Key West Weekly 23-0706

UPGRADE YOUR DREAMS

Introducing Blue Water Lagoon, a stunning 2.33-acre property that embodies coastal luxury and offers an exceptional waterfront lifestyle. The grand Chicago brick paved driveway guides you to this remarkable property, surrounded by meticulously landscaped grounds. Indulge in the exclusive private marina, featuring dockage and outstanding amenities like a 25,000 lb boat lift, a 16,000 lb boat lift, and two extra boat slips. Boating enthusiasts will appreciate the additional allure of a boat ramp, old boat house area, and sea wall boat space. Enjoy the picturesque view of the iconic American Shoal lighthouse and revel in the serenity of your own private beach. Entertain guests from your oversized outdoor cabana bar and relax in the zero-entry pool. A recently rebuilt wood observation deck provides a perfect spot to soak in the coastal splendor. The open kitchen boasts custom cabinetry and top-of-the-line Viking appliances. This residence was the site of the feature film ''True Lies,'' adding a touch of Hollywood glamour to the property. Blue Water Lagoon offers a total of six bedrooms with three located downstairs. Two of these bedrooms share a convenient Jack and Jill bathroom, while the third bedroom features an en-suite bathroom. Additionally, a maid's quarters equipped with an ice maker, deep freezer, and laundry facilities add an extra layer of convenience. Upstairs you'll find three more bedrooms. The primary suite offers an en-suite bathroom and the other two bedrooms with a Jack and Jill bathroom plus a half bathroom. The luxurious primary suite features a glam room and a private bathroom with a shower and soaking tub. It boasts a one car garage, lockers for convenience and a whole-house generator.

SUGARLOAF KEY | $7,995,000 | Listing ID: 605640

5450 MacDonald Ave. No.5 Key West, FL 33040 Office: 305.453.6928

www.keysweekly.com

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Advertising Deadline Tuesday 2 p.m.

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

That’s the estimated number of hot dogs consumed by Americans on the Fourth of July. Their popularity may predate the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest that started more than 100 years ago on Coney Island, New York.

LAW OF THE LAND 150M

PERMITLESS CARRY & OTHER MEASURES TAKE EFFECT IN FLORIDA

JIM McCARTHY jim@keysweekly.com

Apacked Florida legislative session yielded a little more than 200 new laws which took effect this month.

In 60 days, the Republican-controlled legislature passed a number of measures targeting immigration, education, public safety and affordable housing, to name a few. Those bills were signed into law by 2024 presidential hopeful and Gov. Ron DeSantis before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.

Among the contentious items passed and signed into law was legislation allowing a person to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. The bill passed through the Florida House and Senate during session. It was signed by DeSantis on April 3. Those carrying a concealed gun may not need a permit, but they must have valid identification on them at all times in the event a law enforcement officer requests it. And they can’t carry a weapon in schools, government facilities and businesses that don’t allow guns on their property.

Out-of-state residents can also carry a gun without a concealedcarry permit in Florida, so long as they’re a U.S. citizen and 21 years of age or older.

For people who are serious about carrying a concealed weapon, Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay recommends that they take a gun safety class.

“It’s important that you’re familiar with your gun. It’s also important to understand when you can legally use a gun, the Stand Your Ground law and where you can and can’t go with a gun,” he said. “The one thing I don’t like about this new law is that it takes away the educational portion.”

Ramsay added that law enforcement will likely encounter more people with concealed firearms on them — a concern for the safety of deputies. While Ramsay said he’s trying to keep an open mind, there’s concern that people will lack proficiency and familiarity with a gun.

“Sometimes it can be more dangerous if you’re not familiar with your gun. It’s more likely the gun can be taken and used against you,” Ramsay said. “If you carry a gun, it’s important you go to the range and shoot on some regular basis because shooting is a motor skill. If you don’t do it, you lose it.”

Florida became the 26th state that allows people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. Laws are still in place, however, that prohibit a person who’s not in law enforcement, the military or engaged in activities such as hunting from openly carrying a firearm.

Giffords Florida, the gun violence prevention organization led by former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords,

called the new law “reckless,” as it will allow anyone to carry a gun in public without a background check or training.

“Instead of trying to enact policy to keep Floridians safe, Governor DeSantis shoved through a reckless permitless carry law that will allow almost anyone with a gun to carry in public, to please the gun lobby and help his presidential bid. He has failed our state and our children,” said Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, former Congresswoman and Florida senior advisor for Giffords Florida.

A new law is targeting undocumented migrants in Florida in a bid to counteract what DeSantis has called a “Biden Border Crisis.” As of July 1, private employers with 25 or more workers must verify that their new, permanent employees are authorized to work in the U.S. through the E-Verify system. For those who fail to use the system to verify employment eligibility and don’t comply

continued on page 18

Gov. Ron DeSantis signs an immigration bill during a gathering in Jacksonville in May. GOVERNOR’S OFFICE/Contributed

Michael Greenberg, second baseman for the Key West Conchs, makes the Keys Weekly’s 2023 All-Keys Baseball Team. See page 12. ELLA HALL/Keys Weekly

So you’re trying to save money because living in the Keys isn’t cheap. And it’s what passes for an off season around here. But you’re not a big reader so maybe you think the public library isn’t for you. Good news: The Monroe County Public Library has got a lot more to offer and it’s available to you — FOR FREE — with a Monroe County Public Library card.

Are you cutting back on streaming services? Consider adding the Kanopy app. Its 30,000 films and television shows include the Criterion Collection and art documentaries but it’s not all high-end stuff. “Hoarders” is on there. And while you’re limited to 12 plays a month with your library card, you get unlimited plays from the extensive collection of Kanopy Kids content. When you need to park the kids in front of something fun while you get stuff done, this is a lifesaver.

Taking a trip and want to learn a new language? Or do you know someone who’s learning English? Through the Mango app, you can access 70 different language courses. This includes almost anything you’d need to prepare for a trip – as well as English as a second language with courses tailored to the language you already speak (like Spanish, Kreyol, or Russian). Once you set up your Mango account, you can add up to five other people and they don’t have to have library cards.

COUNTY LIBRARY OFFERS WAY MORE THAN BOOKS

FREE STREAMING, LANGUAGE LESSONS, LEGAL DOCS & MORE NOW AVAILABLE

Need a simple legal form but don’t have the money for a lawyer or know where to start? Check out Law Depot. You can make a will, business agreement, lease, medical directive, power of attorney and lots more. The site provides step-by-step guidance so you won’t be navigating this on your own, or you’ll know when you do need to get expert help.

Want to brush up on some professional skills or just learn something new for fun? LinkedIn Learning delivers more than 16,000 courses you can take at your own pace and convenience. This includes business, technology and creative endeavors. Learn time management, brush up your software skills (including certifications) or explore graphic design, photography, music, writing and lots more.

Do you like reading the New York Times but hate running into the paywall? If you’re at the library on our wifi, you get free access. You can also activate 24 hours of digital access from home, using your library card. And you can read lots of publications – like National Geographic, the Atlantic and the Washington Post – through the Florida Electronic Library.

Want to do some research into your family history, but can’t afford a subscription service? We have library editions of Ancestry.com and FamilySearch that you can use when you’re at the library on our wifi.

Need to use a computer or print something out? If you don’t have a laptop (or don’t have it with you), you can borrow one to use in the library for up to two hours. And printing here is 10 cents a page, including color printing. You can also print from any device, including your phone. You can even send a print job from home, then come to the library and get it. These tech and printing services, by the way, don’t require a library card.

If you’re sending a lot of money Amazon’s way to pay for e-books or Audible, you should definitely check out Libby. That’s the easy-to-use app where you can get our extensive collection of digital books and audiobooks. We have almost 20,000 titles including bestsellers and backlists, almost any genre you can think of, for kids, young adults and adults.

Wondering how to get a library card?

Stop by your local branch. We are in Key West, Big Pine Key, Marathon, Islamorada and Key Largo. Cards are available to all Monroe County residents and property owners and anyone with a military ID. If you want to get going with our online offerings right away, you can sign up online – you just need to come to the library within three months to verify your card.

All this information, and more, is available on our website, keyslibraries.org. If you have any questions, you can call any of our branches or email info@keyslibraries.org.

And if you ARE looking for a physical book (or a DVD), we are here for you! We’re even here when our doors are closed. You can request a book from any branch and we’ll send it to the one closest to you. You can also get your books and DVDs after hours from our pickup lockers at the Key Largo and Marathon branches and at Bernstein Park on Stock Island. Speaking of Bernstein Park, it’s home to one of our two Lending Machines, where you can choose from the books and DVDs that are in the machine (kind of like an Automat for the library). The other Lending Machine is at the

Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo.

Every branch of the Monroe County Public Library has a lot going on. To find out more, follow any branch on social media. You can also sign up for our new monthly email newsletters at our website.

— Contributed by Nan Klingener, community affairs manager for Monroe County Public Library

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

FORMER XC & TRACK STANDOUTS FACE OFF ON COLLEGIATE LEVEL

PEDROZA, PITCHFORD AND ZAPATA PARTICIPATE AT UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA MEET

Three Keys harriers competed at the University of North Florida East Coast Relays this spring, including Key West’s Robert Pedroza, a Conchs Class of 2020 graduate.

Pedroza traded in his crimsonand-gray singlet for the blue and gray of the University of North Florida, where he competes in cross country and track and field. Pedroza cruised to a second-place finish in the men’s 1,500m race out of a field of nearly 100. Pedroza has been gaining speed this season, especially in cross country, where he ran a season-best 8K in 24:15 and 10K in 31:00.

Pedroza had a Keys companion in his 1,500m heat in former Fin Jonathan Pitchford. Pitchford graduated from Marathon in 2021 and boasts numerous school records plus a 7 Mile Bridge Run win in 2019. Pitchford now runs for University of Florida. Pitchford did not finish the race, as he was using it as more of a primer for his upcoming championships rather than a typical competition. Pedroza and Pitchford are familiar competitors, having raced for many years against one another within the tight-knit distance running community of the Keys.

The 1,500m event was not the only one to see a Keys runner in competition. Marathon’s Pedro Zapata was also at the meet to participate in the 5K event. Zapata came to Marathon from his home in Venezuela his sophomore year and graduated from Marathon in 2022. His strong work ethic and undeniable positivity landed him an offer to run with Daytona State College.

Zapata was excited for the challenge of the competition, but looked forward most to seeing his

ADRIAN CRUZ

CONTRIBUTED

old teammate and training partner again, calling Pitchford “one of my inspirations to keep running and getting better and better.”

Pitchford said that even if he was scheduled to compete directly against Zapata or any of his former teammates, he would not enter the race with anything but camaraderie, saying, “It’s just fun to see them and catch up.”

The East Coast Relays are one of the final regular season races for many collegiate teams, which progressed to conference championships in May. Distance runners such as Pedroza, Pitchford and Zapata enjoy a quick break before cross country season training begins in early summer.

Senior, Marathon Basketball

Summertime means rest and relaxation for many kids, but not for Marathon’s Adrian Cruz. He has been spending his summer focusing on becoming the best basketball player possible in hopes of making a deep run in the playoffs during his senior year with the Dolphins. Cruz has been working consistently in the offseason, becoming a fixture in Marathon’s gym for shoot-arounds and pickup games. “He is also playing travel ball down south, improving his skills,” said coach Jim Murphy.

For his dedication to his game and his team, Marathon’s Adrian Cruz is the Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week.

Marathon’s Adrian Cruz splits defenders in a January game against Colonial Christian. BARRY GAUKEL/Keys Weekly

Former Marathon standouts Pedro Zapata, left, and Jonathan Pitchford meet up at the UNF East Coast Relays this spring. Zapata now runs for Daytona State and Pitchford runs for UF.

“Adrian is an incoming senior who has already become a strong leader this offseason. I’m looking forward to him and the other upperclassmen stepping up for the Dolphins’ program.”

— Jim Murphy, Marathon head basketball coach

TRACY MCDONALD www.keysweekly.com

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

THE 2023 KEYS WEEKLY ALL-KEYS BASEBALL TEAM

2023 was quite a year for Keys baseball. Key West powered through opponent after opponent, stacking up 22 wins with just six losses during the season. One of those losses came during their regional championship game, which they lost by a single run. Key West brought home another district championship and made it to the elite eight of Florida ball clubs. Marathon had a stellar 17-9 season, landing themselves in their conference championship game, but were not able to bring home the trophy this season. In district play, Coral Shores knocked Marathon out of contention in the first round, defeating the Fins for the second time in the Hurricanes’ 8-13 season. The ’Canes lost in round two, ending their season one win shy of a district championship.

From all of us at the Keys Weekly, congratulations to the 2023 All-Keys Baseball Team.

Barroso, whose nickname is “Lucky,” proved to be the Conchs’ good luck charm this season. He won nine games for Key West, including three shutouts and a no-hitter. In 63.2 innings pitched, Barroso fanned 73 batters and walked just 18. As if he wasn’t busy enough sending batters back to the dugout dejected, every now and then the senior stood on the other side of the plate and earned a hit this season.

Junior, Marathon Pitcher/Third Base

Marathon’s ace completed the season with a 2.93 ERA, winning six of his nine outings on the mound. Ziels struck out 129 batters in 57.1 innings pitched, the second-most Ks in the state of Florida. His prowess regularly earned him a spot on the top 10 national strikeout leaders list throughout the season. Offensively, Ziels racked up a dozen hits, including three doubles.

GABE LEAL

Sophomore, Marathon Catcher

With a .365 batting average which included 23 hits, Leal’s bat was often just what the Fins needed. Defensively, the sophomore earned a .995 fielding percentage behind the plate and turned a pair of double plays for Marathon.

Haggard’s .436 batting average was key for the Conchs this season. He scored 26 runs, batted in 30, and with four doubles and four triples in his stats, his slugging percentage stands at .563 this season. Once on base, he didn’t stay put too long, stealing 11 bases. Defensively, Haggard earned a .966 fielding percentage this year and turned three double plays, making him indispensable for Key West on both sides of the plate.

RYAN YABLON

Senior, Marathon

Pitcher/Infielder

Marathon’s most dependable hitter, Yablon had a .403 batting average, amassing 32 hits including six doubles and a homerun. He also stole 15 bases for the Fins. On the mound, he struck out 52 batters in 37.1 innings pitched.

Sophomore, Coral Shores Outfielder

Offensively, Putetti earned 22 hits including six doubles, a triple and 13 RBIs. The .355-hitting sophomore stole 11 bases this season. Defensively he had a .900 fielding percentage, making him a dual threat for the ’Canes.

ANDRIS BARROSO Senior, Key West Pitcher

JACK HAGGARD Senior, Key West Outfielder

DYLAN ZIELS

ANDREW PUTETTI

Marathon photos by Barry Gaukel. Key West photos by Ella Hall. Coral Shores photos by Joy Smith.

DEFENSIVE MVP OFFENSIVE MVP

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

STEEL MIENTKIEWICZ

Junior, Coral Shores

Catcher

Mientkiewicz was perfect defensively for the Hurricanes, covering the plate with no errors the entire season. Offensively, he batted .281 and had an on base percentage of .500, further proving he is a solid decision maker on the field.

CAMPBELL LAVOIE

Sophomore, Coral Shores

First Base/Designated Hitter

Lavoie batted .281 this season, amassing 18 hits for the Hurricanes including four doubles. The hard-hitting sophomore committed just one error this season playing infield, and as a designated hitter, he kept the ’Canes in multiple games with his bat.

ANDEN RADY

Senior, Key West Outfielder

As if a .383 batting average isn’t enough, Anden Rady piled on the extra base hits to boost his slugging percentage to an incredible .641. Rady’s 31 hits include nine doubles, three triples and two home runs. Rady stole nine bases this season and was perfect on defense, committing zero errors in his senior campaign.

Junior, Key West Pitcher

Ong won eight of his 10 appearances on the mound for Key West, throwing two complete games and earning a pair of shutouts, a pair of no-hitters and a 2.58 ERA. The junior struck out 75 batters over 57 innings pitched, walking just 23.

MAYKOL BONITO

Freshman, Coral Shores

Infielder

Maykol Bonito had an impressive freshman campaign, batting .333 for the ’Canes. He earned 13 hits this season and was a key player for Coral Shores’ infield with a solid fielding percentage and a lot of hustle.

MICHAEL GREENBERG

Junior, Key West Second Base

On defense, Greenberg made three double plays this season and earned a .924 fielding percentage, making him a fantastic infielder for the Conchs. His bat was his major weapon, though, as he ripped 30 hits for Key West including six doubles and a pair of triples, earning a .385 batting average. His extra base hits boosted his slugging percentage to .512.

Senior, Key West Shortstop

Wyatt Kuhn earned a .338 batting average this season, scoring 24 runs off of 23 hits. His on base percentage was .511, boosted by his record-setting 14 bases earned “the hard way” –Kuhn now shares the Key West record for being hit by a pitch in a single season.

WYATT KUHN

FELIX ONG

A VETERAN OF THE SKIES

DOUGLAS HURTUBISE GETS A TASTE OF NOSTALGIA WITH ISLAND WARBIRDS

ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

On the morning of June 30 at the Marathon International Airport, 92-yearold Korean War vet Douglas Hurtubise climbed up on the wing and into the cockpit of a 1941 BT-13 trainer aircraft with the ease of a man 40 years his junior.

The ensuing flight with Island Warbirds and Florida Keys Flight Academy operator Sol Bradman took Hurtubise on a scenic tour of the Seven Mile Bridge and Sombrero Lighthouse in the vintage aircraft before returning to the airport for a flashy low-flying pass by his family.

Comfort with aircraft is nothing new to Hurtubise. A pilot himself, he served in the Air Force from 1951 to 1955. He was stationed at Kimpo Air Force Base, sighting in, loading and repairing cameras and weaponry on jets as part of the armaments division.

He even owned a nearly identical plane himself in the 1960s, striking gold in Arizona and paying $1,450 for the bird before flying it back to Buffalo, New York.

MURDERER SENTENCED TO DEATH IN 2018

MARATHON KILLING

STEVEN WOLF FACES EXECUTION AFTER SECOND MURDER CONVICTION

“They didn’t have a lot of navigation back then,” his wife Sandie told the Weekly. “It was more or less by the seat of his pants.”

Hurtubise said he owned the plane for six or seven years. And when his friend and co-owner “bellied” the aircraft on a bad takeoff, essentially ruining the plane, Hurtubise found a second empty body in Canada, picked it up for $350, drove it back over the border to the U.S. and swapped his original plane’s engine in to keep flying.

“Because of economic times I (eventually) had to get rid of it, but that was sort of a mistake,” Doug said with a laugh. “The value of those airplanes right now is about $400,000.”

Driving past the plane on the tarmac on his trips through Marathon, Hurtubise was treated to the surprise flight by his daughter and son-in-law, Wendy and Ken Parker, and had nothing but praise for Bradman’s operation.

“It was wonderful, it really was,” he said. “They were all very friendly people, and Sol even let me fly it a little bit. I was able to maneuver the plane without a problem, and all that stuff came back to me.”

Left: Steven Wolf is now the third Monroe County inmate on Florida’s Death Row, following a first-degree

Right:

ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

Twice-convicted murderer and rapist Steven Wolf will be the third Monroe County case currently on Florida’s Death Row, following a sentencing order handed down by Judge Mark Jones on June 29.

The 62-year-old Wolf was convicted on Jan. 24 for the 2018 torture, rape and murder of 51-yearold Michelle Osborne on Nov. 21, 2018. Osborne’s nude body was found that afternoon in the woods near the Vaca Cut Bridge, along with a trail of broken vegetation and broken vehicle parts as if a car had driven through the area.

Autopsy reports indicated that Osborne, who was homeless and living in Marathon, was strangled and sexually assaulted.

Not long after Osborne’s body was discovered, investigators found Wolf’s van in Marathon’s K-Mart plaza. Missing parts similar to those found in the woods, it had branches stuck underneath it, and investigators discovered blood inside. Blood-soaked sheets were soon found in Dumpsters throughout town.

After less than five hours of deliberation on Jan. 24, a 12-member jury unanimously found Wolf guilty on charges of first degree murder, sexual battery – including using an object to vaginally and anally penetrate Osborne – and tampering with physical evidence.

During the penalty phase of the trial the following day, the jury took less than 90 minutes to unanimously find the murder to be “especially heinous, atrocious or cruel” and unanimously found that Wolf should be sentenced to death with aggravating factors outweighing any mitigating factors. According to minutes from the penalty phase, “(Wolf) want(ed) no mitigation presented on his behalf.”

Wolf’s murder conviction is not his first. In 1976, at the age of 15, he was charged with firstdegree murder for his involvement with a group of teenagers who killed 77-year-old Enrico Flory and robbed him of his Social Security money in Boise, Idaho. Wolf later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in November 1978, receiving a sentence of up to 30 years for his part in the crime.

Wolf’s case was prosecuted by father-and-daughter duo Cass and Cristina Castillo from the Florida Attorney General’s Office. Wolf was represented by public defender Robert Lockwood.

A database produced by the Death Penalty Information Center of executions in Florida since 1972 lists only one other execution from Monroe County. The Florida Department of Corrections lists two other inmates on death row for Monroe County crimes: 46-yearold Michael Tanzi, sentenced for the 2000 murder of Janet Acosta, and 67-year-old Thomas Overton, sentenced for the 1991 murders of Michael and Missy MacIvor and their unborn child.

92-year-old Korean War vet Douglas Hurtubise waves from the cockpit as he pulls away for a flight in a vintage 1941 BT-13A. ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

murder conviction and subsequent sentencing on June 29.

Steven Wolf’s van, as documented by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in 2018, was found shortly after Michelle Osborne’s murder with blood inside. It was missing parts similar to those found in the woods where she was murdered and had branches stuck underneath. MCSO/Contributed

FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1910

THANK YOU FOR NOMINATING US! WE’D APPRECIATE YOUR VOTE FOR BEST CONTRACTOR

6810 FRONT STREET | STOCK ISLAND

5620 MACDONALD AVENUE | KEY WEST

VOTE

VOTE

Friday July 21st / 5 - 7 p.m.

Cuervo y Sobrinos and Emeralds International are pleased to invite you to the launch event of the new Historiador Hemingway Watch Collection.It will take place at the historic San Carlos Institute in Key West on Friday July 21st, 2023, from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. We will be honored to have the presence of John Hemingway, grandson of the great writer, at this special occasion.

Please RSVP by July 10th to ensure your place at this significant event. You can confirm your attendance by contacting Marina Marcial at 305 294 2060 or marina@emeraldsinternational.com

We value your presence and look forward to seeing you there.

continued from page 4

within 30 days, fines begin July 1, 2024 at $1,000 per day.

Undocumented immigrants who are unable to prove lawful presence in the U.S. but have a driver’s license from another state won’t be allowed to drive on Florida roads, per the new law. Law enforcement and authorized representatives with the Department of Motor Vehicles can issue a citation to the driver for driving without a license.

Hospitals that accept Medicaid are required to ask a question on their admission forms as to whether the person being admitted is a lawful U.S. citizen. Hospitals must also submit a quarterly report to the state agency on health care administration that details emergency department visits or admissions by patients who responded to the question.

“In Florida, we will not stand idly by while the federal government abandons its lawful duties to protect our country,” DeSantis said during a signing of the bill in May. “The legislation I signed today gives Florida the most ambitious anti-illegal immigration laws in the country, fighting back against reckless federal government policies and ensuring the Florida taxpayers are not footing the bill for illegal immigration.”

In addition, $12 million was provided for the current fiscal year for the state’s “Unauthorized Alien Transport Program” — a DeSantis initiative sparked by the border crisis. Last year, the governor loaded two planes with migrants from San Antonio, Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The move brought outcry and questions over whether DeSantis violated state law.

Another law bars transgender people from using public facilities that align with gender identities. And House Bill 1069 was signed into law by DeSantis that bars public K-12 schools from using a student’s personal

title or pronouns if they do not align with the person’s sex. The bill also expands existing prohibitions on instruction related to sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade to include pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The bill creates exceptions to the prohibition for required instruction in abstinence and HIV/AIDS.

A bill by State Rep. Jim Mooney that provides for a fee in lieu of a security deposit option for landlords and their tenants also took effect. Fronting a security deposit for housing can be difficult for families on modest incomes, especially those in the Keys who put up thousands of dollars for first and last months’ rent. Now, landlords have the choice to offer their tenants a monthly fee to pay their security deposit.

Mooney’s legislation provides an avenue to secure a place without needing to pay the full security deposit. The fee doesn’t go toward the security deposit, as the funds can be used by the landlord to purchase insurance. However, a landlord can also offer the tenant who’s participating in the fee program the option to pay the security deposit on a monthly basis.

“This gets you and your family where you need to be at that moment,” Mooney said.

In 2022, the Florida Legislature established a 12-year term limit for local school board members elected on or after Nov. 8, 2022. Legislators further modified the term limits to eight years last session. It was signed by the governor in May.

The state’s “Move Over” law was expanded this year, requiring Florida drivers to slow down and move over for broken-down vehicles on the side of the road. Previously, drivers were required to move over for first responders on the roadside.

MANDY MILES

drops stuff, breaks things and falls down more than any adult should. She’s married to a saintly — and handy — fisherman, and has been stringing words together in Key West since 1998.

MILES TO GO

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?

What is wrong with people?

Never mind, don’t answer that. Don’t even try, because I’ve given up. Instead, I’ll just complain about people, specifically about the one anonymous person who recently complained to the entire state of Florida about MY license plate, the one that has been attached to the back of my white Kia Soul for the past three years, the one I was issued upon registering the car.

It’s not a vanity plate. I didn’t request this specific configuration of numbers and letters. I merely attached the plate to my car and stick a new registration sticker in its top right corner every May.

I never gave two thoughts to my license plate — other than to type the six characters into the city’s parking kiosks and to identify my car from among the 9,000 other white Kia Souls that patrol Key West.

That is, until last week, when I received a letter in the regular mail from the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. They were offering me a new, replacement license plate after having received a complaint that the configuration of letters and numbers could be considered “offensive” (their word, not mine).

Apparently, someone saw my car parked somewhere in Key West and decided that the HIZ A55 on my license plate was offensive to their overly sensitive sensibilities. I’m completely serious about this. I saved the letter and the corresponding complaint.

Someone had enough time on their hands not only to notice a stranger’s license plate, but to stop, take a picture of it and then send that photo to the state with a complaint about it.

To their credit, the state employees at the FLHSMV did their part and offered to overnight me a new plate at no cost to me. That was what their letter said. It also asked me to either call or email them to let them know what I decided.

I immediately called the included contact and spoke with a perfectly

lovely woman who clearly had better things to do with her time than deal with such nonsense.

After politely declining the replacement plate, I asked the nice woman in Tallahassee to email me a copy of the complaint’s text and the included photo, which she promptly did.

The emailed complaint states, “I have spent a great deal of time looking for a contact to report these Florida plates. Who is reviewing these plates? If they are not personalized, then they should still be reviewed and not assigned. Very offensive and just unacceptable.”

Where do I even begin? First of all, who spends “a great deal of time” on such utter ridiculousness? That’s just a sad commentary on this person’s entire life and existence.

Apparently, this moron with a phone camera and too much time on her hands decided that the two 5s in my plate were actually S’s. Suddenly, in her warped and ridiculous mind, HIZ A55 became “HIS ASS.”

Given that the plastic frame around my license plate says “Key West,” I can only assume this smallminded lunatic decided I was a gay man intent on hiding secret “indoctrination” messages in the letters and numbers of a randomly assigned license plate.

I mean, you can’t make this stuff up.

Are the Moms for Liberty offended by license plates as well as books? Are all 5s now to be considered Ss? Is the “woke left” now hiding gay indoctrination messages for kids in license plates?

Do we not have more pressing concerns? Apparently, some of us don’t. But I can assure you, I will not be spending a single second changing out my license plate. So from now on, honk if you like my “A55.”

LET FREEDOM RING

FILL YOUR PIE HOLE

IOWA MAN WINS KEY LIME PIE - EATING CONTEST

As usual, Key West did not disappoint with its Fourth of July fireworks and related festivities. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

KEY WEST CELEBRATES

FOURTH OF JULY IN STYLE

Once again, the southern side of Key West was brilliantly lit for the Fourth of July fireworks display, presented for more than 30 years by the Rotary Club of Key West with financial support from the Key West International Airport.

The Rotary Club also hosted a Patriotic Dinner under the fireworks to raise funds for its charitable causes, including its local scholarship fund.

— Keys Weekly staff report

Some wore protective eye gear, while others just dove right in for Key West’s annual Key lime pie-eating contest on July 4.

Twenty-five competitors chowed down on the Florida Keys’ signature dessert – without using their hands – but no one did it faster than Joshua Mogle.

Mogle, a 38-year-old tire manufacturing manager from Altoona, Iowa, won the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship by devouring an entire 9-inch pie topped with whipped cream in just 3 minutes and 35 seconds.

The challenge was a sweet alternative to New York City’s Fourth of July hotdog-eating contest, as well as the culmination of Key West’s 10th annual Key Lime Festival.

Scarfing down his pie face-first and hands-free, according to contest rules, Mogle emerged grinning

triumphantly with his sandy beard covered in whipped cream.

“My strategy today was just don’t breathe and just keep eating, constantly bringing food to the mouth -- just eat, eat, eat,” said Mogle.

Believed to have originated in Key West in the late 1800s, Key lime pie is made primarily of condensed milk, egg yolks and the juice of tiny yellow Key limes — typically with a graham cracker crust and whipped cream or meringue topping. In 2006, it was designated Florida’s official pie by the state legislature.

And while many people consider apple pie to be an American staple on Independence Day, that’s clearly not the case in the Florida Keys.

“Here in Key West on July 4, Key lime pie IS your apple pie, so there’s nothing better to have on July 4,” said Mogle.

Left: Twenty-five competitive eaters dive into the Key lime pie-eating contest on July 4 as part of the 10th annual Key Lime Festival in Key West. Right: Contest organizers line up 25 Key lime pies just before they’re devoured in the competitiveeating contest on July 4 in Key West.

Joshua Mogle holds his championship belt aloft after eating an entire Key lime pie in 3 minutes 35 seconds during the July 4 pie eating contest. LARRY BLACKBURN/ Keys Weekly

PIES IN THE SKY

KEY LIME TREATS FALL FROM KEY WEST LIGHTHOUSE

FLORIDA KEYS’ 200TH

MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

This week’s Key Lime Festival in Key West featured all things sweet, tart, delicious — and airborne.

Sixty individuals and teams took part in the Key Lime Pie Drop July 2 at the Key West Lighthouse. The annual Key Lime Festival competition calls for competitors to create a device or container to protect a 5-inch diameter pie and keep it from exploding on impact when dropped about 88 feelt, from the observation deck of the historic lighthouse.

This year’s event drew a largerthan-ever crowd of participants and spectators, with the Key lime pies attached to umbrellas — Mary Poppins style — and helium-filled balloons to ease their landing. One entry floated off the lighthouse property and landed next door.

The Key Lime Festival took place June 30 to July 4, with culinary treats, bar strolls, a Key lime pieeating contest, cookbook signings and more.

For more information and to make plans for next year, visit keylimefestival.com.

The Florida Keys’ bicentennial was celebrated on July 3 during a 200th “birthday party” featuring the creation of what is believed to be the world’s largest Key lime pie.

The once-in-a-lifetime festivities saluted the 200th anniversary of the Florida Territorial Legislature’s establishment of Monroe County, which encompasses the entire Keys island chain, on July 3, 1823.

Exactly 200 years later, the preparation of the Key lime pie — measuring a whopping 13.14 feet in diameter — highlighted Monday night’s patriotic bicentennial gathering at Big Pine Community Park, located beside the Gulf of Mexico in the Lower Keys.

Key West chefs Kermit Carpenter and Paul Menta spearheaded creation of the pie, a gargantuan version of the Keys’ signature dessert, and spread the creamy filling over a traditional graham-cracker crust.

“In order to make a really good Key lime pie, you must have the perfect graham cracker crust; you must surround it and fill it with con-

densed milk and the juice of fresh Key limes,” said Monroe County Commissioner Michelle Lincoln.

The giant pie required more than 16 gallons of Key lime juice, almost 100 gallons of sweetened condensed milk and some 125 pounds of graham crackers.

After its diameter was measured and confirmed, officials served the pie to attendees and intend to have it recognized as the world’s largest.

Key lime pie has long been identified with the Keys island chain and its heritage. Believed to have originated in Key West in the late 1800s, it was designated Florida’s official pie in 2006 by the state legislature.

Presented by the county and the Rotary Club of the Lower Keys, the bicentennial celebration also featured live music, games for kids, and a laser light show and fireworks extravaganza.

Previous “Keys 200” events included a large-scale concert in Key West and a sunset commemoration on Marathon’s restored Old Seven Mile Bridge.

The Key lime pie drop takes place July 2, with pies dropped from the top of the Key West Lighthouse in an effort to keep them intact. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

Big Pine Community Park was a record-breaking bakery on July 3 as county officials, chefs and families gathered for an evening of music, games, food, fireworks and a world record Key lime pie measuring more than 13 feet in diameter. ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

‘BIRTHDAY’ FEATURES WORLD’S LARGEST KEY LIME PIE

FACTS FROM THE TAX COLLECTOR

Sam Steele

monroetaxcollector.com

305.295.5000

JULY

• Local business tax may be renewed beginning on July 1, 2023. The 2023 business tax expires on September 30, 2023.

• Property tax installment bills must be paid by July 31.

• There were 1,764 certificates sold during this year’s tax certificate sale for the amount of $8,646,753.90. In the previous year, there were 1,651 certificates sold.

• The spiny lobster sport season (“mini-season”) begins at 12:01 AM on July 26 and ends at 12:00 AM on July 27. The bag limit for Monroe County is six per person per day.

• A property that is being rented out for six months or less must have a tourist development tax account.

• To sign up for electronic bills, please visit our website or call our o ce for assistance.

• Specialty license plates and pre-sale vouchers are now available for purchase directly through our website.

• Thank you for nominating us for Best Customer Service and Best Elected O cial for the 2023 Bubba Awards! We would be honored to earn your vote!

COME WORSHIP WITH US

‘‘The churches of Christ greet you.’’ Romans 16:16 NKJV

ENGLISH SERVICE

Sunday Bible Study 10am Service 11am & Service 6pm

Wednesday Bible Study 7:30pm

Evangelist Rodrigue Aleandre Cell 305.296.3331

KREYOL SEVIS

Dimanch Klas Biblik 7:30pm

Adorasyon 8:30pm

Madi Klas Biblik 7:30pm

Minis Rodrigue Aleandre Cell 305.296.3331

SERVICIO ESPAÑOL

Domingo Estudio Biblico a las 4:30pm

Servicio de Adoración a las 5pm

Jueves Estudio Biblico a las 7pm

Ministro Pedro Ruiz Celda 347.430.2263

1700 VON PHISTER ST, KEY WEST

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’’ ‒ Psalms Joshua 1:9 NKJV

MARK HEDDEN

... 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.

Filming the Tour de France is a complicated thing. It requires an armada of camera people riding on the backs of motorcycles, about 20 stationary cameras, an airplane, and three helicopters, two with “wide-angle Cineflex gyro-stabilized, five-axis cameras” mounted on their noses, as well as long-lensed cameras aimed out both sides.

Over the 21 stages and roughly 2,100 miles of the Tour, the helicopters provide a kind of visual omniscience to the race. Sometimes you feel like an angel or some other celestial being hovering over the shoulders of the riders. You can watch a rider working from slipstream to slipstream to the front of the race, throwing everything they have at the pedals to win the final sprint. You can watch a crash spread from one rider to 50, the chaos ripping through the peloton like a wave. You can watch the peloton bunch up when moving slowly, string out when moving quickly.

Sometimes, in the slower moments, you get breathtaking views of the French landscape – the sprawling, mind-bogglingly pristine chateaus, the mountain-top castles, the monasteries, the vineyards, the quaint villages, the fields of sunflowers, the railroad yards, the industrial areas, the Alps, the Pyrenees…

And sometimes, you get a bird’s eye view of the birds, ones we don’t see here. The camera will track, say, a red kite or a white-tailed eagle circling high in the sky. Once, I saw them show a small pack of Eurasian griffons, in the vulture family, picking at the bones of, I believe, an Alpine ibex. (Note: I have now met the minimum avian requirements to write about bike racing in a column about wildlife.)

I saw my first Tour de France in 1986. “Saw” might be an overstatement. It was on ESPN and they did a half-hour segment on Saturdays during the race. I had to scour the back pages of the sports section for any items that had daily information, when any items actually appeared. But it was the year Greg LeMond went head to head with the beloved French five-time winner of the Tour, Bernard “The Badger” Hinault. Feelings were intense. LeMond was treated as a hated outsider, a wretched infidel attacking a French hero and the core values of the French people. He was seriously worried about getting poisoned or punched on the route. Oh, and LeMond and Hinault were on the same team. In addition, Hinault had reneged on a promise to help LeMond win in ’86 after LeMond had helped him win in ’85.

It was epic, the two of them trading blows as they rode through the Alps, stealing the lead back from one another, the teacher trying to destroy the apprentice. And when LeMond finally did break Hinault, Hinault claimed he

BIRDS AND BIKES ON THE TV

had betrayed LeMond for his own good, so no one could say he didn’t earn it. (There’s an excellent documentary about it called “Slaying the Badger.”)

Heroes, villains, moral complexity, sweeping landscapes, cool bikes. I was hooked.

LeMond was supposed to defend his title in 1987, but he was shot in the back during a hunting incident, and didn’t ride for the next two years. (He still carries shotgun pellets in his body.)

In 1989 LeMond went up against another beloved French rider, Laurent Fignon, who, as it has been pointed out before, looked a lot like the bad guy with the long blond hair in “Die Hard.”

Coming into the final time trial in Paris, Fignon looked undefeatable – he had a 50-second lead, and it was only a 15.2-mile course. LeMond had a chance of winning back 10 or 20 seconds, but no one could make up that gap with so little road. But then LeMond rode one of the most epic time trial rides in history, clawing back just under a minute over that very short distance, winning with the slimmest margin in the Tour de France’s 120-year history.

I was hooked-er.

I’ve watched every year since, and over the decades the coverage has gotten better and better. Not just the Tour de France, but with apps, you can watch pretty much any important road bike race on the calendar – live.

I was worried when I first got together with my wife that such an obsessive sports viewing habit – multiple hours every day for three weeks straight – could be an issue. But I was watching a stage early on in our relationship, when the camera was following this good-looking German rider named Jan Ulrich climbing through the Alps. She looked at the screen and said, “That guy … that guy is going to win,” and sat down. (She was right.) At this point, she may be more obsessed with the sport than I.

I have rather complicated thoughts on the whole Lance Armstrong era. Yes, he cheated.

But so did everyone else at the time. He just cheated bigger, and was kind of a (jerk) about it. But he was always a (jerk). It was his superpower. But athletes in more individualist sports tend not to have the legal cover that athletes do in team sports, so they tend to get caught for doping more. And the doping authorities broke their own rules to finally catch him. Which you didn’t see happen with any of the European cyclists…

A lot of time in the Tour, it’s pretty clear in the first week who is going to win the General Classification, which is the overall race. But like a lot of good literature, the really great stuff is in the subplots – who’s going to win an individual stage, or one of the other lesser classifications, which rider cracks in the Alps, who gets taken out in a crash, who has an unexpectedly great sprint, who cracks good jokes on their Instagram page, which cyclist screams the loudest at the motorcycles to get out of the way when they can’t keep up while descending a mountain pass…

A Swiss rider named Gino Mäder was killed last month in the Tour de Suisse while descending a mountain at something close to 50 mph, which has added poignancy to this year’s Tour, and a lot of questions about whether race organizers are doing everything they can to minimize the risks for the riders.

But this year has something of an unexpectedly lively feel to it, partly because of an old-school rivalry among a number of riders, including Jonas Vingegaard from Denmark, who won last year, and Tadej Pogacar from Slovenia, who won the year before, as well as riders like Egan Bernal from Colombia, who won in 2019, but was then injured in a bad training crash, from which he may or may not have finally recovered. There’s also a long list of upstarts who seem as if they could take the overall, at least during these early days.

So more heroes, villains, moral complexity, sweeping landscapes, and cool bikes. Also, a chance of birds.

Riders climb in the Pyrenees in the 2021 Tour de France. PAULINE BALLET/ASO

WE WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR VOTES FOR BEST REAL ESTATE OFFICE BEST REALTOR - WILL LANGLEY

LATITUDES

WOULD LOVE YOUR VOTE FOR BEST WATERFRONT DINING

REPETITION. REPEATED.

RAY WEST

... a professional musician, singer, actor and executive director of the Key West Music Awards, is known to sacrifice his comfort for that of his cat.

On the occasions I have given lessons to young guitarists, I’ve repeated the lesson that in their favorite guitar player’s life there was a moment when they couldn’t play that chord, either. And like the baby with the creamed pea-covered face, they’ll keep trying until they get that spoon in their mouth.

Repetition breeds consistency. And consistency is the key to sustained success. Like a pro golf swing or the 450th lap of the Indy 500, the last one was as familiar as the first one. The physical benefits of repetition for musicians go hand in hand with muscle memory, from the muscles of the hand, wrist, forearm, shoulder, neck and back, to the intrinsic muscles of the larynx.

But our brains benefit the most from repetition. Consider the rather mundane task of driving to work, every action from the moment you open the car door until you park at your destination. Think of all the information, images, sounds, thoughts and stimuli you absorb every second, all while operating a heavy piece of machinery at high speeds down the road. When first starting to drive, the task is overwhelming and practice in an empty parking lot is recommended. But after plenty of repetition, we are talking on the phone, turning up the radio and thinking about some situation whose scope and participants are far from the interior of our car. Now add to that scenario the variable that on the last few trips you thought you heard a noise that a smooth-running auto never makes. So a little of your

brain will be dedicated to patrolling the audio waves for that sound. Now your phone rings and it is your significant other, whom you love very much, needing to have a conversation requiring your emotional participation. Now as you look to your right, you see a nice lady trying to get your attention to ask if this is the way to the beach. A policeman is now behind you and though you have no reason for concern, you’re still aware of his presence. All this while you’re still driving, watching the lights, speed, pedestrians and bicyclists. “Was that the weird engine sound? I wish this cop would just pass me, yes, my love, I understand.”

Through repetition you are not only able to do all this, but have a good attitude when you get to work, most of the time. The number of repetitions it takes to master a skill is difficult to determine.

Though most musicians aren’t getting calls during a song, they are asked to express the music emotionally. One bit of your mind is always on the lookout for any changes, while also thinking of changes that could be made in those milliseconds between when the brain knows what to play next and the body responds.

So when you tip a musician or express your appreciation, you’re not just grateful for the minutes of music you heard, but for the hours and days of playing, feeling, learning and teaching their mind and body to become one with the task and make it as much a part of them as breathing. Over and over again.

Saturday, July 8

• Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival at Looe Key. Local dive and snorkel boats head to Looe Key reef from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., as the radio experts at US 1 Radio 104.1 broadcast tunes underwater. Visit lowerkeyschamber.com/chamber-events/ for details about boat reservations.

July 12-16

• The I Love Stock Island festival celebrates Key West’s hardworking neighbor to the north. Enjoy culinary events, island cleanups, art strolls and more. See the July 6 Key West Weekly for a complete event guide and schedule.

Saturday, July 15

• Mel Fisher Day tribute to the late, legendary Key West treasure hunter starts at 4 p.m. at Schooner Wharf Bar, 202 William St., Key West. Visit melfisherdays.com for a full schedule of events.

July 18-23

• An array of literary events awaits readers and writers during Hemingway Days 2023. The festival celebrates the talent and Key West lifestyle of author Ernest Hemingway, who lived on the island for most of the 1930s. Visit hemingwaydays.net for a full schedule of events.

Tuesday, July 18

• Leadership Monroe County invites the public to a social reception and Class XXXI program introduction at the Key West Woman’s Club, 319 Duval St. from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Potential Class XXXI members will have the opportunity to meet LMC alumni and Board members and learn about the 2023-24 sessions, including the scope, mission and benefits of becoming part of this county wide program which supports the building of relationships for constructive alliances among Florida Keys leaders.

Wednesday July 19

• Leadership Monroe County invites the public to a social reception and Class XXXI program introduction at the Florida Keys Brewing Company in Islamorada, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

SHELF HELP

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

What: “Saint X” by Alexis Schaitkin

Why: Alexis Schaitkin’s debut novel has many things: immersive descriptions, intrigue, perspective shifts and the allure of the it-could-happen-here. On the surface, this is the story of a beautiful young tourist who goes missing in a beautiful island setting, and the fallout of her disappearance and death. More gripping than that, however, is the plunging and all-too-real account of how grief can sneak up on and upend the lives of survivors of tragedy many years down the line. Our protagonist, Claire Thomas, grows up somewhat normally after her older sister’s sudden demise on a family vacation. Now that her sister has been deceased for longer than she was alive, a chance encounter pulls Claire all the way back to the events of 1996, igniting an obsession to uncover what happened. Worth the read.

Where: This is available in print and large print from the Monroe County Library system.

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

Recommended by: Faith Price, librarian, Key West branch

SAVE THE DATE

HELP KEEP KEY WEST CLEAN

JOIN A 1- HOUR CLEANUP FRIDAY MORNINGS

TAKE ME HOME?

FIND A FRIEND AT THE FLORIDA KEYS SPCA

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

22 Ploggers met at Nelson English Park for the June 30 morning cleanup, which included four people visiting from two different states who read the article in the Key West Weekly. In the rain, the group collected 77 pounds of trash, 15 pounds of recycling and 3 gallons of cigarette butts. Commissioner Clayton Lopez stopped by to thank everyone for their efforts within the city and especially in District 6 and presented an extra mile coin to Fritzie Estimond of the Key West Business Guild. CONTRIBUTED

One hour a week makes a huge difference, and volunteers are welcome every Friday and some Saturday mornings, from 8 to 9 a.m., when the Key West Ploggers clean up a designated area of the island.

Gloves, pickers, buckets, vests, hand sanitizer and a parking pass are provided to all volunteers.

A troubling number of cigarette butts and plastic bags have been included in recent hauls. Please remember your reusable bags when shopping so we can keep the plastic off the streets, parking lots and, most importantly, out of the water. And dispose of cigarette butts in any receptacle rather than the street or sidewalk, as from there, they easily end up in the ocean.

The city of Key West and its residents ask everyone to do their part to help keep Key West beautiful. With simple steps like making sure you bag your trash before putting it in your Waste Management trash cans or Dumpsters, and making sure the lids on Dumpsters are closed, will keep a lot of trash from blowing into the streets. Call Waste Management at 305-296-8297 for any furniture items left on the city right of way.

Please pick up around your home or apartment complex. Every piece of trash picked up is one less that may end up in the ocean that surrounds and sustains our island community. It is not just the large items you can see easily when you are walking, but the smaller items such as bottle caps and cigarette butts that are collected by the volunteers that make the biggest difference.

— Contributed

Join a Friday morning cleanup from 8 to 9 a.m.

Friday, July 7: Truman Waterfront Park. Meet in the large parking lot to the right of the fitness trail.

Wednesday, July 12: For I Love Stock Island Festival: City of Key West hosts cleanup. Meet at the corner of College Road and US 1.

Friday, July 14: South Roosevelt between Riviera Canal and Dead Man’s Curve. Meet along the sea wall on South Roosevelt at the end of the airport runway.

Friday, July 21: Southard and Whitehead streets hosted by Courthouse Deli & Whit’s Custard

Friday, July 28: Duval and Virginia streets. Meet at the corner.

Monica is a 1-year-old, female small terrier/pit bull mix. She is a great dog who has proven she can be a good girl both in and out of the shelter.

From cats and dogs to Guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, reptiles and birds, the perfect addition to your family is waiting for you. The SPCA’s knowledgeable staff will help with advice and care tips while working to ensure a good fit between each pet and its people.

The SPCA’s Golden Paw program also provides special assistance with vet bills and medications for special-needs and older animals that require a little extra TLC. Check these pages each week for just a few of the animals waiting for a home and see them all at fkspca.org.

Sergio is a 16-year-old, male domestic shorthair. Even though his person just passed away, this could be the friendliest cat you will ever meet.

Kia is a 3-year-old female domestic shorthair. She may be FIV positive, but that doesn’t put any restrictions on her affection for you.

Asta & Yuno are 1½-year-old male Guinea pigs. These two must be adopted together and will bring you twice as much love.

Layla is a 15-year-old female, domestic shorthair mix. She arrived at the shelter with Sergio and would love to share a new home with him.

HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA KEYS

CELEBRATING 200 YEARS

MONROE BECAME FLORIDA’S SIXTH COUNTY

southernmost city became the first in Monroe County to become incorporated. At the time, a second community was beginning to flourish in the Upper Keys on the relatively small 11-acre Indian Key. A general store, the only one found along the island chain outside Key West, opened in 1824. From there, Indian Key developed into the most important island in the Florida Keys, not named Key West.

Editor’s note: This is the first in a four-part series on Monroe County’s 200th year.

BRAD BERTELLI

is 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.

Mathew Perry planted the American flag at Key West in 1822. Commodore David Porter was instructed to establish a military depot on the island the following year unless he could identify a more suitable locale.

Porter could not and, in a General Order issued from the USS Peacock on April 6, 1823, he wrote: “A Salute of 17 guns is to be find (fired) at 8 o’clock this morning from the Battery in front of the Town, and the American Ensign is to be hoisted at the Flag Staff… The Town is hereafter to be called Allenton, and The Battery, Thompsons Battery.”

On July 2, 1823, Monroe County was established as the Florida Territory’s sixth county and named after the then-sitting and fifth president of the United States, James Monroe. County boundaries originally extended north to the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee and west to Charlotte Harbor.

Two days later, the 1823 Wrecking Act was passed by the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida; George Murray was president. Among the act’s 14 parts were statutes requir-

ing the salvaged property to be reported to the nearest justice of the peace or notary public. Additionally, it would prove the officer’s duty to oversee the assembly of a five-member arbitration jury to decide all fees for the salvage operation. Section 14 of the act stated, “Be it further enacted, That if any person shall within this territory, make or hold out any false lights, or make any device, or do any other act or thing with intent to mislead, bewilder or decoy the mariners of any vessel on the high seas, whereby such vessel may be cast ashore, or get aground, such person or persons so offending, and every accessory thereto, shall on conviction thereof be deemed guilty of Felony, and shall suffer death.”

Tales of skullduggery and “false lights,” while pervasive in wrecker lore, were rarely documented. When Dr. Benjamin B. Strobel, a physician, and writer who traveled extensively through the Keys in 1828, observed the wreckers, he wrote: “From all that I heard of wreckers, I expected to see a parcel of low, dirty pirate looking crafts, officiated and manned by a set of black whiskered fellows, who carried murder in their very looks. I was, however, very agreeably surprised to find their vessels fine large sloops and schooners, regular clippers, kept in first rate order, and that the Captains were jovial, good humored sons of Neptune, who manifested every disposition to be polite and hospitable, and to afford every facility to persons passing up and down the Reef. The crews were composed of hearty, well dressed, honest looking men.”

On the back of the wrecking industry, Key West grew into the wealthiest city per capita in the developing United States. In 1828, the

By 1835, Indian Key was home to a community of as many as 140 people. It was 1835, too, on Dec. 28, when separate Indian factions attacked encampments at the Withlacoochee River, located northeast of Tampa, and at Fort King, located at what is today Ocala, and ignited the second escalation of the Seminole War. Between 1836 and 1840, Monroe County experienced several acts of hostility, including attacks at the New River (Fort Lauderdale), Cape Florida Lighthouse (Key Biscayne), Key Largo and Tavernier Key.

The southernmost attack during the second escalation of the Seminole War occurred at Indian Key on Nov. 7, 1840. Six lives were lost. When that tragic event occurred, Indian Key was no longer a part of Monroe County. In 1836, Dade County was carved out of the existing boundaries of Monroe County and included land from the shore of Lake Okeechobee to Bahia Honda in the Lower Keys. Because Indian Key was the largest community in the new district, it was assigned as the county seat.

Indian Key did not remain a part of Dade County for long. The vast majority of the Florida Keys were returned when county lines were redrawn in 1866, and the modern demarcation, at least in the Florida Keys, became Broad Creek. Broad Creek is found in the Northern Keys, and flows between the Swan Keys and a collection of small islands immediately north of Key Largo.

By 1885, Monroe County was still an extensive piece of real estate and included what are today southwest Florida’s Lee and Collier Counties. While we could go on for pages, chapters and books about the last 200 years, it is going to take more than a single column to encapsulate two centuries of local history, which is why I am going to spend the entire month of July highlighting just a smidge of it.

The year 1885, by the way, is when the second city was ever incorporated in Monroe County.

That city was Fort Myers, the county seat of what is now Lee County.

A sketch showing half of Key West by William Whitehead from Tift’s cupola looking north in June 1838. MONROE COUNTY LIBRARY COLLECTION/Contributed

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT YEAR AFTER YEAR!

Thank

This

WE’D LOVE YOUR VOTE AGAIN THIS YEAR FOR BEST CHARTER FISHING CAPTAIN/GUIDE

— Dr. Jack Norris

MANGROVE SNAPPER ARE SET FOR THE SPAWN

CAPTAIN JOEL’S FISHIN’ HOLES

…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.

One of our favorite fish to target during the heat of summer is mangrove snapper. The mangrove snapper spawn starts in the beginning of July and ends at the end of August. We like mangrove snapper because they are fun to fight, great to spearfish, school up to chum and are very tasty table fare. Many people agree that mangrove snapper meat is the finest snapper meat –more firm than yellowtail or mutton, and whiter meat than queen, vermillion, lane or schoolmaster snappers.

When mangrove snapper are spawning, they do nothing but feed and breed. The females are thick and juicy and full of roe. The males are fat too, spewing semen and puking chum all over the place when boated.

Avid mangrove snapper anglers in the Florida Keys know the best summer snapper bite has to be at night on a moving tide under a full moon near the end of July and the beginning of August. During that night bite, we like to use bright lights and a lot of chum. We have several different spots on the reef that we anchor up on, but without posting exact numbers, we’ll say that in our opinion, the best spots are deeper than 25 feet and shallower than 65 feet.

The best bait, in order, is small pinfish, small goggle eyes, large razor belly pilchards, large sand key pilchards, large glass minnows, mojarra sand perch, large live shrimp, cut ballyhoo, cut fresh squid and dead peeled shrimp.

The best rig is a Carolina rig, which is a small egg sinker attached to your main line sitting on a swivel with three or four feet of 12to 17-pound fluorocarbon mono leader with a 1.0 or 2.0 short shaft “J” hook. The next best is a knocker rig, where the small egg sinker slides down the leader and sits on top of the eye of a

We just turned the page from June to July, which means we’re just weeks away from a highly-anticipated mangrove snapper spawn in the Keys. JOEL BRANDENBURG/Contributed

1.0 or 2.0 short shaft “J” hook. The next would have to be what’s called a chicken rig. I won’t try to describe it, just google “chicken rig.” The old faithful is your bait hooked to an appropriate sized jig head – a ⅛-ounce jig is the normal goto size depending on the speed of the current.

The mangrove snapper’s annual migration is as follows:

• Winter: bridges, wrecks and structure, feeding on moving tides.

• Spring: back country, flats and gulf for pre-spawn feeding.

• Summer: coral, limestone and patch reefs for spawning, feeding and breeding.

• Fall: backcountry, flats and gulf for postspawn feeding.

A few critical notes: Mangrove snapper caught in the Atlantic must measure 12 inches from the tip of the pinched tail to the tip of the bottom lip down the lateral line of the fish. These fish have a bag limit of up to 10 mangrove snappers per angler. Mangrove snapper caught in the Gulf of Mexico must measure 10 inches, measured in the same way. In these waters the bag limit is five mangrove snappers per angler.

My personal best mangrove snapper weighed about five pounds and measured over 25 inches. The IGFA world record mangrove snapper was caught by Tim Champagne from Lafayette, Louisiana. It was caught in a little unincorporated shrimping, crabbing and fishing village called Cocodrie in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana on Oct. 9, 2015, and weighed in at 18.63 pounds. The length was not listed, but if I had to guess I’d estimate it was over 40 inches. Some big mangrove snapper have been caught right in our backyard in Marathon. The most popular summer mangrove spawning spot to fish in Marathon is called “the parking lot” about a mile and a half west of the Sombrero lighthouse in 32 feet of water. Most locals know the parking lot. If you go to the parking lot or any other busy reef spot, just remember not to drive through another angler’s chum slick.

Hope to see you 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

FROM CANADA TO THE KEYS

Itook my backpack off to rest on the steep, rock-strewn incline toward Wildcat D Peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire to talk with my mom on the phone. It was Aug. 5, 2022, her birthday, a celebration I was missing since I was 1,872 miles into a 2,194-mile hike of the Appalachian Trail.

As we talked, I heard a woman climbing down the nearly vertical rock face just above me. When she made it to where I sat after a few minutes of treacherous descent, I saw that she was young, bright and cheerful, despite the rocks. She commented how strikingly comforting it was to see another young woman having a normal conversation with her mom at the base of a terrifying climb. I was thrilled to know another woman around my age had successfully conquered those 300 miles still ahead of me.

When we parted ways, I felt an invigoration and drive that I could finish this long journey. Exactly 20 days later, I did.

I had nearly forgotten that day until I saw a bearded man with a pin-wheel flag sticking out of his large backpack and a woman pushing a covered stroller down the shoulder of U.S. 1.

Perhaps a normal response would have been fear for their safety as I zoomed past at 50 mph. Instead, I turned around in the parking lot of Lorelei, crossed the street and parked in front of the Sandal Factory in Islamorada. The woman was inside the store looking at sunglasses, so just the man and the covered stroller stood outside as I approached.

“I just have two oranges. Do you want them?” I asked the man.

His reddish beard was even longer than I’d thought, and so was his hair, tied up beneath an orange baseball cap. I looked down and saw the head of an elderly dog poke through the top of the covered stroller.

“Well, I guess so. I can never say no to fresh fruit,” the man responded.

The door to the store opened, and the woman came outside and grabbed one of the oranges. It took a few moments to place the familiarity of her face, but suddenly we were hugging like old friends. Standing in front of me was the same cheerful face from the mountainside in New Hampshire.

Since that day in August, she had been hiking south toward Key West.

Now, as we talked near the Sandal Factory, 32-year-old Owen “At Home” Eigenbrot and 33-year-old Ally “Spice” Russell, stood 83.4 miles away from completing a through-hike of the Eastern Continental Trail (ECT), a backpacking trip of more than 4,400 miles, from Quebec, Canada to Key West. Eigenbrot and Russell,

who have also hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, are among only hundreds who have completed the ECT since John Brinda first hiked the route in 1997.

Over the last year, Eigenbrot and Russell hiked 400 miles of ATV roads, overgrown trails and oceanside in Canada, where they hardly saw other hikers but walked alongside swimming whales, lounging seals and a plethora of moose and beavers. They traversed some of the east coast’s highest peaks and most beautiful overlooks between Maine and Georgia on the 2,194-mile Appalachian Trail, which Eigenbrot completed northbound, and Russell completed southbound. They hiked 72 miles on the Benton MacKaye Trail and the 335-mile Pinhoti Trail and the 175-mile Alabama Road Walk. They walked alongside the alligators and cypress trees decorating the 1,400-mile Florida Trail until their feet hit pavement on U.S. 1.

“There's a stream of our footprints all along the Appalachian Mountains,” Russell said.

During the past year, they carried everything they needed in their backpacks, slept beneath the stars, woke up to singing birds, summited mountain peaks, walked through rainstorms and only trekked back into civilization every few days to resupply food and shower. And it was coming to a close in the never-ending ocean views and traffic of the 106-mile Overseas Heritage Trail that parallels U.S. 1 through the Florida Keys.

“It seemed like a weird thing to be doing in the first place, like it was even going beyond the natural ending point,” Eigenbrot said. “But what a cool bonus to add on to the end of this. How lucky that we get to leave the mainland and hop on all these little islands. How unique is that? How fortunate for the infrastructure to be able to walk because the Keys are really beautiful.”

The Keys provided many once-distant amenities: grocery stores for food, gas stations to use the bathroom in and water from a faucet. The paved road allowed Russell to bring her elderly dog, Tango, on this final section of trail by pushing him in a stroller.

But as an ending to a journey marked predominantly by wilderness, the Keys provided a harsh juxtaposition.

“It’s really busy out here. That was impossible to ignore or to remove from the narrative of the ECT and the Keys,” Eigenbrot said.

“And not even busy in a human way but busy with cars. We saw more cars than humans,” Russell said. “We get up an hour or two before sunrise and walk with the traffic and walk until sunset and sleep with the traffic noise.”

HALE

To change sides, they’d wait for a break in traffic and quickly scurry across the street. At night, they’d go to a state park or find a space in the mangroves alongside the road to sleep. Instead of high peaks, the Seven Mile Bridge stood as a formidable foe. After walking within feet of rushing traffic on a small shoulder for seven miles, Russell and Eigenbrot crashed on the beach at Veterans Memorial Park just south of the bridge.

“I said, ‘Watch for fins and crocs. I'm going in,’ and I just floated on my back forever and just grounded myself,” Russell said. “I grabbed chunks of sand and put them in my hands. I needed Earth in my hands and water on my body. I just need to be with all the elements because that was so wild.”

On March 18, four days after I met them in front of Sandal Factory, Russell and Eigenbrot took a final left turn onto South Street in Key West and slowly plodded another half-mile behind an elderly woman on a Saturday morning stroll.

“You feel that magnetic pole when you get to the terminus,” Eigenbrot said.

Finally, they heard the sound of waves crashing against the concrete and the red, yellow and black-striped Southernmost Point buoy marking 90 miles to Cuba came into view.

There was nowhere else to walk. The land definitively disappeared into the sea.

They got in line with all the other tourists to take a picture on the busy street corner that marked the end of their wilderness journey. And, as Russell described it, they returned to the buoy several times like kids on a rollercoaster to take a different combination of photos with new lighting as the sun rose higher in the sky.

“It was easy to feel like we weren't tourists, but we were. We’d just taken a really hard way to get there,” Russell said.

But, unlike most tourists, they returned to the buoy one final time simply to stand in that spot. To touch the buoy. To feel the distance in their feet. To remember this moment and all the ones before it and every moment in between.

To feel, here, in this spot, a union of Canada, the Appalachian Mountains and this street corner in Key West. A union unphotographable and inexplicable, only to be seen and understood by those who traversed it at less than 3 miles per hour.

This union they noticed down the coast was certainly physical in nature. Though the foliage changed through the seasons and new trees appeared in each state, beech trees stood along

their path from Canada to Alabama. Everywhere, logging trucks drove empty going one way and coming back full. In each state they traversed over a similar rock formation that looked like a book sitting on its spine.

“It made me really feel like I was in that string of mountains,” Russell said. “Sure, there are human borders, but the mountains are the same mountains.”

Canada and Florida, though at opposing ends of a large continent and a long trail, shared an abundance of wildlife. The beach replaced the trail in stretches, though the ocean fronts in Canada were abandoned but for a fisherman just off the coast and the Florida beaches were lined with hotels and sunbathers. Similarly, the trail’s terminuses, one at the Cap Gaspé Lighthouse and one at the Southernmost Point buoy, both stood at busy tourist locations.

“This was a similarity and yet a difference. There were a lot of people on both ends of the ECT but after the haze of five days of cars walking down the Keys, I was a lot more grateful and appreciative of the people in Key West than I think I was with the people at Cap Gaspé because, thank God, they're just people, not cars now,” Russell said.

I picked Russell and Eigenbrot up a few hours after they hit the southern terminus in Key West, and they showered and relaxed in my air-conditioned apartment. The next morning, we sat around the living room eating vegan yogurt and granola while Tango snoozed on Russell’s lap, and they shared the stories and wisdom gained from Canada to Key West.

The ECT unites two countries and two different worlds, the woods of the Appalachians and the highway of ocean views in the Keys. But this moment on my couch reflected another unity down the east coast. The union between north and south was not only in the physical landscape, but also in the people – those they met and the lives they inspired with their story. A strange union that, somehow, people who only briefly met many months ago could feel like old friends.

Around 9 a.m., another hiker from Homestead came to pick them up and bring them back to their van, which they drove out to Colorado to begin work and a new life.

“It’s been a year of my life out here and then many years of dreaming about it as a whole before coming out,” Eigenbrot said. “It’s one of those things where we've done it for so long, what does getting on the other side of it actually feel like? I think it'll take some time to figure

out.”

1.Eigenbrot and Russell arrive at the Southernmost Point buoy in Key West on March 18, marking the end of their Eastern Continental Trail through-hike. CONTRIBUTED

2. Eigenbrot hikes Mont-Albert in Gaspésie National Park, one of the couple’s favorite viewpoints on the entire Eastern Continental Trail. CONTRIBUTED

3. Owen Eigenbrot and Ally Russell stand at the northern terminus of the Eastern Continental Trail at Cap Gaspé, Quebec. CONTRIBUTED

4. The author, Jacqueline Hale, stopped near the Sandal Factory in Islamorada when she saw two hikers walking alongside U.S. 1. They soon discovered they’d met many months before on the Appalachian Trail. CONTRIBUTED

SUMMER LOVIN’

Nostalgic first love, time traveling boyfriends and island wedding chaos. These sun-soaked romance novels will turn up the heat this summer!

SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER

By Annabel Monaghan

THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP

By Ashley Poston

KISMET

By Becky Chalsen

KAREN NEWFIELD

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.

Sam adores her eclectic parents, but her fiancé Jack can only tolerate their “artsy fartsy” ways in small doses. For as long as she can remember, her family escaped the busy city to spend glorious summers at their Long Island beach house. The youngest of the group, she was often on her own until she met the boy next door, Wyatt. As the years passed, Sam and Wyatt fell in love. First-time romance can be hard on the heart, especially when it ends without closure. Over a decade later, Sam and Jack are at the beach house searching for the perfect wedding venue. Anxious about the chaotic home she dragged Jack into, Sam is shocked when she hears guitar music drifting from next door. After all these years, Wyatt is back. She never imagined seeing him again after he moved to California. Maybe Sam needs closure before the big day. As she painstakingly answers every wedding detail, the real question continues to haunt her – is she marrying the right guy? Delightfully narrated throughout the dual timeline of Sam and Wyatt’s lives, this read is perfect for a day at the beach!

Clementine finds a handsome hunk with an adorable Southern accent standing in her new apartment. Initially frightened and confused, Clementine quickly develops a crush on this hot chef named Iwan (pronounced EE-wan) and they spend an amazing weekend together. When she leaves for work Monday morning, he disappears. This is the moment she realizes the apartment she inherited from her aunt is truly haunted. Her aunt had told her about the apartment’s special powers since she was a little girl, but Clementine thought these were stories. Aunt Analea, with whom she traveled the world and traded secrets, was the love of her life, and for the last year Clementine has mourned her passing. Her dream job at the publishing house has lost its luster and her love life is nonexistent. As the summer in NYC arrives, she is fascinated by the idea that Iwan could reappear at any moment. There are two problems: She never knows when, and has realized Iwan exists seven years in the past. The saying couldn’t be more true that timing really is everything. This delicious bit of magical realism will take you on an enchanting summer adventure.

This Fourth of July, twin sisters Amy and Jo Sharp turn 30. It is also the week of events leading up to Jo’s wedding. The sisters have always been inseparable, sharing every triumph and emotion. But lately Amy has been reticent. The close-knit family barely knows Dave, the groom, but Jo, always the romantic, has been smitten since this speedy romance began six months ago. Friends and family arrive on the Kismet ferry to celebrate the young couple. This small Fire Island community has been a special place for the Sharp family, with long hot summers of swimming, BBQs and friends. Amy and her husband Ben step off the boat with fake smiles in place, but they do not appear happy. Dave’s parents are aloof and secretive, and Jo fears they don’t approve of this wedding. When the gorgeous best man Emmett disembarks, their world is turned upside down as Amy tries to hide a painful secret from the past. She doesn't know if her heart can survive this topsy-turvy week or this runaway wedding. Say hello to summer with a quirky family, sisterly love and a fabulous setting.

#WORTHWATCHING: Young love unfolds at an international boarding school in South Korea. Touches on friendship, culture and social acceptance. This new Netflix romantic comedy series is some light and fun summer lovin’.

LEGAL NOTICES

FICTITIOUS NAME

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that

the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of ORESTES

SERVICES located at 1337

Ocean Breeze Ave. Lot 49, Marathon, FL 33050-2134 intends to register said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.

By: Orestes Lopez

Publish:

July 6, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

U-HAUL COMPANY OF MIAMI

Notice is here by given that on July 17th, 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

Alex Murgas Unit 1580

$710.60

James Fleischmann Unit 1001

$561.35

James Fleischmann Unit 1619 $1,275.69

Curtis Williams Unit 1536

$966.00

Brian Long Unit 1504-51

$995.45

Dennis Nicholson Unit 1185

$978.40

Publish:

June 29 & July 6, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN,THAT

THE CITY OF KEY COLONY BEACH WILL BE HOLDING

PUBLIC HEARINGS ON:

DATE/TIME:

Planning & Zoning Hearing: July

19th, 2023, 9:30 A.M.

City Commission Public Hearing: Thursday, August 17, 2023, 9:30 A.M.

LOCATION:

City of Key Colony Beach

Temporary Meeting Place at the Key Colony Inn Banquet Room 700 W. Ocean Drive, Key Colony Beach, Florida 33051, to hear a Variance Request from the City of Key Colony Beach, owners of the property located at Lot 8, Parcel-ID 0079873-000800, Sunset Park, Key Colony Beach, Florida 33051. This meeting will be available virtually via Zoom Meetings. Members of the public who wish to attend virtually may email cityclerk@ keycolonybeach.net or call 305-289-1212, Ext. 2 for further instructions on attending via Zoom Meetings.

Applicant requests a review and confirmation of no variance requirements to the City of Key Colony Beach Land Development Regulations

Article III, Section 101-19, for the replacement of the current Tiki Hut with dimensions of 9’ x 9’, to a Tiki Hut with the dimensions of 15’ x 20’ at Sunset Park, Key Colony Beach, Florida 33051. Interested parties may attend the Hearing and be heard with respect to the requested variance.

If any person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Commission of the City of Key Colony Beach with respect

to any matter considered at the Variance Hearing, that person will need a record of the proceedings and for such purpose may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.

If you are unable to attend the Hearings on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, or Thursday, August 17, 2023, but wish to comment, please direct correspondence to P.O. Box 510141, Key Colony Beach, FL 33051, or cityclerk@ keycolonybeach.net and your comments will be entered into the record.

City Clerk, City of Key Colony Beach

Publish:

July 6, 2023

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PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, THAT THE CITY OF KEY COLONY BEACH WILL BE HOLDING

PUBLIC HEARINGS ON:

DATE/TIME:

Planning & Zoning Hearing: July 19th, 2023, 9:30 A.M.

City Commission Public Hearing:

Thursday, August 17, 2023, 9:30 A.M.

LOCATION:

City of Key Colony Beach

Temporary Meeting Place at the Key Colony Inn Banquet Room, 700 W. Ocean Drive, Key Colony Beach, Florida 33051, to hear a Variance Request from James and Jane Walther, owners of the property located at 521 9th Street, Key Colony Beach, Florida 33051. This meeting will be available virtually via Zoom Meetings. Members of the public who wish to attend virtually may email cityclerk@ keycolonybeach.net or call 305-289-1212, Ext. 2 for further instructions on attending via Zoom Meetings.

Applicant requests a variance to the City of Key Colony Beach Code of Ordinances Chapter 101, Section 26 (11), to allow the installation of a pool within the 10’ setback to 5’ on one side of the lot. Current setback requirements are 10’ feet. Interested parties may attend the Hearing and be heard with respect to the requested variance.

If any person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Commission of the City of Key Colony Beach with respect to any matter considered at the Variance Hearing, that person will need a record of the proceedings and for such purpose may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.

If you are unable to attend the Hearings on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, or Thursday, August 17, 2023, but wish to comment, please direct correspondence to P.O. Box 510141, Key Colony Beach, FL 33051, or cityclerk@ keycolonybeach.net and your comments will be entered into the record.

City Clerk, City of Key Colony Beach

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July 6, 2023

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PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, THAT THE CITY OF KEY COLONY BEACH WILL BE HOLDING

PUBLIC HEARINGS ON: Planning & Zoning Hearing:

Wednesday, July 19, 2023, 9:30

appealing the Building Official’s decision pursuant to Sec. 2-2, Sec. 6-14, and Sec. 101-170, for the denial of a building permit for the property located at 1295 Coury Drive, Key Colony Beach, Florida 33051.This meeting will be available virtually via Zoom Meetings. Members of the public who wish to attend virtually may email cityclerk@ keycolonybeach.net or call 305-289-1212, Ext. 2 for further instructions on attending via Zoom Meetings. Applicant appeals the decision of the Key Colony Beach’s Building Official pursuant to sec.2-2, Sec, 6-14 and Sec. 101170 for the denial of a building permit for the property located at 1295 Coury Drive, Key Colony Beach, Florida 33051. Interested parties may attend the Hearing and be heard with respect to the requested appeal.

If any person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Commission of the City of Key Colony Beach with respect to any matter considered at the Variance Hearing, that person will need a record of the proceedings and for such purpose may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.

If you are unable to attend the Hearings on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, or Thursday, August 17, 2023, but wish to comment, please direct correspondence to P.O. Box 510141, Key Colony Beach, FL 33051, or cityclerk@ keycolonybeach.net and your comments will be entered into the record.

City Clerk, City of Key Colony Beach

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July 6, 2023

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IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NUMBER: 23-CP-79-P

IN RE: ESTATE OF GREGORY DOWELL, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of GREGORY DOWELL, deceased, whose date of death was 13 June 2023, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88820 Overseas Highway, Plantation Key, 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, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, 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: June 29, 2023.

Personal Representative: Julia Ogilvie 1180 N. Columbus St. Lancaster, OH 43130

Attorney for Personal

Representative: Tom Woods, Esq. Florida Bar No.: 0525197 116 Porto Salvo Drive Islamorada, Florida 33036 Phone: 305.664.2200 Fax 2205

Primary Email: tom@ tomwoodslaw.com

Secondary Email: eserve@ tomwoodslaw.com

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IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 23-CP-000071-P IN RE: ESTATE OF STEVEN LARSEN Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of STEVEN LARSEN, deceased, whose date of death was April 21, 2023, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88770 Overseas Highway, Plantation Key, Florida 33070. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the

SUDOKU SOLUTION

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: June 29, 2023.

Personal Representative: TOMAS LARSEN 71 Auburn Street Medford, MA 02155

Attorney for Personal

Representatives: STEVEN H. LINDE, ESQUIRE Florida Bar Number: 72089 LINDE LEGAL, PLLC 2332 Galiano Street, 2nd Floor Coral Gables, Florida 33134

Telephone: 305-722-5533

Primary E-Email: steven@ lindelegal.com

Primary E-Email: info@ lindelegal.com

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June 29 & July 6, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 44-2023-CP000115A-001KW IN RE: ESTATE OF CLEVELAND MCKINLEY MATHIS, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of CLEVELAND MCKINLEY MATHIS, deceased, File Number: 44-2023-CP000115A-001KW, whose date of death was November 21,

2022, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is Clerk of the Circuit Court, Probate Division, 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040. The names and addresses of the Personal Representative and the Personal Representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE 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, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.

ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED 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: June 29, 2023.

Personal Representative:

KARREN CORNELIUS

1920 Griffins Green Drive Bartow, FL 33830

Attorney for Personal

Representative:

ALLAN L. CASEY, ESQUIRE Florida Bar No. 150809

Law Offices of Allan L. Casey 395 Avenue C, N.W. Post Office Box 7146 Winter Haven, FL 33883-7146

Telephone (863) 294-4468

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June 29 & July 6, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NUMBER: 23-CP-56-P

IN RE: ESTATE OF DONALD BRUCE IRWIN, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Donald Bruce Irwin,

deceased, whose date of death was April 14, 2023, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88770 Overseas Highway, Suite 2, Plantation Key, FL 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, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, 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: June 29, 2023.

Personal Representative:

China Alexis Irwin Galissard de Marignac

5017 Little Turtle Drive Birmingham, AL 35242

Attorney for Personal Representative: BAKER, DONELSON, BEARMAN, CALDWELL & BERKOWITZ, PC 100 S.E. Third Avenue, Suite 1620

Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33394 Tel: (954) 768-1600

Fax: (954) 333-7636

Counsel for Petitioner: Duane Pinnock, Esq. Florida Bar No. 0568139

Josh A. Kravec, Esq. Florida Bar No. 1025518 dpinnock@bakerdonelson. com jkravec@bakerdonelson.com breid@bakerdonelson.com

Publish:

June 29 & July 6, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOW HIRING IN ISLAMORADA

BOAT RENTAL STAFF

FLEXIBLE HOURS & COMPETITIVE WAGES

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.

Email Ma at eliteboatrentalsma @gmail.com. Please include contact information and any relevant experience.

AUTOS ALL YEARS!

Junk or Used Cars, Vans, Trucks. Runs or Not. $CASH 305-332-0483

EMPLOYMENT

Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association, Marathon, Florida, seeks motivated individual knowledgeable on commercial fisheries management including spiny lobsters, stone crabs and finfish. Duties include travel and participation in Local, State and Federal fisheries management meetings and management of annual seafood festival held in Key West. Public speaking, written position papers and other correspondence are required skills. Salary based on knowledge and experience. Send Curriculum Vitae and contact information to kwjosh86@gmail.com no later than July 20, 2023.

HEALTH INSURANCE

NAVIGATOR - Enrollment

Assistance, Outreach, Education and Community Events. Paid Training and equipment. Bi-lingual a plus. Call 305-767-3883

Coast to Coast Pizza Company in Marathon is looking for Front of the house cashier, part time, and Back of the house kitchen staff, part and/or full time. Will train, but should be self-motivated, quick learner, and team player. Salary commensurate with experience and includes tips and 401k. Please call Nicole at 305-4330515, or email nicole@ themoongroupfl.com.

SS Wreck and Galley Grill on Grassy Key is looking for Line cooks, full or part time, and Servers/Hosts. Will train, but should be self-motivated, quick learner, and team player. Salary commensurate with experience and includes 401k. Please call Nicole at 305-4330515, or email nicole@ themoongroupfl.com.

City of Marathon Current Job Openings: Right of Way Technician. Full Benefits. EOE Please see City website for details www.ci.marathon.fl.us

Groundskeeper/ Maintenance person, KCB, Sea Isle Condominium, 20 - 40 hrs. per week, $25 per hr., apply by e-mail to HardingThomasL@aol.com, text or call 734-476-0531.

The Cabana Club, an ocean front private swim club is seeking a CustomerService 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.

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

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

Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder now hiring Guest Service Representativeresponsibilities include assisting guests at our Key Largo and Islamorada locations, making reservations and/or answering questions over phone and in-person, taking and processing photos, and checking-in and out guests visiting our facility. To apply, please send your resume to andreaw@dpmmr.org.

MAINTENANCE POSITION w/ busy Non-profit. FT with benefits. Longterm position w/room for growth. Valid DL required. Must have maintenance or related experience, computer skills and relate well with people. Very physical position, heavy lifting, heat, etc. Drug-free workplace. EOE Please send resume and cover letter to sholt@ fkoc.org NO phone calls.

The Housing Authority of the City of Key West now hiring the following positions: Cook, Maintenance Administrative Assistant (bilingual preferred) Maintenance Mechanic (Maintenance Worker), Med Tech (caregiver), and Grounds Caretaker.

To apply, please contact Human Resources at: martinezm@kwha.org or 305-296-5621

Applications are available at the Administrative Office located at 1400 Kennedy Dr., Key West, FL 33040 or online at www. kwha.org - EOE & Drug Free Work Place. This opportunity is covered under Section 3 of the HUD Act of 1968.

Place your Employment Ad here for $25.00/week for up to five lines of copy. Call 305-743-0844 today!

HOBBIES/COLLECT.

PRIVATE COLLECTOR

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

LOT FOR SALE

Oceanside-Lot with building permit in Tavernier $399K OBO 305-933-9594 OwnerAgent [3% to selling office]

TRUCK DRIVERS CDL CLASS A

We are hiring CDL CLASS A Drivers, Monday-Friday with overtime available. Hazmat not needed.

Apply at Charley Toppino & Sons, Inc.

129 Toppino Industrial Dr., Key West (ask for Cheryl) 305-296-5606 ext 126.

DUI EVALUATOR/ INSTRUCTOR

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

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

TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION

T&D ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

Starting pay rate for this position, depending on qualifications and experience: $108,332/annually$111,365/annually

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: $40.35/hr. - $45.19/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.

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 WEST

Behavioral Health Therapist (Child, Adult)

Behavioral Health Counselor (Children)

Case Managers (Adult, Forensic)

Substance Abuse Counselor

Peer Support Specialist

Prevention Specialist

MARATHON

Driver (CDL required)

Care Coordinator

Behavioral Health Therapist (Child, Adult)

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

RNs/LPNs - 3 shifts (also Per Diem)

Maintenance Specialist

*Behavioral Health Technicians

3 shifts (also Per Diem)

Peer Support Specialist

*Support Worker – Assisted Living

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

(search

THEME: MOVIE ANIMALS

ACROSS

1. Deli side

5. *”Breakfast at Tiffany’s” animal

8. Songs for one

12. What formica and biochemical have in common

13. Prefix for partly

14. Dark

15. Crew equipment, pl.

16. Steinbeck’s “East of ____”

17. Golf shirt

18. *”Marmaduke” animal

20. *”Away & Back” animal

21. Game “field”

22. Slightly insane

23. Casual top

26. Vending machine

30. Rocks, to a bartender

31. Bowling prop

34. Lush

35. Trots and canters

37. Broadcasting medium

38. Inflammatory swelling

39. Highland tongue

40. Sock pattern

42. Bring into play

43. Go back over

45. Theater passages

47. Part of a cheer

48. Lump of anything

50. Milo and Otis, e.g.

52. *”Dunston Checks In” animal

56. Wheel on a spur

57. CISC alternative

58. Private theater box

59. Resembling wings

60. MacFarlane or Rogen

61. Go-____

62. *Bullseye, Hamm and Lotso

Bear, e.g.

63. Lyric poem

64. Immediately, doctor’s jargon

DOWN

1. Air quality concern

2. Fibber

3. Farm measure

4. Sushi condiment

5. Natural moth repellent

6. To change, as in the U.S. Constitution

7. Fork prong

8. *”Harry Potter” animal (2 words)

9. Earthenware pot

10. *”Born Free” animal

11. I in T.G.I.F.

13. Administer diazepam

14. When Cinderella wins

19. Civil wrongs

22. “Some Nights” band

23. *”Life of Pi” animal

24. Close call

25. Bank job

26. Gossamer

27. Cry like #5 Across

28. Liquorice flavored herb

29. Hues

32. Backgammon predecessor

33. *”Babe” animal

36. *”Anchorman” and “The Wizard of Oz” animals

38. Kundera’s “Unbearable Lightness of ____”

40. “That feels good!” exclamation

41. Set in motion

44. Like a go-getter bird

46. Lies in ambush

48. Wept

49. It makes waste?

50. Singular of #17 Across 51. Home versus ____ game

52. Guesstimate phrase (2 words)

53. To perfection (3 words)

54. Taj Mahal city

55. As opposed to gross

56. *”Willard” animal