TAKE ME HOME

Florida Keys SPCA

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.

TUX

2-month-old male domestic shorthair.

Looking for: A place to grow up and play.

Turnoffs: Nothing at all.

JETHRO

3-year-old male domestic shorthair. Looking for: Someone to notice me.

Turnoffs: Being passed up because I’m not a kitten.

Briefly

Floodplain workshop to address downstairs enclosures on April 6

The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will hold a workshop on Thursday, April 6 at 10 a.m. at the Marathon Government Center to reexamine certain provisions in the FEMA-required floodplain ordinance. The ordinance was adopted in November 2022 and became effective on March 7, 2023. The public, including construction and real estate industry members, are invited to provide input on potential changes to the ordinance, including updates to the regulation of downstairs enclosures below base flood elevation, and continuation of the requirement that enclosures are inspected when there is a transfer of ownership. The BOCC also approved a resolution limiting liability for home sellers and buyers through Sept. 1, 2023 that may be affected by the ordinance. The building department is updating procedures for the required inspections of downstairs enclosures to integrate with the county’s new online permitting system.

Three men arrested

In Marathon drug bust

A litany of drugs were found and three Marathon men were arrested following the search of a residence on March 30, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team and Special Operations Unit detectives as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection members searched a residence on 109th Street Gulf.

Justin Andrew Kornetti, 30, was charged with trafficking in fentanyl, possession of a controlled substance, possession of amphetamine, possession of synthetic cannabinoids, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Antoine James Freeman, 31, was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana. Thomas Lester Lee, 62, was charged with possession of fentanyl and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the following narcotics were found throughout the residence: 4.5 grams of Fentanyl, 10 dosage units of buprenorphine strips, 0.5 grams of amphetamine/MDMA, three dosage units of lorazepam, three dosage units of flexeril, two cartridges of synthetic cannabinoid, 2.2 grams of cocaine and 2.7 grams of marijuana.

A fourth person was found sleeping in a van outside the residence on the property. That person was not arrested.

Keys Watercolor Society opens scholarship applications

The Florida Keys Watercolor Society will award a $250 scholarship to a Monroe County graduating senior pursuing a higher education degree in visual arts. The deadline to apply is Sunday, April 30. Please Contact FKWCS scholarship chair Peter Turner at psterlingtri@gmail.com or 305-8575746.

Anne McKee Artists Fund grant applications are open

The Anne McKee Artists Fund is offering grant opportunities to individual visual, performing and literary artists who reside in Key West and the Florida Keys. The fund was created to give project-based assistance to individual artists. Grants are awarded on the basis of financial need and/or to promote recognition of emerging talent. Other factors considered are a history of dedication and excellence in the applicant’s area of expertise and their commitment and involvement in the cultural community of Key West and the Florida Keys. The original Anne McKee Fund artist grant awards up to $2,000 per artist for as many as 20 artists for project-based work. In addition, there are three youth-based scholarships, with categories for age 14 and over and 14 and under, as well as the John McIntosh Student Grant for Artistic Advancement. An application and details can be found at McKeeFund. org or by emailing McKeeFund@gmail. com. Submission deadline is April 14.

Cultural Umbrella funding available through Arts Council

The Florida Keys Council of the Arts has announced that the application for Tourist Development Council Cultural Umbrella funding is now available. Funding amounts will be $25,000, $30,000 and $35,000. The application is at keysarts.com. Requests for an application may also be e-mailed to director@keysarts.com. Cultural Umbrella funding is used for the advertising and promotion of cultural events taking place between Oct. 1, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2024. Organizations intending to apply for Cultural Umbrella funding are strongly encouraged to attend one of the free workshops on the application and the media/marketing procedures being offered via Zoom. Please register in advance by contacting the arts council office at 305-295-4369 or director@keysarts.com. Workshops are Tuesday, April 11 at 4 p.m. and Wednesday, April 12 at 10 a.m. The deadline for submitting the application is Wednesday, April 26 at 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.keysarts. com.