Wounded Warriors bike the Keys

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THEY RIDE AS ONE

Wounded Warriors return to visit the Keys

Acaravan of nearly 40 cyclists made their way down sections of the Overseas Highway and across the Seven Mile Bridge for Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride this past weekend. The annual ride is designed as an inspirational fundraiser for veterans recovering from both visible and invisible wounds of war in American military hospitals. Though several of the participants were missing one or more limbs due to previous combat injuries, they used specially adapted bicycles to travel as one unit. The riders began in Key Largo on Friday and made their way to Key West by Saturday, ending with a community ride around the Southernmost City with members of the public. On Sunday, the crew returned to Grassy Key for Dolphin Research Center’s Charles Evans Day, where each warrior was given the opportunity to swim with DRC’s dolphins.

— Alex Rickert

1. Cyclists with Wounded Warrior Project arrive for a water stop at Coral Shores High School. DOUG FINGER/Keys Weekly

2. Cyclists take a moment for a selfie during a brief water stop at Coral Shores High School. DOUG FINGER/ Keys Weekly

3. The riders head across the Seven Mile Bridge. FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU/Contributed

4. The warriors enjoy unparalleled views of turquoise waters during their Seven Mile Bridge crossing. DAVID GROSS/Keys Weekly

5. Soldier Riders celebrate the completion of their ride with a victory lap down Key West’s Duval Street on Saturday. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

Health Department: Stay home if you’re sick

The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County urges all those who are sick to stay home to prevent infectious diseases, especially COVID-19, from spreading. “The infection rate of COVID-19 in Monroe County is high. By continuing to be around others while knowingly sick, you can be exposing not only your friends, family, and co-workers, but also their families. Stay home to cut off the transmission of COVID-19,” said Dr. Mark Whiteside, medical director for the department. “One in three people getting tested in our county for COVID-19 is coming out positive,” said Bob Eadie, Health Officer and Administrator. “The best way to prevent anyone from getting infected in the first place is to follow basic public health principles. Masking when around others, covering your cough or sneeze, washing your hands, and social distancing, even when vaccinated, are key to slowing the spread of this virus.” If you have not yet been vaccinated or received your booster shot, do so as soon as possible to prevent serious infection, hospitalization and death. If you test positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, stay home. Monitor symptoms and stay in touch with your doctor. If you are having trouble breathing or have chest pain, go to your local emergency room as soon as possible. If you were exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and have not yet received a booster shot or are unvaccinated, stay home. Testing should be done if symptomatic or as recommended by a healthcare provider. Employers are encouraged to adopt infection prevention and control strategies and policies to keep employees from getting sick and spreading it to others. For more information visit http:// Monroe.flhealth.gov/covid19 or email MonroeCOVID@flhealth.gov.

History of Diving opens new exhibit

The History of Diving Museum Islamorada will open its new featured exhibit, Dive Into Art: FantaSea, the fourth collaborative art show with the Museum and Art Guild of the Purple Isles (AGPI) on Wednesday, Jan. 19. The exhibit and art show will encompass fantasy elements tied to the ocean: mermaids, pirates, sea monsters and more, as well as literary themes such as fairy tales, fantastical poems and epics. The exhibit will feature art made by AGPI members as well as art created by students at eight different Monroe County schools, making this exhibit the largest collaboration to date. The student art ranges from sculptural hard cover books to giant story panels. Following the close of the museum’s exhibition, these books will be on display at Monroe County Libraries as a traveling exhibit. The museum will celebrate the exhibit opening with a virtual launch and Zoom presentation with Capt. Laurel Seaborn about sirens and pirate wenches. Email programs@divingmuseum.org to register. FantaSea will be open through April 20.

AAA: rising oil prices could pressure pumps

Florida gas prices dropped another penny last week, with some drivers finding much deeper discounts at the pump. Although the state average was $3.20 per gallon on Jan. 10, 7% of Florida gas stations had pump prices below $3 a gallon. "January gas prices are often driven down by lower fuel demand. Unfortunately, that downward trend at the pump may soon come to an end," said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA - The Auto Club Group. "Oil prices shot up last week and that could restore upward pressure in prices at the pump."

Florida Keys Day set for Feb. 10

Florida Keys Day is set for Feb. 10, 2022 at the Capitol Courtyard in Tallahassee. Free and open to the public, enjoy seafood and happy hour beginning at 5 p.m. The menu includes conch chowder, fish dip, conch salad, mahi fingers, Key lime pie on a stick and more. Beer and rum punch will also be available thanks to Islamorada Brewery & Distillery.

Garden Club presents biology, ecology of mangroves

Janice Duquesnel will be the guest speaker at the Garden Club of the Upper Keys monthly meeting Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 11 a.m. at Francis Tracy Garden Center, MM 94, bayside, Tavernier. Duquesnel has worked for the Florida Park Service since 1995 and is District 5 biologist based in the Florida Keys. She will be discussing the critical role of mangrove ecosystems, how to identify the three species and the impact of non-native mangrove species found in South Florida. Ja’el (pronounced like the initials “J.L.”) Powers is in her 13th year of nursing. Throughout her career, she has worked in every specialty/department except for an ICU: a cardiac catheterization lab (a.k.a., a “cath lab”), an ER, an OR, a cardiac rehab, on the floor and as a travel nurse. But it was during her time in cardiac rehab that she had the epiphany to change her focus and become a psychiatric nurse practitioner and create her own practice, Powers Mental Health. “In outpatient cardiac rehab, I recognized a patient I’d cared for in the cath lab,” she told Keys Weekly. “He had chest pain one morning, drove to the ER to play it safe, then suddenly he’s being rushed to the OR for emergency open-heart surgery. I still can see his dejection and pain when he broke down in tears, this strong, attractive, successful middle-aged man. He said to me, ‘You don’t prepare us for this. You fix our heart, and you send us on our way … but you don’t tell us we’re still going to be scared when it’s all said and done.’ That was the day I knew I needed to make a change. I am not alone in the realization that health care is treating the body yet neglecting the brain.” She studied to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner, who, like a psychiatrist, evaluates, diagnoses and treats patients with mental disorders. “I am neither pro- nor anti-medication. However, experience has taught me that positive thinking or exercise or walks to the beach are not cure-alls for everyone,” she said, explaining that suicide and opioid abuse are serious health problems in the Florida Keys. She can write prescriptions for mental health issues and can provide Suboxone, a medication-assisted treatment for those addicted to heroin and pills. She is passionate about lifting the stigma that is attached to mental health disorders. “I have been personally affected,” she revealed. “I’ve had suicide and addiction in my close family, and I myself have dealt with ADHD and depression. I had an exboyfriend scoff that it could be fixed by a walk on the beach. I couldn't believe how much mental illness could impact someone's life, and to be honest with you, the stigma then and now just still baffles me.” When she witnesses such judgment, Powers said, she remembers her mantra: “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” At her practice, her focuses will include — in addition to PTSD, depression and anxiety — suicide and treating the mental health of male patients. “We consider it a weakness when a man has feelings and sheds tears,” Powers pointed out. “So why are we surprised when they self-medicate, drink too much, get divorced — now that their jobs are affected — and/or kill themselves?” But at her heart, Powers is a small-town girl who was raised in the country, in Ottawa Valley, Canada. “And then I sat next to a stranger on an airplane and married him, “ she said with a laugh. The couple lived in South Palm Beach County for 28 years, but they visited the Florida Keys from time to time. After her husband's death from cancer, she made the big move to the Keys. “I planned to move to the Keys ever since my first visit in the mid1990s,” she said. “I even fell in love with the name ‘Islamorada,’” she said, noting that she now lives and practices there. To make an appointment with Powers Mental Health, call 305928-1809. Powers offers appointments at her office and/or online, or she can visit the patient’s house. Her office is located at 81905 Old Hwy., Islamorada.

PRACTITIONER OFFERS COMPASSION, CARE

CHARLOTTE TWINE

charlotte@keysweekly.com

Ja’el Powers worked in almost every specialty during her 13-year career as a nurse, but she studied to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner after discovering her passion for mental health. CONTRIBUTED

BEES IN THE KEYS

Apiary business buzzes in Key Largo

Key Largo’s Stellrecht Point, found on the bayside in the area of MM 105, is named for a German immigrant named Otto Stellrecht. Stellrecht was born in 1863 and left Germany on a boat bound for America when he was 19. The ship docked at Philadelphia, where his brother had lived but died before Otto arrived. Stellrecht would go to New Orleans before he came to Florida in 1892. In Punta Gorda, he and a partner operated a pharmacy for several years. Circa 1895, Stellrecht moved to one of the Torch keys about 25 miles up from Key West. There, he decided to become a farmer and tended to a grove of lime trees. It has also been suggested that he spent time raising turkeys on Pigeon Key. Otto would end up on Key Largo, in the area of what is today MM 105, where, in 1898, he filed a homestead claim for 120 acres. On Key Largo, Otto continued to farm and produce crops of pineapples, melons, tomatoes and avocados. There is, however, no mention of turkeys. His lime grove was two acres and produced, some years, about 150 barrels of limes that sold from between $3 to $5 per barrel. He also had six acres of red Spanish pineapples. Field workers were paid $2 a day to harvest the pineapple crop. The spiny fruits were cut from their stalks and brought, in bunches, down to the beach. From the beach, they could be carried down the narrow dock that stretched over the shallows, loaded onto boats, and shipped to Key West or Miami. At Key West, the cargo was shipped to markets by steamer. By 1898, the Florida East Coast Railway had begun offering service from Miami to east coast markets like Philadelphia, Boston and New York. In 1908, Henry Flagler’s train would be offering daily service between the mainland and Knights Key. Once the train started roaring across Key Largo, Stellrecht’s pineapples would have more than likely been shipped by the more reliable rail. In an article printed in the Miami Herald on March 31, 1929, Stellrecht was quoted as saying, “In those days, there was no market for avocados and that whatever was raised above home consumption had to be thrown away.” Crops, however, were not the only thing Otto’s land was producing. There was also honey, lots and lots of honey. Beekeeping became a side job for Stellrecht and, though he had moved to Miami by 1929, he maintained an apiary of 300 colonies on his

Key Largo property. According to Stellrecht, “bee season” lasted from about April to June, and the busy insects primarily buzzed around the flowers of the black mangrove, which made for excellent, sweet honey. According to Stellrecht, his bees produced 20,000 pounds of honey annually. Stellrecht’s apiary was not the only one on the island or even the only one on his own property. J. B. Colton, in care of the Keller Grocery Company, placed an advertisement for the sale of his apiary in The Miami Evening Record on Sept. 12, 1906. He was selling 150 stands of bees for $500, a price that “about covers cost of hives and appliances. The bees cost you nothing. The apiary is on the farm of Otto Stellrecht.” Colton goes on to say: “The bee range is one of the best in the state, having given an average of 250 pounds per stand, two seasons, and a crop of about 14,000 for each of the seasons past. Reason for selling is failing health and strength and advanced age.” Mr. O.O. Poppleton of Stuart, Florida, also had beehives on Key Largo. Known along Florida’s east coast as the Bee King, Poppleton lived aboard his aptly named ship, The Drone. The Bee King moved his 200 colonies between Key Largo and the mainland annually. They were kept on Key Largo and around Caesars Creek from April through August. Emil Stellrecht, son of Otto Stellrecht, on Key Largo. JERRY WILKINSON 1909 was a record year COLLECTION/Contributed for the Bee King. Poppleton’s bees produced 30,000 pounds of honey. In the Aug. 7, 1909, edition of the San Mateo Item, Poppleton says, “As far as I know, this is the largest single crop of honey ever taken on the East Coast south of Titusville or on the keys.” With 41 years of apiary experience, Poppleton claimed the best honey was produced from saw palmetto flowers. In the June 22, 1910, edition of The Miami News, BRAD Poppleton remarked, “they are very much BERTELLI superior in flavor and richness to more fragrant blooms of the cabbage palm and that is an author, honey made from them is finer and stands speaker, and Florida Keys historian. His latest book, “The Florida Keys shipping better than that made from other blossoms. Citrus blossoms,” he said, “were not much in favor with the bees and made Skunk Ape Files,” very poor honey.” is a fun blend of two of his favorite subjects — Florida Keys history and the Skunk Ape.

Event-goers check out various vendors during the Upper Keys Rotary Club's Gigantic Nautical Flea Market at Founders Park in Islamorada in February 2020. DOUG FINGER/ Keys Weekly

GIGANTIC NAUTICAL FLEA MARKET RETURNS TO FOUNDERS PARK

With a new layout to decrease congestion and to provide for wider aisles, Upper Keys Rotary’s 27th annual Gigantic Nautical Flea Market, presented by Keys Deck & Dock Supply, returns from a pandemic-forced year off to Founders Park in Islamorada, MM 87 on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 26 and 27. Onsite parking will be available for those with a handicap permit. Free shuttle available from Coral Shores High School, MM 89, oceanside. The all-outdoor event will take over nearly 12 acres of Founders Park with more than 300 vendors selling all things nautical, including boats, hot tubs, fishing and boating equipment, home and personal accessories, clothing and more. “We are so excited to bring back this event after pivoting to a virtual fundraiser in 2021,” said Rotarian Frank Derfler. “The main goal of the event is raising money to support scholarships for local kids pursuing continuing education after high school, whether through college, trade school or certification. We’ve awarded more than $2.5 million in the nearly three decades of this event.” As part of the event, a 50/50 raffle is being held with tickets on sale virtually only through 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27. The winner will be announced at 3 p.m. and doesn’t need to be present to win. More details available at KeysRotary.org. New for 2022 is the inclusion of food trucks throughout the park offering a variety of favorites, from barbeque to fish sandwiches to specialty tastes including Thai, Mexican and Italian cuisine. “Unfortunately, this year Rotary will not be able to offer the usual all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast nor the extensive lunch menu,” said Rotary President Terry Abel. “We needed to eliminate close working quarters for our volunteers and the congestion created with one food location due to ongoing pandemic concerns. We are hopeful attendees will appreciate the variety of offerings from the food trucks in multiple locations.” Rotarians and volunteers will be selling water, sodas, beer and mixed drinks at various locations. Restrooms and ATMs are available on-site. The event runs Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A suggested per person $5 donation can be made at the entrance gates. The Upper Keys Rotary, established in 1967, meets weekly at 12 noon at Capt. Craig’s Restaurant, MM 90. More information about Upper Keys Rotary is at KeysRotary.org, on Facebook at Upper Keys Rotary Nautical Flea Market or via Instagram at giganticnauticalmkt.

NEW LEADER

Bonnie Barnes executive director at Keys History & Discovery Center

Following a nationwide search, the board of directors of the Florida Keys History & Discovery Foundation selected Bonnie Barnes, of Key Largo, as the new executive director for the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center. Barnes has 25 years of marketing and communications background as well as 20 years of non-profit leadership experience. Barnes started her first business at 17 in her hometown of Las Vegas, and moved to Florida in 1988, working careers that demonstrate her passion for history, conservation and preservation. Barnes earned an MBA in leadership and business development from Jacksonville University in 2006, launching a career as a leader of Florida-based non-profit organizations. She moved to Key Largo in 2017 as the director of development for Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) and recently worked as executive director of the Deering Estate in Cutler Bay and Turtles Fly Too (TF2), which transports endangered species for rehabilitation and release. Marathon’s Turtle Hospital and Mote Marine Sanctuary have cared for and released numerous sea turtles transported by Turtles Fly Too. Barnes is an active member of the Ocean Reef, Islamorada and Key Largo chambers of commerce, and is involved in the Business and Professional Women of the Upper Keys. She volunteers with local nonprofits, including serving as chairperson of the Key Largo Community Preservation Foundation, which organizes the annual “Light Up Key Largo” event during the Christmas season. “We are excited that Bonnie has accepted this position as her skills and experience check every box,” said board chairman Richard Russell. “Frankly, I can't imagine a better leader to take us to the next levels of growth. In her short time with us, Bonnie has embraced our foundation’s vision to have residents and visitors alike have a thorough understanding and strong appreciation of the unique history and environment of the Florida Keys.” Among her first goals as the museum’s new executive director, Barnes said, is “opening the museum six to seven days a week so the community and tourists can enjoy the exhibits. A new art exhibit opens in January titled ‘Where the Sea Retires,’ by Cuban painter Carlos Guzmán, curated by Alaen Ledesma Fernández. Expect new programs and new exhibits as we continue to provide the community a world-class museum.”” The museum welcomes volunteers with a special interest in the Upper Keys community and its history and ecology. Volunteer shifts are available Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more about volunteering, submit the volunteer interest form (https://www.keysdiscovery. com/volunteer-opportunities) or e-mail volunteer@keysdiscovery. com. For general or volunteer information, call 305-922-2237 or visit www.keysdiscovery.com.

Key Largo resident Bonnie Barnes is the new executive director at the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center, located on the property of the Islander Resort in Islamorada. CONTRIBUTED

— Contributed

TRAUMA STAR SETS NEW RECORD IN 2021

The three Trauma Star helicopters fly life support missions for Monroe County residents and property owners. MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF/Contributed.

The Trauma Star air ambulance helicopter program set a new record in 2021 for the number of annual flights flown with 1,383. The yearly average is typically about 1,000 flights, so last year was a particularly busy and successful year for the professional pilots, nurses, paramedics and mechanics. “The number of flights shows how important this program is for Monroe County,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “I want to thank our partners with Monroe County Fire Rescue and the Board of County Commissioners as well as everyone on staff who provide its top quality level of service every day.” The Trauma Star program is administered by the Sheriff’s Office, which also staffs the pilots, the mechanics and the program director while the flight nurses and flight paramedics are staffed by Monroe County Fire Rescue. Trauma Star is easily one of the busiest air ambulances services in the country, often flying four times the rate of other agencies. Trauma Star is also flying at greater distances than most other agencies due to the geography of the Florida Keys. About one-third of the Trauma Star flights are for trauma alerts regarding incidents such as vehicle crashes; the remaining two-thirds are critical inter-facility flights for hospital patients in immediate need of a higher level of care. There are three Trauma Star helicopters, which operate out of two bases: one at the Florida Keys Marathon International Airport and a second at Lower Keys Medical Center on Stock Island. The Trauma Star helicopters are capable of double-lifts and are often flying more than one patient, so the number of patients served last year was even greater than 1,400. Trauma Star provides life support missions to Monroe County residents and property owners at no out-of-pocket expense.

— Contributed

NEW HOT SHOTS

Program graduates 25 firefighters

The Monroe County Fire Rescue Fire Academy celebrated 25 new graduates in midDecember. The new graduates successfully completed the fourth “Hot Shots” Minimum Standards training program at the county-owned Joe London Fire Training Academy on Grassy Key. Since September, the graduates had more than 500 hours of intensive classroom and practical training and completed the program’s 17 performance objectives, allowing them to register for the State of Florida Firefighter I and II examination. Of the graduates, 23 were qualified residents who had their $2,200 tuition fee waived as part of the “Hot Shots” program, which was approved and funded by the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners in exchange for a three-year commitment to work or volunteer as a firefighter anywhere in the Florida Keys. “I challenge you to be the ones who lead the charge for change and change for better and leave the fire service a better place than it was before you got there,” said Charlie Mather, Monroe County Fire Rescue training chief. The previous three “Hot Shots” programs graduated 83 students, many of whom are now employed or volunteer in fire stations throughout the Florida Keys. To be hired at Monroe County Fire Rescue, a candidate must also complete EMT training. More information about Monroe County Fire Academy and the “Hot Shots” program can be found at www.monroecounty-fl. gov/hotshots. A fifth “Hot Shots” program is scheduled to start in August 2022. The graduates are: Blake Arencibia, Liz Jacoby, Brandon Beard, Patrick Koutros, Diego Bejerano, Alan Malby, Brent Bishop, Reynaldo Rodriguez, Brandon Colina, Nicholas Roman, Shain Cormack, Kritzia Sallano, Jordan Dewhirst, Curry Sargent, Krysten Echo, Samantha Seco, Jim Faktor, Mark Sellers, Cesar Fernandez, Ryland Sifford, Honzik Frystacky, Terrance Smith, Robert Givens, Nickolas Suarez, and Matthew Hill.

Monroe County Fire Academy graduates 25 students from its intensive Minimum Standards training program. 23 “Hot Shots” committed to working or volunteering in Monroe County for three years in exchange for a waived tuition. KRISTEN LIVENGOOD/Monroe County

— Contributed