Key West Weekly 23-0824

KEYS

NEWSPAPERS

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

Publisher / Britt Myers britt@keysweekly.com

Publishing Partner / Jason Koler jason@keysweekly.com

Editor / Mandy Miles mandy@keysweekly.com

Digital Editor / Gwen Filosa gwen@keysweekly.com

Director of Sales

Manuela Carrillo Mobley manuela@keysweekly.com

Account Executive Stephanie Mitchell stephanie@keysweekly.com

Staff Writers

Jim McCarthy jim@keysweekly.com

Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com

Copy Editor / Mike Howie mike@keysweekly.com

Production Manager

Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com

Executive Administrator

Charlotte Hruska char@keysweekly.com

Design / Pre-Press

Irene de Bruijn irene@keysweekly.com

Javier Reyes javier@keysweekly.com

Diana Striker www.keysweekly.com

Web Master / Travis Cready travis@keysweekly.com

Classifieds / Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com

305.743.0844

Se habla español

THE KEY WEST WEEKLY (ISSN 1944-0812) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY FOR $125 PER YEAR BY WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS, INC., 9709 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, MARATHON FL 33050.

APPLICATION TO MAIL AT PERIODICALS POSTAGE RATES IS PENDING AT FORT LAUDERDALE FL AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES.

All stories, photos, and graphics are copyrighted materials.

Postmaster

SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO THE KEYS WEEKLY, 9709 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, MARATHON FL 33050

News Deadline Monday Noon

Advertising Deadline Tuesday 2 p.m.

@KeysWeekly

@theWeekly

Members of

The second Disaster Preparedness sales tax holiday begins Saturday, Aug. 26. Residents can purchase supplies tax free, such as batteries, weather radios, common household items, leashes and tarps, among other items. A full list of tax-free items is available at FloridaRevenue.com/DisasterPrep.

GOOD NEWS & BAD FOR FLORIDA’S PROPERTY INSURANCE COSTS

STATE OFFICIALS DENY CITIZENS’ RATE HIKE FOR SOME PROPERTIES, APPROVE IT FOR OTHERS

By Jim McCarthy and Mandy Miles

When it comes to Florida’s skyrocketing property insurance costs, there was good news and bad coming out of Tallahassee last week.

First, the good news.

State insurance regulators shot down a request by Citizens Property Insurance Inc., Florida’s state-backed insurance company, to raise its rates by 12% on policies that cover primary residences.

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) defines a “primary residence” as, “the policyholder’s home or a rental property occupied by the tenant for more than nine months of the year.”

Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky on Aug. 18 signed an order that questioned the proposed 12% increase and directed Citizens to “calculate new, reduced, overall average statewide rate increases” for primary residences. Citizens has 30 days to come back with a revised request for rate increases.

But now the bad news.

Condominium associations, which are plentiful in the Florida Keys, and non-residential commercial properties got no reprieve.

In a separate order for those types of properties, also signed on Aug. 18, Yaworsky approved Citizens’ requested rate hikes that will take effect Oct. 1.

The approved increases include a 9.8% increase for wind-only policies that cover condominium associations, a 10.6% increase for commercial residential property, which includes apartment complexes,

and a 12% increase for commercial, nonresidential property, according to the Aug. 18 order that was posted to the OIR’s website.

Officials with Citizens have long argued that rate increases were necessary to make the state-supported insurance company financially and actuarially sound. But Citizens policyholders, who typically cannot get property insurance from private companies that are pulling out of Florida due to the storm and sinkhole risks, have said the proposed rate hikes are unaffordable.

In the order directing Citizens to revise its requested increases for primary residences, state regulators question whether across-the-board hikes are appropriate for all areas of Florida, regardless of hurricane risk, vulnerability or the amount of prior claims.

For example, advocates with Fair Insurance Rates for Monroe (FIRM) have asked regulators and Citizens for more than a decade to consider Florida Keys’ building codes — the strictest in the state — and prior costs of claims paid out — among the lowest in the state — when calculating costs for policies in the island chain.

FIRM has repeatedly pointed out that Keys property owners have paid $850 million more in premiums than they have received in insurance claims, according to FIRM’s calculations and actuarial reviews.

Mel Montagne, the board president, said FIRM was the only organization to contest Citizens’ rate hike request during a June 8 public hearing.

“We laid out our arguments why Monroe County should not see any kind of rate increase,” Montagne said. “I would like to think that laid some of the groundwork for them (OIR) really digging into Citizens’ rate filing, and putting this pause — albeit a short one — on this rate filing and asking Citizens to go back and revamp it.”

Montagne added the ultimate hope is no rate increase from Citizens for Monroe County.

“That’s what we always tell them,” he said. “Our statistics prove that we have been a donor county to Citizens for quite a long time.”

Yaworsky’s order for a rate revamp came four days after FIRM hosted top officials from Citizens in the Florida Keys. Montagne said visits were made to various sites, including Habitat homes in the Upper Keys, as Citizens officials heard how property insurance burdens are affecting the local workforce.

Montagne said FIRM will be working to get special dispensation as it relates to insurance rate hikes for affordable housing units in Monroe County.

“With Habitat, those folks who live in those homes are subject to a very strict formula for their monthly payments. And the recent massive increases in insurance are driving those folks to rely on Habitat to make up the difference because they cannot afford to pay for an additional $200 to $300 in insurance,” Montagne said.

Key West artist Rick Worth, depicted in his ‘Self Portrait,’ is recovering from a stroke at a Miami hospital. Fundraisers and a GoFundMe account are being planned to help him while he is unable to work. JAG GALLERY/Contributed

Compassionate Cancer Care in the Heart of the Florida Keys

Treating and beating cancer takes expertise and innovation. But it also requires courage and compassion. Our unparalleled team of Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute professionals at Baptist Health Fishermen’s Community Hospital in Marathon offers not only the most precise, personalized treatments that enhance and expand outpatient cancer care, but also an ear to listen and a hand to hold along your journey. The oncology suite offers chemotherapy, molecular therapies, targeted therapies, transfusions and hydration services. Welcome to Baptist Health Cancer Care.

To learn more, call 786-596-2000 .

IS THERE A PHYSICS TEACHER IN THE HOUSE?

SCHOOL BOARD AGREES TO TRY LIVE, REMOTE TEACHERS

mandy@keysweekly.com

To teach physics, one must understand physics, so it’s hardly a surprise that high school physics teachers are in short supply all over the country.

Key West High is no exception and has been forced to use substitute teachers, certified in other subjects, to teach physics and advanced chemistry classes.

But students deserve better, so the school board on Aug. 22 agreed to try something new — live, remote teachers.

The board approved a one-year, $90,000 contract with Elevate Live, a Chicago-based company that provides teacherstrapped school districts with live, remote instructors. Classes are taught by teachers qualified in the subject matter, who teach in real time via an audio/video software platform designed to emulate the classroom experience.

Elevate Live offers remote teachers for all grades, but Monroe County is only contracting for a high school-level premium science teacher.

“The instructor is projected on a large screen in front of the class and sees all the students as one class, not as individual video squares, and the students can see the teacher both on the large screen and on their individual monitors,” states the Elevate Live website.

To maintain adult supervision, each Elevate class has an in-person classroom coach, paid by the school district, who is typically a “paraprofessional” employee, not a certified teacher. Elevate K-12 will train the classroom coaches.

The solution is not ideal, and board members voiced legitimate concerns at their Aug.

22 meeting in Marathon. Mindy Conn had questions about how Elevate’s student performance compares with other Florida students in traditional classrooms. She and board member Sue Woltanski wanted assurance that the Elevate curriculum aligns with Florida’s statewide standards.

But Elevate, an eight-year-old company, only works with one other Florida school district — Hendry County. And that district only signed on in 2022.

The rep would not say what Elevate Live pays its teachers, but said the company gives teachers the opportunity to only work three or four hours a day.

Conn and board member Sue Woltanski also questioned the company’s curriculum transparency, given Florida’s recent focus on parental involvement in schools. Board member Darren Horan questioned how remote teaching will impact morale among career, in-person teachers.

Ultimately, though, remote physics teachers were deemed better than real-life non-physics teachers acting as substitutes.

“This isn’t a COVID classroom,” the Elevate rep said. “We’re not a staffing company; we’re a teaching company. Doctors now have telemedicine. And the more we get kids used to learning and engaging via video, the better off they’ll be.”

The board voted 4 to 1 to approve the contract, with Conn dissenting, only because she wanted more time to get some answers to her concerns.

The district administrators “are asking us for another tool in their toolbox for recruitment efforts,” Board Chair Andy Griffiths said. “I’m speaking for the parents who have kids at Key West High School. I’d want this if I were them. I’m going to support this now as an experiment.”

KEYS PROSECUTOR WAS ‘INELIGIBLE’ TO PRACTICE LAW FOR 3 DAYS THIS MONTH

JOE MANSFIELD’S STATUS, NOW RESOLVED, CAUSES BRIEF UPROAR AMONG LOCAL LAWYERS

mandy@keysweekly.com

The Florida Keys legal community got fired up on Aug. 18, when local attorneys learned Joseph Mansfield, a prosecutor in the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office, was listed as “ineligible to practice law in Florida,” on the Florida Bar’s website.

The site showed that Mansfield was “delinquent” in completing a test that is part of the state’s continuing legal education requirements for all Florida lawyers.

The Keys Weekly contacted State Attorney Dennis Ward about Mansfield’s ineligible status and asked if it could affect any court filings or motions that Mansfield had signed and submitted while he was ineligible.

“People could challenge them, but I don’t think those challenges will go anywhere,” said Ward, who called the Keys Weekly back later to report that Mansfield had requested and received a six-month deferment for the education requirement, and the situation had been cleared up.

“It’s been resolved. He got a six-month deferment. It’s not going to have an impact on anything,” Ward said, adding that Mansfield had been a judge in Florida until two or three years ago.

“When he left the bench and reentered the Florida Bar to practice law again, he had to retake that skills test,” Ward said.

The Florida Bar on Aug. 18 confirmed by phone that Mansfield had “gone delinquent” on Aug. 15 and thus was “ineligible to practice law in Florida” from Aug. 15 to Aug. 18.

An hour later, Mansfield’s ineligible status had been updated to “member in good standing” on the Florida Bar’s website.

That short time of ineligibility came as a relief to many in the Key West and Lower Keys community, who have been closely following a murder case that Mansfield is prosecuting.

Lloyd Preston Brewer faces felony murder charges after he fatally shot 21-year-old Key Wester Garrett Hughes on Feb. 13 in the parking lot of a local bar.

That trial is currently scheduled to start Nov. 6, but Ward told the Keys Weekly on Friday that it will almost certainly be delayed.

The temporary delinquency also came at a time when the Florida Legislature has just empaneled a committee of judicial experts to explore the possibility of consolidating the state’s judicial circuits. Monroe County attorneys vehemently oppose consolidation that could combine the Florida Keys’ 16th Judicial Circuit with Miami’s much larger 11th Judicial Circuit.

MANDY MILES

MANDY MILES

Monroe County Assistant State Attorney Joe Mansfield. CONTRIBUTED

BEGGING FOR BALANCE

Sanctuary Advisory Council addresses coral bleaching event, debates media portrayal

Though some rainfall and winds through late July and early August have provided a brief chance for coral scientists battling an extreme heat wave and bleaching event to catch their breath, the Keys remain entrenched in a historic marine ecological event. It’s no stretch to say that the next few months could – and should, according to many – alter the landscape of coral restoration and preservation practices for years to come.

How exactly to communicate the severity of this year’s event – preserving hope and perseverance while acknowledging a crisis larger than most have ever experienced – headlined the Aug. 15 meeting of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC).

The council’s afternoon session opened with a briefing by sanctuary Superintendent Sarah Fangman on the ongoing heat event, followed by presentations from stakeholders like Reef Renewal USA, Mote Marine Laboratory and the Monroe County Tourist Development Council (TDC).

“I’m not here to tell you it’s all doom and gloom, but I’m also not here to tell you everything’s fine,” Fangman said. “The story has yet to be fully written, but the good news is that there are healthy corals out there.”

She pointed to an ongoing research cruise with an 11-member scientific diving team set to visit Mission: Iconic Reefs sites starting late last week as a valuable tool in assessing damage from bleaching thus far. A follow-up cruise is tentatively slated for January or February 2024 to provide a final assessment once water temperatures drop for the winter. New temperature buoys capable of providing readings both at the water’s surface and at depth should also provide practitioners with real-time data to better inform preservation, restoration and outplanting efforts.

ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

ting responses from governing bodies that sped up a normally months-long timeline into two or three days when needed.

He praised corals produced by Mote and sent to Reef Renewal by Tampa’s Florida Aquarium (FLAQ). Paired with a different algal symbiont than other corals – the expulsion of which defines bleaching and a coral’s increased vulnerability – Nedimyer said 50 or 60 different corals with separate genotypes placed in upperlevel nurseries have all shown impressive resistance to bleaching, even with water temperatures into the 90s.

“There’s hope that we can produce corals that can handle conditions of the 21st century,” he said. “We’re staying the course, but it’s nerve-wracking.”

Reef Renewal board member and SAC vice chair Ben Daughtry described his company Dynasty Marine’s contribution to the puzzle. By this fall, a 30,000-gallon tank formerly used for sharks and rays will serve as an emergency coral housing system for Middle and Lower Keys nursery specimens.

A lengthy discussion following Newman’s presentation left the room silent at several points in between passionate comments, with all seeking to balance an acknowledgement of the bleaching event’s true severity and repercussions with a need to rely on facts and data instead of emotion and sensationalism when painting a picture of a fragile ecosystem in a tourismdependent economy.

It was a setting befitting what one observer described to the Weekly as “a room full of people who just got their job titles changed from restoration practitioners to endangered species conservationists overnight.”

Several thanked Nedimyer for his positivity in reports on Upper Keys reefs, crediting his optimism for providing “great energy to keep trying” as practitioners continue their efforts.

“It’s a terrible situation, and it’s a catastrophic event … (but) all hope is not lost,” said Daughtry. “That’s really critical for people to understand that.”

Offering snapshots of bleaching impacts as her team continues its work combating stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), Nova Southeastern University’s Karen Neely provided an overview of bleaching at 14 reef sites over the past three weeks, described in relation to each location’s Degree Heating Weeks (DHW) – a way to quantify heat stress accumulated in a particular area.

While Upper Keys reefs such as Carysfort Reef and Hen and Chickens had yet to exhibit bleaching-related coral mortality, several Middle and Lower Keys reefs – at 10 to 12 DHWs – showed significant mortality along with “extensive black band disease,” another tissue degradation ailment.

Not helping matters for several Middle and Lower Keys reefs is a sunken layer of dense, heated hypersaline water flowing out of the islands’ shallow bay side – one that divers have described as a “reverse thermocline” as they descend into warm layers of water “cooking” corals on the seafloor.

Though silver linings are hard to come by in this heat wave, Neely took care to discuss “a small point of hope”: Her team has observed a significant scaling down of the deadly SCTLD with the arrival of bleaching each summer.

Reef Renewal USA technical director Ken Nedimyer touted his team’s emergency move of healthy Upper Keys corals in shallow nurseries to deeper, cooler 70-foot temporary nurseries, tipping his cap to quick permit-

Keys Marine Lab (KML) director Cindy Lewis touched on the human side of exhaustive ongoing efforts. She thanked organizations for their trust in KML as the facility works to maintain a Noah’s Ark of sorts of rescued corals, some of which visit the facility as a “halfway house” on their way to Mote Marine Lab’s genetic bank in Sarasota.

“The emotional strain on these people has been incredible,” she said. “My heart goes out to them, and I can’t thank everybody enough for entrusting us with all of these corals right now.”

Mote Marine Lab’s Erinn Muller outlined the laboratory’s work to preserve existing coral genotypes in Mote’s land-based nurseries and Sarasota gene bank, but highlighted Mote’s decision to leave some representatives from all genotypes in in-water nurseries.

“We need to know what’s going to withstand this event, because this isn’t, unfortunately, going to be unique in the future,” she said. “We shouldn’t be outplanting for those years in between stressful events; we should be doing restoration planning that these events are going to occur.

“The more research we can do to make those corals that are heat tolerant or disease resistant, while also maintaining genetic diversity, is going to give that population the resistance we need.”

A presentation by Andy Newman on behalf of the TDC acknowledged, as several other stakeholders did, the extreme media interest in the bleaching event. But Newman was critical of sweeping initial statements made at the start of the heat wave, calling out reports that painted Keys reefs as “destined for annihilation.”

“There are scientists out there with prestigious institutions that have not signed on to (the severity of this),” Newman said.

Others acknowledged the importance of hopeful reports, but didn’t want to sugarcoat an undeniable underlying issue.

“I had a reporter tell me, ‘You know, the science is still out on (the warming event),’” said flats fishing guide Will Benson. “I was so upset by that when I hung up the phone. You’re telling my doom-and-gloom story, and we’re down here suffering, but you don't want to acknowledge what every scientist all around the world is saying? You’re just happy to tell my death story, but you’re not going to report the facts on it?”

“There’s lots of great work that is going on, but there’s no cohesive, collaborative effort that’s working together to integrate novel interventions in a targeted way,” added Muller. “I’m hoping this event will move that to the forefront of everybody’s mind.”

Fangman closed with an addition to her earlier briefing, saying she was “frustrated by the very small toolbox” the sanctuary had on hand to deal with the extreme temperature stress.

“I was shaking trees – what can we pilot test in the face of (this)? The problem is, many of these things you’d want to start doing at the beginning of the event,” she said. “What I’m being told … is that it’s kind of too late. So we’ve scaled back some of those pilot ideas that came out a month ago, but are still trying to pursue them. Maybe we won’t have more tools in our toolbox for this event, but this isn’t the last event. We have a really small team and a pretty small budget, and so, like everyone, we’re doing our very best.”

Reef Renewal USA’s Ken Nedimyer addresses the Sanctuary Advisory Council.

Mote Marine Lab’s Erinn Muller outlines the laboratory’s recent preservation efforts.

ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

HAPPY HOUR

FRESH SEAFOOD, STRONG DRINKS, PANORAMIC WATERFRONT VIEWS, OUTDOOR DINING AND PLENTY OF LOCAL CHARACTERS.

TUCKED AWAY IN SAFE HARBOR, STOCK ISLAND, THE HOGFISH BAR & GRILL IS A TRUE “LOCALS” SPOT

THE QR CODE TO READ

ABOUT

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

MASON BUXTON

THE SCOREBOARD

THIS WEEK IN KEYS SPORTS

Mason Buxton is no stranger to hard work. A member of Marathon’s varsity cross country team since the eighth grade, Buxton has been in the shadows of some of the greatest runners in Keys history, and yet his undogged work ethic and willingness to put in the miles have always kept him in the team’s top five. Now in his fifth season, he has come into his own, and it may just be others chasing him. Mason is intelligent, kind-hearted and talented as a runner and athlete in general. For his constant pursuit of self-improvement and willingness to put in the work no matter how challenging, Mason Buxton is the Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week.

Senior, Marathon Cross Country

Photos by BARRY GAUKEL/Keys Weekly

“Mason is a strong runner who puts in the work to be successful. I’m looking forward to seeing how low he can get his times in his final season at MHS.”

– Jim Murphy,

Marathon boys cross country coach

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

VOLLEYBALL MARATHON KEY WEST AUGUST 31 | 6 p.m

VS

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

Top left, Fab Louis Jeune slows down a Varela ball carrier while his backup arrives.

Top right, Tanner Ross (5) protects Carlos Lezcano as he receives the ball.

Photos by MIKKEL ROSS/Keys Weekly

Center left, Hurricanes running back Jhonathan Mesa runs the ball upfield.

Center right, a ’Canes defender attempts to disrupt a completed pass.

Photos by DOUG FINGER/Keys Weekly

Bottom, the Key West Conchs open their season with a preseason contest against Trinity Catholic Ocala on Aug. 19. The Conchs fell to the Celtics, 56-13.

Photos by GRACE ANDREW/ Keys Weekly

Key West hosted Trinity Catholic out of Ocala on Aug. 18 in a preseason game that made up for a missed meeting last season. The Conchs were set to play the Celtics in the regular season in 2022 before Hurricane Ian forced some schedule changes. Chock full of D1 commits, Trinity Catholic is coached by former University of Florida quarterback John Brantley and has been able to pull athletes from quite a radius, building a reputation the past few seasons as the powerhouse of Marion County.

Last Friday’s game helped solidify the Celtics’ reputation, but Conchs coach Johnny Hughes was not distressed in the slightest with the 56-13 final score.

“Trinity Catholic brought a limited number of players, all starters,” he said, describing his opposition’s travel dilemma. An eight-hour trip each way is costly for any team, and Trinity had to leave their backups behind. Hughes entered the game with the plan being to play his starters for just the first half, then give the younger athletes a chance to get evaluated on film. At the end of the first half, the Conchs were down by 10, which indicates that Hughes’ team can hold its own against the top competition the district has to offer.

KICKOFF CLASSICS TEST KEYS FOOTBALL TEAMS

Hughes was pleased with quarterback Adrian Mira’s ability to control the offense in the first half. Mira was sidelined for much of the 2022 season by injuries. Now that he is healthy, the Conchs have a strong advantage with him taking the snaps.

Key West will need every advantage it can get to achieve its goal this season: winning the district championship. The team takes the first step toward that goal on Aug. 25, taking on the Tigers of Clewiston in a road trip that will take just under five hours. Due to districting, Key West will take road trips of similar length three more times later in the season to Fort Myers, Stuart and Estero, making the trip to Archbishop McCarthy in Fort Lauderdale seem like a quick one.

1A Marathon had a mismatched preseason game, facing the 7A Vipers of Varela High School. In what should have been an early game, Marathon waited out multiple rain delays in the locker room before the all-clear was given to play. A series of early turnovers cost the Fins, putting any hopes of a close game or win out of reach in the 37-0 loss, but coach Sean McDonald was undeterred.

“I’m really happy with the team’s composure,” he said, saying that the mistakes his team made can be fixed prior to their regular season opener against Pompano Beach.

“Some players were out of position and that caused other things to go wrong here and there,” McDonald said, adding, “The defense played well despite the score.” The Fins did not give up any big plays, forcing the Vipers to earn their TDs the hard way.

McDonald praised junior Tanner Ross for playing well on both sides of the ball, and felt positive about many of his freshmen. “Sean Westerband stepped up at wingback for us,” he said, adding, “The twins (Israel and Jesus Gonzalez) helped us a lot as outside linebackers. They’re undersized at the moment, but tenacious, and that is more than we can ask of them.” The Dolphins’ roster is heavy with underclassmen, with just two seniors this season, making their 2023 campaign especially challenging.

In Tavernier, coach Ed Holly has a wealth of upperclassmen, but he does have a different challenge facing him: Coral Shores opens regular season play with True North, the third-ranked team in the state. To prepare for what he knows could be the greatest challenge his team will endure this season, he scheduled a similar star-studded team for his preseason kickoff classic on Aug. 18. Although the ’Canes did not defeat Somerset Silver Palms (36-22), Holly saw a lot of positive things in his team’s play.

“Yemcel (Moreno) had 116 yards in 16 carries,” Holly said of his junior quarterback. Moreno drew a lot of attention last season and has been developing into a bigger, stronger, faster athlete lately. Holly also had a lot of praise for AJ Putetti, who stepped right into the running back position, becoming an instant contributor on offense for the ’Canes. Also impressing Holly were his offensive and defensive lines, which had to regroup from the massive holes left behind from some of the most talented players Coral Shores has seen in many years.

Despite the loss of his seniors, Holly was able to regroup his team enough to gain the praise of his opposition, with Silver Palms coach Matt Dixon saying he was “surprised by how physical the Coral Shores defense played.”

TAX COLLECTOR HOSTS BACK-TO-SCHOOL DRIVER LICENSE EVENT

STEELE OPENS OFFICES ON SATURDAY TO HELP TEEN DRIVERS

U.S. 1 SLOWDOWNS COULD HAMPER DEVELOPMENT

MONROE COUNTY’S OWN STUDY GIVES OVERSEAS HIGHWAY

A ‘D’ GRADE DUE TO LOW SPEEDS

Sam Steele, county tax collector, and his staff welcomed local teens to their Key West, Marathon and Key Largo offices on Aug. 19 for a Back to School driver license event. The special Saturday office hours gave Monroe County students the opportunity to take a road test and get their driver license ahead of the 2023-2024 academic year.

Steele was prompted to hold the event when he learned several teenagers were disappointed about not being able to get an appointment to get their driver licenses before heading back to school.

“Getting a driver license is an important milestone in a kid’s life,” said Steele. “I remember how excited I was to get my license when I turned 16.”

Steele said he and his staff quickly planned the event as a way to help teens get their driver

Monroe County Tax Collector Sam Steele, with his young daughter, help new drivers turn learner’s permits into licenses at a special back-to-school event on Aug. 19.

licenses and start the new school year on a positive note. Nearly 50 Monroe County teens, who met the requirements, were able to get their driver licenses at the event.

“None of this would have been possible without my dedicated team who generously took time from their weekend to make this event happen,” added Steele. “It was gratifying for us to see these kids and their parents celebrate this important achievement.”

To learn more about licensing requirements for teens, including graduated driver license laws, visit the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website at flhsmv.gov. —

The Overseas Highway, the 120-mile stretch of U.S. 1 that’s practically Main Street in the Florida Keys, has plenty of problems with slowdowns and traffic hitting a standstill.

But now, these U.S. 1 headaches could put a lockdown on new building permits – other than single-family homes –across the entirety of Monroe County.

Monroe County’s own 2023 traffic study, based on its policies and regulations in its 2030 comprehensive plan and land development code, earned a D grade for what’s called the “minimum level of service” for the entire length of U.S. 1.

The latest D grade factored in a median speed of 44.7 mph. The median speed needs to be 45 mph under the county’s own regulations.

A D means a freeze on any new major developments or redevelopments.

“This would mean that the county may not permit new development, other than single-family homes, unless the proposed development’s traffic

impact is mitigated,” county spokeswoman Kristen Livengood said in a press release.

This happened in 2019, when the traffic study came out as a D. But the county, in the end, didn’t adopt that study after a task force adjusted the methodology.

Monroe County Commissioners will address the study results and its ramifications when they meet Sept. 20. The 2023 study is technically a draft at this time and requires their approval.

The formal study, called the U.S. 1 Arterial Travel Time and Delay Study, is conducted by the county’s traffic engineering consultant, who uses the established systematic traffic monitoring program to rate traffic volumes and travel speeds on U.S. 1 – as well as on each of the 24 study segments on U.S. 1.

The consultant factored in the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority’s water main breaks and repairs that happened during the dates of data collection, Livengood said.

This study has been done every two years since 2013. Before that, it was an annual study starting in 1992.

The Key West drivers license office welcomes new drivers to a special event on Aug. 19. CONTRIBUTED

The Marathon drivers license office welcomes new drivers to a special event on Aug. 19.

Monroe County’s own traffic study gave U.S. 1 a D grade due to slowdowns. FILE PHOTO

GWEN FILOSA gwen@keysweekly.com

KEY WEST ARTIST RICK WORTH RECOVERS FROM MAJOR STROKE

HIS WORK HAS BRIGHTENED THE ISLAND FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS

MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

August 13 was a typical Sunday for Key West artist Rick Worth, until it wasn’t. Though he hadn’t been feeling great for a few days, he was still working, as he so often is, painting a mural at a private home.

Then Worth, who just turned 60, suffered a major stroke, said Fran Reid, the artist’s close friend and emergency medical contact, who got word from Lower Keys Medical Center that Worth was being airlifted to Miami.

“It was a major stroke and his recovery is expected to be a long road,” Reid said. “But the best news is that he is now up walking and talking. His right side is fine, which is the hand he paints with, but his left side is weakened and he’s having some trouble swallowing.”

Before the hospital releases him to a rehab center, they want him to be able to swallow and eat correctly, and are still running tests of his spinal fluid to find the underlying cause of the stroke and treat any infection that’s present, Reid told the Keys Weekly on Aug. 21.

“He looks as gorgeous as ever, and one of his sisters is staying with him in the hospital,” Reid said, adding that Worth’s siblings all live in the St. Pete area. “He’s going to be OK, but he won’t be able to work and he was hesitant to even let anyone set up a GoFundMe account for him.”

The Studios of Key West, where Worth has had dozens of exhibits and has taught his wildly popular “Painting Boot Camp” classes for years, is working on the GoFundMe account and other fundraising events.

“Rick is the most authentic human being you’ll ever meet, and it’s impossible to overstate his contributions to Key West and its art scene,” said Jed Dodds, executive director of The Studios of Key West, which is running a GoFundMe fundraiser under the title, “Help Rick Worth Recover.” JAG Gallery, where Worth’s original paintings are exclusively available, is also working on ways to help the artist whose work has brightened Key West since the artist arrived here in the mid 1980s.

From murals and Fantasy Fest facades to painted cars and his trademark “candy bars,” a collection of paintings on reclaimed Key West

tin roof shingles, Worth captures the life and attitude of Key West.

MEET THE ARTIST

Worth moved to Key West nearly 40 years ago to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. He had recently completed a stint in the Navy as a submariner.

Worth initially worked a multitude of odd jobs — maintenance and landscaping for resorts, working at museums and eventually becoming a vocational trainer with the Monroe Association for ReMARCable Citizens, states a 2014 biography of Worth by Carol Shaughnessy for the Tourist Development Council.

“Eventually, the Key West Art and Historical Society gave Worth his first studio and the chance to put his artistic skills to use. And those skills produced some of the most enticing, unique art Key West has ever seen,” she writes. “It all started with his ‘art-o-mobiles,’ imaginatively painted cars whose designs displayed aspects of their owners’ personalities. Worth has adorned cars with everything from sharks and toucans to lifelike reefs and elaborate nature scenes.

“‘Before I knew it I had painted over 100 cars in a few years,’ he said. ‘The cars really helped to change the personality of the town.’

“About 20 years ago, he started what he calls his most rewarding experience yet: teaching.

Worth has taught art classes in churches and galleries all over town and still teaches Painting Boot Camp at The Studios of Key West.

“Worth also is widely credited with helping expand the Key West art scene. ‘I did my best to open up the walls in this town to public art,’ he said. ‘I really try to get businesses to donate their walls, spaces, anything.’

“Passionate about his work and about sharing his knowledge, he would rather provide the town with art than charge high prices for it,” Shaughnessy wrote.

“I’m just thankful to still be here and alive,” he said simply back in 2014. “I don’t want to go anywhere; I’m in helpful and loving hands here. My friends have become my family and with them, you can weather just about anything that comes down the road.”

1. ‘Overcast Sky,’ a painting by Rick Worth was sold to a collector by JAG Gallery. 2. Rick Worth’s ‘Charming Night Scene’ is available at JAG Gallery in Key West. 3. Rick Worth paints with uses high-gloss house paint or, in this case, for ‘Garrison Bight,’ he uses acrylics on canvas. JAG GALLERY/Contributed

Family owned and operated by Damien, Cathy, Tiffany & Nikki.

SPEAK YOUR MIND ABOUT CHANGES TO LOCAL LEGAL SYSTEM

SHOULD MONROE COUNTY BE PART OF MIAMI’S JUDICIAL CIRCUIT?

Have you ever considered what it would be like NOT to have any local representation on our judiciary or through our locally elected state attorney and public defender offices? Local courthouse staff and essential courtroom services also could be severely affected if the Florida Supreme Court and state legislature approve the consolidation of some judicial circuits.

State officials are seeking public input on the potential consolidation of Monroe County’s 16th Judicial Circuit with MiamiDade’s 11th Judicial Circuit, which would affect the composition of Monroe County’s local legal system.

Monroe County’s law enforcement and judicial stakeholders are against this consolidation as it will affect all county residents.

Monroe County encompasses Florida’s smallest circuit, and Miami-Dade is Florida’s largest. County Mayor Craig Cates raised his concerns in a letter to Florida’s Speaker of the House.

“A look at the voter registration numbers dispels any argument that Monroe County voters will have a meaningful voice in electing local representation should the two circuits be consolidated,” said Cates. “Monroe County’s 50,762 registered voters comprise only 3.3% of a combined electorate of 1,532,614 for a consolidated Judicial Circuit due to Miami-Dade’s 1,481,852 registered voters.”

Increasingly important would be local issues important to Monroe County residents, like resource violations, which may take a back burner to more extensive criminalrelated court proceedings on the mainland. Monroe County Assistant County Attorney Christine Limbert is a part of the local working group closely following the topic.

“I fear that matters important to locals, like over-the-limit lobster violations that affect our environmentally sensitive ecosystem and our local commercial fishermen, won’t get the same attention in Miami-Dade given their larger caseload,” said Limbert.

16th Judicial Court State Attorney Dennis Ward, who prosecutes many resource violations in the Florida Keys, said, “The Florida Keys are unquestionably one of the most unique and environmentally diverse areas in Florida, the United States, and on earth. To preserve this pristine ecosystem for our grandchildren, the character of the Keys, and our residents’ access to justice, the Keys should not be merged with any other circuit.”

To make it as easy as possible for Florida Keys residents, located from Ocean Reef to Key West, Monroe County has courthouses located in Key West, Marathon, and Plantation Key. Driving, it is 165 miles from Jackson Square in Key West to Miami-Dade’s courthouse.

“The consolidation could lead to severe logistical challenges for all stakeholders involved in the judicial process,” said Robert Lockwood, public defender, 16th Judicial Court. “Residents of the Florida Keys would face significant hardships having to travel long distances to attend court hearings or access essential legal services in MiamiDade.

To voice your opinion on the consolidation, take the survey at flcourts.gov/ Administration-Funding/Court-CouncilsCommissions-and-Committees/Judicial-Circuit-Assessment-Committee/JCAC-Surveys. The survey could take about 10-20 minutes to fill out depending on how detailed someone would want to be in the responses, and has some technical questions on it, but it will be well worth having a voice on this important issue. Survey responses are due on Friday, Sept. 1 by 5 p.m.

This could result in delays, increased costs, and potentially a lack of representation for some individuals (especially the indigent), further exacerbating disparities in access to justice.”

To voice your opinion on the consolidation, take the survey at flcourts.gov/ Administration-Funding/Court-CouncilsCommissions-and-Committees/Judicial-Circuit-Assessment-Committee/JCAC-Surveys. The survey could take about 10-20 min-

A state committee is exploring the possibility of consolidating some of Florida’s judicial circuits, including combining Monroe County with the much larger Miami-Dade legal system. CONTRIBUTED

utes to fill out depending on how detailed someone would want to be in the responses, and has some technical questions on it, but it will be well worth having a voice on this important issue. Survey responses are due on Friday, Sept. 1 by 5 p.m. The committee is also meeting on Aug. 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the public can register for the virtual meeting at flcourts.gov/Administration-Funding/Court-Councils-Commissionsand-Committees/Judicial-Circuit-AssessmentCommittee.

In addition to resource violations, the Judicial Circuit courts oversee cases involving money disputes; serious crimes (felonies); divorces, juvenile delinquency and dependency matters, and other family law matters; and probate (estate) matters, as well as cases involving landlord-tenant disputes and less serious criminal matters (misdemeanors), and traffic offenses.

The timeline includes the Florida Supreme Court collecting data and public input and then using the criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, access to courts, professionalism, public trust and confidence, and additional criteria. The Supreme Court must give the Legislature its recommendation by Dec. 1, 2023. The Legislature will then decide and determine the next steps during its 2024 session.

The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners will also vote on a resolution at its September meeting opposing the consolidation.

GIMENEZ VISITS KEY WEST AIRPORT TO SEE HURRICANE IAN REPAIRS

COME WORSHIP WITH US

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

ENGLISH SERVICE

Sunday Bible Study 10am

Service 11am & Service 6pm

Wednesday Bible Study 7:30pm

Evangelist Rodrigue Aleandre Cell 305.296.3331

KREYOL SEVIS

Dimanch Klas Biblik 7:30pm

Adorasyon 8:30pm

Madi Klas Biblik 7:30pm

Minis Rodrigue Aleandre Cell 305.296.3331

SERVICIO ESPAÑOL

Domingo Estudio Biblico a las 4:30pm

Servicio de Adoración a las 5pm

Jueves Estudio Biblico a las 7pm

Ministro Pedro Ruiz Celda 347.430.2263

1700 VON PHISTER ST, KEY WEST

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.’’ ‒

Proverbs 18:10 NKJV

On Aug. 21, U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez and his wife Lourdes joined Monroe County Mayor Craig Cates, Mayor Pro Tem Holly Merrill Raschein, Commissioners David Rice, Michelle Lincoln and Jim Scholl, County Administrator Roman Gastesi, Assistant County Attorney Pedro Mercado and airport director Richard Strickland at the Key West International Airport to see the recently-repaired Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS). Hurricane Ian severely damaged the EMAS, and Gimenez urged the federal government to approve FEMA emergency individual assistance for Monroe County.

“Congressman Gimenez continues to show up for Monroe County residents,” said Cates. “His quick action at the federal level helped our locals affected by Ian get muchneeded financial help, and the hurricane damage repairs at the airport move along faster.”

An EMAS is used to slow down an airplane if it cannot stop in time. The EMAS is a unique block system that can stop an aircraft from overrunning the runway at about 80 miles per hour.

“Thanks to the congressman’s efforts, we were able to get the EMAS fixed and continue operations as usual,” said Strickland.

— Contributed

Hurricane Ian critically damaged the EMAS, an important safety feature capable of stopping planes from overrunning the runway at the Key West airport. CONTRIBUTED

U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez and Lourdes Gimenez pay a visit to the Key West airport to inspect the recently-repair Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS).

HIGHER PURPOSE HICCUPS

CHRIS McNULTY

is an astrologer, wanderer, bartender and advocate for queer justice. He is a loquacious Gemini with a cozy Cancer rising. Find him at hearthandheraldastrology.com

Everyone’s favorite astrological scapegoat is upon us once again – and no, I’m not talking about your twofaced Gemini ex-partner. Mercury has stationed retrograde in the sign of Virgo and will be in apparent retrograde motion until Sept. 15. Prepare yourself for the usual Mercury retrograde trouble: communication breakdowns, technological glitches, travel frustrations, indecision. These issues will most certainly arise. However, with Mercury retrograding in the sign of Virgo, which is a very special sign for this little planet, I invite you to query the higher purpose for these logical and logistical disruptions. Reflect upon your communication methods, reconsider your relationship to technology, and redirect your focus. With Mercury stationing (seeming to stop and turn around) in a 120-degree aspect to Uranus, we can expect this Mercury retrograde to either propel us into greater freedom or disrupt our routines with an extra dose of eccentricity. It all depends on how you respond to the hiccups.

Here are your horoscopes for Mercury retrograde in Virgo. Read for your rising and sun signs.

VIRGO

Aug. 23 - Sept. 22

Happy birthday to all you Virgos out there! Unexpected excursions support your reflections and reevaluations of who you are and how you show up in the world. There is always something new out there to discover, and there is always a new way to express the vastness of your self. Right now, these two truths coin-

cide in you. This birthday season, reinvent yourself, even if it is just the slightest alteration.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

This Mercury retrograde period offers you a time of retreat and peaceful solitude. You might literally head off to a meditation hideaway, but you might also just take some time to calmly withdraw a bit from the sometimes chaotic world around you. During your quiet time, pay attention to any surprising investment opportunities because they might help you to quickly pay off some old debts.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 21

Unless you are living in a sitcom, the people who surround you and form your network of support tend to ebb and flow, and you do have some control over what that crew looks like. This Mercury retrograde, think about who you keep around you and how they are supportive or unsupportive of who you want to become. An unexpected partnership will likely form amidst the shuffle.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22 - Dec. 21

Work has certainly been at the center of life for a little while now, and for the next few weeks it’s time to take stock on the changes that have taken place. How is everything panning out? Do you feel like you’re in the right place? The answers to those questions are all yours to determine, but really be honest with yourself. You might surprise yourself with how you change your routines.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 19

What you believe may not always be at the forefront of your mind, but our beliefs constantly structure our world because they form the basis of all of our choices.

What do you believe, Capricorn? Is life random? Is there divine purpose? Is it turtles all the way down? This Mercury retrograde season, take some time to reflect on your fundamental beliefs. You may be surprised by the creativity that emerges.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

When we are invested in other people, power dynamics are always at play. Who is making the decisions on your investments of time, money or energy? Sometimes it’s in your best interest to relinquish control. Sometimes you are the one being taken advantage of. Assess the dynamics at play in your most important investments, and you might be surprised by how your home life changes.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

This Mercury retrograde may throw you a curveball in an important partnership of yours. Rather than throwing your hands up in dismay, however, use the opportunity to see things from a different perspective. Take a step back and try on some new lenses. You might be able to communicate your needs differently when you rethink your position.

ARIES

March 21 - April 19

Time management is increasingly difficult in our accelerating world, but this Mercury retrograde is a prime time for you to take stock on how your schedule is organized. You don’t have to sit down and rearrange everything, but even making a slight adjustment to your routine will provide substantial benefits. You might even be surprised by a financial opportunity when you do!

TAURUS

April 20 - May 20

Get your daydream on, Taurus!

This Mercury retrograde is pro-

viding you with a time for creative reflection, so let your imagination wander. Better yet, daydream your way into new creative projects and unexpected ways of expressing yourself. You’ve been freeing yourself from society’s constraints for the past few years, and now you have a real opportunity to let loose.

GEMINI

May 21 - June 21

What does “home” mean to you, Gemini? Is it a place? Is it a person or group of people? Is it a mental state? Don’t answer that question right now because you have a few weeks to ponder what brings “home” into your life. Really digging deep into this question will bring a new level of personal freedom into your moments of solitude.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

Under this Mercury retrograde, you are being asked to consider your siblings. These can be the siblings you grew up with, certainly, but also the people in your community that are your brothers and sisters. Do you treat your neighbors as family, or do you tend to be surrounded by strangers? If you find family among friends, you might be surprised by the support you discover.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 22

Money is what we use to exchange value in our world, but it is also something that we use to reflect our personal values. What you spend money on, how you make your money, how much money you hold on to – your personal values determine the details. Under this sky, you have a real opportunity to reflect on your values. As you do, you will probably make some monetary changes, and you can probably expect a surprise career revelation.

THOUSANDS OF BEES TERRORIZE KEY WEST HOTELS

AT THE

TRIANGLE

SWARMING INSECTS CAME FROM HIVES ON PRIVATE PROPERTY

What sent tens of thousands of riled up honey bees into a terrifying stinging frenzy near the entrance to Key West on Aug. 16?

A horror show with swarms of bees in attack mode started after a beehive had been “improperly removed” from behind a home on 20th Street, which runs behind two hotels on North Roosevelt Boulevard at the entrance to Key West — Hilton Garden Inn and Fairfield Inn & Suites, according to the Key West Fire Department.

The bees did not originate from any of the hotels, but many of their guests were affected.

Instead, someone trying to remove the bees from the home on 20th Street sprayed the hives with insecticide, according to David Lewis, a Big Pine Key beekeeper, who was called in to help.

Lewis estimates a bee count of up to 100,000.

“They were all in attack mode,” he said. “They were all in a complete stinging frenzy, flying around and attacking.”

Lewis was the man in the full body protective suit who the city called in, after reports of guests at the nearby hotels being stung repeatedly by bees and forced to flee the area.

While Facebook users reacted in shock and plenty of dark humor – “Did they call in the SWAT team?” – those in the midst of the swarm were frightened; many fled and several people were stung repeatedly.

Police dispatch records included these reports:

• “People are being attacked right now.”

• “There is a Hilton Garden employee having a reaction in the lobby.”

• “Another one on the ground being attacked.”

The bees were reacting to having been sprayed (with insecticide) in that backyard, Lewis said.

“They went nuts,” said Lewis, who owns Florida Keys Honey and Bees and also runs a plumbing company.

CAR FLIPS IN DOWNTOWN KEY WEST AFTER SMACKING CURB AND TREE

The result? Hotels at the entrance to Key West turned into an emergency scene for at least two hours. One sent messages telling everyone to stay indoors. Another told everyone to leave the property.

Meanwhile, the city alerted people near the area to stay indoors: “A large swarm of bees is in the area,” the city announced. “The bees are swarming and likely to sting.”

Key West Fire Rescue was already on the scene when beekeeper Lewis arrived at the hotels located at the entrance to Key West, 3852 and 3850 N. Roosevelt Blvd.

Lewis arrived at about noon and worked for 2.5 hours. A hotel manager paid him, he said.

Many of the bees were destroyed in the cleanup process – not something Lewis wants to see.

“Their hive was gone,” Lewis said. “What I could take, I took. What I couldn’t, they had to go away. They were too dangerous. There was no choice. People were getting injured.”

Even after Lewis had finished work, the city told everyone to “be cautious for the next couple of hours in this area for any remaining bees to settle down.”

The Aug. 16 Key West bee attack was a master class in what not to do with bees, Lewis said: Don’t try to remove a hive yourself. Call a pro. Never spray them with insect killer.

“They pretty much will match your energy,” he said.

MINOR INJURIES REPORTED IN AUG. 21 CRASH

How’d your Monday morning go?

For a carful of people and first responders, a steering mishap turned into a single-car crash in Old Town, where the flipped vehicle shocked passersby and social media users.

Two women and a child were inside a car that smacked into a curb, hit a tree and then flipped over on Simonton Street near the Eaton Street intersection, according to Key West police.

Only minor injuries were reported. The child was in a car seat at the time of the crash, around 8 a.m. on Aug. 21.

The child, the child’s mother and another woman were taken to Lower Keys Medical Center “out of an abundance of caution,” police spokeswoman Alyson Crean said.

A crash report wasn’t available as of press time and the car’s occupants were not immediately identified by police.

It was unclear the next day, on Aug. 22, whether speed was an issue in the crash, Crean said.

“Her tire went up over the curb, and the car hit the tree just right to flip it over,” Crean said.

Police officers who are specially trained in traffic crashes are looking into the cause, Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg told the Keys Weekly.

“There are multiple things that play into the physics of a crash and whether the automobile flips over or not,” Brandenburg said.

Monday’s rollover driver isn’t the first to hit that piece of yellow curb, where Simonton Street narrows a bit as the curb makes a border around the front of the tree that was involved.

GWEN FILOSA gwen@keysweekly.com

GWEN FILOSA gwen@keysweekly.com

Minor injuries were reported after this car flipped on Simonton Street on Monday, Aug. 21, Key West police said. CITY OF KEY WEST/Contributed

Beekeeper David Lewis arrives outside two hotels on North Roosevelt Boulevard after a swarm of bees terrorized guests on Aug. 16. CITY OF KEY WEST/ Contributed

COME FOR THE FOOD. STAY FOR THE VIEW.

TOP RATED GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA AND VEGETARIAN MENU

WE LOVE KIDS & DOGS

DRIVEWAY MOMENTS WITH WHITE - CROWNED PIGEONS

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.

The white-crowned pigeon and I had something of a tradition in the summer. He’d be out there feeding in our driveway, and every time I’d open the front door, we’d scare the hell out of each other. He’d be innocently gulping down the berries from the blolly tree that hangs over the fence from our neighbors’ property. I’d be absentmindedly slinging a backpack or a camera bag over my shoulder, making sure I had my keys. As soon as I set foot on the walkway he’d take off in a total panic. Every time.

I’m not sure it was always the same bird. But there was always only one.

White-crowned pigeons are some of the flightiest birds out there. It takes hardly anything to set them off. And they’re not quiet about it. Their frantic wingbeats sound like claps or rabbit punches or some other kind of low-grade violence.

So I step onto the walkway, the bird panics and flees, and then I panic for half a second before realizing it was just the white-crown. Again. And every time I vow, next time, to open the door carefully and have a camera in hand to get a decent shot of the bird. But then I forget again.

I’m not sure what happened, but for some reason, this summer, the bird is only halfscared of me. It’ll jump up a branch or two, but generally just lurks in the leaf cover as I leave. (I still forget to bring a camera.)

A lot of white-crowned pigeons are hanging around Key West and the Keys right now. We’re at the tail end of breeding season, and there are more here now than two months ago.

White-crowned pigeons are a Caribbean species. The only place they breed in North America is the Keys and extreme South Florida. It’s hard to find any recent population estimates, but in 1991 there were thought to be about 7,500 breeding pairs. Which isn’t really a lot, though with so few of them occupying so little land, it can seem otherwise.

I suppose it would be possible to confuse white-crowned pigeons with rock pigeons, a.k.a. your everyday park pigeon, as rock pigeons can occasionally have bits of slaty blue plumage. But white crowns, to my mind, are much better designed, graphically. Their body is essentially a uniform dark slaty blue, but with an iridescent green laddering pattern that climbs up their neck. The nominate white crown looks reminiscent of the snows of Kilimanjaro. One species

account I read described them as debonair, though one of the ways I can identify them when they are in total silhouette is that they have tiny, pinched-looking heads.

White-crowns are obligate frugivores. Obligate Frugivore. It sounds like the perfect name for an ’80s art punk band trying to break free from the restraints of harmony, melody, tonality and rhythm, but really it means they almost exclusively eat fruit – primarily fruit from blollies, poisonwoods, strangler figs, shortleaf figs and black torch, though poisonwood is thought to be their most important food source.

For some reason, pigeons that are obligate frugivores take longer to raise their young than those that survive mostly on grain. Whitecrowns usually lay two eggs per clutch. It takes them a comparably lackadaisical 45 to 60 days to raise each clutch. In the long Florida summers they can usually pull off two clutches per year. (White-crowns in Puerto Rico can sometimes raise three to four clutches per year.)

White-crowns tend to stick around in an area as long as the fruit supply lasts. That generally starts to diminish in early September. Then some of them will go up to the Everglades to overwinter, though most of them will cross over to Cuba to spend the winter in a place with a large number of royal palms, whose fruit they can survive on throughout the winter. (About 20% of them will stay in South Florida and the Keys.)

None of this makes it easier to say whether their population has grown or shrunk or remained stable. But I think they may have changed their habits some.

In the past, the general understanding was that they nested on the out islands in the backcountry, then came into the mainline Keys to feed, sometimes making round trips of close to 20 miles. And that may be the case up the Keys. But I think something has changed down here.

Years ago I was part of a large crew of volunteers who went out near the islands where they were known to nest in the backcountry.

We went out in six or 10 boats before sunrise, spread out and counted the hundreds of whitecrowns as they flew toward Key West. And for years after that, any time I wanted to make sure someone saw a white-crowned pigeon, I’d take them to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park and wait for them to fly in off the water. But that is not the case anymore.

I’ve also spent a good bit of time in the backcountry west of Key West in recent years, and have seen very few white-crowns out there. Possibly this has something to do with the loss of so many trees on the out islands due to hurricanes.

I have seen a lot of white-crowns on the island of Key West, though. And in recent years I’ve seen more and more nesting activity in Key West. (One of the easiest places to see them is from Hugh’s View rooftop courtyard at The Studios of Key West, where you can see them flying in and out of the nearby banyans and mahoganies pretty much year-round.) So I’m wondering if the population has made some sort of peace with developed areas.

This is all anecdotal. I’m hoping another population survey gets organized soon, because it would be interesting to know what’s going on, but also because data is one of the best tools to protect birds, and like most bird species, white-crowned pigeon habitat is under serious development pressure.

Midway through writing this column I took the dog out for a walk. I actually opened the front door carefully with my camera in hand right before we left, in case the pigeon was out there. It wasn’t. I came back about 45 minutes later, not thinking about white-crowned pigeons at all. Which is when I heard the flapping. The bird flew up to the top of the blolly, but then just sat there, eyeing me warily. The dog and I walked quietly up the steps and to the door, trying to limit the disruption. But I took another look back at the tree right before we went in and caught sight of a second pigeon. It didn’t look disturbed at all.

A white-crowned pigeon flies in Key West. MARK HEDDEN/Keys

RIDING TO KNIGHTS KEY

MIDDLE KEYS ISLAND, USED FOR FARMING, BECAME RAIL TERMINUS

Knights Key is found at the foot of the Seven Mile Bridge in the Middle Keys and is included under the Marathon umbrella. Not everyone is as aware of Knights Key’s rich railroad history — which is tremendous.

Nearby Pigeon Key attracts a great deal of the Middle Key’s attention when it comes to the train that used to rock, roll and steam up and down the Florida Keys. Pigeon Key served as a base of operations during the construction of the railroad bridges connecting Marathon to the Lower Keys — among other projects — and is a great place to visit to learn more about the railroad’s history.

While Key West was the southernmost terminus for the Over-Sea Railroad, it was not the first last stop on the Key West Extension of Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway. Before the train roared down the tracks and all the way to Key West, the line’s terminus was Knights Key or, more precisely, at the long railroad trestle bridge and wharf extending out over the shallows of the clear Atlantic waters off of Knights Key.

What might be surprising to learn about the island is that it was being used as farmland long before Flagler and his train arrived. The Charleston Daily Courier of Jan. 10, 1858, described Knights Key: “…containing about one hundred and twenty-five acres of arable land, and has a comfortable house and cistern. On this Key we have twelve hundred cocoanut trees and about fifty thousand Sisal hemp plants, most of which are fit to cut and manufacture into hemp...”

Farming was not isolated to Knights Key or the Middle Keys but was a primary industry, especially for those hardy pioneers scratching out a way of life for their families up and down a then-isolated string of islands. In addition to coconuts and sisal agave, pineapples, limes, tomatoes, melons, cucumbers and onions were important cash crops.

Before Flagler’s train reached Miami in 1896, farmers sent the fruits of their labor through the shipping channels. Once the train arrived, first to Miami and next to the Keys, farmers could more efficiently get their product to east coast markets like New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

Just after the turn of the century, railroad workers began laying tracks and building the bridges necessary to connect the islands from one to another. Progress linking the Upper Keys to the Middle Keys was quicker than the heroic efforts being made to make all the connections required to reach Key West. From a newspaper clipping dated April 28, 1906: “A large number of workmen are now at work at Knights Key. They will build warehouses and docks there with the intention of making the Key a supply station. A large cistern and the big buildings are already on the Key and lumber and material for the other work is being hauled there in large quantities. The docks will be built on the west side and extend out to the 25-foot channel for the accommodation of deep draught vessels.”

The Knights Key dock and wharf were connected to the island by a wooden trestle bridge. The development of the project was documented in a story printed in the Florida Times-Union on Dec. 18, 1906: “Because of the large number of vessels visiting Knights Key with materials for the railroad extension work, the Key has recently been made a port of entry with Dr. Cotton as deputy inspector.”

The railroad tracks bridging the train depot in Miami to the trestle bridge and wharf extending into the Atlantic Ocean from Knights Key were completed circa Christmas Day 1907. When it was completed, the Knights Key dock stretched 4,000 feet into the Atlantic. No small endeavor, enough pilings and planks were used to support two warehouses, an office and depot building, and two sets of railroad tracks. The dock was additionally able to accommodate two steamers at a time.

At some point during the first week of January, the Florida East Coast Railway extended daily railroad service to the dock at Knights Key. Two trains heading to the Keys left the Miami depot every morning, one at 6:30 a.m. and one at 11 a.m. The 11 o’clock run from Miami to the Knights Key dock connected with a steamer running between Key West and Havana. Also, two trains rolled off the dock every morning, up the Keys, and stopped at Miami — the first left at 5:40 a.m. and the second at 10 a.m.

FLORIDA KEYS HISTORY WITH BRAD BERTELLI

An author, speaker, Florida Keys historian and Honorary Conch. His latest book, “Florida Keys History with Brad Bertelli, Volume 1,” shares fascinating glimpses into the rich and sometimes surprising histories of the Florida Keys.

Improvements continued to occur. On May 27, 1908, a post office and telegraph station began operating. The Knights Key dock, however, was not built to last. Its purpose was to serve as a temporary terminus for the Key West Extension while the bridges and tracks connecting the railroad to Key West were completed. When they were, and the southernmost depot was established, the dock up in the Middle Keys became obsolete. The temporary terminus that operated from 1908-1912 is often missing from discussions about the Over-Sea Railroad. The primary focus is Flagler’s arrival on the island, when his private railcar, the Flagler Special, rattled and rolled over Key West on Jan. 22, 1912. Significant fanfare celebrating the event has been reported.

With the Knights Key dock no longer functioning or necessary, it was broken down. On Jan. 30, 1912, the Knights Key Post Office closed, and the mail was rerouted to the Marathon Post Office. The rest, as they say, is history.

A postcard image of the Knights Key dock from the Florida East Coast Railway Key West Extension. FLORIDA KEYS HISTORY CENTER/Contributed

HELP KEEP KEY WEST CLEAN

JOIN A 1- HOUR CLEANUP FRIDAY MORNINGS

Love him or despise him, non one commands the 24/7 helpings of news headlines more than former president Donald Trump. So it comes as no surprise that Trump’s upcoming arraignment in Georgia will be one of the most debated, discussed and covered stories in the history of our nation. Yet, beyond the actual story, and indicative of just how far we have descended into the bizarre maelstrom of Trump coverage, offshore gambling sites have already set odds (or over/under) on everything from Trump’s weight at the time of his booking, to variables like his tie and suit colors at the time he arrives in Fulton County to surrender.

Twenty-four volunteers, including seven new first-timers, braved the heat to clean up around Grace Lutheran and Peace Covenant schools/churches, and the surrounding roads, including Venetian Drive and Government Road. Together they collected 103.5 pounds of trash, 18 pounds of recycling and 2 gallons of cigarette butts. Also, congratulations to Kelli Funkhouser, the mayor’s executive assistant who earned the city manager’s challenge coin. CONTRIBUTED

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they have the heart.”

— Elizabeth Andrew

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

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

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

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

Please pick up around your home or apartment complex. Every piece of trash picked up is one less

that may end up in the ocean that surrounds and sustains our island community. It is not just the large items you can see easily when you are walking, but the smaller items such as bottle caps and cigarette butts that are collected by the volunteers that make the biggest difference.

It takes committed community involvement to keep Key West beautiful and we are making progress with every cleanup event and every spot that’s adopted. Call Dorian Patton at 305-809-3782 to find out how your business, nonprofit or club can help. — Contributed Join

at the Triangle — meet next to Key West Marriott Beachside Hotel on the bike path. Parking available in Beachside parking garage

According to a recent article in the Daily Mail, the over/under on Trump’s weight stands at 273.5 pounds, which increased by 8 pounds after the former president lashed out at Fox News for consistently using an unflattering photo of him on its site (to be fair, Trump has a point). Nonetheless, we at the Weekly love a good bet, so we volunteered our unsolicited services to offer a few more wager-friendly recommendations.

Here are our…

PROP BETS TO MAKE ON DONALD TRUMP’S GEORGIA ARRAIGNMENT

10. Jacob Chansley shows up in full bison hat, furry pants and face-paint attire.

9. Chris Christie arrives with a mohawk, sleeveless T-shirt and gold chains to reenact Clubber Lang’s taunting of Rocky Balboa during the Rocky III ceremony.

8. Trump violates the conditions of his release less than two hours after his surrender in a social media rant about weaponization, witch hunts and election riggers.

7. Francis Suarez shows up uninvited and has to tell people who he is.

6. Tucker Carlson tries to unload copies of his new book, while reminding people he used to be famous.

5. For the first time in eight years, the GOP and Dems reach a compromise in the form of a prisoner swap: Hunter for Trump.

4. Kyle Rittenhouse shows up, then gets the hell out of there once he realizes Fulton County abides by a “F*% around and find out” policy.

3. Rudy Giuliani pulls out his finest gown and heels to announce his worldwide drag queen tour that overtakes Beyoncé’s ticket sales.

2. President Biden falls asleep, on camera, at some point during the coverage.

1. The dignity and honor owed to former President Jimmy Carter during the final chapters of his life will be overshadowed in his home state.

HUMOR

President Donald Trump poses for his official portrait at The White House in October 2017.

SHEALAH CRAIGHEAD/ The White House

SHELF HELP

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

What: “A Very Typical Family” by Sierra Godfrey

Why: This is a story about three siblings at odds when main character Natalie, as well as her sister and brother, are called back to their childhood home when their mom dies. At first it’s not a good reunion. In her teens, she impulsively called the cops on her older siblings and because of that, they ended up doing prison time. Also, before leaving for her childhood home, she suffers a disappointing blow when she is passed up for a promotion at the architect firm she works at by – of all people – her boyfriend. You can’t help but feel for these three siblings and have so much hope for them to come to, hopefully, forgiveness with such a tragedy. And although there is so much tragedy, there is still humor and a lot of love. This is available as a print book, e-book and e-audiobook from the Monroe County Library system.

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

Recommended by: Eva Stafford, cataloging manager

SAVE THE DATE

Thursday, Aug. 24

• Foster parent training classes begin in Key Largo. Wesley House Family Services is seeking Upper Keys families to provide a loving home to children and teens in the foster care system. Classes take place over eight weeks from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Wesley House Key Largo office, 99451 Overseas Hwy., Ste. 200. Registration is required. Contact Megan Burgess at 305-809-5020 or Megan.Burgess@WesleyHouse.org. Registration is required.

Saturday, Aug. 26

• The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden on College Road will host a workshop on plant health at the garden’s Toppino Nature Chapel, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 27

• The Miami Marlins will celebrate Key West Night at their game on Sunday, Aug. 27 against the Washington Nationals. Ticket sales will support the Key West Police Athletic League. Key West residents will receive a special ticket price, and $5 of each ticket will be donated to PAL. At that game, City Manager Al Childress will throw out the first pitch. At halftime, a group of Key West kids will join Marlins’ mascot Billy on the field during the seventh in-

ning stretch to sing “Take me Out to the Ballgame.”

• Key West observes the International Day of Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition with prayers, poems and a brief history presentation. 6 p.m. at the Key West African Cemetery at Higgs Beach.

Aug. 31- Sept. 4

• Key West BrewFest has grown to be the largest event put on by Key West Sunrise Rotary. The festival includes beer pairing dinners, pool parties and other activities around town, culminating with the signature tasting event at Southernmost Beach Cafe. Visit keywestbrewfest.com.

Sept. 6-10

• Key West’s Womenfest attracts thousands of lesbians, transwomen and allies to what is arguably the premier LGBTQ+ vacation destination in the country. Womenfest has a simple goal: to celebrate all women. Visit gaykeywestfl.com.

Monday, Sept. 11

• The city of Key West remembers the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and the fallen heroes lost that day and the days to come. 8:30 a.m. at the Key West Firehouse Museum, 1024 Grinnell St.

KEYS MAIL-IN BALLOT VOTERS MUST RE-SUBMIT

REQUESTS

Monroe County Supervisor of Elections Joyce Griffin reminds Keys voters that they must request a vote-by-mail ballot each election cycle if they wish to vote by mail. As of Aug. 22, Griffin’s office had received a total of 7,420 voteby-mail requests – for comparison, on Feb. 12, 2020, the office had 11,831 requests.

To request a vote-by-mail ballot, visit keyselections.org/ voters/vote-by-mail-request. To view your vote-by-mail status, visit keyselections. org/voters/my-vote-by-mailstatus.

Griffin also stressed the importance of voters updating their addresses as necessary. She said the number of inactive voters in Monroe County’s has increased by 1,356 since May 4, 2023. If Griffin’s office sends a voter a piece of mail and it is returned as undeliverable, that voter is moved to an inactive status. Inactive voters may vote after updating their addresses.

— Contributed Scan to request your vote-bymail ballot.

VOTE-BY-MAIL

While painter Rick Worth recovers from a major stroke, the Key West arts community mourns the loss of another of its brightest talents. Photographer, artist and gallery owner Rachel Ligon died suddenly last week of natural causes.

KEY WESTERN FEST 2024 RETURNS WITH ALL-STAR FEMALE LINEUP ROKISLAND FEST RELEASES ROCK STAR LINEUP

4- DAY COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL FEATURES

WYNONNA JUDD, TANYA TUCKER & MORE

The recent announcement of the musical lineup for Key Western Fest 2024 has Key West and its winter visitors cranking up the tunes in preparation for five days of classic country music by some of its biggest female stars.

It’s all about the women for this year’s festival, which takes place Jan. 30 to Feb. 3.

Nightly concerts take place at the Key West Amphitheater, with additional intimate performances, pool parties, bar shows and boat trips included in the various festival ticket packages.

“The four-day music festival will feature an all-female convergence of country music superstars from an era that solidified the genre as a cultural touchstone and global phenomenon,” states a Key Western Fest press release.

Confirmed artists include Wynonna Judd, Tanya Tucker, Jo Dee Messina, Sara Evans, Terri Clark, Deana Carter, Lorrie Morgan, Pam Tillis, Suzy Bogguss and many more.

In addition to the four-day festival, Key Western Fest will host a special kick-off celebration on Tuesday, Jan. 30 featuring a performance from Deana Carter (location TBA).

“Many of Key Western Fest’s performances will take place along the Gulf waters of the island at the Truman Waterfront Park Amphitheater,” the release states. “In an ever-growing festival landscape, Key Western Fest offers an incredibly unique live music experience in one of the most beautiful locations on our continent,” says festival co-

founder Kyle Carter. ”Last year, we put together a fantastic show that captured the essence of the golden era in country music and to do it on a 2- by 4-mile island makes it that much more unique for attendees. We’re thrilled to do it all over again in 2024 with a dream lineup that boasts some of the best female voices and songwriters in the rich history of the genre.”

Packages and passes for Key Western Fest are on sale now. Full experience packages will allow Key Western Fest’s local concierge team to book a curated experience based on attendees’ personal interests. Packages include a five-day festival pass (opening night kick-off included), five nights of lodging, live-music sails on a gulf-cruising catamaran, exclusive discounts and much more. For those wishing to handle their own accommodations and excursions, a “pass-only” option is available and includes access to all four days of festival performances at the Amphitheater (does not include lodging or VIP experiences). For more information, visit keywesternfest.com or call 305-390-4600.

— Contributed

MUSIC FESTIVAL, JAN. 16-20, FEATURES BRET MICHAELS, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS & MORE

RokIsland Fest 2024 has unveiled its full lineup set for Jan. 16-20 in Key West. Hosted by legendary radio and television personality Eddie Trunk, the third annual music festival returns with its most dynamic list of artists so far, including legendary hitmakers and alternative/ hard rock icons such as Bret Michaels, Stone Temple Pilots, Tom Keifer (Cinderella), Night Ranger, Buckcherry, Don Felder, Mr. Big and more.

Packages and passes are now on sale.

the boutique venue provides an intimate performance atmosphere unlike other rock festivals around the world. In addition to four days of full-throttle live shows along the Gulf waters of Key West, festival attendees will have access to world-class hotels, local fare from renowned restaurants and endless options for recreational excursions and activities (sailing, scuba diving, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, etc.) –a true rock and roll experience in a destination paradise.

KEY

FULL LINEUP

“RokIsland Fest’s continued priority is for attendees to have access to preeminent, unforgettable live music performances. This year is no exception,” says Kyle Carter, co-founder of RokIsland Fest Key West. “Friday night will include an all-hits mashup, curated by the one and only Bret Michaels. It will be billed as ‘Parti – Gras,’ a multi-hour journey featuring Bret himself, Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Lou Gramm (Foreigner) and Jefferson Starship. For a festival that’s already about experiences, this show is another dimension and an ‘experience within the experience’ and we think fans will have a sore voice after this one.”

With most of the RokIsland Fest performances taking place at the Key West Amphitheater,

Full experience packages allow RokIsland Fest’s concierge team to book a specially curated experience based on the personal interests of attendees along with an exclusive kick-off party in addition to their four-day festival pass. It also includes lodging, a sunset sail with live music on a 60-foot catamaran, exclusive discounts and more. The pass-only option includes access to all festival performances (does not include lodging). For more information, visit rokislandfest.com.

— Contributed

ROKISLAND FEST 2024

FULL LINEUP

Night Ranger, Mr. Big, Winger, Wig Wam, Tom Keifer (Cinderella), Don Felder, L.A. Guns, Enuff Z’Nuff, Bret Michaels, Dee Snider, Lou Gramm (Foreigner), Jefferson Starship, Trixter (acoustic), Stone Temple Pilots, Buckcherry, Lit, Bowling For Soup.

WESTERN FEST 2024

Wynonna Judd, Tanya Tucker, Jo Dee Messina, Sara Evans, Terri Clark, Deana Carter, Lorrie Morgan, Pam Tillis, Suzy Bogguss, Jamie O’Neal, Lillie Mae.

Left: Wynonna Judd performs live in Arlington, Virginia in October 2018. MICHAEL DYER/Wikipedia. Right: Tanya Tucker performs at the Graceland Soundstage in Memphis, Tennessee in February 2020. BENJI CHILDERS/Wikipedia

Bret Michaels performs in Iowa in 2019. SENIOR MASTER SGT. VINCENT DE GROOT/Wikipedia

SATURDAY AUGUST 26: 4:30pm - Vespers

SUNDAY AUGUST 27: 9:30am - Divine Liturgy

800 Emma Street, Key West

CONFESSIONS, HOUSE BLESSINGS, BAPTISMS, ETC. BY APPOINTMENT!

SHORT SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN DURING SUNDAY SERVICE

‘THEY ARE NOT ALONE’

Keys Rotarians gather for powerful account of RussiaUkraine war, pledge additional support

ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

Afull house packed the Florida Keys Country Club for one of the Rotary Club of Marathon’s most historic meetings on Aug. 16. The crowds were warranted for the club’s guest of honor: the Rotary Club of Lviv International’s immediate past president, Nataliia Dolinska. Painting a vivid picture of the war in Ukraine, Dolinska delivered an eye-opening presentation detailing the reality of everyday life in Lviv, where Russian bombs and drone strikes are still a daily reality and basements are being refitted as shelters for children.

As one of the earliest Rotary donors in South Florida to the war-torn country, Marathon’s club made three separate donations of $5,000 each to the Rotary Club of Lviv International in late 2022, the majority of which, Dolinska said, was used to purchase medical supplies.

“Rotarians from around the Keys, as well as from our district, came together to hear what truly was a historic meeting – hearing the story of how the efforts of Rotary together with Rotary in Ukraine can truly make a difference in the lives of those in a war zone,” said Rotarian Keith Douglass, who helped to orchestrate the presentation. “The beauty of Rotary is our ability, by virtue of the skills that our members have, to put service above self and come together to make people in Ukraine recognize that they are not alone.”

Following a standing ovation for Dolinska, Marathon Rotary Club president Sam Williams presented her with an additional $5,000 donation to be used by Lviv’s club.

Father Demetrio Romeo, Presiding St. Nina Orthodox Mission (ROCOR)

CHURCH PHONE: 3055871340

@saintninkeywest Saint Nina Key West

Following three donations totaling $15,000 in late 2022, the Marathon Rotary Club presents Rotary Club of Lviv’s past president Nataliia Dolinska, right, with an additional $5,000 on Aug. 16.

South Florida Rotary dignitaries present included, from left: Rotary district governor-elect Dennis Caltagironi, Rotary Club of Marathon Foundation chair Keith Douglass, immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Lviv International Nataliia Dolinska, Marathon Rotary Club president Sam Williams, Rotary District 6990 district governor Barbara Gobbi, Rotary assistant governor for the Keys Lisa Feliciano and Rotary District 6990 past district governor Roy Gonas. Photos by ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly

KEYS LOCALS GET FREE MUSEUM ADMISSION HAPPY HOUR WITH THE HISTORIAN CELEBRATES CIGARS

EXPLORE FORT EAST MARTELLO ON SEPT. 3

RELIVE KEY WEST’S FAMOUS INDUSTRY ON SEPT. 14

On Sunday, Sept. 3, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., join the staff of the Fort East Martello Museum, 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd., to explore one of the island’s Civil War-era forts and its exhibits. Dubbed “Family Museum Day,” the program is designed to coincide with the Key West Art & Historical Society’s popular Community Day, which offers free museum admission for Monroe County residents the first Sunday of each month.

While on the property, families are invited to take a self-guided tour of the fort and citadel, explore the outdoor sculpture garden, and view artwork created by celebrated Keys folk artist Stanley Papio. In addition

Monroe County families can visit the Fort East Martello Museum free of charge on Sunday, Sept. 3 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to explore the museum and create an aviationinspired art project. KEY WEST ART & HISTORICAL SOCIETY/Contributed

to free admission, adults and children are welcome to explore the history of Florida’s indigenous people in the air-conditioned Lee Garrison Classroom by joining society education specialist Kassandra Collett and art educator Jenni Franke to create art inspired by South Florida’s first people.

“Known as the ‘Shell Indians’ due to their large shell mounds and creative use in tool making, the Calusa also carved and painted masks and animal figurines from wood such as the gumbo limbo, cypress, and buttonwood,” says Collett. “We welcome all families to the museum to study the tools, beads, sherds, and a dugout canoe on display at the museum and then create art inspired by objects found at Calusa sites around South Florida.”

The Family Museum Day program is free and open to the public. Registration is not required, and all supplies will be provided by the Key West Art & Historical Society. More information is at kwahs.org/upcoming-events. or from Collett at 305-295-6616 x504 or kcollett@kwahs.org.

— Contributed

Raise a toast to Florida Keys art and history with Key West Art & Historical Society curator and historian Cori Convertito on Thursday, Sept. 14, from 5 to 6 p.m. during her popular “Happy Hour with the Historian” program at Comedy Key West, 218 Whitehead St .

Enjoy a complimentary draft beer, glass of house wine or a soft drink while Convertito discusses “Clear Havanas: Key West’s Cigar Industry,” and details the once-burgeoning industry that was the economic backbone for the island.

The early 19th century witnessed the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, a time of dramatic economic change when small cottage industries were replaced with large-scale factory production. On the heels of the Industrial Revolution, Cuba’s cigar making industry blossomed. With Cuba’s cigar economy booming, people sought opportunities outside the country looking to make financial gains. Key West’s proximity to Cuba and its tobacco plantations, a mere 90 miles away, was the ideal place to establish cigar factories. Cuban immigrants arrived by the thousands to seek employment in Key West’s expanding cigar industry.

“By 1876, Key West’s 29 cigar factories were producing a staggering 62 million cigars annually,” said Convertito. “With a population of more than 18,000 people in 1890, Key West became the largest and wealthiest city in the state of Florida and one of the most influential in the nation. That year, more than 100 million cigars

were handmade in Key West. Aside from the warm, humid climate, ideal for maintaining a pliable tobacco leaf, factory owners were able to lure immigrants with affordable housing, a neighborhood environment and gainful employment in the cigar trade.”

Despite the financial success of the cigar industry on the island, the inescapable progression to the unionization of workers and opposition from factory owners eventually drove many of the largest cigar makers to Tampa. The industry began manufacturing machine-made cigars that could be sold for a nickel; then the Great Depression hit in the 1930s. The expensive Cuban cigar simply could not compete. The heyday of the island’s cigar making was over, although the legacy and cultural impact of the cigar industry and its workers remains a vibrant part of modern Key West.

Happy Hour with the Historian is limited to 70 attendees; reserve your spot now at kwahs.org/hh-cigars. The cost is $12 for KWAHS members and $15 for non-members.

Key West’s lucrative cigar industry and its workers will be the subject of Happy Hour with the Historian on Sept. 14 at Comedy Key West. KEY WEST ART & HISTORICAL SOCIETY/ Contributed

MILITARY MATTERS

A MONTHLY UPDATE FROM THE KEY WEST MILITARY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Key West Military Affairs Committee’s (MAC) mission is to foster and strengthen the relationship between the military and civilians in our community.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Military personnel turnover is winding down for the summer and we’re welcoming to our community new service members and their families. This also means a lot of new students are joining our schools and military dependents are looking for employment. We welcome our new military residents and families to our community and endeavor to make them feel at home in paradise while they are here serving our country and protecting our national security interests.

MAC’S AUGUST GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

event occurring in our waters and around the world. She addressed marine heat wave and coral reef watch level 2 we are locally facing, which results in severe coral bleaching and significant coral mortality. Simply put, heat stress causes coral bleaching, and our record high water temperatures are well above the 87.13-degree Fahrenheit threshold. NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch includes monitoring points at its seven Iconic Reef Sites within the marine sanctuary.

US Coast Guard Cutter Sparling is the 54th cutter in its class commonly referred to as Fast Response Cutters (FRC). All FRCs have come to Key West as part of the USCG acceptance process from the shipbuilder, Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana, prior to them being commissioned. USCG Cutter Sparling will eventually head to her homeport in Boston. Thanks go out to the Navy League Key West Council that provides receptions for the visiting FRCs at the acceptance ceremonies welcoming crewmembers to Key West.

Sarah Fangman, superintendent of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, spoke at the Military Affairs Committee’s August meeting about the critical challenges being addressed. Local military commands have worked closely with the sanctuary since its establishment in 1990 to protect the more than 3,800 square miles of Florida Keys coastal and ocean waters to enable the military to continue to conduct their critical operations and training missions.

The good news is that not all corals are bleaching and there are healthy corals remaining. Current efforts are to preserve the last remaining live elkhorn and staghorn corals from Florida’s Coral Reef, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. There are only approximately 150 unique individuals of elkhorn and 300 of staghorn corals that remain alive on our reef — representing less than 1% of their former abundance.

The Military Affairs Committee holds a volunteer day at Sigsbee Charter School on July 29 to help prepare the school for its Aug. 10 opening. Civilian and military members as well as friends handle cleaning, organizing, and disposing of debris.

VFC-111 Squadron’s Junior Sailor of the Quarter, PS2 Stephanie Klocis, being recognized by MAC president-elect Juan Llera as VFC-111 CO, CO and CMDSC stand by.

Fangman has served as superintendent since July 2017 overseeing its management and operations. As a marine scientist, she was the science coordinator at Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary in California before becoming program coordinator for the sanctuary system’s Southeast, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean region. Earlier in her career, she spent considerable time in the field conducting research, earning her 100T USCG captains license, conducting over 1,000 dives in various marine sanctuaries, serving as a saturation diver in the underwater habitat Aquarius and diving in multiple submersibles to depths of up to 10,000 feet, including piloting a single-person submersible.

At the recent MAC meeting, she discussed the 2023 heat stress

Scientists are working to gene-bank two fragments from each unique genetic individual of staghorn and elkhorn coral. The rescued corals are being housed at Mote Gene Bank in Sarasota and The Reef Institute in West Palm Beach. Should major mortality occur on the reef and in coral nurseries, rescued corals can serve as the broodstock for propagating the corals that can restore Florida’s Coral Reef in the future. Other preservation efforts include nursery area evacuations relocating corals into deeper waters. Efforts to assess iconic reef sites are underway during this period of heat stress and a follow up assessment will occur once water temperature drops to better understand the impacts of heat stress.

Fangman wrapped up her discussion by pointing out that the global media continues to pick up on the heat wave impacts of corals in the Florida Keys. The sanctuary provides accurate information to the new Tourist Development Council webpage at floridakeyscorals.com for anyone seeking accurate information.

MAC president-elect Juan Llera thanks sanctuary superintendent Sarah Fangman for her presentation about heat stress on the coral reef. CONTRIBUTED

From left, USCG Sector Commander Capt. Jason Ingram, Prospective Commanding Officer USCG Cutter William Sparling LT Jacklyn Kokomoor, MAC president/ Navy League board member Ron Demes, USCG Sector Command Master Chief Eric Silvoy are present for the acceptance of the USCG’s newest Sentinel Class Cutter (WPC-1154).

From left, VFC-111 Squadron Commanding Officer CDR Matt Gibson, HM1 Alvin Leon Ramos being presented Sailor of the Quarter recognition by MAC president-elect Juan Llera, Executive Officer CDR Joseph Robinson and Command Senior Chief Dennis Ibasan.

COMMERCIAL CONDO & BUSINESS

ISLAND MASSAGE & DAY SPA | 600 WHITEHEAD ST C-2 | 749 SQ FT | MLS# 605937 | $998,000

Welcome to an incredible opportunity to own a commercial condo and an established business in a prime location. This property offers a unique blend of comfortable space and a thriving business, presenting an excellent investment prospect. Imagine operating a successful massage therapy business, across from the renowned Green Parrot Bar. This prime location offers fantastic exposure, great foot traffic and ample opportunities for growth. Don't miss out on this extraordinary chance to own a commercial condo and an established business in a paradise-like setting

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

Knight & Gardner Realty

LISA LENNON

SALES PROFESSIONAL

Cell: 305.304.1027

lisa.lennon@keysrealestate.com

www.KeysRealEstate.com

TAKE ME HOME?

FIND A FRIEND AT THE FLORIDA KEYS SPCA

family is waiting for you. The SPCA’s knowledgeable staff will help with advice and care tips while working to ensure a good fit between each pet and its people.

SEPTEMBER 6-10, 2023

10,

SEPTEMBER 6-10, 2023

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

From cats and dogs to Guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, reptiles and birds, the perfect addition to your

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

ARE JOINING FORCES TO CREATE AN UNFORGETTABLE CELEBRATION OF LGBTQ+ WOMEN.

This exciting event, hosted by the vibrant LGBTQ-friendly destination, Key West, promises to be a spectacular gathering of queer women from all around the world.

The festivities will take place September 6-10, 2023, and participants can expect an exhilarating lineup of activities, parties, and community-building events. Attendees will be able to revel in Key West's welcoming atmosphere, stunning scenery, and a wide array of activities that cater to everyone's interests.

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF EVENT DETAILS, SEE THE OFFICIAL KEY WEST WOMENFEST WEBSITE GAYKEYWESTFL.COM/WOMENFEST

Olivia Travel will be actively engaging with attendees throughout the Womenfest events, there to answer any questions, add to the fun, and distribute branded prizes. Womenfest attendees will also get the chance to enter Olivia's "Beautiful Together" sweepstakes, Olivia’s 2023 promotion for one lucky winner to choose between a breathtakingly beautiful Alaskan Cruise or a sunworshipper’s all-inclusive Vallarta resort trip for two in 2024. The winner will be treated to an unforgettable travel experience in company of amazing LGBTQ+ women from all walks of life.

Together, Olivia Travel and Key West Womenfest share a common mission of empowering LGBTQ+ women by providing them with affirming spaces to promote visibility, celebrate their identities, and form meaningful connections with one another. This partnership aims to uplift and support the LGBTQ+ women’s community while promoting a spirit of community and love.

Media inquiries with Olivia Travel, please contact: Autumn Nazarian autumnn@olivia.com

Media inquiries with Key West Womenfest, please contact: Fritzie Estimond fritzie@gaykeywestfl.com

Follow the excitement on social media using the official event hashtag: #KeyWestWomenfest2023

Cooper, 3, is a male retriever/Labrador mix. With his gorgeous ginger coat and capacity to love, this good boy is sure to make any family complete.

Tiny Tina is a 5-year-old female domestic shorthair. She was tiny when she first arrived at the shelter; now she needs to feed off your love.

Goober is a 2-month-old male domestic shorthair. This little guy needs a new home —- and a new name.

Habanero is a male rabbit. Spice up your life with this hoppy, go-lucky bunny.

INVITATION TO BID

LEGO Construction Company and Department of Management Services –Florida Highway Patrol cordially invite interested subcontractors to complete and submit sealed bids by September 14th, 2023 no later than 3 p.m. for the followingproject/bid packages:

ADA Restroom Renovation – Marathon FHP – Phase 2 (02219020)

SELECT TRADE BID PACKAGES (see below)

This invitation to bid (ITB) includes the following trades. All contractors certified as SBE, MBE & M/WBE are encouraged to participate in any of these trades:

• Demolition

• Fencing

• Sitework

• Concrete & Masonry

• Metals

• Acoustical Ceilings

• Door, Frames, Hardware

• Windows

• Flooring and Wall Tile

• Drywall

• Painting

• Toilet Accessories

• Toilet Partitions

• Signage

• Plumbing

• Mechanical

• Electrical

• Final Cleaning

The bid manual, bid requirements, bid forms, specifications, drawings, and other construction documents will be available by reaching out to Ruturaj Sonawane at rs@legocc.com or at 305-381-8421 Ext 105. There will be a Non-Mandatory Prebid conference and site visit on August 28th, 2023 at 12 p.m.

All bids must be received no later than September 14th, 2023 @ 3 p.m. at LEGO Construction Co office located at 1011 Sunnybrook Road Suite 905, Miami Florida 33136. Bids must be delivered in a sealed envelope clearly marked “Sealed Bid for ADA Restroom Renovation – Marathon FHP – Phase 2” along with the name of your firm and the trades covered in your bid. Subcontractors interested in working with LEGO must obtain prequalification with LEGO prior to bidding. All questions regarding prequalification & the bid process should be directed to Ruturaj Sonawane at rs@legocc.com.

Publish: August 24 & 31, 2023. The Weekly Newspapers

Key Lime Medical Associates

John W. Norris III M.D. PA 508 Southard Street, Suite 103 Key West, Florida 33040

Key Lime Medical Associates is transferring care of its patients and location to Keys Medical Group (KMG) effective September 1, 2023.

Patients’ medical records will remain at Key Lime Medical Associates, 508 Southard Street, Suite 103, Key West, Florida 33040 under the custodianship of Keys Medical Group providers and staff.

Patients wishing to pick up their records may do so after a signed medical records release is received after September 1, 2023.

Publish: August 10, 17, 24 & 31, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Pursuant to 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 (954) 563-1999

Sale date September 15, 2023 @ 10:00 am 3411 NW 9th Ave Ft Lauderdale FL 33309

38346 2010 Jeep VIN#:

1J4HA5H14AL226899

Lienor: Key West Chrysler Dodge 1618 N Roosevelt Blvd., Key West 305-294-5128 Lien Amt $788.13

Licensed Auctioneers FLAB422 FLAU 765 & 1911

Publish:

August 24, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned intends to sell the personal property described below to enforce a lien imposed on said property under the Florida Self Storage Facilities Act Statutes (Section 83.801 –83.809). The undersigned will sell online by competitive bidding on August 31, 2023, at 10:00am. The following:

#104 Cameron Willett misc. home goods #405 Jessice Williamson misc. personal items, home goods #450 Brian Stevens misc. home goods #128 Kylie Safford misc. home goods #256 Kylie Safford misc. home goods #235 Mark Bewer misc. home goods #329 Melissa Bellovich misc. home goods #461 Lisa Kicker misc. home goods #420 Thomas Morgan misc. home goods #249 Julie Allen misc. home goods will be auctioned online by Storage Treasures via website at storagetreasures.com. All purchased items sold as is. Items are located at Big Pine Storage at 30677 Overseas Highway, Big Pine Key, Florida 33043 and must be collected within 72 hours of auction.

Publish:

August 17 & 24, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF INTENTION TO CONSIDER ADOPTION OF COUNTY ORDINANCE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN that on September 20, 2023, at 9:00 A.M. or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, at the Murray E. Nelson Government Center, 102050 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, Florida, the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida, intends to consider adopting the following ordinance: AN ORDINANCE BY THE MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AMENDING SECTION 8-37 (“PASSAGE OF FOUR YEARS TO PROSECUTIONS”) OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF MONROE COUNTY TO CLARIFY THAT CODE COMPLIANCE PROSECUTIONS MUST BE INITIATED WITHIN FOUR YEARS OF THE ACTUAL DISCOVERY OF THE VIOLATION BY THE MONROE COUNTY CODE COMPLIANCE DEPARTMENT; PROVIDING THAT THIS CONSTITUTES AN AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE THAT THE RESPONDENT CARRIES THE BURDEN TO RAISE AND DISCHARGE BEFORE THE CODE COMPLIANCE SPECIAL MAGISTRATE; TO CLARIFY THAT THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO PROSECUTION(S) BASED UPON FAILURE TO OBTAIN A PERMIT; TO CLARIFY THAT WORK

LEGAL NOTICES

WITHOUT A PERMIT, SUCH AS DEVELOPMENT (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO CONSTRUCTION OR LAND CLEARING), IS CONSIDERED A CONTINUING VIOLATION THAT CONTINUES UNTIL REQUIRED AFTER-THEFACT PERMIT(S) ARE OBTAINED AND CLOSED OUT.

The proposed ordinance may be inspected by the public at the Monroe County website by viewing the agenda packet for the September 20, 2023 meeting, which will be posted beginning on September 15, 2023 at: http://monroecountyfl.iqm2. com/citizens/default.aspx. The ordinance may also be viewed at the Monroe County Attorney’s office at 1111 12th St. Ste. 408 Key West, FL 33040.

The public can participate in the September 20, 2023 meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, FL by attending in person or via Zoom. The Zoom link can be found in the agenda at http://monroecountyfl.iqm2. com/citizens/default.aspx.

ADA ASSISTANCE: If you are a person with a disability who needs special accommodations in order to participate in this proceeding, please contact the County Administrator’s Office, by phoning (305) 2924441, between the hours of 8:30a.m.—5:00p.m., prior to the scheduled meeting; if you are hearing or voice-impaired, call “711”. Live Closed-Captioning is available via our web portal @ http://monroecountyfl.iqm2. com/Citizens/Default.aspx for meetings of the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners. Dated at Key West, Florida, this 17th day of August, 2023.

KEVIN MADOK, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Ex Officio Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida

Publish:

August 24, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 23-CP-000097-P IN RE: ESTATE OF LOUIS A. SADLER Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of LOUIS A. SADLER, deceased, whose date of death was July 4, 2023; is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88770 Overseas Highway, Ste. 2, Plantation Key, FL 33070. The names and addresses of the personal representatives and the personal representatives’ 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 DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against the 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 the first publication of this notice is August 24, 2023.

Personal Representatives: Cassandra Lang 57 Beverly Hills Blvd. Beverly Hills, FL 34465 Susan Miranda 36 Acorn Rd.

Whitman, MA 02382

Attorney for Personal

Representatives:

Suzette M. Alfonso

Florida Bar Number: 13439 6310 Bayshore Rd. Palmetto, FL 34221

Telephone: (813) 892-9596

E-Mail: suzettealfonso@gmail.

com

Publish:

August 24 & 31, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 2021-CP-048-M IN RE: ESTATE OF JOEL CURTIS COLLISON, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Joel Curtis Collison, deceased, whose date of death was March 10, 2021, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 3117 Overseas Highway, Marathon, Florida 33050. The estate is intestate. 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 the 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: August 24, 2023.

Personal Representative:

Sijabulisiwe Dube P.O. Box 500796 2000 Coco Plum Drive Marathon, FL 33050

Attorney for Personal Representative: James J. Dorl, Esq. Florida Bar No. 618403 JAMES J. DORL, P.A. Suite 12 First Professional Centre 5701 Overseas Highway Marathon, FL 33050 Telephone: (305) 743-6565

Facsimile: (305) 743-4143

e-mail: jjdorl@yahoo.com

Publish:

August 24 & 31, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE SIXTEENTH CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 23-CP-0054

IN RE: ESTATE OF JOHN FRANCIS KISSINGER, III, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of JOHN FRANCIS KISSINGER, III, deceased, whose date of death was April 18, 2023, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 3117 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050. The estate is intestate.

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 the 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 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: August 24, 2023.

Personal Representative:

JOHN KISSINGER 406 Eleventh Street St. Augustine, FL 32084

Attorney for Personal

Representative: HEATHER@EPPGLAW.COM

Heather S. Maltby Florida Bar No. 116571

E.P.P.G. Law of St. Johns, PLLC St. Augustine, FL 32084 Telephone: 904-875-3774

Publish:

August 24 & 31, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 23-CP-000095-P

IN RE: THE ESTATE OF SAMUEL JAMES FRIEDMAN a/k/a SAM JAMES FRIEDMAN, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of SAMUEL JAMES FRIEDMAN, deceased, whose date of death was July 2, 2023, is pending in the Circuit Court, for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is: 88770 Overseas Highway, Suite 2, Tavernier, Florida 33070. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below. If you have been served with a copy of this notice and you have any claim or demand against the decedent’s estate, even if that claim is unmatured, contingent or unliquidated, you must file your claim with the court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF A DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER YOU RECEIVE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE.

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons who have having claims or demands against decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE DATE THAT IS 3 MONTHS AFTER THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS, DEMANDS AND OBJECTIONS NOT SO FILED 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 August 24, 2023.

Personal Representative:

EDWINA B. FRIEDMAN 24 Dockside Lane PMB 134

LEGAL NOTICES

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

DIVISION: PROBATE

FILE NO.: 2023-CP-125-K IN RE: ESTATE OF STUART A. MEAD

Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Stuart A. Mead, deceased, whose date of death was December 3, 2021, 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 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 August 17, 2023. The date of the second publication of this notice is August 24, 2023.

Personal Representative:

Erin Maltbie 49 Flanagan Drive Framingham, MA 01701

Attorney for Personal

Representative:

Anthony J. Barrows

Attorney for Andrew C. Von S. Smith Florida Bar Number: 662569 WRIGHT BARROWS PLLC 9711 Overseas Highway Marathon, FL 33050 Telephone: (305) 743-8118

Fax: (305) 489-0307

E-mail: Tony@keysclosings.com

Publish: August 17 & 24, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 23-CP-202-K

DIVISION: LOWER KEYS

IN RE: ESTATE OF ALLEN NOEL MURPHY

Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Allen Noel Murphy, deceased, whose date of death was July 3, 2023, 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 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: August 17, 2023.

Personal Representative:

Allen P. Murphy

117 Sun Lane

Key West, Florida 33040

Attorney for Personal

Representative: Richard E. Warner

Attorney Florida Bar Number: 283134 RICHARD E. WARNER, P.A.

12221 Overseas Highway MARATHON, FL 33050

Telephone: (305) 743-6022

Fax: (305) 743-6216

E-mail: richard@rewarnerlaw.com

Secondary E-Mail: pamela2@ rewarnerlaw.com

Publish:

August 17 & 24, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 23-DR-0000590-K ORLANDO MACHADO GALIANO Petitioner, and, NIURKA JIMENEZ PAZO, Respondent.

NOTICE OF ACTION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE

TO: NIURKA JIMENEZ PAZO RESPONDENT’S LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: 240 LIBERTAD MORON CA, CUBA 65110

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 ORLANDO MACHADO GALIANO, whose address is 2111 FLAGLER AVENUE, KEY WEST, FL 33040 on or before SEPTEMBER 25, 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: August 21, 2023

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

By: Riza Hall Deputy Clerk

Publish:

August 24 & 31 and September 7 & 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

respective units)

ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

YOU ARE NOTIFIED that the above units(s) of interval ownership, all of which are a part of the Marathon Key Beach Club Condominium II, according to the Declaration of Condominium, recorded in Official Records Book 859, at Page 786, in the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and as amended in Official Records Book 874, at Page 2169, of the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, as subsequently may have been amended, together with the percentage interest appurtenant thereto, in the remainder over in fee simple absolute, as tenant in common with the other owners of all the Unit Weeks in the abovedescribed condominium parcel. WILL BE SOLD by the foreclosure trustee duly appointed by the Condominium Association, Margaret A. Broz, Esq., whose business address is: 434 Chatham U, West Palm Beach, FL 33417.

This sale is being conducted in accordance with F.S. 721.855, for delinquent assessments the Claim of Lien for which was recorded in the Monroe County, Florida, Public Records, as set forth above, and which secures an amount representing delinquent assessments and taxes, interest and penalties accrued thereon, attorney’s fees and costs, and which amount will bear interest from the date of recording to the date of sale at a per diem rate equal to the highest rate allowed by law (currently 5.52% per annum).

Unless redeemed as set forth below, the sale will be held on August 31, 2023 at the Marathon Key Beach Club, 4560 Overseas Hwy., Marathon, FL 33050, commencing at 1:00 p.m. Obligor may redeem this timeshare interest on or before the sale date, by paying the amount set forth above together with the per diem amounts, in cash or certified funds remitted to the foreclosure trustee: if the week(s) are not so redeemed, the foreclosure trustee with proceed to conduct the sale pursuant and to issue a Certificate of Sale to the highest bidder at such sale.

List of Timeshare Properties for Sale

To: The following Owners of Timeshare Units at the Marathon Key Beach Club, to wit:

1. Sioux Shelton, 1712 Rio Vista, Ft. Pierce, FL 34949, Wk 47/E-202, Due $2,070.07

2. Charles Khoury, 7343 Brisbane Hills St., Las Vegas, NV, Wk 46 and 47/B-201, Due $3,918.26

3. John & Kimberly Chandler, 2501 Snow Creek Lane, Charlotte, NC 28273, Wk 45/E-102, Due $2,756.98

4. Jacqueline Mandica Lurch, P.O. Box 102, Allenwood, NJ 08720, Wk 37/C-102, Due $3,466.33

5. Dario Morell, 13405 SW First Terrace, Miami, FL 33184, Wk 40/E101, Due $2,318.94

6. Charles & Joanne Nimmericher, 25706 Countryside Dr., Millsboro, ND 19966, Wk 28/A102, Due $3,053.44

7. Pamela Reznik, 6630 Scott St., Hollywood, FL 33024, Wk 28/D102, Due $3118.38

8. Jack & Emily Taylor, 2230 Cady Way, Winter Park, FL 32792, Wk 47/C-101, Due $5,372.79

9. Douglas & Laura Merrill, 40 Main St., Hampton, NJ 07827, Wk 17/A102, Due $13, 081.76

10. Estate of Violet Sibert, 132-855 Third Avenue East, Owen Sound, Ontario N4K 2K6, Wk 7/C-102, Due $3,484.92

11. Estate of Linda Nascarella, 13337 Lamirada Circle, West Palm Beach, FL 33414, Wk 41/D-101, Due $2,318.70

12. Estate of Ronald Little, 17030 No. 49th St., Apt. 1026, Scottsdale, AZ 85254, Wk 15/D-101, Due $3,474.92

13. Tony & Heather Sanders, 806 Eagle Lane, Apollo Beach, FL 33572, Wk 30/D-201, Due

$5,610.39

14. Robert Fine C/O Mathew & Michael Fine, 1408 Brickell Bay Dr. #701, Miami, FL 33131, Wk 34/D102, Due $7,168.31

15. Earl & Ernestine Johnson, 301 Bloomingfield Dr., Brandon, FL 33511, Wk37/D-202, Due

$4,349.76

16. Joseph McCarrie, 2 Teaberry Dr., Medford, NJ 08055, Wk 15/B101, Due $12,664.49

17. Harold & Greta Wahlman, 215 Cypress Way East, #E-2, Naples, FL 34110, Wk20/B-102, Due $4,439.46

18. Morris & Linda Morley, 10450 S.W. 149th Terrace, Miami, FL 33176, Wk 27/E-102, Due

$5,681.82

19. Estate of Jerry & Sarah Hagler, 5341 S.E. Bumingtree Circle, Stuart, FL 34997, Wk 40 and 41/B-101, Due $3,982.87 Margaret A. Broz, Esq. Florida Bar No. 712507

Law Office of Margaret A. Broz 434 Chatham U West Palm Beach, FL 33417

Telephone: 305-743-2222

561-312-3263

Publish:

August 17 & 24, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION/SALE FOR NON-JUDICIAL TIMESHARE

FORECLOSURE

RE: MARATHON KEY BEACH CLUB II ASSOCIATION, INC.

MONROE County, Florida

Non-Judicial Timeshare foreclosure process

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, pursuant to an action for nonjudicial foreclosure of timeshare units on the Claim of Lien, which is dated May 30, 2023 and was recorded June 12, 2023, in the Official Records of Monroe County, Florida in Official Records Book 3229, Page 1458 as Instrument Number 2421351, Florida, I will sell, to the highest and best bidder for cash, at MARATHON KEY BEACH CLUB CONDOMINIUM II RESORT Manager’s Office, 4560 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050 on the 5th day of SEPTEMBER, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., the following described real property located in MONROE County, Florida, to-wit: Annual Timeshare Periods as set forth below in MARATHON KEY BEACH CLUB CONDOMINIUM II, according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof, recorded in Official Records Book 859, at Page 786, as amended in Official Records Book 874, at Page 2169, all of the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida and all subsequent amendments and exhibits thereto.

22 Teller Street

Rehevot, Israel 76444

E 102/51

$4,680.93 with a per diem amount of $2.31 from March 9, 2023

Ray Epstein C/O Brad Epstein 388 Bridge Street #39A Brooklyn, NY 11201

E 101/31

$4,680.93 with a per diem amount of $2.31 from March 9, 2023

Richard Fevang 245 Sunnyridge Avenue, Apt 6 Fairfield, CT 06824-4643

C 102/25

$6,671.90 with a per diem amount of $3.29 from March 9, 2023

Francis M Flynn and Rhoda K Radow 4621 Hollywood Blvd Hollywood, FL 33021

C 102/30

$6,516.30 with a per diem amount of $3.21 from March 9, 2023

C 102/31

$6,516.30 with a per diem amount of $3.21 from March 9, 2023

Jason Godown P.O. Box 814 Hobe Sound, FL 33475-0814

A 210/23

$5,609.22 with a per diem amount of $2.77 from March 9, 2023

George Klaus 4875 NW Second Street, Apt B Delray Beach, FL 33445

A 201/33

$4,447.31 with a per diem amount of $2.19 from March 9, 2023

Dennis Krausman 260 DaVinci Drive

Punta Gorda, FL 33950

E 101/05

$5,643.03 with a per diem amount of $2.78 from March 9, 2023

Dennis Krausman, as Trustee of The Dennis Krausman Living Trust

Dated March 31, 2014 and any amendments thereto 260 DaVinci Drive

Punta Gorda, FL 33950

A 201/06

$5,643.03 with a per diem amount of $2.78 from March 9, 2023

Gary A Le Duc and Stephanie A

Le Duc 69 Old Nugent Farm Road

Gloucester, MA 01930

E 201/21

$7,542.19 with a per diem amount of $3.72 from March 9, 2023

Gary A Le Duc 69 Old Nugent Farm Road

Gloucester, MA 01930

E 101/22

$7,542.19 with a per diem amount of $3.72 from March 9, 2023

Michael Maurer and Gena Healy

174 Laux Road, Site 94 Monroeville, NJ 08343

E 201/28

$5,572.31 with a per diem amount of $2.75 from March 9, 2023

Frank Lynn Providenti and Jenna

Lynn Providenti 3922 Roseland Drive West Windsor, ON N9G 1Z5 Canada

E 202/05

$3,605.88 with a per diem amount of $1.78 from March 9, 2023

Jeffrey Scott Silen and Doris Silen 10422 Kirby Smith Road Orlando, FL 32832

B 202/42

$6,701.46 with a per diem amount of $3.30 from March 9, 2023

B 202/43

$6,701.46 with a per diem amount of $3.30 from March 9, 2023

D 102/41

$6,701.46 with a per diem amount of $3.30 from March 9, 2023

E 102/44

$6,701.46 with a per diem amount of $3.30 from March 9, 2023

Richard Tappenden and Marjean

Tappenden 9103 58th Avenue SE Olympia, WA 98513

C 102/12

$3,605.88 with a per diem amount of $1.78 from March 9, 2023

Vista Holdings, Inc

C/O Deena Birenbaum

$5,108.18 with a per diem amount of $2.52 from March 9, 2023

A 201/39

$5,108.19 with a per diem amount of $2.52 from March 9, 2023

The assessment lien created by the Claim of Lien was properly created and authorized pursuant to the timeshare instrument and applicable law, and the amounts secured by said lien are as set above.

You may cure the default at any time prior to the public auction by paying the amount due, as set forth in this notice, to the undersigned Trustee at the address set forth below.

THIS NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION/ SALE is dated this _14th_ day of _AUGUST___, 2023.

I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true and correct copy of this NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION/SALE FOR NON-JUDICIAL TIMESHARE FORECLOSURE has been furnished by regular First-Class U.S. Mail to each of the obligors at the above listed addresses on this __14th__ day of _AUGUST______, 2023.

THOMAS L AVRUTIS, ESQUIRE

TRUSTEE FOR MARATHON KEY BEACH CLUB II ASSOCIATION, INC

201 Fletcher Avenue, Second Floor Sarasota, FL 34236

Telephone (941) 955-7715

Facsimile (941) 953-7625

Email: john @vacationfla.com

Publish:

August 17 & 24, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

STATE OF FLORIDA

FLORIDA BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS

FEMC Case No.: 2022043254

FLORIDA BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS, Petitioner, vs. DAVID HEMMEL, P.E., Respondent.

NOTICE OF ACTION

TO: David Hemmel, P.E.

Post Office Box 4255

Key West, Florida 33041

UNLICENSED ACTIVITY

The Florida Board of Professional Engineers has filed an Administrative Complaint against you, a copy of which may be obtained by contacting, Rebecca Valentine, Legal Department, Florida Board of Professional Engineers, 2400 Mahan Dr., Tallahassee, Florida 32308, (850) 521-0500 ext. 106.

If no contact has been made by you concerning the above by September 14, 2023, the matter of the Administrative Complaint will be presented at a hearing pursuant to 120.57(2), F.S. before the Florida Board of Professional Engineers.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact the individual or agency sending notice not later than seven days prior to the proceeding at the address given on the notice.

Telephone: (850) 257-6097; 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800955-8770 (v), via Florida Relay Service.

Publish:

August 3, 10, 17 & 24, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

AUTOS ALL YEARS!

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

BOATS FOR SALE

2021 Cobia 262 CC twin Yamaha 200hp (only 59 hours) Garmin screens 12 inch Reverso flush unit aqua traction floor windless anchor bath rm w/ trailer. Asking $157,000 John 706-897-6953

BOAT SLIP FOR RENT

Boat Dockage for rent in Marathon. Private bay bottom, up to 40' boat, self containing, offshore water, car & dingy parking space provided. 305-610-8002

EMPLOYMENT

HELP WANTED; HOUSEHOLD MANAGER

Live in household manager/caregiver. Single or couple. Private apartment and auto provided. 7 months in N Key Largo and 5 months in Canada (Ontario) Salary based on skills and experience. Reply to: safd12@aol.com

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

Coast to Coast Pizza Company in Marathon is looking for Full and/ or Part-time Cashiers to join our team! Fulltime with a potential to become our Front of House Assistant Manager.Salary commensurate with experience and includes tips and 401k.Please call Nicole at 305-4330515 or email nicole@ themoongroupfl.com.

$1.76 from March 9, 2023

Kevin Cole and Eva Cole

1009 North Road Fox River, IL 60021

A 102/03

$3,592.23 with a per diem amount of $1.77 from March 9, 2023

Kai Cremata 14900 East OrangeLake Blvd Kissimmee, FL 34747

C 101/23

$5,619.22 with a per diem amount of $2.77 from March 9, 2023

Gideon Eidelbaum

5408 Legacy Oaks Place Asheville, NC 28803

C 202/08

$4,641.43 with a per diem amount of $2.29 from March 9, 2023

Lee Wanous 7236 E Lanai Street

Long Beach, CA 90808

B 102/18

$7,732.19 with a per diem amount of $3.81 from March 9, 2023

David Williams

235 S Lake Avenue

Lake Butler, FL 32054

D 101/20

Marathon Yacht Club is hiring a part-time line cook. Responsible for food and kitchen prep. Competitive pay at a private club, opportunities to advance. Flexible afternoon/evening hours Wednesday – Saturday. Call 305-743-6739 to schedule an interview.

PLACE YOUR EMPLOYMENT AD HERE FOR $25/WEEK FOR UP TO 5 LINES OF COPY. CALL 305-743-0844.

The Housing Authority of the City of Key West now hiring the following positions: Housekeeper, HVAC Maintenance Mechanic, 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 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.

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

Immediate openings for experienced plumbers and helpers (with or without experience - we will train the right person). Must have a valid driver's

PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES • 305.743.0844

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 Guardresponsibilities 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 (6:00pm-

Location: Upper Keys

Send resume to: admin@cbtconstruction.com Or call: 305-852-3002

7am). DPMMR is a drugfree workplace. To apply, please send your resume to nancyc@dpmmr.org.

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

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

HOUSING FOR RENT

2 Bedroom 1 Bath house in Marathon. Tile floor, appliances, gated property. No pets. $2,700/mo. including electric, water, & sewer. 305-610-8002

RV Site for rent in Marathon. Up to 35', private gated property. $1,500/mo plus water & sewer (electric included). Dockage available - inquire for price. 305-610-8002

YARD SALES

PLACE YOUR YARD SALE AD HERE FOR $25/WEEK FOR UP TO 5 LINES OF COPY. CALL 305-743-0844.

TRANSFER STATION OPERATOR

MONROE COUNTY SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT is looking for a responsible applicant for the Long Key Transfer Station, MM 68. 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.

NOW

MARINA CASHIER

Must have customer service experience working in a retail environment and using a point of sale system. Additional duties include restocking, completing purchase orders, daily ordering of basic items in the store, and maintaining a clean appearance in the store. This is an hourly position and compensation is based on experience. Work hours are flexible and we try to maintain a set weekly schedule.

Please respond by email (Ma at islamarinama @gmail.com) with any relevant previous experience and at least two references.

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.

NOW HIRING DIVE INSTRUCTOR

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

11710 OVERSEAS HWY, MARATHON

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

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

TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION

T&D ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

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

For more information, including job duties and required qualifications, and to apply for the job, please visit their website at www.KeysEnergy.com.

KEYS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

KEYS promotes a Drug-Free Workplace.

Certain service members, veterans, the spouses and family members of service members and veterans, receive preference and priority in employment, and are encouraged to apply for positions being filled.

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

SUBSTATION ELECTRICIAN

Starting pay rate for this position, depending on quali cations and experience: $40.35/hr. - $45.19/hr.

For more information, including job duties and required quali cations, and to apply for the job, please visit their website at www.KeysEnergy.com.

KEYS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

KEYS promotes a Drug-Free Workplace.

Certain service members, veterans, the spouses and family members of service members and veterans, receive preference and priority in employment, and are encouraged to apply for positions being lled.

is accepting applications for the following full-time position in Key West TERRITORY

SERVICE AND SALES REPRESENTATIVE

This opportunity o ers you the ability to partner with our current customers in the Hospitality and Food Service industries. You will serve as the face of Ecolab, servicing Laundries and Dish machines, dispensing equipment, and systems for our customers. You will also provide recommendations on advanced cleaning and sanitation programs. Full training provided at our Headquarters.

Comprehensive bene ts package including medical, dental, vision, matching 401K, company paid pension, opportunities for stock purchase, tuition reimbursement, and more. Decal company vehicle provided. $3000-$4000 Sign on Bonus available for this role!

High School Diploma or GED. For more information, including job duties and required qualifications, and to apply for the job, please call 786-512-2238.

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

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.

with

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.

KEY LARGO Advocate

Behavioral Health Therapist (Child)

KEY WEST

Peer Support Specialist Prevention Specialist Advocate

Behavioral Health Therapist (Child, Adult)

Behavioral Health Counselor (Children) Case Managers (Adult)

MARATHON

Driver (CDL required) Care Coordinator

Behavioral Health Therapist (Child, Adult)

RNs/LPNs - 3 shifts (also Per Diem) Maintenance Specialist

*Behavioral Health Technicians

3 shifts (also Per Diem)

Peer Support Specialist

*Support Worker – Assisted Living Psychiatric ARNP (PT only)

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

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

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

When you walk through our doors, you’re family. With comprehensive healthcare led by compassionate board-certified physicians, you can rest assured that you’re receiving the highest quality care at our health centers in the Keys.

We accept most insurance plans and offer a sliding fee income-based payment scale for our uninsured patients