Key West Weekly 23-0914

ROYAL KING & QUEEN FUNDRAISERS

NOW BENEFITTING THE FLORIDA KEYS SPCA

WEDNESDAY 9/20 ALL CANDIDATE FUNDRAISER

5-7PM @ THE GARDENS HOTEL, 526 ANGELA STREET

The candidate that raises the most money will win $5000 towards their campaign thanks to sponsor Kate Miano!

CANDIDATES FOR 2023 FANTASY FEST KING

DONALD WELLS

Sunday 9/17

Tea Dance

4:30pm @ La Te Da 1125 Duval Street

SHAWN MONTGOMERY

Sunday 9/17 Jazz with the Stars

6-8pm @ Little Room Jazz Club 821 Duval Street

$75 entrance fee includes tapas and live entertainment with Carmen Rodriguez & Sasha from 3Sum

BEN HENNINGTON

Saturday 9/23

Royal Pets of Fantasy Fest

6-9pm @ Hank's Hair of the Dog Saloon 409 Caroline Street

$10 entrance fee includes 1 drink ticket and $5 vote for your favorite furry friend.

CANDIDATES FOR 2023 FANTASY FEST QUEEN

TANGELA TORRES

Saturday 9/16

Give The Dog A Bone 4-7pm @ Hard Rock Key West 313 Duval Street

VICKY ROWDEN

Sunday 9/17 Drag Queen Bingo

5pm @ 22&Co, 504 Angela Street

Thursday 9/21 Vibrator Races

6pm @ Mary Ellen's Bar 420 Appelrouth Street

fkspca.org/donate/royal-campaign

EXCEPTIONAL IN EVERY WAY

Exquisitely restored Eyebrow home in Key West's sought-after Meadows neighborhood. This award-winning historic (c.1889) gem has been renovated to the highest standards. Attention has been paid to every detail while maintaining the authentic charm of old Key West. Quiet and private, the beautifully landscaped large corner lot has lush tropical native Keys landscaping, a 30'X10' saltwater pool, and multiple areas for outdoor entertaining. The house has three large bedrooms, each of which can easily fit king sized beds, a library/den that could be used as a fourth bedroom, and a bonus sleeping loft. The property includes off-street parking in a carport equipped with an electric vehicle charging station. This home, which captures the true magic and romance of Key West, has too many features to mention. It will satisfy the most discerning buyer!

KEY WEST | $3,775,000 | Listing ID: 604115

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

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Members of

The first Keys Weekly newspaper hit the stands 20 years ago on Sept. 14, 2003. The 40-page edition featured a cover of a young girl greeting Talon, a 13-year-old dolphin, at Dolphin Research Center in Marathon.

KEY WEST OFFICIALS TACKLE HEFTY AGENDA

CRUISE SHIP CONVERSATION RETURNS THIS MONTH

MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

Have you seen the agenda for the city commission meeting on Thursday, Sept. 14? Pack a lunch, cupcake.

With no August meeting, the commission hasn’t convened in regular session since mid-July. Commissioners did meet this summer to discuss the city budget and on Sept. 7 approved a tentative 10% tax increase that will likely be lowered before the final budget approval.

Once the tentative tax rate is sent to property owners, lawmakers can lower that advertised rate, but cannot raise it.

Commissioners Lissette Cuervo Carey, Sam Kaufman and Billy Wardlow opposed the tentative tax increase, but the other four lawmakers approved it.

The commission now tackles a 30-page agenda at its Sept. 14 meeting that includes a morning session starting at 9 a.m. and an evening session starting at 5 p.m. The meeting will also include a brief “field trip” to Truman Waterfront, where officials are expected to hold shovels and don hard hats for a “groundbreaking” photo of The Lofts, the workforce housing neighborhood long slated for the waterfront.

As the meeting takes place the same day the Keys Weekly’s print edition publishes, stay tuned to keysweekly.com for a full report from the marathon meeting.

American Cruise Lines Inc. is asking the city of Key West to allow its ‘boutique’ cruise ships to dock in Key West for 36-hour stays three times in December and 11 times in 2024. CONTRIBUTED

Below is a sampling of a few agenda items.

MORNING SESSION

(STARTS

AT 9 A.M.)

The city’s lobbying firm will discuss the commission’s legislative priorities.

American Cruise Lines will ask the city to allow its small cruise ships to dock in Key West for a 36-hour stay during a trip from Tampa. The 241-foot-long ship carries 159 guests and crew. The company wants to visit Key West three times in December and 11 times in 2024.

The commission will hear an update about The Lofts. Funding and affordability questions have stymied the project in recent months.

Several Fantasy Fest and holiday special events are expected to be approved.

Commissioners will consider hiring Cornerstone Resource Alliance to manage the new homeless shelter on College Road. Previously known as KOTS, for Keys Overnight Temporary Shelter, the new facility will be renamed the John Jones Navigation Center.

The commission will accept $649,000 of tourism money to fund enhancements to the Coffee Butler Amphitheater.

EVENING SESSION

(STARTS AT 5 P.M.)

Officials will consider renaming the Key West Firehouse Museum the Alex Vega Firehouse Museum at the Key West Historic Firehouse, in honor of retired firefighter and historian Vega, who researched and created the museum.

Commissioners will consider changes to city ordinances that dictate where a person must live in order to serve on an advisory board and will formalize procedures to remove someone who was appointed to such a board.

The Key West City Commission meets at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 14. The evening session begins at 5 p.m, the same day. A complete agenda is available at cityofkeywest-fl.gov and online links enable viewers to watch the meetings live online.

Dylan Trahan celebrates the Keys Weekly’s 20th anniversary with last week’s tribute to Key West music man Jimmy Buffett. BRITT MYERS/Keys Weekly

100 YEARS OF KEY WEST HIGH SCHOOL

WHITE STREET BUILDING WAS DEDICATED SEPT. 16, 1923

On Sept. 16, 1923 – a Sunday – a large crowd assembled in the auditorium of the new high school at 1300 White St. in Key West. The local newspaper declared it a “magnificent and commodious structure, which will now afford Monroe County such an excellent high school, taking place with the many other institutions of learning throughout the state.”

That building is now Key West’s City Hall, but its origin as an early 20th-century school built in neoclassical style is still evident.

It was used as a high school until the mid1950s, when the high school on Flagler Avenue was built. The White Street structure became a junior high, then Glynn Archer Elementary School. In 2013, the Monroe County School District handed it over to the city (or handed it back; more on that later) and the city hall renovation began.

But it almost didn’t happen.

The city had plans to build a new City Hall at Angela and Simonton streets, on the site it had been using for decades. The concrete block building there needed replacing, and expanding. Craig Cates, current Monroe County mayor and longtime Key West mayor — had campaigned in Key West against that Angela Street plan.

Cates said it would have required more than 20 variances to fit the new structure on the old plot of land. “It would have been too much for that area,” he said. Instead, the city built a new fire station at Angela and Simonton and kept the public parking at the site.

Cates said he was happy to see such an important structure in the island’s history remain in public hands, adding that its new use is appropriate.

“Key West originally built that school,” he said. “We asked the school district, since they were done with it, could they give it back to the citizens of Key West?”

Key West in the early 1920s was in one of its many transitional periods. The 1919 hurricane had caused severe damage. The cigar industry — the island’s economic mainstay for decades — had largely moved to Tampa and been hammered by the increasing popularity of cigarettes.

And, like many communities, especially in the South, Ku Klux Klan activity and Jim Crow were ascendant. The pavilion in Bayview Park, donated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, would be dedicated a year later. Public schools were segregated.

The new high school on White Street was built quickly – the cornerstone was laid in May 1923, and the building was dedicated just four months later. But it was built to last.

David Salay, a partner at Bender & Associates Architects, said the building was “completely original” and in great shape when he first went through it in 2013.

“I thought the city could simply use it exactly the way it was, making the classrooms into offices and renovating the interior,” he said. But the city needed its new headquarters to double as an Emergency Operations Center during hurricanes, which meant it had to meet modern structural codes. So they gutted everything but the exterior walls and gave the building a new interior. The layout was new, but they kept the historic character. “We recycled all the wood floor and wall framing and milled it into wood wainscot that you find throughout the building,” Salay said.

One element from the original layout remains – that auditorium where the crowd gathered for the dedication a century ago is now the City Commission meeting chamber. And its stage is still flanked by the historic murals painted by Works Progress Administration artists in the 1930s. They were restored while the building was under renovation.

Salay discovered some historic additions by the building’s students. “On Oct.18, 1940, two students from the class of 1941 crawled up into the attic over the auditorium and signed their names to one of the wood trusses. Their signatures from 72 years ago were still there: John Martin and Ray Pierce, Class of 1941,” Salay said. “The attic was accessed by a tiny rickety wood ladder at the side of the stage, so they must have snuck up there, as any good teenager would.”

Still intact and back in use are two “enormous” cisterns under the front building and the rear building, which was finished in 1928. The Keys

pipeline bringing freshwater from the mainland wasn’t built until 1942, so cisterns were essential. The cistern under the original building is 21 by 30 feet and more than 5 feet deep. “That’s over 21,000 gallons of water,” Salay said. Both cisterns were restored and are being used for irrigation.

One addition that came well after the initial dedication in 1923 was the sculpture of the tiger out front. It is one of many school mascot sculptures made by local artist George Carey, working with his students at Key West High School.

That sculpture also has historic roots in Key West – the tiger was the mascot of Douglass School, the island’s black high school when schools were segregated. While black high school students became Key West High School Conchs in integration, many of the younger kids wound up at what became Glynn Archer Elementary – and that school adopted the tiger mascot.

The late Phyllis Allen went to Douglass High School, then became a teacher and eventually deputy superintendent of the Monroe County School District. In 2016, she told WLRN that “I get goosebumps” seeing her old school mascot still standing proud in front of a school building.

“At one point we were all segregated and now we are integrated. But yet we did not get rid of all of Douglass,” she said. And she was delighted that the tiger guards what is now City Hall.

“That shows growth for this community. That shows the kind of thinking that goes on in this community, that we can live together,” she said. “We can take the tiger from Douglass School and make it the tiger of Key West.”

NANCY KLINGENER www.keysweekly.com

Key West High School in 1930, when it was at 1300 White St., in the building that now houses City Hall. MONROE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY FLORIDA KEYS HISTORY CENTER/Contributed

The Key West High School’s 1927 yearbook shows the school building on a decidedly less populated White Street.

The tiger mascot that once represented the all-black Douglass High School, later moved to 1300 White St. and became the mascot for the then-Glynn Archer Elementary School. NAN KLINGENER/Contributed

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

TRAFFIC STOPS LEAD TO SUSPECTED HUMAN SMUGGLING

BORDER PATROL APPREHENDS

20- PLUS CUBANS IN KEY LARGO

MORE THAN A GYM

KEY WEST BREAKS GROUND ON FREDERICK DOUGLASS COMMUNITY CENTER IN BAHAMA VILLAGE

JIM McCARTHY jim@keysweekly.com

Multiple human smugglers and more than 20 Cuban migrants were detained in Key Largo on the afternoon of Sept. 7 after witnesses told law enforcement they saw a vessel offloading a large group of people near the Seven Mile Bridge earlier in the day.

The U.S. Border Patrol said it is investigating the incident, which when deputies stopped a trailered center console at the Marathon public boat ramp for having no tie-downs. Witnesses reported to law enforcement that they saw a blue and white vessel with two outboards matching the boat’s description letting 20 people onto the shore near the east end of the Seven Mile Bridge.

In a separate incident a short time later, sheriff’s deputies pulled over an orange sedan and a white van for reportedly speeding near MM 104 in Key Largo. Preliminary investigation by deputies and Border Patrol agents confirmed the passengers inside the vehicles matched the description of those seen jumping off a boat near the Seven Mile Bridge earlier.

Walter Slosar, Border Patrol chief patrol agent, said via X, formerly Twitter, that officials arrested 21 Cuban migrants and multiple suspected human smugglers during the traffic stop. The case is under investigation by Border Patrol and Homeland Security in Miami.

It’s been a long time coming, but Bahama VIllage residents are optimistic that the new Frederick Douglass Community Center will be worth the wait.

The longtime gym and afterschool tutoring center will become Frederick Douglass Community Center, also housing classrooms,

music rooms and other community resources.

And the folks building the new center — the locally owned Keystar Construction — are some of the same kids who played basketball on its wooden floors since they were 8 years old.

— Mandy Miles

Deputies and Border Patrol agents pull over a white van with a large number of Cuban migrants reportedly dropped off by a boat in Marathon during the early morning of Sept. 7. MCSO/Contributed

A center console trailered at a Marathon public boat ramp that deputies stopped for having no tie-downs on Sept. 7.

This orange vehicle was pulled over for speeding. Deputies discovered the vehicle contained suspected human smugglers.

Key West officials, including Commissioner Clayton Lopez, whose district includes the soon-to-be Frederick Douglass Community Center, break ground on the longawaited upgrades on Sept. 8. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

City Commissioner Clayton Lopez speaks at the ground-breaking for the new Frederick Douglass Community Center in Bahama Village.

Mayor Teri Johnston discusses the long wait that ended on Sept. 8, when the city of Key West — and Keystar Construction — officially broke ground on the new Frederick Douglass Community Center in Bahama Village.

NEVER BOUGHT, NEVER SOLD, ALWAYS LOCAL

Keys Weekly celebrates 20 years

The fact you are reading this paper is nothing short of a miracle. All across the country, locally owned newspapers are closing their doors, consolidating or being absorbed by large hedge funds designed to cut staff and squeeze operations for maximum profit.

The internet, 24-hour news and social media have changed the way people access information. Paper is getting harder to source and the skills required to operate a press and bindery are becoming a lost art form.

There were doubts.

When the Weekly launched on Sept. 14, 2003, there were multiple papers across the Florida Keys with larger staffs, more resources and bigger offices.

We started in a converted apartment, had no reserves and worked all hours of the day and night to put a paper on the streets. And even with countless hours of labor and endless nights, there were times the paper wasn’t measuring up to our standard.

Say yes to the community the rest will follow.

Even when we didn’t know that much, we knew enough to say “yes.” If one thing defines the difference between locally owned community news and corporate media, it is the responsibility to not only report on your community, but also to serve and participate with your neighbors. So when people called in need of an article, press release or added exposure for an event, we said yes. Yes to the nonprofits that called and needed additional press and yes to the civil servants, first responders and those who get up and go to work every single day. We said yes to the mom-and-pop businesses that called in vital need of recognition. Yes to the playhouses and art studios and yes to the teachers and our schools. Why? Because that same community said yes to us in return. And that’s an honor and privilege we can never repay.

Community first

When hiring, our primary credential for candidates was to identify those who care about our community. This simple philosophy of “community first” and putting the needs of others before our own was a

culture we were founded on and one that we proudly adhere to 20 years later. Today the Keys Weekly is proud to employ over 25 dynamic locals across the Florida Keys. Between our three offices, the Weekly consists of moms, dads, grandmas, conservatives, liberals, moderates, environmentalists, athletes, bookworms, some who love country music and some who loudly blast Kendrick Lamar from their office (not saying any names in Key West). But what they all share is a mission to serve. Our “Best Of” events in Marathon, Key West and Tavernier have raised close to $1 million for local nonprofits and our current Weekly team has either served or currently participates in over 40 civic and nonprofit organizations – from memberships to board positions. Simply put, the Weekly adheres to a “community first” culture – and we hope this remains evident in our approach to journalism.

Our job is simple - we tell stories. And your story is important - especially to us.

While we strive to keep a humble perspective on our jobs, whether it be design, journalism, marketing and logistics, we have always maintained a culture that has as much fun as possible, while remaining respectful of the responsibility we have to our readers and our community. So often in this modern age we have lost the pursuit of reading with a purpose to learn, stimulate and grow. We are fed confirmation biases from every mainstream website and news feed that fits a “side” or nationalized narrative. And the loss of community newspapers has only perpetuated this concerning trend. This is why serving our community is so important to the men and women who span our three offices here in the Keys. We truly believe that empathy and compromise can still exist when a community puts the needs of others first. And we hope that is what our publications continue to resonate each and every week.

We are active. We are engaged and we are grateful.

Grateful for the front row seats to all the cool events and contentious meetings. We are grateful you answer our phone calls because your story is important. Grateful for

the relationships that have survived hurricanes, an oil spill, a recession, a pandemic and a rash of other moments that tested our resolve.

We had to adapt

Every lasting business in America must adapt and this has certainly manifested in the media. As other media sources come and go, we keep listening, moving, adapting and growing. Today our website boasts over half a million visitors each and every month, while our daily E-Blast is read by over 25,000 organic users. Our sister company, Overseas Media Group, provides websites, social media and digital support. For 20 years, not one week has passed without someone proclaiming to us that “print is dead.” Maybe it is, but not in the Florida Keys. There is no secret recipe to successful newspapers in a digital world. Yes, you have to adapt. But more important are the people who make up the offices. Our success is a direct result of a culture embraced and amplified by our talented and beloved staff. Our team’s dedication to their craft as well as their commitment to the community is what we are most proud of. Those humble beginnings in the converted apartment taught us well. We know where we came from – and never take for granted where we are now.

We are thankful

So our message to you is one of gratitude. We thank you for supporting local media, our staff and our families. And moreover, we implore you to continue to read. Leon Gutterman, the late editor of Wisdom magazine, once said, “Reading is easy and thinking is hard, but the one is useless without the other.” So keep reading the Keys Weekly, whether you agree with every page or not, and continue to play your part in a thriving community that thinks, empathizes and miraculously exists in spite of the differences and challenges we all face every day. We are proud to serve this community, alongside each of you, for the past 20 years. And we look forward to the next 20 years of local media here in the Florida Keys.

— Jason Koler & Britt Myers

BACK IN 2003

Keys Weekly staff look back two decades ago

The Keys Weekly Newspapers formed two decades ago, so where exactly were the current staff in their journeys?

As the first Weekly hit the newsstands I was starting my final year at the University of Toledo where I would earn a degree in English. Twelve months later my girlfriend and I would be preparing to move to the Florida Keys to ‘check it out for a year or so.’

— Jason Koler, Keys Weekly publisher

I was spending my time in the backyard playing football with my brothers. I also remember watching the Buffalo Bills dominate a New England Patriots team that usually had its way against us. The highlight of that game may have been the 300-plus-pound defensive tackle Sam Adams’ interception that he returned for the touchdown. The score was 31-0. What a fond memory.

— Jim McCarthy, Upper Keys Weekly editor

“I had just moved to Key West from Missouri in May 2003, “for the summer,” and decided to stay a bit longer to see what Fantasy Fest was all about. I worked at Two Friends Patio. Front Street flooded all the time and September was like a ghost town. Ahhhhh the good ol’ days.”

— Stephanie Mitchell, Keys Weekly Creative Director & Account Executive

I was the owner-operator of a lifestyle magazine in the Atlanta area, with little to no idea of what I was doing. Twenty years later, I still have no idea what I’m doing, but I thankfully have a lot of people around me that do.

— Britt Myers, Keys Weekly Newspapers managing partner

I was a grandmother for the first time. My two sons were at Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia and we were following their baseball careers by traveling to games. I was a paralegal at Jorden & White Law Firm in Meadville PA, owned an Antique Shop and rental property in Linesville, Pennsylvania.

— Char Hruska, Keys Weekly Newspapers office manager

I was 27, single and still known as Mandy Bolen. I was writing for a Key West newspaper and making questionable dating decisions.

— Mandy Miles, Key West Weekly editor

I was a fearless adventurer ready to tackle a new life in a foreign country solo. No family, no friends, just me and my courage. It was a wild ride that shaped me into who I am today and I couldn’t be more grateful.

— Manuela Carrillo Mobley, Keys Weekly Newspapers director of sales

I was making the best mix CD of all time to have on our sixthgrade class field trip to Ellis Island. It had all my favorite things on the cover, whether or not they had anything to do with music: Blink-182, boat motors, “Finding Nemo,” you name it. That, and I was working up the guts to ask my crush out.

— Alex Rickert, Marathon Weekly editor

I was covering criminal courts in New Orleans for The Times-Picayune, shooting pool very poorly and learning the importance of crawfish boils, Saints football and parades. I had no idea I’d land in Key West by 2011 with a dog named Pedro and all we owned packed inside my Toyota Corolla, not knowing a soul.

— Gwen Filosa, Keys Weekly Newspapers digital editor

A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN 20 YEARS

A LOOK BACK AT THE COUNTRY — AND THE KEYS — IN 2003

MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

The world — and the Florida Keys — were different places in 2003, when the Keys Weekly began covering and chronicling the island chain.

George W. Bush was president. The nation was still recovering from the 9/11 attacks, and in March 2003, launched the “shock and awe” bombing campaign against Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Anthrax scares were still common in the U.S. and America was still five years away from even considering a black president.

To see where we’ve come from, let’s take a look back at the world in which this newspaper was created.

In 2003…

• Beyonce’s first solo album, “Dangerously in Love,” topped the Billboard charts while 50 Cent’s single “In Da Club” was Billboard Song of the Year.

• Britney Spears became the youngest singer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at age 21.

• “Chicago” won the Oscar for Best Picture — the first musical to win the award since 1968 — and the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical.

FLORIDA’S TOP NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER CONGRATULATES KEYS

WEEKLY ON 20 YEARS

• Michael Jordan played his last game in the NBA, but for the Washington Wizards, not the Chicago Bulls. LeBron James was drafted by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

• Barry Bonds became the first player in MLB history to reach 500 career home runs and 500 steals.

• In soccer, Lionel Messi made his team debut for FC Barcelona at age 16.

• In political news, voters recalled California Governor Gray Davis and elected Arnold Schwarzenegger to office.

2003 in the Florida Keys

• A one-bedroom (not a studio) apartment in the Florida Keys could be rented for $800 per month.

• Two-bedroom apartments were available for $1,200 per month.

• Housing prices were still on an upswing, before the real estate crash in 2006.

• In April 2003, a Cuban passenger plane bound from the Isle of Youth to Havana was hijacked and landed in Key West. There were 25 passengers and six crew members on board.

• The Monroe County Commission included George Neugent, Charles “Sonny” McCoy, Dixie Spehar, Murray Nelson and David Rice.

• In June 2003, Key West unfurled the world’s longest rainbow flag down Duval Street during its Gay Pride celebration.

• Lowest temperature in the Florida Keys in 2003 was 45 degrees on Jan. 24. The highest temperature was 92 degrees on Aug. 25.

GWEN FILOSA gwen@keysweekly.com

Marc Caputo, a national political reporter at The Messenger, a digital news outlet, was pleased to hear Keys Weekly is celebrating 20 years.

A locally owned and operated newspaper born in Marathon in 2003, the Weekly hasn’t just survived the ever-changing news business, it’s continued to thrive as both a powerful print and digital presence, publishing three editions across the Florida Keys each week.

That matters to journalists like Caputo who learned the trade in a small-town local newsroom, in his case Key West.

“You should only do this job because you like doing it, and because there’s really no other job you can do,” Caputo said in an interview this week. “There are a thousand great stories out there. And people love to tell stories. That’s the essence of what we do. It’s great that you guys are doing it.”

Caputo has covered a series of presidential elections and assorted political scandals as one of Florida’s top reporters. He can trace his career in journalism back through NBC News, Politico and the Miami Herald.

But Caputo got his start in the Keys. His first job was as a crime reporter at the daily paper in Key West, where he grew up after his family moved to the island in the late 1970s.

“Covering the Key West police department as my first job really showed me that politics is in everything,” Caputo said.

“Aristotle says man by nature is a political animal, but boy, it was certainly true of the Key West police department,” he said. “There was this civil service board scandal where this promotional examination was either lost or stolen. There was all this vicious backstabbing at the time.”

Caputo attended Harris School and Glynn Archer elementaries before Horace O’Bryant and Key West High School. Small-town life taught him how to talk to people – and how, as a reporter, to get people to tell him what was happening.

“We’re in the information business,” Caputo said. “In order for people to give you information they kind of have to trust you, and they have to like you.”

Caputo has been on the frontlines of watching the ageold newspaper business model unravel over the years. Craigslist’s free ads destroyed the newspaper classifieds that had always paid a ton of the operating expenses. As the internet took hold, advertisers bailed and social media took the place of the daily headlines.

“We’re in such an era of information democratization,” Caputo said. “So much of the stuff is free; just erecting paywalls sometimes is no guarantee. I don’t think a daily newspaper product is going to work any more.”

Local newspapers bought and run by out-of-towners or simply disappearing has changed how people perceive the media, Caputo said.

WIKIPEDIA/Contributed WIKIPEDIA/Contributed

• “Finding Nemo,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” were released in theaters.

• Popular TV shows included “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The West Wing.”

• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII.

“I just learned on the job,” Caputo told Keys Weekly in an interview. “The thing about Key West, it's a little laboratory. It’s a small town that has this cosmopolitan flair to it. It’s a place you can be a reporter on your bicycle.”

Caputo would go on to become immersed in politics at the highest levels. He said he was schooled in the basics right here in the Keys.

“A lot of conservatives don’t trust the media because they think the media’s liberal and in many cases they’re right,” Caputo said. “All these New York publications are drawing on people from New York and they’re like-minded. There is no real stability of say, the Midwest, really reflected in mainstream media any more.”

Caputo’s advice for local journalists: just keep reporting.

“The best thing for folks like us is to focus on writing the news as accurately as we can, as fairly as possible and keep doing what we enjoy,” he said.

‘There are a thousand great stories out there. It’s great you guys are doing it.’

• Jimmy Buffett and Alan Jackson recorded the hit song, “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere.”

has an open position for

OPERATIONS MANAGER

COME WORSHIP WITH US

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

ENGLISH SERVICE

Sunday Bible Study 10am

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Wednesday Bible Study 7:30pm

Evangelist Rodrigue Aleandre Cell 305.296.3331

KREYOL SEVIS

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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

Please visit LKGA.org (news tab) for the job description and resume submission details. Resume submission deadline is 9/15.

1700 VON PHISTER ST, KEY WEST

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.’’

James 1:12 NKJV

GOVERNOR APPOINTS SCHOLL TO DEFENSE SUPPORT TASK FORCE

GROUP’S MISSION IS TO ENHANCE STATE’S MILITARY INSTALLATIONS

Jim Scholl is a Monroe County commissioner, a former Key West city manager and the former commander of Naval Air Station Key West. He is a Navy veteran. CONTRIBUTED

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sept. 8 announced the appointment of James Scholl, a Monroe County commissioner and former commander of Naval Air Station Key West, to the Florida Defense Support Task Force.

The task force, created by Florida statute, aims to preserve, protect and enhance Florida’s military missions and installations.

In addition to Scholl, DeSantis appointed Jamal Sowell and Don Quinn and reappointed Steven “Reeves” Valentine.

Scholl, a veteran of the Navy, is the recipient of the Legion of Merit, a Defense Meritorious Service Medal, three Meritorious Services Medals, and two Navy Commendation Medals, one with combat distinguishing device for valor. He is a member of the Key West Military Affairs Committee. Scholl earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Miami University and a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the Navy War College.

Sowell is the president of business solutions for Indelible Solutions. He is a veteran of the Marine Corps and currently serves in the Navy Reserve. Sowell was a Florida secretary of commerce and chief executive officer of Enterprise Florida. He is a resident member of the Florida Council of 100 and serves on the University of Florida Alumni Association board of directors. Sowell earned a bachelor’s degree in religion from the University of Florida, a master’s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts and a law degree from Indiana University.

Quinn is a consultant on manpower, talent management, training and education issues in Pensacola. He is a veteran of the Navy, retiring with the rank of rear admiral. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Services Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star. Quinn earned a bachelor’s degree in oceanography from the United States Naval Academy, a master’s degree in general management from Salve Regina University and a master’s degree in military strategic studies from the United States Naval War College.

Valentine is the vice president of land and maritime solutions for Lockheed Martin. He is a veteran of the Army and was recognized by the Orlando Business Journal as a Veteran of Influence in 2021. He previously was a member of Enterprise Florida’s executive committee. Valentine earned a bachelor’s degree in general management from the Military Academy at West Point and a master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University.

— Contributed

REEF RELIEF ANNOUNCES PLASTIC-FREE KEY WEST INITIATIVE

VOLUNTARY PROGRAM WILL RECOGNIZE BUSINESSES TAKING PART

Reef Relief recently announced its newest program, Plastic Free Key West.

The program is a partnership with the city of Key West as part of Resolution No. 23-15, which aims to reduce the amount of single-use plastic in the community. Through this voluntary program, businesses will be recognized for taking the extra steps for the environment. Qualifying businesses apply, receive an audit and qualify for one of three tiered options. They are then featured in an interactive map with the city of Key West to highlight their location and commitment to the natural world.

Tier One is when a business removes at least one eligible single-use plastic product.

Tier Two is when the business has removed two or more single-use plastic products. Tier Three is where the business is 100% free of single-use plastics. Eligible products include cups, cutlery, drinking bottles and caps, food wrappers, grocery bags, lids, personal care products, produce bags, ramekins/sauce containers, stirrers, and take-out containers. (Currently, bioplastics are not considered an alternative and are considered plastic in this program.)

Nine local businesses have been accepted into the program so far.

Purple Heron Charters has been accepted as a Tier One business. Boat House Bar & Grill, Doing Work Coffee, Irish Kevin’s, Hyatt Centric Key West Resort & Spa, Kimpton Key West and Koffie House have qualified for Tier Two. S/V Argo Navis and Date & Thyme have qualified for Tier Three.

More information is at the “Our Community’’ tab at cityofkeywest-fl.gov. Businesses can also email Reef Relief at reefrelief@gmail.com.

— Contributed

Reef Relief is encouraging local businesses to join its voluntary PlasticFree Key West Initiative. CONTRIBUTED

KEYS MAN TOO YOUNG TO LEGALLY DRINK CAUGHT DRIVING STOLEN GOLF CART

TWO MEN, 20 AND 18, ARRESTED ON FELONY THEFT AND PROPERTY DAMAGE CHARGES

A20-year-old Key West man was arrested Sept. 9 after Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies said they caught him intoxicated behind the wheel of a golf cart that had been reported stolen from the Key West Golf Club.

At about 5 p.m., James Riley Jackson was pulled over near MM 5 on U.S. 1, after people reported a drunk driver in a golf cart at the Key Haven Shell station.

Jackson had a passenger, Colton Ray Reid, 18, of Old Hickory, Tennessee, who was charged with felony grand theft and property damage.

Police reports piece together accusations that the two young men left a trail of vandalism Saturday afternoon from the local golf course on College Road to northbound on the Overseas Highway at the Boca Chica Bridge.

“Jackson stated they rented the golf cart and had permission to take it off the property of the Key West Golf Club,” according to the Key West police arrest report.

But the $16,500 tan Yamaha golf cart he’d been steering was seriously damaged, police said.

The front wheels were pointed in opposite directions, due to a mangled axle. The cart’s body was banged up and stained with mud. The windshield was missing.

On the floorboard was a plastic bag holding two cans of the malt liquor beverage Twisted Tea, which Reid said belonged to Jackson.

Also in the cart was a set of golf clubs that didn’t belong to either of the two. Reid said they rented those from the golf club, too.

Jackson had a fake South Carolina driver’s license with his given name but a different date of birth showing he was old enough to buy booze. Reid, who gave his occupation as “construction,” had his Tennessee learner’s permit in his wallet.

WHAT’S IN A RANGE?

No matter how wholeheartedly modern music rushes towards digitalization, automation and a total dependence on electricity, for now, one acoustic (no electricity required) instrument still commands the stage: the human voice.

One prominent feature of that most delicate of instruments is the vast range of tones from one person to another. When you think of a distinctive singer, it’s not usually the note that makes it unique, but the sound of the voice when it sings that note. That is what appeals to a lot of us.

RAY WEST

referred to as countertenors, which are considered the rarest of all voices.

Jackson, listed as a salesman in his booking record, was taken to the county jail on Stock Island and charged with DUI, larceny, vehicle theft, criminal mischief/property damage, possession of alcohol while underage and possession of a fake ID, according to the sheriff’s office.

Both Jackson and Reid spent the night in jail and were released at 12:59 p.m. on Sunday, according to MCSO jail records. The bond amount for each was listed as zero.

Efforts to reach Jackson and for comment were unsuccessful and it was unclear at press time whether they had retained legal representation. A message sent to the golf club wasn’t returned.

The Key West Golf Club’s management told police they wanted to pursue charges. An employee said they’d received five or six complaints of Jackson and Reid driving the cart erratically before the DUI stop and leaving damage to a fence at the 14th hole.

The employee sent the course ranger out to find them, but Jackson and Reid couldn’t be found on the property and neither could the golf cart they’d rented.

The golf cart’s windshield was found left behind at the course, police said.

Aside from varying tones, the voice also spans a tremendous range, meaning the lowest and highest note a person can sing. These ranges have familiar names. Bass is the lowest male voice. Think groups like Sha Na Na, the Coasters and other popular doowop groups of the ’50s and early ’60s.

Next come baritones, which includes crooners, someplace where Jellyroll and Jim Morrison meet. Here is where we also might find Elvis, Bing Crosby, Chris Cornell, Johnny Cash, Eddie Vedder and Eric Clapton. The strength of the baritone is its masculinity. It will knock over a glass rather than break it with a soaring high note.

Then there are the tenors, like Freddie Mercury, Paul Rodgers and Robert Plant. Led Zeppelin was amazing to me as a kid partially because it was a man singing those soaring high notes. It seemed powerful and more like a magical gift than a skill, and sonically lent itself to the development of the hair bands of the ’80s and the high ranges of singers like Sebastian Bach of Skid Row and Bruce Dickerson of the band Iron Maiden.

Female singers with a strong lower voice as well as a strong soprano voice like Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus are what we call a mezzosoprano, while men who are able to reach this range are

Next comes the alto range, where many of our most popular female singers are comfortable — Adele, Amy Winehouse, Patsy Cline, Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Nicks. Altos also include some of our more aggressive female singers like Pat Benatar and Joan Jett, as well as some of our most soulful in Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner.

The sopranos top the list. Those are the women whose voices seem to startle even the woolly bat (producer of the world’s highest pitch). Ladies like Ariana Grande, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift reign supreme among the sopranos.

Most singers fall somewhere in between one or more ranges. I am called a “baritenor” by some, as I have a baritone voice with tenor capabilities.

These ranges are mainly a way of categorizing a person’s voice type. Composers use it when writing music for groups of singers and teachers use it to place similarly voiced students together to help them to hear and learn.

If you’re wondering where your range might be, just get in your car, turn up your favorite song and sing as best you can. If it feels comfortable and you can hit all the notes without popping something you need, you’re probably close. Google where that singer’s range is. Now find something that is too high for you to sing. If you’re a female and you find something is too high, you may be an alto. If you are a man and can easily sing any Freddie Mercury or Justin Timberlake note, you may be a tenor. Whatever range you are, have fun and sing loud.

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

James Riley Jackson was booked into the county jail on Stock Island on Sept. 9. MCSO/CONTRIBUTED

ROTARY STILL MAKES ITS MARK KEY WEST WILL NEVER FORGET

ISLAND CITY COMMEMORATES 9/11 TERROR ATTACKS

KEY WEST ROTARIANS EXEMPLIFY ‘SERVICE ABOVE SELF’

MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

At school board meetings in the late 1990s and early 2000s, board member and longtime Rotarian Pat Labrada would glance at a small, laminated card before casting a vote during contentious debates. The card contained just four questions:

• Is it the truth?

• Is it fair to all concerned?

• Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

• Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Since 1943, the 24-word test has guided Rotarians’ decision-making principles in all things.

But what IS Rotary?

The Rotary Club of Key West, the overarching Rotary International and Key West’s Sunrise Rotary and Sunset Rotary counterparts, represent much more than the Four-Way Test. It represents a worldwide community of people who believe in service over self.

for Rotary’s 100th anniversary was another highlight. “We had a parade that included Rotarians from all over the world, and one city worker in Chicago told me, ‘This is great; it’s like the Olympics.’ And I told him, ‘It’s better, because there’s no politics in Rotary.”

And there isn’t, Labrada emphasized. Despite welcoming members from all over the political spectrum, club members leave their beliefs at the door. “We don’t bring up politics, or even mention a candidate’s name. Rotary does its best work because politics is not involved. It’s about service above self and will always be that way.”

What does The Rotary Club of Key West do?

“Where were you when the world stopped turning, that September day?”

Country music star Alan Jackson’s musical question is one every American over the age of 30 will always be able to answer.

“That September day” was Sept. 11, 2001, the day al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist group, carried out four coordinated terrorist attacks on U.S. soil that killed 2,977 people.

It became the second “day that will live in infamy” in American history.

“Nineteen terrorists from alQaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes, deliberately crashing two of the planes into the upper floors of the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center complex and a third plane into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The Twin Towers ultimately collapsed because of the damage sustained from the impacts and the resulting fires. After

learning about the other attacks, passengers on the fourth hijacked plane, Flight 93, fought back, and the plane crashed into an empty field in western Pennsylvania about 20 minutes by air from Washington, D.C.,” according to the 9/11 Museum & Memorial in New York City.

“The attacks killed 2,977 people from 93 nations: 2,753 people were killed in New York; 184 people were killed at the Pentagon; and 40 people were killed on Flight 93.”

The Key West Firehouse Museum holds an annual memorial ceremony to honor the victims of 9/11, including the New York firefighters, police and first responders, who ran into the fiery and collapsing Twin Towers to save as many people as possible.

Mayor Teri Johnston and Commissioner Clayton Lopez spoke at this year’s ceremony, along with Sheriff Rick Ramsay, members of the Key West Fire Department and others.

— Mandy Miles

“When I joined The Rotary Club of Key West in 1980 — wow, it’s been more than 40 years — I was 27 and one of the youngest members by far,” Labrada recalled. “Back then it was known as the ‘Old Farts Club’ and ‘The Checkbook Club’ because we self-funded everything we did. We didn’t hold fundraisers for anything; the members would just open their checkbooks to get something done.

“Even Key West’s Fourth of July fireworks that Rotary has been sponsoring since 1976 were initially self-funded by members,” Labrada said. “We’d even build the mortar boxes and shoot them off ourselves under the supervision of fellow Rotarian Pete Smith, then later, Karen Thurman.”

In 1995, Labrada became the club president and ushered in an age of fundraisers that exponentially increased the Rotary Club’s financial ability to help both locally and internationally.

Volunteer Rotarians manned beer booths during Fantasy Fest to raise money for its scholarship program that started around 1990.

The local club’s scholarships for Key West graduates have grown from $500 scholarships to more than $25,000.

“Interviewing the kids who applied has been one of the highlights of my Rotary experience,” Labrada said, adding that his trip to Chicago in 2005

Alton Weekley, co-owner of Fausto’s Food Palace and a hugely involved Rotarian, easily ticks off projects supported by Key West Rotary club: Bayview Park improvements, Overseas Highway cleanups, Everglades National Park protection, dental care for low-income kids, July 4th fireworks, the welcome sign to Key West and scholarships are all projects that were initiated or supported by the Rotary Club of Key West, Weekley said.

“Our dental program for children has spent tens of thousands of dollars, raised by our annual golf tournament, for kids whose families can’t afford treatments,” Weekley said. “We’ve also helped the high school band with its upcoming trip to London. We work with the Metropolitan Community Church distributing meals with their ‘Cooking With Love’ program.”

Reflecting on what being a Rotarian means to him, Weekley thought back on 34 years.

“During my first tenure, from 1975-1991, I improved my leadership skills, learned how to better work with groups to recognize and help meet the needs of Key West,” Weekley said. “ I have gained a broader perspective of the world and how fortunate we are to live in America. I have had the opportunity to provide financial support to the Hospital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti, provided emergency aid to victims of natural disasters around the world, and perhaps more importantly contributed to Rotary’s International’s goal to eradicate polio.

“My recent trip to Melbourne, Australia is proof that learning about other countries and cultures makes us better individuals,” Weekley said. “And Rotary exemplifies that lesson in everything it does.”

Members of the Key West Fire Department take part in the city’s annual 9/11 memorial at the Key West Firehouse Museum. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

The Key West Firehouse Museum holds its annual memorial ceremony each Sept. 11.

The historic fire bell that once rang out the location of fires in the city of Key West is sounded solemnly on Sept. 11 to commemorate the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001.

COME FOR THE FOOD. STAY FOR THE VIEW.

WORLD FAMOUS LOBSTER PIZZA

TOP RATED

GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA AND VEGETARIAN MENU

WE LOVE KIDS & DOGS

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.

It was late in the day and Kevin Christman was leaving the Keys, not for the weekend, but for good – boxes packed, small dog in his lap, on his way to his new home in Gainesville – when he saw the booby on the side of the road on Bahia Honda, just outside the state park entrance. He stopped and took a couple photos, and texted a few members of the local bird mafia with a picture of the bird, a pin on a map, and the words “right now.”

Boobies stand about 2 feet tall, but they don’t stand that often. They are pelagic birds of the deep ocean, and they spend most of their lives flying or floating. They do not resemble human mammaries in any way, unless you consider their pointed bills reminiscent of Madonna’s cone-shaped bra era, but people still make the titillating jokes. Because most people are third graders at heart.

Boobies got the name because they tend to breed on predator-free desert islands and often don’t have fight-or-flight instincts. In days of yore, sailors would walk right up to them and conk them on the heads with cudgels, clubs, or whatever blunt instrument was available. The word booby, in the sailor lingo of the time, meant stupid.

Whichever species Kevin saw, no doubt it had been brought in by Idalia. Since the storm passed, rare birds had been reported all over Florida – though nearly all of them were American flamingos.

Looking at Kevin’s photo, the bird was mostly brown, making it a juvenile, and narrowing it down to two possibilities – a brown booby, which you can see pretty easily if you go out to the Dry Tortugas, as well as on the occasional channel marker, or a red-footed booby, which would be a pretty serious rarity.

I saw a red-footed booby once out at the Dry Tortugas, but the bird was about a halfmile away in blanching, glaring sunlight and I was looking through a wind-shaken spotting scope, which made the world look as if it was enduring a prolonged earthquake. There were other field marks, but the main clue for the bird was the nominate red feet, which were really hard to see at that distance, and it took a while to feel confident about it, though eventually I mostly did. But I was really interested in getting another, better look.

PRIZED BOOBIES AND BOOBY PRIZES

Kevin being on the move, the picture he sent was an iPhone photo of the screen on the back of his “real” camera – not an uncommon thing in the birding world, where people often want to get information out quickly. In that photo, the booby looked like it had red feet. Or reddish. Or at least you couldn’t eliminate the possibility of red feet. Maybe they were orange? No, they were definitely red. But maybe not that red. Colors can get a little funky in a picture of a picture.

Still, I texted Ellen Westbrook and Mark Whiteside and said there was a possible red-footed booby up the Keys and did they want to go with me. They both said heck yeah, or something to that effect. So then I started packing up my gear – binoculars, camera, Nalgene bottle with drawings of hawks all over it.

Kevin pulled over and texted a few more photos on his way out of the Keys. In them you could see a bit of a demarcation, a subtle tonal change, between the brown of the breast and throat and the brown of the belly. And adult brown boobies have an abrupt color change between the brown of the breast and throat and the white of their bellies. And this bird could be on its way to molting that way.

As I was heading out the door Kevin sent another text. Mariah Hryniewich and Gianna Arcuri from the Florida Keys Hawkwatch at Curry Hammock State Park had gone down to see the bird and it was definitely the more common (but not that common) brown booby. Also, the bird had a broken wing, which explained why it was sitting by the side of U.S.1, when it should be out skimming over the ocean. They had managed to wrap the bird in a shirt, and were taking it up to Kelly Grinter at the Marathon Wild Bird Center.

I texted Mark and Ellen and said game off, there was nothing to chase. Then, five minutes

later, I texted them again and asked, “Want to go look for flamingos?” Both of them said heck yeah, or something to that effect.

We started looking on Rockland Key, which has a lot of salt ponds — the hyper-saline habitat American flamingos really like. We eyed everything we could as we cruised through the Saddlebunches, and drove the length of Sugarloaf Boulevard, stopping at Sammy Creek Landing to scan out over the water toward American Shoal Lighthouse. (There had been a flamingo right off shore there a few years ago.)

We kept going up to Blimp Road on Cudjoe, then to Middle Torch. We saw gray kingbirds that still hadn’t migrated, great egrets and tricolored herons, which are here year-round, and belted kingfishers, just back from the northlands. We saw magnificent frigatebirds sitting on the highest of the power lines, dozens if not hundreds of double-crested cormorants, and a dozen or so northern cardinals, back in places I hadn’t really seen them since Hurricane Irma in 2017.

We continued on to Big Torch, where we saw three or four Key deer bucks with fuzz still on their antlers, as well as several does and two or three absolutely adorable fawns, and one distant, scrawny raccoon running across the road. We made it down to the ponds where Christina Wilson spotted six American flamingos in the first months of the pandemic, one of which hung around for several weeks.

The sun was setting when we hit the end of the road and turned around, the sky turning the color of a blood orange.

We’d made all that effort, and all we saw was a lot of everyday Florida Keys nature. A total waste of time. Unless you like that sort of thing.

A booby seen recently on the side of the road on Bahia Honda. KEVIN CHRISTMAN/Contributed

PAWS IN PARADISE PONIES

ON PATROL

JANICE GARY

is a writer, dog mama and author of the awardwinning memoir, “Short Leash.” Her lifelong love of the Keys led her to living local on the rock with her husband and their dog, Ozzy, the Canine Tornado. janicegary.com

everal years ago, while walking down Whitehead Street, the sight of a magnificent horse ridden by an equally impressive police officer stopped me in my tracks. The striking pair had already had the same effect on a crowd of tourists and kids who were gathered around snapping pictures and asking if they could pet it. The officer graciously allowed pictures and petting, then moved on. It was my first introduction to Key West’s horse-powered law enforcement team, or, as Officer Mike Wolf of the KWPD Mounted Patrol Unit calls it, community policing on four feet.

I met Wolf and his partner, Officer Santiago Perez, at the KWPD Mounted Patrol Unit horse stables to find out more about the work they do. While not all contemporary police departments have mounted units, it turns out they’re still an important element in law enforcement, and especially so in a town like Key West, with its large volume of pedestrian traffic, special events and small lanes, alleys and beaches.

In police work, Wolf said, a horse is known as a force multiplier. One horse can do the work of 10 officers on foot. “They’re especially effective at crowd control,” he said. “When the horse moves toward people, people move.”

While the mounted unit patrols Duval Street and Old Town regularly, they also work the beaches. During Spring Break, they’re assigned to Smathers Beach for the entire month of March. And throughout the year, Wolf, Perez and their four-legged officers regularly attend to police business, such as parking issues, calls for service and assisting other officers on calls. “We think of the horses as furry police cars,” Wolf said jokingly.

The unit is small but effective, consisting of Wolf, Perez and their three equine partners, Mila, Murphy and Monterrey, known among the officers as “Rey.” Mila, a 12-yearold dark brown half-draft, is the largest and longest-serving horse in the unit. Murphy, a large, beautiful half-draft gray Percheron, is 4 years old and is the youngest member of the four-footed force.

The newest member of the team is Rey, a gorgeous mahogany-colored German

SWarmblood. He was recently donated to the unit by Monica and Kevin Morse Bowers of Ocala and comes with impressive credentials as a nationally ranked hunter-jumper. “We were lucky to get him,” Wolf said.

I asked what kind of horse makes a good candidate for police work. Wolf and Perez said they look for an animal with a calm temperament. “Horses can spook,” Wolf explained. “Small things can set them off, so having a horse that can be controllable in any situation is key.”

Training for the horses involves exposure to many of the stimuli they may encounter while on patrol. They navigate obstacle courses and are exposed to sights and sounds such as gunfire, sirens and flying objects. “Just on Duval Street,” Wolf says, “the horses confront all kinds of crazy stimuli every day.”

Like people, horses are particular about what sets them off. For Murphy, it’s the sound of windshield wipers. “The training is constant,” Wolf said. “Every time we go out, we both get better.”

The officers undergo a 40-hour training session before working with the horses, and an additional 40-hour session annually. It is not essential that they have experience with horses, but it is helpful. Perez, who joined the unit in June, is a bona fide “Cuban Cowboy,” whose many years as a horseman include competing in team roping in Miami. Wolf says it’s been great to have someone with his experience join the team.

While Perez and Wolf are in charge of the care and training of the horses, they both emphasize they couldn’t do it without the assistance of devoted community volunteers. There are 25 active volunteers who feed and groom the horses and muck the stalls on a daily basis. If you’re a horse lover without a horse, it’s horse heaven.

Donors also play a crucial role in the funding and care of the animals. “A few

years ago, the program teetered on the brink, but the community stepped up,” Wolf says. Donors help the unit stock supplies, buy equipment and food, and have been instrumental in providing funding to build the new stable at Truman Waterfront.

Key West dentist Dr. Louis Spelios has been a strong supporter of the program, purchasing not only supplies but providing funds to purchase the horses themselves.

“They’re great ambassadors for the city,” he said, “and amazing at crowd control for our festivals and parades. You’ll see the motorcycles out in crowds, trying to disperse

people, but once the horses show up, they immediately move out of the way.”

Wolf said the horses enjoy getting out and being active. In their down time, they eat, sleep and occasionally go for walks on the beach. And while they might not get a pension when they retire, they do get to spend the rest of their days in a special place just for them: Millcreek Farms, a police horse retirement farm in central Florida, where they can graze to their heart’s content.

They deserve it. These four-footed crime fighters not only help keep order in a hard partying town, but also add to its charm and hospitality. In addition to their patrol duties, they appear at special events, schools and other organizations, providing vital community relations services for the police department.

As Spelios said, “They’re great ambassadors. After all, who doesn’t want to get a picture with a horse in front of Rick’s?”

To volunteer at the stables or schedule a barn tour, contact Perez at sperez@cityofkeywest-fl.gov.

The Key West Police Department’s Mounted Patrol officers have a special bond with their horses. CONTRIBUTED

The Key West Police Department’s Mounted Patrol visits with the crowd at a special event in May. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly

CAPT. FINBAR GITTELMAN TO LEAD FANTASY FEST PARADE ARE YOU READY FOR FANTASY FEST?

MAKE PARTY PLANS NOW FOR OCT. 20-29

What do you get when you mix the Florida Keys’ spirit with the 200th anniversary of Monroe County’s establishment and Key West’s first naval base? You get the 2023 Fantasy Fest theme: “Uniforms & Unicorns — 200 Years of Sailing into Fantasy.”

Organizers for Fantasy Fest, Key West’s annual 10-day costuming extravaganza, recently announced that Capt. Finbar Gittelman will serve as grand marshal of the 2023 Fantasy Fest Parade, the iconic festival’s centerpiece event.

In recognition of his stature as a leader and as a founding member of the Conch Republic, the honoree is more ceremoniously recognized as “Admiral Finbar Gittelman, First Sea Lord and Supreme Commander of Conch Republic Military Forces.”

Fantasy Fest will take place Oct. 20-29.

For those who may have missed this crucial chapter in Florida Keys history, the birth of the Conch Republic micronation and its motto, “We seceded where others failed” was the result of a controversial 1982 U.S. Border Patrol blockade of the island chain.

In response to the blockade, local officials and citizens took a stand and declared “war” on the United States, conducted a battle using a loaf of stale Cuban bread as a weapon, quickly surrendered and demanded $1 billion in foreign aid. Today, Gittelman stands at the pinnacle of a robust legion of Conch Republic Forces, with multiple branches of “service” represented, who continue to celebrate and protect the island nation’s “Sovereign State of Mind” while also engaging in numerous humanitarian efforts.

“Admiral Finbar is a treasured icon and living legend who represents the legacy of our island chain’s maritime history,” said Nadene Grossman Orr, president/CEO of We’ve Got the Keys, the company that produces Fantasy Fest. “This

year, as we celebrate our festival theme of ‘Uniforms & Unicorns — 200 Years of Sailing into Fantasy,’ there was never a doubt about who our 2023 parade grand marshal must be. We are thrilled to have our beloved Admiral accompanied by a contingent of Conch Republic Forces at the vanguard of this year’s parade.”

Gittelman has called Key West homeport since 1973. A sailor’s sailor, he has survived a Category 5 hurricane, four days adrift aboard a life raft on the open sea; and fallen overboard from a Coast Guard ship in the North Sea during ice patrol. He participated in the 1980 Mariel Boatlift, bringing 311 people to freedom in the U.S. (on a vessel certified by the Coast Guard for 90 passengers).

Growing up in Miami Beach, Gittelman captained his first voyage at age 8, sailing across Biscayne Bay in a square rigger he made himself with broomsticks and bed sheets.

He started Tropical Trips, Key West’s first sail charter company, built the sloop High Tide for reef trips in 1980, and Flagship Schooner Wolf in 1984. He has introduced the ancient art of sail to thousands, and has mentored many crew who have gone on to attain careers at sea. With Finbar as master, the schooner Wolf has delivered more than 80 tons of disaster relief throughout the Bahamas and Caribbean through Missions of Mercy humanitarian sails.

Fantasy Fest 2023 is presented in part by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and We’ve Got the Keys. More information is at fantasyfest.com.

Fantasy Fest 2023 invites revelers to celebrate and co-create Key West’s annual 10-day costuming festival in Paradise. From Oct. 20-29 festival-goers can adorn themselves in their most creative themed attire, and take part in events occurring island-wide.

Here are highlights of this year’s festival. More information is at fantasyfest.com.

The Key West Chamber of Commerce Fantasy Façades Competition offers cash prizes for fantastically decorated Key West homes and businesses. The final day to enter is Oct. 16; judging is Oct. 23.

Oct. 18-27: “The Rocky Horror Show – The Musical” brings the cult favorite to the Waterfront Playhouse stage.

Oct. 20 and 21: The Bahama Village Goombay Festival welcomes revelers of all ages to celebrate island arts and crafts, music and food in Key West’s Bahama Village neighborhood.

Oct. 20: The Royal Coronation Ball will crown Fantasy Fest’s 2023 King and Queen at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater. Benefits the Florida Keys SPCA.

Oct. 21: Fantasy Fest poster-signing event, 3 to 5 p.m. at the La Concha Hotel.

Oct. 21: “That Arena Rock Show” at the Ocean Key Resort’s Sunset Pier is a free theatrical tribute to classic rock.

Oct. 22: The annual Zombie Bike Ride kicks off at Fort East Martello in the afternoon. In the evening, thousands of zombies of all ages will bike to the Coffee Butler Amphitheater for a free Zombiefest Dance Party with DJ Sanaris, presented by Rams Head Presents.

Oct. 23: Heroes & Villains 5K & Post-Race Hog Roast Beach Party: A family-friendly costumed event with awards, prizes, and a post-race party at the Southernmost Beach Resort.

Oct 23-27: “Pirates of the Conch Republic: The Search for Bodacious Booty – A Burlesque Parody” at the Key West Theater promises a sexy,

swashbuckling spectacular for adult audiences.

Oct. 25: Costume yourself and your critter(s) to compete, or applaud from the audience, at the annual Pet Masquerade at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater. Registration fees benefit Lower Keys Friends of Animals Inc.

Oct. 26: The 40th annual Key West Headdress Ball, presented by the Key West Business Guild at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater, showcases headdresses modeled by their creators.

Oct. 27: All-hands-on-deck for the Captain Morgan Masquerade March, as costumed participants parade through Old Town Key West, stopping along the route for adult beverage samples provided by selected guest houses.

Oct. 28: Bud Light Fantasy Fest Parade, led by Grand Marshal Admiral Finbar Gittelman and featuring floats and marching groups.

Oct. 29: Children’s Day from noon to 5 p.m. at Bayview Park

Oct. 29: “The Fat Lady Sings” Tea Dance from 4 to 8 p.m. at La Te Da on Duval Street — the final official Fantasy Fest celebration.

Oct 30: The 2024 Fantasy Fest theme will be announced. Have you got the creative chops to “Choose the Theme” for 2024? Deadline to submit 2024 Fantasy Fest theme ideas is Oct. 4. The winning theme composer and a guest will be awarded seats in the 2024 Bud Light Fantasy Fest parade grandstand with the parade judges and organizers. Email submissions to info@FantasyFest.com

Capt. Finbar Gittelman, first sea lord and supreme commander of the Conch Republic Military Forces, will serve as this year’s Fantasy Fest Parade grand marshal. CONTRIBUTED

Taylor Tarn of Key West strikes a pose on the bow of the 2022 Fantasy Fest Parade Grand Marshal’s float. NICK DOLL/FantasyFest.com

KEY WEST IS GOING TO THE DOGS — AND CATS

FANTASY FEST KING & QUEEN CAMPAIGN BENEFITS THE LOCAL SPCA

This year’s Fantasy Fest king and queen campaign — a “furr-ious” six-week fundraising endeavor — benefits the Florida Keys SPCA. The campaign kicked off Sept. 8 with candidate introductions and parody performances at the Key West Theater.

The two wannabe royals who raise the most money will be crowned Oct. 20 at the Royal Coronation at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater.

This is the inaugural year with the Florida Keys SPCA as beneficiaries. The Florida Keys SPCA is the largest animal welfare organization in the Keys, formed in 1999, protecting pets in paradise from Key West to Marathon.

Following the kickoff, candidates stage an array of events to raise money; some venues host events that feature all five candidates.

The Royal Court, their campaign team and other key supporters appear prominently in the Saturday evening Duval Street parade on a float designed specifically to highlight their financial achievement.

The Royal Coronation Ball will take place Friday, Oct. 20 at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater at Truman Waterfront, where the candidates who raise the most money will be crowned.

This year’s candidates are: Ben Hennington, Shawn Montgomery, Tangela Torres,

to the cause, visit

-Enjoy

-Apply

Donald Wells and Vicky Rowden. For full bios and to donate

fantasyfest.com/king-and-queen-fkspca.

1. Key West native Tangela Torres, left, gets help from the Junkanoos during her fundraising kickoff to be crowned queen of Fantasy Fest. All proceeds from the royal campaign benefit the Florida Keys SPCA. LARRY BLACKBURN/ Keys Weekly

2. King candidate Ben Hennington with his royal weiner dog. CONTRIBUTED

3. Fantasy Fest king candidate Donald Wells with his best friend, Jax. CONTRIBUTED

4. Fantasy Fest king candidate Shawn Montgomery parodies ‘The Lion King’ at the Sept. 8 kickoff for the king and queen campaign. LARRY BLACKBURN/ Keys Weekly

5. Fantasy Fest queen candidate Vicky Rowden introduces her feline friends during the royal kickoff for the Fantasy Fest king and queen fundraising campaign. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

POLICE OFFICER COMMENDED FOR OFF-DUTY ASSISTANCE

KEY WEST CHIEF ALSO HONORED WITH AWARD

CFK TO OFFER ‘MINI-MESTER’ CONDENSED TERM

STUDENTS CAN QUICKLY EARN CREDITS STARTING IN OCTOBER

The College of the Florida Keys is offering a “mini-mester” condensed term within the fall semester, also known as “Fall B.” The eight-week courses run Oct. 13 through Dec. 8. The term provides a way for new students to get a head start before the spring term, as well as an opportunity for current students to accelerate their progress within the fall semester.

Key West Police Officer Veronica Roman accepts a department commendation from Chief Sean Brandenburg. CONTRIBUTED

In a recent awards ceremony at the Grand Key Resort, Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg awarded Officer Veronica Roman a Chief’s Commendation.

On March 13, Roman and her fiancé, MCSO Deputy Anthony Zito, while off-duty at Bahia Honda State Park, helped a 79-year-old man who, while loading his boat onto a trailer, slipped and suffered a severe laceration. Roman and her family pulled into the ramp and immediately gave aid until an ambulance arrived.

Roman and Zito also drove the man’s car with the boat and trailer, along with his wife and dog, to their home.

“Roman’s professionalism and dedication — on duty and off — are in keeping with the core values of the Key West Police Department,” states a police department press release.

Chief gets surprise recognition

At the same awards ceremony, Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg received a surprise recognition from the department.

“The Key West Police Department believes in the recognition of officers, their actions, and

Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg and Capt. Randy Smith. outstanding efforts in service to the community and their fellow officers,” said Capt. Randy Smith. “In keeping with our core values, the City of Key West and the Key West Police Department recognize Chief Sean Brandenburg for his outstanding efforts that occurred on May 21.”

On that day, Brandenburg — while off duty — quickly recognized that a citizen in Kennedy Shopping Plaza was having difficulty breathing and was in significant distress. He assessed the individual, who was not breathing, turning blue, and had no pulse. Brandenburg immediately started CPR, which he continued until Key West Fire/Rescue arrived.

Brandenburg’s recognition of the severity of the medical emergency, immediate actions, and effective CPR resulted directly in saving the life of the individual, states the press release.

“Chief Sean Brandenburg has rightly earned the Lifesaving Award,” said Smith.

— Contributed

Opportunities available in the “mini-mester” include general education courses, applicable to many degrees, as well as courses specific to the business, marine engineering, diving, hospitality, renewable energy, culinary or emergency medical programs. Prospective students can also apply to start in CFK bachelor’s degrees in nursing, supervision and management, exceptional student education, or marine resource management in the “mini-mester.” Most courses meet virtually; some are held on the Key West Campus or Upper Keys Center, and some offer a mix of virtual and inperson coursework.

More information is at cfk.edu, or from Marissa Owens at recruiter@cfk. edu or 305-809-3207.

ASSOCIATE DEGREE LEVEL COURSES

Offered virtually

• Intro to business GEB 1011

• English composition I ENC 1101 Preparing for student success | SLS 1101

• Intro to philosophy | PHI 2010

• Intro to teaching profession | EDF 2005

• Introduction to computer applications | CGS 1100

• Introduction to marine biology | OCB 1000

• Introduction to oceanography | OCE 1001

• Business of diving | MKA 2621

Offered at the Key West campus

• Preparing for student success | SLS 1101

• Intro to teaching profession | EDF 2005

• Microbiology with lab | MCB 2010

• Marine engineering lab | MTE 1000

• Marine diesel engine overhaul | MTE 1001C

• 2 & 4 cycle outboard repair | MTE 1053C

• Applied marine electricity | MTE 1400C

• Coastal navigation | MTE 1802

• Marine auxiliary equipment | MTE 2541

• Aquatic first aid/CPR EMS | 1344C

• Scuba rescue & emergency | EMS 2081C

• Advanced diving theory and practice | PEN 2137C

• Intro to hydrokinetic power | ETP 1505

• Intro to wind energy | ETP 1530C

• Seminar renewable energy | OCE 2930

• Intro to hospitality | HPT 1002

• Baking and pastries | FSS 1246C

• Quantity food production II FSS 2204C

• Emergency medical technician | EMS 1158C

Offered at the Upper Keys Center

• Gas and electric welding | MTE 1651C

• Specialty marine engineering II | MTE 2932

• Advanced diving theory and practice | PEN 2137C

• Emergency medical technician | EMS 1158C

• Bachelor’s degree programs

• Bachelor of science in exceptional student education

• Bachelor of science in supervision and management

• Bachelor of science in nursing

• Bachelor of science in marine resource management

College of the Florida Keys students Ella Fields and Chris Saunders study on the Key West campus. CONTRIBUTED

FEDERAL AGENCIES RESCUE MIGRANTS FROM DRY TORTUGAS KEYS TOURISM OFFICIALS WIN STATE HONORS

‘FLAGLER AWARDS’ PRESENTED AT STATEWIDE CONFERENCE

23 CUBANS RESCUED, PLUS ONE TEMPORARILY LOST AT SEA

Border Patrol agents, along with Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations, the US Coast Guard, and local law enforcement partners responded to a migrant landing at the Dry Tortugas National Park, approximately 70 miles east of Key West on Sept. 9.

Border Patrol agents encountered 23 Cuban migrants who were stranded on Loggerhead Key after they made landfall on a homemade vessel. The migrants told agents that someone jumped overboard while out at sea and was missing from the group, states a Coast Guard press release.

Coast Guard Sector Key West command center watchstanders launched search and rescue crews. Nearly 24 hours into the search and rescue effort, a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater aircrew located a person in the water about seven nautical miles north of Loggerhead Key on Sunday, Sept. 10.

The Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton crew was diverted to rescue the survivor

and transferred the person to a Monroe County Trauma Star aircraft for transportation to medical care, where they remain in stable condition.

“Our agents and law enforcement partners worked diligently over the weekend to ensure these migrants were rescued and provided with immediate care,” said Walter N. Slosar, chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol. “As we enter the peak of hurricane season, unlawful maritime migration becomes an increasingly dangerous journey across the Florida Straits.”

The 24 total Cuban migrants will be interviewed, processed for removal proceedings and transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for repatriation.

Anyone who unlawfully attempts to reach the U.S. by sea or who arrives by sea unlawfully will be processed for return to their country of origin or departure, in accordance with U.S. law and policy, the release states.

— Contributed

The Monroe County Tourist Development Council, the county agency responsible for marketing the Florida Keys & Key West, won three first-place Flagler Awards at the 2023 Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism.

The TDC won “Henrys” in the print advertising, resource/ promotional material trade and out-of-home categories. The TDC also earned silver awards in public relations and niche marketing.

The awards are “important for not only Florida tourism, but also for the Florida Keys,” said Stacey Mitchell, TDC director. “Our agencies of record and staff work hard all year.

“To have it culminate in significant recognition of the

hard work done on behalf of the Keys tourism agency is something I’m most proud of,” Mitchell added.

Tinsley Advertising and NewmanPR provide advertising and public relations support for the TDC.

Also at the conference, the Islamorada Resort Collection won a silver award for a new internet site.

The Flagler Awards are organized by Visit Florida, the state’s public/private tourism promotion agency. They are named to honor the “vision, perseverance, imagination and commitment” of the Florida pioneer Henry Flagler.

— Contributed

Several federal agencies work together to rescue migrants who landed on Loggerhead Key in the Dry Tortugas. US BORDER PATROL/Contributed

Staff and agency representatives from the Monroe County Tourist Development Council display Flagler tourism marketing awards won by the TDC at the 2023 Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Orlando. From left are Eric Gitlin, Jaclyn Fortier, Chad Newman, Stacey Mitchell, Ashley Serrate, Kelli Fountain, Meera Tikku and Markham McGill. ANDY NEWMAN/Florida Keys News Bureau

TAKE ME HOME?

FIND A FRIEND AT THE FLORIDA KEYS SPCA

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

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

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

HELP KEEP KEY WEST CLEAN

JOIN A 1- HOUR CLEANUP FRIDAY MORNINGS

Babs is a small, white rabbit. When she’s not playing Mahjong with the ladies at the club, Babs can be found doing everyday bunny-like things and loving them.

Community volunteers joined Keep Key West Beautiful and sustainable straw brand phade at Smathers Beach last week as part of a cleanup that removed more than 300 pounds of trash from the local shoreline. This effort was the third of three statewide cleanups phade organized with regional Keep Florida Beautiful chapters.

Ally is a 6-year-old female domestic shorthair. Don’t let her sophisticated demeanor sidetrack you. She’s been with us since 2018 and needs a family that will have the patience to let her shine.

Magoo is an 8½-year-old small female domestic shorthair. She is like a savings account of love: the more time goes by, the more interest she gains, and the returns continue to grow.

The Key West cleanup was organized to help combat the growing global issue of beach debris and ocean pollution, especially from single-use plastic products that can last in an environment for hundreds of years. While innovative, sustainable products like the phade® marine biodegradable straw are designed to prevent pollution, billions of pounds of plastic from years past remain in the ocean and on shorelines around the world.

“Keep Key West Beautiful believes that no cleanup effort is too small and that every piece of trash picked and disposed of properly is one less that has the chance of ending up in the waters surrounding the paradise we all call home,” said Dorian Patton, chair of Keep Key West Beautiful.

it’s not enough to keep places like Smathers Beach healthy and pollution free,” said Brad Laporte, CEO of phade parent company WinCup. “Phade was created so that single-use items will safely return to earth after use, but we’re also committed to ridding the environment from plastic and waste that is already here. That’s why it was a pleasure to join Keep Key West Beautiful to help clean up the local shoreline in Key West.” Phade has grown to be a popular choice with large retailers nationwide such as First Watch, Dunkin’, Sam’s Club and several sports arenas.

— Contributed

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

Friday, Sept. 8: Duval & Petronia streets. Meet at Key West Business Guild office.

Friday, Sept. 15: City of Key West Fire Station on Simonton Street. Meet in parking lot.

Friday, Sept. 22: Flagler Avenue and Bertha Street. Meet at Brady’s Irish Pub.

Ryder is a female terrier mix. At only 8 months old she loves everything, especially car rides and playing.

Rosie is 7½-year-old female domestic shorthair. She’s a little on the large side, but we don’t judge her and she doesn’t judge us. There’s simply more of this sweet girl to love.

“While reducing, reusing and recycling are all extremely important values to help protect the environment, we know

Friday, Sept. 29: Fort and Geraldine streets. Meet at CHI Health Center parking lot.

Sixty volunteers join phade and Keep Key West Beautiful at Smathers Beach on Sept. 6 to remove trash and harmful plastics from the local coastline. CONTRIBUTED

PLASTIC IS ON THE MENU

PARTICLES ARE GLOBAL PROBLEM

BRYNN MOREY

It is no secret to anyone that the world is experiencing a massive plastic problem. When I say massive, I think it would be better described as a global plastic crisis.

Sept. 13-18

• Key West hosts the inaugural Big Gay Key West festivities. The adult-oriented LGBTQ event has a “cabana boy” theme and will cater to an all-male, big-is-beautiful audience. Visit biggaykeywest. org.

Tuesday, Oct. 10

is the University of Florida, IFAS Monroe County Extension coordinator.

Plastic is overrunning our landfills, showing up on our beautiful shorelines, floating in our oceans, being consumed by our wildlife and even being consumed by us. Yes, you read that correctly, humans are now consuming plastic.

The plastic humans are consuming is called microplastics. Plastic particles have accumulated in our oceans since the 1960s and are now globally present in our seas. A new study in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology says it’s possible that humans may be consuming anywhere from 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles a year. So how in the world do these tiny pieces of plastic get into our bellies?

Plastic litter enters our oceans, where it can never wholly break down. Instead, it breaks up into smaller and smaller particles, which eventually become microplastics. These particles are less than 5 millimeters in size and are often eaten by fish, seabirds and other marine life that mistake it for its natural food.

Humans consume microplastics in various ways, primarily through the ingestion of contaminated food and water, as well as through inhalation. Microplastics are often found in seafood, mainly filter-feeding organisms like mussels, clams and oysters. Larger fish that prey on smaller fish may accumulate microplastics in their digestive systems. When humans consume these fish, they can indirectly ingest the microplastics. Sea salt can also contain microplastic particles, as well as seawater. This can lead to the ingestion of microplastics when using salt in cooking or seasoning food.

Microplastics found in water. TYLER JONES/UF-IFAS

It seems silly to think of a family sitting around the dinner table eating plastic for dinner; however, this visualization appears to be becoming more and more realistic. The worst part about this situation is that humans are the only ones responsible for plastics getting into our foods, our oceans, our landfills and beaches.

Microplastics are a concerning environmental and health issue, stemming from humans overusing plastic in today’s modern world. It is truly going to take extensive efforts on our part to help reduce this problem. It will require a combination of regulatory measures, sustainable practices and ongoing research to address the complex challenges microplastics present.

Today, many countries have implemented bans or restrictions on microbeads in personal care products to reduce primary microplastic pollution. You can do your part by ensuring proper disposal and recycling of plastic products. This can reduce the formation of microplastics and potentially prevent

them from ending up in our oceans. It’s essential to choose natural fibers over synthetic textiles and reduce plastic usage in daily life. We should attempt to reach out and support organizations that continue to research and better understand the sources, distribution and effects of microplastics, enabling more effective strategies for reducing microplastics in our environment.

If you see it, remove it. Try to make an effort to remove plastic waste from the oceans and waterways; this can help reduce the presence of microplastics. I know it can be overwhelming when we think about tackling a problem as big as plastic pollution, but I challenge everyone to start with something small. Next time you load up your boat for that perfect fishing trip or beautiful day at the sandbar, ditch the case of plastic water bottles, invite everyone to “BYORWB” — bring your own reusable water bottle. Remember, simple changes and efforts can lead to significant changes in the future.

• Deadline to submit artwork to JAG Gallery’s Small Works 2023 juried exhibit. Artists are invited to submit up to six 2- or 3-D works: painting, drawing, photography, sculpture and textiles. The only stipulation is that submissions cannot exceed 10 inches in any direction. Small Works 2023 opens with a gallery reception on Nov. 3 and runs through Nov. 26. Works also will be available online. Entry information, details and application can be found at jaggallery.art.

Saturday, Oct. 14

• Coastlove Stock Island Cleanup & Community Celebration, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bernstein Park. Following the community cleanup, Coastlove will host a picnic at the park. Visit coastlove.org/stockisland for more information and to register volunteer groups of 8 to 10 people for the cleanup.

November 15-19

• Tropic Cinema presents the Key West Film Festival. Tickets and packages are available at kwfilmfest.com.

SAVE

Expert Urology Care in Key West

A WEEK OF WOMEN(FEST)

ANNUAL EVENT OFFERS ISLANDWIDE ACTIVITIES

Key West’s Womenfest, held Sept. 6-10, once again brought thousands of lesbians, bisexual, queer, transwomen and allies to the Southernmost City.

“Womenfest has a simple goal: to celebrate all women,” says the Key West Business Guild, which presents the festival. “It offers a

range of activities for those who want to socialize, feel comfortable being themselves, soak up some sun, then party and dance. Since its introduction over 20 years ago, Key West Womenfest has become a standard for celebrating women of all ages 21 and over.

Key West’s annual Womenfest includes pool parties, poetry readings, musical performances, beach parties and boat rides. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

IT’S FALL, Y’ALL JUST THE TIPS

is

It’s fall! Right?

Even though there’s football on TV and the calendar says September, it sure still feels like summer out there. So as we attempt to will a change of season upon ourselves, here are a few little tips in the meantime.

First, forget about tunas at the humps, for now. This time of year silky and dusky sharks are spawning out there, making their presence in numbers even more ridiculous than before. With no natural predators and baffling regulations on fishing for and killing the “endangered” pests, the number of sharks that have taken up permanent residence there – and seemingly everywhere, for that matter – has been on the rise for years. It seems to be getting worse every year, everywhere. So no, it’s not just you or your imagination or your memory. It is bad, and worse than ever, just about everywhere you go, and just about all year long.

On my last trip to the Marathon humps, I found it to be inundated with teeny tiny baby tunas – and sharks. Any

decent-sized fish we hooked was gobbled up almost instantly. Even in a zone we found five miles from there that had packs of skipjack tuna working under birds, there were sharks all over, eating the fish we hooked there as well. Right now you’re better off spending your time inshore from there looking for mahi. The blue water edge has been pretty far out lately (10-20 miles). Start there looking for weed lines and birds.

Another good option this time of year is yellowtail. It’s still a little warm for the shallow patch reefs to be at their best, but yellowtail in the 60- to 90-foot zones have been pretty active, as long as there is some current. If there is zero current where you’re trying to yellowtail, you’re probably better off not wasting any time there. Unfortunately the sharks have been a major issue there as well. It’s usually bull sharks there.

If you’re looking for a heck of a fight and some poundage for the smoker, there are some big amberjack on the deeper wrecks from 150 to 300 feet. I like to drop a big bait (almost anything that’s lively like a legal snapper, blue runner, bar jack, bonita or the like) on a 20-30 size conventional rod with a 10- to 12-ounce sinker and 15 feet of 80-pound leader with a big circle hook. Hit bottom, crank it up about 20 turns and hang on!

To book a trip with NorEaster Sport Fishing, call or text Captain Nick at 508-769-4189.

Hefty amberjacks can be had on wrecks from 150 to 300 feet of water. NICK BORRACCINO/Keys Weekly

the owner and operator of Noreaster Sport Fishing in Marathon. A Massachusetts native, Nick fished for bluefin tuna and striped bass before moving to the Keys in 2005.

CAPT. NICK BORRACCINO

JIMMY BUFFETT’S ISLAND MUSIC ATTRACTED PEOPLE TO FLORIDA

COCONUT TROUBADOUR TRIBUTE

At 24, I decided to run away from Southern California and move to an island. The original airline ticket was booked to St. Croix, but Hurricane Hugo beat me there by a week and devastated the opportunity.

FLORIDA KEYS HISTORY WITH BRAD BERTELLI

The next ticket would have sent me to Hawaii, but the airline went bankrupt, and I lost the chance. The third ticket brought me to Florida, where, in 1989, Captiva Island became my first island home.

Captiva was a beautiful introduction to the Sunshine State. There, I found a job at a resort, moved into employee housing — right on the sand — and walked two miles up the beach to the restaurant where I worked the breakfast and lunch shifts. By the time the sun set, I had my toes in the sand, and my Walkman tuned in to a local radio station when, during the sunset hour, they played Jimmy Buffett songs one after another.

I worked through the winter season but, as I was prone to doing in those days, got antsy and felt the familiar pull of wanting to escape. I returned to Huntington Beach, California, turned 25, and got antsy again. While there, I didn’t hear much Buffett on the radio, but now and again, “Margaritaville” or “Come Monday” came strumming through the speakers. When they did, all I could see were my toes in the Captiva sand, so I moved back to the island, to employee housing, and to the restaurant.

After a few years and a handful of bad decisions, I got antsy, packed up and moved to Atlanta. I lived with a friend for a while but then moved into a small, sketchy Midtown apartment. The cracked, red-brick building overlooked neon signs drawing attention to a local strip club where the thump of a bass note reverberated through the night air and rattled the windows in the apartment well into the wee hours.

What became clear from my time in Atlanta was that I was taking a slow tumble that landed me, now 28, at my rock bottom. However, because there is silver and gold in every story, even just threads of it, while I was in that horrible apartment, two good things happened. First, I bought my first Buffett album, a used CD of “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean.” Second, I adopted Alex.

The black kitten was off in a cage, away from the other cats. It had arrived at the shelter the day before. According to its records, the profile remarked “liked to wander” — a sentiment I could identify with. I looked at all the cats in all the cages, but the black one all by itself, the one who liked to wander, Alexander Van Kitten — Alex for short — came home with me.

As a 20-something roamer chasing a dream and largely failing to gain any ground, I moved back to California and back in with my mother — and Alex, who spent the next 15 years cuddled up by my side. While back home in

California, I enrolled in college because I wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could to ensure success (even minor success) as a writer. I also picked up another 20 or so Buffett CDs because they reminded me of the beach back on Captiva, where I was going back to as soon as I earned my bachelor’s from Cal State Long Beach.

Like so many others, my presence in Florida can be linked to Jimmy Buffett, if even just peripherally. Buffett was the soundtrack when I was in California, driving in the Jeep or listening to music at home. His siren call kept me focused on where I knew I wanted to be, and for sure, he is one of the reasons I moved back to Florida and eventually to the Keys, where I’ve been living for the last 22 years.

I still listen to Buffett, but not like I used to. Sadly, I did not jump on tickets when he came to town back in February. However, I do feel like I participated in the event, if even in my mind, by influencing the pick of his opening song. Just a day or two before Jimmy played his “locals only” show at the Key West Theater, my column about the Summerland Keys came out in the paper.

Mostly, the story revolved around the name and how it was tied to some of the Flagler-era history. Partly, it was about one of the island’s former residents, a songwriter named Fred Neil, who penned a catchy little tune called “Everybody’s Talkin’” that was made famous in “Midnight Cowboy” starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman.

The story I ended the column with was centered on the notion that even though Fred Neil had passed away in his house on Summerland Key years before, his energy might still be swirling around in the island breezes. Because of that, I suggested that it might not be unusual for drivers crossing Summerland Key to have “Everybody’s Talkin’” crawl inside their head like an earworm.

And then, just a day or two after the column was published, Jimmy Buffett opened up his Key West concerts with “Everybody’s Talkin’.” Intellectually, I know he recorded his version of the song in 2003. Still, it is interesting that, out of all the songs in his catalog, Jimmy chose to open with the one I had just written about.

For me, one of two things happened: either he read my column and made a last-minute change to the set list, or there really is some magic in the air and, after traveling down to Key West, he felt compelled to open with it. Either way, it gave me a connection to the coconut troubadour that will spark a special place in my Florida state of mind for the rest of my life. After all, life is just a

tire swing.

Jimmy Buffett performs in Key West in early 2023. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

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.

ALL OUT, ALL GAME, ALL SEASON

CORAL SHORES, KEY WEST GET BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN | P.6

THE SCOREBOARD

SEPT.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK PUTETTI

THIS WEEK IN KEYS SPORTS

125 25 total yards yard touchdown run

It wasn’t just a 25-yard touchdown run or the 125 total yards Coral Shores’ gridiron great AJ Putetti put in for the Hurricanes this week that impressed the coaching staff. It is also his unrelenting drive to compete.

“When he shows up, he’s ready to play,” head coach Ed Holly said of his junior running back. Putetti gives his all in every game and every rep, and the results are stacking up. The two-way athlete had three solo tackles, three assisted tackles and three pass breakups during last Friday’s game against Palm Glades Prep, making him a threat on offense and defense. Instead of getting winded or slowing down, “his play actually got better from the first half to the second,” Holly said. “He just didn’t get tired.”

Holly also noted that Putetti challenges himself in the classroom, opting for AP courses and making excellent grades.

For his leadership and accomplishments for the Hurricanes football program and the school itself, AJ Putetti is the Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week.

Junior, Football Coral Shores

“AJ is a phenomenal student and a leader in the school and on the field. He is an unbelievable competitor.”

– Ed Holly, Coral Shores head coach

Photo by: DOUG FINGER/Keys Weekly

tracy mcdonald

fled to the Keys from the frozen mountains of Pennsylvania hours after graduating from college and never looked back. She is a second-generation coach and educator, and has taught in the public school system for over 25 years. She and her husband met at a beginning teacher meeting in 1997 and have three children born and raised in Monroe County. In her free time, McDonald loves flea markets, historical fiction and long runs in the heat.

The Keys Weekly Sports Wrap is proud to be the only locally-owned publication providing prep sports coverage from Key Largo to Key West. Together with our writers and photographers, we are committed to providing a comprehensive overview of the world of Keys sports with photography that allows our readers to immerse themselves in game action.

Publisher / Jason Koler jason@keysweekly.com

Publishing Partner / Britt Myers britt@keysweekly.com

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Copy Editor / Mike Howie mike@keysweekly.com

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Manuela Carrillo Mobley manuela@keysweekly.com

Business Development

Patti Childress patti@keysweekly.com

Jill Miranda Baker jill@keysweekly.com

Stephanie Mitchell stephanie@keysweekly.com

Production Manager

Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com

Executive Administrator

Charlotte Hruska char@keysweekly.com

Graphic Design Javier Reyes javier@keysweekly.com

sean mcdonald

grew up in Miami and moved to the Keys in 1997. He has spent the last 25 years teaching physical education and coaching virtually every sport for Florida Keys kids ages 4 to 18. If you are reading this and live or lived in the Florida Keys, he has probably taught, coached, or coached against someone you know.

MARKET EDITORS

Marathon - Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com

Upper Keys - Jim McCarthy jim@keysweekly.com

Key West - Mandy Miles mandy@keysweekly.com

TO THE READER:

We are absolutely thrilled to present the first break-out edition of the Keys Weekly Sports Wrap. The publication you are holding is the culmination of more than a year of collaboration and vision among our writers, editors, photographers and business staff, and we couldn’t be more honored to be the only locally-owned media outlet bringing you Keys prep sports coverage from Coral Shores High School all the way to Key West.

Across our three offices, we’re fortunate to work with some of the Keys’ finest sports photographers, including Barry Gaukel, Doug Finger, Joy Smith, Mark Hedden and Grace Andrew. Whether or not you’re able to make it to a game in person, their work allows readers to immerse themselves in the triumphs of student athletes across Monroe County, capturing the most critical moments in the Keys’ biggest games so that all can relive them. When paired with the skills of graphic designer Javier Reyes, their photography allows us to take our comprehensive coverage to the next level, something we believe is apparent from the first page of this issue.

Web Master / Travis Cready travis@keysweekly.com

Classifieds / Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com 305.743.0844

Se habla español

THE MARATHON 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.

I can’t leave out the driving force behind our Sports Wrap content: the McDonalds. We’ve been blessed to work with this duo for more than a year, and couldn’t be happier to have them with us as we launch the next evolution of this section. With more than 50 combined years of immersion – and counting – in the Keys’ sports and school communities, it’s only fitting that these two long-time locals are the heart of the Sports Wrap. Their passion for Monroe County sports at every mile marker adds another dimension to our coverage, and if you’ve never listened to a Sports Wrap Podcast episode to hear Sean’s encyclopedia-like knowledge of the island chain’s sports history, you’re missing out.

Thank you to all of our partners, athletic directors, coaches and the community as a whole for trusting in our vision thus far and continuing to embrace us as we add layers to this ever-evolving section. And thank you to all our staff who have worked tirelessly to make this a reality.

Whether you’re a parent, classmate, family member or someone who just plain loves sports, keep an eye out for this new section, printing in all three Keys Weekly markets every week. Thank you for trusting us for your all-inclusive prep sports coverage – local media covering local athletes, the way it should be. Never miss a beat with our coverage across three papers, our daily news blast, sports podcasts and breaking coverage at keysweekly.com.

And welcome to the all-new Keys Weekly Sports Wrap.

Sincerely,

Alex Rickert Managing Editor

9709 Overseas Hwy. Marathon, FL 33050

Office: 305.743.0844 www.keysweekly.com

FKAA

EMERGENCY WATER PLAN STORE

WATER

FILL BATHTUB AND LARGE CONTAINERS WITH WATER FOR WASHING AND FLUSHING ONLY.

CROSS COUNTRY TIMES TRENDING IN RIGHT DIRECTION

Keys teams hitting earlyseason strides

With postseason racing still weeks away, times are beginning to drop for harriers from Key Largo to Key West.

Key West’s girls took the week off, but the boys traveled to Larry & Penny Thompson Park in Miami to run the FNU Invitational. Colbin Hill led the charge and finished the 5K course first for the Conchs in 19:12. Daniel Roy finished second and Jerven Louis took third for the team. Wyatt Gibson, William Forester, Sebastian Jaroszewicz, Prometheus Delacerda and Owen Fisher rounded out the top eight for Key West.

Marathon traveled to Miami on Sept. 6 to participate in the Miami Country Day Open. The boys team captured first place with an average time of 19:03. Vance Bursa was third overall and the first Fin to cross the finish line in just over 18 minutes. Jakub and Tony Bursa were close behind, followed by Mason Buxton, Dillon Shelar, Allan Taylor and seventh grader Lucian Burns, who shaved off

several minutes already this season and has improved weekly.

The Lady Fins were led by senior Mikkel Ross, who placed seventh overall with a time of 22:31. Rounding out Marathon’s top seven were Ella Dunn, Rain Banks, Rilynn Richards, Maeve Merryman, Sara Robinson and Madelyn Thornton, all finishing in under 27 minutes.

Coral Shores’ girls are putting in the miles this season under new head coach Lyndie Meyers. The Lady ’Canes traveled to Ives Estates Park in Miami for the first race in the Lightning Invitational Series on Sept. 5, and Meyers’ stress on positivity and teamwork paid off for the young squad.

“The bond they have created in a few short weeks has been incredible to see – they just fit best together,” she said after the race. “I noticed at our last meet each of the girls were working hard for one another, (and) I can see they care to do well for our team.”

At the front of the pack was junior Kai Guth, who placed third overall at the meet with a time of 26:30. Sophomore Jenna Mandozzi was second for Coral Shores, followed by freshmen Julia Rush, Saige Ensign and Hayden Teal.

With just three days of rest, Guth, Rush and Ensign raced again, this time at the FNU Invitational. Meyers has instilled an “every second counts” attitude into her team, and they took it to the extreme in their second race of the week. Guth and Ensign shaved off about half a minute from their paces earlier in the week, and Rush dropped nearly two minutes. Meyers and her young team will join up with Coral Shores’ boys team plus Marathon for their next race on Sept. 15 at the King of the Hill held at Tropical Park in Miami.

FOR DRINKING AND COOKING WATER, STORE IN CONTAINERS FOR 7-10 DAYS. 1 GALLON PER PERSON PER DAY IS RECOMMENDED.

FOLLOW

PRECAUTIONARY/ MANDATORY BOIL WATER NOTICES

IF A NOTICE IS ISSUED, DISINFECT YOUR WATER BY EITHER BOILING FOR 1 MINUTE, OR ADDING 1/8 TEASPOON OF BLEACH, OR USING PURIFICATION TABLETS.

EVACUATING? HERE'S WHAT TO DO

SHUT OFF THE HOME'S WATER VALVE (TYPICALLY FOUND ON THE EXTERIOR WALL OF THE HOME). SOME WATER HEATERS MAY ALSO NEED TO BE SHUT OFF. CHECK WITH THE MANUFACTURER.

Should you require assistance in turning off your water, FKAA will be happy to come out and turn it off for you, as a courtesy (time permitting).

CUSTOMERS WITH LOW PRESSURE SEWER PUMP ON THEIR PROPERTY ARE ASKED TO SHUT OFF THE BREAKER TO THEIR GRINDER PUMP (LOCATED IN THE DEDICATED ELECTRIC BOX OUTSIDE OF THEIR HOME).

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Paced by the performances of the Bursa brothers — Jakub, left, Vance and Tony — Marathon’s boys took first place in the Miami Country Day Open. BARRY GAUKEL/ Keys Weekly”

CONCHS, HURRICANES GRIND OUT FIRST WINS OF 2023

“We needed it.”

That is what Key West coach Johnny Hughes said of his team’s victory over Oxbridge Academy on Sept. 8 when the Conchs rolled the Thunder Wolves 44-15.

With starting running back Jaden Fox out with a shoulder injury suffered a week prior, the Conchs found some depth in Leandro Batista. The sophomore, who played basketball for Key West but is new to football, was convinced to give it a try, and Hughes believes Batista may be on the road to becoming a dual athlete after running for three touchdowns against Oxbridge.

Hughes had high praise for quarterback Adrian Mira as well, saying that the Conchs play caller did a great job taking his time and making his reads. Mira scored one rushing touchdown and connected with Cole Jackson on a 35-yard touchdown pass. RJ Brown’s rushing touchdown accounted for the final regular score of the evening. The Conchs also caught Oxbridge by surprise and added two points on a safety, and kicker Marco Davila was 6-for-6 on extra points. Defensively, Key West played a solid game, giving up one of just two touchdowns while the younger players were earning some experience.

The Conchs will face University School (Orange City) on Sept. 15 at home. Hughes called the 3-0 Titans, “an explosive team with a lot of weapons.” In order to even out Key West’s 1-2 record, he said the Conchs have “got to stop giving them chances,” referencing the team’s two turnovers against Oxbridge. “We can’t afford to keep turning over the ball.” For now, though, Key West can enjoy the high-scoring win and use the energy to carry over into the next contest.

Marathon still searching for a W

Coral Shores coach Ed Holly told his players to “trust the process” from day one. The team listened, and Holly’s words rang true after a 20-12 victory on Sept. 8 at home. The Hurricanes and the Eagles of Palm Glades Prep traded touchdowns in what Holly called “a slugfest,” with Coral Shores striking first. Dantay Diorio capitalized on a long march down the field on the opening drive of the game with a 42-yard touchdown run. The Eagles answered, then AJ Putetti punched in a two-yard TD run to put the ’Canes up 13-6 at the half. Palm Glades added another 6 in half number two, but Isaac Holmes put the game away in the final moments with a short TD run for the win.

“It was an evenlymatched, competitive game,”

Holly said. “Our guys didn’t quit and it paid off.”

Quarterback Yemcel Moreno played well on offense, racking up yardage –including a 42-yard run of his own – and Putetti was good for 125 yards on the ground. Defensively, Eddie Holly created chaos with 10 solo tackles, while RJ Dube added nine. “I don’t think Jamoris Davis ever left the field,” Holly said, praising the junior for his work “all over the field” on offense, defense and special teams.

Holly said the team’s spirits were high coming off the win, putting them in good position for the contest this coming Friday night.

Coral Shores will play its homecoming game early this season to avoid scheduling conflicts with a community event, and the ’Canes will look for win number two against SmartEn Sports Academy out of Miami on Sept. 15.

1. The Key West Conchs prepare for an offensive snap against Oxbridge.

2. Hurricanes back A.J. Putetti runs upfield against the Palm Glades Eagles.

3. Marathon’s Fab Louis Jeune (2) gets vertical to deflect a NSU University School extra point attempt.

4. Key West goes vertical to block an Oxbridge kick.

5. Coral Shores quarterback Yemcel Moreno (5) surveys the Palm Glades defense before the snap.

6. Cole Jackson (2) receives a throw on his way to the endzone for a Key West touchdown.

Photos by Doug Finger, Grace Andrew and Caylie Globe. See more game photos at keysweekly.com.

Marathon traveled to Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 7 to play the Sharks of NSU University High School. The Sharks are undefeated this season, with their smallest margin of victory set at 34 points. That 34-point spread was against the Dolphins, and though the Fins gave the Sharks their best game of the season, it did not end the way they would have hoped.

Things were looking good for Marathon as they marched down the field on their opening drive and scored 6 on a Carlos Lezcano 8-yard touchdown run. Fab Louis Jeune tacked on one more with the PAT to make it 7-0 in favor of the Fins.

It went downhill from there, though, as Marathon did not see the end zone again during the 41-7 loss. Marathon suffered the worst sort of blow when two-waystarter and last week’s Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week Nolan O’Hara went down with a broken ankle while blocking on a kick return. O’Hara will need surgery on the ankle and will not return for action this season.

“Losing Nolan is far worse than losing a hundred games,” Marathon coach Sean McDonald said. “He is such a positive, hardworking player, and for him to be hurt so badly is just the worst.”

Marathon will return home this week to play the Knights of Miami Sunset. In preparation, the team will be going back to the basics. “This week we are going to focus on the fundamentals of tackling and blocking,” McDonald said. “We need to stay positive, and that is difficult when you are in our situation.”

Marathon’s team is small and young, but unified in the goal of steady progress. “We are just going to work hard every day to be better than yesterday. It is really about our team improving," said McDonald. “We can’t gauge ourselves on the other team – we can only gauge ourselves on our play versus the play we had the day before.”

CONCHS, ’CANES DIVE INTO SWIM SEASONS

Strong relays and distance athletes a common theme for Keys squads

The Key West Conchs are starting their swimming and diving season strong, with times consistent with what they will need to cruise into postseason competition later this fall.

“This is the beginning of the season, and the Conchs are looking forward to establishing personal records and growing as a team,” said Lori Bosco, Monroe County’s longest-serving head coach.

Key West participated in a tri-meet at Westminster along with Doctors Charter High School, then returned to their home pool at the College of the Florida Keys for a home meet against Archbishop McCarthy. The Sept. 9 meet was an opportunity for Key West to work on the “little things,” improving form and times to prepare for a long season in the water. The Conchs were narrowly edged out by McCarthy in team points, but both groups “had some great, exciting races” that Bosco deemed a “great experience for the Conchs.”

The Conchs fared well in the 200 yard freestyle relay event, winning both the boys and girls races. The winning Lady Conch team consisted of Katelyn Noss, Reeghan Davis,

1. Key West and Archbishop McCarthy swimmers prepare to explode off the starting blocks.

2. Coral Shores swimmer Abbie Sargent, right, stands on the blocks as she prepares to compete in the relay versus G. Holmes Braddock High School at Founders Park on Sept. 6.

3. Coral Shores swimmer Patrick O’Donnell is cheered on by Layne Smith, Riley Cooper, Chrislyn Lowell and Abbie Sargent as he competes in the 200-meter breaststroke.

4. Coral Shores freshman Sofia Figueroa competes in the breaststroke during a home meet against G. Holmes Braddock.

5. AJ Smith prepares to mount his block.

6. A Sept. 9 meet against Archbishop McCarthy allowed Key West swimmers to focus on ‘the little things’ in their race form, according to coach Lori Bosco.

Gracie Lechnar and Aly Camargo. The boys team included Jeffrey Hoyt, Roan Milleli, Anthony Korzen and AJ Smith.

Smith cruised to two individual first-place finishes as well, taking the top spot in the 50 and 100 yard freestyle races. Lechnar also won the 100 yard butterfly. Other individual race winners were Hadley Bardoni and Jacob Perez, who won the girls and boys 500 freestyle events, respectively. Key West swims again this weekend against South Dade High School at the CFK pool on Sept. 16.

Coral Shores opened its season against Braddock High School on Sept. 6 at Islamorada’s Founders Park. Coach Kelly Owens is optimistic about her young team, saying, “We are definitely rebuilding our team this year with the loss of quite a few seniors, but our core of swimmers remains strong.”

The girls team, though young, has experience in postseason competition and looks to be right on track for more district and regional hardware this season.

Owens said her girls had a strong showing against Braddock, highlighting junior Abbie Sargent's 100 breaststroke, the Canes’ 200 free relay team of Sargent, Layne Smith, Riley Cooper and Allegra Fucarracio, and Smith's 200 freestyle.

On the boys’ side, senior Patrick O’Donnell will specialize in distance events again this season. O’Donnell, along with several other ’Canes, got some extra swim time last weekend by participating in the annual Alligator Lighthouse Swim.

O'Donnell was a top 10 finisher on the men's side, and Sargent, Chrislyn Lowell, Cooper and Reese Andres, who joined in from Miami, were the top women’s four-person relay. Smith was the youngest female participant in the eightmile open-water swim and was the second female overall in her first solo attempt at the course.

The ’Canes are adding some flair to their meets this season, with three competitive divers participating on the team. Junior Rachel Rusch, freshman Mae Turner and sophomore Max Waldo will be adding some extra excitement on the platform.

Coral Shores hosted another home meet at Founders Park on Sept. 13 before hitting the road in early October.

This is the beginning of the season, and the Conchs are looking forward to establishing personal records and growing as a team.”

— Lori Bosco, head coach.

Photos by Grace Andrew and Doug Finger. See more meet photos at keysweekly.com.

PREP VOLLEYBALL SEASON REACHES HALFWAY MARK

Coral Shores hangs on to winning record

Coral Shores volleyball added three wins last week after a win against Keys Gate on Sept. 6. The Hurricanes beat the Knights 3-0 in Florida City, then headed north for a tournament at Wesley Chapel on Sept. 8 and 9. The ’Canes traveled about 30 miles north of Tampa for a pair of wins against Hudson and Fivay High School. They lost a pair to Gaither and one to Sumner, bringing their record to 5-3 before heading back to the Keys.

Coral Shores will stay closer to home until next month when it heads to Orlando for another round of tournament action.

Marathon played one match last week, hosting Palmer Trinity School on Sept. 7. The Lady Fins lost in three sets but improved on each, scoring 11, 12 and 23 points against a talented Falcon team.

Coach Kelley Cruz said she likes how her team is beginning to gel. “I think the girls' minds finally clicked that they could compete, that they are in this match,” she said. “We as a team will need to build on our mental game, because we are capable of hanging with every team on our schedule.”

Next up for Marathon will be the Conch Cup in Key West on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 15 and 16, where they will see a variety of competition in tournament play.

One team which will most certainly be across the net from the Dolphins will be the host team, Key West. The Conchs, fresh off their first win of the season against Marathon, headed to the East Coast Challenge at Jensen Beach where they played against Martin County, Episcopal School of Jacksonville, Jensen Beach High and Winter Haven. The Lady Conchs did not pick up another win, but returned to the Southernmost City with a lot of experience gained by playing top-level teams. Key West will now prepare to host the Conch Cup this weekend in Bobby Menendez Gym.

Coral Shores senior Crystal Gutierrez. DOUG FINGER/Keys Weekly

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS MEDICAL SERVICES

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office requests proposals from Florida licensed physicians practicing in Monroe, Dade and Broward County to provide medical service to MCSO employees for a three year contract period.

Required services include:

• Annual physical examinations including EKG and TB test

• Pre-employment physical including EKG,TB Test and 16 Panel Drug test

• Hepatitis B Vaccinations

• Random and for cause drug urinalysis (16 Panel)

• Fitness for duty examinations

• Consultations with Sheriff’s staff as required

• Certification for respirator use in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.134

• Hearing Test (if applicable)

• Stress Test (if applicable)

• Range of Motion Test (if applicable)

• QuantiFeron Test (approval required)

• FAA Physicals

• FAA Drug Test

• Hair Follicle Drug Test

MCSO has approximately 590 employees. Currently 322 are sworn deputy sheriffs and detention deputies; the remainder, are civilian. All new hires receive a physical examination. Only sworn officers receive annual physicals. Last year 310 employees received annual physicals, 76 new hires received physicals including drug urinalysis and 60 random drug tests were administered.

MCSO intends to contract with physicians in Monroe (Lower, Middle, and Upper Keys) Dade and Broward County. Evening and Saturday hours are desirable.

The MCSO reserves the right to take any action that may be necessary or in the best interest of the MCSO; in proposals received; to request additional information, to exercise its discretion and to apply its judgment in all matters pertaining to the proposal. The MCSO further reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, with or without cause, to waive technical errors and informalities or accept proposals, which in its judgment, best serves the MCSO.

For further information contact Executive Director Donna A. Moore at (305) 292-7044. The proposals must be received at the MCSO Human Resources Division – 5525 College Road, Key West, no later than 5:00 pm on Monday, September 25, 2023, and include the following information:

• Name and credentials of physicians

• Certificate of Liability

• State of Florida Department of Health Division of Medical quality Assurance

• Controlled Substance Registration Certificate

• National Provider Identification (NPI) Enumerator

• Location(s) where services are to be performed

• Hours of Operation

• Cost of the aforementioned required services

Proposals received after the deadline noted above will not be accepted. MCSO is not responsible for postal or courier service delays.

MCSO does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual preference, transgender, transsexual, genetics or disability.

Publish:

September 14 & 21, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

LEGAL NOTICES

FICTITIOUS NAME

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of MARK EN GO TRAVEL located at 92550 Overseas Hwy, Suite 202, Tavernier, FL 33070 intends to register said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, Florida.

By: Asian-Euro Enterprises LLC

Publish:

September 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Island Storage, Inc., 10730 4th Avenue, Gulf, Marathon, Florida 33050, will sell or otherwise dispose of the contents of the following units to satisfy delinquent storage liens. The following unit contains commercial kitchen items:

Shamera Simmons

Unit H-13

$700.00

Auction will occur from 8:00AM –5:00PM on Thursday, September 28, 2023 at Island Storage, Inc., 10730 4th Avenue, Gulf, Marathon, FL 33050. The terms of the sale will be cash only. Island Storage, Inc. reserves the right to refuse any bids.

Publish:

September 14 & 21, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Wheatons Towing gives notice that on 09/29/2023 at 10:00 am, the following vehicle(s) may be sold by public sale at 101500 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037 to satisfy the lien for the amount owed on each vehicle for any recovery, towing, or storage services charges and administrative fees allowed pursuant to Florida statute 713.78. Wheatons Towing reserves the right to accept or reject any and/ or all bids.

1GDKP37W6J3500174 1988 GMC

BWCMA169B494 1994 BWC

LEGAL NOTICES

Publish: September 14 & 21, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 2022-CP-222

DIVISION: K IN RE: ESTATE OF DONNA JEAN WINN Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Donna Jean Winn, deceased, whose date of death was January 15, 2022, and whose case number is 2022-CP-222, 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

LEGAL NOTICES

notice is: September 14, 2023.

Personal Representative:

Renetta D. Winn

7841 Cezanne Dr. N. Jacksonville, Florida 32221

Attorney for Personal

Representative:

D. Grant Leggett, Esq. Florida Bar No.: 37611 Leggett Law Offices 301 W. Bay Street, Suite 1405 Jacksonville, FL 32202 Phone: (904) 281-9102

Fax: (904) 281-9119

E-mail: grant@leggettlawoffices. com

Publish:

September 14 & 21, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 23-CP-020-M IN RE: ESTATE OF BETTY NIELSEN, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of BETTY NIELSEN, deceased, whose date of death was December 21, 2022, 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 testate and the date of the decedent’s Will and any codicils are November 11, 2021. 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

Effective September 28, 2023, Michelle D. Bachtel, MD, FACC, will no longer be practicing at the office of Keys Medical Group Cardiology.

Patients may continue to contact the office for an appointment with April Gallagher, APRN. As of September 27, 2023, appointments will also be available with Steven Rowe, MD, FACC. Request an appointment via the patient portal, online at KeysMedicalGroup.com or at 305-294-5727.

Patients may also request a copy of their medical records by contacting Keys Medical Group Cardiology, 1111 12th Street, Suite 210, Key West, FL 33040. Phone: 305-294-5727.

Publish: August 31, September 7, 14 & 21, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

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: September 7, 2023.

Personal Representative:

Erik C. Nielsen 2347 Sombrero Boulevard 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:

September 7 & 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 2023-CP-051-M IN RE: ESTATE OF WILLIAM W. BROWN, JR., Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of William W. Brown, Jr., deceased, whose date of death was June 19, 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 testate and the date of the decedent’s Will and any codicils are December 11, 2015. 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: September 7, 2023.

Personal

IN RE: ESTATE OF ROBIN G. SAUNDERS, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Robin G. Saunders, deceased, whose date of death was April 3, 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 testate and the date of the decedent’s Will and any codicils are April 3, 2023. 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: September 7, 2023.

Personal Representative:

Kenneth W. Saunders

327 Anglers Drive North 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: September 7 & 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 2022-CP-088-M

IN RE: ESTATE OF JOSEPH P. RABITO, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Joseph P. Rabito, deceased, whose date of death was June 27, 2022, 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 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: September 7, 2023.

Personal Representative:

Linda M. Rabito

2913 Sombrero Boulevard

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: September 7 & 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

DIVISION: PROBATE

FILE NO.: 23-CP-000098-P

IN RE: ESTATE OF ALAN ALFRED HANCHER, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of ALAN ALFRED HANCHER, deceased, whose date of death was May 19, 2023, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88820 Overseas Hwy., Tavernier, FL 33070. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate 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 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: September 7, 2023.

Personal Representative:

Jay Park Hancher

20 Hillside Avenue San Rafael, CA 94901

Attorney for Personal Representative:

Anthony A. Velardi, Esq. Florida Bar No. 113917

Key Largo Law 218 Lignumvitae Drive

Key Largo, FL 33037 Tel: (305) 453-5277

Fax: (305) 453-4985

E-Mail: anthony@keylargolaw.com

Publish:

September 7 & 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION

FILE NO.: 21-CP-98-P

DIVISION: UPPER KEYS

(Adversarial Proceeding)

IN RE: ESTATE OF BERTHOLD KEIL

Deceased.

NOTICE OF ACTION

(formal notice by publication)

TO: All persons having or claiming to have any right, title or interest in the assets and estate of BERTHOLD KEIL, deceased YOU ARE NOTIFIED that a Petition to Determine Beneficiaries has been filed in this court. You are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, on petitioner’s attorney, whose name and address are:

Richard E. Warner, Esq., Richard E. Warner P.A., 12221 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050 on or before November 22, 2023, and to file the original of the written defenses with the clerk of this court either before service or immediately thereafter. Failure to serve and file written defenses as required may result in a judgment or order for the relief demanded, without further notice.

Signed on this 24th day of August, 2023.

KEVIN MADOK, CPA, As Clerk of the Court

By: Catie L. Knowles As Deputy Clerk Publish:

August 31 and September 7, 14 & 21, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

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

CASE NO.: 23-DR-646-K

DIANA RESHETKO ROSA Petitioner, and, ABDUSALOM KADIROV Respondent.

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

TO: ABDUSALOM KADIROV RESPONDENT’S LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: UNKNOWN YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for Dissolution of Marriage has been filed against you and that you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on Diana Reshetko Rosa, whose address is 3333 Duck Avenue, Apt. A208, Key West, FL 33040 on or before October 10, 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 30, 2023

Kevin Madok, CPA

Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida

By: Shonta McLeod Deputy Clerk

Publish:

September 7, 14, 21 & 28, 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

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 23-CA-276-P SOUTHSTATE BANK, N.A. f/k/a CENTERSTATE BANK, N.A. f/k/a CENTERSTATE BANK OF FLORIDA, N.A., successor by merger to COMMUNITY BANK OF FLORIDA, INC.

Plaintiff, v. THE UNKNOWN SPOUSE, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, CREDITORS, OR OTHER PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST THOMAS GOODRUM, deceased; and UNKNOWN TENTANTS 1-2, Defendants.

NOTICE OF ACTION

TO: THE UNKNOWN SPOUSE, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, CREDITORS, OR OTHER PARTIES CLAIMING BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST THOMAS GOODRUM, deceased; and UNKNOWN TENTANTS 1-2. YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that an action to foreclosure a mortgage on the following real property in Monroe County, Florida: Lots 23 and 24, Block 4, INDIAN HARBOR, according to the Plat thereof, as recorded in Plat Book 3, at Page(s) 178, of the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida The Real Property or its address is commonly known as 131 Pueblo Street, Tavernier, FL 33070 has been filed against you and you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to LAW OFFICES OF PAUL A. HUMBERT, P.L., Plaintiff’s attorney, 9655 South Dixie Highway, Suite 312, Miami, FL 33156 (phone number: 305-914-7862; email: pa@pahumbertlaw.com), within 30 days of the first publication of this notice, and file the original with the clerk of this court either before service on the plaintiff’s attorney or immediately thereafter; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint or petition. Answer by October 16, 2023.

Dated: August 30, 2023

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

By: Shonta McLeod Deputy Clerk

LEGAL NOTICES

In accordance with the America with Disabilities Act, if you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in court proceedings you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Not later than five working days prior to the proceeding, please contact the Court Administrator’s office, at the Freeman Justice Center, 302 Fleming St, 2nd Floor, Key West, FL 33040. Telephone: 305-292-3423 or via the Florida Relay Center. To make calls through the Florida Relay Center, you may dial 7-1-1 or use the following toll free access numbers: 1-800-955-8771 (TTY); 1-877-955-8260 (VCO); 1-800955-8770 (Voice); 1-800-955-1339 (ASCII); 1-877-955-5334 (STS); 1-877-955-8707 (French Creole –available from 8 a.m. – 2 a.m. daily)

Publish:

September 14 & 21, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

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

CASE NO. 2020-CA-44-K NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 27th day of September, 2023 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit:

COUNT I

Condominium Unit 105, Unit Weeks 36 and 37, of THE BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST, together with an undivided interest in the common elements, according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof, recorded in Official Records Book 872, Page 1654, as amended from time to time, of the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida.

Pursuant to ORDER ON PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO RESET FORECLOSURE SALE DATE ON COUNT(S) I entered in a case pending in said Court, the 23RD day of August 2023

Style of which is: THE BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST CONDOMINIUM AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION Plaintiff

v. WILLIAM STAFFORD Defendant

And the Docket Number of which is 2020-CA-44-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 24TH day of August 2023.

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

By: Shonta McLeod

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

Publish:

September 7 & 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

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

CASE NO. 2020-CA-44-K NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 27th day of September, 2023 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit: COUNT II

An undivided 1/260th interest as a tenant in common with other owners in the Resort Facility (1 Time Share Interest), according to the Time-Sharing Plan thereof, recorded in the Official Records

Book 942, Page 653, of the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida (Plan). Together with the right to occupy, pursuant to the Plan, Unit 405, during Unit Week 35.

Pursuant to ORDER ON PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO RESET FORECLOSURE SALE DATE ON COUNT(S) II entered in a case pending in said Court, the 23RD day of August 2023

Style of which is: THE BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST CONDOMINIUM AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION

Plaintiff v. WILLIAM STAFFORD Defendant

And the Docket Number of which is 2020-CA-44-K

WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 24TH day of August 2023.

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

By: Shonta McLeod

Deputy Clerk

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

Publish: September 7 & 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

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

CASE NO. 2020-CA-44-K

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 27th day of September, 2023 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit:

COUNT III

An undivided 1/416th interest as a tenant in common with other owners in the Resort Facility (1 Time Share Interest), according to the Time-Sharing Plan thereof, recorded in Official Records Book 988, Pages 1510 through 1580, of the Public records of Monroe County, Florida (Plan). Together with the right to occupy, pursuant to the Plan, Unit 503, during Unit Week 35.

Pursuant to ORDER ON PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO RESET FORECLOSURE SALE DATE ON COUNT(S) III entered in a case pending in said Court, the 23RD day of August 2023

Style of which is:

THE BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST CONDOMINIUM AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION

v.

IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY CASE NO. 2020-CA-44-K NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 27th day of September, 2023 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit: COUNT IV Unit 38 in Condominium Parcel Number 105, of the BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST CONDOMINIUM, together with an undivided interest in the common elements appurtenant thereto, according the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Record Book 872 at page 1654 Public Records of Monroe County, FL, together with any amendments thereto.

Pursuant to ORDER ON PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO RESET FORECLOSURE SALE DATE ON COUNT(S) IV entered in a case pending in said Court, the 23RD day of August 2023 Style of which is:

THE BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST CONDOMINIUM AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION

Plaintiff v. WILLIAM STAFFORD

Defendant

And the Docket Number of which is 2020-CA-44-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 24TH day of August 2023.

KEVIN MADOK, CPA

Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida

By: Shonta McLeod

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

Publish:

September 7 & 14, 2023

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

CASE NO. 2020-CA-44-K

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 27th day of September, 2023 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit:

COUNT VI

Plaintiff

WILLIAM STAFFORD

Defendant

And the Docket Number of which is 2020-CA-44-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 24TH day of August 2023.

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

By: Shonta McLeod

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

Publish:

September 7 & 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

An undivided 1/416th interest as a tenant in common with other owners in the Resort Facility (1 Time Share Interest), according to the Time-Sharing Plan thereof, recorded in Official Records Book 988, pages 1510 through 1580, of the Public records of Monroe County, Florida (Plan). Together with the right to occupy, pursuant to the Plan, Unit 502, during Unit Week 18.

Pursuant to ORDER ON PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO RESET FORECLOSURE SALE DATE ON COUNT(S) VI entered in a case pending in said Court, the 23RD day of August 2023

Style of which is:

THE BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST CONDOMINIUM AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION Plaintiff

v. JACK A. JENSEN & RUTH L. JENSEN Defendant And the Docket Number of which is 2020-CA-44-K

WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 24TH day of

LEGAL NOTICES

August 2023.

KEVIN MADOK, CPA

Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida

By: Shonta McLeod

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

Publish:

September 7 & 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

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

CASE NO. 2020-CA-44-K

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 27th day of September, 2023 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit:

COUNT VII

Unit Week(s) No(s). 19 in Condominium Parcel Number

103 of the BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST CONDOMINIUM, according the Declaration of Condominium thereof, as recorded in Official Records Book 872 at Page 1654 in the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all amendments thereto, if any.

Pursuant to ORDER ON PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO RESET FORECLOSURE SALE DATE ON COUNT(S) VII entered in a case pending in said Court, the 23RD day of August 2023

Style of which is:

THE BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST CONDOMINIUM AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION

Plaintiff

v. JACK A. JENSEN & RUTH L. JENSEN

Defendant

And the Docket Number of which is 2020-CA-44-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 24TH day of August 2023.

KEVIN MADOK, CPA

Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida

By: Shonta McLeod

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

Publish:

September 7 & 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

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

CASE NO. 2020-CA-44-K

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 27th day of September, 2023 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit:

COUNT XI

Condominium Unit 504, During Unit Week 38, of BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST CONDOMINIUM, together with an undivided interest in common elements, according to the Declaration thereof, as recorded in Official Record Book 988 at Page 1580, as amended from time to time, of Public Records of Monroe County, Florida.

Pursuant to ORDER ON PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO RESET

FORECLOSURE SALE DATE ON COUNT(S) XI entered in a case pending in said Court, the 23RD day of August 2023 Style of which is: THE BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST CONDOMINIUM AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION

Plaintiff

v. BARBARA D. COMPSON & MARY I. LAY

Defendant

And the Docket Number of which is 2020-CA-44-K

WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 24TH day of August 2023.

KEVIN MADOK, CPA

Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida

By: Shonta McLeod

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

Publish:

September 7 & 14, 2023

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

CASE NO. 2020-CA-44-K

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 27th day of September, 2023 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit:

COUNT XII

An undivided 1/416th interest as a tenant in common with other owners in the Resort Facility (1 Time Share Interest), according to the Time-Sharing Plan thereof, recorded in Official Records Book 988, pages 1510 through 1580 of the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida (Plan). Together with the right to occupy, pursuant to the Plan, Unit 504, during Unit Week 39.

Pursuant to ORDER ON PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO RESET FORECLOSURE SALE DATE ON COUNT(S) XII entered in a case pending in said Court, the 23RD day of August 2023

Style of which is: THE BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST CONDOMINIUM AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION

Plaintiff

v. BARBARA D. COMPSON & MARY

I. LAY

Defendant

And the Docket Number of which is 2020-CA-44-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 24TH day of August 2023.

KEVIN MADOK, CPA

Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida

By: Shonta McLeod

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

Publish:

September 7 & 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT

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

COUNT XIII

An undivided 1/416th interest as a tenant in common with other owners in the Resort Facility (1 Time Share Interest), according to the Time-Sharing Plan thereof, recorded in Official Records Book 1003, pages 1806 through 1877 of the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida (Plan). Together with the right to occupy, pursuant to the Plan, Unit 605, during Unit Week 37.

Pursuant to ORDER ON

PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO RESET FORECLOSURE SALE DATE ON COUNT(S) XIII entered in a case pending in said Court, the 23RD day of August 2023

Style of which is: THE BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST CONDOMINIUM AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION

Plaintiff

v. BARBARA D. COMPSON & MARY

I. LAY Defendant

And the Docket Number of which is 2020-CA-44-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 24TH day of August 2023.

KEVIN MADOK, CPA

Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida

By: Shonta McLeod

Deputy Clerk

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

Publish: September 7 & 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY CASE NO. 2020-CA-44-K

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 27th day of September, 2023 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit:

COUNT XIV

An undivided 1/260th interest as a tenant in common with other owners in the Resort Facility (1 Time Share Interest), according to the Time-Sharing Plan thereof, recorded in the Official Records Book 942, Page 653 through 723, of the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida (Plan). Together with the right to occupy, pursuant

to Plan, Unit 401, during Unit Week 21.

Pursuant to ORDER ON PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO RESET FORECLOSURE SALE DATE ON COUNT(S) XIV entered in a case pending in said Court, the 23RD day of August 2023

Style of which is:

THE BANYAN TREE OF KEY WEST CONDOMINIUM AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION

Plaintiff v. JOAN C. MANTAS & NICOLAS T. MANTAS

Defendant

And the Docket Number of which is 2020-CA-44-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 24TH day of August 2023.

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

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

Publish:

September 7 & 14, 2023

The Weekly Newspapers

AUTOS WANTED

AUTOS ALL YEARS!

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

EMPLOYMENT

Night LPN needed. 1-2 nights per week, 8:30pm-5:30am. Private Pay. Marathon area. 631-831-0879

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

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, 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 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.

The Cabana Club, an ocean front private swim club is seeking a CustomerService Oriented Server for the pool deck, beach and/ or bar lounge. Open year round, 10am-7pm daily. Small friendly staff. Above average hourly wage plus tips. Apply in person at 425 E. Ocean Dr. Key Colony Beach or call 404-2193359 and ask for Dave.

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

HOBBIES/COLLECT.

PRIVATE COLLECTOR

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

Large One Bedroom Suite, Conch House, carpet, tile, appliances, fully furnished in Marathon. $2,000/month includes electric, water, sewer, cable, internet. No Pets. 305-610-8002

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

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

YARD SALES

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

MONROE COUNTY ROADS DEPT.

40 hpw with Bene ts Training and promotional opportunities for career growth are encouraged within our department.

ROAD TECHNICIAN 2: $42,198.38 - $65,407.50

Valid Florida Driver’s License required

ROAD TECHNICIAN 3: $46,523.721 - $72,111.77

CDL B License required

HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATOR

$51,292.40 - $79,503.23

CDL A License required

Veteran’s Preference Available; E.O.E.

The primary function of these positions is to perform work repairing and maintaining county roads, bridges, and rights-of-way.

To view job descriptions and apply, visit: WWW.MONROECOUNTY-FL.GOV/JOBS

For questions, contact Human Resources at: Careers@MonroeCounty-FL.gov or 305.292.4554

COURT

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok,

FT administrative, salaried position. Responsible for oversight of adult day training programs, client transportation coordination and facility maintenance. Bachelor’s degree required and 2 years’ experience in eld required. Computer skills: moderate to advanced. FL driver’s license with clean driving record. Pre-employment training online and in person. Ability to pass a Level II background screening and references. EOE. Apply at 1401 Seminary St., Key West, FL or online at www.marchouse.org. For more information, please contact hr@marchouse.org Phone: 305-294-9526 *32 FAX 305-292-0078

MARC, 1401 Seminar y St, Key West, FL www.marchouse.org Come join our family! EOE

NOW HIRING IN ISLAMORADA

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

Full-time, split-shift, In-Home Support Coach/Trainer to provide companionship and assist clients with training/ support. HSD/GED & 1 yr. exp in a related field. 1 year of college can substitute for experience. Must be able to use a tablet for documentation purposes. The shift for this job is split shift 7-9 AM then 3-9 PM. We can be flexible. English language, speaking and writing, proficiency is a must.

FL driver’s license w/good driving record, references and background screening required. This is a rewarding position for the right person. Apply at 1401 Seminary St., Key West or online at www.marchouse.org. For more information, please contact hr@marchouse.org, phone: 305.294.9526 *32 , fax 305.292.0078

1401 Seminar y St, Key West, www.marchouse.org

Come join our family! EOE

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.

IS HIRING

IN THE UPPER KEYS

FULL TIME PROJECT MANAGER EXPERIENCED

TRIM CARPENTER

Send resume to: admin@cbtconstruction.com

Or call: 305-852-3002

FT administrative, salaried position. Responsible for operations of Group Homes in accordance with State and Fed rules and regulations. Oversight of sta and clients. Bachelor’s degree and Florida DL w/clean driving record req. At least 2 yrs of mgmt and admin experience req, and direct or comparable experience w/same or similar population preferred. Computer skills: moderate to advanced. Pre-employment training online and in person. Ability to pass a Level II background screening and references. EOE. Apply at 1401 Seminary St., Key West, FL or online at www.marchouse.org.

For more information, please contact hr@marchouse.org Phone: 305.294.9526 *32 FAX 305.292.0078

MARC, 1401 Seminar y St, Key West, FL www.marchouse.org Come join our family! EOE

NOW HIRING DIVE INSTRUCTOR

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

DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM OPERATOR

LOCATION: MARATHON

The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority is looking for a Distribution System Operator to perform semi-skilled work, involving the repair and maintenance of FKAA water distribution and transmission systems. We provide on the job training for qualified applicants. Requires a High School, Diploma or GED and valid Florida Driver’s License. Salary: $48,909.19 Excellent benefits and opportunities for advancement.

Apply online at www. aa.com/employment EEO, VPE, ADA, DFW

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR A

LOCATION: CUDJOE KEY

The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority’s WASTEWATER DIVISION is looking for a WWTP Operator with a Florida “A” license. You will perform skilled/technical work involving the operation and maintenance of a wastewater treatment plant. This requires technical knowledge and independent judgment to make treatment process adjustments and perform maintenance on plant equipment, machinery, and related control apparatus in accordance with established standards and procedures. Annual salary $90,000. Benefit package is extremely competitive!

Apply online at www. aa.com/employment EEO, VPE, ADA, DFW

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.

MARATHON GARBAGE SERVICE

We are now hiring for the following positions:

Diesel Mechanic Truck Helpers

CDL Drivers Applicants must apply in person to be considered.

4290 Overseas Hwy, Marathon

THE GUIDANCE/CARE CENTER, Inc.

IS

HIRING!

GCC offers excellent benefits for full-time employment, but we realize some would prefer part-time to enjoy the Florida Keys lifestyle more. All positions can be considered for full or part-time unless notated. Apply at westcare.com and enter your availability.

KEY 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

Volunteer Resources

Administrative Assistant (Full-Time, Permanent)

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

Human Resources Assistant (Part-Time, Permanent)

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

Accounting Director (Full-Time, Permanent)

Facilities Maintenance Apprentice (Full-Time, Permanent)

Trainer (Full-Time, Permanent)

Education Program Host (Full-Time, Permanent)

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

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

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

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER

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

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

DOLPHIN