CONCERT, HISTORY AND DRONE SHOW LAUNCH KEYS’ BICENTENNIAL

Events Take Place In Key West On March 25

Florida Keys visitors and residents can celebrate the bicentennial of the subtropical island chain throughout 2023, starting with the “200 Years of Paradise Kick-off Concert” that includes a drone fireworks show on Saturday, March 25, in Key West.

The concert and other activities salute the 200th anniversary of the Florida legislature’s founding of Monroe County, which contains the entire Florida Keys, on July 3, 1823. From Key Largo to Key West, events in the coming months are to recognize the historic anniversary and recall the Keys’ two centuries of rich and vibrant history.

The festivities begin at 6 p.m. on March 25 at Key West’s Coffee Butler Amphitheater in Truman Waterfront Park with a program combining live music, Keys history presentations and drone “fireworks.” Gates open at 5 p.m. and admission is free.

Popular local musician Nick Norman will open the celebration, followed by a welcome and commentary by local leaders. At 7:15 p.m., regional trop-rock musician Howard Livingston will take the stage to perform his signature Keys-inspired tunes. Livingston’s sets will alternate with segments of South Florida PBS’ documentary, “The Florida Keys: 200 Years of Paradise,” that chronicles the dramatic history of the island chain.

A drone “fireworks” display will cap the evening’s attractions. Plans call for 250 drones to illuminate the sky over Truman Waterfront Park with imagery highlighting the Keys and their bicentennial.

“The Florida Keys that our visitors and residents experience today are built on our unique and intriguing history, and that’s what we’re celebrating with the kick-off event and throughout our bicentennial year,” said Craig Cates, mayor of Monroe County and a fifth-generation Keys resident. “We invite everyone who loves the Keys to join us in commemorating this milestone.”

Additional Events

Subsequent 200th anniversary celebrations include Naval Air Station Key West’s Southernmost Air Spectacular, an April 15-16 weekend air show starring the famed Blue Angels and honoring two centuries of the U.S. Navy’s presence in Key West; a sea-to-table dinner set for Saturday, June 10, in Islamorada highlighting the island chain’s local chefs, fishing captains, artists and coral restoration initiatives; and Bicentennial Day festivities and fireworks Monday, July 3, in the Lower Keys, featuring the creation of the world’s largest Key lime pie. In addition, museum exhibits around the Keys, annual festivals and the Florida Keys Council of the Arts’ 300-canvas “Connections Project” mosaic mural are themed to celebrate the historic bicentennial and the Keys’ multifaceted heritage. More information is at fla-keys. com/keys200.

— Contributed

Pressing issues facing the Florida Keys community and natural environment will have another spotlight on the national stage as Leadership Monroe County (LMC)’s Class XXX – “Leaders Gone Wild” – prepares to visit the nation’s capital on an advocacy and education mission during sessions of the U.S. House and Senate next week.

The 10-member delegation has thus far secured meetings with U.S. Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio; U.S. Representatives Carlos Gimenez, John H. Rutherford, Jared Moskowitz and Mario DiazBalart; and staff from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Capitol Police.

Tours of the capitol building and Library of Congress, along with an invitation to join Florida’s delegation at the Florida House on Capitol Hill, will complete the three-day journey.

Inspired by the wildly successful annual Florida Keys Day in Tallahassee – the brainchild of LMC Class XVII – Class XXX chose to establish the education and advocacy trip as its project, an annual requirement for each graduating class in Leadership Monroe County. Topics on the agenda for various meetings include sea level rise, Everglades restoration, coral reef protection, affordable housing mechanisms, insurance and disaster relief concerns, and infrastructure hardening and replacement initiatives.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the response we’ve received so far from legislators and critical agencies,” said Monroe County Project Management Director and LMC class member Cary Knight. “Grassroots advocacy with trips such as these allows our representatives to examine these critical issues through a different lens as they have honest, thoughtful discussions with Keys community leaders.”

“We’re very excited and supportive of this endeavor,” said Chuck Licis-Masson, LMC board president. “Taking Florida Keys Day to Washington D.C. will allow this class to make vital connections with the lawmakers who have such a crucial impact on our community.”

“Class XXX has it all by going forward with their bold class project,” added program coordinator Michael Shields.

Established in 1992, Leadership Monroe County is an educational nonprofit community leadership organization developed to address the rapidly changing needs and concerns of the county, develop a group of well-educated leaders, help guide the community in a positive direction and foster county-wide effective and nonpartisan alliances. Through a series of single or multi-day sessions over seven months, participants examine the fundamental public and private segments throughout the county. These unique experiences help participants grow as Monroe County residents and leaders as well as provide invaluable connections among other leaders across the county.