Marathon Weekly 23-0727

BACK TO SCHOOL BACK TO SCHOOL

The new school year is around the corner! Avoid rushing to book your child’s ANNUAL PHYSICAL at the last minute. Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI) provides an affordable way to get your child back-to-school ready.

CHI will be conducting school physicals on Saturday, August 5, 2023

Most insurances are accepted Evening and weekend hours are available Please bring immunization records Book an appointment at any of our pediatric locations before August 5th or at the participating location for School Physical day. Scan QR code for more information.

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It is estimated that there are around 50,000 killer whales globally. Approximately 2,500 killer whales live in the eastern North Pacific Ocean — home to the most well-studied killer whale populations.

It’s that time again. Nominations for the 2023 Best of Marathon Awards begin Thursday, July 27 at noon. Flip to page 15 and get ready to rep your favorites.

KEY COLONY BEACH GIVES NEW CITY HALL GREEN LIGHT IN SPLIT VOTE

City commission awards $8.375 million contract to Hands On Builders

With a price tag of $8.375 million, Hands On Builders will be tasked with construction of Key Colony Beach’s new city hall. LIVS ASSOCIATES/ Contributed

After years of debate that have driven a wedge between Key Colony residents and city officials, a 3-2 vote by the Key Colony Beach Commission on July 20 will move the city toward the construction of a brand-new city hall building, much to the audible chagrin of several residents present at the nearly fivehour meeting.

The commission’s session opened with public comment and reports of written communication received by the city from residents staunchly opposed to the new building, once again urging the city to repair its existing city hall –left largely vacant since Hurricane Irma – or put the proposed new building out to bid a second time.

A bid opening on June 5 revealed two bids submitted from a total of 34 planholders for the proposed building, designed by Coral Gables-based architectural and engineering firm LIVS Associates: an $8.375-million figure from Miami-based Hands On Builders LLC (HOB), and a $12.487-million bid from Mobile, Alabama-based Persons Services Corporation (PSC).

The city conducted a subsequent bid evaluation meeting on June 28, during which one of the three intended committee members, architect and KCB resident Pete Diez, was dismissed from the committee due to prior private conversations with bidders. From the remaining evaluators – LIVS architect Lazaro Cabezon and retired former

KCB Building Official Terrence Justice

– HOB’s bid received a total of 187 out of 200 points, with PSC’s score at 181. Both evaluators wrote that PSC’s entry should be disqualified as a non-responsive bid due to a math error on the company’s bid form.

“LIVS recommends this be put out for re-bid; it will benefit the city to get more bids,” Cabezon’s evaluation sheet reads. “But if you decide with the low bidder then HOB should get the job.”

“Commission recommendation is to award to HOB or publish a new solicitation,” Justice wrote, while “strongly advising” local project oversight by a city-appointed representative as well as a mandatory performance bond.

The limited responses, difference of more than 40% between the bid prices and committee recommendations for a re-bid of the project, in the absence of an updated bid to repair the existing building, continued to draw residents’ ire throughout the meeting. Some cautioned the commission to broaden its allowances for change orders in its financing projections for the new building given the vast difference between the two bids received, recommending allowances of 15 to 20 percent over the currently-budgeted 5 percent.

Several voiced complaints regarding the city’s handling of completed bid packets. According to Florida state law, a governing body must release the contents of competitive bids to public records requests within 30 days of opening the bids or at the time a decision is made, whichever is earlier.

If the agency decides to reject all bids,

the contents of existing bid packages are exempt from disclosure for up to 12 months after rejecting the bids or until the time the governing body reaches a final decision, whichever is earlier.

As KCB opened its city hall bids on June 5 and considered rejecting all bids after its evaluation meeting on June 28, but did not reach an official decision until its July 20 city commission meeting, it’s unclear whether the bids were subject to public inspection under Florida law after July 5. Several residents, along with commissioner Freddie Foster, said they had requested the bid packages immediately, but only received them a few days before the commission meeting.

The commission had an extensive exchange with Justice on Thursday following a recommendation from a LIVS representative to re-bid the project. Due to technological challenges, the commission was unable to continue its discussion with LIVS beyond a brief recommendation.

Justice said he was “troubled” by the two bids with a large discrepancy, calling the option to re-bid the project an “attractive option to revisit this,” but said he “openly acknowledge(d) that this comes to the commission’s discretion, and you do have the option to award to the low bid of $8.375 million.”

Foster and commissioner Joey Raspe questioned the disqualification of PSC’s bid, saying that the reported “math error” was likely a typo on the company’s bid sheet and that changing a single digit virtually corrected the

continued on page 12

ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

MONROE COUNTY AWARDS DEBRIS COLLECTION CONTRACTS TO LAWSUIT OPPONENT, ADDRESSES DOWNSTAIRS ENCLOSURE CAP

On a sweltering day in July, the Monroe County commissioners and staff met and tackled topics that no one, we can safely say, adores to discuss in our island paradise: hurricanes and floods.

Specifically, they voted to give out two contracts for hurricane debris removal — to AshBritt and DRC Emergency Services — and took suggestions from the public about enforcing the size of downstairs enclosures.

The debate for awarding the hurricane debris removal contract got a mite testy at times between AshBritt chairman Randy Perkins and county attorney Bob Shillinger.

Notably silent: Mayor Pro Tem Holly Raschein. Raschein is currently employed as the director of government relations at AshBritt, one of the six companies vying for the contract.

Shillinger assured the board that he has the Florida Commission on Ethics “on speed dial” and that Raschein is in compliance with its code of ethics by sitting out the vote.

County administrator Roman Gastesi and Shillinger had differing opinions about whom to award the contract to. Gastesi supported re-upping the contract currently in place with the team of nationwide disasterresponse company AshBritt and Key West–based construction firm Charley Toppino & Sons, citing the experience that they have in the county already.

“I have a different view,” responded Shillinger, explaining that in order to maximize the chance of FEMA financial reimbursement, he’d like to follow selection-committee recommendations: their first choice was DRC, second was TFR Enterprises and third was AshBritt.

AshBritt had handed in higher price quotes for its services than DRC and TFR,

which may, Shillinger implied, make FEMA blanche at reimbursement.

Perkins came out swinging at the speaker podium: “Bob, I don’t mean to make this about you and I — we have a personal history, and I’ll leave it at that.”

AshBritt sued the county just after Hurricane Irma in 2017. Monroe County had claimed that AshBritt was having trouble removing trash in the Lower Keys after the storm hit, and, with the assistance of the Florida Department of Transportation, had hired other contractors at higher prices.

The lawsuit dragged on for years and was only settled this past March. AshBritt sought almost $3 million in damages and legal fees. In the end, Monroe County agreed to pay the company $100,000 and said the contract would be put out to bid.

Perkins said that Shillinger was “factually incorrect about what FEMA would pay” and that AshBritt quoted higher prices than the five other companies making bids due to such expenses as employee housing, the cost of labor and equipment rental.

In the end, the board came to a compromise by approving not one, but two fiveyear contracts: selection-committee favorite DRC and AshBritt/Toppino.

The board moved on to another controversial topic later in the meeting: FEMA’s floodplain management.

County staff met with FEMA recently in Atlanta to discuss two items that had drawn the ire of Keys locals: a 299-square-foot cap on downstairs enclosures and an inspection-on-sale program for those enclosures.

“(FEMA) basically said, ‘What proposals do you have to offer as part of a revised remedial plan that would give us comfort that the county would not backslide into the position that we were in decades ago,’”

said Shillinger, “when, quite frankly, we were paying lip service to these regulations. We found ourselves in hot water with FEMA.”

The county had been in danger of getting kicked out of the FEMA-managed National Flood Insurance Program, he explained. The county had agreed to regulations such as the 299-square-foot enclosure cap to get back into the agency’s good graces.

But, as speakers said in the board meeting, that cap didn’t always make sense.

Amedeo D’Ascanio of construction contractor D’Asign Source said that detached garages are legal, “but if it’s underneath your house, that’s not legal. So some of the logic doesn’t square.”

Shillinger said that during their Atlanta meeting, FEMA agreed to consider raising the cap.

Speakers from the real estate community had expressed concern about another FEMA-inspired regulation: an inspection that buyers and sellers are required to request upon sale of a property if there is an enclosed structure below flood elevation. Although work identified as unpermitted may not result in a code case against the current owner, it would affect the new owner’s ability to pull a permit later.

This inspection program has had an unforeseen effect: Buyers’ agents have begun to limit showings to homes in incorporated areas of Monroe County that do not fall under the same restrictions. Turnaround times for inspections by the understaffed building department are also affecting transactions that are on the clock to lock in a mortgage rate.

With this in mind, the board agreed to hold more workshops about these issues and approved a resolution to limit liability for home sellers and buyers who may be affected by the inspection program — a grace period that had originally been due to end on September 1 — through Jan. 31, 2024.

Crews from AshBritt Inc. and Toppino & Sons clear storm debris following Hurricane Ian in Key West. The two companies will continue to serve Monroe County’s debris clearing needs on new five-year contracts. CONTRIBUTED CHARLOTTE TWINE www.keysweekly.com

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FISHING GROUP ENCOUNTERS ORCAS OFF KEY LARGO

‘An Evening with Jaimie Roberts’ brings cabaret to Marathon Community Theatre

ALEX RICKERT

alex@keysweekly.com

What exactly is a cabaret?

Ask veteran performer Jaimie Roberts to describe her show this weekend at Marathon Community Theatre, and she’d probably use that word. Ask her to define it, and the task gets a bit harder.

But whatever it is, she and featured pianist Randy Morris have more than nine decades of combined professional entertainment experience to back it up.

“Cabaret is a difficult thing to pin down. Performances are made up of songs, punctuated by a performer telling stories about their life,” she read from Google when the Weekly caught up with her on July 20. “I’m gonna send this to you, because it’s so good.

“It’s storytelling while singing songs that mean something to the performer. They find those songs so important that they need to share them,” she explained. “There’s a lot of comedy in my show; I’ll make it funny, then hit you with a zinger that will touch your heart when you least expect it.”

Roberts comes from more than 30 years of experience performing at Walt Disney World in Orlando, beginning in the 1980s.

“I auditioned seven times before I got hired,” she said. “And once I got hired, I was all over the place. I did every show you can imagine that was there.”

Roberts’ time as an equity performer included roles as Esmerelda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the evil queen in Snow White, as well as performances in Broadway at the Top, the Voices of Liberty and the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.

That all came to an end with the COVID-19 pandemic, as she found herself among the 720 performers on the receiving end of a mass email terminating their employment – just one portion of a layoff totaling more than 11,000 Disney employees.

“It was devastating,” she said. “Part of me is still not over it.”

Moving to the Keys with then-fiance Scott Gearhart, a marine mammal veterinarian, Roberts found herself in an entirely new environment unlike any of the bustling stages she shared at Disney.

“I thought it would be pretty easy to find a piano player and put a jazz group together to perform at local resorts, but that didn’t happen,” she said. “I was dying, and I really needed to find my tribe of theater people, so I volunteered to assist with ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ at MCT. Once I assisted with the audition process, I felt like I had found those people.”

Although Roberts has already promised a more formal role as choreographer for this year’s reprise of “Rocky Horror,” most of the community theater’s performances don’t quite align with the 15-plus years of cabaret-style shows she and Morris put on, even outside of Disney. But what she found was a perfect venue.

“The more I got involved, the more I wanted to bring Randy down, because I wanted to bring my show to their stage. The first time I walked in there, I was like ‘This. Place. Is. PERFECT for a cabaret.’”

The weekend’s performance will put Roberts and Morris’ 30-plus years of shared stage time on full display. The pair met at Disney’s Diamond Horseshoe and spent the next few decades traveling to jazz festivals around the state and country.

“He’s a genuine musical freak,” Roberts said. “He plays countless instruments. He is the most knowledgeable person I know as far as music history, and he could name-drop like nobody’s business. The people he’s worked with are just beyond me sometimes.”

Above all, Roberts said she hopes the onenight-only performance uses her storytelling to “inspire someone else to feel something for two hours, or laugh for two hours, or just get away from their troubles for two hours.

“For me, different times in my life have brought different cabarets that come out of me,” she said. “I have this emotion of transitioning from what I’ve known my entire adult life to something brand new. That brings out a lot of different songs that I want to sing and tell those stories.”

“An Evening with Jaimie Roberts, Featuring Randy Morris” takes the stage Saturday, July 29 at 8 p.m. Limited tickets are available for $35 at marathontheater.org or by calling 305-743-0994. The show is intended for 18+ audiences.

Dolphins, sharks and manatees are some of the usual sightings off the Florida Keys shore. But earlier in the week, a group of friends fishing off Key Largo encountered something a little more rare — maybe even once-in-a-lifetime.

During the fishing excursion, the group discovered a pod of orcas, also known as killer whales, roughly 20 miles away from Key Largo on July 24. Mike Slaughter began to videorecord the encounter, which instantly went viral on Facebook and Instagram. Footage showed one orca close to the boat, while some orcas briefly surfaced, dipped below the surface and swam toward the boat.

Slaughter said on his Instagram post that the killer whales just killed something. The video shows two guys oozing with excitement as they donned snorkeling masks, jumping into the water to get a closer look.

“Oh, he’s coming right at you. The big boy! He’s looking at you.”

Capt. Bill Chrisman of No Regrets Fishing out of Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina was one of the first to receive the incredible footage from his friends.

“I wasn’t even on the boat. They said, ‘Look at that, Billy.’ I said, ‘Send me the video.’ I couldn’t believe it,” Chrisman told Keys Weekly.

According to NOAA Fisheries, the killer whale is the ocean’s top predator. A member of the Delphinidae family, or dolphins, killer whales are found in every ocean in the world.

Killer whale populations are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. NOAA estimates around 50,000 killer whales globally. Approximately 2,500 killer whales live in the eastern North Pacific Ocean — home to the most well-studied killer whale populations.

A mammal stock assessment report by NOAA states that sightings have been sporadic of killer whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Kirk Linaje, marine scientist, told WPLG that he believes these were Caribbean orcas, which reside in the southeast Caribbean and Lesser Antilles.

This isn’t the first time that Florida has dealt with orcas this year. In January, a 21-foot, 5,000-pound orca washed up in Flagler County not far from Palm Coast. According to NOAA Fisheries, the older female had signs of various illnesses.

Jaimie Roberts, right, and Randy Morris will team up for a cabaret performance at Marathon Community Theatre this weekend. CONTRIBUTED

A pod of orcas, or killer whales. NOAA/Unsplash

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continued from page 4

error within a few dollars. They said HOB’s bid package contained similar typos that were simply located in other places than the company’s signed and notarized final bid sheet.

“I had this loaded into an Excel spreadsheet, but the number that it took in the line item that ostensibly had a typo, I couldn’t arrive at the stated bid price without putting a completely different unrecognizable series of digits. It was not a one-digit typo.” Justice replied. “Math cannot be corrected, because it’s tantamount to changing the number of the bid.”

Justice also replied to concerns from Raspe that the new city hall project would far exceed the scope of HOB’s current projects, reiterating a performance bond and local supervision as absolute requirements. He said HOB’s lack of experience did not trouble him as much, as a large portion of the work would be handled by subcontractors.

“It is (a concern), but (the evaluation committee) is limited to assessing their qualifications,” Justice said. “Their bid was responsive, so we didn’t really go beyond that. I won’t say that your concern is misguided at all. … But I didn’t think for a moment that the commission would say, ‘Let’s give it to a more experienced company, and let’s spend 50% more.’” He reiterated his advice for the commission to view a performance bond and local oversight of the build as absolute necessities given the scope of HOB’s prior projects.

Raspe noted a lack of bids from local commercial contractors as a red flag, saying he “(didn’t) understand why we’re putting this project in the hands of a residential builder.”

“I’m at a loss,” said Foster. “I can’t believe that we’re entertaining this. … I just don’t understand how people, especially without a construction background, could come down this path. … I have to oppose this at the highest level.”

“The reason I’m supportive of trying to move ahead is that … we did get a bid that was 4.6% of what we budgeted,” said secretary/treasurer Tom Harding, adding that from his time on the city’s utility board, such large discrepancies between bids were commonplace. He attributed the lack of bids to contractors’ desire to pursue larger projects on Florida’s west coast and in other municipalities throughout the Keys.

In a detailed address citing numerous engineering and inspection reports covered in the June 8 issue of the Marathon Weekly, Vice Mayor Beth Ramsay-Vickrey described extensive damages to the existing building and several challenges to pursuing a repair, instead of a rebuild, of the existing hall. She said that from her understand-

ing, regardless of when the prior city hall’s floor began sinking – a topic of heated debate among current and former residents and city officials – the hall’s condition after Hurricane Irma warranted a rebuild. She referenced agendas and meetings for city commissions and committees dating back to 2005 discussing the need to replace the building with a fully hurricane-resistant structure.

“FEMA only cares that it is substantially damaged,” she said. “For the purposes of financial reimbursement, yes, FEMA cares about how the damage occurred. But for the declaration of substantial damage … which would require the old building to be elevated and brought up to all applicable updated codes, they don’t care how it was damaged.”

She spoke against a possible re-bid of the project and said she was concerned that HOB could return with a higher bid and “pocket (millions) for his time and trouble,” knowing no other contractors had submitted bids close to the company’s original figure.

“I will be voting one, in accordance with FEMA’s 50% rule … Two, to ensure that we remain in compliance with federal regulations in order to protect our city’s standing in the National Flood Insurance Program. Three, to ensure our good standing with both FEMA and the state, and four, to ensure our position for future state and federal funding,” she concluded.

The commission ultimately voted 3-2 to accept HOB’s bid, with Raspe and Foster as the “no” votes. Though unclear during the meeting whether a performance bond would be a mandatory condition of the project award as suggested by Justice, City Administrator David Turner and Ramsay-Vickrey both confirmed to the Weekly via text that the bond would be required.

Harding’s city hall construction financing plan, presented later in the meeting and based on a listed building cost of $8 million, called for financing needs of between $2.2 million and $2.5 million to pay for the new hall, depending on how much of the city’s general fund cash would be used. The city’s expected revenues include a $2.2 million facility hardening grant already received from the State of Florida and another $2.2 million in available infrastructure cash. Although based on the lowerpriced building, Harding’s plan calculates a per-resident cost of between $2,649 and $3,174 over a 20-year loan period.

To read Keys Weekly’s coverage of KCB’s bid opening and city hall engineering reports, scan here:

BLEACHWATCH PROGRAM NEEDS VOLUNTEERS TO MONITOR CORALS IN FLORIDA KEYS

Bleaching of elkhorn coral observed on July 17 at Sombrero Reef, where water temperatures have already reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit for short periods this summer. MICHELLE DOBLER/Nova Southeastern University

With unseasonably high ocean temperatures in the Florida Keys, local coral reefs are bleaching, a stress response which increases susceptibility to disease, predation and mortality. Mote Marine Laboratory, in partnership with Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, is seeking volunteers to monitor for heatdriven bleaching throughout the Florida Keys.

Cory Walter, Mote senior biologist and BleachWatch coordinator, will lead three additional BleachWatch training sessions in the coming weeks to engage volunteer divers and snorkelers in the Florida Keys BleachWatch program. BleachWatch provides critical monitoring data before, during and after coral bleaching events in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

As a community-based reporting program, BleachWatch relies on a large network of trained observers to be “eyes on the water,” providing regular reports on actual coral conditions. This field observation data is synthesized with NOAA’s monitoring data to provide scientists, resource managers and the public summaries of current conditions on Florida reefs. The data is also essential to inform future restoration strategy.

Mote’s BleachWatch program has operated since 2005 in partnership with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). BleachWatch receives funding from NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program and from the Protect Our Reefs grants program, which distributes funds from sales of Florida’s Protect Our Reefs specialty license plate.

Recreational and professional divers and snorkelers can get involved by attending an upcoming training session led by Mote. Sessions last approximately 90 minutes. No scientific background is needed.

• Wednesday, Aug. 2: 6 p.m. at the Keys History & Discovery Center, 82100 Overseas Highway, Islamorada

• Saturday, Aug. 5: 10 a.m. at Reefhouse Resort & Marina Conference Center, 103800 Overseas Highway, Key Largo

• Saturday, Aug. 12: 10 a.m. at Florida Keys Country Club, 4000 Sombrero Boulevard, Marathon

Pre-registration is requested at mote.org/bleachwatch. If unable to attend an in-person workshop, online training is also available at mote.org/ bleachwatch. For more information contact Cory Walter at: cwalter@mote.org or 305-3958730. —

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KCB TO WADE THROUGH DUAL FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS

FEMA, CITY- SPONSORED PROBES TO OCCUR SIMULTANEOUSLY

At its July 20 city commission meeting, Key Colony Beach elected in a split vote to move forward with a new city hall building.

But the old hall isn’t done yet.

Key Colony Beach will face not one, but two separate investigations into allegations of fraud perpetrated by former KCB employees and officials – one probe by FEMA, and another citysponsored counterpart.

The investigations center around allegations printed in another publication by former city clerk-turned-commissioner Kathryn McCullough and former building official Ed Borysiewicz. According to the pair, following Hurricane Irma, former City Administrator Chris Moonis and/or then-Mayor John DeNeale instructed city staff to remove a layer in a section of the existing city hall’s floor that had previously been filled in as a way to address ongoing settlement of a concrete slab – thereby exaggerating the damages caused by the storm and increasing the likelihood that a rebuild would be triggered due to FEMA’s infamous 50% Rule.

Speaking to the Weekly on July 25, Borysiewicz confirmed that he had spoken with FEMA senior fraud investigator Tim Hoover in a conversation that he said lasted “about a half-hour.” He said Hoover asked about settlement of the concrete slab in question as well as the alleged removal.

He reiterated to the Weekly that the slab had been settling since before he began working for the city in 1987, necessitating tile replacements multiple times as it continued to sink in a section colloquially referred to as “the fault line.” Over the years, city staff had leveled the sinking section with thin-set mortar and eventually covered it with carpet. Following Irma, multiple holes were legitimately drilled in the floor to validate the void under the slab for engineering reports, as confirmed by measurement devices and a video camera. But Borysiewicz also said he and his staff were instructed to remove the thin-set layer previously installed to level the area – though he couldn’t recall exactly whether it was Moonis or DeNeale who asked him to do so.

“I think the engineers just wanted it to be removed so they could look at the floor – that was the explanation they gave,” he said. “But looking back at it now, I see the real reason was probably that they didn’t want to know that repairs were made and the settlement was pre-existing.

When asked if he had relayed this analysis to Hoover, Borysiewicz said, “(Hoover) asked me, ‘Do you think this was fraud that was going on?’ The only answer I gave him was, ‘I think it was an exaggeration of the facts.’”

The Weekly contacted Hoover by phone on July 21 and 25. Hoover said he could not comment on any investigation and declined to confirm whether a case had been opened regarding KCB.

Nearly a dozen city commission agendas and committee meeting reports from as early as 2005 reviewed by the Weekly document an extensive history of debate over the proper way to handle the repair or replacement of City Hall, including the settlement of the concrete slab before Irma as well as a greatly accelerated settlement rate after the storm that prompted documented life safety concerns from Borysiewicz.

A December 2021 letter from former KCB Building Official Gerard Roussin called an effort to repair the current structure, with its extensive damages, “a complete waste of grant, taxpayers and insurance monies due to the fact that this is a non-conforming structure with the distinct possibility of having the same storm surge issue happen again.”

At the July 20 meeting, current KCB Vice Mayor Beth Ramsay-Vickrey reiterated, and was eventually granted via a 3-2 vote, her request for an independent investigation paid for by the city into the allegations, even as FEMA’s probe is ongoing.

City Attorney Dirk Smits said the cost of such an investigation would likely be up to $15,000, as relayed to him by a third-party attorney, but could go higher if unexpectedly extensive work was required. He said the investigation “could be very short,” as probes of this nature do not have subpoena power, but that the investigating attorney would have the opportunity to speak to as many individuals as possible about the alleged activities.

One critical component of the upcoming investigation is a concern about the statute of limitations. As relayed by Smits, “The period of limitation of actions for fraud is four years long. Fraud commences on the day that the defrauded party knew, or should have known, of the occurrence.”

“The problem I’m having is the only thing I really know anybody knew is what the newspa-

per article said,” he added. “So in determining if there is something to prosecute, the determination is going to come to who knew what when. That’s going to be part of that investigation, but that’s integral.”

“I didn’t create this mess; I’m just trying to get to the bottom,” said Ramsay-Vickrey. “These are very serious allegations … and (the investigation) needs to start with the person who levied these accusations. As a clerk who went on to become a seated commissioner herself, Mrs. McCullough … has some explaining to do as to why she’s only bringing attention to this now.

“FEMA’s investigation won’t address our city’s concern or clear our reputation. They’ll be looking to see if we received money based on fraudulent activity, which I’ve been told we did not. … How we address this may very well determine our city’s reputation.”

“If there are any wrongdoings, I welcome the transparency 100%,” said Mayor Patti Trefry. “If there are wrongdoings, this investigation will uncover them.”

Commissioners Freddie Foster and Joey Raspe, who voted against the investigation, argued that the investigation would be duplicative given FEMA’s ongoing efforts and would lack the power required to secure necessary testimony.

Dual fraud investigations will likely revolve around a section of the old city hall floor where thin-set mortar was allegedly removed to exaggerate the impacts of Hurricane Irma. CONTRIBUTED

Photos from a report dated Aug. 3, 2018 show core holes drilled to expose a void of more than a foot under the old Key Colony Beach city hall floor. KEYSTONE EXPERTS AND ENGINEERS/Contributed

Our Community

Best Place to take the Kids

Best Event

Best Bathroom

Best Sunset

Best Place to Have a Wedding

Best Elected O cial

Best Tourist A raction

Best Local Celebrity

Best Volunteer

Best Non-Profit Organization

Best Place to Take a Date

Best Band/Musician

Best Place to Take a Selfie

Best Summer Camp

Best Sport Coach

Best Educator

Best Thespian/Performing Artist

Nominations

start July 27 & close Aug. 13

Final Voting Begins

Aug. 17 to Sept. 3

Winners & Awards to be presented

Saturday, Sept. 16

MILLION AIR HANGAR

The Businesses

Best Resort/Hotel

Best Accounting Firm

Best Law Firm

Best Gi Shop

Best Fishing Guide

Best Dive Shop

Best Bait & Tackle Shop

Best Customer Service

Best New Business

Best Medical Professional

Best Landscape Company

Best Auto Repair

Best Marine Repair

Best Photographer

Best Health/Fitness Coach

Best Marina

Best Water Sports

Best Vet

Best Realtor

Best Real Estate O ce

Best Bank

Best General Contractor

Best Specialty Contractor

Best Hair Salon

Best Nail Salon

Best Jewelry Store

Best Clothing Store

Best Business

Best Family Owned Business

Best Vacation Rental Company

Best Leisure Charter

Best Pet Service

Best Fishing Charter

The Food & Drink

Best Key Lime Pie

Best Fish Sandwich

Best Fine Dining

Best International Food

Best Breakfast

Best Lunch

Best BBQ

Best Cup of Co ee

Best Bar

Best Bartender

Best Server

Best Happy Hour

Best Bloody Mary

Best Waterfront Dining

Best Live Music Venue

Best Pizza

Best Margarita

Best Late Night Spot

Best Beer Selection

Best Catering

Best Taco

Best Food Truck

Best Seafood

Best Steak

Best Sushi

Best Burger

Best Cook your own Catch

Best Overall Restaurant

Best Conch Fri ers

Best Wings

Best Alternative Healthcare Provider

Presented by

THE BEST, ABOVE THE REST

ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

With nominations opening this week, Marathon’s businesses will once again vie for the city’s most coveted honors at the 2023 Best of Marathon Awards. While some businesses seem to have cemented their places on the leaderboards, others might need some extra juice in their pursuit of island glory. With that

WAYS TO GET YOUR NAME ON THE BEST OF MARATHON BALLOT

10. Have the best-looking mugshot in the MCSO arrests log.

9. Promise to copy the numbers from your GPS for anyone who wants them.

8. Spark a political firestorm through your social media channels.

7. Rent your Marathon license plates for free beach and boat ramp parking.

6. Two words: “Locals discount.”

5. Convince Target to go into the K-Mart building.

4. Be really, really good at something. (Or really horrible.)

3. Be one of the two veterinary hospitals in town.

2. 24-hour Happy Hour.

1. Develop an ocean air conditioner.

Capturing a people’s choice award during the Best of Marathon is a transformative moment for any business or individual and for many, just being nominated for one of these prestigious awards provides profound personal and professional benefits — ranging from financial gain and increased social status to better seating options at popular local restaurants.

2023 marks the 14th installment of the Best of Marathon: the Middle Keys’ People’s Choice Awards. Conjured back in 2008, more than 1,000 winners have been named, while well over $130,000 has been raised for local charities like the Marathon Rotary Club. Earlier this week, we asked Marathon Weekly publisher Jason Koler which elements of the Best of Marathon he’s most proud of, and it was an easy answer.

“Obviously when you are able to raise money for any of our local nonprofits, it always gives you a broader sense of community and reminds you of what’s important here at home,” Koler said. “Outside of that, my favorite part of the Best of Marathon has always been the voting process and, of course, the awards party. Last year our interactive voting map showed participation from five continents and over 12 countries. Our annual winners’ gala is one evening that brings together so many different people, from all different walks of life, to laugh with each other and celebrate our community. It’s just one evening where we can put aside our differences and have some fun with our friends. Every dollar raised benefits the Rotary Club, which I believe provides enrichment to the lives of so many people in our community.”

The team at the Marathon Weekly combed the ballot this year to provide a fresh set of categories for 2023, including incorporating some excellent suggestions from our readers. Some speak for themselves, such as Best Fishing Charter (not to be confused with Best Fishing Guide), Best Thespian/Performing Artist, Best Wings and Best Conch Fritter. Others might need a bit more explanation. Best Leisure Charter incorporates businesses throughout Marathon that focus on the relaxing side of boating, with sunset cruises, sandbar trips and the like. Best Alternative Healthcare Provider will recognize a professional outside the realm of standard healthy check-ups, sick visits and treatment. And finally, Best Pet Service will give groomers, boarding services, pet sitters and similar businesses their time to shine.

Time’s up – let’s do this. We can’t wait.

HOW THE VOTING WORKS Nominate Your Favorites:

July 27 - August 13

Log in to Keysweekly.com starting on Thursday, July 27 at noon to nominate your favorites in each category. Voters can vote once per day for all categories, and must fill out 75% of the ballot to cast a valid submission. So visit often, or daily, throughout the nomination process to propose your favorite finalists.

The top three nominees in each category are placed on the finalists’ ballot. Contrary to the annual rumor, we do not create the top three. You, the voters, decide the top three finalists from among your nominees, each and every year. Nominations will end at midnight on Sunday, Aug. 13, so make sure your voice is heard before then!

Vote for the Finalists:

Aug. 17 - Sept. 3

The top three nominees in each category make the final ballot. The highest vote-getter among the three finalists in each category receives the Best of Marathon Award.

Voting for the finalists in each category begins at noon on Aug. 17 at keysweekly.com. During this stage, voters can submit one ballot per day and must fill out 75% of the categories to cast a valid ballot. So visit keysweekly. com often throughout the process and submit one ballot a day.

The Awards: Sept. 16

The 14th annual Best of Marathon awards celebration, this year on Saturday, Sept. 16 at the Million Air hangar, has become one of the most popular events in town. Tickets are not generally made available to the public due to demand. Winners, nominees and dignitaries are invited to attend and additional attendees are selected from a first-come, first-served waiting list.

To be placed on this list, please email patti@keysweekly.com.

in mind, we bring you…

The Best of Marathon Awards, and Cheddar. A match made in heaven. BARRY GAUKEL/Keys Weekly.

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

CORAL SHORES LEGEND STEPS DOWN

Big changes are in store for Coral Shores athletics this year, and they begin with the man in charge of it all. After more than 30 years as athletic director, longtime educator, coach and Upper Keys fixture Rich Russell is handing the reins to Ed Holly. But Russell is not retiring – he will stay on to teach Holly the ropes while taking on an administrative role for the ’Canes.

A new leader is not the only change in store for Coral Shores. The school is in the process of an athletic facilities upgrade, which will begin at Founders Park with their baseball complex, then move on to the school’s campus and the fields located there.

ROBERT ‘RJ’ DUBE

Sept. 23, 2022.

DOUG FINGER/Keys Weekly

The ’Canes will retain their state classifications in all sports this year. The state will readdress them in 2024, but for now, Coral Shores will play within the same districts and levels as this past year. Though the classifications will remain the same, several coaching positions have changed.

“It’s crazy how much is going on,” Holly said.

Holly will remain as head football coach for Coral Shores and has added to his staff two new varsity coaches. The first is Tony Arcuri, who hails from Ohio and will coach football and teach English. The second is Juan Montano, who coached with Holly at Westminster Christian School previously as defensive coordinator. The final fall coaching change will be the addition of Lyndie Meyers as the head girls cross country coach.

Senior, Coral Shores Football

CONTRIBUTED

This winter, the boys basketball team will no longer be coached by Jarrod Mandozzi. Tony Simmons will take over as the head coach of the hoopsters. Simmons is not new to Upper Keys basketball; he has been the head coach at Key Largo School for more than two decades and had a prior stint at Coral Shores coaching basketball.

The spring is not immune to changes. Chris Carrow, who has been an assistant coach for the boys lacrosse team for more than a decade, will take over as head coach when the ’Canes have their first face-off of the season.

Holly described several other preparations undertaken by Coral Shores’ athletic squads this summer. The boys basketball team and the cheer team attended camps, and multiple football players attended summer training camps individually. With all the changes afoot, Holly says he is fortunate to have Russell and Coral Shores’ principal, Laura Lietaert, there to guide him, adding, “It’s going to be a fun year!”

A fun fact: Holly is just the fifth athletic director at Coral Shores High School. Prior to Russell taking the position in the fall of 1990, Wain Garrison served as interim athletic director after a two-year stint by Dennis Amico. Amico took the role from Upper Keys coaching legend Roger Allen, who was the first AD at Coral Shores. Allen began his teaching career there in 1957.

With the football season fast approaching, Coral Shores is fortunate to have upcoming senior Robert “RJ” Dube on its roster. The hardworking multiyear starter has been diligent in the offseason, training in the weight room and on the track as a sprinter. Dube will return to his role as an outside linebacker, and opposing teams can expect a bigger, stronger and faster athlete facing them this year. Hurricanes coach Ed Holly described Dube as the sort of player every coach would feel blessed to have. For his diligence in preparation for the upcoming season and his lead-by-example attitude, Coral Shores’ RJ Dube is the Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week.

Richard Russell, former Coral Shores athletic director, during the ’Canes’ homecoming game against Everglades Preparatory Academy on

Ed Holly is new athletic director at Coral Shores High School.

“He’s been in the weight room every day. He works his hardest all day and is a phenomenal athlete to have on your team.”

– Ed Holly, Coral Shores head coach.

Photo by Joy Smith

A new leader is not the only change in store for Coral Shores. The school is in the process of an athletic facilities upgrade, which will begin at Founders Park with their baseball complex, then move on to the school’s campus and the fields located there.

Rich Russell passes the AD torch to Ed Holly after three decades of service

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

Sean McDonald Names His Top Basketball Teams in Monroe County History

Afew weeks back, we brought you the top football teams in Monroe County history. It garnered more feedback than any other piece we have done, so with summer winding down and just a few weeks left before the pages are filled with scores and prep sports news, we are bringing you the top basketball teams in Keys history. Listed here in chronological order are Sean McDonald’s top picks.

1961-1962 MARATHON

The ’61-’62 Marathon boys team amassed a 14-4 record while leaning heavily on the play of Dave Sutherland. The Fins won the district trophy under the guidance of head coach Gene Dull and made the trip to Gainesville to participate in the state playoff series with the backing of the community, which helped raise money for the young team’s travel. The deep run into playoffs was made more notable by the fact that it was just the fifth year the program existed at Marathon.

1967-1968 KEY WEST

Coach Dave Fedor’s ’68 Conchs won the state title and set the school record for wins with 31, a record which remains over a half century later. Fedor was named Florida’s Coach of the Year that season. His talented team was bolstered by the inclusion of players who formerly attended Douglass School, which closed in 1965. Notable team members included forward Ron Harris, the first Monroe County basketball player to receive All-State honors. Harris went on to play ball at Florida State University on a scholarship and received interest from professional teams, which he turned down to continue his education. The rest of the Conch roster included talent such as Lou Albury, Quinton Thurston and Bill Butler.

1968-1969 KEY WEST

Coach Dave Fedor’s ’69 Conchs won 26 contests and made a postseason run that went all the way to the state championship game, in which the team earned second place. Notable players were Mike Raymond, Lou Albury and future Conchs coach Bill Butler. Butler was honored with first-team All-State honors at guard. The team played for a devoted home crowd that sold out the gym the entire season. The Conchs dominated their county rivals, but Coral Shores and Marathon were not too dismayed – each enjoyed

their first season indoors with new gymnasiums. Prior to that season, the ’Canes and Fins played outside on the asphalt.

1970-1971 MARY IMMACULATE

Mary Immaculate School won 27 games in ’71, a school record which included a sweep of the rest of the county. The team eventually took second place in the state tournament. Notable players for Mary Immaculate were Rodney Wallace, Tom Ferguson and John Albury. Ferguson and Albury were named to All-State squads, the first players in school history to receive that honor. The team was coached by John Dougherty.

1971-1972 MARY IMMACULATE

For the second season in a row, John Dougherty coached Mary Immaculate to a second-place spot at the state tournament. The team won 20 games that season, including wins across Monroe County. John Albury was selected to the All-State team for a second season and teammate Maurice Thurston was a big contributor for the Mariners. The team was ranked as high as sixth in the polls during the season.

Key West’s Ron Harris, who played for Conchs coach Dave Fedor’s 1967-68 squad, played collegiate basketball at FSU and went on to become a medical doctor. CONTRIBUTED

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

1983-1984 CORAL SHORES

The Hurricanes won a district title in 1984 under the excellent coaching of Don Shipp. The team broke the school win record that season, earning a record of 24-4. The ’Canes’ top scorer for the season was Willie Mitchell. Mitchell earned, then held, the all-time top scoring record until the 1992 season when Alvin Taylor surpassed it. Coral Shores went all the way to the regional final that season, taking second place.

1986-1987

MARATHON

Coached by Jim Sikora, the ’87 Marathon boys basketball team set the school record that season with 27 wins. Star forward Rodney Holmes did the majority of scoring for the Fins, was named the Miami News Player of the Year, and received a second-team All-State nod. The team won the first district championship in Marathon history and came in second place at regionals.

1991-1992 CORAL SHORES

Coral Shores’ first regional championship team was coached by Dan Smith. The ’Canes won 22 matches in the ’91-’92 season, with two of those victories over Key West. Alvin Taylor was the leading player for Coral Shores, earning second-team All-State honors

as a forward. Taylor broke the career scoring record that season and went on to play collegiately at both Western Nebraska and Central Connecticut.

1992-1993 MARATHON

Coached by Stuart Kantor, the ’93 Dolphins enjoyed hometown success by defeating the Conchs that season, then took their skills a bit further. Six hundred miles, to be exact, which was the distance the Fins’ five traveled to the state tournament that year. Marathon made it all the way to the Final Four, losing to the eventual state champion. The team was led by first-team AllState center Tony Bryant, who went on to play football professionally, but not before carrying the load for the Fins on the hardwood.

2001-2002 KEY WEST

Coach Bill Butler’s Conchs won 29 games in ’02, winning the runner-up spot in the state tournament. Butler had an arsenal of talent that season, including a trio of All-State players. The Conchs’ talent pool included twins Damitrius and Dominique Coleman and Lamar Moore. Dominique earned the title “Mr. Basketball” in Florida and earned a National Junior College Championship ring at Hillsborough, transferred to Colorado University, and

went on to play for the LA Lakers’ summer league team. Damitrius played at Mercer and Bethune Cookman. Moore played at a community college in Minnesota before transferring to Florida Atlantic University, where his play caught the eye of professional scouts. He played professionally with the Continental Basketball Association overseas.

2001-2002 MARATHON GIRLS

Coached by Teresa Konrath, the Lady Dolphins were ranked as high as seventh in the state that season. Marathon broke its school win record with 21 Ws, including the district championship match. Konrath had a plethora of talent to work with, including second-team All-State center Consuelo Lezcano, who earned a four-year scholarship to UCLA, and third-team All-State guard Veronica Doughman, who played collegiately at Palm Beach Atlantic.

Coach Teresa Konrath’s 2002 Lady Dolphins celebrate their district championship win. The team set a school record with 21 wins. CONTRIBUTED

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

ANNUAL EVENT TO SHOWCASE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND MILITARY

CAPTAIN JOEL’S FISHIN’ HOLES TIME TO START BUGGIN’ OUT

It's that time of year again – lobster season. It all starts out with the two-day mini-season on July 26 and 27. Tourists from all around the world flock to the Florida Keys to get a chance at catching their lobster limit.

While the tourist lobster hunters are praying for clear skies, no wind, no waves, great visibility and no rain, the commercial lobster fishermen are doing a rain dance hoping for the opposite. Commercial lobster harvesting in the Florida Keys is big business, and a very tough and taxing business. Miniseason gives the recreational lobster divers a chance to harvest their limit of six per active harvester per day a week before regular season starts on Sunday, Aug. 6. Our lobster season ends at the end of March. The lobster season dates are arranged to avoid their mating season, which happens from early April to late July.

Mini-season is known for turning the Keys into a crowded, frantic island chain. Overseas Highway gets congested with trucks pulling boats. All the boat ramps are packed, all of the marina slips are taken, and you had better get to the fuel docks early or you'll wait in line to get your fuel and ice. Many of the dive shops in the Florida Keys have lines going out of their doors.

Harvesting spiny lobster, when done safely, responsibly and within legal limits, is a time-honored tradition among friends and family for Keys residents and visitors.

JOEL BRANDENBURG/Contributed

lobster to catch. November and December are also great months to harvest lobster, but as we go into the colder months it gets tougher and tougher to catch them.

On Tuesday, Aug. 1, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and its law enforcement, military and community partners will host National Night Out events in the Upper, Middle, and Lower Keys.

All of the events will feature food, refreshments and a great chance to meet your neighbors, members of the Sheriff’s Office, police department and firefighters. Also included are members of the military from a wide variety of divisions and special teams, as well as many others who are all involved in public safety here in the Florida Keys.

The goal of National Night Out is to bring the community together to discuss how we can all make our neighborhoods cleaner, safer and more secure. Community members will learn how to heighten their crime prevention awareness.

Each event — depending on the area — will feature displays of the Sheriff’s Office elite units such as the dive team, SWAT and crime

scene investigation, among others. Sheriff’s Office personnel will be joined by many of their partners such as the U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Highway Patrol, Monroe County Fire Rescue and other fire districts, Monroe County schools, business chambers and many more.

Events will occur from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 1:

• The Key Largo event will be at Key Largo Community Park.

• The Islamorada event will be held at Founders Park in Islamorada.

• The Marathon event will be held at the Sheriff’s Office Aviation Hangar at the Florida Keys Marathon International Airport.

• The Lower Keys/Key West event will be at Bayview Park in Key West.

More information about any of these events is available from local Sheriff’s Office substations at www. keysso.net/locations

— Contributed

While locals’ thoughts on miniseason are mixed, its impact on the local economy is undeniable. Most of the hotels, motels and vacation rental homes are all booked up in advance. Mini-season and opening day of lobster season represent the last real economic shot in the arm before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday rush. After the regular season opens in August, things start slowing down in the Keys until another holiday rush in December.

The thing a lot of people don't seem to realize is that diving for lobster during the slow months can be just as productive, if not more productive, than the two days of mini-season and opening lobster season week. Tourists ask me all the time, "What's the best time to dive for lobster?” I think September and October are prime time for harvesting lobster.

New batches of lobster migrate here from the Caribbean daily, replenishing the population throughout the year. You can come to the Keys, pay off-season rates for lodging and not have to deal with the insane crowds. There are no crowds on the water, and depending on the weather, plenty of

…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.

Several reputable local charter companies, including Ana Banana, offer lobster trips and bully netting charters at night. Make sure your guide asks important questions to understand your level of experience, comfort and fitness with swimming, diving/snorkeling, and lobster-catching techniques.

Some of the same unfortunate events seem to happen every year. People come into the Keys a week or two before mini-season or before regular season and get caught harvesting lobster out of season. All of Florida, and specifically the Keys, are very protective of our natural resources –when someone gets busted harvesting lobster out of season, it's big trouble for them. Other tragic events that occur are boat accidents and drownings, many of which are alcohol-related. Hopefully this year we won't see any of these.

Spiny lobster are a blast to harvest and great to eat. I feel fortunate to live in the spiny lobster capital of the world where I can dive down any day during season, harvest lobster and feed them to my family. We love hunting and eating lobster, and we hope everyone enjoys the lobster experience as much as we do. We hope everyone stays safe and enjoys our slice of paradise here in the Florida Keys.

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

SWAT medic Cesar Moreton lends a helping hand as young ones try to lift his shield at Marathon’s 2022 National Night Out event. BARRY GAUKEL/Keys Weekly

1. Sea turtles are among the many species affected by extreme heat. BETTE ZIRKELBACH/The Turtle Hospital

2. Many small, tropical fish overheated and died in the unprecedented marine heat wave. WILL BENSON/Contributed. 3. Dying sponges secrete a thick mucus as a last defense. Hot and deoxygenated water has killed off many sponges. TOM MATTHEWS/Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish & Wildlife Research Institute. 4. Seagrass beds covered in a mix of dead algae and sediment. 5. A temperature graph comparing Upper Keys water temperatures in Florida Bay from 2022 (blue) and 2023 (black) shows how much hotter this year has been. JULI BERWALD/Contributed

UNPRECEDENTED

WHAT DOES THE UNBEARABLE MARINE HEAT WAVE MEAN FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR CORAL REEFS?

Are we witnessing the death of an entire ecosystem?

It’s too early to tell, but that’s the unbearable – and hopefully unfounded – fear in the back of many minds as historic water temperatures continue to decimate coral reefs and other fragile ecosystems the Keys are known for.

“The biggest unknown from this heat wave is what it could do to our habitats,” said Ross Boucek, the Florida Keys initiative manager at Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (BTT). “Lots of sponges are dying, corals are bleaching, and the heat is certainly stressing our seagrasses. In addition to these stresses on the habitats, the heat wave is causing fairly intense algae blooms in some places. We are in uncharted territory with this heat, so it is hard to predict what our systems will look like on the back end of this.”

In late June, an unprecedented heat wave (above and below the surface) began suffocating the Keys. This sweltering heat has intensified and stayed, causing catastrophic coral bleaching and death on most of the reefs throughout the Keys.

In a somber and urgent written statement, Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) reported the “unimaginable – 100% coral mortality” in its Sombrero Reef nursery, where they’ve been working for over a decade. Additionally, CRF reported the almost complete loss of its Looe Key Nursery in the Lower Keys. They, and other restoration organizations in the Keys, are now “rescuing” as many corals as possible from in situ ocean nurseries and relocating them to landbased holding systems as a “last lifeline” for many species.

By mid-July, dead fish and sponges dotted our waters.

“The hot still waters cause a cascade of disturbances that harm numerous species in the nearshore hardbottom habitat,” said Tom Matthews, program administrator of Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish & Wildlife Research Institute. “Poor water quality and increased sediment has caused the decline of this habitat for decades, but more frequent harmful algae blooms and now unprecedented and prolonged high temperature is causing the death of a broad array of sponges, soft coral (gorgonians), and even the few corals that are normally considered particularly hardy and resilient.”

Sponges are the “unrecognized water pumps and super filters of our marine ecosystem,” Matthews added. While limited saltwater facilities exist for corals, there isn’t enough capacity to rescue sponges. And, as hot water increases, the frequency and size of algae blooms that harm sponges has increased, and sponge restoration efforts have not been able to keep up, he said.

So, what’s going on? “Heat does a lot of things besides causing fish to overheat and die,” Boucek said.

“All plants and animals need oxygen to live,” Matthews added. Warm water holds less oxygen than

cool water, and this year’s extreme temperatures have caused oxygen levels to decline below the levels needed by many species to live – causing their death.

Additionally, the hot water promotes the growth of phytoplankton and green algae that color our clear blue waters dark shades of lake green and brown, he added. While not harmful like red tide, they further deplete the water’s oxygen levels at night and smother sponges and corals.

Furthermore, excess heat without rain can increase evaporation and make some areas extra salty. This is really bad for seagrasses and Florida Bay, Boucek said. Finally, heat can kick bacteria and microbes into overdrive, breaking down organic matter and increasing nutrient loads. These increase algal blooms and further decrease oxygen – a dangerous positive feedback loop.

Mobile marine species aren’t necessarily faring better. BTT reported that most dead fish are tropical species that scientists expected would be more resilient to heat. In the nearshore hardbottom, dead fish include juveniles of important reef species like snapper, grunts and other ornamentals, Matthews said. The seagrasses, corals and sponges that are dying serve as critical nursery habitats for these species and many more, so the decline of the former is causing a cascade of ecological harms.

Bette Zirkelbach, manager at The Turtle Hospital, worries that the rising temperatures will also affect the sex determination of sea turtles during their incubation period on our coastlines. Warmer sand produces females, and cooler sand produces males, she said. “The last four summers in Florida have been the hottest on record, and the scientists that study hatchlings (baby sea turtles) have found no male sea turtles,” she added. “If sea turtles continue to hatch overwhelmingly as females, this could lead to a decline in genetic diversity within the population.”

Scientists throughout all disciplines urged that this devastating event highlights why it is so urgent to do everything we can to protect our sensitive habitats from local stressors like vessel groundings, anchoring, marine debris, declining water quality and overfishing – especially with mini-season upon us.

“Collectively, Monroe County cannot single-handedly change the trajectory of our climate,” Boucek said, “but we can do a better job of regulating, enforcing and educating boats to reduce vessel damage to sensitive habitats, and increase investment in local water quality improvement projects that will make our systems healthier and more capable of withstanding these events.”

The community is waiting with bated breath, hoping for rains and a swift decline in temperatures. In the meantime, report fish kills and other concerns to FWC (email Tip@MyFWC.com, call 1-888-404-FWCC or dial *FWC or #FWC from a cell phone) and dead sponges, bleached corals, algae blooms, dead fish or fish gasping for air at the surface to BTT (email ross@ bonefishtarpontrust.org).

TIFFANY DUONG www.keysweekly.com

ANOTHER HERON GOES HOME

On July 19, the Marathon Wild Bird Center celebrated the successful release of a great white heron on Duck Key after an improbable recovery for the majestic bird. Initially rescued on May 21 by the bird center’s Laura Hartigan, the heron underwent a procedure by renowned veterinarian Dr. Doug Mader to repair a fractured humerus, including external fixation of the fragile bone with metal pins. Less than eight weeks later, Dr. Geraldine Diethelm removed the surgical pins to complete the bird’s rehab process. “My deepest gratitude for everyone's help in returning this bird to the wild,” said Wild Bird Center director Kelly Grinter. “(It was) something I didn't have much hope for, but Laura wanted to try and Drs. Doug and Gerry can work some serious magic.” Pictured is the heron as it takes flight for the first time following its injury under the watchful eye of Diethelm. ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

Don'tmention the R"word

Unlessyouaretalkingabout RESTORATIVEDENTISTRY whichiswhatILOVEand do.I'vespent45years practicingonBigPineKey developingmyskillsin complexrestorativeand estheticdentistryand developingaworldclass team.Iwouldlovetohelp YOUgetthesmileyoudesire andthehealthyfunction youdeserve.

Dr.Fred TroxelJr., DDS

CFK EXPANDS MARINE PROGRAMS TO UPPER KEYS PROGRAMS INCLUDE

DIVING, MARINE SCIENCE & MARINE ENGINEERING

The College of the Florida Keys (CFK) has expanded several popular programs in its Marine Science and Technology division to the Upper Keys Center (UKC) in Key Largo. This fall, beginning Aug. 18, students at CFK’s northern location have access to associate degrees, certificates, and courses in diving, marine science and marine engineering. Courses with diving components will include class time at the UKC as well as field excursions through local marine facilities.

Degree programs include an associate in science in marine environmental technology and an associate in applied science in diving business and technology. Additionally, students can earn college credit certificates in fundamentals of professional diving, professional research diving, professional dive instructor, and professional welder. Credits earned in certificate programs can be applied toward an associate degree.

The college is also debuting several marine engineering courses at the UKC, including basic seamanship, two- & four-cycle outboard theory, two- & four-cycle outboard repair and maintenance. Students can earn Yamaha maintenance certification through the specialty marine engineering course. Upon

completion of the course, students will be eligible to take the exam through Yamaha.

“CFK is well known for our unique marine science, diving, and marine engineering programs. Students come from all over the world to study at CFK,” said Jonathan Gueverra, CFK president and CEO. “It is part of our mission to provide a quality education close to home. Extending and expanding our marine-related learning opportunities and career pathways to students in northern Monroe County is our way of being true to our mission while supporting local and regional maritime businesses.”

In 2021, CFK was designated a Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training & Education by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD). The designation recognized 27 colleges and training institutions that prepare students for careers in our nation’s maritime industry. CFK is one of two organizations, and the only college, in Florida to receive the designation.

More information is available at cfk.edu or from Marissa Owens, CFK director of recruitment, at recruiter@cfk.edu or 305-809-3207.

CFK marine engineering students Cat Olortegui and Luke DeFalco work on an outboard engine. CONTRIBUTED

FUNCTIONALLY CAFFEINATED WELLNESS

GET NAKED –FOR PROPER SKIN CARE, OF COURSE

Time to get naked. Yep, you read that right, it’s time to get naked and get yourself both a full-length mirror and a handheld mirror. Do I have your attention yet? Piqued your interest? Wondering if this is the article where Jenn goes rogue and spills the beans about the benefits of self … self-skin care checks? Lucky for you, you’re right.

Skin cancer remains one of the most prevalent and potentially deadly forms of cancer affecting millions of individuals worldwide. In Florida, with its sunny climate and abundant outdoor activities, the risk of skin cancer is particularly high. Understanding the different types of skin cancer, recognizing warning signs and adopting preventive measures are crucial steps towards reducing its impact.

Skin Cancer Types

Skin cancer generally falls into three main categories: melanoma, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Melanoma, although less common, is the most dangerous form, with the potential to spread rapidly to other parts of the body. BCC and SCC, on the other hand, are more prevalent and tend to grow slowly, often appearing as open sores, red patches or raised bumps.

Skin Cancer Statistics for Florida

The incidence of skin cancer in Florida is notably higher than the national average due to the state’s year-round sunny climate and outdoor lifestyle. According to the Florida Department of Health's most recent data, approximately 4,500 new cases of melanoma and over 250,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancers are diagnosed in the state each year. These figures underscore the urgency of spreading awareness about skin cancer prevention and early detection.

How to Perform a Self-Check

Regular self-examination of the skin can be an essential tool in detecting potential skin cancer at an early stage. Here's a simple step-by-step guide on how to perform a self-check: Find a well-lit room with a fulllength mirror. Examine your entire body, including areas that are not typically exposed to the sun.

Check your front and back. Raise your arms and inspect your right and left sides. Also, look at the front and back of your legs.

Examine your arms: Don't forget to inspect your underarms, palms and

JENNIFER BOLTZ HARVEY

...is a Marathonbased ACSMcertified personal trainer and precision nutrition coach who owns and operates Highly Motivated Functionally Caffeinated LLC.

the spaces between your fingers.

Inspect your neck, scalp and face. Use a handheld mirror to check these hard-to-see areas.

Check your lower body. Sit down and examine your feet, including the soles and spaces between your toes.

If you notice any suspicious moles, spots or growths that have changed in size, shape, color or texture, consult a dermatologist promptly.

Prevention Tips

Taking preventive measures can significantly reduce the risk of developing skin cancer. Here are some valuable tips for Floridians to protect their skin:

Sun protection: Use sunscreen with a high SPF. The best type of sunscreen depends on your skin type, activity and exposure to the sun. All health authorities agree that SPF 15 is the minimum, but SPF 30 or higher is ideal for outdoor activities. You should also look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays. There are two main types of sunscreen ingredients, chemical and physical, and both are FDA-approved and effective. Wear protective clothing, such as wide-brimmed hats and UV-blocking shirts and sunglasses. Seek shade during peak sun hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). With our sensitive marine environment in the Florida Keys, be sure to look for Reef-Safe sunscreen.

Avoid tanning beds: Artificial UV radiation from tanning beds can increase the risk of skin cancer.

Regular checkups: Schedule annual skin screenings with a dermatologist to monitor any changes and receive expert advice.

Stay informed: Educate yourself and your family about skin cancer risk factors and early warning signs.

As Florida continues to bask in its sunny glory, the prevalence of skin cancer poses a real and present danger to its residents. Understanding the various types of skin cancer, conducting regular self-checks, and adopting preventive measures are the key to reducing the impact of this potentially deadly disease. By taking the necessary precautions and staying vigilant, Floridians can protect their skin and lead healthier lives.

Trevell Beckford was arrested for his alleged role in the drug-related death of 33-year-old Manuel Comas of Marathon. MCSO/Contributed

ARREST MADE IN COCO PLUM OVERDOSE DEATH

Trevell Marquise Beckford will face murder charges, Sheriff Rick Ramsay says

A29-year-old Miami-Dade County resident was arrested on July 24 for his alleged role in the drug-related death of 33-year-old Manuel Comas of Marathon earlier this year.

“I want to thank the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the State Attorney’s Office, and the Medical Examiner’s Office for their hard work on this case,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “To be clear: Those who sell drugs in the Florida Keys that result in someone’s death will face murder charges.”

Trevell Marquise Beckford was charged with murder, four counts of the sale of heroin/fentanyl, and the use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.

The Sheriff’s Office responded to a home on Coco Plum Drive in Marathon on March 9, 2023, where Comas was found unresponsive. He later died at Fishermen’s Hospital. The medical examiner ultimately determined Comas’ death was caused by mixed drug toxicity of cocaine and fentanyl.

Special Investigations Division detectives identified Beckford as the person allegedly responsible for selling drugs to Comas. Detectives said Beckford later sold fentanyl in controlled purchases they observed. He was arrested after he stepped off a bus at Marathon bus stop. About one gram of fentanyl was found on Beckford when he was arrested, the Sheriff’s Office said. He was taken to jail where his bond is $900,000.

Beckford’s arrest marks the fifth time since 2022 the Sheriff’s Office has arrested an individual in connection with the sale of drugs that led to someone’s death.

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.

As a rule, it’s not hard to find a house sparrow in the U.S. It seems I’ve seen them on nearly every block of every city, as well as in most suburbs and agricultural areas. I’ve also seen them inside airports, grocery stores, Kmarts (when they used to exist), and several Walmarts.

The first time I really noticed them, as a species, was from the porch of my mother-in-law’s farmhouse in Massachusetts, watching them build a nest in her eaves.

House sparrows can be a little more elusive in Key West than other places.The trees in the Overseas Market parking lot used to be a reliable spot to see them, but their numbers have dropped in recent years. With all the recent renovation, and the leafy landscaping trees being replaced with palms, I thought maybe they had ceded this part of their range.

I wasn’t thinking about house sparrows at all when I drove through the parking lot of the Walgreens on North Roosevelt the first time, aiming for The Home Depot. I was thinking about the pair of white-crowned pigeons I’d seen mating on a wire over the road, back near Taco Bell. The wire swayed a bit in the wind while they were doing it, and it was one of the more impressive feats of balance and determination I’ve seen. I just hoped they decided to build a nest somewhere with a little less car exhaust.

I didn’t think about house sparrows until I drove through the Walgreens parking lot a second time, this time with the windows open to release the heat from the car. That’s when I heard it, the telltale twitter.

I saw the bird fly up from the ground and toward the building, a flash of gray, brown and white. So I parked and grabbed the binoculars I keep on the floor behind the passenger seat and was prepared to wait patiently. But I didn’t have to — because I know how to read.

House sparrows apparently have a thing for sans serif fonts. They had completely eschewed the flowing script of the Walgreens logo. But on the middle bar of the letter E in “OPEN 24 HOURS,” displayed in a thick, Helvetica-type font, someone had tried to build a nest. It had apparently failed, possibly because the egg rolled off the right-hand edge. All that remained was a broken weave of grass and twigs. (If it had been a serifed font, or a lowercase e, the results might have been different.) But inside the inner triangle of the 4 in 24, and the lobe in the R in HOURS, there were nests.

There were also nests in the lobes of the P and R of PHARMACY and the R of LIQUORS, as well as another nest in the lower cup of the

SPARROWS AND THEIR TYPE

letter S at the end. And they were all going like gangbusters – needy fledglings being taken care of by harried parents.

I was strangely elated to see them back, even though I, like most birders, have a relationship to them as a species that ranges from the conflicted to the ambivalent.

House sparrows used to be called English sparrows and, as their name indicates, are an Old World species. Our native sparrows, a.k.a. New World sparrows, are in a separate family, but called sparrows because the new European immigrants in the 1600s and 1700s just named the new species they were seeing after the birds they resembled back home.

It was a practical move, a way to begin to understand the species around them, but it was also a way of reorganizing things in a way that pleased European-derived sensibilities.

It was that urge to European-ize the continent that led, I believe, to a trend in the mid-1800s, of importing house sparrows. The first eight pairs were brought from England and released in Brooklyn in 1851. They were never really seen again, so it was decided “they did not thrive.” Although releasing birds onto a new continent and not seeing them again does not seem like proof that they did not thrive.

In 1852, members of the Brooklyn Institute collected $200 to purchase about 100 house sparrows from Liverpool, England that were shipped to the United States aboard the steamship Europa.

Fifty of those birds were released as the ship came into port. The rest were housed in a tower of the chapel at the Greenwood Cemetery. When those birds were seen to be doing poorly midwinter, they were brought into someone’s house until spring, then released in the cemetery with a man hired to watch over them. Those birds thrived and multiplied.

In the coming years other batches were released in Boston, Quebec, Galveston, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City and San Francisco,

as well as less populated places, like Portland, Maine and Peace Dale, Rhode Island. They were generally released in flocks of 20 to 200 birds, though in many cases the exact number wasn’t recorded. The peak was in 1867, when 1,000 house sparrows were released in Philadelphia.

There are also records of smaller groups being released in places such as Alabama, Wisconsin and Georgia, though it is unclear if those birds were imported directly from Europe, or if they were captured in American cities where they were thriving, and redistributed.

What is sure is that the Europeans brought them in, though the rationalizations I’ve read for doing so all seem somewhat vague. It’s believed that part of the idea was that house sparrows eat insects, and thus were a sanitizing force. It’s also thought they were a balm for homesickness, a familiar creature for immigrants from France, Germany and England in an unfamiliar land. No doubt it also had something to do with the belief that things from Europe were somehow better.

By the early 20th century, they were considered an agricultural pest and great efforts were made to eradicate them, but obviously failed. They were also thought to be crowding out native species.

The thinking on that has shifted in recent years. Or at least agricultural techniques have changed enough that house sparrows are no longer considered the pests they once were.

And the notion of them crowding out native species has gotten a little more nuanced. Like rock pigeons and free roaming chickens, they don’t thrive in wild habitats, but rather in habitats greatly altered by humans. They don’t drive out the other species, they just occupy habitats that are no longer suitable to the native species.

So yeah, I was happy to see them doing so well at the Walgreens the other day. Sort of.

A house sparrow seen recently at a Key West Walgreens. MARK HEDDEN/Keys Weekly

Registration is open for the Marathon Parks and Recreation youth flag football league. Four divisions will compete in this year’s league: 6U, 8U, 10U and 14U.

Registration is open until Friday, Sept. 22 and practices will start on Monday, Oct. 2. For more information and to register, visit https:// clubs.bluesombrero.com/cityofmarathonparksandrec.

City of Marathon: register newly-purchased cars, trailers

Purchased a new or used car or trailer since June 1, 2023?

Residents or property owners in the city of Marathon who have purchased a vehicle since June 1 must register the vehicle or trailer with the city of Marathon to qualify for free parking and boat launch at city facilities. The city pairs its registry with Department of Motor Vehicle information twice a year – in June and in January. To cover the gap –and ensure ticketless, free parking and launching – new car and trailer owners in Marathon and Key Colony Beach must register. Fill out the form by scanning the QR code, visiting ci.marathon.fl.us/ publicworks/page/launching-andparking-information or visiting Marathon City Hall.

Watch movies by the sea out at Pigeon Key

On Friday, July 28, Pigeon Key will host its first-ever “Movies by the Sea” event with an outdoor showing of “50 First Dates” (rated PG-13) at 8:45 p.m. Admission via the Pigeon Key train is $25, or $15 for walkers and bikers. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. for walkers and bikers. Train 1 will check in at 1090 Overseas Hwy. at 7:15 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. departure, while Train 2 will check in at 7:55 p.m. for an 8:10 departure. Popcorn is in-

TY SWARTZ/Pixabay

cluded with a ticket purchase, with other refreshments available for purchase. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets, bug spray and a rain jacket. Tickets are pre-order only and may be purchased online at pigeonkey.net under the “Click to Book Online” link.

Wireless zone to host backpack giveaway for kids

On Sunday, July 30, Wireless Zone in Marathon, located in the Gulfside Village plaza (5800 Overseas Hwy.), will host a backpack giveaway for students of all ages. No purchase at the store is necessary, and backpacks will be distributed while supplies last. For more information, contact the store at 786-920-8074.

City of Marathon, Hapynkeys team up for Color Run event

On Saturday, Aug. 5 at 11 a.m., the city of Marathon’s Parks and Recreation Department will team with Hapynkeys Running to present a family color run for all ages at the Marathon Community Park. A $25 entry fee per person includes a race shirt, goodie bag, medal, food and drink. A color run is a fun run event where participants are showered with brightlycolored powder or paint at various points along the route, creating a colorful and festive atmosphere. The powders are non-toxic. For additional information, contact Lara at hapynkeys@gmail.com, or contact the Marathon Parks and Recreation Department.

Come take a class at the Marathon library

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

LIFE USED TO BE SIMPLE

So many choices…

There are a lot of people alive today who won’t be able to remember any of the things I’m going to write about here, because they just aren’t as “chronologically experienced” as a lot of us Baby Boomers. And I’m not saying things were better back then, either – just simpler.

There used to be only three channels on a TV set that a person would actually have to get up off of the sofa to manually change. Sure, those channels often ended their broadcast day just after midnight, but the programming came in via the airwaves for free. The TVs in those days were powered by vacuum tubes, which would get squirrelly after a while. TV watchers would have to remove the tubes from the back of the TV console and take them to a shop that had a large standup Tube Tester, which would send some sort of electrical juice through the plugged-in tubes and reveal the malfunctioning ones. (Only us electric guitar players have any idea what tubes are today.)

Telephones were two-way communication devices that were always attached to a wire coming out of the wall. Touch-tone service cost extra on the monthly bill from Ma Bell, so a lot of us used the rotary dial to call our friends and neighbors. Long-distance was never included in any “plan” and was always expensive. There was only one ringtone, and it came from the actual bell inside the telephone. And nobody owned their own telephones, either – they just rented them from the phone company. I’m not even going to start on the communications disaster known as “party lines” here. If you remember them, well, simply thank God and the phone company that they don’t exist anymore.

The idea that sparked this column was one I wrote a few decades back about what was the best fast food chain. I had always liked Burger King the best, probably because they had the better-tasting burgers – “flamebroiled” as opposed to griddled. Anyway, fast food choices were like TV choices – not that many, but you knew what you were going to get.

Burger King had the Whopper, the Whaler (the old name for their fish sandwich, not so politically correct these days) and a small burger. McDonald’s had the small burger, the Big Mac, and their Filet-O-Fish sandwich, a horrible little creation with a slice of cheese on the fish, and no lettuce anywhere near the sandwich. I once got into an argument at a McDonald’s counter when I asked them to hold the cheese and add lettuce to the fish

sandwich, and was told by the employee they couldn’t do that. I asked if they had lettuce, and he said yes. I said to just put some of the lettuce on the fish sandwich. “We can’t do that.” Why? “It doesn’t come that way.” After five minutes of this jerk’s circular logic, I strongly resisted the urge to punch him in the face and went to Burger King.

Kentucky Fried Chicken was around back then, with only one kind of fried chicken and an old Kentucky Colonel (Sanders) who bragged on his secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices. (I wish he would have taken as much care with the recipe of the mashed potatoes, which I’m sure are as strange today as they were then.) There were other smaller fast food franchise operations around then as well, like Burger Chef, Maryland Fried Chicken (the saltiest fried chicken on planet earth), and the mini-burger purveyors like Krystal, White Castle and Royal Castle.

If there is a point I’m trying to make, it’s this: when you went to a fast food joint, you knew what you were going to get. There weren’t so many choices. Now, there are so many choices and sandwich varieties and different price points and combos, and it’s amazing that anyone can actually make a decision in the time constraints of a typical drive-thru lane. Burger King offers close to a dozen variations of the burger, as well as myriad chicken sandwiches, fish, fries and sides, desserts, kids’ meals, and the “Value Menu” that now exists at all fast food joints. Wendy’s has a rotating lineup of different burgers, as well as chicken and fish sandwiches to accompany their single/double/ triple burgers, plus salads and baked potatoes and chili made with yesterday’s hamburgers and today’s beans. McDonald’s is now McCafe and offers coffee drinks, smoothies and a host of “healthy” choices to accompany the standard burger and fries. How is today’s consumer expected to make a rational decision when presented with all these choices?

Life used to be simple.

- Catch John live every Monday at Boondocks, Wednesdays at Brutus Seafood, and Thursdays at Sparky’s Landing. Find his music anywhere you download or stream your music. www.johnbartus. com • johnbartus.hearnow.com

JOHN BARTUS

Marathon youth flag football registration is now open

NOW HIRING: DIVE INSTRUCTORS & DIVEMASTERS

• Guaranteed pay plus commission and tips!

• No bad weather days!

• Part-time or full-time.

• Affordable employee housing possible (full-time position only).

• Active Dive Instructor or Divemaster with insurance.

• Safely instructing our guests in in-water activities at our facility.

• Great attitude and personality is a must and be able to work with a diverse group of people.

• Marine science or marine biology background would be preferred, but not required.

Dive Instructor pay: $150.00 per day ++ / Divemaster pay: $140.00 per day ++

Benefits: employee discount, flexible schedule

Schedule: 8 hour day shifts (holidays and weekends as needed)

More info? Contact April at 305-407-3262 or april@FloridaKeysAquariumEncounters.com

SWIPE

RIGHT

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

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

LIGHTNING

2-month-old male domestic medium hair .

Looking for: A place to call my own.

Turnoffs: Dogs. Seriously, what are those?

NOAH

7-year-old male mixed breed.

Looking for: Someone to keep me company – I’m lonely.

Turnoffs: This heat is making it hard to go on walks.

A SALUTE TO SPARKS

SPROUT

2-month-old female tortoiseshell.

Looking for: Everything! Playing, exploring, boxes and new friends.

Turnoffs: Dogs. What the heck is up with those things?

From cats and dogs to Guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, reptiles and birds, the perfect addition to your family is waiting for you at one of the SPCA’s two campuses, in Key West and Marathon. The SPCA’s knowledgeable staff will help with advice and care tips while working to ensure a good fit between each pet and its people. The SPCA’s Golden Paw program also provides special assistance with vet bills and medications for special-needs and older animals that require a little extra TLC. See all the animals waiting for a home at fkspca.org. To contact the Marathon campus, call 305-743-4800 or visit the campus at 10550 Aviation Blvd.

On July 14, U.S. Coast Guard Station Marathon ushered in a new era with a change of command and retirement ceremony for outgoing Master Chief Petty Officer Timaree Sparks, pictured second from right. Sparks is a decorated 30-year Coast Guard veteran who took the helm for Station Marathon in July 2018 as her fourth command in her career – the only sitting female Master Chief in charge of a Coast Guard unit at the time. Relieving Sparks is Master Chief

Petty Officer Cory Palmer, pictured second from left. MICHELLE LINCOLN/Contributed

Having Fun in the Middle Keys

LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES

FICTITIOUS NAME

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of SUNSET YACHT

CLUB & MARINA located at 59073

Overseas Highway, Grassy Key, FL 33050 intends to register said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.

By: Blue Marina Marathon, LLC

Publish:

July 27, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

FICTITIOUS NAME

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of KHAOSINKSPRESS located at P.O. Box 343, Key West, FL 33041 intends to register said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.

By: Gloribel Baires Serrano

Publish:

July 27, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Pursuant Florida Statute 713.585

F.S., United American Lien & Recovery as agent w/ power of attorney will sell the following vehicle(s) to the highest bidder; net proceeds deposited with the clerk of court; owner/lienholder has right to hearing and post bond; owner may redeem vehicle for cash sum of lien; all auctions held in reserve.

Inspect 1 week prior @ lienor facility; cash or cashier check; any person interested ph 954563-1999.

Sale date August 18, 2023 @ 10:00 am 3411 NW 9th Ave Ft Lauderdale FL 33309

38212 2015 Chrysler VIN#:

1C3CCCAB7FN581602

Lienor: Key West Chrysler Dodge Jeep 1618 N Roosevelt Blvd Key West 305-294-5126

Lien Amt $788.13

Licensed Auctioneers FLAB422

FLAU 765 & 1911

Publish:

July 27, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Notice of Seizure - Please take notice that in accordance with Florida Statutes 83.805/83.506, Tavernier Mini Storage Inc, 135 Hood Avenue, Tavernier, FL 33070 will sell or otherwise will dispose of the personal contents of the following unit to satisfy the delinquent storage lien.

All Contents in:

Unit D-55 Tim O’Brien Sale of all goods will be 8/14/23 at 10:00 am at 135 Hood Avenue, Tavernier, FL 33070. Tavernier Mini Storage Inc reserves the right to accept or reject any and/ all bids.

Publish:

July 27 & August 3, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Please take notice that in accordance with Florida Statutes 328.17, 713.78, 715.109, J.C.

Rentals LLC, claims a Notice of Possessory Lien, Foreclosure of Lien, to satisfy the line for the amount owed for storage services and administrative fees for the following Vessel described as a 1997 20’ Aquasport Boat VIN # AQABBG04B797 & 2013 Trailer

VIN# 1M5BA2015D1E78314 owner William Stephens. Vessel & trailer to be sold on 8/14/2023 at 10:00 am at 92425 Overseas Highway, Tavernier, FL 33070. J.C. Rentals LLC reserves the right to accept or reject any and/all bids.

Publish:

July 27 & August 3, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

U-HAUL COMPANY OF MIAMI

Notice is hereby given that on August 7th, 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

Allan Costow Unit 1208

$582.75

John Mcallister Unit 0007

$657.60

Anita Lezcano Unit 1559

$567.80

Corey McGahen Unit 1184

$473.64

Sheila Chamberlain Unit 1167

$416.90

Publish:

July 20 & 27, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS

Notice is hereby given The Pigeon Key Foundation will receive and evaluate responses to the following until 9/1/23 at 3 pm.

Pigeon Key Historic Structure Painting Project, Monroe County, Florida

Description of scope of work, and details relevant to the project can be obtained by emailing pigeonkey@aol.com

The Pigeon key Foundation will receive bids electronically via email. Please do not mail or hand deliver bids. Only emailed bids will be accepted.

The Pigeon Key Foundation hereby directs bids be submitted via email to: Pigeonkey@aol.com, no later than 3 pm on 9/1/23. Your subject line on the bid email should read as follows:

Pigeon Key Historic Structure Painting Project

Publish:

July 27, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 23-CP-000146-K IN RE: ESTATE OF JOHN C. IMBUS

Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of JOHN C. IMBUS, deceased, whose date of death was January 8, 2023, is pending in the Monroe County Courthouse-Key West, Probate Division, the address of which is 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 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

STEPHEN C. GINN

5517 NE 31 Avenue

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308

Attorney for Personal Representative:

SHARON QUINN DIXON

Florida Bar No. 350311

Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler

Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A.

Attorneys for Personal

Representative

2200 Museum Tower

150 West Flagler Street Miami, Florida 33130

Telephone: 305-789-3200

E-mail: sdixon@stearnsweaver. com

Publish:

July 27 & August 3, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 23-CP-000148-K

IN RE: ESTATE OF LIZABETH ANN MOODY Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Lizabeth Ann Moody, deceased, whose date of death was May 19th, 2023, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 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 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: July 27, 2023.

Personal Representative:

Lynn Howell 6266 10th Avenue South Gulfport, FL 33707 Attorney for Personal

Representative: KIMBERLY A. COLGATE, P.A.

Attorneys for Personal

Representative

6981 CURTISS AVENUE, SUITE 2 SARASOTA, FL 34231

Telephone: 941.927.2996

Florida Bar No. 875661

Email address: kcolgate@fllawyer. com

Publish: July 27 & August 3, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION CASE NUMBER: 18-CP-000309-K

DIVISION: KEY WEST FLORIDA BAR #980810 IN RE: THE ESTATE OF EMMA E. FIEDLER, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Emma E. Fiedler, deceased, whose date of death was May 19, 2017, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 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 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 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 SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE 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: July 20, 2023.

Persons Giving Notice:

Lillian Gonzales

1010 Anaya Avenue Santa Rosa, New Mexico 88435 Attorney for Persons Giving Notice:

Christopher B. Waldera, P.A.

Christopher B. Waldera, Esq. Florida Bar No: 980810 Attorney for Personal Representative 5800 Overseas Highway, Suite 7 Marathon, Florida 33050

Telephone: (305) 289-2223

Facsimile: (305) 289-2249 email: chris@cbwpa.com

Publish:

July 20 & 27, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 23-CP-000082-P

IN RE: ESTATE OF WALTER M. MEINHARDT, SR. Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of WALTER M. MEINHARDT, SR., deceased, whose date of death was April 23, 2023; is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division; File Number 23-CP-000082-P, the address of which is 88820 Overseas Highway, Tavernier, 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, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, and who have been served a copy of this notice, must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF THREE (3) MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against the decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with this court WITHIN THREE (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: July 20, 2023.

Co-Personal Representatives: DOROTHY E. CRECELIUS 15300 Letcher Road East Brandywine, Maryland 20613

WALTER M. MEINHARDT, JR. 15611 Baden Naylor Road Brandywine, Maryland 20613

Attorney for Personal

Representative: JOHN MICHAEL LYNN, ESQ. Florida Bar No. 0147273

LEGAL NOTICES

Turner & Lynn, P.A.

7 Barracuda Lane

Key Largo, Florida 33037 Telephone: (305) 367-0911

turnerlynnpa@gmail.com

Publish:

July 20 & 27, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 2023-CP-000166-K

IN RE: ESTATE OF JOHN HARWOOD NICHOLSON, JR., Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of JOHN HARWOOD NICHOLSON, JR., deceased, whose date of death was February 1, 2023; File Number 2023-CP-000166-K, is pending in the Circuit Court for MONROE County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, Florida 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, 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 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 SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIOD 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: July 20, 2023.

Personal Representative: RENE BETH ROSS

Attorney for Personal Representative: Sean F. Bogle, Esq. sean@boglelawfirm.com

Florida Bar No. 106313 BOGLE LAW FIRM 101 S. New York Ave., Suite 205 Winter Park, FL 32789

Telephone: (407) 834-3311

Fax: (407) 834-3302

Publish: July 20 & 27, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 2023-DR-33-P IN THE MATTER OF THE ADOPTION OF:

T.A.G. DOB 09/08/11

D.O.B.F. DOB 01/11/13 Minor Child NOTICE OF ACTION (JOINT PETITION FOR STEPPARENT ADOPTION)

TO: THOMAS G. GALLAGHER

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that Michael Stevens & Renee D. Foster, has filed a Joint Petition for Adoption by Step-Parent for the following children: T.A.G., born on September 8, 2011 and D.O.B.F., born on January 11, 2013. A copy of the Petition is on file with the Clerk of the Court. You are hereby commanded to appear on August 16, 2023, at 10:45 am, before the Honorable Magistrate Sandra Taylor, at the Plantation Key County Courthouse, 88770 Overseas Highway, Tavernier, Florida 33070, by zoom with a zoom meeting ID 967-4668-8252 and passcode 207718 for an ADVISORY HEARING. Answer due August 14, 2023. FAILURE TO PERSONALLY

AT THIS ADVISORY HEARING CONSTITUTES CONSENT TO THE JOINT PETITION FOR STEPPARENT ADOPTION. IF YOU FAIL TO APPEAR ON THE DATE AND TIME SPECIFIED, YOU MAY LOSE ALL LEGAL RIGHTS AS A PARENT TO THE CHILD OR CHILDREN NAMED IN THIS NOTICE.

If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact Cheryl Alfonso, 502 Whitehead Street, Key West, Florida 33040, 305-2923562 at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled appearance is less than 7 days; if you are hearing or voice-impaired, call 711 WITNESS my hand as Clerk of said Court and the Seal thereof, this 26th day of June, 2023.

KEVIN MADOK, as Clerk of Court

By: Jennifer Havengar Deputy Clerk Publish:

July 13, 20 & 27 and August 3, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

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

CASE NO.: 23-DR-518-K YAMILET ORTUETA Petitioner, and, JOSE A. KLEPASKI, Respondent.

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

TO: JOSE A. KLEPASKI RESPONDENT’S LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: UNKNOWN

YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for Dissolution of Marriage has been filed against you and that you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on YAMILET ORTUETA, whose address is 529 PARK DRIVE, KEY WEST, FL 33040 on or before AUGUST 14, 2023, and file the original with the clerk of this Court at 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040, before service on Petitioner or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do so, a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition. The action is asking the court to decide how the following real or personal property should be divided: NONE

Copies of all court documents in this case, including orders, are available at the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office. You may review these documents upon request.

You must keep the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office notified of your current address. (You may file Designation of Current Mailing and E-Mail Address, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.915.) Future papers in this lawsuit will be mailed or e-mailed to the address(es) on record at the clerk’s office.

WARNING: Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, requires certain automatic disclosure of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal or striking of pleadings.

Dated: July 6, 2023

Kevin Madok, CPA

Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida

By: Riza Hall

Deputy Clerk

Publish:

July 13, 20 & 27 and August 3, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

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

CASE NO.: 23-DR-520-K JUAN FELIPE JARA

GALLEGUILLOS

Petitioner, and, CLAUDIA SUSANA ALMEIDA CHACON, Respondent.

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

TO: CLAUDIA SUSANA ALMEIDA CHACON

RESPONDENT’S LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: 112 PEARY COURT, UNIT B, KEY WEST, FLORIDA 33040

YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for Dissolution of Marriage has been filed against you and that you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on JUAN FELIPE JARA GALLEGUILLOS, whose address is 112 PEARY COURT, UNIT B, KEY WEST, FLORIDA 33040 on or before AUGUST 14, 2023, and file the original with the clerk of this Court at 500 WHITEHEAD STREET, KEY WEST, FLORIDA 33040, before service on Petitioner or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do so, a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition.

The action is asking the court to decide how the following real or personal property should be divided: NONE

Copies of all court documents in this case, including orders, are available at the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office. You may review these documents upon request.

You must keep the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office notified of your current address. (You may file Designation of Current Mailing and E-Mail Address, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.915.) Future papers in this lawsuit will be mailed or e-mailed to the address(es) on record at the clerk’s office.

WARNING: Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, requires certain automatic disclosure of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal or striking of pleadings.

Dated: July 11, 2023

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

By: Riza Hall

Deputy Clerk Publish:

July 13, 20 & 27 and August 3, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 16TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF FLORIDA, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY CIVIL ACTION NO.: 23-DR000497-K FAMILY DIVISION IN RE: THE MARRIAGE OF ELZBIETA TERESA DORVILLE and JOSE ANIBAL DORVILLE

NOTICE OF ACTION CONSRUCTIVE SERVICE (NO PROPERTY)

NOTICE FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE TO: JOSE ANIBAL DORVILLE (ADDRESS UNKNOWN)

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a Petition for Dissolution of your Marriage has been filed and commenced in this court and you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on Malgorzata J. Kon, Esq., Attorney for Petitioner, whose address is KON & ASSOCIATES, LLC, 2131 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 507A, Hollywood, FL 33020 and file the original with the clerk of the above styled court on or before August 21, 2023; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief prayed for in the complaint or petition.

WARNING: Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, require certain automatic disclosure of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal of striking of pleadings. WITNESS my hand and the seal of said court at Monroe County,

LEGAL NOTICES

Florida on this 13 day of July 2023.

Kevin Madok, CPA

Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida

By: Riza Hall

Deputy Clerk

Publish:

July 20 & 27 and August 3 & 10, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

CASE NO.: 2022-CA-511-K

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 7th day of August, 2023 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit: UNIT 5224, WEEK 42, ANNUAL WINDWARD POINTE, A LEASEHOLD CONDOMINIUM (“CONDOMINIUM”), ACCORDING TO THE DECLARATION OF CONDOMINIUM THEREOF RECORDED IN OFFICIAL RECORDS BOOK 1803, PAGE 844, PUBLIC RECORDS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA, AND ALL EXHIBITS THERETO, AND ANY AMENDMENTS THEREOF (THE “DECLARATION”).

Pursuant to IN REM FINAL JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AFTER DEFAULT AS TO COUNT(S) II, III entered in a case pending in said Court, the 27TH day of June 2023

Syle of which is:

WINDWARD POINTE II, LLC, A

DELAWARE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Plaintiff vs. JAMES KEFFER, et.al

Defendant

And the Docket Number of which is 2022-CA-511-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 27TH day of June 2023.

KEVIN MADOK, CPA

Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida

By: Shonta McLeod

As Deputy Clerk Florida Statute 45.031: Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the Lis Pendens must file a claim within 60 days after the sale.

Publish:

July 20 & 27, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

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

CASE NO.: 2022-CA-511-K

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 7th day of August, 2023 at 11 o’clock

a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit:

UNIT 5311, WEEK 41, ODD YEAR

BIENNIAL WINDWARD POINTE, A LEASEHOLD CONDOMINIUM (“CONDOMINIUM”), ACCORDING TO THE DECLARATION OF CONDOMINIUM THEREOF

RECORDED IN OFFICIAL RECORDS BOOK 1803, PAGE 844, PUBLIC RECORDS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA, AND ALL EXHIBITS THERETO, AND ANY AMENDMENTS THEREOF (THE “DECLARATION”).

Pursuant to IN REM FINAL JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AFTER DEFAULT AS TO COUNT(S)

VI entered in a case pending in said Court, the 27TH day of June 2023 Syle of which is: WINDWARD POINTE II, LLC, A DELAWARE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Plaintiff vs. JAMES KEFFER, et.al Defendant

And the Docket Number of which is 2022-CA-511-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 27TH day of June 2023.

KEVIN MADOK, CPA Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida

By: Shonta McLeod

As Deputy Clerk Florida Statute 45.031: Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the Lis Pendens must file a claim within 60 days after the sale.

Publish:

July 20 & 27, 2023

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

CASE NO.: 2022-CA-511-K

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 7th day of August, 2023 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit:

UNIT 5732, WEEK 52, ANNUAL WINDWARD POINTE, A LEASEHOLD CONDOMINIUM (“CONDOMINIUM”), ACCORDING TO THE DECLARATION OF CONDOMINIUM THEREOF RECORDED IN OFFICIAL RECORDS BOOK 1803, PAGE 844, PUBLIC RECORDS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA, AND ALL EXHIBITS THERETO, AND ANY AMENDMENTS THEREOF (THE “DECLARATION”).

Pursuant to IN REM FINAL JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE

AFTER DEFAULT AS TO COUNT(S)

VII, VIII entered in a case pending in said Court, the 23rd day of June 2023

Syle of which is: WINDWARD POINTE II, LLC, A DELAWARE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Plaintiff

vs. JAMES KEFFER, et.al Defendant

And the Docket Number of which is 2022-CA-511-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 27TH day of June 2023.

KEVIN MADOK, CPA

Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida

By: Shonta McLeod

As Deputy Clerk Florida Statute 45.031: Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the Lis Pendens must file a claim within 60 days after the sale.

Publish:

July 20 & 27, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

AUTOS WANTED

AUTOS ALL YEARS!

Junk or Used Cars, Vans, Trucks.

Runs or Not.

$CASH 305-332-0483

BOAT SLIPS FOR RENT

Boat Slip For Rent with parking for boat trailer and car. 80’ wet slip on easily accessible canal less than 100 yards to ocean. Two boats 34’ or less can easily be docked. $150.00/ week with monthly rental availability. Call or text 336-408-8140 or look at dockage and slip at 901 63rd St. Ocean West, Marathon or email stc471@gmail.com.

EMPLOYMENT

NOW HIRING - Full Time Seafood Packers/Graders and Receivers. Competitive Wage and benefits. Apply in person at Keys Fisheries Fish House, 3390 Gulfview Ave, Marathon. EOE DFWP

Coast to Coast Pizza Company in Marathon is looking for Front of the House Cashier, part time. Will train, but should be self-motivated, quick learner, and team player. Salary commensurate with experience. Please call Nicole at 305-4330515, or email nicole@ themoongroupfl.com.

Zero Dress Code Boutique Hiring sales personnel in Islamorada & Ocean Reef Club. Competitive pay, discounts and great atmosphere. Send resume to zerodresscode@gmail. com or call 305-393-4445

HEALTH INSURANCE

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

Marathon Yacht Club is hiring a part-time dishwasher. $15/hr, Private Club & Friendly Atmosphere, Flexible Afternoon/Evening Hours Wednesday – Saturday. Call 305-743-6739 to schedule an interview.

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

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

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

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.

Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder is hiring an overnight Security Guard- responsibilities include but are not limited to observing marine mammals to ensure quality care, the ability to follow written instructions, and follow protocol and procedures as directed. Candidates must be able to lift 50 lbs and must be able to stay awake and alert for a 13 hour shift (6:00pm7am). DPMMR is a drugfree workplace. To apply, please send your resume to nancyc@dpmmr.org.

The Housing Authority of the City of Key West now hiring the following positions: Personal Care Aide, Resident Assistant, Cook, 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

EMPLOYMENT

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

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

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

PETS FOR SALE

3 yr. old soft-coated Wheaten Terrier, neutered male, good jogger, trained. AKC registered. Price negotiable. 505-699-4199

YARD SALES

SARA’S ESTATE SALE: 29575 Cupon Rd, Big Pine Key | Friday, July 28 & Saturday, July 29, 9am to 1pm both days |

MULTI-MEMBER FAMILY ESTATE SALE (PART 2) of lifelong Floridians with a love of travel, art, jewelry, furniture, a fine table, plus dachshunds, elephants and fish. 1000s of collectibles: American sterling, beer steins and rare Scandinavian and Danis h modern furniture and MCM accessories. Located near SeaCamp on Oceanside of BPK. Follow signs and park with consideration. More photos: estatesales.net

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER IS HIRING

Dolphin Research Center has Full-Time/Part-Time, Permanent/Temporary Guest Services & Gift Shop positions that involve direct contact with our visitors & is another opportunity to ensure they leave DRC with a happy & positive experience.

Walk around the grounds and see dolphins every day.

Job description available at www.dolphins.org. E-mail your resume and a DRC application to drc-hr@dolphins.org. EOE

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

PERSONAL CHEF FULL-TIME

A beautiful private property in Islamorada is looking for a professional, experienced, friendly, clean & organized, knowledgeable and practices food safety procedures full-time personal chef. Competitive salary and great benefits. Must pass a background check & drug test.

Please email resume to Apply4APREI@gmail.com

SUNSET GRILLE IS HIRING

• Hosts

• Waitstaff

• Bartenders

• Bar Backs

• Bussers

• Line Cooks

• Dishwashers

Apply in person at Sunset Grille & Raw Bar, 7 Knight’s Key Blvd, Marathon

MARATHON GARBAGE SERVICE

We are now hiring for the following positions:

Diesel Mechanic Truck Helpers

CDL Drivers

Applicants must apply in person to be considered. 4290 Overseas Hwy, Marathon

SUDOKU SOLUTION

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

TRANSFER STATION OPERATOR

MONROE COUNTY SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT is looking for a responsible applicant for the Cudjoe Key Transfer Station, MM 21.5. The primary function of this position is to weigh vehicles in and out of transfer station and maintain transfer station property.

Qualifications: High School Diploma or GED, working knowledge of computers and other office equipment, and a Florida Driver’s License Class B CDL within 6 months of hire. This position is designated as a safety sensitive position. An employee in this position is subject to the mandatory Department of Transportation drug testing program which involves random drug testing. Starting salary: $40,188.94 plus benefits.

Application available at: www.monroecounty-fl.gov via the position link on our employment page. For more information, contact Human Resources at: Careers@monroecounty-fl.gov or call 305-292-4554. Veteran’s Preference Available; E.O.E.

MEDICAL ASSISTANT

Medical Assistant-Keys AHEC is seeking a Medical Assistant to join its Primary Care School Health Center in Key West and the Lower Keys. Position is considered full time following the Teacher’s school schedule during the year with limited Summer Hours. Duties will be to support our Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant within the clinical setting and the agency administratively. Candidate should have medical training, strong computer skills and bi-lingual is a plus.

Please submit resume/CV to mcunningham@fkahec.org for consideration for this position. EOE

NOW HIRING FT FRONT OFFICE ASSISTANT MARATHON, FL

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.

NOW HIRING DIVE INSTRUCTOR

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

11710 OVERSEAS HWY, MARATHON

JOIN OUR TEAM !

PEDRO FALCON CONTRACTORS INC.

WE ARE HIRING FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS:

• Carpenters • Laborers

• Electricians & Electricians helpers

• Supervisor(s)

Email resume to mari@pedrofalcon.com or call our office at 305-872-2200. Competitive pay & benefits. Contact us for more information. O ffice located in Big Pine Key. P.F.C, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Section 3 Candidates are encouraged to apply.

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

Duties to include invoice and inventory entry, booking airline shipments, creating and filing paperwork for international shipments, scheduling inspections needed for international shipments, customer communication and tracking, creating and maintaining customer accounts and some customer service. Must be proficient in Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel. This position requires high attention to detail and the ability to multitask. Compensation will be dependent on experience.

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

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.

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.

16th Judicial Circuit is hiring

FULL-TIME TRIAL COURT STAFF ATTORNEY

The 16th Judicial Circuit is seeking applicants for a full-time Trial Court Staff Attorney in KEY WEST.

The essential function of the position within the organization is to assist the judiciary with case management, pending litigation and issues, and/or process criminal and civil appeals. The position is responsible for drafting memoranda, opinions, orders and reports; conducting legal research; reviewing briefs and case files; and advising judges on pending litigation and issues. Annual salary is $66,533.08, plus State of Florida benefit package, including retirement. See complete job description at www.Keyscourts.net. Interested applicants should submit a resume, cover letter and State of Florida Application to Personnel@Keyscourts.net or Personnel, 302 Fleming Street, Key West, Florida 33040. State of Florida applications can be found at www.Keyscourts.net.

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

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER

IS HIRING!

Volunteer Resources

Administrative Assistant (Full-Time, Permanent)

Media & Marketing Staff Member (Full-Time, Permanent)

Human Resources Assistant (Part-Time, Permanent)

Guest Services & Gift Shop Staff (Full-Time/Part-Time, Temporary/Permanent)

Accounting Director (Full-Time, Permanent)

Benefits include medical, life & disability insurance, 401(k) plan, paid vacation, sick time & holidays.

Full job descriptions available at www.dolphins.org/career_opportunities

Email cover letter, DRC application & resume to drc-hr@dolphins.org EOE

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER

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

16th Judicial Circuit is hiring

FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME MALE LABORATORY TECHNICIAN

(GENDER SPECIFIC DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE JOB)

The 16th Judicial Circuit is seeking applicants for a full-time or part-time Male Laboratory Technician in KEY WEST

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

Salary is $19.25 an hour, plus Monroe County benefit package*. See complete job description at www.Keyscourts.net.

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

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

*Must work a minimum of 25 hours a week to receive benefits

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.

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.

Rachel Bolick Operations Manager Leslie Christensen Owner arious

Quotes Heard During Mini-Sea

“I think I can launch my 45ft Fountain at the Harbor/Aviation Boat ramp. No one will mind if I block access to the neighborhood for 10 or 20 minutes.”

“I can’t wait to blast some Pitbull from my new sound system at the sandbar.”

“I am sure the neighbors will be ok with us rafting our 3 boats in the canal. There’s plenty of room to squeeze by.”

“We can fit 13 people in a two-bedroom rental home, there’s a sleeper sofa."

“These 9 trash cans are full, so let's use the recycle bin for our lobster carcasses, bait boxes, popped pool toys, fish heads, empty bottles and the rest of the trash”

“I'm sure we can fit 3 trailers and 6 cars at this two-bedroom duplex.”

“Come on kids, Grandma, Uncle Cletus, cousin Eddie we ' re going to Publix. We can discuss what everyone wants in the middle of the aisle.”

Wishing everyone a safe and fun-filled mini season!