Marathon Weekly 22-0707

Don’t make me release the flying monkeys.

NOT IN KANSAS ANY MORE Kids star in MCT’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’ | P.36

PARASAIL LAWSUIT Tragedy prompts action against operators | P.4

DOG-NAPPERS NABBED MCSO helps rescue stolen pup | P.7

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

JUST SOLD LISTINGS! CONGRATULATIONS TO MY BUYER & SELLER!

12411 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, #35C, MARATHON

AMY PUTO, REALTOR

305.766.1745 | WWW.AMYPUTO.COM

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY SELLER!

T S JU OLD S

1825 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, MARATHON

LEA RUESCH

305.393.1843 | rueschd@aol.com

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR BUYER!

6099 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, #70E, MARATHON

AMY PRUMO & TOM CARDEN, REALTORS 305.289.6562 | aprumo.realestatefloridakeys.com | 815.329.5220

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY BUYER & SELLER!

12411 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, #49B-C, MARATHON

AMY PUTO, REALTOR

305.766.1745 | WWW.AMYPUTO.COM

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY SELLER!

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY BUYER & SELLER!

12411 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, #1C, MARATHON

AMY PUTO, REALTOR

305.766.1745 | WWW.AMYPUTO.COM

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY BUYER!

12690 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, #411, MARATHON TEAM MULLINS FRED MULLINS 305.394-3161 FREDMULLINSPA@GMAIL.COM ERIN BIBY 305.393-6945 ERINBIBY@YAHOO.COM

WE SELL MORE PROPERTIES THAN THE NEXT 2 COMPANIES COMBINED KEYS-WIDE. CALL US TO FIND OUT HOW

LOT 13, KEY COLONY BEACH

SAM WILLIAMS, REALTOR

305.289.6559 | swilliams.realestatefloridakeys.com | #sellitwithsam

11050 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY MARATHON, FL 33050

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

GRANDEUR EMBODIED

If you've been looking for the perfect getaway in paradise, this is the place for you. This distinctly inviting five-bedroom, five-bathroom canal front home is located in one of the most peaceful areas of Marathon and very close to the white sands of Sombrero Beach.

Newly built on a spacious 15,425 sf lot, this residence is complete with living areas on each of the two levels with full access to the outside area from both making this an ideal vacation residence. Featuring state of the art appliances, open concept kitchen and an extensive island that is perfect for entertaining. This masterpiece offers an incredible outdoor area with a 32 foot long pool, 60 feet of deep water dockage, covered seating area and space to lounge in the Florida Keys sunshine. Landscape lighting brings this tropical property to life at night. Gifted with privacy and meticulously maintained, this property checks all the boxes and is move-in ready for the discerning buyer. Currently a licensed vacation rental approved for 7 day rentals. If you are looking for some playtime or a permanent Keys residence this home was designed for the Florida Keys lifestyle.

MARATHON | $3,999,000 | Listing ID: 601328

10055 Overseas Highway, Marathon | 305.735.4095 | oceansir.com Jo Ann Cook, Managing Broker Each office is independently owned and operated.

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

1 9709 Overseas Hwy. Marathon, FL 33050 Office: 305.743.0844 www.keysweekly.com

Publisher

Jason Koler jason@keysweekly.com

ON THE COVER

Beginning July 1, single-use diapers, reusable diapers and reusable diaper inserts for children are tax-exempt for one year. Baby and toddler clothes, primarily for those 5 and under, are also tax-free.The law making these items taxfree was passed by the Florida Legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

From left, the Tin Man (Aiden Judd), the Cowardly Lion (Brinton Johnson), Dorothy (Haley Price) and the Scarecrow (Rylee Seligson) are ‘off to see the wizard’ in MCT’s children’s theater show, running this weekend only. See page 36. ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

Publishing Partner

Britt Myers britt@keysweekly.com

Marathon Editor

Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com

Staff Writers

Jim McCarthy jim@keysweekly.com Mandy Miles mandy@keysweekly.com

Copy Editor

Mike Howie mike@keysweekly.com

Business Development Patti Childress patti@keysweekly.com

Production Manager

Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com

Executive Administrator Charlotte Hruska char@keysweekly.com

Design / Pre-Press

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

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Director of Digital Media Chanice Dos Santos chanice@keysweekly.com

Classifieds

Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com 305.743.0844

Se habla español

THE MARATHON WEEKLY (ISSN 1944-0812) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY FOR $125 PER YEAR BY WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS, INC., 9709 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, MARATHON FL 33050. APPLICATION TO MAIL AT PERIODICALS POSTAGE RATES IS PENDING AT FORT LAUDERDALE FL AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. All stories, photos, and graphics are copyrighted materials.

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LIGHTHOUSE PARASAIL TARGET OF CLAIMS FOR WRONGFUL DEATH AND PERSONAL INJURY

LAWSUIT FILED FOLLOWING FATAL PARASAILING ACCIDENT

A

Memorial Day parasailing tragedy that left one woman dead and her son and nephew injured may now head to court, according to a lawsuit filed on the woman’s family’s behalf

by Coral Springs’ Haggard Law Firm.

On May 30, 33-year-old Supraja Alaparthi was taking a parasail flight with Lighthouse Parasailing out of Marathon along with her 10-year-old son Sriakshith Alaparthi and 9-year-old nephew Vishant Sadda. According to an FWC 24-hour report released a day after the incident, a strong gust of wind “pegged” the parasail, a term used to describe when a parasail becomes controlled by the weather conditions instead of the towing vessel and begins to impede the safe operation of the towing vessel by becoming a sail.

With the parasail pegged, the boat’s captain, Daniel Couch, intentionally cut the line tethering the three victims, who dropped to the water and were dragged by the freed parasail across the surface until it collided with the old Seven Mile Bridge, throwing the three into a piling.

Nearby Marathon Capt. John Callion acted as a good Samaritan, approaching the parasail and cutting the three victims free from their harnesses to take them to shore after he saw the collision. Supraja was pronounced dead at the scene when she reached land, according to FWC’s report. Sriakshith suffered minor physical injuries, while Sadda was airlifted to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. According to Haggard Law Firm’s press conference announcing the suit on June 28, Sadda faces additional consultations and surgeries with plastic surgeons to repair damage to his face.

A copy of the lawsuit provided to Keys Weekly

by Michael Haggard and Pedro Echarte III details the wrongful death claim and two personal injury claims brought against Lighthouse Parasail, a North Carolinabased company that had opened a second location operating out of Marathon’s Captain Pip’s Marina.

According to the suit, a total of 12 family members boarded the M/V Airborne – loading the boat

A photo provided to the Haggard Law Firm by the family of Supraja Alaparthi shows the weather conditions moments after her parasail flight began with her son and nephew.

HAGGARD LAW FIRM/Contributed

to capacity – on the day in question and completed one successful flight before the fatal flight occurred.

Though some early accounts gave the impression that strong wind gusts occurred suddenly, Haggard Law Firm’s press conference included photos taken by the family that the firm claims as evidence of obvious inclement weather.

“We have talked to five other vessels throughout Marathon that came in early that day because of the horrific winds and weather that was coming in through the Middle Keys that day,” said Haggard. “In fact, the family had several conversations with both the captain and the first mate: ‘We can come back tomorrow.’ … The captain said, ‘No, we will be fine.’”

Among more than a dozen allegations, the suit claims that Lighthouse Parasail failed to adequately monitor the weather before and during the flight, failed to give its passengers and parasailers appropriate safety instructions and in-case-of-emergency briefings, did not have proper equipment aboard the boat to monitor the weather, chose to conduct a parasail flight in unsafe weather, and failed to execute alternate emergency procedures rather than cutting the tow line to detach the parasail. continued on page 10

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

FLORIDA’S NEW ABORTION LAW PROMPTS LEGAL BATTLES State banned procedure after 15 weeks on July 1

and do not meet one of HB 5′s exceptions,” states the attorney genmandy@keysweekly.com eral’s request. “The state’s appeal from that decision raises questions ew things in Florida are ever of exceptional public importance clear-cut, black-and-white, that warrant immediate resolution yes-no decisions, and the by the Florida Supreme Court. This state’s new, tighter abortion (1st District) Court should so certify restrictions are no different. this appeal (to the Supreme Court) Until July 1, the Sunshine State as soon as practicable.” had allowed abortions until 24 The same filing also indicates weeks of pregnancy. But as of July that Moody’s office plans to use 1, a new law, House Bill 5, closed the recent U.S. Supreme Court that window to 15 weeks, with no decision that struck down the exceptions for pregnancies caused 50-year precedent of Roe v. Wade, by rape or incest. which guaranteed federal protecBut abortion rights advocates tions for abortions, as a way to and a Florida doctor had filed a dismiss abortion rights that have lawsuit on June 1 in anticipation of been seen as protected by Florida’s the tighter, July 1, 15-week restricconstitutional privacy clause. tion. That lawsuit cited a privacy “That sea-change in federal clause in the Florida Constitulaw plainly warrants reconsideration that supporters of women’s tion of the Florida Supreme Court’s reproductive rights have long interpretation of Florida’s own used to uphold Floridians’ rights constitutional right to privacy, and to an abortion until 24 weeks of there will be great uncertainty in pregnancy, which is when a fetus Florida until it does so,” the Florida is considered viable outside the attorney general’s office wrote. mother’s womb.

On the other side of the case, Leon Circuit Judge John CooThe U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade last month attorneys advocating for abortion per issued a temporary, 15-day prompted protests from both sides of the issue in nearly all 50 rights filed a motion asking Cooper injunction to block implementation states. CONTRIBUTED to overturn the automatic endof the new law, saying it violated ing of his halt to the 15-week rule. the privacy clause in the state’s They want Florida’s prior 24-week abortion law to remain in effect constitution. until the appeals process is complete.

Cooper had ruled that the Florida Constitution “grants explicit “Every day that HB 5 remains in effect, Florida patients in protections for the right to privacy that do not exist in the U.S. Condesperate need of post-15-week abortion services are being turned stitution, and that the Florida Supreme Court has established that away and forced to attempt to seek abortions out of state, if they this grants protections for a woman's right to get an abortion.” are able to do so; to attempt abortions outside the medical system; The state appealed Cooper’s injunction, which automatically or to continue pregnancies against their will,” the motion states. “It suspended the judge's decision to halt implementation of the 15is unjustifiable to impair plaintiffs’ ability to provide care to Floridweek ban under state law. ians, as courts have held that ongoing violations of constitutional Translation: As of July 6, Florida’s new, 15-week abortion law rights support an order to vacate a stay.” was back in place. The 15-week ban includes exceptions only if the According to the Sun Sentinel on July 6, “Cooper indicated durpregnancy poses a risk to the mother’s life or if the fetus has a fatal ing a hearing last week that he was unlikely to override a stay. defect, but does not include exceptions for pregnancies caused by “While the Florida Supreme Court has relied on the privacy rape or incest. clause in the state Constitution to uphold abortion rights, the court “The Center for Reproductive Rights, American Civil Liberties has become far more conservative since early 2019. That is because Union, ACLU of Florida, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, of the retirements of longtime justices Barbara Pariente, R. Fred and the law firm Jenner & Block, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Lewis and Peggy Quince and the appointment of justices by RepubFlorida abortion providers, said they plan to file a motion to reinlican Gov. Ron DeSantis,” the Sun Sentinel states. state the temporary hold on Florida's 15-week abortion ban and The legal battle in Florida is one of several throughout the counthey will continue to work to permanently ban the law,” according try following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that abortion rights to ABC News on July 6. and restrictions should be decided by individual states and not the The Center for Reproductive Rights stated in a press release, federal government.

“The law, which has been in effect since July 1, has already had devAt least 12 states have ceased nearly all abortion services. astating consequences on the health and futures of Floridians by Some Republican lawmakers in Florida have expressed a desire to forcing them to continue carrying pregnancies against their will." see even more restrictions beyond the 15-week ban, but that’s the On July 5, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office filed a only law currently being argued in Florida’s courts. document asking that the legal battle over a 15- or 24-week aborStay tuned to the Keys Weekly for a closer look at how local tion restriction be expedited to the Florida Supreme Court, which lawmakers and health care providers would respond to potentially would bypass the appeals court process. more restrictive rules.

“The circuit court has enjoined HB 5, which restricts the small fraction of abortions in Florida that occur after 15 weeks’ gestation MANDY MILES

F

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022 Reinier Fuentes, right, and Lilianne Dominguez are detained by MiamiDade officers for the alleged theft of Sailor. MCSO/Contributed

SAFE AND SOUND

Stolen French bulldog returned from Miami to Marathon owners ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

T

hanks to a fast-acting collaboration between the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Miami-Dade Police Department, a dog stolen from her home neighborhood in Marathon and taken all the way to Miami is safely back at home.

On July 4, Reinier Fuentes, 33, and Lilianne Dominguez, 26, were arrested on charges of grand theft, dealing in stolen property and use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony. The two were booked into jail in Miami-Dade County.

The case began just over a week earlier when Marathon resident Patti Rhine noticed that her husband’s service dog, a French bulldog named Sailor, had gone missing. Within minutes, Patti began searching her neighborhood, a series of dead-end streets, but Sailor was nowhere to be found.

According to Rhine, she received a call later that night from an individual claiming to have Sailor. After sending Rhine a picture of the dog to confirm Sailor’s identity, Rhine said the caller switched to a service obscuring the incoming number, and his story failed to add up.

Rhine said the caller told her that Sailor was found in Islamorada and claimed the dog was abused. Making claims that he had to spend money on Sailor for medical treatment, Rhine said the caller told her that he “gave her water right away at Wal-Mart as soon as we found her” and that he was hesitant to return the dog, but never offered his name.

“She didn’t run 30 miles,” Rhine told Keys Weekly. “She would have been dead in 15 minutes.”

Enlisting the help of MCSO, which eventually coordinated with the Miami-Dade Police Department, Rhine said she arranged for an exchange with the caller the next day, backed by undercover MCSO officers.

As a valuable target for dog thefts, French bulldog puppies are frequently sold for up to $3,000. Although Rhine said she informed the caller that Sailor was spayed and would be useless for breeding purposes, she eventually found that the dog’s belly had been shaved in the usual site of the surgical incision for the procedure.

Thanks to the quick work of Monroe County Sheriff and Miami-Dade officers, Sailor is back home with Patti and Mike Rhine. CONTRIBUTED

Demanding $1,000 for Sailor’s safe return, Rhine said, the caller changed the location for the exchange several times.

“The guy was really arrogant,” said Rhine.

“He goes, ‘You can meet me anywhere. I’ll even go to the police station.’”

After failing to arrive at the designated police station for the exchange, Rhine said the callers became more aggressive. “(Dominguez) started yelling at me,” she said. “They were getting nervous. … She said, ‘Be at Dadeland Mall. You leave right now and you can have your dog. If you don’t, you’ll never see her again.’”

Upon meeting Fuentes, Dominguez and their young daughter at the mall and exchanging marked bills for Sailor, the adult suspects were handcuffed but eventually released by Miami-Dade officers.

“I was shocked when they called me and told me that they were let go,” said Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Although the suspects claimed to have found Sailor in Islamorada, according to Ramsay, MCSO detectives determined using video footage that Dominguez had been in Marathon working for a house cleaning service at the house next to Rhine’s at the time Sailor had gone missing.

“It put them at the crime scene, and not as a good Samaritan trying to pick up a dog who’s running loose,” said Ramsay. Using the information obtained throughout the exchange process and Rhine’s account of her experience, MCSO obtained arrest warrants for Fuentes and Dominguez.

“I can’t speak on behalf of Miami-Dade County, but that crime took place here in Monroe, and they are going to jail,” said Ramsay.

Within days, the pair were again located and arrested by Miami-Dade officers.

Rhine expressed her extreme gratitude for the work of both agencies, as well as family friends Andrew George and Carolyn Campbell, who accompanied her to Miami and had the foresight to mark the bills eventually used in the exchange.

“MCSO did awesome,” said Rhine. “I can’t say enough nice things about them. … I’m very proud of our Marathon community.”

“We treated this like someone’s child,” said MCSO Capt. Don Hiller. “That’s how important this is. My guys were pretty relentless, and it was a great outcome.”

“The people that work for the sheriff’s office, they get how important this is, that this is someone’s family member,” said Ramsay.

“They’re on weekends and after hours working on this case, so I’m proud of the men and women who dealt with this matter, from patrols to detectives to the administrative portion of this case.

“These type of cases are not uncommon to fall through the cracks, but we set a different tone here. … This will not be tolerated.”

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022 JIM McCARTHY

A black tip reef shark.

DAVID CLODE/Unsplash

jim@keysweekly.com

WOMAN BITTEN BY SHARK NEAR SUMMERLAND UNDERGOING SURGERIES Family of four was swimming when husband heard a big splash

A

Texas woman swimming with her family not far from Summerland Key on June 29 knew something wasn’t right when she felt instant pain coming from her leg.

Immediately, the 35-year-old got back onto a boat with help from her husband, surfacing with a visible leg injury from what looked to be a shark bite.

An incident report by Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission released on July 5 states that the family of four stopped their pontoon vessel on the gulfside east of Sawyer Key around 8 p.m. to jump in the clear, calm water for a swim. They were in about 10 feet of water.

When the woman, identified as Lindsay Bruns, jumped into the water, her husband, Luke, heard a huge splash and turned to see lots of splashing and water coming over into the vessel. He described the splash as too big for his wife just jumping into the water.

The husband reported that he saw nothing but blood in the water. His wife appeared from the water screaming for help, at which time he jumped into the water to retrieve her.

He helped her onto the ladder and into the vessel to discover a large wound in her right leg. Per the FWC report, it was consistent with a shark attack. The husband began to apply a tourniquet in an attempt to stop the profuse bleeding.

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation officers received the call at 8:09 p.m. They rode to Niles Channel on the gulfside, near Tonio’s Restaurant, when they saw the pontoon boat. FWC officers boarded the boat when they saw what’s described as a half-circle wound on her right leg extending from the hip to just above the knee.

“The cut appeared to be from a serrated impact, and there were puncture marks on her thigh, consistent with a shark attack,” the report states.

FWC officers began to apply a tourniquet.

Monroe County Fire Rescue arrived to finish ap-

plying the tourniquet. They transported Bruns to a nearby airport where Trauma Star flew her to Jackson South Medical Center for further care. FWC officers remained on scene to help clean the boat while Luke Bruns attended to his children. Officer Cobb drove the vessel back to the residence where the Bruns were staying.

According to a Monroe County press release, the woman received a blood transfusion during the flight. According to Trauma Star staff, the blood transfusion onboard strongly contributed to her status upon arrival in Miami.

“The biggest thing for us was the fact that it wasn’t a boating accident,” said Jason Rafter, public information officer with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The hospital also confirmed the patient’s wound was a shark bite. She remains hospitalized. According to Rafter, the woman is doing well considering the injury.

“Surgeries have been a success so far,” he told the Keys Weekly. “I spoke to her husband and she was doing quite well considering what happened.”

Monroe County has seen two reported shark bites in recent months. On April 17, a man hanging out with friends at the Islamorada sandbar near Whale Harbor was reportedly bitten. His neighbor, Ash Kumar, of Islamorada, was with him during that Sunday afternoon.

Kumar told the Keys Weekly that the group of eight people was standing around in waistdeep water when one of the guys felt something touch his leg. All of a sudden, Kumar’s neighbor said something grabbed him. He pulled his leg up and said “what was that?”

Thankfully, two firefighters were with the group. They quickly retrieved a towel to tightly wrap the leg. A Coast Guard vessel was near the sandbar as the incident unfolded. The crew was signaled over to render aid and get him on land where he was transported to Mariners Hospital.

“The water was murky and nobody saw it,” he said. “Whatever shark it was, it didn’t take a full bite and leave with the calf.

“You can see the tooth mark in there,” he continued.” From outside, it looks clean, but part of that wound was the leg pulling away. It (the shark) grabbed the leg and realized it’s not a fish and took off.”

The man has recovered from the incident.

Data from the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File states that shark bites picked up in 2021 following three previous years of decline. The U.S. led the world in shark bites last year with 47. Of those incidents, Florida had 28.

As for the bites reported in Florida, research from the Florida Museum states that blacktip sharks are likely responsible for the majority of the incidents. These small sharks hunt in warm water near shorelines where they use shallows to avoid predators of their own, including great hammerheads and bull sharks.

“The shallow water and turbulent waves in surf zones kick up sediment that make it hard for sharks to sight their prey,” said Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum’s shark research program. “About 60% of all bites we record are in low visibility water.”

Two other shark bite incidents were recently reported in Florida. A teenage girl scalloping in 5 feet of water near Grassy Island, just off Keaton Beach, was bitten in the leg by a shark on June 30. According to the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, Addison Bethea was airlifted to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Health Care for emergency surgeries. On July 5, multiple news outlets reported that Bethea was set to undergo amputation above the knee.

And according to a WFLA report, a Dayton Beach man was bitten on the foot by a shark on the morning of July 3. The report states that a 29-year-old man was swimming in New Smyrna Beach when he was bitten. The man was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

City of Marathon City Council Agenda 9805 Overseas Hwy., Marathon Tuesday, July 12, 2022 5:30 P.M.

(*Denotes Item Is Passed By Consent Upon Approval of Agenda) Public Comments taken on all times and at 6:30pm time certain for items not on the agenda or as soon as possible thereafter of after the last agenda item; whichever comes first.

City Council Items *A. Approval of Minutes B. Mini Lobster Season Discussion (Vice Mayor Zieg) C. Employee Raises (Vice Mayor Zieg) City Manager Report *A. MCSO Marathon Substation Report B. Grants Update *C. Building Report *D. Park and Recreation Report E. Public Works Report * F. Marathon Fire Rescue Report * G. Marina Report H. Code Report I. City Manager Updates 1. Approval Of An Amount Not To Exceed $150,000 For Ongoing Litigation Expenses In The FOLKS – Friends of the Lower Keys LLC Case FY22/23 General Fund Budget Discussion A.

Resolution 2022-60, Determining The Proposed Millage Rate, And The Current Year Rolled-Back Rate, And The Date, Time And Place For The First And Second Budget Public Hearings As Required By Law; Directing The Finance Director To File Said Resolution With The Property Appraiser Of Monroe County Pursuant To The Requirements Of Florida Statutes And The Rules And Regulations Of The Department Of Revenue Of The State Of Florida; And Providing For An Effective Date.

Quasi-Judicial Public Hearings: A. Resolution 2022-61 Denying A Request By Van Fischer For An Ordinance Of The City Of Marathon Florida Amending The Zoning From Residential Low (Rl) To Residential Medium 1(Rm-1) For Property Described As Block 18 Lot 7 Coco Plum Beach Pb4-166 Fat Deer Key, Monroe County, Florida, Having Real Estate Number 00365960-000000; And Providing For An Effective Date. (Final Hearing) B.

C.

Resolution 2022-62 Denying A Request By Van Fischer For An Ordinance Of The City Of Marathon, Florida Amending The Future Land Use Map (FLUM) From Residential Low (Rl) To Residential Medium (Rm) For Property Described As Block 18 Lot 7 Coco Plum Beach Pb4-166 Fat Deer Key, Monroe County, Florida, Having Real Estate Number 00365960-000000; And Providing For An Effective Date. (Final Hearing) Resolution 2022-63 Consideration Of A Request By Thomas Francis-Siburg For A Conditional Use Permit, Pursuant To Chapter 102, Article 13 Of The City Of Marathon Land Development Regulations (“The Code”) Entitled “Conditional Use Permits”, Authorizing The Development Of An Existing Convenience Store Providing Fuel Sales With The Addition Of A Car Wash At The Property Located At 6203 Overseas Highway, Ocean, Which Is Legally Described As Edmonds Acreage Tracts PB2-100 A Subdivision Of Part Government Lot 1 Section 11 Township 66S Range 32E Key Vaca Part E1/2 Tract 10, Marathon, Monroe County, Florida, Having Real Estate Number 00338730-000600 & Sheryl Subdivision 2 Plat Book 4-43 Key Vaca Lots 1-2 And Part 3-4 Block C, Monroe County, Florida, Having Real Estate Number 00339960-000000. Nearest Mile Marker 50.

Ordinances for Second Public Hearing and Adoption A. Ordinance 2022-17, Amending The First Time Homebuyer Assistance Program; Providing For The Repeal Of All Code Provisions And Ordinances Inconsistent With This Ordinance; Providing For Severability; Providing For Inclusion In The Code Of Ordinances, City Of Marathon, Florida; And Providing An Effective Date.

Ordinances for Third Public Hearing and Adoption A.

B.

Ordinance 2022-09, Amending Chapter 103 “Zoning Districts”, Article 3 “Use And Intensity Tables”, Updating Table 103.15.1 “Uses By Zoning District”, Updating Table 103.15.2 “Density, Intensity And Dimensions For Zoning Districts”; Providing For The Repeal Of All Code Provisions And Ordinances Inconsistent With This Ordinance; Providing For Severability; Providing For Inclusion In The Code Of Ordinances, City Of Marathon, Florida; And Providing An Effective Date.

Ordinance 2022-10, Amending Chapter 102 “Development Application Review Procedures”, Article 17 “Appeals”, Amending Section 102.92 “Appeal Period” And Section 102.93 “Applicability” To Address Timeframes, Of The City Of Marathon Land Development Regulations; Providing For The Repeal Of All Code Provisions And Ordinances Inconsistent With This Ordinance; Providing For Severability; Providing For Inclusion In The Code; Providing For The Transmittal Of This Ordinance To The State Department Of Economic Opportunity; And Providing For An Effective Date Upon The Approval Of This Ordinance By The Department Of Economic Opportunity In Accordance With State Law.

C.

Ordinance 2022-11, Amending Chapter 104 “Specific Use Regulations”, Article 1 “General Provisions”, Amending Section 104.52 “Small Animal Shelter Or Animal Day Care”, Of The City Of Marathon Land Development Regulations; Providing For The Repeal Of All Code Provisions And Ordinances Inconsistent With This Ordinance; Providing For Severability; Providing For Inclusion In The Code; Providing For The Transmittal Of This Ordinance To The State Department Of Economic Opportunity; And Providing For An Effective Date Upon The Approval Of This Ordinance By The Department Of Economic Opportunity In Accordance With State Law.

Resolutions For Adoption *A. Resolution 2022-64, Approving an Interlocal Agreement Between The City And Monroe County Board of County Commissioners for Boating Improvement Funding For Repairs to the Pilings at 33rd Street Boat Ramp; Appropriating Funds; And Providing For An Effective Date *B . Resolution 2022-65, Of The City Council Of The City Of Marathon, Florida Recognizing That The Final Version Of The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) “Restoration Blueprint” Will Be Released For Public Comment During The Month Of July, 2022; And Urging The FKNMS To Balance Natural Resource Conservation With Sustainable Uses And To Continue To Engage Stakeholders From Throughout The Florida Keys In The Review And Comment On This Document; And Providing For An Effective Date *C. Resolution 2022-66, Approving A First Amendment To The Contract Between The City And The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office For Local Police Services In An Amount Not To Exceed $2,360,834 For FY 2022-2023; Authorizing The City Manager And City Attorney To Finalize The Terms And Conditions Of The Contract; Authorizing The Mayor To Execute The Contract And Expend Budgeted Funds On Behalf Of The City; And Providing For An Effective Date *D. Resolution 2022-67 Awarding the contract for the Fairfield Inn Lift Station to Tropical Underground Contracting, LLC in amount not to exceed $375,555.75; Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into Agreements In Connection Therewith, Appropriating And Expending Budgeted Funds; And Providing For An Effective Date *E. Resolution 2022-68, Awarding Change Order #1 for the Chemical Upgrades to Reynolds Construction, LLC.; Approving a change in contract amount of $58,291.77; Authorizing The City Manager To Execute The Change Order And Expend Budgeted Funds On Behalf Of The City; And Providing For An Effective Date. *F. Resolution 2022-69, Approving An Interlocal Agreement Between The City Of Marathon, Florida (Hereinafter, The “City”) And School Board Of Monroe County, Florida (Hereinafter, The “School Board”) Providing The Mechanism For The Procedures In Coordinating The Development Of New Or Expanded School Facilities; Providing For Signature; And Providing For An Effective Date *G. Resolution 2022-70, Ratifying A Change To The Agreement Between The City Of Marathon, Florida And Synagro, Authorizing The City Manager To Execute The Agreement On Behalf Of The City; And Providing For An Effective Date. *H. Resolution 2022-71, In Support Of Swift Progress On Florida Mainland Wastewater Treatment System Upgrades Affecting Waters Of The State Of Florida Including The Waters Surrounding The City Of Marathon And The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; And Providing For An Effective Date. *I

Resolution 2022-72, Approving And Accepting A Warranty Deed For The Conveyance Of Land From Seasons 16 LLC; Having Real Estate Number 00369550-000000; Authorizing Its Recording In The Public Records Of Monroe County, Florida; And Providing An Effective Date.

*J. Resolution 2022-73, Approving a Contract Between The City of Marathon And Anavel Mystique Corp for the Purchase of the Property at 592 83rd Street Ocean, Marathon, FL with Parcel ID 00347630-000000; Appropriating Funds; And Providing For An Effective Date K.

Resolution 2022-74, Approving A Memorandum Of Understanding Between The City Of Marathon And The Professional Firefighters Of Marathon, To Include Non-Union Firefighters And Paramedic Of The City Of Marathon Fire Department; Said Memorandum To Be Approved In Consideration Of The Pay Disparity Between The City’s Fire Service And Similarly Sized Services, Including Monroe County, And Providing For An Effective Date.

Pursuant to Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes, if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Council with respect to any matter considered at such hearing or meeting, one will need a record of the proceedings and for such purpose that person may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made; such record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. ADA Assistance: Anyone needing special assistance at the City Council hearing due to disability should contact the City of Marathon City Attorney at (305) 289-4130 at least five days prior thereto. Please contact the City Clerk at clavierd@ci.marathon.fl.us if you would like to receive any of the items on the agenda by email.

10

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

from page 4

LAWSUIT FILED FOLLOWING FATAL PARASAILING ACCIDENT “There were other maneuvers (Couch) could have taken,” said Echarte in Haggard’s press conference. “He did the one thing you are not supposed to do.”

Florida Statutes Section 327.375 details requirements for commercial parasail operators. Among other provisions, the law dictates that: vessels must be equipped with a functional VHF marine transceiver and a separate device capable of accessing current weather forecasts and conditions; commercial parasailing is prohibited in sustained winds of more than 20 mph, gusts of 15 mph or more above sustained winds, wind gusts exceeding 20 mph, or within seven miles of a known lightning storm; and that operators of a commercial parasailing vessel must use all available means to determine and record forecasted weather conditions.

The regulations have been in place since 2014, when the White-Miskell Act, named after two parasailing accident victims, went into effect. The new lawsuit claims that Lighthouse was in violation of several critical parts of the safety procedures established to prevent accidents such as this one.

“It was absolute negligence, a violation of statute in the state of Florida to put those three souls multiple hundreds of feet in the air on this day,” said Haggard.

Though the suit demanded a jury trial and did not name an exact amount sought by the plaintiffs, Haggard called the damages “insurmountable.”

“We can’t do the one thing that Pedro and I want to do, which is to bring (Supraja) back,” he said. “So, it’s up to a Monroe County jury to decide.”

Haggard and Echarte said that while criminal charges have yet to be filed – violation of Florida’s parasailing laws constitutes a second-degree misdemeanor – they hope to see further action taken once FWC and the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office finish their review of the case.

In an email to Keys Weekly, Echarte confirmed that Haggard Law Firm also plans to file a suit against Captain Pip’s Marina, but has yet to officially do so.

A call to Captain Pip’s Marina and email to Lighthouse Parasail were both unanswered as of press time on July 6.

SPORTS & MORE

IS THE END OF SPORTS IMMINENT?

RALPH MORROW ... a veteran sports columnist, says the only sport he doesn’t follow is cricket. That leaves plenty of others to fill his time. ralphmoro1936 @gmail.com

I

don’t know how to explain it, except to say that every sport has a major problem, problems that could destroy the sports as we know them today.

We’ve already discussed golf, how the LIV Series is taking some of the best players away from the PGA Tour. Now I’m all for competition between the two organizations – an idea to which a lot of people object.

Next is college football. Two teams from the Pac-12, Southern Cal and UCLA, have been accepted for membership in the 2024 season in the Big 10, which is actually the Big 14 and will then be the Big 16. I’ve read that Washington and Oregon are next.

That’ll make it the Big 18. They’re moving because of money. In fact, all of this is because of money. Notre Dame, of course, would be the big catch.

Kirk Herbstreit, the announcer and former Ohio State quarterback, says the future will be 50 teams in the Big 10 and 50 in the Southeastern Conference. That ought to take care of college football. Even now, with USC and UCLA moving east, the Rose Bowl is dead. Other bowls will follow. How can football survive if there are only two conferences? What happens to the College Football Playoff? You tell me. What happens to the minor sports? How do the West Coast teams, say tennis or baseball, manage to travel several times to the Midwest?

How about the NBA? Oh, I’d be very happy to welcome Kevin Durant to the Miami Heat, but as more players project moving to other teams, what happens?

Other than the players ruling the teams, not the coaches, the general managers or the owners? Durant, in fact, went to the Brooklyn owner, not some underling, to tell him he wanted to be traded and his first two destination choices were Arizona and Miami. Kyrie Irving was next to ask for a trade. James Harden had already moved to Philadelphia. Those moves destroy the “super team” that the Nets were supposed to be before they lost in the first round of this year’s playoffs. Now, they’ll be starting over.

In free agency, the Heat lost strong forward P.J. Tucker, who took $33 million for three years from the Philadelphia 76ers instead of the $27 million for three years that the Heat offered. The Heat did wrap

up reserves Dewayne Dedmon and Victor Oladipo. The Heat was not able to lure Gary Payton II, who went from the Warriors to the Blazers for $28 million over three years.

All this talk about big trades has kicked up salaries around the league. Witness Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, who will get $224 million over four years. Before long, owners will realize they can’t afford their players. Then, what will happen? This is what I mean. What happens when players’ salaries become out of reach?

As I write this, the big catch is still Durant. It appears it may take a trade among three or even four teams, giving up several (maybe four) first-round draft picks, lots of money (millions) and a top player, all going to Brooklyn.

I lost interest in the Tour de France cycling event when Lance Armstrong came clean.

Let’s give the Russians a prisoner they want and bring Brittney Griner home. Her return will make the Women’s NBA whole and once again worth watching.

Ronaldo wants to leave Man United, I guess to Chelsea.

I’ve continued to watch NASCAR, but I miss Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson. Last Sunday, Tyler Reddick, in the No. 8, became the fifth first-time winner this year. Interesting, but not exciting to me. He beat Chase Elliott, who would have been exciting. It was a clean finish, no bumping.

Serena Williams lost in the first round at Wimbledon to unranked Harmony Tan, who kept winning, strange as it may seem. I would have preferred Williams to have had the winning streak.

After not playing at all last season in Houston, now Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has continued to be paid millions while not playing, had his day in court, but may not hear his penalty for some time. It’ll probably be a year’s suspension, which will hamper the Browns at the QB position for a year. According to the New York Times, Watson “has settled 20 of 24 civil lawsuits accusing him of a pattern of coercive and lewd behavior. He now awaits the results of his NFL disciplinary hearing.”

Have I missed any sport? Baseball?

They, especially the Miami Marlins, keep winning exciting games. Maybe they’re our saviors.

I’ll leave it at that.

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

Thank You !

Huge Thank you to our Volunteers!

We couldn't do it without you

Sam Williams • Grimi Betancourt • Patrick Stevens • Sarah Brawer • Kevin Macaulay • Robyn Still Sarah Adams • Keith Douglass • Marianne Finizio • Daniel Samess • Lavarski Smith • Charlotte Quinn Michael Cunningham • Deb Dolqueist • George Garrett • Peter Rosasco • Barry Gaukel • Lori Gaukel Kelly Vaughn • Brian Tewes • Lorna Sanchez • Duane Webster • Deb Kaplan

Many thanks to the wonderful

"Pyrotechnics Crew" and producers Chief Pyrotechnician: Randy Mearns

Pyros: Lyle Cameron • Billy Diaz • Denise Pankow • Chris Pankow • Michael Mearns Buddy Cameron • Hammer Runyon • Mike Puto Producers: City of Marathon • Fire Power Displays • Marathon Electric Sign & Light Radio Active Productions • Florida Keys Media

A Very Special Thank you to Monroe County Sheriff's Department • FWC • USCG • the following members of the Marathon High School Interact Club Jack Horvat • Casey Horvat and Leonard Volchek. Presents in Paradise helpers Kathi Venier • Synthia Robles Tami Wires and Karen Shotwell. • Camero Bucek and Marathon Fire Rescue Hammer Runyon and the City of Marathon Staff • Leigha Fox • Dot Palm Landscaping

Event Chair Sam Williams • George Garrett • Duane Webster • Lavarski Smith • Chad Scibilia • Mike Puto

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

Thank You Sponsors!

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All About Doors & Windows • Ally Kelley • Appraisal Certified Services • Baptist Health S Florida Foundation • Baptist Political Affairs • Campbell Engineering • D’Asign Source • David Manz • Discount Rock & Sand • First State Bank of the Fl Keys • Florida Keys Country Club • Food for Thought • Grassy Flats Resort • Insurance Office of America • Isla Bella Beach Resort • Jessica Borraccino • Keys Animal Hospital • Keys Federal Credit Union • Law Offices of Hal Shuhmacher • Keys Carwash • Marty Flynn/Sherwood Construction • Mary Ann Royse and Mike Howie • Marathon Mermaid Charters • Midas Touch • Josh Mothner & Teri Hiller • Natalie Ardis • Professional Firefighters of Marathon • Royal Furniture • Shady Palm Art Gallery & Photography • Spotless Pool Cleaning Inc • Cunningham Miller Law Firm • TIkiLIVE • Truist Bank • AHEC • Alex Palma • Aquarium Encounters • Chapters Health Hospice • CHI • Dockside • Docs Tattoo • Douglass Marine • Faro Blanco Resort • Florida Keys AC • Florida Keys Area Health Education Center • Florida Keys Concierge Medicine • Frank’s Grill • Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce • Homes & Land of the Fl Keys • Howard & Lily Leitner • Island Fish Company • Key Colony Beach Help Desk • Key Colony Beach Realty • Keys Contracting Services • Laura Rutskin Martin • Main Attraction Sportfishing Charters • Marathon & the Middle Florida Keys Magazine • Marathon Lady of the Fl Keys • Midas Touch • Overseas Pub & Grill • Patty Ivey • Presents in Paradise • Porky’s Bayside Restaurant & Marina • Promotions Guy • Regan Roth Insurance • Ernest Rhodes Plumbing • Richard E Warner, P.A • Law Offices of Campbell and Malafy • Sarah Bartus • Sharon Marie Moyer • Silent Hunter Boat Yard • Sparky’s Landing • The UPS Store • Vivian Dodge • William Heffernan • Wright Barrows • Keys Tile & Stone • Dennis & CM Bishop • Cash Flow Jewelry & Pawn • Chad Scibilia • Wendy Bonilla • Keys Contracting Services • Sweet Savannahs

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

DISTRICT ADVISORY COUNCIL RECOMMENDS $1.8 MILLION IN TDC CAPITAL PROJECT FUNDING

A

t its June 29 meeting, the District III Advisory Council (DAC III) of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council (TDC) voted to recommend a total of $1.8 million in allocations for eligible capital projects at several Middle Keys tourist attractions for the 2023 fiscal year.

A total of 10 out of 12 project applications totaling $2.3 million were funded. Allocations must be approved by the TDC board and the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners, but denial of a DAC recommendation is rare. The projects recommended for funding are as follows: City of Marathon: $203,050 of a requested $273,140 for beach cleaning, along with full funding of a $245,000 request for restrooms at the upcoming Quay park redevelopment.

Dolphin Research Center: $488,655 of a requested $542,950 for construction of a new sea lion habitat.

Florida Keys Land and Sea Trust: $162,292 of a requested $216,922 for funding of the Crane Point Flying Forward Phase IV plan.

The Turtle Hospital: $135,219 of a requested $156,219 for guest grounds pavers Mote Marine Laboratory: $104,438 of a requested $139,250 for coral restoration National Marine Sanctuary Foundation: $52,000 of a requested $56,000 for National Marine Sanctuary anchor installation Pigeon Key Foundation: $166,050 of a requested $221,400 for ADA ramp installation, along with $210,000 of a requested $252,000 for replacement of the Paint Foreman’s Dorm Coral Restoration Foundation: full funding of a $58,800 request for coral restoration Projects not funded included a request for finger dock restoration at the 7 Mile Marina for the City of Marathon, as well as a request for sidewalk replacement at Pigeon Key.

OXITEC’S GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOSQUITO RELEASE ENTERS NEW PHASE New round of releases planned for Middle Keys

A

nother round of genetically modified mosquitoes will be released in the Florida Keys.

Oxitec and Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) announced a new phase of the project (“Pilot D”) will be initiated on or after July 7.

The next phase of Oxitec’s project will examine single-point releases of Oxitec’s male mosquitoes. Specifically Pilot D will see the placing of Oxitec’s just-add-water mosquito boxes on private property of volunteer residents in three release areas: Vaca Key, Fat Deer Key and Grassy Key. Untreated comparison sites will be monitored with mosquito traps on Vaca Key, Key Colony Beach, Duck Key and Conch Key. The 2022 project launched with Pilot B during the week of May 9, with the placement of Oxitec’s mosquito boxes on private property of volunteer residents in three release areas, all on Vaca Key. Untreated comparison sites are monitored with mosquito traps on Key Colony Beach and Vaca Key. “After a successful project in 2021, we are thrilled to be getting back to work with our close partners at Oxitec during 2022,” said Andrea Leal, executive director of the FKMCD, during the release in May. “We made significant progress during the pilot project last year and we look forward to continuing this important work during this year’s mosquito season.”

Last March, the Environmental Protection Agency granted an extension of the Experimental Use Permit (EUP) for the continuation of Oxitec and FKMCD’s pilot project. Following this national-level approval, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), reviewed and approved Oxitec’s state-level permit applications.

For the first part of this pilot project in 2021, Oxitec released a little less than 5 million male, non-biting mosquitoes.

The maximum number of non-biting male Oxitec mosquitoes released during the entire 2022 project is expected to be fewer than 7 million.

Oxitec said its safe, sustainable and targeted biological pest control technology is harmless to beneficial insects like bees and butterflies and is proven to control the disease-transmitting Aedes aegypti mosquito, which has invaded communities in Florida and beyond.

So far, FKMCD and Oxitec hosted 18 public webinars on the pilot project, mosquitoes and public health. The webinars are available at keysmosquitoproject.com/resources.

— Weekly staff report

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

Lignumvitae Key. JERRY WILKINSON COLLECTION/Contributed

KEYS ISLAND NAMED AFTER A TREE OF LIFE LIGNUMVITAE KEY BOASTS A STORIED PAST

S

poiler alert: the Florida Keys are a lowlying collection of islands that rises, on average, 3.2 feet above sea level.

Three islands, however, boast a peak elevation of 18 feet. Solares Hill, the highest point on Key West and home to the Key West Cemetery, stands at 18 feet, as does a point on Islamorada’s Windley Key. Lignumvitae Key, too, has a place that reaches a peak elevation of 18 feet.

Only a handful of the approximately 1,700 islands making up the Florida Keys archipelago were linked to the mainland by the Key West Extension of Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway or the wood, concrete and asphalt of the Overseas Highway. When people talk about or write about the Florida Keys, it is usually about one of the 50 or so islands that have been connected by one conduit or the other.

There are thousands of histories grounded on those less-connected Keys, and Lignumvitae Key is home to one of the great often-overlooked Florida Keys stories.

The 280-acre island is in the Islamorada area of the Upper Keys, and even though it is visible from the Overseas Highway, it is also one of those islands that are super easy to drive by without even taking notice. The island can be seen in Florida Bay from the slightly arched vantage point of the Indian Key Bridge at about Mile Marker 77.5. Out in the bay, Lignumvitae Key appears as just another low-lying mangrove island. It is located about a mile from the highway.

One of the distractions that make it easy to overlook the island comes in the form of the iconic Alligator Reef Lighthouse standing on its iron, skeletal legs out on the Atlantic horizon.

It also does not help that while driving from Upper Matecumbe to Lower Matecumbe Key and rolling gently up and over the Indian Key Bridge, colorful Robbie’s Marina presents itself as one of the last of the great roadside attractions. It is an absolute eye-catcher.

Lignumvitae Key was historically overlooked because the relative shallows surrounding the island made for a difficult approach for the cumbersome ships sailed

by European explorers. However, the island was not completely ignored. For all the history connected to the island, Lignumvitae Key has managed to retain much of its integrity. Unlike many of the other islands of the Florida Keys, especially those that were connected by the train or the highway, Lignumvitae Key is still forested by a virgin sub-tropical hammock.

The island is named after the tree of life, the lignum vitae tree. Like the island, the tree has a remarkable history. Stories say that the lignum vitae tree grew in the Garden of Eden and that the Holy Grail was carved from its wood. The tree produces an exceedingly dense wood that is not only strong but considered relatively inflammable as far as wood goes.

Chipped up and muddled, the wood of the lignum vitae tree has an impressive list of curative properties. Not only was it used to cure syphilis, but its pharmaceutical counterparts range from Xanax to Viagra.

Lignum vitae trees grow thick on the island that was once called Cayo de la Lena, or Firewood Key, on an unnamed 1769 Spanish chart. English cartographer Bernard Romans identified the island as Lignum Vitae Kay on his 1774 chart, and the name has, for the most part, stuck ever since. The island, known as Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park today, is another example of what Florida does best: set aside land for its park system.

The island’s earliest explorers were the people known as the Matecumbe culture of Indians. Evidence of their interaction with the island comes in the form of a rarity in the Florida Keys, a prehistoric Indian burial mound. There are stories BRAD passed around about the BERTELLI burial mound that are astonishing. People say the is an author, bones of a Calusa Indian speaker, and Florida Keys historian. who stood more than 8 feet tall were buried on the His latest book, “The Florida Keys island, though none of the Skunk Ape Files,” bones discovered within is a fun blend of the mound fit the bill of two of his favorite subjects — Florida that alleged account.

Stories of these giant Keys history and the Skunk Ape. people are bandied about on the outskirts of historical research. It is crucial to remember that while the aboriginal people of South Florida and the Keys stood taller than Europe’s explorers, they were not giants. Hundreds of years ago, the average height of the European male was about 5 feet 5 inches tall, whereas the average aboriginal male stood closer to 6 feet tall.

The prehistoric teardrop-shaped sand burial mound discovered on Lignumvitae Key covers approximately 200 square feet and rises to an elevation of 3 to 4 feet. Human bones were discovered around the site and about 7 inches below the surface. Carbon dating of a skull taken from the mound revealed it to be about 1,800 years old. Other bones uncovered in the mound were dated between 800 to 1,400 years old.

The Indians were not the last to use the island. In next week’s column, we will explore more history of Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park and its connection to Indian Key Historic State Park. Stay tuned.

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022 A rare yellow-green vireo seen recently in Key Largo. MARK HEDDEN/Keys Weekly

CHASING A TINY VENTRILOQUIST

I

wasn’t going to go chasing after the yellow-green vireo that appeared at Dagny Johnson State Park in Key Largo late last week. For one, I didn’t expect it to stick around. I’d known of two sightings in the Lower Keys and they were both short looks at birds that disappeared in minutes, never to be re-found. No one even got any photos.

I don’t really like chasing rarities. Seeing them, sure.

But ditching everything else in your life to drive MARK a long distance seeking a bird you may or may not see HEDDEN doesn’t hold a lot of charm for me. Also, you tend to have to get up unreasonably early. Also, the Fourth of ... is a photograJuly weekend traffic would no doubt be evocative of pher, writer, and the fifth, and possibly the ninth, circle of hell. semi-professional birdwatcher. He When Kevin Christman asked if I wanted to go has lived in Key chase the yellow-green vireo on Saturday, I said, West for more maybe, if I managed to get up in time. Which I thought than 25 years and was a polite way of saying no. And then, weirdly may no longer enough, I was awake at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, so I texted be employable in the real world. He Kevin. is also executive I think nostalgia partly got me going, which is odd director of the for a bird you’ve never seen.

Florida Keys AuduThe first sighting in the Lower Keys was by the bon Society. sharp-eyed Brennan Mulrooney in 2002. The second was by the bird whisperer Carl Goodrich and the exquisitely cranky Murray Gardler in 2008. I used to bird pretty regularly with all three of them, but Brennan moved out to California a while back, Murray passed away a few years ago, and Carl sold his place in Key West when his wife couldn’t travel from Cape Cod any more. Honestly, any time I bird around Fort Zach or Indigenous Park and don’t see any of them, I still feel disappointed.

Chasing after a rarity that they’d all seen and I hadn’t wouldn’t be the same as birding with them, but maybe it would feel somewhat adjacent.

The first yellow-green vireo recorded in North America was seen in Quebec, of all places, in the spring of 1883. (North America, for the purposes of ornithology and birdwatching in general, is defined as everything north of the Mexican border.)

Yellow-green vireos are a Central American species, breeding from Mexico down through the southern end of Panama. In winter the entire species migrates to South America.

The working theory on the Quebec bird was that it was moving with a flock of closely-related red-eyed vireos, who also winter in South America, but breed all over North America, as far up as the Northwest Territories, and when the red-eyes started heading north, the yellow-green got a little excited and traveled along with them.

The next yellow-green vireo recorded in North America was seen in California in 1887. And then nothing. Until 1958, when one showed up in Pensacola. The bird was described as being perched in a live oak, alternately singing and eating caterpillars.

The observers did what a lot of people who found rare birds did at the time – they shot it. It is not as dastardly an act as it sounds. At the time, it was the only real way to prove such a rarity had been seen. And the stuffed skin was sent off to a university’s collection to further the study of ornithology. Better optics, relatively affordable cameras, and changing social mores have made such practices far less common.

What does give me pause is the observer/collectors also saw a second yellow-green vireo, which wasn’t singing, probably a female. So there was a chance that two birds out of their normal range could have bred. Which is how range expansion happens and, at its most baseline, how new species come to be (though speciation tends to take a couple eons).

Yellow-green vireos have become more common in North America since then. They sneak across the border into Arizona and sometimes New Mexico and California, and they now breed pretty regularly in the southernmost parts of Texas.

I found a baker’s dozen records of them in Florida on eBird.

Dagny Johnson Park can be buggy, but the mosquitoes were strangely absent when we got there. At the entrance arch we ran into a couple birders who were leaving and asked if they’d seen the vireo. They said yes, told us where to look, and said you had to be a little patient. Then one of them recognized me from Key West and asked if I knew how Carl Goodrich was doing. I said he’d fallen a couple weeks ago and banged up his face pretty good, but reports were he was on the mend.

Further in the park, we heard the vireo pretty quickly. It was high up in a mahogany tree, singing loud. The folks at Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology rather uncharitably describe the yellowgreen’s two-note song as monotonous and “like a house sparrow that’s taken singing lessons.”

I thought the bird could have enunciated better, but there was a force to it, a solidity in the notes. What was simultaneously amazing and frustrating, though, was the way the bird could throw his voice. We stared into that tree for five, 10, 20 minutes while it sang its heart out, and we could not find it. The song would sound like it was coming from different parts of the tree, but if the bird was moving around we would have seen it. For a while I was almost convinced it was two birds.

There are birders who will consider a bird a lifer if they’ve heard but not seen it. I’ve never been one of those people, but as the crick in my neck built from staring up, I was considering it.

Then Kevin said, “I can see his butt.”

“It pooped,” he added.

There were layers and layers of leaves to get through, but finally I lined up the gaps between them the right way and saw what Kevin was seeing, something similar to what Brennan and Carl and Murray had seen all those years ago. It was high in the upper right quadrant of the tree. Its butt was toward us, but occasionally he would move his head and give us a profile. He was a pale little thing, half a cigar in length, whitish and brownish mostly, but tinged on the sides with a lemon meringue hue that blended with the green of the leaves.

We stayed there for a couple hours, losing the bird and refinding it several times, the bird singing most of the time, but rarely giving itself away.

STARTS JULY 8

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

THANK YOU The City of Marathon's Park & Recreation Department would like to extend a very SPECIAL THANK YOU to Habitat for Humanity of the Middle Keys for their extremely generous donation of tools towards The Children's Rotary Park!

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

Karen

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Bill

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CATCH THE BREEZES 2 bedrooms and 1 bath mobile. Relax on the screened front porch. Large shed and laundry facility in rear yard. 5,000 sq ft lot 3 miles to the beach and Marathon airport. See it today. $389,000

AFFORDABLE OPPORTUNITY 2 bedrooms and 1 bath mobile with addition on a 50 x 100 ft lot located in Marathon. Large storage shed and workshop.

Convenient to banks, restaurants and the hospital. $394,000

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Great ocean access and short run to the Gulf. $379,000 MLS#601469

BEAUTIFUL GULF FRONT LOT Located in gated Stirrup Key. Community boat ramp with Gulf access. Building allocation available for purchase to build immediately for $140,000 including transfer fee Lot price $549,000.

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RARE FIND...COCO PLUM BEACH YACHT CLUB 2 Liveaboard gated & deeded slips in a private marina. Totaling 33' x 80' if used as one. 50 amp/240v, 30 amp/120v & 110 service, water, cable, TV. Pump out at slip, showers, bathrooms, laundry. Direct ocean access. $275,000 MLS#597998

Call with your Questions

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

THANK YOU TOO! Our contestants may have had the hardest task, but no competition reaches the finish line without the staff to keep it running. Thank you to the staff of Baptist Health South Florida, Fishermen’s Community Hospital and Keys Weekly for their support, encouragement, and commitment to our community’s health. With your help, the Marathon Meltdown contestants lost:

438 pounds

23

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

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24

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

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MARATHON CELEBRATES AMERICA’S BIRTHDAY

2

Annual parade, fireworks display return in full force at Sombrero Beach

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

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morning parade down Sombrero Beach Road kicked off one of Marathon’s signature yearly events, as the beach and park played host to the Marathon Rotary Club’s Fourth of July celebration. Out of dozens of cars, floats and official vehicles from government agencies and professional organizations, the Marathon BPW took home the Best Overall award, followed by the Marathon Rotary Club golf cart as the Most Patriotic and Florida Keys Window Tinting’s Most Spirited crew. The afternoon gave way to music and food on the beach, culminating in the best fireworks display in the Keys as the City of Marathon put on its annual Sky Concert once the sun set.

The event was a record fundraising year for Rotary, as the club secured $100,000 in donations before its holiday concession sales even began.

The six-figure sum represented a 44% increase over prior years.

— Alex Rickert

1. Beautiful weather found a packed Sombrero Beach for the Fourth of July.

9. Food, friends, games, beer. It’s the Fourth of July in Marathon.

2. Parking spots filled up early as spectators lined the parade route.

10. Sam Williams takes the wheel for the Rotary Club’s ‘Most Patriotic’ golf cart.

3. Keith and Diane Douglass staff the Rotary drink cart.

11. The American Legion color guard paces the parade.

4. ‘Turtle in trouble!’

Michelle Macoskey, left, and Taylor Marcialis ‘save’ an injured turtle on the road.

12. The Turtle Hospital’s fully staffed ambulance was ready for a rescue at a moment’s notice.

5. The parade drew dozens of golf carts, official vehicles and individual patriotic participants.

6. Marathon Fire Rescue was well represented with multiple vehicles.

7. Cub Scout pack 901 brings a truckload of red, white and blue.

8. Marathon City Manager George Garrett is the Rotary Club’s grillmaster.

13. The Marathon Rotary Club offers shirts for sale.

14. MCSO Lt. Mark Jones, left, and Capt. Don Hiller represent the sheriff’s office.

Photos by Barry Gaukel and Alex Rickert.

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

RENGAR 6-year-old male domestic shorthair Looking for: I’m a straight-up house cat.

Domesticated guy. Collar with a bell and all.

Turnoffs: I require nothing less than a fine sofa to lounge on.

BLONDI 5-year-old female domestic shorthair Looking for: A place where I can be the boss.

Turnoffs: Anyone who wants to try my spot as Queen Bee – I am the queen.

TAKE ME HOME LOCAL AND VETERAN OWNED

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Adorable furry faces are waiting for families at the Florida Keys SPCA

Dating in the Keys can be a drag, but thankfully there are plenty of animals waiting for their perfect adoption “match” at the Florida Keys SPCA. Keys Weekly is thrilled each week to showcase some “furever” friends that are ready, waiting and available for adoption at the organization’s Marathon campus – complete with their best qualities, preferences and turn-offs to ensure the best fit.

From cats and dogs to Guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, reptiles and birds, the perfect addition to your family is waiting for you at one of the SPCA’s two campuses, in Key West and Marathon. The SPCA’s knowledgeable staff will help with advice and care tips while working to ensure a good fit between each pet and its people. The SPCA’s Golden Paw program also provides special assistance with vet bills and medications for special-needs and older animals that require a little extra TLC. See all the animals waiting for a home at fkspca.org. To contact the Marathon campus, call 305-743-4800 or visit the campus at 10550 Aviation Blvd.

SIMON 2.5-year-old male guinea pig Looking for: Just about anything. Kids? Love them.

Other pets? No problem.

Turnoffs: When my housing and diet isn’t just right. Give me plenty of exercise, fresh greens and hay and I’ll be one happy little piggy.

27

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

SPONSORED BY:

DIVING ON INDEPENDENCE DAY OUTPLANTING A‘VICTORY’

CONSERVATION TIP

A pair of divers decked in red, white and blue enjoy a dive. MORRIS DIVING/Contributed

ERIC BILLIPS is the owner, captain and instructor at Islamorada Dive Center and Florida Keys Dive Center.

He specializes in scuba, rebreather, spearfishing and captaining in the Florida Keys.

FOURTH CONDITIONS WERE STELLAR Besides some mild winds, great conditions and fantastic water visibility gave divers and others an enjoyable Fourth of July weekend. This time of year sees a large number of boats on the water, with snorkelers and divers exploring the depths. Alligator Light, the Islamorada Sandbar and White Marlin Beach are among the spots seeing scores of boats enjoying the water.

WINDS BEGIN TO PICK UP JUST SLIGHTLY Next week looks like the winds will start to pick up, but only slightly. While conditions may be just a bit sporty, it still should be great for all water activities.

OUTPLANTING A ‘VICTORY’ I.CARE headed out this past weekend for some outplanting at Victory Reef. This spurand- groove reef starts at 40 feet and drops down to 90 feet. The reef forms a “V” shape where it meets the sand. It boasts very large coral structures.

We’ll continue planting this coming Saturday with Key Dives. A fun-filled day of education, training and diving begins at 8:30 a.m.

Call Key Dives to sign up.

Summer sun is here.

Make sure to choose a sunscreen that not only protects your skin, but also safeguards the reef. Opt for “reef safe” sunscreen like the Stream 2 Sea brand. Our reefs need all the help we can give them.

I.C ARE

Divers dressed in red, white and blue ready for a dive out of Florida Keys Dive Center. CONTRIBUTED

With 5,000-plus corals outplanted, I.CARE continues its mission to incorporate the local community and visitors in restoration and maintenance of Islamorada’s coral communities. Visit icareaboutcoral.org to sign up for a dive or donate.

29

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

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31

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

Karen Represented the Sellers of: 420 3rd Street Key Colony, FL 33051 Sold for $650,000

JUST SOLD 1 2

PASSING OF THE GAVEL

Karen Raspe 305-393-9010 Cell 305-743-7636 Office KarenRaspe@bellsouth.net

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A member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates, LLC

COMMERCE CORNER 4

Marathon Rotary Club honors outstanding members, inducts new president and board

O

n June 29, the Marathon Rotary Club took time ahead of its largest annual fundraiser to honor the contributions of several of its outstanding members and install new leadership for the coming year. Outgoing president Duane Webster passed the gavel to 20222023 president Mike Puto, while Rotarians Sam Williams, John Johnson and Cara O’Neill were named the Rotarian of the Year, Humanitarian of the Year and Rookie of the Year, respectively.

This year was a record-setting one for the club, as it reached a whopping $100,000 in donations for its annual Fourth of July celebration on the night of the induction.

— Alex Rickert

STEPHANY DUVALL - Island Breeze Realty, LLC

1. The 2022-2023 Marathon Rotary Club Board. From left: Mark Jones, Duane Webster, Sam Williams, Kristina Helms, Charlotte Quinn, Keith Douglass, George Garrett, John Bartus, Peter Rosasco, Scott Newton, Don Hiller, district governor-elect Dennis Caltagirone. CONTRIBUTED 2. Marathon Mayor John Bartus, right, presents outgoing president Duane Webster with a plaque commemorating his service to the club.

3. Outgoing Rotary president Duane Webster addresses the attendees.

4. District governor Joe Schumacher welcomes incoming president Mike Puto.

Call Duvall for all your real estate needs, whether buying or selling residential properties, vacant land, or investment or commercial properties. Stephany's unique talent for juggling multiple tasks efficiently and effectively allows her to solve problems and help her clients deal with several issues that may arise while buying and selling real estate. "Real estate is like a large puzzle," she says. "When you can match the pieces together as buyers and sellers, you create a rewarding transaction for both parties." Her many 5-star Google reviews refer to Duvall as a "very knowledgeable" and "highly recommended" agent who finds properties to fit her clients' exact needs without a hard sell.

Location: 12220 Overseas Highway, Marathon Phone Number: 407-256-9614 Website: www.islandbreezerealty.com Email: stephany@islandbreezerealty.com

32

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

TOSSED AROUND IN TURBULENCE Well folks, there’s a lot of action taking place is an astrologer, among the wanderer, barplanets right tender and now. I don’t advocate for know about queer justice. He is a loquacious you, but I Gemini with a am definitely cozy Cancer feeling it in rising. Find him at hearthandherald- the greater social field, as astrology.com well as in my own personal life. Powerful Pluto and aggressive Mars have been sparring with each other in a 90-degree square since June 24, sparking eruptions of intense feelings that have been lying beneath the surface. Curious Mercury and jolly Jupiter just recently entered a square of their own, but this has the feeling of quick-witted philosophical argumentation or intellectual competition in the midst of a party. If you feel like you’re getting tossed around in the turbulence, you are right on time.

CHRIS McNULTY

CANCER June 22 - July 22 A very happy birthday season to all you Cancers out there! You may be feeling some profound tension between your social circle and a significant other in your life, and that is OK. Be patient when it comes to volatility, and take some time to objectively analyze your own needs and find joy in your work at this time.

Keeping a level, practical head is your best asset in combating fire.

LEO July 23 - Aug. 22 Daydreaming much? It appears that your mind is in a deeply reflective mode and being bombarded by happy considerations of far off places. Now is a great time to envision future adventures, as these visions are

a perfect distraction from the problems at work or with your general chores and obligations.

When the full moon rolls around, you ought to find some resolution with these difficulties. Until then, patience is your friend.

VIRGO Aug. 23 - Sept. 22 There’s a Mister Rogers vibe happening with the people who support you, Virgo. You’re simultaneously appreciating your network of friends and enjoying the shared investments you have with them. Just keep your head on straight and remember that every investment involves your energy, so don’t get carried away. Also, let your creative project breathe a little bit and let up on the obsession.

LIBRA Sept. 23 - Oct. 23 Your heart seems to be elsewhere, out on her own quest for truth in the great beyond. Allow your heart to roam a bit because this is helping you heal some deep wounds you have been exploring in and around partnership. Keeping your mind on your work in the world is also helping you to say “Yes” to partnership in a very real way. Stay the course, and let the tension at home melt away.

Scorpio Oct. 24 - Nov. 21 There might be some aggressiveness happening in the realm of companionship that is leading to some impulsive communication.

As a Scorpio, you are no stranger to intensity, but don’t let yourself spiral. Hold off on any major decisions here until the full moon, when there is a little more light on the subject at hand. Keeping your hands busy will help bring out your joy.

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22 - Dec. 21 My guess is that you are feeling some enthusiasm about your creative passions, Sag. Get it! Keep in mind that there are important obligations to others as you go full speed ahead in your projects, but continue to follow your joy. There might be some tensions between your financial well-being and how you are using your labor, and it might be time to rethink how you are being compensated.

CAPRICORN Dec. 22 - Jan. 19 There’s a bit of conflict between your life purpose and how you see yourself right now, Cap. How can you bring these two aspects of your psyche into greater alignment rather than working at cross purposes? That is for you to decide. But an area where you can find some light-hearted joy is in the relationship between a partner of yours and your family of origin. Perhaps there is someone out there who fits right in or makes you feel at home. Grasp them.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20 - Feb. 18 Think about how the energy that you put into your everyday tasks affects those who are laterally connected to you – your siblings, your neighbors, your co-workers.

Right now there is a lightness to the awareness that you can not do anything without having an effect on others in your sphere, and see how you can direct that in a beneficial manner. You are fighting something privately, and it is probably connected to home – but it will get sorted.

PISCES Feb. 19 - March 20 There’s some financial abundance in your world right now, Pisces, and it is connected to

your creative mind. Let the ideas flow because the money (or material benefits) will follow. Stay focused on your own goals and what you can control right now because there is probably some difficulty when it comes to other people in your life. Stay your own course for the time being.

ARIES March 21 - April 19 There is probably a deep conflict happening between your work and your financial well-being.

Maybe you’re realizing that you are worth more than you are being compensated, or you’ve discovered some accounting malfeasance at work. Deal with that as you will, but also let your mind turn to themes of home and family to balance the frustrations with your own joy.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20 Life is seeming a little more peaceful for you amid these hectic times, Taurus. Spending time alone is a source of great personal abundance right now, and it is being supported by how you conceptualize your local environment. Pull your life in close and pull your attention away from the larger world for the time being. Meditation, reflection, neighborhood walks and smiling at your neighbors are your happy place.

GEMINI May 21 - June 21 At the moment, you are probably feeling materially and financially buoyant because you have folks in your corner. Let the support come through, but remember that it is up to you to maintain your financial wellness when others turn to matters of their own.

Your own solitude is sparring with your obligations to other people – find your balance and meet your needs.

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

SUMMER IS HERE

As if you needed a column headline to remind you…

T

he passage of the July 4th holiday has always signified for me that we’re really officially into the summer season. (That, and the rising temperatures.) Given the tropical heat and humidity we experience here in the Keys, summers here aren’t nearly as brutal as they are elsewhere in Florida or other parts of this great nation.

The fact that we’re surrounded by water is what keeps us a bit more insulated from the extreme temperatures that mainlanders experience. While many places in the United States (and other countries) routinely experience high temperatures over 100 degrees, we rarely get higher (temperaturewise) than 93. We also don’t cool off at night as much, rarely dipping below 80.

Add in our ever-present humidity, however, and we often feel a lot warmer than the actual temperature. And the word is “temperature,” not “temp,” like the way too many TV and social media weatherpersons misuse the word these days. “Temp” was always short for a temporary worker in the America I grew up in, mister! A “high temp” wasn’t what a TV weatherman would call 95 degrees, it was descriptive of a short-term employee who was stoned out of her gourd.

Meteorologists have given the combination of heat and humidity a name: the Heat Index. So when it’s 92 degrees with 75% relative humidity, it actually feels like 116 degrees. That’s why I can walk the streets of Las Vegas in August at 110 degrees and still have a dry shirt (yes, I have done this), while 20 degrees cooler in Marathon with our humidity means I take multiple shirts to all my outdoor gigs. Of course, the dryness of the Vegas desert cracks your skin, chaps your lips and totally dries out your nasal lining. What a tradeoff.

Other hot-as-hell places I’ve spent summers are the inland southern cities of Columbia, South Carolina and Augusta, Georgia. Combine lots of concrete and asphalt with high temperatures and humidity and absolutely no breeze and you have a recipe for broiled sweltering misery. Why those entire towns don’t just empty out in August is beyond me.

Getting past the heat index, there are actually good things about summer in the Keys. We almost always have

some sort of breeze (and hopefully not the variety delineated by categories).

The waters are calmer. The underwater visibility is at its best for divers and snorkelers. The JOHN fishing is great. We BARTUS seem to miss most of the mainland is the Mayor of summer afternoon the City of Marathunderstorms thon. He also is (sorry, Key Largo). a musician who performs around And we have a town. For more visitor base that see johnbartus. helps sustain our com local economy. So bring a towel, extra shirts, a swimsuit and plenty of water. Then you’ll be ready for whatever summer throws your way. ***** This past July 4th holiday celebration at Sombrero Beach was amazing, and it was blessed by a constant breeze that made it much more comfortable. Randy Mearns and his band of pyros did another amazing job on the best small town fireworks display in America, and the Rotary Club of Marathon made sure that beachgoers had plenty of food and drink. Our Independence Day celebration has always been one of our best community events, and one fine example of that was the football toss between local kids and Marathon Fire/ EMS personnel along with sheriff’s deputies. The camaraderie and sheer joy was evident on all the faces of the football tossers, and it was gratifying to see this incredibly positive interaction between local youth and law enforcement / first responders. A friend of mine commented that our July 4th celebration is like stepping into a Norman Rockwell painting of old. All in all, it was a marvelous day, one of the best Independence Day celebrations I’ve ever seen on Sombrero Beach. Until next year…

— Catch John each Monday at Boondocks, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Key Colony Inn, and Thursdays at Sparky’s Landing. Find his music anywhere you download or stream your music. www. johnbartus.com

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

The Coral Cam presents a beautiful undersea vista. CONTRIBUTED

A VIEW INTO THE BLUE New Coral Cam at Pennekamp Delights Viewers

TIFFANY DUONG tiffany@keysweekly.com

F

amed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau taught us, “People protect what they love, they love what they understand and they understand what they are taught.” The Friends of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park are taking this famous sentiment one step further – by installing a state-of-theart coral camera to showcase what lives in our waters. Their goal is to facilitate people seeing, learning about and appreciating our coral reef.

“To watch Coral Cam is to immediately become immersed in a world that is startlingly beautiful and quietly mesmerizing,” said Ann Helmers, president of the Friends group.

She’s right. In the world beneath the waves, there’s always something fantastic and new to experience. In the Florida Keys, we boast the world’s third largest barrier reef and the only one in the continental U.S. Our sea turtles, lobsters, fish and sharks all rely on this habitat for shelter and foraging. This reef, and the biodiversity it supports, put our diving on the map and sustains our blue coastal economy.

The new Coral Cam, which was installed at Pennekamp State Park, will allow anyone in the world to “see what life is like at our reef,” said Donna Dietrich, a Friends board member. “It is a great tool for teaching.”

Inspiration for the camera came two years ago when board member John Davidson wanted to scuba dive with his kids for Father’s Day. The prior week had been windy, and they weren’t sure if conditions would be favorable. To their surprise, a search for underwater webcams in the Keys came up empty.

“It occurred to me … this might be something that we should explore,” Davidson said. For him, the feed allows anyone to see real-time conditions on the water. It’s incredibly useful for dive shops and divers, he added.

Beyond that, the camera will allow those who can’t snorkel and dive any more, or who have distance, physical limitation or other access restrictions, still experience the park’s beauty – from a distance, said Helmers and Davidson. “So we hope Coral Cam will not only enable everyone to view the living reef at any time anywhere in the world, it will encourage every watcher to become an advocate in helping protect and preserve the unique coral and the sea life that surround it,” the Friends’ president said.

The innovative camera will also be used to test water temperature and salinity, Dietrich added.

The camera was custom-designed by inventor Trevor Mendelow of A View Into the Blue.

Although based in Boulder, Colorado, Mendelow grew up in the Keys and wants to create more installations in his home islands. He was the perfect partner for this ground-breaking project, Davidson said.

The camera sits inside a glass dome that has its own cleaning mechanism to prevent biofouling. Coral Cam can be controlled from anywhere in the world with internet, and has the ability to pan-tilt-zoom. It is entirely solar-powered. Permanently mounted on a piling at Mosquito Bank, it communicates with a radio in the park almost five miles away to project its live broadcast – the only remote camera to do so via radio waves.

Mendelow’s methods produce no toxic chemicals and have almost no impact on marine life, he said. His first Keys project was a similar camera under the Bahia Honda Bridge.

“There are other underwater cameras, but none that are out in the middle of the ocean,” said Vanessa Walso, a volunteer and Friend of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park who helped to install the camera. “Our camera is completely self-sufficient with its own power and broadcasting abilities.”

Coral Cam launched on World Oceans Day in June, and the live feed lives on the Friends

Terry Helmers, a volunteer diver on the project, works to install Coral Cam. CONTRIBUTED

of John Pennekamp YouTube channel. Search for “Pennekamp Coral Cam” to get a real-time view. In the comments, there are links to Google spreadsheets maintained by the YouTube channel moderators identifying and tracking all species spotted on the Coral Cam. In less than a month, an octopus has come by to explore the glass case; sea turtles, sharks and rays glide past and a curious angelfish comes by almost daily to gaze into the camera, Helmers said. The list grows daily.

Funding came from many individual, local and international donors. Lead sponsors included the Bass Pro Foundation, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Ocean Reef Conservation Association and the Rod and Gun Club.

The live feed will remain open access until the end of the year. In 2023, it will become a members-only privilege, though a “best of” video series will remain accessible to all. Membership in Friends of Pennekamp can be purchased at pennekampparkfriends.org and costs $35/year for a single, $60/family. Membership includes benefits such as free monthly park entry and supports the Coral Cam as well as other improvement projects – including additional cameras.

35

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

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MARATHON COMMUNITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH THE PERFECT CHURCH FOR THOSE WHO AREN’T

WE ARE OPEN DESPITE THE CONSTRUCTION

Sunday Service 10am in the Fellowship Hall gofundme Marathon United Methodist Church

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36

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

1

2

4 5

OFF TO SEE THE 3 6

MCT kids’ summer program debuts ‘The Wizard of Oz’ ALEX RICKERT

I

alex@keysweekly.com

f munchkins playing – well, munchkins – and a real-life Toto aren’t enough to get you into a seat at Marathon Community Theatre’s new show, we’re not sure what will.

As the culmination of MCT’s summer program, “The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition” will run for just one weekend, from Friday through Sunday, July 8-10. Based on the beloved classic with a few twists thrown in, the show is brought to life by more than 30 of Marathon’s young stars on the stage and behind the scenes.

Oz’s cast and crew are both a mix of MCT veterans and a welcome influx of new talent. The show will be co-director Kara Pascucci’s 10th production at the helm of the children’s theater program, but she is joined by first-time kids’ director Stephanie Zajac.

The cast is a similar story: roughly two thirds of the group will take the stage at MCT for the first time. Take 13-year-old Brinton Johnson, for example, who secured his first lead role as the Cowardly Lion at MCT after narrowly missing out on the part of Sebastian in his school production of “The Little Mermaid.”

“I just said I was happy to get any part,” said Johnson of his audition. “I feel like I play a major role and that I’m

going to get noticed this time.”

Others, like 15-year-old Rylee Seligson (the Scarecrow) and 14-year-old Claire Segard (Glinda the Good Witch), have been part of the productions as long as Pascucci has directed them. A cast with such varied ages presents a unique set of challenges when trying to pull together a cohesive show, but the veterans say they have enjoyed watching their younger counterparts learn the basics of stagecraft.

“I love hanging out with the munchkins. They’re so cute,” said Segard. “I like to remind them of what they are (on stage) and make it more of a game.”

Though the two were not alone in their efforts, Pascucci and Zajac pulled off a minor miracle: working over just six weeks, “Oz” came together from start to finish in a mere 12 rehearsals.

The pair described themselves as organized, until necessity dictated adapta-

tion in nearly every session.

“We always had a plan that we never stuck to,” said Zajac. “This was definitely a divide-and-conquer project.” “(Pascucci and Zajac) know how to balance everything at once,” said Seligson. “You can just tell that (Pascucci)’s done this for 10 years.”

“What I like about them is they don’t try to stress you out too much,” added Johnson. “If you’re extremely stressed out trying to perfect something you’re doing, you end up completely messing it up. They seem to know a good boundary on how much they should push.”

When asked for the highlights of their show that would fill seats, the trio of lead actors had no hesitation.

“I get lit on fire,” said Seligson.

“Be prepared for an awesome ending for the Wicked Witch,” said Segard.

Showtime for “The Wizard of Oz”

1. The Tin Man (Aiden Judd, left) spills his troubles to Dorothy (Haley Price), Toto (Lily Hutchinson) and the Scarecrow (Rylee Seligson).

2. Now that Dorothy has dropped a house on her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West (Maddy Judd) is a force to be reckoned with.

3. The cast and crew of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ 4. Dorothy (Haley Price, right) consults Professor Marvel (Emmit Johnson).

5. Glinda (Claire Segard, center) celebrates the death of the Wicked Witch of the East.

6. The Mayor of Munchkinland (Leona Johnson) confirms that the Wicked Witch of the East is dead.

Photos by ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

37

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

ALL YOU CAN EAT MAHI MAHI FISH FRY EVERY FRIDAY 5PM - 9PM

COME CELEBRATE SUNSET WITH LIVE CANNON SALUTE AND COMPLIMENTARY SHOTS!

INTRODUCING ISLA BELLA BEACH RESORT'S NEXT PHASE

Sophisticated beachside dining with a new menu blending the cuisine of the Pacific Rim with fresh Florida Keys Seafood

Now serving breakfast $8.00 Tues - Sun • 8:30am - 11am

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For reservations, please call: (786)-638-8106 1 Knights Key Boulevard, MM 47 Marathon, FL 33050 IslaBellaBeachResort.com

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38

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

OUR DOCKS ARE OPEN! Come by Boat, Bike, Foot or Car!

Matt Collins takes service seriously as he helps customers get the job done. ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

THANK YOU FOR VOTING S PA R K Y ' S L A N D I N G

BEST HAPPY HOUR 12 YEARS IN A ROW! NIGHTLY SPECIALS

Regular Menu Available and BRUNCH items including Chorizo Breakfast Burrito, Guava French Toast, Crab Benedict and BOGO Mimosas & Glasses of Sparkling Wine Sat 11am - 4:00pm Sun 11am - 2:30pm

Monday: Closed

HAPPY HOUR 4-6pm

What song always gets you on the dance floor? Let’s go with any Grateful Dead song.

What is your dream vacation?

Fiji.

Tuesday: Jumbo Gumbo Bowls Tacos and Tequila LIVE MUSIC: ROGER JOKELA

What is the last book you read or TV show you binged? “Chernobyl” was the last one I binge watched, and “Naked and Afraid.”

They just had their finale on Sunday, and they had all the shows before that on.

Wednesday: Wine Time Wednesday ($15-$20 bottles) LIVE MUSIC Thursday: Prime Rib Night LIVE MUSIC: JOHN BARTUS Friday: Abstract Radio LIVE MUSIC: ABSTRACT RADIO

What would you do if you won the lottery? I’d buy a cabin in the woods, and maybe help some relatives out.

Saturday: Mini Brunch BOGO Mimosas & Sparkling Wine LIVE MUSIC: ROGER JOKELA Sunday: FUNDAY BRUNCH, LUNCH & BOGO Mimosas & Sparkling Wine Close @ 2:30pm

What’s one thing that is always on a menu, but you will never try? Anything with broccoli in it, I’m not gonna try.

Spotlighting the amazing individuals who live and work in the Keys

LIVEIC MUS

We w cook yoilul r catch and lob, sfitsh er.

Please

bri cleaned & ng legal.

www.sparkyslanding.com 305-363-2959 MM 53.5 Overseas Highway, Marathon, Florida Waterfront Location Adjacent To Fairfield Inn

Jack of all trades, NAPA Auto Parts How did you come to Marathon and start working at NAPA? I originally came down in 2003 when I was a commercial diver.

I started working at Dolphin Research Center, then worked for boat rental companies for seven or eight years. I came here about six years ago when it was time to get out of the sun.

OPEN FOR LUNCH, HAPPY HOUR & DINNER 11AM – 10PM

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

MATT COLLINS

We’ll admit: though Keys Weekly is tasked with reporting the news in the Keys every week, we’ve got a problem.

No matter how many individuals appear in the pages of each edition of our papers, there are always so many more of our community members who deserve to be recognized. In an effort to shine a spotlight on more of the incredible individuals who live and work in these islands, Keys Weekly is proud to introduce our Neighbor of the Week feature, dedicated to celebrating a community member with each issue.

Our second Neighbor of the Week is a helping hand for those who might get a little lost while looking for car parts.

What’s one thing most people never knew about you? Probably the fact that I was a commercial diver. I’m a pretty open guy.

What’s the coolest car you ever got to drive? Probably my own ’79 Camaro Z28.

Two truths and a lie: I once wrecked my car into a dump truck going 75 miles an hour, I once ran out of air at 100 feet, and I went to Australia to get married to someone I met on the Internet.

(Editor’s note: check back next week to find out Matt’s lie. And if you guessed that Maria, last week’s Neighbor of the Week, makes AND drinks great coffee, you guessed right.)

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received or given (or, is there a piece of advice you think is overrated or wrong?)

“Don’t believe everything you hear.” That’s probably the best advice I’ve been given, and I pass it on.

39

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

BRIEFLY Registration is now open for youth soccer, flag football Registration for the City of Marathon and Marathon Youth Club’s fall soccer and flag football seasons ends on Saturday, July 30. Clinics and practices start in August.

Soccer will be on Mondays and Wednesdays with the older age groups playing games on Friday nights. The cost is $50 per child. Start Smart soccer for the little ones will be on Saturdays at a cost of $40 per child. Flag football will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays at a cost of $50 per child. More information will be announced soon.

A dedicated registration night is set for Monday, July 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Marathon Community Park. Families can now pay online during registration. Coaches, referees and concession stand volunteers are needed. For more information, follow Marathon Youth Sports on Facebook or contact marathonyouthclub305@ gmail.com. The link to volunteer, register and pay online can be found at: https://clubs.bluesombrero.com/cityofmarathonparksandrec The Tackle Box announces Deep Drop fishing seminar Join The Tackle Box’s Chris Still for a free seminar on Deep Drop fishing on Monday, July 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Marathon Community Theatre.

Doors and concessions open at 5:30 p.m. The MCT concessions bar will be open to sell beer, wine, soda and water and a selection of snacks. Seating is limited to the first 100 guests.

The seminar will include door prizes, a 50/50 cash raffle and a selection of free gifts available from seminar sponsors.

Community Land Trust to break ground on BPK workforce housing The Florida Keys Community Land Trust (Florida Keys CLT), a non-profit organization committed to providing hurricane-resilient houses for working families based in the Florida Keys announced on July 1 that construction has started on 31 single-family rental homes on Big Pine Key. Seahorse Cottages at Big Pine Key marks Florida Keys CLT’s biggest step to provide affordable housing to workers of the Florida Keys. These 31 units will serve households earning 80% of Adjusted Median Income. The construction start is a culmination of months of collaboration among lenders Community Housing Capital and Florida Housing Finance Corporation, local government, and the nonprofit partners. Preleasing is estimated to begin in October 2022, with rental homes to be completed in January 2023.

OBITUARY Monroe County Mayor David Rice and FKCLT’s board will kick off a “We Will Rebuild!” groundbreaking event on Thursday, July 7 at 2 p.m. on Bailey Road between County and Sands Road. The public is invited to attend.

The Florida Keys Community Land Trust was awarded over $11.6 million in CDBG-DR grants to finance the Seahorse Cottages community and additional homes in Big Pine Key, which will bring the Florida Keys CLT’s inventory to 35 homes. $3.15 million in first mortgage debt was provided by Community Housing Capital, a nonprofit lender specializing in affordable housing.

Beat the heat at the Marathon library Friday, July 8: Photography, take better pictures, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Investment Club, kids learn how to spend and invest money, 2 p.m.; Arts and Crafts, 4 p.m.

Saturday, July 9: Easy Yoga (adults) 10 a.m.; Game Time! 3 p.m.

Monday, July 11: 3D Printing Open Lab, 10 a.m.; VR and Robots Open Labe, 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, July 12: Art, 9:30-11:30 a.m.; MahJong, 10 a.m.; Preschool Butterfly Storytime fun, 10:30 a.m.; Summer Reading: Teen Challenge: 4 p.m.; Dungeons and Dragons (adults), 5 p.m.

Wednesday, July 13: Cosmic Kids Movement and Yoga Adventures, 10:30 a.m.; Dungeons & Dragons (adults), 5 p.m.

Thursday, July 14: Summer Reading Event: Butterflies Fly Free, learn about butterflies and butterfly gardens in the Florida Keys with Ingrid Tyree (ages 6-12), 10:30 a.m.

Lower Keys Medical Center enhances maternal, fetal safety The childbirth team at Lower Keys Medical Center is now using an artificial intelligence-based maternal-fetal early warning system called PeriWatch Vigilance to enhance patient safety during labor and delivery. The system continuously monitors maternal vital signs, fetal heart rate, contractions, and labor progression to help clinicians quickly identify any concerning developments for faster intervention.

Lower Keys Medical Center delivers about 400 babies each year.

JOSEPH PAUL RABITO, JR. 1946-2022 Joseph Paul Rabito Jr., a resident of Marathon since 1955, passed away peacefully in his home on June 27. A Marathon High School alumnus, “Joe,” as he was commonly known throughout the community, purchased the Oasis Lounge from his mother in the late ’60s, which then became Joe’s Steak and Seafood in the early ’80s.

A successful bar owner and restaurateur through three decades, Joe then turned his business acumen toward the jewelry industry when he purchased the Golden Nugget at Faro Blanco Marina in the ‘80s. He ran a successful jewelry business until he retired around 2005.

In addition to his various business ventures, Joe enjoyed hunting and fishing. He participated in multiple bonefish tournaments and would commonly be found out on the water in his skiff, The Golden Nugget. Later in his life his interest turned to boat building, where he designed and built his custom houseboat, The Magnificent Mama Linda.

Joe is survived by his wife of 54 years, Linda, whom he referred to as the “love of his life;” his daughters Tammy Elwell (husband Ryan Elwell) and Tiffany Baro (husband PJ Baro); his grandchildren, Parker, Justin Joseph, Madison and Reese; his brother Bill Rabito and sister Doreen Baumeister.

In his retirement, Joe loved his home and created a paradise in his backyard. Having a thirst for knowledge, he grew a variety of plants using various gardening methods including hydroponics and aquaponics. The orchids he grew were magnificent and he enjoyed raising his own tilapia.

A self-taught chef, cooking was also a passion of Joe’s, and his culinary skills were amazing. Throughout his years in the restaurant business, he perfected those skills and continued to learn new cooking methods throughout his retirement. He was indeed a chef. Those that were fortunate to sample his fare can attest to that.

Joe loved life and appreciated each day. His favorite spot was relaxing in the beach area he created in his backyard overlooking the water. “It’s good to be retired!” was a common saying of his. He worked hard throughout his life and took advantage of his free time, living life to the fullest.

His generosity knew no bounds and he helped many of those in need. It was not unusual for him to pick up the bill if he saw a military man in uniform. He loved his country and appreciated those who served to protect our freedoms.

Above all, he was a loving family man and a great friend.

Those that knew him will miss his laugh – it was infectious and would light up any room. He was truly one of the greats and will be sadly missed.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, July 18 at 11 a.m. at San Pablo Catholic Church in Marathon.

40

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE Florida Keys Council of the Arts Notice of Upcoming Meetings The Florida Keys Council of the Arts will hold the following meetings via Communications Media Technology using a ZOOM webinar platform. The access points to view the meeting or for members of the public to provide public input will be: JOIN ZOOM via the Zoom app and use each meeting ID and password listed.

Meetings are open to the public, and all are invited to attend. Questions, or to RSVP, please email Liz Young at director@keysarts.com Membership Committee Meeting July 12, 2022 4:00 PM Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 886 7632 1307 Passcode: 323518 Grant Panel Review Meeting July 19, 2022 4:00 PM Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 821 6916 7017 Passcode: 171209 Advisor Orientation Meeting August 1, 2022 11:00 AM Hybrid meeting – Marathon Public Library Community Room 3490 Overseas Highway, Marathon Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 889 1408 7259 Passcode: 256744 Board of Directors Meeting & Annual Retreat August 5, 2022 11:00 AM Hybrid meeting – Marathon Public Library Community Room 3490 Overseas Highway, Marathon Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 870 8071 9351 Passcode: 059517 Publish: July 7, 2022 The Weekly Newspapers

Commerce Center, located at 97300 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037 will sell or otherwise dispose of the contents of the following units to satisfy the delinquent storage lien.

All contents of units: Upper Keys Commerce Center All contents of Unit 68 – Donielle Scarbrough Sale of all goods, July 18, 2022 at 10:00 am.

Upper Keys Commerce Center reserves the right to accept or reject any and/all bids.

Publish: June 30 & July 7, 2022 The Weekly Newspapers

on July 22, 2022, at 10:00am. The following: #B37 Justin Nichols Sailboat, Year: 1998 Make: Com-Pac HIN: US-ABV02897H798 #422 Justin Nichols misc. electronics, auto parts, home goods #104 Cameron Willett misc. home goods #217 Michael Brackens misc. home goods #233 David Rodgers misc. home goods #241 Tiffany Ridge misc. home goods #255 Mark Schmidt misc. electronics, home goods #412 George Jones misc. home goods, electronics #444 Sebastian Pinder misc. tools, home goods and electronics will be auctioned online by Storage Treasures via website at storagetreasures.com.

All purchased items sold as is.

Items are located at Big Pine Storage at 30677 Overseas Highway, Big Pine Key, Florida 33043 and must be collected within 72 hours of auction.

Publish: July 7 & 14, 2022 The Weekly Newspapers

and the selection criteria may be requested from DemandStar

by Onvia at www.demandstar. com OR www.monroecounty-fl. gov/bids. The Public Record is available upon request.

Monroe County Purchasing Department receives bids electronically. Please do not mail or attempt to deliver in person any sealed bids. Mailed/ physically delivered bids/ proposals/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 3:00P.M., on August 18, 2022. 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: NON-EXCLUSIVE ON-AIRPORT RENTAL CAR CONCESSIONS AT KEY WEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA 8-31-22 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, in advance of the bid opening, please email: ombpurchasing@monroecounty-fl. gov so accommodations for delivery of your bid can be made prior to the bid opening. Please be advised that it is the bidder’s sole responsibility to ensure delivery of their bid and waiting until the bid opening to address or confirm your bid submission delivery will result in your bid being rejected.

The bid opening for this solicitation will be held virtually, via the internet, at 3:00 P.M., on August 31, 2022. You may call in by phone or internet using the following: Join Zoom Meetinghttps:// 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 (New York) +1 669 900 6833 (San Jose) Publish: July 7, 2022 The Weekly Newspapers

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, in advance of the bid opening, please email: ombpurchasing@monroecounty-fl. gov so accommodations for delivery of your bid can be made prior to the bid opening. Please be advised that it is the bidder’s sole responsibility to ensure delivery of their bid and waiting until the bid opening to address or confirm your bid submission delivery will result in your bid being rejected.

The bid opening for this solicitation will be held virtually, via the internet, at 3:00 P.M., on August 10, 2022. 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 (New York) +1 669 900 6833 (San Jose) Publish: July 7, 2022 The Weekly Newspapers

+16465189805,, 4509326156# US (New York) +16699006833,, 4509326156# US (San Jose) Dial by your location: +1 646 518 9805 (New York) +1 669 900 6833 (San Jose) Publish: July 7, 2022 The Weekly Newspapers

DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME 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: July 7, 2022.

Persons Giving Notice: ESPERANZA C. PASTRANA 3745 Gumbo Limbo Street Big Pine Key, FL 33043 Attorney for Persons Giving Notice: Christopher B. Waldera, P.A. Christopher B. Waldera Florida Bar No: 980810 Attorney for Personal Representative 5800 Overseas Highway, Suite 7 Marathon, Florida 33050 Telephone: (305) 289-2223 Facsimile: (305) 289-2249 email: chris@cbwpa.com Publish: July 7 & 14, 2022 The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Notice of Seizure Please take notice that in accordance with Florida Statutes 83.805 & 83.806, Upper Keys

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Pursuant F.S. 328.17, United American Lien & Recovery as agent w/ power of attorney will sell the following vessel(s) to the highest bidder. Inspect 1 week prior @ marina; cash or cashier check; all auctions are held w/ reserve; any persons interested ph 954-563-1999 Sale Date: July 22, 2022 @ 10:00 am 3411 NW 9th Ave #707 Ft Lauderdale FL 33309 V12921 1995 LHR FL0539MK Hull ID#: LHRT3036H495 inboard pleasure diesel fiberglass 31ft R/O Kevin Christopher Graham Lienor: Pilot House Marina, 13 Seagate Blvd, Key Largo, FL Licensed Auctioneers FLAB422 FLAU765 & 1911 Publish: June 30 & July 7, 2022 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Notice is hereby given that the undersigned intends to sell the personal property described below to enforce a lien imposed on said property under the Florida Self Storage Facilities Act Statutes (Section 83.801 – 83.809). The undersigned will sell online by competitive bidding

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: NON-EXCLUSIVE ON-AIRPORT RENTAL CAR CONCESSIONS AT 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

FIRST PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE The City of Marathon is considering applying to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for a

(FFY) 2021 and FFY 2022 Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The City is eligible to apply for up to $650,000 in the neighborhood revitalization, commercial revitalization and housing rehabilitation categories and up to $1.5 million in the economic development category.

Construction activities funded through the CDBG Program must meet one of the following National Objectives 1. Provide benefit to low- and moderate-income persons; 2. Prevent or eliminate slum or blight conditions; or 3. Meet a need of recent origin having a particular urgency.

The types of activities that CDBG funds may be used for include constructing stormwater ponds, paving roads and sidewalks, installing sewer and water lines, building a community center or park, making improvements to a sewage treatment plant, and rehabilitating low-income homes.

Additional information regarding the range of activities that could be funded will be provided at the public hearing.

In developing a CDBG application, the City of Marathon must plan to minimize displacement of persons as a result of the activities. In addition, the City of Marathon is required to develop a plan to assist displaced persons.

A public hearing to obtain citizen comment concerning the City’s economic and community development needs will be held at the conference room at the City of Marathon Fire Station 8900 Overseas Highway, Marathon, on Friday, July 15th at 3:00 p.m. For information concerning the public hearing, contact Maria Covelli, Grants Coordinator, at 305-743-0033 or covellim@ci.marathon.fl.us Please note that more than one Marathon City Council/Board/Committee member may participate in the meeting.

The City of Marathon complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are a disabled person requiring special accommodations or assistance, please notify the City ADA Coordinator at 305-289-5022 of such need at least 72 hours (3 days) in advance.

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Tuesday, August 10, 2022, at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: LED Lighting Upgrade and Ceiling Tile Replacement for Big Pine Key Library 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.monroecounty-fl. gov/bids. The Public Record is available upon request.

Monroe County Purchasing Department receives bids electronically. Please do not mail or attempt to deliver in person any sealed bids. Mailed/ physically delivered bids/ proposals/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 3:00P.M., on August 10, 2022. 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: LED Lighting Upgrade and Ceiling Tile Replacement for Big Pine Key Library 08-10-2022

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: PEST CONTROL - LOWER KEYS 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.monroecounty-fl. gov/bids. The Public Record is available upon request.

Monroe County Purchasing Department receives bids electronically. Please do not mail or attempt to deliver in person any sealed bids. Mailed/ physically delivered bids/ proposals/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 3:00P.M., on August 9, 2022. 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: Pest Control - Lower Keys 0809-2022 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, in advance of the bid opening, please email: ombpurchasing@monroecounty-fl. gov so accommodations for delivery of your bid can be made prior to the bid opening. Please be advised that it is the bidder’s sole responsibility to ensure delivery of their bid and waiting until the bid opening to address or confirm your bid submission delivery will result in your bid being rejected.

The bid opening for this solicitation will be held virtually, via the internet, at 3:00 P.M., on August 9, 2022. 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:

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION CASE NUMBER: 22-CP-34-M IN RE: THE ESTATE OF SALLY ANN MALS, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of SALLY ANN MALS, deceased, whose date of death was October 12, 2021, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 3117 Overseas Highway, Marathon, Florida 33050. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME 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: July 7, 2022.

Persons Giving Notice: SCOTT R. STOKFISZ 3441 Charlwood Drive Rochester Hills, Michigan 48306 Attorney for Persons Giving Notice: Christopher B. Waldera, P.A. Christopher B. Waldera Florida Bar No: 980810 Attorney for Personal Representative 5800 Overseas Highway, Suite 7 Marathon, Florida 33050 Telephone: (305) 289-2223 Facsimile: (305) 289-2249 email: chris@cbwpa.com Publish: July 7 & 14, 2022 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION CASE NUMBER: 22-CP-39-K IN RE: THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM WALLACE RUSSELL, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of WILLIAM WALLACE RUSSELL, deceased, whose date of death was October 14, 2021, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA KEY WEST DIVISION IN ADMIRALTY CASE NO.: 22-cv-10027-KMM IN THE MATTER OF: THE COMPLAINT OF KEY WEST JETSKI, INC. AS OWNER OF THE YAMAHA PERSONAL WATERCRAFT (HULL ID# YAMA0735A121) ITS ENGINES, TACKLE, APPURTENANCES, EQUIPMENT, ETC. IN A CAUSE FOR EXONTERATION FROM OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY, Petitioner.

MONITION TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: THE MARSHALL OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOR THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA: WHEREAS, a Complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, on the 18th day of April, 2022 by the Petitioners, KEY WEST JETSKI, INC., as owners of a Yamaha Pleasure Watercraft bearing the Hull Identification Number YAMA0735A121, have filed a Complaint pursuant to Title 46, United States Code, Sections 30501-30502, claiming the right to Exoneration From or Limitation of Liability for all claims allegedly resulting from an accident which occurred on or about January 5, 2022 in the navigable waterways of Key West, Florida, as more fully set forth in the Complaint. For those reasons and causes set forth in the Complaint, Petitioners pray for the issuance of a Monition and Injunction, and that all persons or corporations claiming for any and all loss, damage, injury or destruction caused by or resulting from the incident set forth in the Complaint be cited to appear and file their respective claims with the Clerk of this Court, and to make due process thereof and citing them to file their answers to the Complaint and all proceedings to be had, and if it shall appear that Petitioner is not liable for any loss, damage, destruction or injury, it may be so finally decreed by this Court; YOU ARE THEREFORE COMMANDED TO CITE ALL PERSONS OR CORPORATIONS in respect to which Petitioner seeks limitation to file respective claims with the Clerk of this Court and to serve on or to mail to the attorneys for Petitioners, Campbell Johnston Clark, LLP, 2600 Douglas Road, Suite 508, Coral Gables, FL 33134, copies

41

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

AUTOS WANTED

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

thereof on or before the 1st day of August 2022, and citing such claimants to appear and answer the Complaint herein on or before the last named day or within such further time as the Court may grant, and once completed to then make return to the Court together with this Writ.

Dated at, Florida on this 1st day of July, 2022.

Angela E. Noble, Clerk United States District Court Southern District of Florida By: Mary Etienne Deputy Clerk Publish: July 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2022 The Weekly Newspapers

the original with the clerk of this Court at 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040, before service on the Petitioner/ Husband or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do so, a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition.

The action is asking the court to decide how the following real or personal property should be divided: NONE Copies of all court documents in this case, including orders, are available at the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office. You may review these documents upon request.

You must keep the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office notified of your current address. (You may file Designation of Current Mailing and E-Mail Address, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.915.)

Future papers in this lawsuit will be mailed or e-mailed to the address(es) on record at the clerk’s office.

WARNING: Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, requires certain automatic disclosure of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal or striking of pleadings.

Dated: June 30, 2022 Kevin Madok, CPA Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida By: Riza Hall Deputy Clerk Publish: July 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2022 The Weekly Newspapers

ALL YEARS! Junk or Used.

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

The 16th Judicial Circuit is seeking an IT User Support Analyst in Plantation Key, Florida to provide front-line primary technical support to end users on various technical issues and problems relating to hardware, software, and peripherals. The IT User Support Analyst will also perform root cause analysis, develop checklists for typical problems and recommend procedures and controls for problem prevention. This is a full-time position in Plantation Key, starting at $48,500.00 annually, plus Monroe County benefits. Please send a cover letter, resume and a State of Florida Application to Personnel@Keyscourts.net or Personnel, 302 Fleming Street, Key West, Florida 33040. Applications are being accepted until position is filled.

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. 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 305-292-3423; to make call through the Florida Relay Center, you can dial 7-1-1.

proficiency in Westlaw or Lexis-Nexis are required. Have strong organizational and time management skills and effectively prioritize pending assignments. This is a full-time position in Key West, starting at $51,557.43 annually if a member of the Florida Bar, plus State of Florida benefits. Please send a cover letter, resume, law school and undergraduate transcripts, list of professional references, writing sample and State of Florida Application to Personnel@Keyscourts.net or Personnel, 302 Fleming Street, Key West, Florida 33040, by April 18, 2022. 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. 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 305-292-3423; to make call through the Florida Relay Center, you can dial 7-1-1

Shell World Key Largo, seeking engaging, dependable, experienced person(s) to work with the team at Mile Marker 97.5, Part and Full time opportunities available, some weekend and evening hours. Opportunities for advancement, great benefits, competitive salary and flexible hours. Please stop by and fill out an application, drop off resume or Fax to 3 0 5 - 8 5 2 - 9 6 3 9 .

Help Wanted - Two Conchs Bait and Tackle in Marathoncompetitive wages and working 3040 hrs a week. Contact George 305-289-0199

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 2022-DR-156-K DIVISION: FAMILY IN RE: THE MARRIAGE OF: RONALD J. RIDGE, Petitioner/Husband, and, TIFFANY ANN RIDGE, Respondent/Wife.

AMENDED NOTICE OF ACTION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE (NO CHILD OR FINANCIAL SUPPORT) TO: TIFFANY ANN RIDGE Respondent/Wife LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: 311 JOHNSON ROAD, LOT 79 SUGARLOAF KEY, FLORIDA 33042 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 the Petitioner/Husband, RONALD J. RIDGE, through his counsel of record Samuel J. Kaufman, Esq., The Law Offices of Samuel J. Kaufman, P.A., whose address is 3130 Northside Drive, Key West, Florida 33040 on or before August 8, 2022, and file

BOATS FOR SALE 2008 Triumph 19.5' 140hp Suzuki 200 hours, bimini top, electronics, covers, no rips on cushions, live well, trolling motor, push pole, life jackets, and trailer. Well maintained.

Located in Marathon. $15,400 Call 305-393-3439 SOLD IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK!!!

PLACE YOUR BOAT FOR SALE AD here for only $25.00/ week for up to five lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 TODAY!

BOAT SLIP FOR RENT Boat Slip for rent in Marathon- inside storage at The Boat House - #29C. 35' no taller than 8' - no T-tops. $650/month. 609-682-1002 PLACE YOUR BOAT SLIP FOR RENT AD here for only $25.00/week for up to five lines of copy.

Call 305-743-0844 TODAY!

COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR RENT PLACE YOUR COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR RENT AD here for only $25.00/week for up to five lines of copy.

Call 305-743-0844 TODAY!

The 16th Judicial Circuit is seeking a Trial Court Staff Attorney with a strong academic record, experience in diverse areas of law, including criminal and civil litigation, and strong research, writing and analytical skills. Ability to work independently, exercise discretion, communicate effectively and maintain confidentially is critical.

Computer skills, including

Hiring excavator operators, deckhands, & boat operators in Key Largo.

40/hrs per week MondayFriday.

305-440-3304 Pancho's Fuel Dock in Marathon is looking for a part-time cashier Thu/Fri/ Sat. Please call 305-743-2281.

CDL Drivers needed.

Must have a clean record & drug free. We are offering competitive wages. Please apply in person at Discount Rock & Sand, 10500 Aviation Blvd, Unit 2, Marathon.

Marathon Auto Air looking for Counter Help - full-time. Pay based on experience. Apply in person at 2525 Overseas Highway, Marathon.

305-289-9884

Boat rental company in Marathon needs a mechanic. Boat experience a plus. Call 305-481-7006 Also hiring a boat cleaner call 305-481-7006.

City of Marathon Current Job Openings: Code Compliance Officer, Engineering Intern, Part-time Marina Custodian/ Maintenance and Marina Tech/Pump Out Captain.

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

Keys Energy Services, in Key West, is accepting applications for the following position in its Fleets & Facilities Section:

AUTO DIESEL VEHICLE TECHNICIAN Starting pay rate for this position, depending on qualifications and experience: $27.17/hr. - $30.43/hr.

For more information, including job duties and required qualifications, and to apply for the job, please visit their website at www.KeysEnergy.com.

KEYS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

KEYS promotes a Drug-Free Workplace.

Certain service members, veterans, the spouses and family members of service members and veterans, receive preference and priority in employment, and are encouraged to apply for positions being filled.

NOW HIRING MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Pigeon Key is seeking dedicated professionals seeking to make a positive impact in their community. Those individuals who wish to work on a uniquely beautiful island , while promoting our cultural history and preserving the natural Keys environment are encouraged to apply.

Competitive wages based on ability and experience. Applicants will be subject to criminal background check and drug screening.

Positions include: Trolley Operator (CDL licensing course provided for qualified applicant) Tour Guides, Sales Associates, Customer Relations Reps, Maintenance, Rental Associates and more.

Application online at pigeonkey.net - under the Staff icon. Or apply in person at the Pigeon Key Gift Shop, 2010 Overseas Hwy, Marathon, FL. Questions and completed applications can be emailed to pigeonkey@aol.com

KELLY ELECTRIC in Marathon is looking for an experienced Electrician who wants to become a Master Electrician & more.

Call or text 305-743-6098 or email: kelly6098@aol.com

HAWKS CAY IS HIRING FOR MULTIPLE POSITIONS

Reservations Agent • Spa Guest Service Agents Gift Shop Attendants • Uniform Attendant F&B Receiving Clerks • Engineers • Banquet Setup On-Call Banquet Servers • Stewards/Dishwashers Servers • Bartenders • Safety Services Welcome Booth • Drivers AND MORE…

305-743-6098 Kelly6098@aol.com Lic # EC 525

Please apply online at www.hawkscayjobs.com Equal Opportunity Employer

CROSSWORD SOLUTION

HIRING ACCOUNTS PAYABLE/ CONTRACT ADMIN (will train) Send resume to: admin@cbtconstruct.com Or call: 305-852-3002

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MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES • EMPLOYMENT

HOUSING FOR RENT

HOUSING FOR RENT

LOT FOR RENT

Serve/Bartend on the ocean! FT/PT Ocean front private swim club is seeking customer service oriented server/bartender. Serve on pool deck, beach and/or bar lounge. Open year round, 10am-7pm daily. Full time/ Part time. Small friendly staff. Above average hourly wage plus tips. Apply in person at 425 E. Ocean Dr. Key Colony Beach or call 404219-3359 and ask for Dave.

Available for 1 person. 2 1/2 rooms + 8' X 22' screened porch. All utilities incl. wifi, satellite TV, washer/dryer.

2nd house from ocean. Offstreet parking. Private & quiet.

MM 96 Key Largo. $1,850/ month F/L/S 305-853-3779

utilities for 1 person.

Second person additional $$ for utiilities. F/L/S No Pets.

305-610-8002

Large RV Lot for rent in Marathon. Full hook up. $1500/month plus utilities.

305-731-5042 RENTED IN LESS THAN ONE MONTH!!

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 NOW HIRING: Sweet Savannah's is now hiring for multiple positions: Cashier must be 16 yrs or older, Fulltime Baker & Part-time Baker's Assistant. Stop by for an application at 8919 Overseas Highway, Marathon or email: info@sweetsavannahs.com 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 Property Manager, full time, Key Colony Beach, Sea Isle Condo - 1101 West Ocean Drive, Salary 65K-70K, resume to HardingThomasL@ aol.com, or call 734-476-0531 HIRED IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!!

No Experience Necessary - Concrete Field Testing Technician needed. Fulltime. Year round. We train you to go to various job sites and collect samples.

Vehicle provided. Must speak English, live in Marathon area and have clean driving record. Starting pay $18/ hour. Pay rate will rise at intervals.

305-743-5555 HIRED IN LESS THAN THREE WEEKS!!

Key West Art Center & Gallery is looking for part time sales associate, one to three days per week, for our busy, colorful gallery located in Old Town. Hourly wage starts at $14/hr.

Gallery is open 10 am to 5 pm daily. Contact Nancy at nhenning@bellsouth.net HIRED IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK!!!

PLACE YOUR 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 & Watches.

Call 305-743-4578 PLACE YOUR HOBBIES/ COLLECTIBLES AD here for only $25.00/week for up to five lines of copy.

Call 305-743-0844 TODAY!

Marathon - 2 BR/1BA Conch House available Unfurnished, new kitchen, tile & carpet floors, huge closets. Laundry avail. Long term lease. No pets. $2,400/ month incl. electric for 2 people. If more than two people - additional $ for utilities. Tenant must pay for sewer & water. Dockage available for separate fee. F/L/S 305-610-8002 Large Studio Bedroom Suite in Conch House in Marathon - Funrnished. $1,600/month includes

PLACE YOUR HOUSING FOR RENT AD here for only $25.00/week for up to five lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 TODAY!

PLACE YOUR LOT FOR RENT AD here for only $25.00/week for up to five lines of copy.

Call 305-743-0844 TODAY!

LOT FOR RENT Lot for Rent - Key By the Sea Park in Marathon. $950.00/month - yearly only.

305-849-0507 RENTED IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK!!!

YARD SALES PLACE YOUR YARD SALE AD here for only $25.00/week for up to five lines of copy.

Call 305-743-0844 TODAY!

LOCATION: MARATHON

EEO, VPE, ADA, DFW

DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM OPERATOR LOCATION: MIDDLE KEYS The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority is looking for a DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM OPERATOR to perform entry-level, semi-skilled work, involving the repair and maintenance of FKAA water distribution and transmission systems. Employee must ensure safe work practices, maintain water flow, and test the water supply. Qualifications: H.S. diploma or GED; supplemented by 1 yr. previous experience and/or training as a pipefitter with a public utility, construction comp, or plumbing company. Must have a valid FL CDL “A” license w/in 12 mos. of hire date. Must obtain a FDEP Level 3 license w/in 18 mos. of hire date. Salary: $21.78/hr. with excellent benefits. Location: Middle Keys.

EEO, VPE, ADA, DFW

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR “C” LOCATION: DUCK KEY

The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority’s WASTEWATER DIVISION IS GROWING, and we need a WWTP OPERATOR WITH A FLORIDA “C” LICENSE OR HIGHER. You will perform skilled/technical work involving the operation and maintenance of a wastewater treatment plant. This requires technical knowledge and independent judgment to make treatment process adjustments and perform maintenance on plant equipment, machinery, and related control apparatus in accordance with established standards and procedures. Benefit package is extremely competitive! Location: Duck Key. Salary Range: $52,645.98 - $84,011.20.

Apply online at www.fkaa.com/employment

Growth Opportunities Plus Great Benefits!

Maria Garcia VP/Branch Manager

Health, Dental, Vision & Life Insurance Paid Time Off for Volunteering

The Florida Keys Aqueduct Aqueduct Authority is in need of an ICS SPECIALIST. Must have a Vocational/Technical degree with training emphasis in electronics or instrumentation/measurement & process control/monitoring systems; supplemented by six (6) years previous experience and/or training that includes electronics and process control/monitoring systems; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this job.

Must be able to obtain Certified Control Systems Technician status within two years.

Benefit package extremely competitive! Location: Marathon. Salary Range $67,363.15 $106,702.20 DOQ.

Apply online at www.fkaa.com/employment

Started as a Teller

Paid Time Off Starting at 30 days per year

INSTRUMENTATION & CONTROL SPECIALIST

Apply online at www.fkaa.com/employment

305.743.0844

EEO, VPE, ADA, DFW

Tuition Reimbursement Competitive Salaries 401K Employer Match Quarterly Cash Profit Sharing Great Hours

Apply Online at KeysBank.com/Careers

Member FDIC

EOE-M/F/V/D

Equal Housing Lender

PROFESSIONAL NEEDED! APPLY TODAY! PRACTICE MANAGER / TOBACCO COUNSELOR Keys AHEC Health Center is looking for a Unique Health Professional who will work with our Medical and Dental Teams assisting with Practice Logistics, Planning, and Billing. In addition to clinical oversight, the candidate will work with patients who need counseling for making a Tobacco Quit.

Training for Tobacco Counseling with be provided prior to working with patients. Position is based in Marathon, FL. Seeking a candidate with clinic and office experience. Local travel will be required and strong computer skills are necessary.

Interested candidates can send their resume to michael@keysahec.org EOE

Busy Key Largo Dive Center has immediate openings for

BOAT CAPTAINS $1,500 SIGNING BONUS

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

Send resume to resumes@rainbowreef.com

43

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

Search Things to Do in the Middle Keys MORNING TRIPS 8:30am - 12:30pm NIGHT TRIPS 6:30pm - Midnight

MARATHON LADY DOCKS

U.S.1 at Vaca Cut Bridge Mile Marker 53, Marathon

305.743.5580

NOW HIRINGrs Educato

OPEN for programs

Marathon Lady • 73’ Party Boat PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CALL AHEAD FOR RESERVATIONS.

www.MARATHONLADY.net

MEET SEA TURTLES AT THE TURTLE HOSPITAL

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. CALL 305-743-2552 FOR RESERVATIONS. 2396 Overseas Highway Gulf, Marathon Now accepting online reservations

www.turtlehospital.org

FAMILY FUN | SNORKEL FROM SHORE | MUSEUM FISHING | GUIDED ISLAND TOUR

2010 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, MARATHON CATCH THE FERRY AT FARO BLANCO

Want to Attract more Business?

RECONNECT WITH NATURE • 63 ACRES OF TROPICAL HARDWOOD HAMMOCK • 1.4 MILES OF WALKING TRAILS • NATURAL FISH PEDICURE STATION • BUTTERFLY GARDENS

You can have this spot for only $100!

CALL 305-743-0844 TODAY!

305.743.5999 PIGEONKEY.NET

CRANE POINT

Museum & Nature Center

• NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM • THE HISTORIC ADDERLEY HOUSE • BEAUTIFUL VIEWS OF THE BAY • HISTORIC CRANE HOUSE

305.743.9100 • 5550 O/S Hwy • Marathon MM50 at the stoplight • Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon-Sat Noon to 5 p.m. Sundays • cranepoint.net

44

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES 305.743.0844 • CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES • •305.743.0844 Lic# C16MO003

KEY COLONY BEACH CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER Department Administration Salary $52,000.00 - $55,000.00 Benefits include Medical, Dental, and Life Insurance; Paid Vacation, Sick Leave, and Holidays; and Retirement (employee only).

Job Description The Code Enforcement Officer conducts inspections and investigates complaints for compliance with City codes and ordinances, including the inspection of short term (vacation) rentals, and enforcement of short term (vacation) rental codes and ordinances. The Officer seeks to obtain compliance with City codes through citations or warning notices while assuring due process to violators. The position is required to prepare letter and written documentation necessary to take violators to hearing for enforcement action and to provide testimony before the Code Enforcement Adjustment and Appeals Board. This position reports directly to the City Administrator. Work is performed under general supervision which requires initiative, independent judgment, and organizational skills. The Code Enforcement Officer must deal effectively with the public, property owners and contractors to obtain compliance.

Job Responsibilities • Administers and enforces the City’s short term (vacation) rental ordinances and actively manages the City’s program to register, inspect and monitor short term (vacation) rentals within the City.

• Investigates complaints regarding code violations pertaining to building, housing, zoning, tree, sign, and other City codes by conducting field investigations and property research.

• Regularly attends and provides testimony before the Code Enforcement, Adjustments and Appeals Board or Special Magistrate regarding code violations.

• Provides violators of City codes with citations or notice of violation and gives the violator due process to comply with City codes.

• Routinely patrols designated area for potential code violations, including violations of the short-term rental ordinances, overgrown lot and untagged or inoperable vehicle, and all other applicable local civil laws and submits weekly inspection reports to the City Administrator.

• Maintains records regarding code violations via a computer-aided tracking system, and documents files until compliance is obtained or a lien is imposed.

• Prepares letters for notice of violation and notice of hearing, clearly identifying code violations and appropriate corrective action.

• Conducts follow-up inspections to previously identified code violations to ensure that code compliance is maintained.

• Assists with permitting and inspection to the degree certification is necessary and obtained from the CITY of KCB. • Maintains vehicles and equipment used in the code enforcement process in good working order.

• Nights, weekends, and holiday work will be required, floating 40 hours per week. Typical day 2 hours office 6 hours on the road.

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Education, Training and Experience High school diploma required. Experience using computer software and applications. Good written and verbal communication skills, and excellent public relations skills are a necessity. Two years’ experience performing public contact work and demonstrating written, verbal, computer and organization skills is required.

Driver's License Requirement Valid Florida Driver's License Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The employee is regularly required to effectively communicate and exchange information with others. This position is very active and requires standing, walking, bending, kneeling, and crouching throughout the day in varying climate conditions. The employee must frequently lift or move items up to 40 pounds.

Submit resume and completed online application to: City of Key Colony Beach City Hall 600 West Ocean Drive PO Box 510141 Key Colony Beach, FL 33051 Attn: City Administrator Or email to: cityadministrator@keycolonybeach.net Application form: www.keycolonybeach.net; see “I Want To” then “Apply for a Job”.

Equal Opportunity Employer

NOW HIRING DIRECTOR NAEYC accredited preschool seeking a Director.

Faith based preschool with a reputation of maintaining a high quality program and having children ready for kindergarten (formal education). Director’s credential and prior experience required. Must be a team player, work well with church and advisory school board. Competitive benefits and salary.

TEACHER NAEYC accredited preschool seeking a Teacher.

Follow our mission as a faith based high quality program. Instill the love of learning, social skills while preparing children to succeed. Must have effective communication skills, patience and compassion suitable to work with young children and the ability to develop activities that are fun and educational. Minimum of CDA and prior experience required. Starting salary up to $15.00/hr., competitive benefits and free tuition for your preschool age child.

Call Sue Ellen at 305-852-2161 to schedule an in-person interview.

St James the Fisherman Church and Children's Center, MM87.5 Overseas Highway, Islamorada.

DUI Evaluator Part-time – Marathon

The Advocate DUI Program is hiring for a part time position. DUI evaluator - 2 days a week, Bachelors or Masters degree with experience in substance abuse field required. Bilingual preferred, not required. Office located in Marathon. Contact Marcia at (305) 704-0117.

SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS NEEDED! Monroe County School District

Salary $18.00 - $25.80/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

OPEN POSITIONS

AT BAPTIST HEALTH SOUTH FLORIDA

TAVERNIER MARINERS HOSPITAL - Environmental Tech, $2,000 Bonus - Line Cook - Medical Technologist, Lab-Admin, $15,000 Bonus - Multi-Modality Imaging Tech, $9,000 Bonus - Physical Therapist, $5,000 Bonus - Registered Nurse, Surgery MARATHON FISHERMEN’S COMMUNITY HOSPITAL - ED Team Coordinator - First Cook, $5,000 Bonus - Floor Technician, $5,000 Bonus - Multi-Modality Imaging Tech, $9,000 Bonus - Security Officer

APPLY AND LEARN MORE careers.baptisthealth.net or call 786-243-8507

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

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

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

4290 Overseas Hwy, Marathon

45

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

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

PART TIME / FULL TIME OPPORTUNITIES W/FLEXIBLE SCHEDULES CUSTOMER SERVICE ROLES Reservations Agent Front Desk Agent Bell/Valet CULINARY ROLES Dishwasher Line Cook F & B OPENINGS Server Support Staff Team Member HOUSEKEEPING OPENINGS Housekeeping – all shifts, multiple positions MANAGER OPENINGS F & B Manager Maintenance Manager – Employee Housing Spa Director Sous Chef SPA TERRE AT OCEAN KEY Spa Director PT Spa Coordinator Licensed Massage Therapist Licensed Nail Technician WE ARE EXCITED TO OFFER REDUCED-COST EMPLOYEE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES IN OLD TOWN! SCAN TO VIEW JOB OPENINGS. APPLY TODAY! APPLY ONLINE AT www.noblehousehotels.com/careers APPLY IN PERSON AT Zero Duval St. Ocean Key Resort and Spa is EOE.

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER IS HIRING! School Programs & Outreach Curriculum Specialist (Full-Time - Permanent)

Visual Communications Seasonal Utility Position (Full-Time)

Volunteer Resources Administrative Assistant (Full-Time, Permanent)

Media & Marketing Staff Member (Full-Time, Permanent)

Education Program Host (Full-Time, Permanent)

IT Technical Specialist (Part Time, Permanent)

Human Resources Assistant (Part-Time, Permanent)

Guest Services Staff

(Full-Time/Part-Time, Temporary/Permanent) Benefits include medical, life & disability insurance, 401(k) plan, paid vacation, sick time & holidays.

Full job descriptions available at www.dolphins.org/career_opportunities Email cover letter, DRC application & resume to drc-hr@dolphins.org EOE DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER 58901 O/S Hwy - Grassy Key, FL Teaching... Learning... Caring

THEME: TV SHOWS The Guidance/Care Center, Inc. a division of

“Uplifting the human spirit since 1973”

THE GUIDANCE/CARE CENTER, Inc.

IS HIRING! KEY LARGO

Behavioral Health Counselor, FT (Children) Case Manager, FT (Children)

KEY WEST

Behavioral Health Therapist, PT/FT (Child, Adult) Care Coordinator Driver PT/per diem Prevention Specialist Behavioral Health Counselor (Children) Peer Support Specialist Crisis Counselor Case Managers (Adult, Forensic, Children ) Substance Abuse Counselor *Advocate

MARATHON

Peer Support Specialist/BHT (FT) Care Coordinator Behavioral Health Therapist, PT/FT (Child, Adult) RNs and LPNs (3 shifts) (PT/FT & per diem) Advocate (PT) Driver (FT) *Behavioral Health Technicians (3 shifts) (PT/FT & per diem) *No experience necessary. Will train.

A caring heart & helpful hands required.

Ability to work some evening or weekend shifts a plus.

If you’ve wanted to get into the medical field but don’t have the education, this is the job for you!

Background and drug screen req.

COMPETITIVE PAY! EXCEPTIONAL BENEFITS!!!

Check out all available positions at: www.westcare.com (search by zip code) EEOC/DFWP

ACROSS 1. *Shari Lewis’ TV puppet, ____ Chop 5. Black gunk 8. Not kosher 12. Chills and fever 13. Misbehavior on road 14. Near the wind 15. Ship’s steering wheel 16. Sign of escape 17. *”How to Get Away with Murder,” starring ____ Davis 18. *Featuring Jerry, Elaine, George, Kramer 20. Theories 21. Make awake 22. Mai follower 23. *Featuring Sam, Diane, Cliff, Norm, Carla 26. Scary creature 30. Salmon on a bagel 31. Etsy member 34. Craving 35. Old and feeble 37. Quaker Man’s grain 38. Romanov rulers 39. Without help 40. Stay clear of 42. *”The ____ Life” on Animal Planet 43. Keep from happening 45. Sets to zero 47. Old age, in the olden days 48. *”____ Previews” with Siskel and Ebert 50. Same as taboo 52. *Featuring Dre, Rainbow, Zoey, Andre, Diane, Jack 55. New Testament king 56. Is not, colloquially 57. At hand 59. Pond buildup 60. Microscope part 61. *”Hogan’s Heroes,” set in _____ Germany 62. Coin opening 63. Like some martinis 64. Big Bang’s original matter

DOWN 1. ____-di-dah 2. Awfully long time 3. Stubborn beast 4. Make soiled, in the olden days 5. At the heart of Boston Tea Party 6. Quick or nimble 7. No longer working, shortened 8. *Featuring Rebecca, Jack, Kate, Randall, Kevin 9. *ABC comedy-drama, “____ 222” (1969-74) 10. 90-degree pipes, e.g.

11. Public health agency, acr.

13. “The wretched ____ of your teeming shores” 14. Of a bird 19. Relating to Scandinavia 22. Lookout point 23. Necklace lock 24. Great esteem 25. Napoleon’s time on Elba 26. Crystalline hydrochloride 27. Crossbeam 28. Kind of heron 29. “The defense ____” 32. *Featuring Hurley, Sawyer, Kate, Sayid, John 33. Lake, in Provence 36. *Featuring Stubing, Smith, Washington, McCoy, Bricker 38. Fine-tune 40. Finish line, e.g.

41. Builds 44. Dodge 46. Certain jeans fit 48. More than sly 49. *”The ____,” featuring Fran, Maxwell, C.C., Niles 50. *”To ____ the Truth,” game show 51. Golden Fleece ship 52. *Like George Costanza, Homer Simpson or Captain Picard 53. Close an envelope 54. Mental confusion 55. Possesses 58. Canyon feature

46

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

LET’S DO BUSINESS - 305.743-0844 Licensed & Insured Contractor # CACO53827

ARTIC TEMP, INC.

Leslie Christensen

Air Conditioning & Refrigeration

OWNER

phone 305-743-6881 AmericanCoastalRentals.com Leslie@AmericanCoastalRentals.com 9141 Overseas Hwy, Marathon

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

Fax: (305) 743-6887

Liz Samess Interiors

Alexia Mann, GRI

Broker/Owner 305-209-5166 Alexia@SeafarerRealty.com www.SeafarerRealty.com

SOLAR DONE RIGHT!

Design, Decorating, Drafting, & More…

CALL US FOR A FREE HOME ESTIMATE

Liz Samess Interior Designer

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.

A division of SALT Service, serving The Keys since 1989

(954) 801-7883 Email: interiordesignbyliz@gmail.com CELL:

305-289-1150

Marathon, FL 33050

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

Florida Solar Contractor CVC 56734 Florida Electrical Contractor EC13008657

Barbara Sanchez

Tewes ewes Mortgage

Home & Offices Expertly Cleaned Fast Dependable Service

Your local, residential lending expert!

Call 305.495.6000

“We Clean Your Place, Like it Was Our Place”

for a FREE Consultation

Brian Tewes

Excellent References Upon Request

Customer service is my strength Brian@tewesmortgage.com

NMLS# 375025 Tewes Mortgage NMLS# 1453791 NMLSConsumerAccess.org

305-766-0819 305-924-0179

www.TewesMortgage.com

Sportfishing Adventures

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

info@johnnymaddoxcharters.com

305-481-3259

Nails by Ivis

Manicures • Pedicures Acrylics • Gelish • Facials • Waxing

5177 Overseas Highway

(Between Office Depot & Main Post Office)

Marathon, FL 33050 305-289-1631

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

www.marathonhairandnailsalon.com

Kitchen Cabinets Sales REAL Wood Cabinets at Particle Board Prices

Only $57 Puts Your Business Card Here

Residential Commercial Marine

Automotive Installation Specialist

Todd Gibbins 305-393-1092

Chad Cossairt 305-340-8392

KitchenKorner/Fred's Beds 1333 O/S Hwy, MM 53.5 • 305-743-7277

AQUACLEAR SOLUTIONS POOL & SPA CARE

SALES | INSTALLATION | SERVICE Lic & Ins SP3696

SPECIALIZING IN REMODELS & NEW CONSTRUCTION FOR OVER 20 YEARS

Mon - Fri 8:30am - 5:00pm • 6681 Overseas Hwy, Marathon keystilestone@gmail.com • www.keystilestone.com • 305.743.7053

Call Jeff today for a complimentary Water Test, Evaluation and Estimate!

(305) 767-3703

aquaclearsolutionskeys@gmail.com

47

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

LET’S DO BUSINESS - 305.743.0844 MARATHON • KEY COLONY OWNERS

START EARNING

Licensed & Insured #SP33799

ALL KEYS GLASS

305 3902315

WWW.KEYSRENTALSONLINE.COM OFFER YOUR ENJOY EXPERT MAXIMIZE GUESTS A VIP PROPERTY YOUR INCOME EXPERIENCE MAINTENANCE POTENTIAL

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Windows • Doors

305-743-7800

Authorized Dealer

Karen Raspe

Realtor 305-393-9010 karenraspe@bellsouth.net

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

9141 Overseas Highway Marathon, FL 33050 www.karenraspe.com

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

We Also Repair & Replace Patio Door Screens

_social media management _search engine optimization _custom website design

305-998-8953 Insured • Professional • Reliable

overseasmediagroup.com 305.906.0272

Tracy Chacksfield Realtor

CGC1523838 312-350-4601 tracy@thebeautifulkeys.com

9141 Overseas Highway Marathon, FL 33050 www.karenraspe.com

Lic No. SP1481

CGC1523838

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

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

Lic#SP-3562

We Do Installations!

Licensed & Insured

FREE ESTIMATES U.S.1 & 109th St, Marathon

GENERAL CONTRACTORS & ENGINEERS

SPALLING EXPERTS

(Across from Beall’s Outlet)

289-3019

Will Campbell

Serving Key Largo to Key West

President

BUiLDiNG iNSPECTiONS & PLAN REViEW PRiVATE PROViDER WiLL CAMPBELL - PRESiDENT

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

Rachel Sanderson Rachellynnes94@gmail.com 305.393.3076

SALES

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

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

Michael Kiraly

Mortgage Lender Supervisor NMLS# 675432 MKiraly@My100Bank.com Direct: (305) 942-1756 Office: (305) 676-3019 11400 Overseas Hwy, Suite 214 & 215 Marathon, FL 33050 MY100BANK.COM | Centennial Bank

Milly Cruz

305.363.8869 milly@seafarerrealty.com www.SeafarerRealty.com

2728 North Roosevelt Blvd.

Overseas Market Key West

Proud member of:

INTERNATIONAL

CONCRETE REPAIR INSTITUTE

48

MARATHON WEEKLY / JULY 7, 2022

YOUR REALTORS FOR LIFE...

TRACY CHACKSFIELD

KAREN RASPE, P.A.

312.350.4601

305.393.9010

tracy@thebeautifulkeys.com

karenraspe@bellsouth.net

OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY 11 AM - 1 PM

561 11th Street, Key Colony Beach Pristinely maintained & updated Pool Home | 75’ dock & 15k lb lift.

Open living, dining & kitchen | Lush landscaping 2 gar garage | Outdoor kitchen | Paved pool patio. $2,275,000 - 3 Bedrooms - 2 Full Baths

841 W. Ocean Drive, Key Colony Beach

Gated Oceanfront Estate | Private Beach Dock Permit in Process for 115ft dock Guest Apartment | 4+ Car Garage

$6,999,900 - 5 Bedroom - 4.5 Bath

651 9th Street, Key Colony Beach

Pristinely maintained gem Soaring wood ceilings | Storage area | Paved Patio Easy access to open ocean & gulf | 37.5 ft dock

$1,100,000 - 2 Bedroom - 3 Full baths

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 11 AM - 1 PM

171 3rd Street, Key Colony Beach Light & airy coastal chic half-duplex | Over 1,400 sf | Custom kitchen Marble finished baths | Outdoor space | Screened balcony | Hot tub 30' Concrete dock | 2 separate storage areas $1,299,000 - 2 Bedrooms - 2 Full Baths

360 10th Street, Key Colony Beach

Elegant & Exquisitely updated 1900+ SF Open concept living, dining, kitchen 50ft screened balcony | 37.5 ft Dock

$1,430,500 - 2 Bedroom - 2 Full Baths

83rd Street Ocean, Marathon

10,000 sqft | 100x100 double lot Central part of Marathon | Across from airport Property has many options

TRACY CHACKSFIELD 312.350.4601 tracy@thebeautifulkeys.com www.KeysRealEstate.com

VACANT LAND - $175,000

370 10th Street, Key Colony Beach

East facing home|Easy access to Ocean & Gulf Open living & dining room | Split floorplan Spacious bedrooms | Custom Kitchen

$1,200,000 - 3 Bedroom - 3 Full Baths

1326 107th St Gulf, Marathon

Island Tire - established tire business has been in this location for 60 yrs! Includes: clients, inventory, machinery and equipment. No Real Estate.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY - $475,000

KAREN RASPE, P.A. 305.393.9010 karenraspe@bellsouth.net www.KarenRaspe.com

When excellence in Service Matters... Give Us A Call! © 2022 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate.