space w/overhead door. Parking in front and secured parking & storage area with secured fencing in back. Call 305-743-4400

RV Site For Rent in Marathon. Full Hookup. Very quiet, gated property. Dock available. No pets. 305-610-8002

Plantation Key School Crossing Guard

Paid Holidays, Vacation & Sick Time

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

HOMES FOR SALE MARATHON. 2 duplexes for sale. Non Waterfront, Year round rentals, each building 4 Bedrooms 2 Baths, good rent roll. Close to shopping, Post Office & restaurants. 305-664-1286

Join Our Team!

OFFICE/COMMERCIAL

Beautiful Office Space available for rent now on US1 in Tavernier @MM92. Call 305-394-0530

305.743.0844

EOE-M/F/V/D

PART-TIME CASE MANAGER POSITIONS FOR BUSY NON-PROFIT 28 hours per week. Two positions open one serving Emergency Shelter and one Mentally Ill Adults. Must have excellent communication, organizational, and computer skills. Must be compassionate and professional. Bachelor’s degree and field experience a plus. Drug free workplace, EOE. Please send resume and cover letter to sholt@fkoc.org. No calls.

Equal Housing Lender

and cover letter to sholt@fkoc.org. No phone calls.

STAFF ASSISTANT - 30hrs/week at the Keys Marine Laboratory (KML), Layton, FL. KML supports research and academic programs conducted by universities/colleges throughout Florida, the US, and internationally. Duties include greeting scientists, faculty, and students; preparing invoices and correspondence; data entry; courier and delivery services; assist with scheduling and group arrival prep. To apply for this opening visit: www.usf.edu/work-at-usf and search for Staff Assistant job opening 28281

SEEKING SALES ASSISTANT

Currently seeking a qualified SALES ASSISTANT to fill a new full-time position. This is an excellent opportunity to grow with an existing business in an interesting field. The successful applicant must be proficient in Microsoft word, outlook, and excel. A background in marine biology, or a working knowledge of marine animals, would be preferred. Duties to include invoice entry, customer communication and tracking, creating and maintaining customer accounts, and some customer service. This position requires a high attention to detail and the ability to multitask. Compensation will be dependent on experience. Benefits package including vacation, sick days, holidays and 401K PSP retirement plan. Please email cover letter and resumes to Sales@Dynastymarine.net for consideration. No phone calls please.

Dynasty Marine Associates, Inc.

www.dynastymarine.net Located in the Florida Keys, is a highly-respected supplier of Caribbean marine life to public aquariums and zoos throughout the world.

in Marathon

full -time Educational Program Guide /Gift Shop Sales. Public speaking & retail sales experience helpful. 4 Send resume to: Turtlehospitalmarathon@gmail.com

SUDOKU SOLUTION

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

Daily Happy Hour 5-7 pm | FREE Covered Parking Nightly Live Music | 15% Locals Discount

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

Empty bottles, cans, paper and cardboard.

3 Keep food and liquid out.

Recyclables go directly into the cart.

NEED A BAGGSTER?

Purchase one from your local hardware stores, then call the 800 number to set up a pickup. ROLLOFF CONTAINERS and PORTABLE TOILETS available. Call us at 305.296.8297.

For Reservations, Call 305.296.8100 Reserve Online at OpenTable.com

$500 OFF

INDOOR AIR QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PACKAGE

UV sanitizer and 4” whole home filter | Cannot be combined with other offers

MEET MEL BOWMAN

Lic#CAC1813503

ELLINGTON KEYS AREA MANAGER Mel has been in the HVAC business for over 25 years. He is originally from Texas and relocated to the Florida Keys in 2018, settling in Big Pine Key. Mel loves the small town feel of the Keys community and the comradery amongst the residents.

THE BEST FOOTBALL PARTY IN TOWN

SUPPORTS VETERANS THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL COME EARLY FOR PRIME RIB DINNER $20

NFL SUNDAY TICKET GAMES, PRIZES, FOOD & DRINK SPECIALS

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL KEEP THE PARTY GOING W/ PATTYWACKER

305.239.2344 10701 6th Avenue Gulf #1B | Marathon | www.ellingtonac.com

2200 N. ROOSEVELT 305.294.9968

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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

BRANCH OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR 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

SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS NEEDED! Monroe County School District

Edward Jones is a financial services firm focused on meeting the needs of individual investors. Our Marathon branch office has an opening for an entry-level administrative assistant. Excellent organization, communication skills, and the ability to work independently are required to perform. Administrative, marketing, and client service responsibilities. We offer competitive benefits and a comprehensive on-line training program. To be considered for this position apply online at careers.edwardjones.com Edward Jones does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, pregnancy, veteran status, genetic information or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Learn more by visiting our careers site, careers.edwardjones.com; search Branch Office Administrator / Job Number 59842BR.

TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION INSPECTOR

LOCATION: MIDDLE TO UPPER FLORIDA KEYS 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

The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority is accepting applications for a Temporary Construction Inspector. Responsibilities: Ensure that contracted work performed on FKAA water and wastewater systems meet all applicable minimum standards and contract requirements. 3 yrs experience in municipal contracting/construction field, specifically water and wastewater utility construction. Valid Florida driver’s license required. Salary (depending on experience): $59,000. - $70,000. Online application: www.fkaa.com. EEO/VPE/ADA

Risk Management Assistant Shell World Key Largo, seeking engaging, dependable, experienced person(s) to work with the team at Mile Marker 97.5, Full-time and part-time opportunities available, some weekend and evening hours. Opportunities for advancement, great benefits, competitive salary and flexible hours. Please stop by and fill out application or Fax resume to 305-852-9639.

MARATHON GARBAGE SERVICE

Monroe County Attorney’s Office has a full-time opportunity available for a highly motivated individual to support the Risk Administrator. This position is responsible for the review and analysis of insurance documentation for compliance with county contracts and use of county property; processing claims for general liability, auto physical, county property and auto liability. Assistant will maintain current insurance records, perform daily administrative duties and a variety of office support tasks. Associates degree with minimum 2 years of experience working in Risk Management or Safety required. Salary range $38,030 - $58,947 depending on qualifications and experience. Contact Human Resources at Careers@monroecounty-fl.gov or at (305) 292 – 4557. Applications are available at www.monroecounty-fl.gov. Deadline – Open until filled, E.O.E.

Busy Key Largo Dive Center has immediate openings for

We are now hiring for the following positions:

BOAT CAPTAINS

Diesel Mechanic Truck Helpers CDL Drivers

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

Applicants must apply in person to be considered. 4290 Overseas Hwy, Marathon

$1,500 SIGNING BONUS

Send resume to resumes@rainbowreef.com

OPEN POSITIONS AT BAPTIST HEALTH SOUTH FLORIDA PHYSICIAN PRACTICE MEDICAL ASSISTANT or EMT, PRIMARY CARE $3,000 Sign Bonus, Upper Keys, FT, Shift Varies - 115394 PHYSICIAN PRACTICE MEDICAL ASSISTANT or EMT, PRIMARY CARE $3,000 Sign Bonus, Marathon, FT, Shift Varies - 114744 PHYSICIAN PRACTICE MEDICAL ASSISTANT or EMT, PRIMARY CARE $3,000 Sign Bonus, Marathon, FT, Shift Varies - 116074 PHYSICIAN PRACTICE PATIENT REPRESENTATIVE 2, PRIMARY CARE Marathon 2 Office 1, FT, 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM - 115026 PHYSICIAN PRACTICE PATIENT REPRESENTATIVE 2, PRIMARY CARE Marathon 2 Office 1, FT, Shift Varies 116052 APPLY AND LEARN MORE: careers.baptisthealth.net or call 786-243-8507

Our award winning resort is currently hiring for the following hourly positions:

EVENING FRONT DESK SUPERVISOR EVENING MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR Previous hotel experience required GREAT PAY, HEALTH & TRAVEL BENEFITS Apply in person at: Courtyard Marriott Marathon 2146 Overseas Hwy, Marathon Or email resume to: jtyson@shanercorp.com, 305.289.2100

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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

NOW HIRING BOGIE & BACALL'S SEA SENOR Restaurant Host Servers Bartender Food Runner

Restaurant General Managers

KITCHEN TEAM Pastry Chef Chief Steward Overnight Cook Fine Dining Chef Restaurant Chef

HOUSEKEEPING TEAM

Day & Overnight Houseman Room Attendant Public Area Attendant AM & PM Supervisors

OPERATIONS TEAM

Bellman Watersports Reservations/Front Desk Agents AM & PM Shifts Available Apply At: www.bungalowskeylargo.com/ careers

PART TIME AND FULL TIME OPPORTUNITIES W/FLEXIBLE SCHEDULES HOUSEKEEPING Room Attendants, Laundry and Public Area Housekeeping Supervisor KITCHEN STAFF Cooks, Dishwashers, Food Expo and more!

SIGN ON BONUS OFFERED FOR ALL HOUSEKEEPING AND KITCHEN POSITIONS!

F & B POSITIONS Greeter, Server, Runner and more! BELL/VALET

RELIEF NIGHT SECURITY/ NIGHT AUDIT SPA LMT’s and Nail Techs

APPLY TODAY!!!

Online at www.noblehousehotels.com/careers In person at Zero Duval St. Ocean Key Resort and Spa is EOE.

Bungalows Key Largo is an EOE The Guidance/Care Center, Inc. a division of

“Uplifting the human spirit since 1973”

THE GUIDANCE/CARE CENTER, Inc.

IS HIRING! KEY LARGO

Substance Abuse Counselor (PT)

KEY WEST

Behavioral Health Therapist (Children) Peer Support Specialist Crisis Counselor Case Managers (Adult, Forensic, Children ) Motivational Support Specialist Substance Abuse Counselor Behavioral Health Counselor Engagement Specialist (Suicide Prevention)

MARATHON Admissions Specialist

Care Coordinator Maintenance Specialist Housekeeper Engagement Specialist (Suicide Prevention) Behavioral Health Therapist (Children) RNs and LPNs (3 shifts) (PT/FT & per diem) Advocate (PT) *Assisted Living Night Monitor (FREE HOUSING!) *Assisted Living Support Worker (PT) *Behavioral Health Technicians (3 shifts) (PT/FT & per diem)

TEXT “MYTOMTHUMB” TO

242424

*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.

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

Apply online at mytomthumb.com/employment

TOUR GUIDES NEEDED BE A PART OF KEYS HISTORY Pigeon Key Foundation seeks part time historic tour guide. Upbeat, friendly and confident professional with ability to multi task and work outdoors in all seasons. Pigeon Key is a drug free work place. Please complete application at pigeonkey.net or email chris@pigeonkey.net.

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

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

GENERAL CONTRACTORS & ENGINEERS

SPALLING

ALL KEYS GLASS

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Windows • Doors

305-743-7800

Authorized Dealer

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

EXPERTS

2728 North Roosevelt Blvd. Overseas Market Key West

NOW HIRING!

Sewer Connections 305

872-1876

• New Construction • Remodeling • Irrigation

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

We Also Repair & Replace Patio Door Screens

305-998-8953

305

296-BLUE

• Heavy Equipment • Solar Lic## RF11067168

PC 606

Proud member of:

INTERNATIONAL

CONCRETE REPAIR INSTITUTE

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

Appliance and Air Conditioning

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

Insured • Professional • Reliable

Sportfishing Adventures

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

info@johnnymaddoxcharters.com

305-481-3259

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

SOLAR DONE RIGHT!

Tewes Mortgage

Your local, residential lending expert!

CALL US FOR A FREE HOME ESTIMATE

Call 305.495.6000

When it comes to solar and power storage for your home in the Florida Keys, turn to the Florida Keys Local Experts at SALT Energy.

for a FREE Consultation

Brian Tewes

A division of SALT Service, serving The Keys since 1989

Customer service is my strength Brian@tewesmortgage.com

305-289-1150

NMLS# 375025 Tewes Mortgage NMLS# 1453791 NMLSConsumerAccess.org Florida Solar Contractor CVC 56734 Florida Electrical Contractor EC13008657

www.TewesMortgage.com

Serving Key Largo to Key West

Serving Monroe, Dade & Broward Including Airports & Ports. SUV, Van & Limousine options available Call us for special events.

305-743-7454

fkes2011@gmail.com floridakeysexpressshuttle.com

Lic No. SP1481

Only $50 Puts Your Business Card Here

When It Rains It Pours! Need 7” Gutters? We have 6” & 7” Seamless • Copper Specialists

Key West 305-292-2666

MARATHON

305-743-0506

KEY LARGO

305-852-5356

rainsavergutters@gmail.com

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

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

Will Campbell President

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

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

PRESENTS DANCEWORKS 18 FEATURING

PL AT I N U M & G OL D W I N N E R S

in t h e 2 02 1

BE V E R AGE T E S T I NG I NS T I T U T E

Photo by Jim Fossum

To t h e V ic t or, t h e Sp oil s.

PLUS OTHER NEW WORKS!

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS THEATRE SATURDAY OCT 16, 7PM & SUNDAY OCT 17, 2PM b o mb ard ar um.c o m FR E E Nat ionwid e S hip ping

TICKETS $15 - $30 AT KEYSTIX.COM OR 305.295.7676

MORE INFO AT COFFEEMILLDANCE.COM Seating at the Tennessee Williams Theatre will continue to adhere to social distancing recommendations and masking is required.

BOOK YOUR WAKE UP YOUR MAKE-UP PRIVATE PARTY GRAB YOUR GIRLS! BYOM & LEARN HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT YOU HAVE!

REGULAR BOUTIQUE HOURS TUES-SAT 11-4

NOW FEATURING

KEY WEST WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

FAMILY, FOOD & FUN

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

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