AQUA NIGHTCLUB HAS NEW OWNERS

JONATHAN & MICHAEL BARRETT BUY COMPLEX FROM MICHAEL INGRAM

Affordable housing in Key West? Those words might elicit a chuckle as an oxymoron for those who have lived on the island for more than 15 minutes.

Yet, the city is trying to meet the vital need for workforce housing. On Tuesday, May 23, a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Garden View apartments on Stock Island’s College Road will mark progress in the efforts to provide local residences for low- and middle-income residents of Key West and the Lower Keys.

“And then we’re hoping to start moving people in the next day, on May 24,” Randy Sterling, Key West Housing Authority director, told the Keys Weekly on May 15.

The $21-million, 66,000-square-foot project broke ground in 2019 and was funded by the Key West Housing Authority and built by local contractors Keystar Construction and Gulf Building. The 103 apartments are all one-bedroom, one-bath (each with a private balcony).

They will be occupied by people who applied and qualified or joined the KWHA’s waitlist late last year.

Ninety-two of the units are for lowincome residents, who will pay $1,321 per month. Eleven units for extremely lowincome residents will cost $264 per month, Sterling said. Of those 11, six are reserved for residents with special needs who will be referred by social service agencies.

“We had 650 applications for 103 units,” Sterling said, commending his staff for poring through and validating hundreds of income eligibility forms and applications.

The scramble for spots on the Garden View apartments’ housing list left a few members of the Facebook group Key West Locals with plenty to grumble about: “So, affordable is based on Key West rent, but salaries in Key West are not based on the rent. Actually we have some of the lowest (wages) in the state. That’s not ‘affordable,’” posted Julie Provey in the public forum.

Others, who secured a rental lease there or mentioned an acquaintance who had done so, lauded the city’s efforts: “I have a friend who (was) on the waiting list for a while. Finally she is getting in and can’t be more thrilled,” commented Jeff Stateler.

The cost of buying a home or renting an apartment in Florida has risen faster than in most other states in the past decade. In March of this year, lawmakers in Tallahassee acknowledged the woeful lack of affordable housing in the state by passing a $711-million plan to incentivize new building projects, including offering tax breaks and interest-free loans to eligible residents.

This dramatic shrinking of affordable rental options, which are often converted to more profitable vacation rentals, has left some Floridians — the Keys being no exception — paying rent that equals 30% or more of their income. Housing is considered affordable when it costs less than 30% of a family’s gross income, a formula the city of Key West says it used to calculate rent payments in the case of the Garden View development.

The new Garden View apartment complex is located at 5220-5224 College Road on Stock Island. The ribbon-cutting will take place at 10 a.m. on May 23.

MANDY MILES

One of Key West’s biggest entertainment complexes and drag cabarets has been sold to new owners.

Jonathan and Michael Barrett purchased Aquaplex, 711 Duval St., which includes Aqua Nightclub, 22&Co. bar, and Poke in the Rear, from Key West architect Michael Ingram, who has owned it for more than a decade.

“Michael and some friends brought me to Key West for the first time about 15 years ago, and on that trip, my firstever drag show was at Aqua,” Jonathan Barrett said. “So when some mutual friends mentioned that Michael Ingram was looking to sell, but wanted to keep its drag bar tradition, we were in.”

Ingram purchased the property from former owner Jill McDonald, who had converted the old Divas into Aqua.

“I’m 79 years old, and decided it was time for fresh ideas and new vision,” Ingram told the Keys Weekly on May 15. “Jon and Michael are wonderful people with great plans for the complex.”

Grant Poitier is an Aquaplex tenant who owns Poke in the Rear. His wife Jenn Stefanacci owns the adjacent 22&Co. Bar. Poitier said he has met with the Barretts and couldn’t be happier to be working with them.

“They’re great guys,” Poitier said. “They’ve owned about 109 Taco Bell restaurants around the Buffalo, Pennsylvania and Ohio area. They love Key West. They have a house here, and want to build a business. We’re really excited to work with them and they’re excited to do some upgrades. Our customers, friends and visitors should expect only good change to come from this.”