Key West Weekly 22-1020

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ON THE COVER

$1.56B

The combination of seasonal crops, livestock, nursery and aquaculture products potentially lost as a result of category 4 Hurricane Ian is valued between $787 million and $1.56 billion, according to University of Florida econo mists. Vegetables and melons suffered the worst losses, $208 million and $394 million, followed by citrus crops, $147 million to $304 million.

TDC DENIES COUNTY FUNDING REQUEST

KEYS BICENTENNIAL CAUSES RIFT WITH TOURISM OFFICIALS

MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

Money,

politics and pro tocols.

All three are at the heart of a controversial request for tourism dollars to fund a community celebration of Monroe County’s 200th anniversary. (The county was officially incorporated July 2, 1823.)

County Commissioner Craig Cates is championing the county’s request for $150,000 of tourism revenue for a free concert, historical presentation and drone fireworks show at Truman Waterfront on March 25, 2023.

But tourism officials tasked with evaluating funding applications and allocating tourism revenues — col lected from tourists to market the Florida Keys as a destination — twice denied the county’s request. So Cates went above the tourism agency and instead asked the coun ty commission on Oct. 19 to approve the $150,000 allocation of tourism revenues for the 200th celebration. The commission was unanimous in its approval.

“We want our residents to have an event they can enjoy (in March) without melting, and for the drone show, we need the sun to be down,” said Kimberly Matthews, the county executive who drafted the applica tion and presented it at the commis sion meeting.

The timing of the bicentennial celebration and its intended audi ence posed significant funding prob lems for the tourism officials, as the March 25 event date occurs during the height of the tourism “season,” when the Keys are not struggling to attract visitors. Such events are not a priority, and evaluators must give those applications a score of 0 in the timing category.

“Events are scored based on when in the calendar year they are held. Shoulder and off-season events receive higher scoring. Ad

ditional scoring points are also given for mid-week events,” states the application for event funding.

Additional factors in the scoring of an application include the number of “heads in beds,” or overnight visi tors an event will draw, as well as the event’s marketing and business plan.

An application must receive a score of 17 or higher to be consid ered for funding. Only three of the seven Key West committee mem bers who evaluated the county’s bicentennial application at an Oct. 12 meeting gave the event the mini mum required score. The commit tee ultimately declined to fund the county’s event.

The target audience for the bicentennial event posed another concern for tourism officials, who questioned whether the celebra tion is for the local community, or a tourist-focused event that will draw visitors.

“Events are scored based on ability to attract out-of-county visi tors to the district in which funding is applied,” the grant application states.

Finally, the county’s failure to meet the initial July application dead line for event funding frustrated tourism directors — and Cates, who initially asked officials to forgive the missed deadline and allocate the money anyway.

Instead of violating its grant funding protocols, the Monroe County Tourist Development Council (TDC) opted to conduct an unprece

dented second round of event fund ing applications, giving the county a second chance to submit its applica tion in October, which it did.

Following the Key West District Advisory Committee’s denial on Oct. 12, the countywide TDC board also denied the county’s funding request at its Oct. 18 meeting.

The denials further frustrated Cates, who told the Keys Weekly he attributed the denials to tourism of ficials’ “attitude.”

He pointed out that the county commission, on which he sits, has the final say to approve or deny tourism funding allocations.

“I don’t understand why a county advisory board would deny a county application, when we have

continued on

The Tourist Development Council grant application includes a table showing the scoring criteria for applicants, based on the timing of the event seeking funding. CONTRIBUTED

Virginia Wark is one of Key West’s most dedicated costume creators for Fantasy Fest and beyond. See page 6. CRICKET DESMARAIS/Keys Weekly

CRICKET DESMARAIS www.keysweekly.com

SOMEONE YOU SHOULD MEET...

VIRGINIA WARK, MASQUERADE MASTER

Zombie Bike Ride. Headdress Ball. Local People’s Parade. Fantasy Fest Parade. Stanley Papio Kinetic Parade. Wesley House Lighted Boat Parade. Slow Rid ers. Cow Key Channel Bridge Run. If you’ve been to any of these themed costume or decorated bicycle events, you’ve probably seen Virginia Wark out there in the crowd. She tends to stand out — and not just because of her cover girl beauty or her 6’3” height — 6’8” if you factor in the silver platform boots she typically wears.

At the moment Wark is waving a 7-foot-long plywood sword she made to go with her samurai costume for a previous year’s anime-themed Fan tasy Fest parade.

“I’d put beads on the end of it, then pretend to chop people’s heads off so the beads would fly into the crowd,” she says. “It was so much fun.”

Wark’s workshop is on the side of her house. It’s a tiny, shed-sized space with an assortment of power tools, some collected flotsam – lamp shades, pool noodles, dollar store Halloween décor — and believe it or not, only two bins — one with costume pieces and one with hats.

“I can’t keep all the costumes,” she says. “I don’t have enough space and have to limit my self.”

Her costumes begin with basic staples — black or silver leggings, adaptable hats and headpieces — then she adds on and wings it as the idea unfolds. If she tries to plan it, “It doesn’t work,” she says.

“I see what I’ve got and ask myself what I can do with it, then I go around construction Dump sters. Like that piece of bamboo back there,” she says, pointing. “I saw it in someone’s trash and thought, ‘I could use that.’ So that’s kinda how that goes.”

Wark is the costume ambassador for those of us last-minute, less-organized people. She’s proof that you can participate in the dress-up revelry regardless of your sewing chops or the dollars in or out of your bank account.

“I don’t sew, but I’ll screw things together and make a costume that way. Bolts, Goop. You can sew a dress with Goop.”

The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum manager started picking up power tools over time, but especially since 1996 “when Atlantic Shores was still around” and she was invited to join Skip Ross and the Southernmost Hotel crew in that year’s Fantasy Fest parade.

“We’d set the platform up in that parking lot on South Street in September. Someone would tell you, ‘I need this painted’ or ‘screw that to that’ sort of thing. And you just did whatever you could to help whenever you could.”

Her first Fantasy Fest parade costume was a Flintstones car, circa 1986. Since then, she’s been many things, including a mosquito, a vampire in sect queen, a Mars Attacks spaceship and a circus clown.

“That year, I got a pair of men’s pants at the Salvation Army. They must have had a 60-inch waist. I put a hula hoop in the waistband and would walk with a bounce so the pants would go up and down.”

Wark’s costumes tend toward kinetic. After entering Key West Art & Historical Society’s Papio Kinetic Parade, her trike has become integrated into her costume or the star of it. This year it will be transformed into a pirate ship.

“Imagine If I could attach this to the trike?” she says, holding up a ginormous white flag with the words “HELP ME” scrawled in blood red under a picture of a dagger. “You gotta get your Zombie on before you get your Fantasy Fest on.”

A summer job brought Wark to Key West when she was 26. The Sydney, Australia native first came to the United States via Tokyo, Paris, Milan, then New York.

“I was the worst cocktail waitress you could ever meet,” she says of the job she had at the Pep permint Lounge on Fifth Avenue in New York City. “I waited on Deborah Harry and David Bowie one time. But after a while, you know, you can only live on nothing and nightclubs for so long.”

VIRGINIA WARK’S COSTUME TIPS & HINTS

• Costume weight is a big consideration.

• Size: Go big or go home.

• Make it fun to make, wear, ride and behold.

• Relatability: The crowd should get into it. People enjoy a level of inclusion.

• Durability: It can’t fall apart. (I use a lot of Goop.)

• Materials: Spray paint will dissolve Styrofoam. A light base coat is OK.

• Let the materials you have guide you.

• If something isn’t coming together, step away. A solution may come.

• Give it a name that links to the theme.

She left the city for a summer job in Ogunquit, Maine, and was later recruited for the shopkeep er’s Key West store, Lido’s.

“I’d been to a few other places that I liked, but when I got here to Key West, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I think I could live here!’”

These days, she finds a monthly costume camaraderie with the Southernmost Slow Riders, a full moon club that starts at the compass rose on White Street Pier, then collectively pedals down Duval Street toward the waterfront to watch the sunset.

”You decorate your bikes a little — or not if you don’t want to — but mostly we’ve got all our lights on and everybody’s got a little bit of cos tume, a little bit of some-some. It’s an easy-peasy, socializing thing among all generations. They’re from different areas and ages and groups of the island. This place brings everybody together. You can’t help it. And the response from the crowd is so fun. The smiles. Everybody loves it. And they’re like, ‘What’s this?’ And then they go, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s Key West.’”

Yeah, it is.

Virgina Wark pedals her transformative trike in one of countless costumes she has created for it. CRICKET DESMARAIS/Keys Weekly

HURRICANES AREN’T FLORIDA’S ONLY DISASTER

THE STATE’S INSURANCE INDUSTRY IS A MESS

MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

Republicans and Democrats agree on nearly nothing these days, except when it comes to property insurance in Florida. On that topic, politicians — in cluding two who want to represent the Florida Keys in Tallahassee — are unanimous in their opinion: the industry itself is as big a disaster as a hurricane.

Insurance premiums are skyrocketing. The industry is plagued by lawsuits that absorb funding that should be spent on claims to re pair homes after a storm.

Both candidates for the Florida House who want to represent the Florida Keys — incum bent Republican Jim Mooney and Democrat Adam Gentle — have repeated their frustra tions with Florida’s property insurance industry and its state-run Citizens Property Insurance at multiple candidate forums.

Recently, Shahid Hamid, a finance profes sor at Florida International University, who directs the Laboratory for Insurance at FIU, wrote an article for The Conversation outlining the problems with Florida’s insurance industry.

The Keys Weekly takes a look at Hamid’s explanation, as well as the local candidates’ positions about needed changes to the industry in Florida.

Hamid wrote on Oct. 5 that Florida’s insur ance premiums have nearly doubled in the past five years, yet private insurance companies are still losing money and going out of business.

Why?

“The biggest single reason is the ‘assign ment of benefits’ problem, involving contrac tors after a storm,” Hamid writes. “It’s partly fraud and partly taking advantage of loose regulation and court decisions that have af fected insurance companies.

“Contractors will knock on doors and say they can get the homeowner a new roof. The cost of a new roof is maybe $20,000 to $30,000. So, the contractor inspects the roof. Often, there isn’t really that much damage. The contractor promises to take care of everything if the homeowner assigns over their insurance benefit. The contractors can then claim what ever they want from the insurance company without needing the homeowner’s consent.

“If the insurance company determines the damage wasn’t actually covered, the contractor sues. So insurance companies are stuck either fighting the lawsuit or settling. Either way, it’s costly.”

Homeowners also can decide to sue over the amount of damage an insurer will cover.

Another issue is flood insurance. Remem ber, windstorm insurance only covers wind damage, not damage caused by storm surge flooding, which has been increasing in recent years. According to Hamid, only about 14% of Florida homeowners pay for flood insurance.

“Some without flood insurance will file damage claims with their property insur ance company, arguing that wind caused the problem,” Hamid writes. “How widespread of a problem are these lawsuits? … About 9% of homeowner property claims nationwide are filed in Florida, yet 79% of lawsuits related to property claims are filed in Florida. The legal cost in 2019 was over $3 billion for insurance companies just fighting these lawsuits, and that’s all going to be passed on to homeowners in higher costs.

“...The state’s regulation is also relatively weak. This may eventually be fixed by the legislature, but that takes time and groups are lobbying against change. It took a long time to pass a law saying the attorney fee has to be capped.”

What do Keys candidates say about the problem?

Florida Keys State Rep. Jim Mooney echoed Hamid’s frustration with the insurance industry and the costly lawsuits during an Oct. 3 candi dates forum hosted by Hometown.

“The insurance industry is just an absolute disaster,” Mooney said at the forum. “There’s nobody in Florida that doesn’t recognize that. … The reality is, every bill we’ve passed to make the insurance companies drop rates a bit, has all been brought into litigation. All the bills that passed, bipartisanly, are now in litigation. We stepped on the wrong toes. We stepped on the attorneys’ toes. And until we can figure out how to get past the lawsuits, there is not going to be a quick fix in Tallahassee, there’s not gonna be a quick fix in Washington. We have to take the legalese out of it. And that’s not gonna be an easy task.”

At the same candidate forum earlier this month, Democrat Adam Gentle, an anti-corrup tion attorney by trade, told the audience, “The first issue is, we don’t have an insurance market anymore … because Citizens, our insurer of last resort, has become the insurer of first resort for many Floridians. And we’ve squeezed the private market so that Citizens is undercutting the market by 50%. We have to reinvigorate our market, introduce competition and make sure Citizens truly is the insurer of last resort.”

Gentle also discussed the problem of law suits and corruption in the insurance industry.

“The real problem is corruption. … Corrup tion in claims. Corruption in rackets between builders and insurance companies. That needs to be investigated. … There are things we need to do to make our system less corrupt and also have a more vigorous market.”

Gentle also pointed out at a July candidates forum “the news about $100 million in litiga tion fees that Citizens pays due to fraud in our marketplace. As your state representative, I would appoint a commission to investigate that fraud so our insurance dollars are actually used to pay for repairs when there’s a storm and not to settle out fraudulent litigation.”

Plenty of people in Tallahassee and else where throughout Florida seem able to define the problems with Florida’s insurance indus try, but few seem able to solve them without lawyers and lawsuits getting in the way. And the catastrophic costs caused by Hurricane Ian aren’t making reform any easier.

Hurricane Irma devastated the Lower and Middle Keys in 2017, including this neighborhood on Big Pine.

Hurricane Irma ripped the roof off a home on Sugarloaf Key in September 2017. KEYS WEEKLY FILE PHOTO

KEY WEST WANTS TO USE PRIVATELY OWNED ADMIRAL’S CUT

COMMISSIONER URGES EMINENT DOMAIN PROCEEDINGS TO GET ACCESS

‘ONE HUMAN FAMILY’ CELEBRATES 22 YEARS

NEW PARK PAVILION BEARS THE ISLAND CITY’S MOTTO

The diagram shows the city-owned Truman Waterfront, and the privately owned Admiral’s Cut, where city officials have long wanted a pedestrian bridge. CITY OF KEY WEST/Contributed

MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

Key West officials earlier this year rejected an offer from the owner of Pier B pertaining to voluntary cruise ship limitations, but now want the same owner to allow public access to private property known as Admiral’s Cut.

The city commission was to meet on Wednesday, Oct. 19. Commissioner Jimmy Weekley said he wants the city to pursue eminent domain proceedings for the use of Admiral’s Cut.

(Eminent domain involves the right of governments to usurp private prop erty for public use, following fair com pensation, decided by a court.)

The slice of water known as Admi ral’s Cut — about the size of boat slip — separates Pier B and Opal Key Resort & Marina Property from the city-owned Truman Waterfront, and is the only obstacle to full pedestrian access from Truman Waterfront to Mallory Square.

Weekley has long wanted the public able to access Truman Waterfront using a footbridge of some sort over Admi ral’s Cut, but owners of the resort and marina have not been willing to grant public access.

Weekley asked City Attorney Shawn Smith about the status of Admiral’s Cut at a recent meeting. Smith reminded the commissioners that they had rejected the offer by Mark Walsh, owner of Pier B and Opal Key Resort, to voluntarily im pose some limits on his cruise ship busi ness. As of those mediation meetings

in the spring, “Admiral’s Cut is no longer on the table,” Smith said, adding that the only remaining option would be to pursue access to Admiral’s Cut through an eminent domain lawsuit.

Weekley wants to purse that action, and at the Oct. 19 meeting was to ask his fellow commissioners to allocate funding for “expert legal services to ex plore the feasibility of pursuing eminent domain to allow public access between the Truman Waterfront Park and Mallory Square through Admiral’s Cut,” states the meeting agenda.

Temporary homeless shelter

Also on tap for the Oct. 19 meeting, which took place after presstime, was an agreement between the city of Key West and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office for a temporary location of the city’s homeless shelter on sheriff’s office property.

In return for a city-owned parcel of land on Trumbo Road in Key West, where the sheriff’s office can build em ployee housing, the sheriff has agreed to let the city use another parcel of land at the sheriff’s office property on Stock Island as a temporary homeless shelter while a new, permanent shelter is con structed. The agreement for the tempo rary space will last for two years during construction of the new shelter.

Officials were expected to pass the agreement.

The meeting was scheduled for 5 p.m. The full agenda is at cityofkeywestfl.gov. Visit keysweekly.com for a full report following the meeting.

Twenty-two years ago, on Oct. 17, 2000, the Key West city comis sion unanimously adopted “One Human Family” as the city’s official philosophy of unity, equality and diversity. The resolution states “all people are our equals,” and urged “growing beyond the artificial limita tions of racism, nationalism, sexism, classism, monothe ism, prejudice, homophobia and every other illusion used to separate us from all being equal.” Key West’s inclu sive philosophy has spread around the world on over 4.7 million stickers and nearly 100,000 wristbands that are always provided free of charge to everyone who asks.

In 2020, the city commis sion voted to officially name the portico and bandstand in Bayview Park with the official motto. A sign was installed on the bandstand, making it the “One Human Family Pavilion,” and now the por tico as well sports the “One Human Family” name. City Commissioner Sam Kaufman

championed the renaming of the portico as a symbol of unity for Key West.

The bandstand was erected in 1990 by then-City Commissioner Sally Lewis, who worked with then-State Rep. Ron Saunders and the state’s Cultural Affairs Com mittee. It was never given a formal name until now.

The small portico was built in 1924 by a chapter of the Stephen Mallory Daugh ters of the Confederacy to honor Confederate soldiers.

The One Human Fam ily Pavilion & Portico are adjacent to Bayview Park’s respectful military memorials that include a large statue dedicated to black soldiers who fought for the Union in the Civil War as well as a tribute to Key West’s Vietnam veterans.

An official dedication ceremony will take place Monday, Nov. 7. Stay tuned for details.

— Contributed by JT Thompson

The portico at Bayview Park now bears the official motto of Key West, One Human Family. DORIAN PATTON/Contributed

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‘‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.’’ Colossians 3:16 NKJV

the final say,” Cates said, adding that the TDC collected more than $70 million in bed tax revenue in the past year. “The Key West District Advisory Committee had more than $870,000 in event funding left over that it didn’t allocate, so it’s not as if we’d be taking money away from another event.”

The Keys Weekly asked Cates why he wouldn’t consider changing the date of the bicentennial celebra tion to one that would increase its score and thus its eligibility for funding. The legislature officially created Monroe County as the sixth county in the Florida territory on July 2, 2023, but “It’s too hot then for an outdoor event,” Cates said.

The county’s funding applica tion for $150,000 describes the bicentennial event as “a one-day … celebration of the 200th anniversary of Monroe County. It will … include an opening musical artist followed by comments from various county commissioners and dignitaries. The main event will be a narrated visual presentation of the 200-year history of Monroe County and the Florida Keys, interspersed with a musical performance. The evening will end with a drone show.”

The application lists musician Nick Norman as the opening act and Howard Livingston as the headliner.

“Additionally, we will commission challenge coins with the 200th an niversary logo. Each commissioner and the county administrator will receive 100 coins … to give out in the months leading up to the concert to further promote the event,” the county’s application states.

How tourism funding works

The TDC exists to bring visitors to the Florida Keys through adver tising, marketing and funding for events and construction projects that enhance the destination for visitors.

Funding for such activities is paid by tourists and collected by hotels — a 4-cent tax is levied on every dollar spent on overnight lodging. A por tion of the 4 cents is used to market and advertise the Keys as a whole, while another portion is earmarked for events and projects occurring within the five individual regions in which the tax is collected.

Members of the TDC’s five Dis trict Advisory Committees (DACs) in each region of the Keys evaluate an nual funding applications for special events and construction projects in that district. The money available to each DAC depends on the amount of bed tax revenue collected in that district.

SETTING THE TABLE

Sanctuary Advisory Council test-drives review of Restoration Blueprint ahead of final December recommendation

ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

TheFlorida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) has a behemoth task looming at its two-day –for now – December meeting: submit a comprehensive recommendation to guide final edits of the sanctuary’s proposed Restoration Blueprint, the first significant changes to sanctuary regulations in more than 20 years. It’s a large enough task that the council spent the majority of its Oct. 18 meet ing in Marathon simply discussing the process by which it will create a finished product.

Though the currently proposed Blueprint is open for online public comment at regulations.gov until Wednesday, Oct. 26, Tuesday’s meet ing represented the final chance for in-person public comment, the majority of which echoed concerns from the sanctuary’s previous public sessions held throughout the Florida Keys.

Most civil commenters expressed displeasure with specific area clo sures, boundary expansions, anchor ing regulations, changes to fish-feed ing operations, enforcement issues for violators and perceived “govern ment overreach.” Others expressed strong support for the sanctuary’s proposed measures, viewing the majority of the proposed Blueprint as a small compromise for continued protection of critical areas in Keys waterways.

“I believe it’s time to give back to the resource and the environment,” said Marathon charter captain Jimmy Gagliardini. “There are a lot of people that are in this room for one reason: they are here to spite government. … They don’t know any of the facts, and they don’t care to. … I don’t see this as a step in the right direction; I see it as a giant leap forward.”

Sanctuary Advisory Council vice chair Ben Daughtry outlines potential discussion mechanisms for December’s two-day meeting. ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

opportunity of this group to provide your thoughts collectively is powerful, and it’s really hard. … I appreciate you guys testing this concept, and then hopefully committing to doing home work between now and December to help facilitate important conversa tions and hopefully coming to some conclusions as a body, as much as that’s possible.”

Several suggested methods of on line polling and digital collaboration before the council’s next gathering as a way to streamline discussions, in addition to the use of breakout groups to tackle summaries of each regulation change before discussion with the entire council.

The meeting’s afternoon session served as a trial run for the process SAC chair George Garrett and vice chair Ben Daughtry hope will guide is sue-specific discussions in December. Using a previously-completed survey of SAC members’ discussion priorities, the pair identified nearly 30 specific points of interest in the Blueprint, initially tasking members of a smaller “core group” with drafting “support statements” and “issues to consider” as a trial run for a few of them.

Beginning with two areas of the proposed sanctuary boundary expan sion – the Tortugas Region and deep photosynthetic coral reef system known as Pulley Ridge – Daughtry polled council members in atten dance on their thoughts, adding their support points and concerns to create a comprehensive summary for each region.

With an extensive list of pros and cons from varied stakeholders likely to surround each point of conten tion, discussion shifted as to how the council would ensure delivery of a comprehensive and digestible product to sanctuary superintendent Sarah Fangman following December’s meeting.

“I want to acknowledge how much work that the members of the core group have done to try to think through, ‘How in the world would we do this?’” said Fangman. “To me, the

Conservation and Environment council member Jerry Lorenz advo cated for a weighted polling process by which SAC members could specify their level of support for, or con cern with, specific discussion points, rather than a simple majority vote on each regulation change. In doing so, sanctuary staff would be able to easily identify both points of conten tion and so-called “no-brainers” in the proposed changes.

“The simple answer for me is that you weight this by voting,” he said. “We’re not all going to agree, so this does give the reader the ability to go, ‘Well, the council really favored (that proposal), but they were divided on this one.’”

With the exact process in Decem ber still to be determined, Daughtry and Garrett tasked SAC members and alternates with choosing specific reg ulations for which they wish to draft support and concern statements. The statements generated by council members will inform the direction of December’s final discussion on each topic.

Following December’s meet ing, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 13-14 at a Mara thon location to be determined, the Restoration Blueprint will undergo an extensive 18- to 20-month review by sanctuary staff, including consultation with stakeholder agencies, before a final review at the state and federal level.

More information about the proposed Restoration Blueprint is at https://floridakeys.noaa.gov/blue print/.

CHERYL CATES FOUNDATION EVENT PACKS KEY WEST THEATER

LIVE, SILENT AUCTIONS, CONCERT RAISE THOUSANDS

LARRY BLACKBURN/ Keys Weekly

1. County Commissioner Craig Cates hosts the Oct. 15 fundraiser for the Cheryl Cates Memorial Foundation, created in honor of his late wife to bridge funding gaps in the local community.

2. U.S. Congressman Carlos Gimenez, right, and wife Lourdes.

3. Caffeine Carl Wagoner per forms at the event.

4. From left, Tammy Cates Be rard, photographer Larry Black burn and Nicole Cates Canalejo.

5. Keys Weekly’s own Britt Myers, left, emcees with Tammy Cates Berard.

6. Ron Demes and Judge Peary Fowler.

TheCheryl Cates Memorial Foundation hosted an Oct. 15 fundraiser at the Key West Theater, where live music, a live auction, open bar and silent auction raised tens of thousands of dollars. “It exceeded all of our expec tations,” County Commissioner Craig Cates told the Keys Weekly, adding that the event will become an annual fundraiser for the foundation that was created to bridge funding gaps in the Keys community. “The live auc tion alone raised $35,000. We had two original Wyland paintings, one of which he did just for this event.” The auctions also featured 13 hotel stays, a diamond pendant and other items.

Key West Weekly publisher Britt Myers didn’t hold back as the live auctioneer. “He was so great. He gets away with saying stuff no one else would. Everybody loved it,” Cates said.

In honor of the late Cheryl Cates’ love of live, local music, musical performers included Alfonse, Brian Roberts, Steve Molnar, Caffeine Carl, Zack Seemiller, Taylor Berard and Howard Livingston.

— Mandy Miles

7. From left, Maura and Danny Hughes, Ed Russo and Jennifer Hulse.

8. George Fernandez, left, and Key West Police Chief Sean Branden burg.

9. Howard Livingston & the Mile Marker 24 Band.

A NIGHT OF KILLER MUSIC

WARREN HAYNES AND GOV’T MULE PACKS AMPHITHEATER

The Key West Amphitheater was nearly full on Oct. 18 for music legend Warren Haynes and his band Gov’t Mule. Old Crow Medicine Show opened the night that combined Haynes’ unpar alleled guitar skills, Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers songs, as well originals by Gov’t Mule.

Gov’t Mule came to Key West after a show in Clearwater, and con tinues its tour in Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and finishes in Pennsylvania and New York.

Key West Weekly publisher Britt Myers scored an interview with Haynes the week before the Key West show. Listen to that interview on the Keys Weekly Podcast Show by scanning the QR code.

— Keys Weekly staff report

Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule jam at the Key West Amphitheater on Oct. 18, preceded on stage by Old Crow Medicine Show. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

INSURANCE

LOCALLY OWNED

NEW!

COMFORT

HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS IN KEY WEST

Through Oct. 31

• MARC Pumpkin Patch is open daily until 7 p.m. until Halloween or until all pumpkins are sold, 1401 Seminary St.

Friday, Oct. 21

• Halloween costume party and Spooky Story time at the Key West library, 11 a.m. to noon, 400 Fleming St., Key West.

Sunday, Oct. 23

• Key West Sports Academy hosts Halloween preschool playdate for kids who can crawl through age 6 in its indoor playground, 9 to 11 a.m, 700 Tru man Ave.

Tuesday, Oct. 25

• Take a Halloween adventure through the streets of Key West looking for the best lights, deco rations, ghouls, ghosts, goblins and a pumpkin or two with Key West’s Ghosts and Gravestones tours. Leaves from Key West High School, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 27

• Trick or Treats at Waterfront Market, 2 to 7 p.m. at Truman Waterfront Park.

Saturday, Oct. 29

• Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden hosts its Screaming Green SAFE Halloween. Candy, games, crafts and a costume contest will be offered throughout the garden. Come in costume and hunt for tricks and treats along the garden pathways. The event includes a bounce house, a costume contest for different age groups, food and recycling ideas. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Costume contest for ages 5 and under is at 12:15 p.m. Contest for ages 6 to 12 is at 1:15 p.m. Admission is $5 per child.

Sunday, Oct. 30

• Children’s Day at Bayview Park wraps up Fan tasy Fest with a Halloween costume contest, games, prizes, tricks and treats for kids. Starts at 12 p.m.

• Key West Sports Academy hosts Halloween preschool playdate for kids who can crawl through age 6 in its indoor playground, 9 to 11 a.m., 700 Tru man Ave.

Monday, Oct. 31

• Happy Halloween! Trick-or-treating in local neighborhoods.

• Schmitty the Skeleton’s Spooky Shindig: Cold well Banker Schmitt will host a Halloween event featuring goodie bags and candy from 6 to 8:30 p.m., 1201 White St.

GOOMBAY FESTIVAL BLENDS MUSIC, FOOD & ISLAND SPIRIT

ANNUAL EVENT TAKES PLACE OCT. 21-22

High-energy family fun, entertainment and multicultural taste treats await revelers Friday and Saturday, Oct. 21-22, during the annual Bahama Village Goombay Festival.

The lively festival runs from noon to midnight both days, with the action centered on Petronia Street in the heart of Key West’s historic Bahama Village neighborhood. Attractions include live music, food and a spirited celebration of the cultural connection between Key West and the Bahamas.

Goombay weekend marks the beginning of Fan tasy Fest, Key West’s 10-day costuming and masking gala. The 2022 festival is themed “Cult Classics & Cartoon Chaos” and is scheduled Fri day, Oct. 21, through Sunday, Oct. 30.

Each year Goombay at tracts thousands of people ranging from national and in ternational visitors to Florida Keys residents who have made attending the event a local tradition.

Against the vibrant back drop of Bahama Village, they can view and purchase island arts and crafts, savor the flavors of vendors’ delicacies and spend two rocking eve nings dancing in the streets.

Foods for purchase typically include conch fritters and salads, fried fish, black beans and rice, Key lime pie and other items associated with Key West and its Baha mian roots.

The main entertainment stage is to be located at the corner of Petronia and Fort streets. Popular Bahamian, Floridian and local musicians and bands are to offer non stop tunes in genres ranging from gospel to calypso.

Other festival highlights will include Friday night opening ceremonies and Saturday night’s Junkanoo Gawds Parade of costumed marchers and dancers, begin ning at 6 p.m. and traveling through Key West’s historic downtown.

— Contributed

Key West’s annual Bahama Village Goombay Festival takes place the weekend before Fantasy Fest. CONTRIBUTED

Every Halloween we at the Keys Weekly strive to expand your cultural palate by pro viding our Top 10 seasonal songs for your playlist. So whether you’re cruising the Zombie Bike Ride in Key West, hitting all of your favor ite spots behind the airport in Mara thon or getting lost on the spooky streets of Plantation Key Colony, these Halloween jams will impress all of your neighbors and candy bandits alike. So here are our 2022…

FIND THE BEST OF KEY WEST

FYT GYM HOSTS 3RD ANNUAL SCAVENGER HUNT

10. “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder (1972). Favorite lyrics: “13-month-old baby… Broke the looking glass… Seven years of bad luck… Good things in your past.”

9. “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” by Geto Boys (1991): Favorite lyrics: “At night I can’t sleep I toss and turn. Candlesticks in the dark, visions of bodies being burned.” (NOT for a kid’s playlist)

8. “Dragula” by Rob Zombie (1998). Favorite lyrics: “Dead I am the sky, watchin’ the angels cry. While they slowly turn, conquering the worm.”

7. “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC (1979). Favorite lyrics: “Don’t need no reason, Don’t need rhyme, Ain’t nothin’ that I’d rather do Goin’ down, party time.”

6. “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails (1994). Favorite lyrics: “You can have my isolation. You can have the hate that it brings. You can have my absence of faith. You can have everything.” (NOT for a kid’s playlist)

5. “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones (1968). Favorite lyrics: “And I was ’round when Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain. Made damn sure that Pilate washed his hands and sealed his fate.”

4. “Ghostbusters” by Ray Park er (1984). Favorite lyrics: “Mmm, if you’ve had a dose of a freaky ghost, baby you better call, Ghostbusters!”

3. “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon (1978). Fa vorite lyrics: “He’s the hairy handed gent who ran amok in Kent. … Lately he’s been overheard in Mayfair…”

2. “Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett (1962). Favorite lyrics: “The ghouls all came from their humble abodes … to get a jolt of my elec trodes.”

1. “Thriller” by Michael Jackson (1982). Favorite lyrics: “And grizzly ghouls from every tomb … Are closing in to seal your doom.”

Fallinto fun with FYT Key West’s third annual Scaven ger Hunt on Saturday, Oct. 22.

The fitness center and yoga studio is seeking teams of four to 10 members for its bar crawl/scav enger hunt that scours downtown Key West, with plenty of libations along the way.

The games begin with a 6 p.m. happy hour at Conch Republic Seafood Co. at the Historic Sea port. The scavenger hunt and bar crawl starts at 7 p.m., when teams make their way down Duval Street, solving riddles, rhymes and picture challenges issued by the pros at Key West Hunt.

The event culminates back at the Conch Republic Seafood Co., where organizers tally the points based on challenges completed and declare the victors.

The event is open to the com munity and is $25 per person.

Tickets are available using the attached QR code. Or email what sup@fytkeywest.com.

Sponsored by Dulce Vida Or ganic Tequila, participants’ first Dulce Vida drink is free.

— Contributed

Costumes are highly encouraged for FYT Scavenger Hunt teams, such as this group’s Mario Brothers theme. CONTRIBUTED

The FYT Scavenger Hunt teams start and end their adventure at Conch Republic Seafood Co. CONTRIBUTED

Ownership

SAM C. STEELE, CFC CONSTITUTIONAL TAX COLLECTOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

A MEGA- RARITY DOUBLE SHOT

Ihadn’tmet John Groskopf until Friday morning, but man, that guy knows how to royally (screw) up your day, if not your weekend.

... is a photogra pher, writer, and semi-professional birdwatcher. He has lived in Key West for more than 25 years and may no longer be employable in the real world. He is also executive director of the Florida Keys Audu bon Society.

I was sitting at my desk, dutifully putting together a column about tracking sharpshinned hawks via cell phone towers, and why that was both important and so freaking cool, when I got a text from my friend Mariah, who was working in Marathon. And then a similar text from my friend Elsa, who I believe is in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Both were tell ing me the same thing – that this John Groskopf person had found a western spindalis over at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park.

The western spindalis is a Caribbean species, a smallish songbird, and allegedly non-migratory. It is also a really handsome species, es pecially the male, with black-and-white referee stripes across its head, and a yellow-orange breast that looks like a freshly stoked fire.

Seeing one around here isn’t killer unusual – they get found in the Keys or the South Florida mainland every year or two. Some have even tried to build nests and mate here.

Mariah’s text included a screen grab of the bird, which is what got me moti vated.

I met up with Mark Whiteside in the Ft. Zach parking lot. Groskopf’s post gave GPS coordinates to the exact ficus tree where he’d seen the bird. We were probably there less than five minutes when Mark spotted the bird about 20 feet overhead. We got some good looks before it flew off, though there were enough branches between it and me that I couldn’t get the camera to focus for a decent shot.

A few minutes later Groskopf and his girlfriend Maria came into the hammock. They were really nice, young birders from Sarasota who’d been in the Keys for a couple days looking for rarities. They said the spindalis would feed for a while in the big ficus, then hit a few spots in some smaller trees near the berm path. A few minutes later the spindalis appeared in those spots and I managed to get a few decent shots.

At home again, I realized I was going to have to scrap the column about sharp-shins and put together something about the western spindalis.

I had a lot of jumbled ideas about the bird, like how there were five subspecies of the western spindalis spread out across the islands of Cozu mel, Grand Cayman, the Bahamas and Cuba, but how this bird had a green back – a patch of feath ers that spread across its mantle like a fashion able shawl – and that there were only two greenbacked subspecies, the closest one being native to Cuba. And how this new bird was only the second green-back western spindalis recorded in North America, both in Key West. And how the name “spindalis” meant “type of Indian bird” in Greek, though autocorrect kept trying to change the word to “spindles” every time I turned my back.

I was also working up to a recollection about that first green-backed western spindalis, which was seen in Key West’s Indigenous Park in 2005. I’d been guiding quite a bit at the time, and the bird stuck around for most of the winter afterward. It had this really high, soft seeping call, and I made bank finding it for older guys who’d lost the ability to hear in that upper range. But now, 17 years later, I was terrified I’d become one of the older guys who couldn’t hear it, until the bird flew and gave out its high, soft, seeping call and I heard it loud and clear.

While I was trying to organize all this into a column I got another text from Elsa, and then another text from Mariah, and then a phone call from Reinhard, who’d been at Ft. Zach with us, all of them telling me that Groskopf had found another mega-rarity – a pair of red-legged honey creepers – at Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden. And now the western spindalis column was out the window.

Red-legged honeycreepers breed in large swaths of South and Central America, as well as Cuba. The Cuban population was first recorded about 150 years ago, and some believe the species was introduced there. The only previous accepted North American sighting had been in Texas in 2014.

There had been red-legged honeycreeper sightings in the Keys before – one at Fort Zach ary Taylor in April 2003, and another a few weeks later at the Dry Tortugas. But those sightings were rejected by the Florida Ornithological Society re cords committee, due to the fact that red-legged honeycreepers were sometimes sold in the cage bird trade in Miami, even if an escaped pet was highly unlikely to make it all the way to the Tortu gas.

A few things made it more likely these would be accepted, though. For one, the records com mittee seems to have become less conservative in recent years. But also, the day before Groskopf’s sighting, the crew at the Florida Keys Hawkwatch had caught video of a pair of red- legged hon eycreepers landing in a tree at Curry Hammock, perching for about five minutes before moving on south.

There was also the fact that, before I could even leave the house, another pair was reported in Louisiana. And two days later a third pair would be reported in Homestead, near a canal, and a single honeycreeper would also be reported in extreme south Texas. Further, both Hurricane Ian and Tropical Storm Karl swept through their breeding habitat quite recently, possibly pushing those birds this way.

Groskropf was still at the Botanical Garden when I got there, along with a few other bird ers, all of them staring up into the canopy. Male red-legged honeycreepers in their breeding plumage are an intense blue that doesn’t fully come through in photographs, but this bird was in non-breeding plumage, and more of a watery green, though he kept his sporty scarlet legs. The female, a similar watery green, was further out on the branch. Both of them had the distinctive long, decurved, sickle-shaped bills.

It was just so gobsmacking that two rare spe cies would be spotted in Key West on the same day. So much so that I forgot to complain to John Groskopf about ruining my day.

Left: A red-legged honeycreeper seen this week at Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden.

Right: A western spindalis seen this week at Fort Zachary Taylor in Key West. MARK HEDDEN/Keys Weekly

MARK HEDDEN

MEET KEY WEST HIGH SCHOOL’S 2022 ‘HOCO’ COURT

KWHS band competes in Miami Oct. 22

SPORTS & MORE

WHEN THERE’S NOTHING ELSE TO DO, WATCH SPORTS

that score. Miami is now 3-3, Virginia Tech 2-5.

RALPH MORROW

Settling in to watch sports on a week end doesn’t just happen. You have to make it hap pen. Last weekend was one of the big ones – great college football plus super baseball playoffs that could monopo lize every minute if you were so inclined. And I was.

Thank God for allowing man to invent the remote.

With football starting at noon, I had an early lunch and was rushing toward Michigan-Penn State. I don’t know what my lunchmates were targeting. We discuss our plans, but I never seem to remember theirs. Of course, when I mention football, their eyes roll.

By noon, I was comfortably in my lounge chair, printed television sports schedule at the ready, remote in hand. Of course, I dialed up the wrong chan nel for the Michigan game, but that was quickly corrected.

I’m an Ohio State fan. Big time. The unbeaten Buckeyes (6-0) weren’t play ing Saturday. But unbeaten Michigan was. We Buckeyes have a problem with that school up north. We want them unbeaten when we trounce their behinds late in November. But we have a hard time rooting for them in the meantime. I guess I’d like a tie. (Yes, I know Michigan won last Novem ber. But that won’t happen again in my lifetime.)

Michigan has a good quarterback in J.J. McCarthy, but so does Penn State (5-1 after Oct. 15) in Sean Clifford. Consequently, Michigan held only a 24-17 lead at one point. And that got my attention. However, that lead grew to 31-17 in the third quarter and by the end, Michigan (7-0) had won in a rout, 41-17.

Our neighbor, the University of Miami, has been having problems, as in losing three in a row, so I thought I’d better check in on them. Hey, it was 20-0, Miami, early in the second half behind quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. I watched the rest of the game because Miami didn’t look that strong. And they weren’t. I thought I could help them with a little cheering. Virginia Tech scored early in the second half and then scored again while Miami couldn’t get anything going. It was a close 20-14 the rest of the way and ended with

Alabama was supposed to get a real test from unbeaten Tennessee, which had lost 15 straight times to Alabama. And the Tide did get a test before a full house of 102,000. Back and forth they went, with Tennessee holding a small lead most of the time. Late, it was 42-42 and then 49-49 as Bama’s Bryce Young showed why he won the Heisman Award last season. With but two seconds left, Chase McGrath lined up a 30-yard field goal. I didn’t think my nerves would allow it, but McGrath’s did. Right through the uprights. 52-49 for Tennessee. Not much of a defensive effort by either team, but Tennessee outlasted the pe rennial champion (6-1). Naturally, the Tennessee fans stormed the field and the SEC fined the university $100,000 as was its right. There’s a bigger issue for 6-0 Tennessee: Replacing torndown goal posts for this week’s game — at a cost of $150,000.

Yes, I checked in on several other football games, but I had to tune in for the baseball playoffs between the heavily favored New York Yankees and the now-Cleveland Guardians. My col lected jerseys are all Cleveland Indians, the team’s former name. I may never get used to calling the team Guardians, but I rooted for them just the same.

On Saturday, the teams had each won a game in the best-three-of-five series and the Yankees led 5-3 in the ninth and final inning. But the Guards pecked away with a run here, a run there and finally a winning run that led to an explosion, not only in the crowd, but also a celebration on the field. It was great that the Guardian rally hap pened in Cleveland. However, the next night, with a victory hanging out there for the home team, the Yankees pulled off a 4-2 win, tying up the best-of-five series at two games apiece as the teams headed back to New York.

I concluded the day (and night) with the baseball playoff involving the Los Angeles Dodgers at the San Diego Padres. My daughter, Molly, and her husband, John, were in the stands and we spent too much time texting, trying to locate them.

Finally, weary, I went to bed.

The next morning I texted Molly for the final score. “3-5,” she replied. I could only assume that meant the Dodgers had beaten her Padres. But I was wrong. The Padres had won by that score and advanced to the next round of the playoffs against the Phil lies. Ah, what fun.

... 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

Key West High School’s 2022 homecoming court includes, from left, Ella Hall, Valerie Thene, Sophia Felini, Maddox Lowe and Taryn Brogli. The homecoming pa rade takes place Tuesday, Nov. 1 and the homecoming football games takes place Friday, Nov. 4. The homecoming queen will be crowned at halftime and a Senior Night celebration will take place before the game. PAM OROPEZA/Contributed

The Key West High School band competes in a marching band competition in Miami on Saturday, Oct. 22. The band officers pictured above show off their award from an Oct. 1 competition, also in Miami. PAM OROPEZA/Contributed

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

Key West Senior, Running Back

JAMES REYNOLDS

Key West faced what seemed to be

insurmountable odds on Oct. 14 against undefeated Estero High, yet managed to stay within striking distance until the final buzzer. The catalyst in that exciting matchup was running back James Reynolds. At times, Reynolds used his speed to break the corner and gain positive yards. Other times, it was his evasiveness that kept him from going down. And when there was no way around the Estero line, Reynolds lowered his head and plowed through it, carrying anyone foolish enough to keep hanging on with him. The Conchs fed him the ball 25 times in the game, which he turned into 175 yards, one touchdown and a 2-point conversion. Coach Johnny Hughes described him as intelligent – his GPA is north of 4.0 – and hard-working, never skipping a practice or workout. Reynolds is a quiet leader, setting the example by his actions and work ethic, making him the Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week.

— Johnny Hughes, Key West head football coach

“He is a workhorse.”

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

TURNOVERS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN KEY WEST BARN-BURNER

TheKey West Conchs knew they would need to bring everything to beat the undefeated Estero Wildcats in their first district game this season on Oct. 14. Estero took an early lead, but a penalty held them to six points on the drive. Key West took little time to tie up the game on a 19yard James Reynolds TD run, then took the lead with a Marco Davila kick.

Estero answered late in the first quarter, reclaiming the lead for a very short time until Kevon Mills tied it up again with 7:05 left in the half. Key West seemed to be in the driver’s seat with less than a minute remaining in the half, but quarterback Adrian Mira suffered a hard hit, fumbling the ball. Estero’s scoop-and-score on the fumble with the ensuing 2-point conversion put the

Wildcats on top 21-13 at the half.

The Wildcats scored again on the opening drive of the second half, extending their lead to two scores. Undaunted, Mills went 49 yards for the Conchs, and a Davila kick brought Key West within eight points, eating up most of the third quarter in the process.

Estero then appeared to put the game away, scoring early in the fourth quarter and taking advantage of a third Conch fumble to go up 42-20.

But Key West wasn’t finished yet. Running back James Reynolds refused to go down, and when the Wildcats wrapped him up, he carried them with him on a 20-yard run that sparked a Key West offensive drive capped off by

Winner Score Notes

a 4-yard Mira TD. Reynolds scored 2 on the conversion, narrowing Estero’s lead to 14.

The Conchs’ defense held strong, and Key West methodically moved the ball from their own 10-yard line and made it a one-score deficit with a 67yard touchdown reception from Mira to Jakari Blackman. Davila’s kick gave the Conchs hope, but with just under two minutes left in the game, time was running out. The Conch defense held strong yet again, and rather than punt and chance a big return, Estero opted to run into their own endzone, adding a safety and 2 points to the Key West scoreboard. The 42-37 loss gives the Conchs a record of 2-4 going into an unanticipated county matchup against Coral Shores on Friday, Oct. 21.

Key West 35-0 Key West makes it to the state playoffs; Conch wide receiver Michael Dean is named to the All-State team.

Key West 48-0 Coral Shores wins Florida Monthly Magazine’s “Best High School Ath letic Program” award, the same year Rich Russell retired. Russell now serves as the athletic director at CSHS.

Key West 18-14 Justin Duck, Cody Granger, Jesse Kehoe and Latron Hickson make the All-State cut for the Conchs; Jordan Schiengner and Daniel Biondolet ti make it for the ‘Canes.

CONCHS VS. HURRICANES, FOOTBALL EDITION

Marathon and Coral Shores have the oldest and longest-running football rivalry in the Florida Keys, but it is not the only one. On Friday, Oct. 21, Coral Shores and Key West will meet for the 12th time since the mid-1990s. With Key West’s original oppo nent for the week unable to play, and Coral Shores willing to fill in a bye week, the stars have aligned to renew a rivalry last seen in 2010. The game will be played in Tavernier, giving the ’Canes the home field advantage, but as far as the rivalry goes, the advantage goes to the Conchs. Ahead of the sur prise showdown, Keys Weekly took a look back at the island rivalry thus far:

Coral Shores 45-42 Ryan Debenstedt is named to the All-State team for the Hurricanes. Key West 46-6 Longtime Conch coach Pat Freeman retires.

2004 Key West 63-7 Six Conchs are named to the All-State team including Terrance Moore, Alex Yanovych, Laurence Marius, Daniel Garci, Clinton Storr and Daryl Lewis.

2006 Key West 35-7 Jeff Myers semi-retires as the ’Canes head coach after eight seasons; he takes over again for one year in 2010, the year prior to Ed Holly’s first stint as the ‘Canes head coach.

2007 Key West 15-7 Senior running back and linebacker Ralph Major goes on to win the state championship in wrestling for Key West.

2008 Key West 16-0 Jerry Hughes takes over as head coach for the Conchs.

2009 Key West 28-0 ’Canes go 0-10, Conchs go 6-3

2010 Key West 46-0 Senior Frankie Grizzle-Malgrat holds down the line for the Conchs and later goes on to achieve fame at FSU. Better known as “Red Lightning,” Grizzle-Malgrat earns the name for his striking red hair and blazing speed in his role as the Seminoles’ ball boy and equip ment manager.

AMY PATTON www.keysweekly.com

‘BUM FARTO, THE MUSICAL’

TELLING PAST STORIES WITH PRESENT CULTURE

He’sa character you’ll love to hate and hate to love.

I’m talking about the true saga of Joseph “Bum” Farto, the 1970s Key West fire chief whose side hustle — along with a hand ful of city officials — appeared to be allowing the unfettered flow of cocaine and marijuana into the U.S. using the tiny island city as a unique port of entry.

Reportedly, Farto was selling the illegal drugs quite casually from a bench beside the Key West firehouse and using his lime-green Ford Galaxy as a kind of drive-through dope market. Yet the chief was also seen as a folk hero of sorts; he was a fervent fan of local high school sports and his madcap antics were generally embraced by the community. That is, until the feds finally caught up with him. After a trial and conviction on narcotics trafficking, Farto, free on bond, vanished without a trace in the mid-’70s and was never found.

Now onstage in its two-week run at the San Carlos Institute on Duval Street is the brash and bold production of “Bum Farto, The Musical,” a dance- and music-driven tale directed by Pamela Stephenson Connolly. The show is scored by Dan Krysa and Connolly along with collaborator La Mexx (Juliette Chavarria), a Latin lyricist and singer.

Tybaldt Ulrich shines as the anti-hero Farto.

“Farto’s” narrative tells the story of Key West’s funky history. The fun, flashy production is a grand approach to musical entertainment featur ing dancers and stage performers from Connolly’s local studio, Pasión Project. Among them is Ronnie Dutra, who plays FBI special agent Gary Silva, a

character who doggedly pursues Farto with his seductive associate agent, Janice Miller (played by Lena Thieme).

Are you craving a little lambada, salsa or bachata for a night out? It’s all about Latin dance in this production, said Connolly. “Master Braz Dos Santos (as agent Rodrigo Ferarri) is the leading lambada dancer in the world. People come from all over the world to train with him at Pasión.”

The 90-minute “Bum Farto” production is a blazing time capsule of a musical, with solid production values and mesmerizing dance moves. Broadway star Aaron LaVigne (“Jesus Christ Super star”) is a guest performer. He plays the aberrant character Brutus, an opiate-addicted hippie who also happens to be an FBI informant funneling in formation to law enforcement, a move that leads to serious complications for Farto and his gang of corrupt 1970s Key West officials.

Enthusiastic audience members gathered outside the theater at intermission on opening night Oct. 13 for a gabfest. “I’m totally blown away by this show,” remarked Key West local Lisa Daley. “I’m coming back to see this again. The acoustics in (the San Carlos) are amazing. I’m not really one to go to the theater, but I just love this.”

Dan Krysa, the musician behind “Farto’s” score, is particularly proud of two songs he wrote in tandem with choreographer and lyricist Con nolly. “Smoke Your Tuna Here” and “Conch Life” are iconic tunes about the freewheeling Key West that existed decades ago. It became common for fishermen to reel in bales of marijuana that were dumped in the ocean by South American smug glers headed to this country’s Southernmost Point whose borders were – to say the least – porous in those days. When pursued by U.S. officials, the drug runners would ditch the then-illegal weed cargo overboard. The “caught” bales were jokingly referred to as “square grouper.”

‘Bum Farto, the Musical’ is a celebration of local history and Latin dance. The show runs through Oct. 27.

Krysa said he was partially inspired while scor ing the show by the catchy riffs found in children’s music. “I love the hooks in simple songs. My aim was to write songs that are quirky yet simple in structure. I love that.” Krysa credits front-of-thehouse sound engineer Ethan Davis for the smooth transitions between numbers and the pacing of “Farto’s” sound effects. “(Davis is) phenomenal in toning down the resonant frequencies in this performance space,” Krysa said.

The three-piece onstage band includes leadguitarist Myles Mancuso and drummer Drew McKeon (who has played with stars like Michael Bolton and Hall & Oates). Singer Joey Trambino shines with an incendiary stage presence. A background screen provides visual elements and support for the story.

“Bum Farto, The Musical” brazenly exposes the myths and truths of Farto, whose hubris seemed to know no bounds in a decade when the Conch Republic seemed immune to the country’s rules, regulations and pesky things like federal drug laws. Yet somehow we identify with the char acter’s charm despite his flawed moral compass. We root for him and his long-suffering wife, Esther (Jessica Lamdon).

“I’m very proud of this product we created,” said Connolly. “I began this project during COVID so it was a difficult endeavor, but it’s very excit ing to do an original show. It says something very lovely about Key West with its rich yet insane his tory,” she laughed. “It seems to attract very inter esting people, some of them downright eccentric. The unusual tapestry of this place, that’s the real message of the show.”

At the end of the Oct. 13 performance, theater fan John Costa said, “We’re enjoying the dancing and all of the tomfoolery, but the music is what brought me here,” citing the talents of guitarist Mancuso. “He’s killing it.”

But don’t expect a tidy dénouement from this intoxicating blast from the past. The truth is that Farto’s legendary misdeeds may never be fully understood. If the former Key West fire chief were alive today he would be nearly 100 years old.

So his fate – or fortune – will likely remain a mystery forever.

Riley Gordon and Tybaldt Ulrich dance their way through Key West’s legendary tale of drug-dealing fire chief, Bum Farto. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

COME FOR THE FOOD. STAY FOR THE VIEW.

LOBSTER PIZZA

TOP RATED GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA AND VEGETARIAN MENU WE LOVE KIDS & DOGS

SUNRISE IV HYDRATION IS A PREMIER SUPPORTER

THE MILITARY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE AND THEIR ANNUAL MAC PATRIOTS GOLF TOURNAMENT.

MAC PATRIOTS GOLF TOURNAMENT

WEST GOLF CLUB

Chin Up! Shoulders Back!

Auctioneers

P Production Team

Dani Holliday, Producer David Zingg Kristen Pate Emma Holliday Charles Fraga Kevin Holliday

Drs. Marty and Helene Greenberg Vivian Dodge

Dancers

Amber Edwards Carrie Roth Green Judith Cisneros Leda Andrews

B Bra Artists

Barbara Fries Carmen Rodriguez Casey Arnold Chase Hurst Christina Velardi Cindy McCausland Daneen Barrato Dee Johnson Denise Delostrinos Diane May Juli Manring Karen Leonard Karen Querio Kaylalynne Buckert

Lori Hatch

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Colleen Quirk, President John O’Neill, Vice President Peter Moorcroft, Treasurer Hon. Lurana Snow, Secretary Leda Andrews Kristen Ashby Mona Clark Cheyenne Pepper Elizabeth Stoddard Tangela Torres

Barack Pensions, LLC

SHELF HELP

Stafffrom your Monroe County Public Library recommend some of their favorites from the collection.

What: “The Crossing Places” by Elly Griffiths

Why: This is the first book in the Ruth Galloway crime fic tion series, which is now up to 14 books. They’re set in Nor folk, England. Ruth is a forensic archaeology professor who works with the police. She’s a smart, practical woman who winds up having a surprisingly complicated love life. The series hits the sweet spot between cozy mysteries and harder-core crime writing – and character is key. Ruth herself, the main detective she works with and the other recurring characters are all inter esting, funny and well-drawn. If you like Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series or Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad novels, you might like this series.

Where: This is available as a print book from the Monroe County Library system; several other books in the series are also available as audiobooks on CD and/or ebooks.

How: You can request books online by logging in to www. keyslibraries.org and get ebooks and e-audiobooks 24/7 at www. estuff.keyslibraries.org. If you don’t have a card, you can visit your local branch or register on line to get one. Questions? info@ keyslibraries.org

Recommended by: Nancy Klingener, community affairs manager

NEW RADIO STATION LAUNCHES IN KEY WEST

93.7FM WKEY CHANGES FORMATS ON OCT. 18

SAVE THE DATE

For Halloween-specific events, see page 17.

Through Oct. 27

• “Bum Farto - The Musical” is performed live at San Carlos Institute Theater, 516 Duval St., Key West. Visit bumfartothemusical.com.

Oct. 20-Nov. 12

• “Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville – The Musi cal” at the Waterfront Playhouse is a madcap love story, with an erupting volcano, tap-dancing zombies and classic Buffett songs. Visit waterfrontplayhouse.org.

Oct. 21 & 22

Radio

One Key West, led by hall of fame broad caster Buddy Shula, launched a new radio station at 3 p.m. Oct. 18.

“The all-new 93.7 WKEY-FM will become uber-local, specifi cally designed for Key West resi dents and tourists,” Shula said.

Until the change, all listen ers could hear on 93.7 FM was the sound of a beating heart and information designed to make them aware of the Tues day launch. When the beating heart stopped, a new Key West radio station was born.

“We have done months of research on what Key West needs most from its radio sta tion,” Shula said. “The answer was clear: Local programming with accurate weather, up-todate, reliable news and local entertainment. The new 93.7FM WKEY will have all of that and more,” Shula said. “WKEY will become a bullhorn for the com munity. Listeners and advertis ers will love it.”

Shula added, “I respect other radio stations in Key West. They certainly deserve much credit. The goal of WKEY 93.7FM will be to add to what these sta tions have been doing for years, only better.” Local is vital.

There are plenty of ways people can get information, but many of them, like Sirius XM, cannot be local, so WKEY will be heavily focused on all things Key West.

Listeners can hear and see WKEY on the air, online, through voice-activated devices and mobile apps.

— Contributed

• Key West Goombay Festival in Bahama Village, celebrating Bahama and Caribbean food, music, culture, crafts and entertainment. Starts at 10 a.m. and fills Petro nia Street, starting at Duval Street.

Oct. 21-30

• Key West celebrates Fantasy Fest with the theme “Cult Classics and Cartoon Chaos.” Visit fantasyfest.com for an event schedule and details.

Friday, Oct. 21

• The Royal Coronation Ball crowns Fantasy Fest’s 2022 King and Queen, 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater. Benefits AH Monroe.

Saturday, Oct. 22

• Smallest Parade in the Universe, an official Fantasy Fest event, benefits MARC, 7 p.m. at The Studios of Key West. All miniature floats will be auctioned after the pa rade. The theme is “Cult Classics and Cartoon Chaos.”

• FYT Gym’s Scavenger Hunt, starts with happy hour at 6 p.m. at Conch Republic Seafood Co. Teams of four to 10 members will depart at 7 p.m. for the scavenger hunt/bar crawl. Email whatsup@fytkeywest.com for more informa tion.

Sunday, Oct. 23

• Zombie Bike Ride - Rock & Roll Costumed Bike Ride. Grounds open at 2 p.m. at Fort East Martello with body painting, music and refreshments. Bikes depart at 6 p.m. An after-party starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Key West Amphi theater with music by DJ Sanaris. Visit zombiebikeride. com.

Friday, Oct. 28

• The Fantasy Fest Street Fair is now the Fantasy Mar ket at the Truman Waterfront Park, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more about having a booth, visit https://tinyurl. com/FantasyMarket2022 or email Sean@dailyplan-it.net.

Saturday, Nov. 19

• Historian George Born speaks at the Oldest House Museum & Gardens, 322 Duval St. Admission is free. Donations to the Old Island Restoration Foundation are encouraged.

KEY WEST ART CENTER FEATURES NANCY ADAMS INVESTING IN ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS

SHOW OPENS FRIDAY, OCT. 21

ARTS COUNCIL AWARDS OVER $40K TO ARTISTS & ORGANIZATIONS

TheKey West Art Cen ter & Gallery will host a show and reception showcasing member Nancy Adams from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21. Adams is a mixed-media artist and recent Anne McKee grant recipi ent. She presents her newest work, consisting of recycled metal with 2D and sculptural items. Adams’ metal work is fun, whimsical and sometimes functional, but don’t miss her wonderful acrylic paintings.

Meet the artist on the first floor of the Key West Art Center & Gallery, 301 Front St., and enjoy a glass of wine or other refreshment, while browsing her work in this historic art gallery.

The Key West Art Center is a non-profit community art center located in its Front Cen ter home since 1960.

— Contributed

TheFlorida Keys Council of the Arts recently announced that it awarded over $40,000 to local artists and arts organizations in its most recent grant cycle. The council’s Art Builds Community grant, designed to promote cultural equity and provide arts and cultural programming to everyone, was awarded to four new projects: REEF and United Way have partnered to present “Arts & Sciences Celebration Series” with their award of $10,000; the City of Marathon was awarded $10,000 for its project “Beautiful Bench marks,” which will interpret climate change and sea level rise through public art; the Red Barn Theater received $7,500 for its project “Big Night Out” in which the theater will partner with six other organizations to provide greater access to the arts. Finally, Erica Heffernan re ceived $7,500 for “Finding Inspi ration through Isolation,” which partners with MARC to exhibit artwork influenced by the isola

tion of the pandemic. The Art Builds Community grants are among the largest such awards provided by Florida Keys Coun cil of the Arts.

Other awards include Special Project grants, with $2,000 awards going to: local artists Sally Binard, Molly Ross and Franke Ashe for their “Moko Jumbie” project, to teach stilt walking; and artist Jessica Wachs for her work on “Bone Island - One Woman Musi cal.” Artists in Schools grants of $1,750 went to: “Schools at the Studios 2023,” Bria Ansara and TSKW; “Art/Chalk against Hate,” Jacqueline Patterson, Gloria Avner and the Plantation Key School; and “Love, Shake speare,” Richard Ericson and Somerset Island Prep.

The Florida Keys Council of the Arts Grant Program is funded entirely by donations and membership contribu tions. More information is at keysarts.com.

— Contributed

‘Key West Love Story’ painting by Nancy Adams. CONTRIBUTED

STORM-HARDENED

Monroe County breaks ground on Emergency Operations Center

TheMonroe County Board of County Commissioners, Emergency Management, Fire Rescue, Project Man agement and the Sheriff’s Office broke ground on Oct. 18 for a new dedicated Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the west end of the Marathon airport with the help of U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez and State Rep. Jim Mooney. The project was made possible with federal and state funding. Construction is ten tatively scheduled for completion in spring 2024.

The project consolidates several existing organizations into a new state-of-the-art 28,321square-foot, 220-mph-wind-rated facility that will include Monroe County’s Emergency Management, Fire Rescue administration and the Sheriff’s Office 911 center.

The design of the building is based on a 500-year storm and will provide “near absolute life safety protection against hurricane speed,” according to the project’s page on Ajax Building Company’s website. The design meets FEMA’s windborne debris missile criteria for a hurricane shelter safe room and has a first floor elevation of 20.16 feet. The facility will be selfsustaining for 72 hours for up to 150 emergency response staff, including food, drinking water,

electric power and wastewater stor age. It provides satellite, phone and internet-based emergency commu nications.

“Hurricane Irma (in 2017) showed us that this was a real need for Monroe County, a long time in the making,” said Monroe County Mayor David Rice.

— Contributed

BARRY GAUKEL/Keys Weekly. See more photos at keysweekly.com

1. Monroe County staff, local elected officials and dignitaries break ground on one of the Keys’ highest-priority projects.

2. U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez addresses the crowd.

3. Monroe County Mayor David Rice reaffirms the importance of the dedi cated EOC.

To see the real-time construction of the EOC, scan the QR code below

MAC PATRIOTS GOLF TOURNAMENT

2022

WEST GOLF CLUB

ROBIN JARVIE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF THE UPPER KEYS WANT TO HELP OUR KEYS COMMUNITY? FIND OUT HOW AT VOLUNTEERKEYS.COM

THE HEMINGWAY HOUSE IS A PREMIER SUPPORTER OF THE MILITARY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE AND THEIR ANNUAL MAC PATRIOTS GOLF TOURNAMENT.

KEY WEST’S 801 BOURBON GETS NATIONAL NOD

MAGAZINE LISTS

GAY

801 Bourbon is seen in 2018 while festively decorated for that year’s Fantasy Fest theme, ‘The Games We Play.’ KEYS WEEKLY FILE PHOTO

MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

Aniconic gay bar in Key West recently made Esquire Magazine’s list of the 32 best gay bars in America.

The article starts with an introduction by Dave Holmes, who acknowledges the his toric struggles of the LGBTQ+ community but emphasizes the importance of celebrating success and progress.

“So much of the narrative around the queer experience is centered around trauma. Illness and alienation. The pain of finding your true self, by yourself, in a hostile world, and the pain of living in a world that is swinging back toward that hostility. And it is important to remember those things. We have to know where we’ve been.

“But we also have to know where we are. We have to acknowledge that we survived what’s come before, and we have to celebrate being alive to face what’s ahead.

“Let’s celebrate. Let’s take a look at some of the best gay bars in America, from the openair, devil-may-care spaces in West Hollywood to the neigh borhood pub in downtown St. Louis. Let’s swing open the doors and walk into the places where we can feel at home whether we know a soul or not.

Let’s put a buck in the jukebox, grab a cold one, and hang out with our people. We made it through the darkness, and we deserve it.”

The bar list features spots in Nashville, Austin, St. Louis, Anchorage, Asheville, Atlanta, Brooklyn, and, of course, Key West.

The description of 801 Bourbon bar at Petronia and Duval streets, states, “Far from the parrot-hatted buffoonery of the northern end of Duval Street, this multivalent dive, founded in 1997, is open from noon until 4 a.m. every day and features a little something for everyone. Drag, karaoke, bingo, go-go boys, porn, a pool and private rooms abound, with all of it becoming increasingly raunchy as the night progress es. — B.B.”

‘BE LIKE MIKE’

PROCLAMATION HONORS LATE COMMISSIONER MIKE FORSTER

MonroeCounty Mayor David Rice and the Board of County Commissioners proclaimed Friday, Oct. 21 as Be Like Mike Day in conjunction with United Way of Collier and the Keys’ project hon oring the late “Mangrove” Mike Forster.

Forster was a dedicated citizen of the Keys, stepping up and helping the community from one end to the other dur ing disasters. He was a former Islamorada council member and was a sitting county commissioner when he passed away.

Forster believed strongly in paying it forward, and United Way’s project focuses on performing random acts of kindness. Kicking off last Monday, the nonprofit encouraged the community to give back to Keys kids, be kind to the ocean, help our furry friends, and thank veterans and law enforcement.

To end the week, “Be Like Mike Day” is this Friday, Oct. 21, Forster’s birthday. The United Way and Monroe County encourage the community to “feed the Keys” by donating non-perishable food items to local food banks. Three local food banks include Burton Memorial in Tavernier, KAIR in Marathon, and Star of the Sea in Key West.

— Contributed

Monroe County commissioners and United Way representatives celebrate the ‘Be Like Mike’ proclamation. KRISTEN LIVENGOOD/ Monroe County

FIND A FRIEND AT THE FLORIDA KEYS SPCA

KEYS STUDENTS EARN $154K FOR THEIR COMPUTER SKILLS TAKE ME HOME?

TheKeys Weekly family loves animals as much as our friends at the Florida Keys SPCA do, and we’re hon ored each week to showcase some “furever” friends that are ready, waiting and available for adop tion at the organization’s Key West campus.

From cats and dogs to Guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, reptiles and birds, the perfect addition to your family is waiting for you. 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 pro gram also provides special assis tance with vet bills and medications for special-needs and older animals that require a little extra TLC.

Check these pages each week for just a few of the animals wait ing for a home and see them all at fkspca.org.

LOCAL PHILANTHROPIST PAYS KIDS FOR TECH SUCCESS

Millie is a 6-year-old female medium mixed breed. She loves meeting people and is sweet and friendly. She’s a big fan of toys, playing and snuggles. She would do best as the only dog in the family and needs consistency.

Neapolitan aka ‘Babs’ is a 1-yearold female rabbit. She loves zipping around, throwing her toys and getting snuggles. She’ll need a home that lets her run her heart out.

Dreamsicle is a 5-year-old male do mestic shorthair. He’s an independent kitty who loves treats, relaxing in comfy beds and head scratches.

Crackle is a 2-year-old female domestic shorthair mix. She is sweet and shy, but curious. She would do best in a calm environment full of toys and treats.

Devo is a 7-year-old male miniature pinscher. He’s adorable, but extremely cautious and needs patience to build trust. He’s also a Golden Paw candi date, so his adopter will receive the benefits of our program for senior pets.

Monroe

County students increased the number of computer industry certifications earned by 142% during the 2021-2022 school year and are poised to outpace that record this year, according to Superintendent of Schools Theresa Axford.

“Students in our information technology courses, as well as students from our various other career and technical education pro grams have earned 1,260 industry certifications and $154,000 in cash incentives from the Monroe Com putes and Monroe Skills projects,“ Axford said. “The incentives pro vided by these programs have led to a huge increase in the number of certifications earned last school year in all of our career and techni cal education offerings.”

The interest generated by Monroe Computes and Monroe Skills has also led to the expansion of industry certification programs throughout the entire school dis trict.

Caroline Bleske, the school district’s new career and technical education coordinator, reports that new offerings, such as the entre preneurship and small business (ESB) certification, which prepares students to pursue additional postsecondary training or enter the small business sector immediately upon high school graduation are now included in a variety of classes such as marketing and financial literacy. “MCSD students have ex panded certification opportunities in internet technology specialties and marketing this year,” Bleske

said. “Thanks to the generosity of the Golden Fleece Foundation, our students are motivated to earn more certifications this year.”

The Golden Fleece Foundation was launched by Key West phi lanthropist and businessman and education advocate John Padget and his late partner Jacob Dekker.

Monroe Computes and Mon roe Skills offer cash incentives range from $50 to $500, depending on the difficulty of the certification exam. Golden Fleece, the founda tion which sponsors the two pro grams, has pledged over $200,000 in incentives to students earning industry certifications in grades 4-12. The program has contrib uted to the exponential growth of students taking computer science courses in Monroe County for the past eight years. The foundation recently expanded its incentives to include additional career & techni cal education certifications, in fields such as culinary, marketing and auto mechanics.

“The students acquiring these skills will get better jobs and achieve higher personal incomes,” said Padget. “It’s as simple as that.”

Padget presents checks to stu dents each school year after they successfully complete industry cer tification exams — the same exams that must be passed for workers in the IT industry. Incentives are avail able for programs from makers such as Adobe and Microsoft, as well as coding and other computerrelated programs, applications and skills.

Students at Plantation Key School receive gift cards in varying amounts based on the computer industry certifications they acquire. High school students receive incentive checks from the Golden Fleece Foundation. CONTRIBUTED

KELLIE BUTLER FARRELL www.keysweekly.com

MAKING A DIFFERENCE DURING BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

KEY LARGO WOMAN CHANGES LIVES THROUGH 3D AREOLA TATTOOS

Acozy Key Largo skin care studio was the ideal setting for an unfiltered talk about regaining a sense of self, after breast cancer.

“I lost my hair from chemotherapy. I had loss of hair everywhere and then I lost my breasts,” said cancer survivor and perma nent makeup artist Paula Farr. “I can empa thize with the client.”

Inside Paula’s Skin Care at Cirque Salon, Farr and two other women recounted their breast cancer ordeals. All three women share similar stories. All were diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age, all underwent chemotherapy and double mas tectomies, and all wanted to feel complete post-reconstruction, without having to go under the knife again.

“It was my plastic surgeon that brought it up to me. He said, ‘It will make such a dif ference in your life’ and I said, ‘Why?’” said Key Largo resident and breast cancer survi vor Paula Friedman.

“And he said, ‘All I can tell you is when women come in to see me after they’ve got the tattoos, they carry themselves different, they feel like women again. It’s all because they have nipples,’” recalled Friedman.

“They got their guns back,” chimed in Farr with a laugh.

For this story, I am not only the author; I am one of the participants sharing my own breast cancer experience. I was 44 years old when I heard four words that just gutted me: you have breast cancer.

Chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy and breast reconstruction followed.

I met Farr three years ago when a friend referred me to her for eyebrow microblad ing; my eyebrows never came back postchemo. Through conversation, I learned Farr was a two-time breast cancer survivor. First diagnosed at age 42. After reconstruction, areola tattoos were a life-changer for Farr, not just in how they made her feel about her body, but the tattoos inspired a radical career change.

“I said to myself, ‘Wow, I’m just in awe of the whole procedure and how it looks, that I want to do this as a career,’” she recalled.

Farr went to night school and a few years later quit her job in the dental field and opened her permanent makeup salon in Key Largo near the Publix.

Thousands of eyebrows and over a hun dred sets of 3D areolas later, Farr has found her calling. Her nipple tattoos are works of art.

“It is very realistic; it is a 3D effect,” said Farr.

“It’s a lot of layering of the tattoo. There are shadows. And all kinds of different points and layers; it gives that effect that the nipple is actually protruding out,” she added.

Paula Friedman, Farr’s client on the day of this interview, was only 38 years old when a routine mammogram detected breast cancer; it had spread to one of her lymph nodes.

“I was floored. I was floored,” recalled Friedman.

“That was back in 1987. If you got breast cancer back then, and you were young, you were going to die,” said Friedman. “That was the preconception.” Friedman had a lumpec tomy, chemotherapy and radiation, but her battle with breast cancer was not over.

She was diagnosed with the disease for a second time 21 years later. After that sec ond diagnosis, Friedman opted for a double mastectomy.

“I just said, ‘I’ve gone through this twice, I’m not going to go through it a third time.’”

Friedman’s daughter-in-law heard about Farr and her 3D areola permanent makeup; she decided to give it a go. Friedman is an artist and says the natural-looking tattoos deliver a sense of closure.

1. Breast cancer survivors Paula Farr and Kellie Butler Farrell, pictured at the entrance to Cirque Salon in Key Largo. Three years ago, Farrell went to Farr for 3D areola tattoos and was thrilled with the results. CONTRIBUTED

2. Paula Friedman is an artist and two-time breast cancer survivor who recently went to Farr for 3D areola tattoos. KELLIE BUTLER FARRELL/ Keys Weekly

3. Aesthetician Paula Farr performs eyebrow mi croblading on Phyllis Kronheim. Farr is a breast cancer survivor who also specializes in 3D areola tattoos. KELLIE BUTLER FARRELL/Keys Weekly

“It just felt like, ‘Okay, this has all come to an end now, I’m back the way I should be,’” she said.

Farr charges $450 per breast for the 3D areola tattoos and that includes the touch up; it’s a tiny fraction of what surgery would cost. She has also donated tattoos to breast cancer survivors who could not afford them.

“It’s nice to get the word out, not only to cancer patients, but to all women and men in case there’s a family member, a friend, their own wife or their daughter, or their husband because men have breast cancer too,” said Farr.

For more on Paula Farr and her work in 3D areola reconstruction, check her out on Facebook and Instagram at Paula’s Skin Care. She can also be reached by calling or texting 386-527-2075.

NON-PERISHABLE FOODS

RITA IRWIN TO CONTINUE LEADING KEYS TOURISM BOARD

GEORGE FERNANDEZ RE ELECTED VICE CHAIR

TheMonroe County Tourist Develop ment Council has re-elected Rita Irwin, a Marathon resident as well as president and CEO of Dolphin Research Center, as chairperson leading the volunteer board that ad ministers tourism market ing efforts for the Keys.

Irwin was unanimously chosen Oct. 18, dur ing the board’s scheduled meeting at the Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo.

“I’m proud to be affiliated with a dedicated team of nearly 70 residents who volunteer to oversee tourism marketing and consider funding approvals for various infrastructure improve ment projects that benefit residents and visitors alike,” Irwin said. “The TDC continues to prioritize residents’ quality-of-life affairs.”

George Fernandez, co-owner of the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory, was re-elected vice chairman.

Timothy Root, vice chairperson and board member of Keys Energy Services, and Diane Schmidt, general manager of Opal Key Resort & Marina and Sunset Key Cottages, will serve as co-treasurers.

Revenues that fund TDC come from a sales tax that only visitors pay when they stay in a lodg ing facility in the Keys. TDC’s fiscal year is Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.

— Contributed

Contestants dig in at the annual Stone Crab Eating Contest in Marathon. This year’s event takes place Saturday, Nov. 5. Keys Weekly file photo

GET CRACKIN’

STONE CRAB EATING CONTEST SET FOR NOV. 5

While the Florida Keys stone crab claw harvest sea son runs from Oct. 15 to May 1, the annual Stone Crab Eating Contest is an undisputed Middle Keys highlight of the season. Set for Saturday, Nov. 5, the munch-a-thon draws enthu siastic amateur eaters and their fans.

Staged at Keys Fisheries Market and Marina, located at 35th Street gulfside in Marathon, the lively competi tion begins at noon. Entrants must register and be pres ent by 11 a.m. the day of the event.

Contestants compete to crack, clean and chow down 25 stone crab claws in the fastest time.

Although entrants are provided with industrialstrength shell crackers, some choose to employ an effec tive method that’s popular among Keys locals — smack ing the rounded area of the claw’s shell with the back of a large serving spoon or even a simple butter knife.

Prizes such as overnight stays and passes to Keys attractions and eateries will be awarded to the top three finishers as well as top teams.

In the event of a tie, those contestants must face off in a 10-claw competition to determine the winner.

Interested crab con sumers are encouraged to register early to ensure a spot at the table. Individual entry fee is $50 and two-person teams can register for $100. Competitors must be at least 18 years old.

Proceeds from the team event benefit a Marathonbased charity.

The Keys are Florida's top supplier of the succulent crustacean, which is consid ered a renewable resource because of the crabs’ ability to regrow harvested claws. Every year, hundreds of thou sands of pounds of stone crab claws are steamed, cracked and served at local markets and restaurants or distributed around the na tion.

— Contributed

Rita Irwin

FAMILY FARM LEGACY

ALFRED BATES CURRY’S LAND PRODUCED FRUITS AND FAME

Movie lore aside, Curry’s Key Largo land was also steeped in farming history. Long before his tomatoes and melons were planted, the property had been homesteaded by Captain Ben Baker, the King of the Florida Wreckers.

BRAD BERTELLI

is an author, speaker, Florida Keys historian and Honorary Conch. His latest book, “Florida Keys History with Brad Bertelli, Volume 1,” shares fasci nating glimpses into the rich and sometimes sur prising histories of the Florida Keys.

Alfred Bates Curry was born circa 1867 in Spanish Wells, Eleuthera. Like many Ba hamians, he left the islands and, in 1885, arrived at the harbor in Key West. The young man worked hard, married, had a single child, and grew up to be a significant landowner in the Florida Keys. One of the properties he owned was a mile-long stretch of Key Largo, from ocean to bay, in the area of what is today MM 97.

Curry never lived on the land but built a home for his caretaker, who developed Curry’s farm land. He had thousands of lime trees planted with the hope of profiting from their juicy yellow fruits, until the Underwood Tariff Act was passed in 1913. The act caused two things to happen. First, it reduced tariffs on many imported goods. Sec ond, it re-established a federal income tax. Not wanting to compete with cheaper citrus imports, Curry ordered his caretaker to dig up all those thousands of lime trees and replant the land with tomatoes and melons. He grew both rock and banana melons, which have been described as squash-shaped and tasting like a cross between a cantaloupe and a honeydew.

One of the features on Curry’s land was a massive 131,000-gallon cistern built during the last years of the 19th century. When Curry and his caretaker abandoned the Key Largo property in the 1930s, a group of squatters moved onto his land and attempted to convert the cistern into a makeshift fishing cabin. They carved a doorway and windows into the cistern walls.

During the filming of the movie “PT 109” in the early 1960s, several locations in the Keys were used. The movie was based on the World War II exploits of the future president, John F. Kennedy. The most famous film location in the Keys was Little Munson Island, which today is recognized as the exclusive Little Palm Island. The Marathon Airport was also used during filming, though the location does not appear in the movie. The AT-6 airplanes used to mimic the Japanese Zero fighter planes shown in the production were painted with trademark red zeros and stored at the air port.

The cistern’s remains that once stood on Curry’s property were also used as a prop in the film. They were “dressed up” to look like a Japa nese gun battery.

Baker established what is considered to be the island chain’s first pineapple plantation on Curry’s land circa 1858. Though his primary resi dence was in Key West, where he had a two-story home at the corner of Caroline and Whitehead, Baker had a second residence at his Key Largo pineapple farm. When Ben Baker died in 1889, he was buried on the Key Largo property. His only child, Lamar Louise Curry, remembered seeing Mr. Baker’s tombstone on her father’s land.

Lamar Louise Curry was born at her family’s twostory house at 1701 Southard Street, Key West, on Dec. 3, 1906. When she was 5 years old, and the family was still living in Key West, Henry Flagler’s Over-Sea Railroad steamed, rattled and rolled onto the island. The young lady had been chosen to pres ent Mrs. Flagler with flowers the day the first train roared onto the island, but she be came sick and was replaced at the last moment.

Miss Curry was still a young girl when her family moved to Miami in 1916. While the fam ily physically moved away from the islands, their properties remained in the Curry family long after the death of her parents. She became an es teemed history teacher for over three decades in Miami. Bob Graham, future Florida governor and U.S. senator, was one of her students, as was a young Desi Arnaz after his family moved to Miami from Cuba. In 2003, the Miami Dade School Board named Miami’s Lamar Louise Curry Middle School in her honor. The school is not the only South Florida locale that bears the Curry family name.

In a Nov. 18, 1973 story in the Miami Herald, she was interviewed about the sale of a large parcel of land at Key Largo’s Buttonwood Bay. The land was developed into one of the earliest condominium complexes on the island chain. The sale came with several stipulations. Accord ing to Miss Curry: “No trailers, no mobile homes, no trees to be removed larger than three inches in diameter, except for the actual construction. I have the land adjacent to it and I want to appreci ate it.” She also requested that no buildings be constructed more than two stories high.

The Curry family had additional property holdings on Little Crawl Key in the Middle Keys. In 1991, the state of Florida acquired 1,112.5 acres from Miss Curry. The land was used for a state park, Curry Hammock State Park, also named in her honor. Lamar Louise Curry lived a long life and passed away on Dec. 3, 2012, just eight days before her 106th birthday. Her legacy continues to live on the mainland and here in the Florida Keys.

Alfred Bates Curry. CONTRIBUTED

TIFFANY DUONG tiffany@keysweekly.com

REEF FUTURES

‘CORAL NERDS’ REUNITE TO CREATE CHANGE

Atthe end of September, hundreds of “coral nerds” from around the globe gathered at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo for Reef Futures, the world’s largest coral restoration conference. Braving heavy winds, rain bands – and Hurricane Ian –they showed up with equal energy and force.

Coral reefs are extremely important – envi ronmentally, economically and as a protection against sea-level rise. Reefs cover just 1% to 2% of the sea floor; yet they support over 25% of marine species – one of the many reasons that they’re called the “rainforests of the sea.” Economically, fish and marine animals that live on coral reefs are crucial for many commercial and recreational fisheries, as well as diving and boating tourism industries. This is certainly true here in the Florida Keys. Finally, corals also act as a critical line of defense for our shorelines by dissipating wave energy from hurricanes and big storms.

Unfortunately, corals have been dying the death of a thousand cuts, suffering from poor water quality, runoff, climate change, warm ing and acidifying oceans, over use, and more. Scientists have predicted that most coral reefs will be lost by 2050.

Coral restoration is a relatively new sci ence. Born in the Keys just over a dozen years ago from “backyard experiments” by industry legends like Ken Nedimyer and David Vaughan, it has evolved into major science initiatives – in cluding genetics, spawning in the lab and more.

“This has been awesome. We’ve been at this a long time,” said Nedimyer, about himself and Vaughan. “And to see this many people coming together and all the great ideas is a dream come true. Ten years ago, you couldn’t fill a small room with people, but, today, we oversold this whole thing, and who knows how many people out there are watching and wait ing to be a part of this.”

Reversing the downward trend for cor als was a huge reason that coral restoration developed as a science in the first place. It was also the genesis for the inaugural Reef Futures conference, held in 2018.

“Reef Futures is an incredible opportunity for those of us in the Florida Keys to have people from all around the world joining us to learn about restoration efforts from all over,” said Sarah Fangman, superintendent of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

“It was obvious we had to do something big because the reef is the lifeline of this commu nity,” said Fangman. “Reef Futures (2018) was the catalyst for bold action. It helped us realize we aren’t out of options, out of ideas, out of things to do.”

After the 2018 conference, the sanctuary gathered some people to create and execute a careful and deliberate plan to answer one question: what does it mean to do more for the Florida Keys? What they came up with is called Mission: Iconic Reefs, and the goal is to restore seven key reef sites throughout the Keys with a great chance to succeed and benefit nearby areas. Their analysis also included a punch list for each site and the cost to complete.

“We’re trying to take things to the next level,” Fangman said. This momentum mir rored that of other conference presenters and attendees within their own work in seas across the globe.

“When we first held this conference, it was just a lot of ideas. Now, we’re hearing how these ideas are implemented and taking on a life of their own,” said Jessica Levy, director of restoration strategy for Coral Restoration Foun dation. “We’re having smart funding conversa tions. They’re tangible. There’s action.”

Jennifer Moore of NOAA Fisheries and a lead on the planning committee for Reef Futures, agreed, saying, “2018 was the first time we held Reef Futures, and the one notable thing we heard coming out of it was that there was an immense feeling of hope. And, that was the catalyst for what we’ve all done for the last several years, and now, we’re showing what we can do with that hope. We’re getting things done, we’re raising a lot more money, we’re getting more boots on the ground – and we’re actually increasing coral cover, but we need to do so much more.”

Indeed, one of the biggest shifts between the 2022 conference and its 2018 predeces sor was the amount of real-world solutions and funding being discussed. Instead of trying to validate that coral restoration works and is important, now the discussion is how to scale and fund restoration work to the level needed to save the world’s coral.

As the storm passed through, the coral nerds mingled around scientific posters and got excited sharing pictures of their latest coral nursery successes. As the meeting of the minds came to a close, countless attendees and or ganizations recommitted and reaffirmed their desire to continue building on the momentum of the moment.

Scott Winters, co-chair of host organization Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC), summa rized it well: “If we weren’t up for a big chal lenge, we wouldn’t be trying to save coral reefs. But, we’re here for a reason.”

Coral restoration practitioners from around the world come to Key Largo to demonstrate their work. CORAL RES TORATION FOUNDA TION/Contributed

Jessica Levy and Scott Winters help organize the entire conference.

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Driftwood Marina & Storage, Inc located at 13900 Overseas Hwy, Marathon, FL 33050 will proceed with Section 328.17 (1), Florida

Statues, on the following vessels located at our facility for unpaid storage and repair balance. Unless said vessel redeemed from said marina by payment as allowed by law, the described vessel will be sold to satisfy the lien. If the vessel is not redeemed and that vessel remains unclaimed, or for which the charges for storage services remain unpaid, will be sold free of all prior liens. This is not a public invite to view vessels. This is an attempt to collect unpaid storage charges. Once the date has expired and only then may you visit the facility and gain information about the vessels. Any person attempting to board these vessels prior or without our permission, shall be charged with trespassing.

These vessels will be sold commencing on or after, 1:00 p.m. on the 4th day of November 2022. Driftwood Marina 13900 Overseas Hwy, Marathon, FL 33050.

Bill &Lisa Harris owner & previous owner Don Cameron of vessel HIN#BERPO156M75C

Sally Mishmash owner of vessel HIN# PLCMK014G596

Kaitlyn Young Booth owner of vessel HIN# FLZAB846H168

Greg Eklund & previous William Pease owners of vessel HIN# 45C365

Jeffrey Linenfelser owner of vessel HIN# CCHMD214M77I

Jaye Gore & Douglas Taleski owners of vessel HIN#GFS03697M73A

Publish: October 20 & 27, 2022

The Weekly Newspapers

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF DARLINGTON IN THE MATTER OF: THE INTERVIVOS TRUST OF HELEN M. STABA (NOW DECEASED)

TO: MARGARET AILEEN STABA, Beneficiary and Daughter of Helen M. Staba

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED of the death of Helen M. Staba and that your claim as beneficiary should be presented in writing, along with proof of identification, to The Conner Law Firm, ATTN: Michelle Greenawalt, 906 W. Carolina Avenue, Hartsville, SC 29550, by April 6, 2023.

The Conner Law Firm, P.C. 906 W. Carolina Avenue Hartsville, SC 29550

Phone: (843) 332-1678

Fax: (843) 332-1904

Publish: October 6, 13 & 20, 2022

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION IN THE CIVIL SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, NEW HANOVER COUNTY

DONNA SULLIVAN V. ERIC OXLEY, D.D.S.; ALBERT BOZART, D.D.S.; BOZART FAMILY, L.L.C.; AND BOZART AND ASSOCIATES OF WILMINGTON, P.L.L.C. 21CVS3907

TO: ALBERT BOZART, D.D.S. TAKE NOTICE that a pleading seeking relief against you was filed on October 14, 2021 in the above-entitled Civil Superior Court action. The nature of relief being sought is as follows: Plaintiff seeks damages related to Count I: Medical Negligence; Count II: Negligent Hiring, Retention, and Supervision; Count III: Corporate Negligence; Count IV: Res Ipsa Loquitur; and Count V: Battery. Defendant is liable to Plaintiff for general and special damages, which were caused by Defendant and include a demand for reimbursement of medical expenses, costs of litigation, and pain and suffering. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later 40 days after the date of the first publication of this Notice and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought. The first date of publication is October 20, 2022. To respond, contact the Attorney for Plaintiff Donna Sullivan: Rebecca H. Ugolick (NCSB No. 48126) of Howard, Stallings, From, Atkins, and Angell by mail at P.O. Box 12347, Raleigh, NC 27605; telephone: (919) 821-7700; fax: (919) 821-7703; email: rugolick@ hsfh.com or reference the filing at the New Hanover County Courthouse located at 316 Princess St. Wilmington, NC 28401.

Publish dates: October 20, 2022 October 27, 2022 November 3, 2022 The Weekly Newspapers

CITY OF MARATHON Final Notice and Public Explanation of a Proposed Activity in the 100-Year Floodplain and Wetland October 14, 2022 City of Marathon 9805 Overseas Highway Marathon, FL 33050 305-289-5020

To: All interested Agencies, Groups and Individuals This is to give notice that the City of Marathon has conducted an evaluation as required by Executive Orders 11988 and 11990 in accordance with HUD

LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES

regulations at 24 CFR 55.20 to determine the potential affect that its activity in the floodplain and/or wetland will have on the environment.

The City of Marathon intends to undertake a project to be funded by a Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The proposed project is to harden the City's wastewater infrastructure making it more resistant to the impacts of another hurricane such as Hurricane Irma. The locations for the project are at (5) different treatment plants in the City of Marathon. Areas 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are included in this project with addresses as follows: Area 3 WWTP - 4095 Overseas Hwy; Area 4 WWTP140 Sombrero Beach Rd; Area 5 WWTP - 10685 Overseas Hwy; Area 5 Vac Station - 7280 Overseas Hwy; Area 6 WWTP - 100 Avenue I; Area 7 WWTP59255 Overseas Hwy.

It has been determined that no practicable alternative other than to proceed with the work is available. This activity will have no significant impact on the environment for the following reasons:

The proposed project is to harden the City’s Wastewater infrastructure making it more resistant to the impacts of another Hurricane such as Hurricane Irma. This project is not new construction and is a retrofit to add power conditioners, vacuum main monitoring modules, and raise existing electrical above flood elevations. There are no expected impacts regarding the projects in the 100-year floodplain. There are no alternatives to consider as the structures are existing and there will be no new construction.

Although the project is located in the 100year floodplain and/ or wetland, the improvements cannot be undertaken in any other location due to the scope of the project. There is, therefore, no practicable alternative.

The proposed improvements conform to applicable floodplain protection standards.

The proposed action will not affect natural or beneficial floodplain values, and residents of the community will benefit from the project. Failure to provide these improvements could result in slum and blight conditions within the City of Marathon.

Additional agencies involved in this project include the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The City of Marathon will be involved in approving the projects and

Meeting Notice Monroe County Land Authority

The Monroe County Land Authority Advisory Committee will meet in the Marathon Government Center located at 2798 Overseas Highway, Media Room – 1st floor, Marathon, Florida on October 26, 2022 beginning at 9:30 a.m. The agenda is available online at www.monroecounty-fl.gov or by contacting the Monroe County Land Authority office at 305-295-5180.

ADA ASSISTANCE If you are a person with a disability who needs special accommodations in order to participate in these proceedings, please contact the County Administrator's Office, by phoning 305-292-4441, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., no later than five (5) calendar days prior to the scheduled meeting; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call “711”.

issuing the associated permits. Written comments must be received by Maria Covelli, Grants Coordinator at the City of Marathon, 9805 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050 on or before November 20, 2022. A more detailed description of the project and the flood maps are available for citizen review by contacting the local government.

John Bartus, City of Marathon Mayor Environmental Certifying Official Publish: October 20, 2022

The Weekly Newspapers

LA CIUDAD DE MARATON

Aviso final y explicación pública de una actividad propuesta en el Llanura aluvial y humedales de 100 años

Octubre 14, 2022

Ciudad de Maratón 9805 Overseas Highway Maratón, FL 33050 305-289-5020

Para: Todas las agencias, grupos e individuos interesados

Esto es para notificar que la Ciudad de Maratón ha llevado a cabo una evaluación según lo requerido por las Órdenes Ejecutivas 11988 y 11990 de acuerdo con las regulaciones de HUD en 24 CFR 55.20 para determinar el efecto potencial que su actividad en la llanura de inundación y / o humedales tendrá en el medio ambiente. La Ciudad de Maratón tiene la intención de emprender un proyecto que será financiado por una Subvención en Bloque de Desarrollo Comunitario de Pequeñas Ciudades de Florida (CDBG). El proyecto propuesto es fortalecer la infraestructura de aguas residuales de la Ciudad haciéndola más resistente a los impactos de otro huracán como el huracán Irma. Las ubicaciones para el proyecto se encuentran en (5) plantas de tratamiento diferentes en la ciudad de Maratón. Las áreas 3, 4, 5, 6 y 7 están incluidas en este proyecto con las siguientes direcciones: Área 3 PTAR - 4095

Overseas Hwy; Área 4 EDAR - 140 Sombrero Beach Rd; Área 5 EDAR - 10685 Overseas Hwy; Área 5 Vac Station - 7280 Overseas Hwy; Área 6 EDAR - 100 Avenida I; Área 7 EDAR59255 Overseas Hwy. Se ha determinado que no se dispone de otra alternativa viable que continuar con el trabajo. Esta actividad no tendrá un impacto significativo en el medio ambiente por las siguientes razones:

El proyecto propuesto es fortalecer la infraestructura de aguas residuales de la ciudad haciéndola más resistente a los impactos de otro huracán como el huracán Irma. Este proyecto no es una construcción nueva y es una modernización para agregar acondicionadores de energía, módulos principales de monitoreo de vacío y elevar la electricidad existente por encima de las elevaciones de inundación. No hay impactos esperados con respecto a los proyectos en la planicie de inundación de 100 años. No hay alternativas a considerar ya que las estructuras ya existen y no habrá nuevas construcciones.

Aunque el proyecto está ubicado en la llanura de inundación y / o humedal de 100 años, las mejoras no se pueden llevar a cabo en ningún otro lugar debido al alcance del proyecto. Por lo tanto, no existe una alternativa viable.

Las mejoras propuestas se ajustan a las normas de protección de las llanuras aluviales aplicables. La acción propuesta no afectará los valores naturales o beneficiosos de las llanuras aluviales, y los

residentes de la comunidad se beneficiarán del proyecto. No proporcionar estas mejoras podría resultar en condiciones de tugurios y deterioro dentro de la ciudad de Maratón.

Otras agencias involucradas en este proyecto incluyen el Departamento de Oportunidades Económicas de Florida y el Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano de los Estados Unidos. La Ciudad de Maratón participará en la aprobación de los proyectos y la emisión de los permisos asociados.

Los comentarios por escrito deben ser recibidos por Maria Covelli, Coordinadora de Subvenciones de la Ciudad de Maratón 9805 Overseas Highway, Maratón, FL 33050 en o antes del 20 de Noviembre de 2022. Una descripción más detallada del proyecto y los mapas de inundaciones están disponibles para la revisión ciudadana poniéndose en contacto con el gobierno local. John Bartus, alcalde de la ciudad de Marathon Oficial Certificador Ambiental Publish: October 20, 2022

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 22-CP-85-M DIVISION: MIDDLE KEYS IN RE: ESTATE OF ELIZABETH G. COTTLE Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Elizabeth G. Cottle, deceased, whose date of death was June 13, 2021, is pending in the Circuit Court for MONROE County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 3117 Overseas Highway, Marathon, Florida 33050. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

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

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.

ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED.

NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.

The date of first publication of this notice is: October 13, 2022.

Personal Representative: Richard E. Warner 12221 Overseas Highway Marathon, Florida 33050

Attorney for Personal Representative: Richard E. Warner Attorney Florida Bar Number: 283134 RICHARD E. WARNER, P.A. 12221 Overseas Highway MARATHON, FL 33050 Telephone: (305) 743-6022

Fax: (305) 743-6216

E-mail: richard@rewarnerlaw.com

Secondary E-Mail: pamela2@ rewarnerlaw.com Publish: October 13 & 20, 2022

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 22-CP-000279-K

IN RE: ESTATE OF STUART C. WOODS Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Stuart C. Woods, deceased, whose date of death was July 22, 2022, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

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

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.

ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED.

NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is: October 13, 2022.

Personal Representative: Jeanmarie Woods 910 Watson Street Key West, FL 33040 Attorney for Personal Representative: Tasha K. Dickinson Florida Bar No. 0122836 Day Pitney, LLP 250 Australian Avenue South, Suite 1504 West Palm Beach, Florida 33401 Telephone: (561) 803-3515 E-mail: tdickinson@daypitney. com

Publish: October 13 & 20, 2022

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 44-2022-CP-000254A001-KW

IN RE: ESTATE OF BOYD K. HICKMAN Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of BOYD K. HICKMAN, deceased, whose date of death was April 12, 2022, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead St., Key West, FL 33040. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

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

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.

ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED.

LEGAL NOTICES

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: October 13, 2022. Signed on this 10th day of October, 2022.

Personal Representative: THOMAS F. HUDGINS 2800 DAVIS BLVD., STE. 203 NAPLES, FL 34104

Attorney for Personal Representative: THOMAS F. HUDGINS Florida Bar No. 970565

THOMAS F. HUDGINS, PLLC 2800 DAVIS BLVD., STE. 203 NAPLES, FL 34104 Telephone: (239) 263-7660 Email: TED@NAPLESTAX.COM

Secondary Email: SERVICE@ NAPLESTAX.COM Publish: October 13 & 20, 2022

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 2022-DR-626-K DIVISION: FAMILY IN RE: THE MARRIAGE OF: SLAVENA MOMCHILOVA, Petitioner, and, BRYAN KELEMEN, Respondent.

NOTICE OF ACTION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE (NO CHILD OR FINANCIAL SUPPORT)

TO: Bryan Kelemen LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: Unknown

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 Slavena Momchilova, whose address is 607 Eaton Street, Key West, FL 33040 on or before October 31, 2022, and file the original with the clerk of this Court at 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040, before service on Petitioner or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do so, a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition.

The action is asking the court to decide how the following real or personal property should be divided: NONE

Copies of all court documents in this case, including orders, are available at the Clerk of 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: September 22, 2022

Kevin Madok, CPA Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida

By: Marissa Lockwood

Deputy Clerk Publish: September 29, October 6, 13 & 20, 2022

The Weekly Newspapers

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICESLEGAL NOTICES

AUTOS WANTED

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

BOATS FOR SALE

FOR SALE: 2007 Cobia - 19 ft, with T-top, 115hp Yamaha. No trailer. Located in Marathon. $9,900 Text 305-743-6098

Place your Boat For Sale ad here! Up to 5 lines of copy for only $25.00/ week. Call 305-743-0844 today and sell your boat!

BOAT SLIPS & TRAILER STORAGE

Boat Trailer Spaces Available. $100 per week. Boat dockage available $100 per weeWk. Easy access to the Atlantic and lighthouse. Boat length 32’ or less! Dockage is eighty feet long with good depth for boats. Phone 336-4088140 or 336-287-3345.

Place your Boat Slip For Rent ad here! Up to 5 lines of copy for only $25.00/week. Call 305-743-0844 today and rent your boat slip!

EMPLOYMENT

HELP WANTED - Need sitter for older selfsufficient woman, two or three days at a time. Sombrero Isle, Marathon. Please call 305-662-1916 daytime for details.

Florida Keys SPCA in Marathon hiring two Animal Care positions w/ potential for advancement. Starting pay $15/hr with generous benefits package. 21 years or older with valid driver's license and ability to pass a criminal background check. Email resume to Tara@fkspca.org.

Marathon Yacht Club is hiring a part-time bartender/server. $12/ hr + Guaranteed tip pool, employee meals, private club & friendly atmosphere. Saturday evenings required, some week nights. Call 305-743-6739 to schedule an interview.

Marathon Yacht Club is hiring a part-time dishwasher. $14/hr, Private Club & Friendly Atmosphere, Varying Hours Tuesday – Saturday. Call 305-743-6739 to schedule an interview.

Frank's Grill in Marathon now hiring servers. Evening and daytime. Call Joanna at 305-731-8346

Immediate positions available at the Grassy Key Marina. Under new ownership and looking for smiling faces. Full-time or part-time available. Pay rates are commensurate with experience but we are willing to interview those with no experience who have an interest in working in a marina environment. Please call Randall Glass to schedule an interview at 305-465-1491.

Help Wanted- experienced or will train- full timebenefits- Electrical Work with well established company in business since 1998- Marathon. Email to am.companies@gmail. com or call 305-393-0971.

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

NOW HIRING - Full Time Seafood Packers/Graders. Competitive Wage. Apply in person at Keys Fisheries Fish House, 3390 Gulfview Ave, Marathon. EOE DFWP

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

City of Marathon Current Job Openings: Utilities Maintenance, Recreation Specialist, Right of Way Technician, Parttime Marina Custodian/ Maintenance and Marina Tech/Pump Out Captain. Full Benefits. EOE Please see City website for details www.ci.marathon.fl.us

EMPLOYMENT

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

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, Full-time Baker & Part-time Baker's Assistant. Stop by for an application at 8919 Overseas Highway, Marathon or email: info@ sweetsavannahs.com

The Housing Authority of the City of Key West now hiring the following positions: Maintenance Mechanic (Maintenance Worker), Med Tech, Resident Activities Coordinator. To apply, please contact Human Resources at: martinezm@ kwha.org or 305-296-5621. Applications are available at the Administrative Office located at 1400 Kennedy Dr., Key West, FL 33040 or online at www. kwha.org - EOE & Drug Free Work Place. This opportunity is covered under Section 3 of the HUD Act of 1968.

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 404-2193359 and ask for Dave.

HOUSING FOR SALEEMPLOYMENT

Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder is hiring an overnight Security Guard- responsibilities include but are not limited to observing marine mammals to ensure quality care, the ability to follow written instructions, and follow protocol and procedures as directed. Candidates must be able to lift 50 lbs and must be able to stay awake and alert for a 13 and a 1/2 hour shift (5:30pm-7am).

DPMMR is a drug-free workplace. To apply, please send your resume to nancyc@dpmmr.org.

HIRED IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!!

Place your Employment ad here! Up to 5 lines of copy for only $25.00/week. Call 305-743-0844 today and find your needed staff!

HOBBIES/COLLECT.

PRIVATE COLLECTOR WANTS Rolex, Dive Watches and Pilot Watches. Old Model Military Clocks & Watches. Call 305-743-4578

HOUSING FOR RENT LONG TERM

Las Brisa - 2BR/2BA Unfurnished, great view, W/D, covered parking. Tennis, Swimming Pool & BBQ on property. Across from Smather’s Beach, Key West. $3,900/ month + util. F/L/S Owner/Agent Douglas Miller 305-747-1700

STUDIO APT FOR RENT - Furnished Studio Apt w/patio, like new, W/D, off street parking. Key West. $2,300/month including util. F/L/S Owner/Agent Douglas Miller 305-747-1700

Key Largo - 2BR/2BA Spacious Doublewide, 1400 sq ft modular on canal w/40’ dock, direct ocean access. Very nice community $3200/ month 786-258-3127

Place your Housing For Rent ad here! Up to 5 lines of copy for only $25.00/ week. Call 305-743-0844 today and rent your space!

Duck Key Condo For Sale by owner. 2 BR/2 BA corner unit, ground floor w/front door parking. $350,000. 412-977-5322 susanprimm276@ yahoo.com

For Sale By Owner. 3BR/2BA Older Conch House - built in 1950ground level - Marathon/ Grassy Key. By appointment only. No Realtors. $475,000 305-395-0806

MISC. FOR SALE

FOR SALE - Lifesize Bronze Mermaid Table w/ Six Chairs. Must see - located in Marathon. $4,000.00. 305-923-9181

Place your Misc. For Sale ad here! Up to 5 lines of copy for only $25.00/ week. Call 305-743-0844 today and sell your stuff!

RV FOR SALE

RV FOR SALE - 2017 Thor Citation RV, 24ft Mercedes V6 Diesel, 2 slides, Cummings Diesel Generator, Low Mileage, Many Upgrades, Call Richard 305-363-8021

Place your RV For Sale ad here! Up to 5 lines of copy for only $25.00/ week. Call 305-743-0844 today and sell your RV!

YARD SALES

Place your Yard Sale ad here! Up to 5 lines of copy for only $25.00/ week. Call 305-743-0844 today and sell your stuff!

Keys Energy Services, in Key West, is accepting applications for the following position in its Customer Services Department:

CUSTOMER SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE I

Starting pay rate for this position, depending on qualifications and experience: $19.82/hr. - $22.20/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.

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.

SUDOKU

DUI EVALUATOR/ INSTRUCTOR

The Advocate DUI Program is hiring for part time positions. DUI instructors and evaluators - 2 days a week, Bachelors or Masters degree in substance abuse eld required. Bilingual preferred, not required. Of ce located in Marathon. Contact Marcia at 305-704-0117.

OPEN POSITIONS

TAVERNIER MARINERS HOSPITAL

- Cook, $5,000 Bonus

- Environmental Tech, $5,000 Bonus

- Manager Medical Staff

- Medical Technologist, $15,000 Bonus

- Hyperbaric Tech

- Nurse Supervisor

- Monitor Technician, Cardiac Telemetry

- Multi-Modality Imag Tech, $9,000 Bonus

- Patient Experience Advocate, Patient Experience

- Pool Physical Therapist

- Registered Nurse, Emergency Department, $20,000 Bonus

- Registered Nurse, Multispecialty Acute Care Ctr, $20,000 Bonus

- Registered Nurse, Surgery, $20,000 Bonus

- Registered Respiratory Therapist, $15,000 Bonus

MARATHON FISHERMEN’S COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

- Cook $5,000 Bonus

- Dietitian $5,000 Bonus

- ED Team Coordinator

- Floor Technician $5,000 Bonus

- Medical Technologist, $15,000 Bonus

- Nurse Supervisor

- Multi-Modality Imag Tech, $9,000 Bonus

- Patient Experience Advocate

- Phlebotomist, $10,000 Bonus

- Pool Physical Therapist

- Registered Nurse, Emergency Department, $20,000 Bonus

- Registered Nurse, Multispecialty Acute Care, $20,000 Bonus

- Registered Nurse, $20,000 Bonus

- Security Of cer

- Supervisor Laboratory, $15,000 Bonus

- Surgical Technologist

PHYSICIAN PRACTICE - TAVERNIER

- Advance Practice Provider (Physician Assistant)

- Nurse Practitioner

- Physician Practice Patient Rep, $1,000 Bonus

- Medical Assistant, $3,000 Bonus

APPLY AND LEARN MORE

careers.baptisthealth.net or call 786-243-8507

The Turtle Hospital in Marathon

Join our team! Full and part-time Educational Program Guides/Gift Shop Sales. Public speaking & retail sales experience helpful. $16.00/hour to start. Send resume to: TurtleHospitalMarathon@gmail.com

MARATHON

hiring for

Helpers CDL Drivers

Applicants must

Overseas Hwy, Marathon

MANAGER

& LABORERS

EQUIPMENT OPERATOR

Must have valid Driver’s License & Transportation

Location: Upper Keys

Send

to:

SUNSET GRILLE IS LOOKING FOR A FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGER

The Front of House Manager plans and directs all day to day restaurant operations. Maintains high standards of food, service, health and safety; ensures the efficient and profitable business performance of the restaurant and the optimal utilization of staff and resources.

• Perform opening and closing duties in accordance with established policies and procedures.

• Oversee and support front of house supervisors

• Oversee overall maintenance of the restaurant and property

• Coordinate restaurant operations to include daily schedules and identifying recruiting needs

• Responsible for ensuring guest satisfaction and quality guest experience

• Maintain employee records

• Oversee training and identify training needs

• Responsible for new hire onboarding and orientation

• Conduct staff meetings when necessary

• Monitor labor and operational costs

• Identify and estimate food and beverage supply requirements/needs and ensure inventory needs are met

• Perform other duties as assigned

Apply in person 7 Knights Key Blvd, Marathon. No phone calls please.

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

KEY LARGO

KEY WEST

MARATHON