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UPPER KEYS WEEKLY / DECEMBER 9, 2021
91760 Overseas Hwy. Tavernier, FL 33070 Office: 305.363.2957 www.keysweekly.com
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NUMBER OF THE WEEK U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said a person found 69 pounds of cocaine in the Florida Keys waters over the weekend. The drugs were wrapped in several packages. As to the value of the cocaine, officials say the packages totaled more than $1 million. Border Patrol agents recovered the drugs with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard.
ON THE COVER Mo the Sloth with Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Farmer Jeanne Selander. Mo passed away at the age of 18, having lived on the farm for 13 years. An open house was held at the Animal Farm on Dec. 5 in tribute to Mo. RALPH DEPALMA/ Contributed
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EDDIE MARTINEZ RESIGNS A WEEK AFTER DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ARREST JIM McCARTHY
jim@keysweekly.com
C
iting health issues, Eddie Martinez resigned from the Monroe County Commission on Dec. 7. An official resignation letter was sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to a county press release. A representative serving the west end of Key West, Martinez informed officials late last week that he’d be taking a voluntary leave of absence for 30 days. It all comes following his domestic violence-related arrest on Nov. 30 at a family home in Hialeah, where he allegedly threw boxes, a drawer and a pill box at his wife during an argument. According to arrest reports, Martinez and his wife were at a bar the night before, when an argument ensued. She ended up driving herself back home, and Martinez arrived moments later. According to the arrest report, Martinez woke up the next morning “in a rage about the incident at the bar” when he started to throw things. Martinez’s daughter ended up hiding in the bathroom and called 911 to report that her parents were loudly arguing and things were being tossed. She told police her father struggles with prescription drug abuse and becomes “regularly violent.” Speaking to police, the arrest report states that Martinez admitted that he struggles with his prescription drug abuse, but denies throwing or hitting his wife. The police report states that minor bruises were observed on the victim’s legs and right arm. Martinez is scheduled to be arraigned in court on Dec. 21, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
Eddie Martinez
The Weekly reached out on Dec. 7 to Martinez for comment, but his voicemail said his inbox was full and he did not return a call. Martinez’s resignation comes a day after news that a resolution was being crafted by Commissioner Michelle Coldiron asking him to step away from the seat. “It is my utmost desire for Eddie Martinez to receive the help he needs to overcome his current health problems. I wish the best for him and his family,” Coldiron told the Weekly shortly after the news of Martinez’s resignation. “It is imperative for the residents of Monroe County to have five commissioners devoting their full attention to the important issues confronting us, and I look forward to working with whoever the governor appoints to replace Mr. Martinez.” Commissioner Holly Raschein told the Weekly that she’s grateful to Martinez for sparing Monroe County the turmoil and doing the right thing by resigning.
“I hope this incident reminds us all that domestic violence and substance abuse remains an endemic problem in our community and that we must redouble our efforts to address it,” she said. “I wish Eddie and his family the best in finding peace in their lives.” Monroe County mayor David Rice indicated that he was relieved to avoid the impending conversation at the Dec. 8 BOCC meeting. “I’m very glad that Eddie made this decision. It takes him and us away from a discussion that I would rather have not had,” said Rice. “I believe he made the right decision, and I wish him well in his personal endeavors.” The latest occurrence isn’t the first time police were called to a domestic incident involving Martinez. On Jan. 12, Key West police responded to a 1009 Simonton St. apartment for a family dispute between stepdaughter Natalie Guerra, 24, and Martinez. Martinez told officers he had gotten into an argument with his stepdaughter, who had driven down from her home in Homestead to pick up her younger sisters. Guerra told police her younger sisters had called her because their parents had been fighting for two days and the two younger girls wanted Guerra to come get them, reports state. Guerra told police Eddie Martinez was “kicking her mother, Maria Martinez, out,” and she had driven down with her fiance to collect her mother and two sisters. But when she arrived, Eddie and Maria Martinez were reportedly getting along better, and Eddie Martinez was refusing to let Guerra take her sisters to Homestead, reports state. That’s when the arguing and a physical altercation ensued. continued on the next page
