Marathon Weekly 23-0223

WE’VE SOLD MORE PROPERTIES OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS THAN THE NEXT FOUR

Helping Keys Residents since 2002. The Coldwell Banker Schmitt Charitable Foundation was created in April 2002, and is dedicated to helping Keys’ residents whose critical needs are not being met through other means. The funds are donated to the Foundation through the generous hearts of the Coldwell Banker Schmitt Real Estate agents, staff, associates, business partners, and the public. www.gooddeedsinthekeys.org

Changing to Better Serve You

Baptist Health Convenient Care Clinic, located at 5701 Overseas Hwy., Suite 17, in Marathon, has become part of Baptist Health Primary Care.

The clinic — an essential component of the healthcare fabric of this community — will now focus on offering primary care services for new and existing Baptist Health Primary Care patients with scheduled appointments. Same-day and next-day appointments, as well as virtual visits, will be available by calling 305-434-1400 or by visiting BaptistHealth.net/MarathonPC.

Mariners Hospital and Fishermen’s Community Hospital remain the options for emergency care in the Keys. Online urgent care is accessible via the Baptist Health PineApp, available from your device’s app store or via the QR code below. In addition, the PineApp provides online primary care scheduling, access to health records and much more. Further, Baptist Health continues to provide cardiology, gastroenterology, general surgery and orthopedic care in the Keys at our other medical practices.

We look forward to continuing to support the Florida Keys with healthcare services.

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

Publisher Jason Koler jason@keysweekly.com

Publishing Partner Britt Myers britt@keysweekly.com

Marathon Editor Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com

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

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Production Manager Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com

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Tuesday 2 p.m.

The 65th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19 saw drivers racing 212 laps around the track due to two cautions at the end of the race, which forced two overtimes. According to ESPN, it’s the longest recorded race with a dozen more laps beyond the scheduled distance of the race due to car wrecks. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the race in a car owned by JTG Daugherty Racing.

With legal avenues exhausted, Marathon and other Keys municipalities will now look to the state legislature to protect 1,300 affordable housing units revoked by the Third District Court of Appeals. See page 8.

COUNTY COMMISSION WEIGHS TRAUMA STAR HELOS, SUPPORT FOR FWC AND MOSQUITO CONTROL

ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

Discussion of new Trauma Star choppers, support for FWC initiatives and law enforcement, and continuing support of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District occupied much of the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners’ Feb. 15 meeting before giving way to an extended discussion on the county’s ongoing resilience, sustainability and water quality projects.

Sheriff Rick Ramsay opened the meeting with an update on the Trauma Star Air Ambulance program, conducted in a partnership between the Sheriff’s Office, which supplies pilots and a program director, and Monroe County Fire Rescue (MCFR), which provides flight paramedics and nurses.

The program’s Sikorsky S-76C+ helicopters are 22 years old – the average life expectancy for the aircraft is 25 years – and see extensive use, with 1,386 flights in the last year alone.

With replacement parts increasingly hard to find for the discontinued model, Ramsay said MCSO, MCFR and administrative staff have begun to explore replacement options. He touted the Leonardo AW139 aircraft as the lone available model that satisfies Trauma Star’s mission parameters, noting that similar models are in use by Miami Air Rescue and Palm Beach County Trauma District.

“Our mission profile is so specific based on our geographic distance,” said Ramsay. “We need speed, we need range, and we need lift.”

The three replacement birds would carry a price tag of $52 million to purchase outright, with a slight reduction if the manufacturer nixed extraneous features unnecessary for Trauma Star’s mission. Their lifespan is similar to the program’s current helicopters.

County administrator Roman Gastesi recommended the commis-

sion move forward with the purchase, with recommendations from staff coming soon about how to finance the new aircraft. The commission voted unanimously to direct Ramsay to move forward with preliminary negotiations to purchase the aircraft.

With increased state scrutiny on special taxing districts and mosquito

containment of the pests over the last 50 years.

Goodman said the district’s proactive approach, instead of the reactive response he described in Miami-Dade during South Florida’s dengue fever outbreak in 2022, can be credited for the Keys’ ability to combat diseases like the Zika virus and dengue.

“(Mosquito control) involves a lot of science to be effective, and I don’t think we would voluntarily take on that amount of learning,” said commissioner David Rice. “I did watch a video of the committee hearing in Tallahassee, and some of the members just said, ‘Let’s do away with all the taxing districts in the state.’ That level of knowledge in that position is frightening.”

“This is an attempt to fix something that’s completely not broken,” said commissioner Holly Raschein. “We’re the gold-star model for the nation.”

In other news:

control programs around the state, the commission unanimously approved a resolution supporting the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District’s continued responsibility for mosquito control activities in Monroe County.

Commenting on a recent trend of dissolving special taxing districts in an effort to move mosquito control operations under the umbrella of local governments, FKMCD board chairman Phil Goodman told the commission that, “These legislatures are trying to paint all (special taxing districts) with the same ugly brush, and that’s not the case. … We certainly welcome any form of performance review.”

Of the 62 state-authorized mosquito control entities in Florida, 42 are controlled by county governments while 15, including FKMCD, are controlled by special taxing districts. Goodman and FKMCD executive director Andrea Leal touted Monroe County as one of six larger “technology centers” for mosquito control, responsible for most technological advances in

• Following a presentation by attorney Robert Spottswood Jr., the commission unanimously approved a resolution expressing support for FWC’s artificial reef program in the Florida Keys, designed to create additional man-made structures in an effort to provide habitat and protect marine resources. The commission also committed to exploring establishment of its own artificial reef program within the county government, funded by the state, private citizens or grant money.

• The commission approved a resolution in support of bringing more FWC officers to the Keys while allowing officers to use digital photography as evidence, particularly in wildlife conservation cases and resource violations.

• An extensive press release on the county’s ongoing sustainability, resilience and water quality projects is on page 7.

A Florida Keys Mosquito Control helicopter flies an aerial larvicide mission. At its Feb. 15 meeting, the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution in support of the program via a special taxing district. KEYS

WEEKLY FILE PHOTO

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS RECEIVE SUSTAINABILITY, RESILIENCE, WATER QUALITY UPDATES UPCOMING THIS YEAR

Monroe County Chief Resilience Officer Rhonda

Haag presented an update on this year’s resilience and water quality efforts, including canal restoration projects, breakwater repair and shoreline resilience projects, road adaptations and municipal resilience partnerships at the Feb. 15 Board of County Commissioners meeting.

CANALS

This year, the county is moving forward with $5.5 million in state-funded restoration efforts to restore 12 canals to improve water quality. The canals are the top-ranked on the county’s list of 96 canals that do not meet state water quality standards. The restoration methods include culverts, injection wells, organic removal, backfilling and air curtains. Haag hosted community meetings with the homeowners in advance to inform them of the potential restoration, project benefits and potential costs to the residents. Assessments are required to fund the long-term operations and maintenance of weed gates required in several projects. The county funds the construction costs of the projects through grants.

“This is our biggest one-year restoration list ever, so we are very excited about moving forward,” said Haag.

PLANS INCLUDE:

1. Canal #105 backfill and culvert. Located in Tavernier/Key Largo. Restoration cost estimate $668,870.

2. #255 organic muck removal, backfilling, air curtain and injection well. Located on Big Pine Key. Cost estimate $300,000.

3. #315 organic muck removal, backfilling and air curtain. Located on Big Pine Key. Design only. Cost estimate $2,373,982.

4. #295 organic muck removal, backfilling and air curtain. Located in the avenues on Big Pine Key. Cost estimate $1,040,726. Design only.

5. Canal #297 organic muck removal, backfilling and air curtain. Located in the avenues on Big Pine Key. Cost estimate $1,352,390.

6. #290 backfilling and air curtain. Located

in the avenues on Big Pine Key. Cost estimate $900,000.

7. #287 organic muck removal, backfilling and air curtain. Located on Big Pine Key. Cost estimate $2,942,881.

8. #82 organic muck removal, backfilling and air curtain. Located in Key Largo. Cost estimate $2,547,229.

9. #474 backfill and air curtain. Located on Geiger Key. Cost estimate $220,650.

10. #278 injection well. Located in the Eden Pines on Big Pine Key. Cost estimate $250,000.

11. #58 injection well. Located in the Calusa Campground of Key Largo. Cost estimate $250,000.

12. #293 organic muck removal, backfill and air curtain. Located in the avenues on Big Pine Key. Total restoration cost $2,145,335. Design funded by DEP Ft. Myers.

BREAKWATER REPAIR PROJECTS

Two breakwaters damaged during Hurricane Irma are being rebuilt to restore protection to homes from storm surges. The county received more than $3 million in federal grant funding for the breakwater repairs. One is located in Tavernier, and the other is in Rock Harbor. The restored breakwaters will provide much-needed resilience against storm surges and stop most floating sargassum seaweed from entering and clogging the canals behind the breakwaters.

RESILIENCE PLANNING

The county is moving forward with several state-funded resilience planning projects, including a resilient design for Pigeon Key and Harry Harris Park. The county is also updating its Watershed Management Plan, which is required to maintain the county’s CRS rating of 3. The lower the CRS score, the bigger the discount for home National Flood Insurance Policy discounts. Finally, the county is updating its Vulnerability Assessment and developing a natural resource habitat assessment.

MUNICIPAL RESILIENCE PROJECTS

The county is well underway with its efforts to provide all five municipalities with the mobile LiDAR survey data needed for street elevation planning. Plans are also moving forward to begin the next phase of street elevation planning for the municipalities, using the data collected during the mobile LiDAR stage. The municipalities are funding the work.

The county is also leading an effort to conduct Watershed Management Plan updates for the municipalities to help them improve their Community Rating System (CRS) scores and update their Vulnerability Assessments. The state’s Resilient Florida grant program is funding the resilience planning work.

SHORELINE RESILIENCE

The county received two state grants for the creation of living shorelines to provide resilience and improved wetland habitats and will be moving forward soon.

Long Key Living Shoreline

Duck Key Living Shoreline and Breakwater Repair Project

ROAD ELEVATIONS AND STORMWATER

A presentation provided the legal and policy challenges the county faces regarding road adaptation projects. The commissioners directed staff to begin code and comprehensive plan changes needed to move forward.

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS UPDATE

The commissioners heard an update from the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the $2.7 billion Florida Keys Coastal Storm Risk project, which includes options for dry floodproofing critical infrastructure, elevating 4,698 residential homes and U.S. 1 shoreline stabilization. The plan addresses critical infrastructure, evacuation route protection and structural damage reduction in response to coastal storm risks and effects and associated impacts such as sealevel rise, storm surge and extreme wind and tidal effects.

“The county received the fantastic news that not only was the project itself recently approved by Congress, but the first appropriation for design and engineering of the U.S. 1 revetments was authorized,” said Haag.

The entire project will be in phases over several years. The first phase will be the stabilization of U.S. 1 in six areas. Design is anticipated to begin within the next year and includes revetments along U.S. 1 at mile markers 79.5, 70, 70.9, 67, 37, and 34.5. Construction will require separate future appropriations from Congress. More information is at saj.usace. army.mil/FloridaKeysCSRMFeasibilityStudy/.

Canal backfilling is one of several restoration methods used in upcoming canal water quality improvement projects throughout Monroe County. CONTRIBUTED

AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT STAKE AS STATE SESSION APPROACHES

LATEST SENATE BILL ADDS PROTECTIONS TO KEYS’ 1,300 UNITS

JIM McCARTHY

jim@keysweekly.com

The Florida Legislature’s 60-day session kicks off in Tallahassee on Tuesday, March 7. Legislators will consider policy changes to the state’s affordable housing crisis. They will mull a variety of funding requests and a number of key proposals from Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Hundreds of bills filed by legislators in the House and Senate range from a single-use plastic bag pilot project to banning dogs from sticking their heads out the window of a moving vehicle. For several weeks, House and Senate committees gathered to hear bill proposals and vote to move them through the process.

LATEST SENATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING BILL SAFEGUARDS 1,300 UNITS FOR THE KEYS

A housing bill with massive implications for Florida and the Keys is making its way through Senate committees. Sponsored by state Sen. Alexis Calatayud, a Republican representing parts of Miami-Dade County, legislation would change policies and provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for affordable housing.

Importantly to the Keys, language recently included in Senate Bill 102 safeguards the 1,300 affordable housing units then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott initiated in May 2018 following Hurricane Irma. Under the initiative, renters of the units would need to evacuate within a 48-hour window of an impending storm.

The units went through a legal battle, as the Third District Court of Appeal (Third DCA) ruled the “early evacuation” requirement violated Florida Statute 380.0552(9)(a)2, which requires comprehensive plans of cities within the Florida Keys Area of Critical State Concern (ACSC), established in 1974, to “maintain a hurricane evacuation clearance time for permanent residents of no more than 24 hours.”

A request for the Third DCA to re-hear the case was denied, and the state Supreme Court on Jan. 13

rejected an escalation of the appeal, seemingly leaving a legislative fix as the only viable option.

Of all the municipalities that lost units in the stunning Aug. 3, 2022 reversal – 300 units each for Marathon, Islamorada and unincorporated Monroe County, with another 100 split between Key Colony Beach and Layton – the fate of the legislation is most crucial for Marathon, as it is the only city that has already allocated its units. As its own, separate Area of Critical State Concern designation outlined in 1984, Key West’s units were protected.

Per language within Senate Bill 102, “The Department of Economic Opportunity’s Keys Workforce Housing Initiative, approved by the Administration Commission on June 13, 2018, is considered an exception to the evacuation time constraints of section 380.0552(9)(a)2., Florida Statutes. A comprehensive plan amendment approved by the Department of Economic Opportunity to implement the initiative is hereby valid and the respective local governments may adopt local ordinances or regulations to implement such plan amendment.”

The proposed bill went before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Feb. 22. The legislation would need the legislature’s approval before it goes to DeSantis for approval or veto.

Key West and Islamorada have accepted, but not allocated, their units, while Monroe County has yet to fully accept the units, given the years-long legal challenges from environmental attorney Richard Grosso on behalf of residents in Key West, Islamorada and Marathon. In a Feb. 9 interview with the Keys Weekly, Grosso said the 24-hour evacuation limit is “there for a really good reason; it’s there to protect the people of the Keys.”

“The idea that it’s only a good idea until we can’t develop any more, and that it’s no longer important, is just incredibly reckless and dangerous. It flies in the face of the reality of the real-world limits to development in the Keys. … This is continued

pursuit for development at all costs,” he said.

Asked if he had a message for Marathon residents whose living situations hang in the balance with the fate of the 1,300 units, Grosso had a strong response.

“My message? What’s Marathon’s message to those people?” he said. “It’s not our responsibility that somebody was giving legal advice that it’s okay to build these units when they’re legally disputed. That wasn’t us.”

IS THIS THE YEAR FOR MOONEY’S RENTAL ASSISTANCE BILL?

Florida Keys State Rep. Jim Mooney is proposing a bill for the second straight year that would give landlords and tenants the option to enter into agreements for a fee in lieu of security deposit. Most landlords require first and last months’ rent plus a security deposit. For many renters, it’s a challenge to secure the thousands of dollars for move-in.

Per the proposal, tenants have the choice to stay with the fee throughout the course of the rental, if their landlord provides the fee in lieu of the security deposit option. The tenant can terminate the monthly fee any time and instead pay the full security deposit, according to legislation. By paying the monthly fee, tenants could have the opportunity to accumulate enough money to fully pay the security deposit.

“If the tenant decides after 6 months or a year, they’ve got a bonus and want to pay the $2,000 security deposit and last month’s rent, they’re clear to go and the fee is removed,” Mooney said. “This is an option to get in the front door initially.”

A tenant who pays a security deposit up front could get that money back under current security deposit rules, so long as there’s no damage to the apartment. That money is required to be secured in a certain kind of bank account.

Those who choose to pay the monthly fee, however, wouldn’t get that money back. Money collected by the landlords through the fee can be used at their discretion, such as for insurance.

House members on the Civil Justice Subcommittee approved the bill via a 13-4 vote on Feb. 9. Legislation was referred to the Judiciary Committee for consideration. Last year, Mooney’s bill passed through the House but didn’t garner approval from the Senate.

KEEPING AN EYE ON FUNDING REQUESTS FOR THE KEYS

Last year, the Florida Keys received a little more than $50 million

for water quality projects, installation of new water main and affordable housing, among other purposes. This session, Keys officials are hoping for that same level of funding — if not more.

Kate DeLoach is a lifelong Keys resident who works as a lobbyist with The Southern Group. Last year, she helped the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority secure $20 million to replace aging transmission lines. DeLoach said there will be a similar funding request this session.

“I’m telling people it’s our sewer system 2.0,” DeLoach told the Keys Weekly. “It’s a big project, and we’re chipping away at that by bringing in state dollars.”

DeLoach is also hoping to secure more money for an exterior hardening project at the Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West. Last year, the museum received $250,000 for interior wall repair and stormstrengthening projects.

A total of $1.9 million secured through the state legislature supported 27 Keys affordable housing projects through local Habitat for Humanity organizations. DeLoach is hoping to have more success securing another round of appropriations for critical workforce housing.

DeSantis’ budget proposal includes $20 million for the Florida Keys Stewardship Act. But Keys officials are hoping funding, which supports critical nearshore water projects and acquisition of environmentally-sensitive land, is included in the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s budget every year. A bill filed by Mooney and state Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez would provide annual funding for the Stewardship Act.

If legislation passes this session, the Stewardship Act funds would come from a pool of roughly $1 billion from the state’s Land Acquisition Trust Fund. Everglades restoration projects and South Florida Water Management and St. Johns River Water Management districts receive annual allocations from the trust fund. It’s funded by documentary stamp tax revenue, or a tax on a mortgage, lien or other indebtedness filed or recorded in Florida.

“There’s something particularly special about the marine environments of the Florida Keys. That’s the pitch we usually make,” Lisa Tennyson, county legislative affairs director, told the Keys Weekly in February.

“There’s a lot of competition for this special source of funding. We think we’re deserving of that.”

— Alex Rickert contributed to this article.

1,555 KEYS STUDENTS ARE LEARNING ENGLISH

SCHOOL BOARD HEARS ABOUT TEACHER RECRUITMENT

Two of the three Rs of education — reading, writing and “‘rithmetic,” — pose a bigger challenge to educators when the students don’t yet speak English.

The Monroe County school board on Feb. 14 heard an update about the school district’s current and ever-increasing population of foreignspeaking students, who are labeled “English Learners” in today’s educational parlance.

The countywide school district has more than 1,555 students — about one in five — who speak other languages at home, administrator Natalie Liz reported. Two-thirds of those students were born outside the United States, she said.

Monroe County students hail from 36 countries and speak dozens of languages, she said, adding that the district continues to implement various programs to ensure those students succeed.

The top “countries of origin” for Keys students who are learning English include: United States, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico and Uzbekistan, Liz reported.

In keeping with the influx of migrants coming into the Florida Keys, the number of Cuban students has increased by 66 in recent months, while the number of Haitian students has increased by 20 this year.

Currently, Stanley Switlik Elementary School in Marathon and Horace O”Bryant School in Key West have the most Spanish-speaking students, with 121 and 119, respectively, Liz noted.

“We’ve implemented new strategies to guide the initial placement of students in classes, based on their current English proficiency,” Liz said.

STAFF RECRUITMENT

The state of Florida is expected to need 6,000 teachers next year, reported Harry Russell, executive director of personnel support and instructional leadership for Monroe County Schools.

Monroe County currently has 62 job openings, including six for teach-

ers, but that number always increases at the end of the school year when many teachers decide to retire or move.

Anticipating the increase in departing teachers at the end of the school year, Russell is exploring several avenues for recruitment.

One option is to start accepting student teachers to work alongside certified teachers in classrooms as they complete their training, he said.

“They would be here for four months doing their student teaching requirements,” Russell said. “We’re hoping to develop relationships with them while they fall in love with Monroe County” so they’ll come back when they graduate.

Russell also sees some potential in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ initiative to turn military veterans into teachers by providing a streamlined certification process.

Russell said Monroe County may be in a unique position to capitalize on that initiative, given the number of military personnel, military spouses and others in the Florida Keys.

He’s also working with Florida colleges and universities to get Monroe County School District on their lists of potential employers and is traveling the state to meet with near-future teachers on college campuses.

The most recent school board meeting in Key West also drew the now-typical appearances by conservative speakers from the public — with and without kids in the local school district. Three speakers urged a national search for the next superintendent.

Speaker Christine Miller of Big Pine Key again called for the Ten Commandments to be posted in all classrooms, urged a national search for the next superintendent and encouraged the school board to hire a superintendent who will “ban the LGBTQ and woke agendas in schools.”

Bethany Bartlett of Duck Key warned against children’s “loss of innocence” amid today’s “sexual revolution,” while speaking against critical race theory, which is not taught in any Monroe County schools.

For the record, Superintendent Theresa Axford has not announced her retirement. Although her contract ends July 31, 2024, Axford could seek a contract extension or could apply for the superintendent opening. She has made no decision about retirement, Axford told the Keys Weekly last month.

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SAME MONKEY, NEW BRASS

John Sheppard plans to preserve

John Sheppard wants to set a few things straight. No, he’s not closing the Brass Monkey, the bar he purchased on Jan. 18 after 43 years of ownership by community legend Judy Sorenson. No, he didn’t buy the bar just to ship the liquor license somewhere else. And yes, Christmas in July is here to stay.

Originally from New Jersey, Sheppard’s foray into the business came at 10 years old, when he started sweeping the backs of his parents’ bars in Philadelphia and Wildwood, New Jersey. By 13, he said, he was bartending.

“My first trick was I was so small that the register would come over my head, and then I’d make change by putting my hands into the drawer over my head,” he told the Weekly.

Starting with trips to Florida in his late teen years, including visits to the Keys that “get into your soul” he eventually opened or assisted in the opening of six eateries and nightclubs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Sunshine State. He still owns Cattle ’n’ Clover, a “steakhouse with an Irish soul,” in Wildwood and plans to eventually split his time between the two states, but for now, the Monkey is his priority as he lives in Marathon full-time.

“Judy has me set up on third base,” he told the Weekly. “Now, I’m just trying to follow in her footsteps and turn it into a home run. Just trying to update everything and make it cleaner and more welcoming.”

Sheppard’s upgrades as he works towards his vision of an “upscale dive bar” include a new kegerator for ice-cold drafts, repainting the front of the building, repairing broken lights and installing a new register system for greater efficiency in running tabs. He’s got several ideas for promotions and themed parties borrowed from his prior establishments in the works for the coming months.

But apart from indulging his self-described obsessive tendencies as he cleans and reorganizes every space in the building from top to bottom, he said he understands the need to preserve the iconic watering hole’s core essence.

That includes keeping the staff, from the bartenders to kitchen staff and Freddie Bye’s tunes – and yes, the smash burgers.

“If you didn’t have Freddie, if you didn’t have Sammy, Dirk, Rodney … you’d be ripping the soul out of Brass Monkey,” he said.

He’s even committed to replacing the bar’s iconic Velvet Elvis in the next few weeks, a custom piece that was one of the only items Sorenson took with her as she closed the sale.

“I think people are starting to calm down now that they see I’m working the door most Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays,” he added. “This is home to a lot of people, and I understand the nervousness. … But people are confusing me with some billionaire.”

True to her humble nature, Sorenson declined an interview to honor her status as a pillar in the Marathon community for more than four decades. In a heartfelt Facebook post, she shared the news of the Brass Monkey’s sale while thanking the town.

“I am truly blessed to have had such a long run,” she wrote. “I will be forever grateful that because of Brass Monkey, my parents were able to enjoy the last years of their lives traveling and just living. Brass Monkey enabled me to be able to take care of them both when they became sick and needed care, and those are precious moments I will forever cherish and be thankful for.

“Also, how do I even begin to thank this whole town when years ago we were almost shut down. I knew I couldn’t fight big corporate America by myself, but hundreds of people … from literally all over the world stood up for Brass Monkey to fight. And we won! That was something I never saw coming and am once again forever grateful, thankful for and humbled by.

“Please keep going in and show (the staff) some love. … Please show (John) the same love I’ve been blessed to have.

“Thank you for everything. Thank you for the stories and the lifetime of memories that I will carry with me forever … I am truly, truly, forever grateful.”

‘upscale dive bar’

ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

“Judy has me set up on third base. Now, I’m just trying to follow in her footsteps and turn it into a home run. Just trying to update everything and make it cleaner and more welcoming.”

— John Sheppard

New owner John Sheppard shows off the freshly-repainted facade of the Brass Monkey with arguably Marathon’s most well-known stuffed animal. ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

THE BOOKS’ NEW NOOK

The Owl Library and Book Store’s offerings go far beyond the shelves

The Owl Library and Bookstore is a book lover’s dream in Marathon. Created by Alexia and Joshua Mann, it has been Alexia’s dream since she was 3 years old.

“I cannot remember a time in my life that I did not have a book in my hand,” she said. “We always had books growing up.”

The shop opened on Feb. 2, but getting the building ready took a team effort with unexpected challenges along the way.

“Josh broke his arm right in the middle of building the walls, painting and putting all of this together,” said Alexia. She credited Blake Donahue, Kyle Wolfe, Janelle Lawrence, Alison Rodriguez Cruz and Niki and Wayne Kline for helping to bring the library and bookstore to life. The Manns’ children, Kira and Jinn, have also been helping get the store up and running.

“A great group stepped up to get this place off the ground,” Alexia said. “This could not have happened without them.”

The book store brings in new books in small batches of two to five copies at a time, providing an ever-changing inventory.

“We’re trying to have a really good variety,” said Alexia. “You have to have something that appeals to everybody.” The Owl’s stock includes new, used, and first and limited edition books.

There’s also a “borrow one, bring one” section where gently used and new books can be traded. Alexia plans to rotate books in the section.

A kid’s reading corner rounds out the main room in the shop with an entire section of kidfriendly reads, as well as information for kids to join Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a charity that gives books to children from birth to age 5.

The shop has a study area, for students and readers looking for a quiet place to focus. Another room offers space for book clubs and events –Dungeons and Dragons, anyone? – and nearby is the rare book nook, a compilation of exceedingly uncommon original books and prints.

Alexia pointed out a “lost book” from 1681, a culturally important book so rare that preservation historians have worked on making reprints of the remaining books.

“There’s everything from Japanese woodblock prints to illuminated manuscript pages to cookbooks from the 1800s,” she said.

One section shares a variety of local books, too. “There is a huge literary history here,” said Alexia. “We’ve got pirates, whiskey, Jimmy Buffett, Fred the Tree, there’s so much Keys history.” In the future, the Manns hope to bring local authors in for readings and signing events.

The Manns look forward to using the Owl’s rooms as space for literary and group events including Reading Dogs, tabletop and family game nights and book clubs. Coffee and tea are available for purchase, and there are lockers for rent to leave game supplies, snacks and books for visits.

Visit the Owl Library and Book Store at 11400 Overseas Hwy., Suite 103.

Hours: Sunday: Noon to 4 p.m.

Monday: CLOSED

Tuesday: CLOSED

Wednesday-Saturday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Owner Alexia Mann stands outside her new store on opening day.

The Owl’s shelves are filled with a rotating collection, including wrapped ‘Blind Dates with a Book.

The children’s corner offers a spot for little ones – with plenty of books to keep them busy.

The store’s reading and game room includes a small kitchen and space for group events.

The shop’s study room.

Photos by EVA POLLIZE/Contributed

CAPTAIN JOEL’S FISHIN’ HOLES

Early

Early season mahi (dolphin) fishing is heating up already. I always call dolphin mahi or dorado so that non-anglers who may be reading this won't think I'm writing about Flipper or Winter the dolphin. Many regard Marathon as the mahi capital of the world – even Marathon High School’s mascot is the Dolphins. March through October is what most consider mahi season, even though the fishery is never technically closed here in the Keys.

Big mahi have been showing up between 15 and 30 miles offshore. Several big bulls have been caught this month in and around the Marathon Humps. Weed lines have been forming, birds have been on ballyhoo, and floating objects are being found more often than usual due to all the migrant vessels. These are the three main things we look for while mahi fishing.

We haven't been catching a lot of mahi, so the quantity is normal for this time of year, but when we find one of the three things we're looking for – weeds, birds or floaters – we've been catching big mahi, so the quality has been better this year than in years past.

Some people attribute the great quality this year to the drop in the bag limit starting last year. Some say that the Bahamians are concentrating their commercial fishing efforts on lobstering rather than dolphin fishing to capitalize on the Chinese market in the wake of growing U.S. sanctions against China. Some even say it has to do with global warming, giving mahi more tropical-type water to spawn in.

While no one can say for sure, for whatever reason, anglers are bagging more big mahi this winter than in years past.

…is a fifth-generation Floridian and second-generation fishing captain who owns and operates Ana Banana Fishing Company in Marathon. His passions include fishing, hunting and spending time with his family.

Our number one bait for mahi is trolling rigged ballyhoo. Many people catch their own ballyhoo and rig them for trolling. Since we're chartering almost every day, we don't have the time or energy to rig our own. We buy most of our pre-rigged ballyhoo from Captain Hook’s in Marathon.

The second bait would be trolling a pink- and root beer-colored squiggly. I like to buy my squigglies from the Tackle Box in Marathon, which makes a squiggly called the “Triple D” that works wonders.

The third-best bait is live bait. If I can't catch my own live bait I get it from Captain Lucas Ponzoa by boat or Deana Smart by boat or truck. I also buy tackle and bait at Big Time Bait and Tackle and Marathon Bait and Tackle. Pilchards are my favorite live bait for mahi. If you can find goggleeyes they are probably even better, but hard to find.

1. ‘Young guns’ captain Tucker Carlson, J.C. Carlson, Clay Daniels and Michael Ruiz fished their way to a third-place finish in the Largest Dolphin category in the 2022 Bull & Cow Tournament. BARRY GAUKEL/ Keys Weekly

2. Roger Haines shows off his stud bull. CONTRIBUTED

3. Bill Sherman holds up a trophy. CONTRIBUTED

We haven't been catching a lot of mahi, so the quantity is normal for this time of year, but when we find one of the three things we're looking for – weeds, birds or floaters – we've been catching big mahi, so the quality has been better this year than in years past.

We fish several mahi tournaments each year and we love them all. Our favorite mahi tournament of the year is called the Marathon Bull and Cow Tournament, scheduled this year for May 5-7. The tournament awards up to $25,000 in prizes and reserves some prize money for other species like tuna, wahoo and tripletail. Prizes are given for the heaviest three-fish combo, the largest overall fish and the largest combined bull and cow weight, among others.

If you want to catch an early season trophy bull, go now! Hope to see y'all out there!

To book a charter with Ana Banana, call or text Capt. Joel at 813-267-4401 or Capt. Jojo at 305-879-0564, or visit anabananafishing.com.

CAPT. JOEL BRANDENBURG

season mahi madness is here

THE LOST ART OF HAVING TOUGH CONVERSATIONS

DEFENDING DECENCY

Afew months ago, tabloid headlines, for once, spread a positive message about the good of humanity when Brittany Aldean, wife of famed country singer Jason Aldean, posted a makeup tutorial on Instagram.

made the natural career transition from dolphin trainer to newspaper editor after six years at Dolphin Research Center. His passions include running, watersports, and civil disagreements with sharks while spearfishing.

Her caption? “I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life.”

Many who viewed the post found it an insensitive message trivializing the experience of transgender people. One of these was country singer Maren Morris.

In a feel-good story, Morris sent Aldean a calm, thoughtout message revealing how the latter’s intentional jab was one puzzle piece in a larger damaging impact. Though the two ultimately saw the issue differently, they agreed to keep an open dialogue moving forward about how to best support, or at least avoid hurting, those in the LGBTQ+ community.

JUST KIDDING.

None of that happened.

Instead of a productive comment, Morris publicly opined that it was “so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human” (Side note: I’m horrified that nonsensical overuse of the word “like” weaseled its way into a written form.) and told Aldean to “sell her clip-ins and zip it.”

Morris’ comment naturally brought everyone out of the dark corners of the online woodwork to join the mass of 30-plus-yearold grown-ass adults who enjoy acting like 12-year-olds on the internet. Jason Aldean joined the fray, as did Candace Owens and Cassadee Pope, among others. There was even name-calling in this raging online food fight – “Insurrection Barbie,” an admittedly creative burn.

The point of this column is not to discuss the issues at the center of their debate, as that could take months. I’m writing about a method, not a message.

Personally, I believe Aldean’s comment was insensitive and potentially damaging. But whether you agree with her statement or not, the opportunity for education and resolution was instantly lost when Morris hurled her furious response from the Twitter clouds.

Instead of serving up support for the community Morris defended, headlines shifted from “Let’s examine how we speak about transgender individuals” to “check out these feuding celebrities.” I’ll bet that some who would otherwise condemn Aldean’s comment consider her a victim in the situation, simply because there are very few Instagram captions that make someone a “scumbag human” all on their own.

For the record, I’d argue the feud did more for the tabloid industry than the individuals Morris was trying to defend. Some who I’ve talked to say that for them, the response did more harm than good for that community.

Anyway…

On a ski trip over Christmas break, a good buddy and I spent a long car ride wondering where this world lost its ability to productively disagree with someone, especially if we believe they’re ignorant, insensitive or misinformed.

Naturally, this dot com brawl came up. I told my friend that I was no fan of Aldean’s comment, but the phrasing of Morris’ unprompted retort wasn’t much better.

My friend and I both hail from Rhode Island, so call us homers all you want, but we realized we didn’t have to look any further than former New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman for two phenomenal examples of productive resolutions in very similar circumstances.

In early March 2021, Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard made headlines for using an anti-Semitic slur during a video gaming live stream. Edelman, a proud Jewish athlete, penned an open letter to Leonard on his Instagram.

Among the highlights, many of which are so applicable to the Aldean-Morris feud: “I get the sense that you didn’t use that word out of hate, more out of ignorance. Most likely, you weren’t even trying to hurt anyone or even profile Jews in your comment. That’s what makes it so destructive. … Casual ignorance is harder to combat and has greater reach, especially when you command great influence. Hate is like a virus. Even accidentally, it can rapidly spread.”

Edelman then openly invited Leonard to a Shabbat dinner with some friends in Miami.

It wasn’t the first time he’d extended a similar invitation.

Just a year earlier, Edelman responded to former Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson’s anti-Semitic social media posts, one of which included a quote falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler. Saying that he “(saw) an opportunity to have a conversation,” Edelman openly offered to go with Jackson to the U.S. Holocaust Museum. Further, recognizing that Jackson’s posts were in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Edelman offered to add a tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Though the tours themselves didn’t happen, Edelman confirmed that he and Jackson spoke directly after his invitation, that “it was a healthy conversation,” and that the two had stayed in touch ever since.

In both instances, Edelman still used his celebrity platform to hold Meyers and Jackson publicly accountable and denounce their part in spreading ignorance and hate. But unlike Morris, Edelman chose to reach out with an opportunity for education when he easily could have ignored the players or cursed them out – particularly when, unlike Morris, he was a member of the targeted group in both cases.

Edelman chose to build a bridge. Following the same metaphor, that means Morris saw a bridge on fire, went home unprompted, got a can of gasoline, came back and lit that sucker up. Her actions amplified the divide and hatred that started with a simple Instagram caption and only grew with each subsequent reply – on BOTH sides.

Morris and Aldean had an opportunity to stomp out an environment where embers of hatred and violence start the raging bonfire for those who take these viewpoints to extremes. I’m not naive enough to believe that any pair of people will come to complete agreement as long as they approach a discussion with civility. But I’d like to think they’d come out of there with an understanding of at least how not to harm a marginalized group.

Edelman’s actions are an art that’s all too rare in recent years. He chose to understand his position of influence and condemn ignorance-based hatred while simultaneously inviting hard conversations and offering education. Unsurprisingly, the outcome was 1,000% better.

Imagine that.

Have thoughts? Let’s talk! Alex@keysweekly.com

ALEX RICKERT

Former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman. WIKIPEDIA/Contributed

FISH SWIT DOCK CAPTAINS FILL THE COOLERS

On Feb. 17, local captain Chris Still took Stanley Switlik Elementary’s Fish Swit dock captains out on the Tackle Box’s 31-foot center console in search of tight lines. Monroe County Sheriff’s deputy SRO Brandon Warren and Bill Eller accompanied the group. A mid-trip downpour couldn’t deter the anglers from landing dozens of snapper before returning to the school’s fishing dock to show off their catch to their schoolmates, principal Christine Paul and vice principal Sarah Adams. “Today was a good day to be a member of the Switlik family,” said Eller. “Thank you Captain Still. These memories will last us a lifetime.” CONTRIBUTED.

NEVER ALONE

Over the weekend of Feb. 11, Monroe County Commissioner Michelle Lincoln and the executive committee of the Florida Association of Counties had the honor of visiting Arlington National Cemetery to present a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on behalf of Florida counties. The historic monument, dedicated to deceased U.S. service members whose remains have not been found or identified, has remained guarded 24/7 since 1937 to watch over the unknown fallen. CONTRIBUTED

KEYS WEEKLY

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

THE SCOREBOARD

MIKKEL ROSS

THIS WEEK IN KEYS SPORTS

Junior, Marathon Weightlifting

An athlete like Mikkel Ross does not come around very often, and fortunately for Marathon, Ross spreads her talent to multiple sports. Her work ethic and drive are infectious. Ross is a positive influence on those around her, and she is as humble as she is talented. Her fifth-place medal in the Olympic competition at the state weightlifting championships last weekend was a feat no other Keys lifter managed this season, but Ross has already raised the bar for herself next season.

“Mikkel is a workhorse. She is constantly trying to get better, perfect her form and lift heavier than anyone else. Her competitive spirit drives her.”

— Marathon weightlifting coach Jessie Schubert

“Mikkel hates to lose, she takes it personally, and she’s already looking ahead to how she can improve and build on her accomplishments next year,” said Schubert.

For her unyielding drive, stellar accomplishments and the influential leadership she uses to make her team better, Mikkel Ross is this week’s Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week.

Marathon junior Mikkel Ross.

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

KEY WEST COMMUNITY HONORS GARRETT HUGHES

Conch Baseball game opens with moment of silence for young victim

Marathon’s state qualifiers in girls weightlifting pose for a quick picture before leaving for the tournament in Lakeland on Feb. 16. Pictured are coach Jessie Schubert, left, coach Michelle James, Mikkel Ross, Justice Lee and Allie Brabenec. Not pictured: Ella Dunn. ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

MARATHON’S MIKKEL ROSS BRINGS HOME THE WEIGHTLIFTING HARDWARE

Justice Lee and Valerie Thene Crack Top 10

Four Fins, a pair of ’Canes and a Conch headed to Lakeland on Feb. 18 to compete in the FHSAA state championships in girls weightlifting. Marathon’s Justice Lee took eighth place in both the traditional and Olympic style lifts. The freshman has shown steady improvement all season and looks to be a contender for the next three years. Key West’s Valerie Thene finished one place shy of a medal, coming in seventh place in Olympic lifts. The senior also cracked the top 10 in traditional lifts, finishing ninth.

One Keys lifter managed to beat the odds and a late season funk in order to bring home a state medal last weekend. Marathon’s Mikkel Ross was able to regroup after what she called a disappointing showing at regionals to put up personal best lifts in bench and clean and jerk.

The 275-pound total was good enough to secure the FHSAA 1A fifthplace medal in traditional lifts, with Ross coming up just 5 pounds shy of a three-way tie for third place at 280 pounds. She also finished just one place from a medal in Olympic lifts.

Ross attributed the successful showing to a positive mindset, ignoring others’ totals to focus on herself.

“(I was) just having fun instead of stressing out,” she said. “I just went up to the weights and didn’t think twice about it. I just threw them up.”

Ross is not new to overcoming adversity. The junior began lifting weights more seriously just over a year ago while recovering from knee surgery. Within a year, she was back on the cross country course, making a state appearance with the Lady Fins – her fourth in as many years. A distance specialist, Ross also has speed – and, clearly, strength.

She will not have much time to revel in her success. After missing the first official meet of the spring season, the three-sport athlete will hit the track to compete a few days after returning from Lakeland. For more details about Ross’ amazing accomplishments, listen to the Feb. 23 edition of the Keys Weekly Sports Wrap Podcast.

The Key West High School baseball team, led by coach Ralph Henriquez, and several hundred community members pause before the Feb. 17 game at Rex Weech Field to pay tribute to Garrett Hughes, a KWHS graduate and former athlete who died in a tragic shooting earlier this month. ELLA HALL/Keys Weekly

An “LLGH” banner at Rex Weech Field baseball complex honors the lost life of Garrett Hughes, declaring, ‘Long Live Garrett Hughes.’ ELLA HALL/Keys Weekly

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

PLAY BALL!

Marathon wins big in opener; Key West, Coral Shores stand tall against tough preseason opponents

Key West delivered an upset win to a packed crowd on Feb. 17, beating 6A St. Thomas Aquinas 1-0. The 4A Conchs held the Raiders to just 2 hits over 6 ½ innings, keeping their composure until the moment was right to make their attack.

That moment came in the bottom of the 6th inning, when Wyatt Kuhn made it to first on a bunt. With 1 out and hopes of winning dwindling, Anden Rady hit a sacrifice fly, enabling Kuhn to score the lone run of the game. Southpaw Jacob Burnham went 5 innings, giving way to closer Andris Barroso on the mound.

The following night, Key West got an early lead, scoring 3 runs in the 1st inning and 3 more in the second of their preseason game against Taravella. The Conchs added a run in the 5th inning to make it 7, enough to hold their lead and win the game. The 7A Trojans out of Coral Springs didn’t go down without a fight, scoring 5 runs in the 6th inning, but it was too little too late to beat the Conchs at home. Jack Haggard had a double and a triple while Michael Greenberg doubled and Anthony Lariz singled. The Conchs open their regular season schedule against Westminster on Feb. 24.

Coral Shores faced the same opponents as Key West, battling to a 2-2 tie against Taravella on Feb. 17. Andrew Putetti had 1 hit and a walk in 3 atbats, scoring 1 run, and Dylan Bloom

had a hit and an RBI. Campbell Lavoie and Tate Brumbalow shared pitching duties, giving up just 4 hits in 7 innings.

Against St. Thomas the following night, Coral Shores was up 6-1 until a 4th-inning rally from the Raiders was enough to steal the game. The ’Canes scored 4 in the 7th, but it would be shy of what they needed to defeat St. Thomas. The final score was a 9-7 loss for the Hurricanes. Lavoie, Bloom, Hugh Connolly, Ezekiel Myers, Donovan Thiery and Riley O’Berry each had a hit in the preseason match. The ’Canes opened their regular season on Feb. 21 against ABF Homestead.

Marathon waited until it counted to play its first game, facing the Panthers of Everglades Prep on opening day at home. The Fins earned a decisive 12-0 win by slugging 9 runs in the 3rd inning in the mercy-rule victory. Dylan Ziels had 2 hits, a double and a triple, to lead Marathon in batting. Micah Sauders had a pair of singles in 2 at-bats. Dylan Globe, Tommy Norris, Bryan Broche, Gabe Leal, Gavin Leal and Mason Thornton had one hit apiece.

On the mound, Ryan Yablon went 3 innings, striking out nine and giving up just one hit with no runs. Dylan Ziels and Bryan Broche each went one inning to close out the game. Marathon faces Ransom Everglades on Friday, Feb. 24 in a rematch of last year’s SFBC championship game.

Key West Conchs celebrate their win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Feb. 17 in Key West. ELLA HALL/Keys Weekly. See more game photos at keysweekly.com

Marathon’s Bryan Broche, left, with a close play at second. BARRY GAUKEL/ Keys Weekly

HIGH ROLLERS ONLY ‘Keysino Royale’ never disappoints

Alast-minute venue change couldn’t derail the highly successful return of “Keysino Royale” in Marathon. In an event that’s become an annual hit for Marathon’s Business and Professional Women’s Foundation, lighting and music from DJ Fiji helped transform the Marathon City Council chambers into an intimate casino floor staffed by Casino Party Nights Florida dealers. Gamblers searched for their best shot to multiply their chips and score raffle tickets for big-shot prizes as they enjoyed delectable hors d’oeuvres from Brutus Seafood.

“A huge shout out to Mallory Pinto, who outdid herself again this year sorting out the venue with such short notice,” said BPW president Kristin Carlson. “Thank you to the Marathon City Council for the help, Brutus Seafood for the amazing bites and DJ Fiji for the amazing ambiance.”

— Alex Rickert

1. With lighting and tunes provided by DJ Fiji along with casino tables from Casino Party Nights Florida, the Marathon City Council chambers were barely recognizable on Saturday night.

2. Seasoned pros from Casino Party Nights Florida work the tables.

3. Brenda Torello, Grimi Betancourt, CM Bishop and Dennis Bishop try their hands at blackjack.

8. Julie Schilling,

Kristen Livengood, county commissioner Michelle Lincoln and Terry Burroughs try to best two face cards from their blackjack dealer Rosa.

9. Clockwise from

Patti Childress, Marianne Finizio, Sarah Bartus, Sandra Bradshaw, Mallory Pinto, Kristin Carlson and Joy Wilson dish out golden tickets to start the evening.

4. The tunes and lighting from DJ FIJI set the mood for the evening.

5. Elyse McGraw, left, Jena Anderson and Mallory Pinto are dressed to kill.

6. Stephanie Zajac, left, Tom Zajac, Travis Livengood, Franco D’Ascanio Jr. and Chase Grimes celebrate a bust by dealer Randy.

7. John P. Keller, left, John Keller, Rachel Keller, Shawnabel Massaro and Melany Menendez stack the chips.

right,

left,

Photos by ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

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FEATURING

COWBOY

13-year-old male domestic shorthair. Looking for: A quiet furever retirement home. Turnoffs: I love my foster mom, but I would love to be adopted.

EMILY

5-year-old female domestic shorthair.

Looking for: I’ve been looking for a home for four years!

Turnoffs: You can pet me, when I say you can.

15%

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Daily 5-8 pm

for Locals Live Music

TAKE ME HOME

tranquilitybay.com

Highway Marathon FL 33050

2600 Overseas

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

Butterfly Café

FEATURING

15%

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for Locals Special Weekend Menu Items

Keys Weekly is thrilled each week to showcase some “furever” friends that are ready, waiting and available for their perfect adoption “match” at the Florida Keys SPCA’s Marathon campus – complete with their best qualities, preferences and turnoffs to ensure the best fit.

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

See all the animals waiting for a home at fkspca.org. To contact the Marathon campus, call 305-743-4800 or visit the campus at 10550 Aviation Blvd.

THANOS

3-year-old male American Staffordshire terrier. Looking for: My trainer says I need to build confidence.

Turnoffs: Strangers make me nervous.

MONROE COUNTY’S FINEST

On Feb. 17, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office held its annual Officer of the Year awards ceremony in Marathon. Sheriff Rick Ramsay recognized employees for their exemplary service to the agency and to the citizens of Monroe County. From left, Reserve Deputy of the Year

TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND BOATING COMMUNITY–both long-term and new, we want to thank you for your business, trust and your friendship.

TO OUR STAFF – we want to thank you for your dedication and talents. We couldn’t do it without you!

BOAT STORAGE IS FILLING UP FAST! We still have some limited storage space available for both small and large boats.

WE ARE READY TO SERVE YOUR NEEDS. STOP BY, CALL OR EMAIL US AND LET US KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU.

Capt. Ted Migala, Deputy of the Year Tanisha Multy, Sheriff Rick Ramsay and Support Member of the Year DeShawn Battle. Not pictured: Detention Deputy of the Year John Keen. CONTRIBUTED

BLACK VOICES

Storytelling is a powerful tool to educate ourselves and be a part of change in the world.

Celebrate Black History

Month with these extraordinary novels.

TAKE MY HAND

By Dolen Perkins-Valdez

THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY

By Brendan Slocumb

First and foremost a reader, she has reviewed hundreds of books on her blog www. readingandeating. com. And, more recently, this new Keys resident has also begun writing.

WATCH TIP: “On the Come Up” is on Paramount+. In this book-to-screen adaptation, talented and poetic 16-yearold Bri Jackson yearns to overcome her family struggles and make her dad’s memory proud by becoming the greatest rapper of all time. Inspiring music and lessons of the heart.

In 1973, Civil Townsend graduated from nursing school. Descended from a long line of black physicians, a rarity in post-segregation Alabama, Civil is excited to start her job at the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic. She is asked to visit patients outside the city who are not able to travel. At her first home visit, she meets two young girls named Erica and India. The Williams sisters are 11 and 13, and Civil administers a shot of Depo-Provera, a new, controversial birth control being tested. Civil does not doubt her superiors’ methods or motives, and the trusting black families do not challenge her. After months of following protocols and growing very close with these girls, Civil and other nurses begin to question why the FDA has not approved this drug and why these poor, mostly illiterate folks are being sterilized without consent. With the help of a clever attorney, these ordinary women battle the U.S. government to expose and rectify a great injustice. Inspired by true events, this incredible work of historical fiction explores the conditions of human and civil rights that our country continues to battle every day.

Playing the violin was everything to Ray McMillian. Growing up in North Carolina, Ray’s musical passion was never encouraged by his contemptuous mother, apathetic music teacher or demanding aunts and uncles. The only person in Ray’s life to champion his dreams was his gentle and loving Grandma Nora. One holiday, when the family is gathered, Nora reminds Ray he inherited his musical talent from her Pop Pop, who played the fiddle on the plantation where their family was enslaved. Ray finds the fiddle in the attic and it is given to him. While no one shows much interest, the old relic allows Ray to improve his skills and prepare for an upcoming competition. At the event, Dr. Janice Stevens offers him a music scholarship to a small university, changing his life forever. With top-notch mentorship, Ray has a brilliant career ahead. After repairing his “fiddle,” they discover it is a priceless Stradivarius. His family sees dollar signs and the people who enslaved his Pop Pop think the instrument belongs to them. A month before his most important performance, the violin disappears. Wonderful characters and a family mystery make beautiful music together.

THE HOUSE OF EVE

By Sadeqa Johnson

Ruby Pearsall turns 15 years old in 1950s Philadelphia. An excellent student, Ruby is part of the We Rise program, providing underprivileged students with post-high school opportunities. Ruby dreams of becoming an ophthalmologist so she can help her grandma get her sight back. Her mother has kicked her out and she is staying with her Aunt Marie, a tough gal with a loving heart. Focused on succeeding, Ruby is rarely sidetracked. But when she meets Shimmy, the landlord's white, Jewish son, she experiences butterflies for the first time. History repeats itself when Ruby, like her own mother, becomes a pregnant teenager. Shimmy’s mother arranges for Ruby to go to a home for unwed teens in D.C., promising the We Rise scholarship upon return. In D.C., we meet Eleanor and William, both students at Howard University. Smart and hardworking, they meet in the library and fall head over heels. But Eleanor is not good enough for William Pride’s snooty parents, who are leaders of the Washington elite black families. William’s mother does everything in her power to break the couple apart. With their stories colliding in the most unexpected of ways, Ruby and Eleanor will both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives.

KAREN NEWFIELD

STANDOUT CITIZENS

ENGLISH FAMILY LEFT ITS MARK IN KEY WEST

The future Key West resident James D. English was born in 1816 and lived in St. Augustine, Florida. He grew up in the era of slavery as a free and educated Black man. English stayed in St. Augustine for more than three decades, found success as a popular barber, married, and had a child who was born on April 15, 1847. They named him Nelson Francis De Sales English.

And then, English did what many of us have either done or dreamed of doing; he packed up his life and his family and moved to the Florida Keys. When they arrived circa 1850, they appeared to have acclimated into their new community quite well, as their patriarch became one of the island’s prominent citizens. English served as a county commissioner from 1868-1877, and in the late 1870s, he became a member of the Monroe County school board. He was the first black man to serve in either position.

When the family arrived in Key West, Nelson was a boy of 3 or 4 years old, or maybe a little older. Nelson grew up in Key West and attended Catholic and public schools. Math appeared to be a favorite subject as he was diligent with numbers and became known around the island as an excellent bookkeeper and accountant. However, his impact on Florida Keys history would not be limited to his ability to keep a clean ledger.

FLORIDA KEYS HISTORY WITH BRAD BERTELLI

An author, speaker, Florida Keys historian and Honorary Conch. His latest book, “Florida Keys History with Brad Bertelli, Volume 1,” shares fascinating glimpses into the rich and sometimes surprising histories of the Florida Keys.

In 1882, his father, James D. English, passed away and was buried in the Key West Cemetery. That same year, Nelson English was appointed the postmaster of the Key West Post Office. Only 33 years old, he became Key West’s youngest and first black postmaster. Well, most accounts suggest he was 33 when he became postmaster, but the math does not quite fit. Based on his birth date, April 15, 1847, he would have been 34 or 35.

When his term ended in 1886, Postmaster Jefferson B. Browne became his successor, and Browne appointed English his assistant postmaster. Before he retired, English served the community at the post office for over two decades.

In addition to working as an accountant and at the post office, he worked at the Custom House. English was also a talented musician who, along with his friend Frank Welters, formed the Welters Cornet Band in the early 1900s. In its heyday, the 1920s-1930s, the band had more than 30 players and singers when they marched in parades and led funeral processions down the streets of Key West.

Nelson married Julia E. Post, born in Key West on Christmas Day in 1855. She grew up to be a teacher at the Douglass School, a school for the island’s black children that opened its doors in 1870 in the Bahama Village section of Key West. The two married in 1873 and would have five successful children named Irene, Grace, George, James and Leo.

James Nelson English was born in 1880 and earned a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Chicago before coming home to Key West, where he was the principal of the Douglass School from 1914-1922. In 1922, he moved to New York and taught in the

COUNTY LIBRARY COLLECTION/Contributed

New York public school system for 25 years. Their youngest child, Leo Victor English, was born in 1887 and became a medical doctor who served the Toledo, Ohio, community for nearly 50 years. Nelson and Julia both died in their 60s, Nelson in 1914 and Julia four years later in 1918.

Both were buried in the Key West Cemetery. Over time, the burial site of Nelson English became another of the unmarked graves in the cemetery where the Historic Florida Keys Foundation runs its Key West Cemetery Tours. In 2016, funds raised from the tours were used to commission two gravestones to mark two previously unmarked graves.

One gravestone was created to honor Ellen Welters Sanchez, the daughter of Frank Welters – Nelson English’s founding partner in the Welters Cornet Band. The marker now commemorates her work as a teacher, musician and composer who wrote the song “The Beautiful Isle of Key West,” among others.

The other gravestone was created to mark the final resting place of Nelson Frances De Sales English, born on April 15, 1847, and who passed away at the age of 66 on Oct. 5, 1914.

In honor of his service to the Key West community, a park created at the corner of Thomas Street and Catherine Street was dedicated as the Nelson English Park on Feb. 16, 1934. During the ceremony, the Welters Cornet Band provided the music.

A bust of Nelson English is one of 39 historic Key West figures found in the Key West Historic Memorial Sculpture Garden at Mallory Square.

Nelson English. MONROE

A SWEET MYSTERY

Key

SHANNON PAUL WILEY www.keysweekly.com

Lime juice is a very critical part of the recipe, but it can’t be the juice of the commonly sold Persian lime, but rather the local Key lime. Authentic Key lime juice is not green, nor should it ever add a green tint to your creation – that could be cause for permanent exile from the island chain and perhaps from the entire Sunshine State.

Florida’s official state pie (designated as such in 2006 by the Florida State Legislature) is made using only juice from the authentic Key lime, whipped egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk, just as it was in days of old. As to a pastry crust vs. graham cracker crust, meringue vs. whipped cream, or leaving it as naked as a Fantasy Fest regular, these debates may all continue indefinitely.

As if this local delicacy was not shrouded

One Saturday, as my children and I were measuring out all the ingredients for a recipe, I told them how important math is. I shared how we use it in almost everything we do, especially when working in the kitchen and measuring with fractions. They were both naturally more interested in the dessert we were making than a discussion with Dad about mathematics.

The conversation gradually shifted from the order of operations (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally) to the origin and stories behind some of our favorite foods. One very popular local treat left me quite intrigued while pondering another Aunt Sally – this one from the Key West history books, not the math books. I started doing some research and learned a great deal about something that is as much a part of our American culture as baseball and apple pie. (Well, perhaps not exactly.)

Down here on the rocks, the only thing that whips up more controversy than who makes the best Key lime pie is who invented the delicious “sweet-tart” of a recipe in the first place? Many credit this world-renowned taste of Florida to botanist Jack Simmons, while still others swear good old Aunt Sally conjured it up while serving as a cook in William “Rich” Curry’s kitchen way back in the late 1800s. Bear in mind, cold air conditioning was a seemingly unachievable luxury at that time.

Lacking refrigeration, and often having only condensed milk, one can see how the story makes sense. Locals say pelicans provided the original eggs for early recipes, but not unlike today, there were probably a few chickens willing to help with the needed egg yolk supply. So once we had the tiny limes, egg yolks and canned-condensed milk, we had all the key ingredients to make magic happen.

in enough mystery, some have even claimed the true state of origin for the Key lime pie was … wait for it … New York City. (I know, I wrote the words and immediately made a face like I just drank a gallon of lime juice.) Yet, some do link the early pie recipes to the Big Apple. Others contend the Borden company is the rightful inventor, claiming similarities between printed recipes for the company’s lemon pies and Key lime pies are no mere coincidence.

Some will even argue that Aunt Sally was not even real, or that she could not have had access to the needed condensed milk ingredient at the time to create the pie’s filling.

Local author David Sloan, the man behind Key West Key Lime Festival, contends the stories behind Aunt Sally as the originator

of Key Lime Pie are not just true, but beyond reproach. Locals are, for the most part, in agreement the pie’s origin comes from the same backyards as where the fruit trees have always grown. The debate over New Yorkers versus Floridians getting credit for the recipe will likely rage on. It remains as hot a topic as predicting the winner when the Dolphins play the Jets.

There is no need to be sour about any of this, though, because regardless of its origin, Key lime pie is part of our history and culture and it is as popular as our Florida sunsets. As long as we can pick the tiny limes off our trees in our tropical backyards, the dessert will likely remain. Well, that is unless the price of milk and eggs skyrocket, but what are the chances of that?

lime pie origins are still debated today –but we all know the truth

The origins of Key lime pie, Florida’s state pie, are a subject of contention up and down the east coast. NATHAN LEMON/Contributed

Marathon residents can join the Marathon City Council workshop on Tuesday, March 28 to learn more about the logistics and cost savings of going solar. CONTRIBUTED

THE POWER OF THE SUN

Marathon hosts solar co-op at workshop

Solar United Neighbors (SUN) are set to make a presentation regarding an ongoing local initiative to promote sustainable energy in the Florida Keys. SUN will present a program at the Marathon City Council workshop on Tuesday, March 28 at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Local homeowners and small business owners are invited to learn about the power and savings from going solar together.

SUN was formed in 2007 to organize neighbors and hire a single company to install solar systems. The bulk pricing results in a discount, while individuals still create a personalized plan for their own homes.

There is no cost to join, and no obligation to install a solar system — however, many join just to learn more about the industry and the costs associated with installing solar. Once a local group is formed, residents issue a competitive bid for installers and hire one company to handle the installation for all.

As of Feb. 14, 88 locals have joined the Florida Keys 2023 group. More information is at solarunitedneighbors.org/co-ops/florida/ florida-keys-2023. —

NATIONAL KEY DEER REFUGE PREPARES FOR SAFE PRESCRIBED FIRES

Measures are aimed at restoring pine rockland ecosystem

The National Key Deer Refuge is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Coastal Program and other partners to manage and restore the imperiled pine rockland ecosystem. Pine rocklands only occur in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties and, outside of Everglades National Park, only about 2% of their original distribution remains. Consequently, over 20 species that are partially or wholly dependent on pine rocklands are federally listed as threatened or endangered.

Much of Big Pine Key and some of the surrounding keys consist of pine rocklands. It is a fire-adapted ecosystem that has a sparse canopy of Florida slash pine and a diverse understory.

Fire is the natural way that pine rocklands maintain their biological diversity, as they limit overgrowth of palms and hardwoods that would shade ground cover plants.

Without natural fire occurring as frequently as it did historically, USFWS is working to manage the rocklands in ways that prepare areas for safe prescribed fires and/or maintain the ecosystem where fire may be difficult or dangerous. This is accomplished by reducing the number and height

of palms and hardwoods (which tend to burn hot and high, damaging the pine canopy or killing the pines) to promote a robust grassy and herbaceous ground cover.

Residents may see areas of pine rocklands where crews are treating invasive plants and overabundant hardwoods and palms. The treatment method depends on how much overgrowth has occurred. In areas where palms and hardwoods are relatively dense, that may be mechanical treatment. In areas where palms and hardwoods are starting to become more abundant, that may be herbicide. In either case, treatment is carefully applied to maintain the appropriate balance of vegetation. It is most efficient and cost-effective to treat earlier, which also mimics more frequent fires that occurred historically. All of this is done to maintain balance in the ecosystem, help pine rocklands be more resilient and healthier, and improve habitat for the many species that they support.

More information is available from Kevin Kalasz at 772-205-7140 or kevin_kalasz@fws.gov, and on Facebook: facebook.com/floridakeysrefuges. — Contributed

Crews supervise a controlled burn on Big Pine Key in 2019. IAN WILSON-NAVARRO/Keys Weekly

... is a photographer, 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 Audubon Society.

Red-shouldered hawks are the car alarms of the raptor world, always going off and making a racket for reasons unclear. At least, this is how it felt to me recently.

My wife and I just roadtripped up to north Florida for a friend’s epic birthday party. (Damn, Tracey Holst, you make 60 look good.) Afterward, my wife beelined back to Key West with a friend and I spent a couple days wandering around Florida backroads, working on a photo project.

I drove about 2,500 miles, by rough estimation, and I wasn’t really looking for birds. But every third or fourth time I got out of the truck, I’d hear a red-shouldered hawk screaming its fool head off, a loud kee-YA, kee-YA, kee-YA, that comes off as exactly the kind of sound you expect a hawk to make if you were making up the call from your imagination. (The most straight- from-central-casting raptor call is the red-tailed hawk, which is so much what you expect to hear from a bird of prey that it is often used to dub the call of the bald eagle, because the real-life bald eagle call sounds kind of wussy.)

Winter is apparently breeding season for red-shouldered hawks in Florida. This time of year they could be building nests or sitting on eggs. It’s still a little early for hatching. But whenever I heard a red-shoulder going off on this trip, I would look around for a predator like a crow, or another hawk, or an owl, and there was nothing to be seen.

There’s that line from “To Kill A Mockingbird” when Miss Maudie, the housekeeper, says it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird because “they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us.” Which maybe is what’s been going on with the red-shoulders, though I think maybe they weren’t singing their hearts out for us, but just for the hell of it. Maybe their singing, like opera or Tori Amos, is an acquired taste.

Often, it feels if you try to generalize about birdlife in Florida, the Keys end up requiring an asterisk. (Actually, most times, if you try to generalize about anything in Florida, the Keys end up requiring an asterisk.) But the redshouldered hawk mostly evades that asterisk, as they are pretty common in the Keys. South Florida actually has its own subspecies of red-

& A LOT OF REDSHOULDERED HAWKS

shouldered hawks, Buteo lineatus extimus, which is paler and smaller than other red-shoulders.

I see them pretty regularly in Big Pine, Big Torch and the backcountry islands. The Florida population doesn’t migrate, which makes them the one hawk that you can reliably find in the Keys year-round.

The one place they are rare? Key West.

I’m not sure why they eschew Key West proper. Red-shoulders are known to breed in suburban and urbanized areas, sometimes nesting as close as 6 feet from a building and 3 feet from a highway.

In one species account I read from 1930, the author described all the various ways he went about trying to disturb red-shoulders from their nests.

“After the bird has deposited her full set (of eggs) she is always found on the nest, and rarely slips off until the tree is smartly rapped, or loud shouts are given, or sticks thrown up at the nest.

“She is often a close sitter and even this does not seem to bother her. I have thrown sticks and had them strike the nest only to have her flit up, and again settle upon the eggs. Often after rapping you are forced to ascend, and then sometimes she leaves the nest softly as an owl, but more often emits wild piercing screams. I once went up to a nest on a windy day and touched the bird’s tail once and still she remained. The second time she dashed off like a bullet,” wrote Donald J. Nicholson in the Wilson Bulletin, one of the premier ornithological journals of the era (and today).

“One day I visited five nests, and the first bird carried away my cap in her talons and struck me such a severe blow that it gave me a bad headache, and left a scratch on my fore-

head. At two more nests I was attacked and struck upon the head. Many other times this has happened.

“This bird coming swiftly as an arrow directly for your head, screaming wildly, gives a timid soul the shivers, and unless you wildly wave your arms and shout. most likely she will give you a stiff blow that will put fear into you, and respect for their bravery,” Nicholson continued.

Ornithological methods have changed since then, and just to be clear, harassing a bird like that is absolutely wrong in modern times, and was pretty wrong then. Also illegal. But it does go to show that red-shoulders are no shrinking violets, and not shy of humanity. Which makes you think they could thrive in Key West, especially with the seemingly neverending supply of doves, pigeons, free-roaming poultry, and young iguanas. But no. They decline to breed here.

Which is not to say I’ve never seen a redshoulder in Key West. I saw one from a boat in Key West Harbor once, circling slowly in the breeze, the translucent panels at the outer edges of the bird’s wing glowing when it was backlit.

And once, in what was perhaps my favorite sighting of a red-shouldered hawk ever, I saw one perched in the top of the giant kapok tree in front of the Harvey Government Center at the corner of Truman Avenue and White Street. I was pumping gas at the Dion’s when I saw it. I grabbed my binoculars at first, then caught a few frames with my camera. Despite all the rumbling trucks and honking scooters and incoming airliners, it stayed for quite a while, slowly surveying the world below, giving no clue about what it found to be unsuitable about this last little bit of old Florida.

2,500 MILES

A juvenile red-shouldered hawk in Key West. MARK HEDDEN/Keys Weekly

MARK HEDDEN

STUDIO SPOTLIGHT

Artist Carmen Sotolongo Kelley paints the journey to freedom

Art has a way of reflecting the environment in which it was conceived. French artist JacquesLouis David painted the political turmoil of France. Chinese concept artist Ai Weiwei calls attention to human rights violations. English graffiti artist Banksy creates art that explores political and social commentary.

In the Florida Keys, we often feel removed from the aforementioned things. We paint palm trees and sea turtles, not the political turmoil of France. We do have our own issues, though — issues that no amount of fish paintings can cover up.

The Keys face an ongoing migrant issue. There have been thousands of migrants arriving in the Keys from Cuba and Haiti in the last year alone. With so many migrants fleeing their home and arriving here, it is easy to forget that they are people. One artist who wants to visually educate the viewer and depict the desperation these refugees feel to put everything at risk is Carmen Sotolongo Kelley.

A local artist who has earned degrees in social science, art and marine biology, she taught in all three subjects for over 33 years. She is retired from teaching and is running Key Largo Art Gallery. When meeting Kelley, the first thing that you notice is her energy, knowledge and deep passion for art.

I had the chance to speak with her and learn about her collection, “Balseros — Searching for Peace.” The balseros paintings showcase migrants and their freedom rafts. “I hope it makes people pause and understand how hopeless the rafters’ lives must be leaving their homes, family, friends, pets and their entire life behind. Imagine if you had to do that,” she said.

In the Keys, artists tend to paint paradise. Here, Kelley paints the hard and complicated parts of life. She wants us to see the migrants as people. That’s because of our location. Just 90 miles south of Key West, in the Caribbean and in the central and south American countries, the oppressed population is starving with no hope that their plight will change.

“I want the viewer to be disturbed and realize how fragile the rafters’ lives must be,” Kelley said.

Art reflects culture and society. The balseros series showcases how people risk their lives and how the government has gone years without any immigration reform. Kelley said the U.S. has forgotten how to compromise.

“It seems all parties believe in ‘my way or no way,’ hence we have gone years without any immigration reform. The thousands of ‘illegals’ in our country today are not even allowed to hold jobs and earn an income, and many of them are highly educated. Our society could be so much more productive,” she said. “The majority of these folks are not looking for handouts; they want to work and be productive; they survive as under-the-table, low paid cash labor. If they try to become legal, they are deported. People risk their lives fleeing their home countries that show little signs of improvement, which have them starving and seeing fleeing as their only hope.”

“I consider myself very fortunate,” Kelley said. “Briefly, both my parents earned doctor’s degrees; my father a pediatrician and mother a Ph.D. from what once was considered one of the best universities in the world in the University of Havana. They escaped Cuba in 1961, shortly after the Bay of Pigs Invasion. As a 6- and 7-year-old, a few of my memories are very vivid. I remember hiding under my father’s aviary stand from soldiers who entered my home to force him to assist the wounded from the failed invasion. I remember a soldier grabbing my baby doll and ripping her head off as we were in line to board a ferry leaving for Venezuela in October of 1961. I remember saying goodbye to my dog, Lucero, and the apple someone gave me on the voyage — the only food I had in three days. I remember waving to President Kennedy from his motorcade from my hotel balcony window near the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.

“As the exodus from Cuba begins its fourth generation, I only hope the people depicted in my art are given the same opportunities my parents’ generation received when they arrived in the United States,” she continued.

People can view and purchase the balseros paintings at the Cuban Museum, San Carlos, in Key West. The display will be placed upstairs where they have the balsero presentational artifacts. To see more of Carmen Kelley’s art, visit her gallery — the Key Largo Art Gallery — at MM 103.2, bayside.

is an artist, designer and gemologist who believes in the power of art.

WILLIAM DePAULA

Key Largo artist Carmen Sotolongo Kelley’s Balseros paintings depict the journey to freedom for many migrants leaving Cuba to the U.S. CONTRIBUTED

Carmen Sotolongo Kelley

TURNING THOUGHTS INTO ACTION

ARIES

CHRIS M cNULTY

is an astrologer, wanderer, bartender and advocate for queer justice. He is a loquacious Gemini with a cozy Cancer rising. Find him at hearthandheraldastrology.com

We have officially entered the mystic waters of Pisces season, the time of year when we can finally feel the days elongating and our emotions just might be running extra high. Stay hopeful and keep a tissue or screaming pillow nearby. Happy birthday to all of our Piscean fish-people out there! This week, Mercury, the planet of communication and trickery, is playing a game of leapfrog with Uranus and Mars. Early in the week, Mercury formed a 90-degree square to Uranus, bringing about some surprising news that we will be forced to face. By the time you are reading this, Mercury will be moving from Uranus to a 120-degree trine with Mars, allowing us to use the news we received to bolster our courage and direct our actions. A note of caution: be vigilant with your words and use them to encourage rather than to pierce.

Here are your horoscopes for the Mercury-Mars trine. Read for your rising and sun signs.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

Happy birthday sweet Pisces!

Your values are front and center right now, and you have a great opportunity for healing yourself and others by getting clear on what you truly consider important. Your secret thoughts, the ones that flow through your mind in your solitude, are especially able to support action with your home and family - however you define them. Grab your tools and start building because your hidden plans are ripe to be seen!

March 21 - April 19

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood for our fiery Rams, and it is a perfect time for you to get to work in your local community. Collective planning with a group of like-minded people will support your willpower with your neighbors. Is there a neighborhood cleanup that needs done? A local art project? A community fundraiser? Start talking to the people in your corner and use your famous grit to do some good.

TAURUS

April 20 - May 20

Discussions at work can lead to some serious financial action under this sky. Talk about your much-deserved promotion. Plan out some new revenue-generating ideas. Think about how your work supports your financial well-being and do something about it. Now is the time to put your musings into action so you can afford the life you need to flourish.

GEMINI

May 21 - June 21

Thinking about your personal philosophy is well and good, Gemini, and you are prone to live in your head. However, those high-minded thought adventures that you engage in bear no fruit unless you bring them into your body and do something about them. How do you live out your belief system on a daily basis? Now is the time to be an active vessel of your wisdom and teach us your ways.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

We are a social species, and we are always invested in other people. Sometimes we cannot see these invisible transactions that occur, but now is a time when you can think about these connections clearly. As you consider what binds you to others, let that guide your action in your solitude

because the network exists even when you’re alone. How can you be a better asset to others by engaging your solitary work?

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 22

You’ve been on a yearlong journey letting go of the past and stepping into your life’s work. Perhaps you’ve said goodbye to family so you can focus your energy on a job that you’re passionate about. Perhaps you’re processing the loss of a home so you can be a leader in your community. Right now you can see this transition very clearly –don’t stop now! Thinking about partnership will help you engage your support network.

VIRGO

Aug. 23 - Sept. 22

Your mind is focused on routine, Virgo. Your daily tasks for selfmaintenance and self-development are probably popping up in your conversations and meditations. What do you do first thing in the morning to start your day? How is your physical wellness built into your habitual patterns? Getting clear on these patterns will give you energy at work and in public.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

You’re having a Peter Pan moment when happy thoughts will let you fly to lands beyond. Keep your mind on things that bring you joy, whether they be people you love or paper packages tied up with string. Positive thinking is not always the best way forward, but right now it will literally drive you to an adventure that will expand your horizons and challenge your beliefs.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 21

How are you a participant in the ties that bind? You may have been actively, or even aggressively, trying to hold everyone in your

life together. The thing is, you are very capable of being the energetic catalyst for deep connections right now. Thinking about your childhood and your family will allow you to put your current social investments into operation. Consider what worked and what didn’t in your family of origin and use that knowledge now.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22 - Dec. 21

However you are a creator, now is a time to make that identity a bigger, more joyful part of your life. Whether you are a parent, an artist, a designer, a conversationalist, a gardener – dive into what makes you a maker and relish in the joy it brings. You will find that your creative gifts are beneficial to people who interact with them in ways you couldn’t conceive.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 19

Practical success is your bag, baby! Material progress is a hallmark of Capricorn, and right now you have particularly good timing to think clearly about your financial planning and to put that strategy into habitual action. What do you need for material well-being and what will it take to achieve it? Hope is not a strategy, so get clear on your needs and make a schedule. It will be fruitful.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

“Who are you?” said the Caterpillar. This question caught Alice off guard in Wonderland, but under this sky you have the capacity to think really clearly about the answer to this question. Get objectively clear on your self-conception because it will lead to actions that bring you joy. Alice told the Caterpillar she had changed many times since she woke up that morning, but you have the opportunity to clearly state your answer then create something beautiful.

Black history celebration set for Jesse Hobbs Park

On Saturday, Feb. 25, Marathon’s St. Paul AME Church will host a “Black History in the Park” celebration at Jesse Hobbs Park, located at 4104 Overseas Highway. From noon to 5 p.m. attendees will enjoy food, fun and games.

Connections Project coming to Marathon’s Royal Furniture

On Thursday, March 2 from 5 to 7 p.m., the showroom at Marathon’s Royal Furniture will host the Florida Keys Council of the Arts’ “Connections Project: Celebrating Our Unique History.” An iconic yearly collaboration among Monroe County artists, this year’s 24-foot mural is composed of 300 6- by 8-inch canvases, each painted by a local artist. Artists were tasked with highlighting the 200th anniversary of Monroe County with the theme “Pirates to Pineapples in Paradise.” Community members may purchase canvases by making a $60 donation for a single canvas selected at random or $160 for three canvases. More information is at keysarts.com. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be available.

Mission: Iconic Reefs offers

FAME AND GLORY FOR PACK 901

Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts from across South Florida converged on Markham Pack in Sunrise this past weekend for the annual Scoutmaster Campboree. Representing Marathon, Pack 901 staked their site and constructed a gateway out of timbers and rope that judges awarded first place out of all the cub scouts packs out of the South Florida District. Led by Rob Christensen, Arthur Hrtzsay, Shannon Wiley and Brenda Hill (not pictured) the pack consists of boys and girls from first grade through fifth. On Friday night, Feb. 24, the scouts will race their Pinewood Derby cars at St. Columba Church.

JASON KOLER/Keys Weekly

public input opportunity

On March 3 from 1-5 p.m. at the Marathon Library, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will host a recreational use workshop with local input on recreational use and activities at seven iconic reef sites in the Florida Keys. Workshops will focus on recreational activities that occur in coral reef habitats in the Keys like fishing, diving, snorkeling and boating. Perceptions of reef restoration activities will also be a focus of the workshops. Food and drink will be provided. Please RSVP with Christopher Schwinghamer (christopher.schwinghamer@mail.wvu.edu).

MHS Champions for Change to host barbecue dinner

On Saturday, Feb. 25, from 4 to 9 p.m., the Marathon High School Champions for Change club will host a barbecue dinner to benefit MHS students and families facing special circumstances at the Marathon Elks Lodge. The evening’s meal will feature creations from award-winning pit masters Ryan Fredrick, Spook Roussin and Chris Still. Pork, beef, beef brisket, beans, coleslaw, rolls and a dessert are

included with a $15 ticket. Live music by Tony Manfredi and the 79th Street Band will begin at 5 p.m., and there will be a cash bar, 50/50 raffle and silent auction. Take-out is available. Call 305731-0771 for more information and pre-sale tickets.

Come take a class at the Marathon library

The Marathon library has a wide variety of class offerings, ranging from photography to book clubs, robots, virtual reality and more. Scan the QR code here to see the schedule and get involved.

BRIEFLY

LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

U-HAUL COMPANY OF MIAMI

Notice is hereby given that on March 6th, 2023, Leonard Richford Jr. Storage Auctioneer, Executive Administrator for U-Haul Company of Miami, Will be offering for sale under the Judicial Lien Process, By Public Auction, the following storage units. The Terms of the sale will be cash only. U-Haul Company does reserve the right to refuse any bids. The sales will Begin at 8:00 a.m. and continue day by day until all units are sold. The names of whose units will be sold are as follows:

103530 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037

Michael Harrington

Unit 1223

$476.74

Todd Nichols

Unit 1449

$600.15

Elizabeth Nowarah

Unit 1028

$529.20

Geno Gotti

Unit 1632

$852.25

Lois Morgan

Unit 1219

$529.20

Brian Long

Unit 1504-51

$1,300.60

Michael Heit

Unit 1403

$1,556.30

Publish:

February 16 & 23, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

MEETING NOTICE

QUARTERLY MEETING NOTICE:

LOCAL COORDINATING BOARD FOR THE TRANSPORTATION

DISADVANTAGED

The Monroe County Local Coordinating Board (LCB) will be holding its regularly scheduled quarterly meeting on Friday, March 3, 2022 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am at the Marathon Government Center, BOCC Room, 2798 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050.

The primary purpose of the Coordinating Board is to provide information and advice to the Community Transportation Coordinator on the coordination of services provided to the transportation disadvantaged population of Monroe County, pursuant to Chapter 427.0157, Florida Statutes. Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), any person requiring special accommodations at this meeting due to a disability or physical impairment, and any related questions or inquiries concerning this meeting should be directed to Tiffany Albury at the Health Council of South Florida, Inc. at (305)592-1452 ext. 121 at least 72 hours prior to the date of the meeting.

Publish:

February 16 & 23 and March 2, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE

LOCAL COORDINATING BOARD FOR THE TRANSPORTATION

DISADVANTAGED

The Monroe County Local Coordinating Board (LCB) will be hosting a public hearing on Friday, March 3, 2022 from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm at the Marathon Government Center, BOCC Room, 2798 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050.

This public hearing is open to community members who would like to present or discuss any comments related to the transportation disadvantaged. We welcome you to attend! Persons should contact the HCSF staff 48 hours in advance if they are interested in commenting.

The primary purpose of the Coordinating Board is to provide information and advice to the Community Transportation Coordinator on the coordination of services provided to the transportation disadvantaged population of Monroe County, pursuant to Chapter 427.0157, Florida Statutes. Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), any person requiring special accommodations

LEGAL NOTICES

at this meeting due to a disability or physical impairment. Any related questions or inquiries concerning this meeting should be directed to Tiffany Albury at the Health Council of South Florida, Inc. at (305) 592-1452 ext. 121 at least 72 hours prior to the date of the meeting.

Publish:

February 16 & 23 and March 2, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

Public Meeting Announcement

– Monroe County Human Services Advisory Board (HSAB)/ Monroe County Board of County

Commissioners

The Human Services Advisory Board (HSAB) will meet Monday, March 13, 2023, at 10:00 AM at the Marathon Government Center, BOCC Meeting Room on the 2nd floor, 2798 Overseas Highway. The Board will discuss County Fiscal Year 2024 funding and will elect officers.

The meeting will be a hybrid format with the HSAB meeting live at the Marathon Government Center. The public will be able to participate in-person or via Communication Media Technology (“CMT”) using a Zoom Webinar platform.

The HSAB meeting will begin at 10:00 AM, on March 13, 2023. The webinar will begin at 09:30 AM, a ½ hour before the meeting, to allow time for people to join and test connections. The access points to view the meeting or for members of the public to provide public comment will be: Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://mcbocc.zoom. us/j/83474053354

Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16465189805,, 83474053354# or +16699006833,, 83474053354#

Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current

LEGAL NOTICES

location):

US: +1 646 518 9805  or +1 669

900 6833

Webinar ID: 834 7405 3354

International numbers available: https://mcbocc.zoom.us/u/ kcKK1RvEUo

For a copy of the agenda or other information, contact Oksana Christow, Grants Coordinator, in writing at 1100 Simonton St., Room 2-213, Key West, FL 33040; by phone at 305-2924474; or by email at ChristowOksana@monroecounty-fl.gov.

If members of the public wish to submit written documentation, the documentation must be submitted to Oksana Christow prior to the meeting and no later than March 6th, 2023, by 5:00 P.M. The public is advised that some or all the members of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners may attend the meeting and discuss items that may come before the Commission.

ADA ASSISTANCE: If you are a person with a disability who needs special accommodations in order to participate in this proceeding, 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”.

Publish: February 23, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following:

Mooring Field Design and Permitting Services in Monroe County Monroe County, Florida Pursuant to F.S. 50.0211(3)(a), all published competitive solicitation

LEGAL NOTICES

notices can be viewed at: www. floridapublicnotices.com, a searchable Statewide repository for all published legal notices. Requirements for submission and the selection criteria may be requested from DemandStar at www.demandstar.com OR www. monroecounty-fl.gov/bids. The Public Record is available upon request. Monroe County Purchasing Department receives bids electronically. Please do not mail or attempt to deliver in person any sealed bids. Mailed/physically delivered bids/proposals/ responses WILL NOT be accepted.

The Monroe County Purchasing Department hereby directs that bids be submitted via email to: OMB-BIDS@monroecounty-fl. gov, no later than 3:00P.M., on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. Please submit your confidential financial information in a SEPARATE EMAIL from your bid and required documents. Your subject line on both emails must read as follows: Mooring Field Design and Permitting Services in Monroe County 3-28-2023 Files that do not contain this subject line WILL BE REJECTED. Please note that the maximum file size that will be accepted by email is 25MB. Please plan accordingly to ensure that your bid is not rejected due to the file size. Should your bid documents exceed 25MB, in advance of the bid opening, please email: ombpurchasing@monroecounty-fl.gov so accommodations for delivery of your bid can be made prior to the bid opening. Please be advised that it is the bidder’s sole responsibility to ensure delivery of their bid and waiting until the bid opening to address or confirm your bid submission delivery will result in your bid being rejected. The bid opening for this solicitation will be held virtually, via the internet, at 3:00 P.M., on March 28, 2023. You may call in by phone or internet using the following:

LEGAL NOTICES

Join Zoom Meeting https://mcbocc.zoom. us/j/4509326156

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Publish:

February 23, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

STATE OF WISCONSIN CIRCUIT COURT POLK COUNTY SUMMONS (PUBLICATION)

CASE NO. 23CV14

CASE CODE: 30303

LISA MILLER and DAVID J. WING 23225 188th Street, N.W. Big Lake, MN 55309 Plaintiff, v. WEINEGER ENTERPRISES TRUST 132 North Indies Drive Marathon, FL 33050 Defendants.

THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, to each person named above as a Defendant: You are hereby notified that the plaintiff named above has filed a lawsuit or other legal action against you.

Within 45 days after February 16, 2023, you must respond with a written demand for a copy of the complaint. The demand must be sent or delivered to the court, whose address is: Clerk of Court Polk County Courthouse 1005 W. Main Street, Suite 300 Balsam Lake, WI 54810 and to Plaintiffs’ attorney, whose address is: Barry C. Lundeen Mudge, Porter, Lundeen & Seguin, SC 110 Second Street Hudson, WI 54016 You may have an attorney represent you.

LEGAL NOTICES

If you do not demand a copy of the complaint within 45 days, the court may grant judgment against you for the award of money or other legal action requested in the complaint, and you may lose your right to object to anything that is or may be incorrect in the complaint. A judgment may be enforced as provided by law. A judgment awarding money may become a lien against any real estate you own now or in the future, and may also be enforced by garnishment or seizure of property.

Dated this 10th day of February, 2023.

MUDGE, PORTER, LUNDEEN & SEGUIN, S.C.

Attorneys for Plaintiffs

By: Barry C. Lundeen State Bar No. 1011860 Barry.lundeen@mpl-s.com

110 Second Street P.O. Box 469 Hudson, WI 54016 (715) 386-3200

Publish:

February 16 & 23 and March 2, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 23-CP-09-P

DIVISION: UPPER KEYS IN RE: ESTATE OF GEORGE M. FRERICHS Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of George M. Frerichs, deceased, whose date of death was December 7, 2022, is pending in the Circuit Court for MONROE County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88870 Overseas Highway, Tavernier, Florida 33070. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and

other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with 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: February 16, 2023.

Personal Representative:

Carl Frerichs 9229 Babbit Way Charlotte, North Carolina 28216

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: February 16 & 23, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers IN THE COUNTY COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA DIVISION: PROBATE

Full time position, starting March 1. Responsible for program development, coordinating presentations, media relations and traveling exhibits. Must have excellent writing and public speaking skills. Knowledge of graphic design programs helpful. $45K annual salary. Keys History & Discovery Center 82100 Overseas Hwy. Located on the property of the Islander Resort. For more information, email vivian@keysdiscovery.com

CROSSWORD

LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES

STATE OF FLORIDA

FILE NO.: 44-2022-CP-000366A001-KW

IN RE: THE ESTATE OF JUDITH LYNNE SMITH, a/k/a JUDITH L. SMITH

Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of JUDITH LYNNE SMITH a/k/a

JUDITH L. SMITH, deceased, whose date of death was April 18, 2022, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 302 Fleming Street, Key West, FL 33040. The names and addresses of the personal representative and her attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against the 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 the 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. NOT WITHSTANDING 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 February 16, 2023.

Signed on this 8th day of February, 2023.

Personal Representative:

KAREN L. SMITH

256 Horseneck Road

Westport, MA 02790

Attorney for Personal

Representative:

DARAH L. SCHOFIELD

Marshall Law Offices, Ltd Florida Bar No. 109259

300 Centerville Road, Suite 204W Warwick, RI 02886 Telephone: 401-732-8070 / Fax”

401-732-8073

Primary Email: Darah@jmarshalllaw.com

Secondary Email: Kristin@ jmarshall-law.com

Publish:

February 16 & 23, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 23-DR-98-K

DIVISION: FAMILY IN RE: THE MARRIAGE OF:

PETAGAY MEGAN STRONG, Petitioner, and, TRAVIANCE MARQUIS STRONG, Respondent.

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

TO: TRAVIANCE MARQUIS STRONG

LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: 2729 FLINTLOCK PLACE, EAUSTELL, GA

30106

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 PETAGAY MEGAN

STRONG, whose address is 3930

S. ROOSEVELT BLVD., APT 414W, KEY WEST, FL 33040 on or before March 27, 2023, 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: February 15, 2023

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

By: Marissa Lockwood Deputy

Clerk

Publish:

February 23, March 2, 9 & 16, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

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

AUTOS FOR SALE

Place your AUTO FOR SALE ad here for $25.00/week for up to 5 lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today!

2003 Mustang GT Convertible, Manual 5 Speed, Metallic Grey, 40,000 miles, Great Condition, $16,500. Located in Marathon. Call 305-481-3067

BOAT SLIP FOR RENT

Place your BOAT SLIP FOR RENT ad here for $25.00/week for up to 5 lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today!

BOAT SLIP FOR RENT

Boat Dockage for rent in Marathon. Private bay bottom, up to 40' boat, self containing, offshore water, car & dingy parking provided. $20/foot. 305-928-9057

BOATS FOR SALE

THREE (3) BOATS FOR FREE in Marathon: Regal 35', and two Bayliners 25'. FOR SALE: Pontoon 25' for $500.00 305-610-8002

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

TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION (T&D) PROJECT ENGINEER

Starting pay rate for this position, depending on qualifications and experience: $103,172/annually$106,061/annually.

D’Asign Source is seeking the following professionals. Overtime and benefits are available. For full details & additional openings, please visit DAsignSource.com/careers

Architects

We have openings for Intern Architects, Emerging Professionals, and Production Architects. Experience in High End Residential design is a plus.

Interior Designer

Apply knowledge & creative skills to projects at our high-end design center. Must possess an interior design background and history of achievement in quality projects.

Junior Interior Designer

1+ year experience with basic interior architecture detailing. Strong knowledge of AutoCAD, Revit, and 20/20 a plus.

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, Florida, is accepting applications for the following position in its Transmission & Distribution Department:

SUBSTATION ELECTRICIAN

Starting pay rate for this position, depending on quali cations and experience: $38.43/hr. - $43.04/hr.

For more information, including job duties and required quali cations, 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 lled.

Keys Energy Services, in Key West, Florida, is accepting applications for the following position in its Transmission & Distribution Department:

SCADA/RELAY TECHNICIAN

LOT FOR RENT

Commercial lot for storage of construction eqpt., lawn eqpt., etc. available for long term lease in Marathon. Approx 100’ x 100’, fenced with lockable gate. $2,000/ mo. First, last and $1,000 security. Email: sagonje@gmail.com

EMPLOYMENT

Boat rental company in Marathon needs an Outboard Mechanic. Some general marina work, and boat experience a plus. Call 305-481-7006

City of Marathon

Current Job Openings: WW Operator/Controls Trainee, Utilities Maintenance, and Right of Way Technician. Full Benefits. EOE Please see City website for details www.ci.marathon.fl.us

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

Starting pay rate for this position, depending on quali cations and experience: $30.64/hr. - $34.32/hr. For more information, including job duties and required quali cations, 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 lled.

EXPERIENCED ELECTRICIANS AND HELPERS NEEDED

Experience is required. Must have a valid driver’s license. We offer 401K, medical insurance, paid holidays and paid vacation. Positions available in Key West and Marathon. 305-292-3369

NOW HIRING

DIVE INSTRUCTOR TOUCH TANK ATTENDANT GUEST SERVICES MARKETING COORDINATOR

PART-TIME LAWN MAINTENANCE

Please contact April at 305.407.3262 or april@floridakeysaquariumencounters.com for more information.

11710 OVERSEAS HWY, MARATHON Apply

EMPLOYMENT

WANTED - Handyman & Fishing companion - Marathon area. 305-481-7544

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

The Housing Authority of the City of Key West now hiring the following positions: HCV Specialist, Maintenance Mechanic (Maintenance Worker), Med Tech, Resident Activities Coordinator, Grounds Caretaker. To apply, please contact Human Resources at:

EMPLOYMENT

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.

The Cabana Club, an ocean front private swim club is seeking a Customer-Service Oriented Server for the pool deck, beach and/ or bar lounge. Open year round, 10am-7pm daily. 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.

The Cabana Club, an ocean front private swim club is seeking a Part-Time Line Cook. Open year round, 10am-7pm daily. Small friendly staff. Hourly pay commensurate with experience. Apply in person at 425 E. Ocean Dr. Key Colony Beach or call 404-2193359 and ask for Dave.

HOBBIES/COLLECT. EMPLOYMENT

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

Place your EMPLOYMENT ad here for $25. 00 /week for up to 5 lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today!

HOBBIES/COLLECT.

BASEBALL AND SPORTS MEMORABILIA WANTED. Private collector buying sports cards, old programs, pennants, autographs, photographs, ticket stubs, bobbin’ head dolls, etc. Call Alan 503-481-0719

Place your HOBBIES/ COLLECTABLES ad here for $25.00/week for up to 5 lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today!

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

Place your HOBBIES/ COLLECTABLES ad here for $25.00/week for up to 5 lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today!

HOUSING FOR RENT

2 Bedroom 1 Bath in Marathon. Tile, carpet, appliances, gated property. No pets. $2500/mo. + water & sewer. Electric included. Available March. 305-610-8002

HOUSING FOR RENT

LONG TERM 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 for $25.00/week for up to 5 lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today!

RV FOR SALE

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER IS HIRING

Dolphin Research Center has Full-Time/Part-Time, Permanent/Temporary Gift Shop positions that involve direct contact with our visitors & is another opportunity to ensure they leave DRC with a happy & positive experience. Some of the duties involve; being familiar with all merchandise in the selling area, suggest specific merchandise & offer product advise. Job description available at www.dolphins.org. E-mail your resume and a DRC application to drc-hr@dolphins.org. EOE

58901 O/S Hwy - Grassy Key, FL Teaching... Learning... Caring

NOW HIRING IN ISLAMORADA

PART TIME MORNING DOCKHANDS

BOAT RENTAL STAFF

FLEXIBLE HOURS & COMPETITIVE WAGES

DOCKHAND DUTIES include customer service, helping customers with bait and ice and helping cashiers with restocking.

BOAT RENTAL APPLICANTS need to have experience driving boats and a working knowledge of the Islamorada area by water. Duties include taking reservations, giving captains lessons and routine boat maintenance.

Applicants can email Ma at eliteboatrentalsma @gmail.com. Please include contact information and any relevant experience.

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

RV SITE FOR RENT

RV Site for rent in Marathon. Up to 35', private gated property. $1.500/mo + utilities. Dockage availableinquire for price. 305-928-9057

Place your RV SITE FOR RENT ad here for $25.00/week for up to 5 lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today!

YARD SALES

Place your YARD SALE ad here for $25.00/week for up to 5 lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today and get your stuff sold!

ONCE IN A LIFETIME

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER is a fun, environmentally friendly non-profit 501(c)(3) Corporation specializing in education, research and rescue of marine mammals. We are looking to hire a full-time VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION, responsible for the company’s financial, accounting and administrative functions. Essential duties and responsibilities include the following:

• Policy development and implementation

• Liaison with Insurance agents, bankers, audit firm, 401(k) administrator, attorneys and financial management systems

• Internal and external financial reporting

• Member of Executive Steering Committee

• Management of Human Resources, Information Technology, Retail Gift Shop and Guest Services

• Facilitation and coordination of payment reimbursements for all Grants

• Oversight of all Insurance policies

• Fixed Asset Management

• Budget Administration

• Cash Management

• Recruitment and training of accounting staff and direct report department heads

The successful applicant will possess a bachelor’s degree in business or accounting and have 8-10 years of progressively responsible experience in not-for-profit finance/accounting roles. The applicant must have excellent oral, written, analytical, interpersonal, management and organizational skills coupled with the ability to meet organizational goals, handle competing priorities, take initiative, and think creatively and strategically. CPA preferred. Must live in the area.

DRC seeks to provide for the well-being of its employees by offering a competitive total compensation package. DRC currently offers a 401k retirement plan, medical benefits with the option of adding an HSA account, paid holidays, vacation, sick and an employee assistance program. DRC also provides life and disability insurance at no cost to the employee.

To apply please send your resume to Human Resources, Attention Jeanne Welever, 58901 Overseas Hwy, Grassy Key, FL 33050, fax to 305-289-8902 or email drc-hr@dolphins.org.

GORGEOUS GARDENS

Marathon Garden Club to host annual House and Garden Tour

The Marathon Garden Club will host its annual House and Garden Tour on Saturday, March 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring four unique homes and gardens plus one exceptional garden with live music. Tickets are $35 and may be purchased at the Garden Club at 5270 Overseas Highway between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday to Friday, from the Marathon Chamber of Commerce, at DK’s Beach Boutique on Sadowski Causeway or online at eventbrite.com by searching “Marathon Garden Club.”

More information is at 305-7434971 or marathongardenclub.org. Ahead of the event, a few stops on the tour invite readers of the Keys Weekly to take a peek into their stunning homes.

— Contributed

“Being native Floridians, we have always loved the Keys. We have lived on Duck Key for over 14 years and decided to make the leap to purchase our beautiful oceanfront property in 2018. With the help of D'Asign Source, we made our dream home a reality. Always aware that the breakwater in front of our home is truly the protector of our property, we couldn't think of a better name for our home –Breakwater.

“Our home transports us to an instant vacation as soon as we arrive and we couldn't be happier or more relaxed. With a large family and many friends, this house is perfect for entertaining and allows us to share the beauty of the Florida Keys with those we care about.

“As people walk through our home and property, we hope they get the same feeling of being welcomed to a place that instantly puts you at ease and into a vacation state of mind.”

JACKIE SPARBER

13 Ocean Dr. East, Marathon

“Our love of the ocean, scuba diving and the Florida Keys lifestyle brought us here over 30 years ago. My little piece of paradise reflects my love of the ocean and all the breathtaking things nature has to offer.

“As you tour my garden and home, I wish to share with you relics that I cherish and have collected through a lifetime of travel, my love of gardening, and the spectacular views of the ocean. These ocean views can be witnessed and enjoyed from all of the rooms in our home including the two cabana guest rooms.

“We call our house and gardens affectionately the ‘hidden forest house.’ For seven years we walked our dog past the house and gardens and wished we could go in, walk the paths and sit in the gazebo. One day, the house was for sale, and soon ours! We immediately fell in love with the house and grounds and have spent the past two years renovating and planting. Through the guidance and inspiration of the Marathon Garden Club we achieved Monarch status and enjoy all types of butterflies roaming our plants and gardens.”

“What I enjoy most about our home is when I can share it and my love of the Florida Keys lifestyle with family and friends.”

STEVE & STEPHANIE STRONG 310 Ixora St., Duck Key

RON & LAURIE OESTREICHER

318 Fern St., Duck Key

All photos contributed by homeowners.

Tired of your boring job?

Looking for an exciting new challenge?

If so, we are offering an opportunity to join our team in a very fast paced, exciting and dynamic role that is structured with details varying on each project.

Dynasty Marine Associates, Inc. www.dynastymarine.net

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

OFFICE ASSISTANT FULLTIME

Duties to include invoice and inventory entry, booking airline shipments, creating and filing paperwork for international shipments, scheduling inspections needed for international shipments, customer communication and tracking, creating and maintaining customer accounts and some customer service.

Must be proficient in Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel. This position requires high attention to detail and the ability to multitask. Compensation will be dependent on experience with performance-based incentive program.

Benefits package including vacation, sick days, holidays and 401K PSP retirement plan. Please send cover letter and resume to sales@dynastymarine.net for consideration. No phone calls please.

Oceanside Safari Restaurant & Lounge in Islamorada is getting ready for a GRAND OPENING and we're looking to hire for all restaurant positions!

Open interviews Monday – Friday from 11am to 4pm at Oceanside Safari. Located at MM 73.5 right on the ocean at Caloosa Cove Marina, 73814 Overseas Highway, Islamorada.

HIRING: FOH: HOSTS, SERVERS, BARTENDERS, BUSSERS, RUNNERS. BOH: LINE COOKS, PREP COOKS, DISHWASHERS.

Great pay, benefits and perks. We offer a stable 40 hrs-per-week to our hourly employees, and more hours if you want! Part-time positions available if you are looking for a second job, or after-school job.

We also offer a $1,000 Sign-On Bonus to all new hires, and a $500 Referral Bonus for employees who help us build up our team!

No Inglés. No Problema. Lo importante es que trabajes bien. Pa gen angle. Pa gen pwoblèm.

Tout sa ki enpòtan se ke ou travay byen.

We are re-opening as a brand new full-service restaurant & bar, with a full kitchen with all brand new equipment, a beautiful bar, indoor and outdoor seating, and a beachfront lounge on our own private beach. We’re currently in the final stages of renovation of the building and property, and we’re planning on opening the end of February. We need to start assembling and training our team now! Come join us!

**We are an Equal Opportunity Employer**

Oceanside Safari Restaurant & Lounge, 786-626-6124 73814 Overseas Highway, Islamorada, FL 33036

Key West Engineering Technician

Middle Keys Journeyman Electrician

Middle Keys Distribution Systems Operator D

Middle Keys Wastewater Maintenance Mechanic C

Middle Keys Wastewater Pump Technician

Duck Key Wastewater Treatment Operator

Upper Keys Temporary Distribution Systems Operator D

Benefit package and salary is extremely competitive!  See Job description, salary and on-line application at www. aa.com/employment EEO, VPE, ADA, DFWP

THE FLORIDA KEYS AQUEDUCT AUTHORITY IS LOOKING TO FILL POSITIONS THROUGHOUT THE KEYS

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER

IS HIRING!

16th Judicial Circuit is hiring

MALE LABORATORY TECHNICIAN

(GENDER SPECIFIC DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE JOB)

The 16th Judicial Circuit is seeking applicants for a Full-time Male Laboratory Technician in KEY WEST.

The primary functions of this position include the observation and collection of urine samples, data input, analyzer maintenance, and analysis of client samples.

Salary is $35,000 annually, plus Monroe County benefit package. See complete job description at www.Keyscourts.net.

Interested applicants should submit a resume, cover letter and State of Florida Application to Personnel@Keyscourts.net or Personnel, 302 Fleming Street, Key West, Florida 33040. State of Florida applications can be found at www.Keyscourts.net.

The successful applicant will be required to pass a complete background check. Applications are being accepted until position is filled. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, age, disability or sexual orientation. EOE. If you need an accommodation to participate in the application/selection process, please notify us in at advance at 305-292-3423; to make call through the Florida Relay Center, you can dial 7-1-1.

THEME: U.S. PRESIDENTS

ACROSS

1. Biased perspective

6. Male sibs

10. Monday Night Football audience

14. Tapiridae representative

THE GUIDANCE/CARE CENTER, Inc. IS HIRING!

GCC offers excellent benefits for full-time employment, but we realize some would prefer part-time to enjoy the Florida Keys lifestyle more. All positions can be considered for full or part-time unless notated. Apply at westcare.com and enter your availability.

KEY LARGO

Behavioral Health Counselor (Children) Crisis Counselor

KEY WEST

Behavioral Health Therapist (Child, Adult) Care Coordinator

Behavioral Health Counselor (Children) Crisis Counselor

Case Managers (Adult, Forensic, Children)

*Advocate (PT only)

MARATHON

Prevention Specialist (or KW) Admissions Utilization Specialist

Care Coordinator

Behavioral Health Therapist (Child, Adult)

RNs and LPNs - 3 shifts (also Per Diem) Maintenance Specialist

*Behavioral Health Technicians

3 shifts (also Per Diem)

*Support Worker – Assisted Living (PT only)

*No experience required for these positions. Will train. A caring heart & helpful hands required.

15. Rock opera version of “La BohËme”

16. Object of worship

17. Opposite of alpha

18. ____ Spumante

19. Novice

20. *Unanimously elected President

22. Gusto

23. Eggy drink

24. Jig music, pl.

26. Stashed in a hold

30. Penniless

32. Wood turning device

33. Toll payment, e.g.

34. Not slouching

38. Like nay-sayers

39. Of many years

40. Malaria symptom

41. Instagram post

43. River, in Spanish

44. Bell-bottoms bottom

45. Dodge

47. Unexpected

48. The Cat in the Hat’s headgear (2 words)

51. Campbell’s container

52. International Civil Aviation Organization

53. *President Hayes’ first name

60. “Through” in a text?

61. Pelvic bones

62. Plural of #54 Down

63. Andrew Sean Greer’s 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner

64. Reverse action

65. Mother-of-pearl

66. *Lake off Ohio, the state known as “the Mother of Presidents”

67. Baseball’s “The Say Hey Kid”

68. Navigate

DOWN

1. *Present tense of #26 Across

2. Tibetan priest

3. “Singes” in “La PlanËte des singes”

4. Nearly

5. Apprentice

6. Name on apple cider vinegar bottle

7. R in R&R

8. Cognizant of

9. “Sophie’s Choice” protagonist

10. *F in JFK

11. Bye, to Emmanuel Macron

12. Relating to Scandinavia

13. Casino bandits

21. Sign of assent

25. *Civil Rights Act of 1957 signer

26. Dueler’s blow

27. Hyperbolic tangent

28. Football great Graham

29. *Executive Mansion, colloquially (2 words)

30. Misrepresent

31. Make over

33. *One of four presidents to have never been elected

35. “Goodness gracious!”

36. “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” band, The ____

37. High school student, usually

42. Spermatozoa counterparts

44. Not marathons, pl. (2 words)

46. Central court in domus

47. Certain frat house letters 48. Ownership document

Autumn color 50. Zoroaster follower

Pandemonium

Elbow-wrist connection

a slob

certain Stanley

choice

February 25th 10K/5K A BENEFIT FOR KAIR