NOTHING SAYS HIGH SCHOOL LIKE HOMECOMING MEET KEY WEST HIGH SCHOOL’S CONCH ROYALTY | P. 9
HOSPITAL TAKES HEAT CITY OFFICIAL QUESTIONS $31M PROFIT DESPITE SHORTAGE OF SERVICES | P. 8
THROUGH OCT. 16 AT AQUA NIGHTCLUB: 6P - 7:30P
Donations & tickets
DONALD WELLS
Tuesday 9/26
Fashion for Paws
6pm @ The Shops of Mallory Square.
Kirby’s Closet will be styling models walking with their dogs
SHAWN MONTGOMERY
Sunday 10/1
Drag Queen Bingo 5pm @ 22&Co 504 Angela Street
BEN HENNINGTON
Saturday 9/23
Royal Pets of Fantasy Fest, 6-9pm @ Hank's Hair of the Dog Saloon 409 Caroline St, $10 entrance fee includes 1 drink ticket and $5 vote for your favorite furry friend.
Thursday 9/28 Vibrator Races, 6pm @ Mary Ellen's Bar, 420 Appelrouth St. Purchase Tickets at maryellensbar.com
Donations & tickets
TANGELA TORRES
Saturday 9/23
Hot Havana Nights
5-9pm @ The Gardens Hotel
526 Angela St, $25 entrance fee
Sunday 9/24
Tea Dance
4-6:30pm @ La Te Da
1125 Duval S
Sunday 9/24
Drag Queen Bingo
5pm @ 22&Co, 504 Angela Str
VICKY ROWDEN
Saturday 9/23
Adopt an Inmate (Jail and Bail)
2-6pm @ 801 Bourbon Bar, 801 Duval St
Thursday 9/28
Paint and Chug w/ Lance Berry
6-9pm @ 24 North Hotel, 3820 N. Roosevelt Blvd
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That’s the number of people in the United States participating in fantasy football, making it the most-played U.S. fantasy sport by a significant margin, according to statista.com.
KEY WEST OFFICIALS GIVE INFORMAL APPROVAL TO AMERICAN CRUISE LINES
MANDY MILES
mandy@keysweekly.com
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into city commission meetings…
The term “cruise ship” appears again on an agenda.
That’s right. One of Key West’s most enduring and amplified arguments over cruise ships — their size and impact, both economic and environmental — threatened on Sept. 14 once again to pack city hall with people on both sides of the ship spectrum.
But then something astonishing happened. The mayor, commissioners, city attorney and representatives from the Key West Committee for Safer Cleaner Ships, which led the charge against cruise ships, agreed that a small ship, operated by American Cruise Lines, should be welcome to dock at Mallory Square.
Charlie Robertson, CEO of the Connecticut-based American Cruise Lines, addressed the commission during a presentation that included no formal vote, but met with enthusiasm from lawmakers.
American Cruise Lines Inc. bills itself as a “boutique cruise company” that operates 17 small, U.S.-flagged cruise ships along the Eastern Seaboard and Western Seaboard as well as along the Mississippi River. The company’s fleet visits 35 states and it wants to bring one of its 241-foot-long ships to Key West’s Mallory dock for a total of 25 visits between December 2023 and December 2024.
said, adding that the company also has much shorter runs between ports of call, which enables the company to stay longer in each place and offer more in-depth experiences to its customers, most of whom are retired.
Once finalized, the Key West visit would include options such as:
– Truman’s VIP White Glove Experience at the Little White House.
– Hemingway Rum Distillery and Rodriguez Cigar Rolling Experience.
– Key West Literary Seminar Walking Tour.
– Unity Table Culinary Experience at Williams Hall.
– Dry Tortugas by Seaplane (possible half day excursion, pending overnight docking approval)
– Key West Ghost Tour at Fort East Martello (pending overnight docking approval).
“Our clients are going to be the ones down on Duval Street all night,” Robertson said. “They’re a more mature clientele, mostly retired and with the means to enjoy one of our cruises.”
ACL’s cruise prices are all-inclusive of alcohol, meals and many excursions.
The ship carries 109 guests and 50 crew, Robertson said, also hoping for formal permission to stay in port overnight for a total of 34 hours.
Robertson acknowledged the city’s rule against ships blocking the sunset view at Mallory Square, but added that because ACL’s ships are all U.S.-flagged, there is no immigration or customs requirements whenever it leaves the dock, meaning the ship will easily pull away from the dock at Mallory for about an hour during sunset and thus won’t affect the view or the nightly Sunset Celebration.
With the mayor and commissions offering informal support for ACL’s proposal, Mayor Teri Johnston asked Arlo Haskell, treasurer of Safer Cleaner Ships, to offer his group’s opinion.
Members of
“We have never come to Key West before because it’s been dominated by the large-ship market,” Robertson told the commission. “When this body passed its cruise ship resolutions for Key West, we saw an opportunity for more boutique products like ours.”
Because ACL’s ships don’t venture beyond the United States, “our ships can be smaller without the need for oceangoing capability,” Robertson
Commissioner Sam Kaufman also encouraged Robertson to meet with the city’s charter fishing boats, as the longer port of call would enable cruise ship passengers ample time to book a half- or full-day fishing charter.
The charter boats have never typically benefited from cruise ships, because they’re not here long enough, but this sounds like an opportunity to offer that experience, Kaufman said. And Robertson agreed.
A seven-night cruise that would include Key West costs about $5,000 per person, Robertson said, adding that
“The city’s one-ship policy that allows just one ship per day defines cruise ships at a much larger threshold than ACL’s ships,” Haskell said. “These ships are smaller than what anyone in Key West thinks of a cruise ship.”
He added that ACL ships are a quarter of the length and a quarter of the height of typical ships, which have 30 times more passenger and crew capacity..
“And most importantly, for our environmental impact concerns, these ships have a 7-foot draft, which is again a quarter of what we see with the larger ships at Pier B that have a 25- to 28-foot draft. So essentially, we have no objections to ACL’s proposal,” Haskell said.
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Lower Keys Medical Center, Key West’s hospital on College Road, last year sent a profit of $31 million home to Brentwood, Tennessee, where its corporate owner, Community Health Systems, is located.
The profit was surely good news for CHS, but not so much for the Key West community, Key West City Commissioner Sam Kaufman said at the Sept. 14 meeting, where officials had asked hospital CEO David Clay to provide an update on the hospital.
“I’m looking at the 2022 audit report and it raises a lot of concerns for me, a lot of concerns,” Kaufman said after Clay’s presentation. “We have a deficit of physicians. We don’t have a cancer center. We don’t have a first-class cardiac care center. … And there doesn’t seem to be a plan to rectify this. But what I do see is $31 million in profit for 2022; $31 million going from our hospital to Brentwood, Tennessee. And that’s great. You’re doing a great job — for Community Health Systems.”
It’s been seven years since Lower Keys residents and officials demanded improvements from the 167-bed Lower Keys Medical Center.
Then-hospital CEO Nicki Will was replaced in the interim by CHS executive Steve Pennington, who permanently appointed Clay as CEO in 2016.
Clay and his family relocated to Key West, bought a home here and inherited a wealth of complaints and shortcomings at Lower Keys Medical Center. Keys residents often were charged $50,000+ for helicopter flights to mainland hospitals aboard a for-profit company called LifeNet, when a flight by county-operated medical helicopter Trauma Star would have been free for residents.
There were dire complaints about the level of care, questionable billing practices and aggressive collections tactics. The hospital was rated a 1-star facility by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Today, Lower Keys Medical Center is a 4-star hospital, Clay told the city commission during his report and before Kaufman began his criticism.
City officials had asked Clay for the update given mounting concerns in the community about Genesis Cancer Center closing due to bankruptcy, and doctors leaving or switching to concierge-based care.
Clay detailed the progress that has been made since 2016.
Lower Keys Medical Center, on College Road, is owned by Community Health Systems, which is based in Tennessee. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly
In addition to the four-star rating, the hospital recruited additional specialists, including a pulmonologist, orthopedist, a gastroenterologist, an ob/gyn, an outpatient surgery center and a women’s imaging center for mammography and other services.
Clay acknowledged the staffing challenges that the health care industry faces nationwide, particularly since the COVID pandemic.
“Commissioner Kaufman, I appreciate your comments and with regard to the cardiac and cancer centers, I’m already talking with our upstream partners to make that happen. But the care is better and we’re going to continue to get better. I stand by my comments and the numbers speak for themselves.”
Clay was referring to metrics such as patient care outcomes, patient surveys and the increase from a one- to a four-star rating.
But Kaufman pushed back on the number of $31 million.
“Let’s be real,” Kaufman said. “The lack of confidence in our hospital is destabilizing for our community. Our community needs better. We need Brentwood, Tennessee to put a chunk of that $31 million back into Key West and into a cancer center here. Let’s get this done.”
Commissioner Lissette Cuervo Carey also raised concerns about the lack of psychiatric beds for adolescents in Key West.
“When a kid gets Baker Acted, they get sent to Miami,” she said, referring to the use of crisis services for individuals with mental illness.
Commissioner Billy Wardlow acknowledged the improvements that Clay has made and the challenges he continues to face in the industry, but also raised concerns about retention and recruitment of nurses.
Commissioner Clayton Lopez also pointed out the improvements, but also said that the retirement, departure and overall aging of local physicians couldn’t have come as a surprise to hospital administrators.
Clay promised to keep the commission updated on his continuing efforts.
The Key West community joined developers and local dignitaries to celebrate the groundbreaking for a long-anticipated affordable-housing project.
The partnership between the city of Key West, The Vestcor Companies, and AH Monroe will provide 98 affordable rental units and a number of affordable home ownership units in the heart of Bahama Village, states a press release from the city.
“The groundbreaking for The Lofts of Bahama Village housing development culminated a very productive week for the city of Key West,” Mayor Teri Johnston said. “Thanks to the perseverance of many, this public private/partnership is moving forward to provide dignified housing for our community in the next 18 months.”
The project has been called “the 3.2” over the past couple of years because of the acreage on which it is located. The Lofts will be built on the final 3.2 undeveloped acres to finish the plans for the Truman Waterfront, culminating years of work after the Navy transferred ownership of the land to the city. —
Meet Key West High School’s 2023 homecoming court — Daniella Barroso, Monaya Carey, Detra Dor, Yani Nodal and Siena Wardlow.
In keeping with the Conch tradition, the senior class nominates five of its own to the court.
The women are chosen based on their academics and extracurricular activities and service to the school and community.
All five members of this year’s court are leaders, all serving on the class’ executive board. Several of the girls also were elected to the schoolwide student council.
They’re also drum majors and weightlifters, cheer captains, Conchettes and quartermasters in the marching band. And they’re leaders of service clubs too numerous to name.
“I think the differences among us reflects well on the school,” Daniella Barroso said.
“And look, some of us aren’t the typical-looking homecoming queen,” Detra Dor said. “I think that says a lot about us and the Class of 2024.”
Now that the senior class has narrowed the field of candidates to five, the whole school will vote on Oct. 25 to elect its homecoming queen. The winner will be announced during halftime at the Oct. 27 home football game, the last of the season. The women will be escorted onto the field by their fathers, or father figures. After the crowning, they’ll leave with their date.
“We don’t have a homecoming king,” the girls said.
But first comes the parade on Oct. 23.
Topping off the week that’s synonymous with high school, the homecoming dance happens Oct. 28.
And while the homecoming cel ebration is a 73-year tradition at Key West High School, it’s also a family tradition for many multigenerational Conch families.
Detra Dor is following in her grandmother’s footsteps — exactly 50 years later.
Fisher was on the 1973 homecom ing court.
“She was first runner-up,” Detra “DeDe” Dor said proudly, while Fisher recalled the dress her aunt, Georgiana Edwards, made for her, based on a design created by her classmate, Arnet Hayes.
“So much has changed since then, so much,” Fisher said, looking back at the high school from the trademark conch shell out front that towered above her. “But some things are still the same. We still have the senior class pick the homecoming court and the whole school vote for the queen. But we didn’t have a parade back in my day. It was just the football game and the dance.
“But I’m so proud of Detra; she’s an amazing young woman.”
Tuesday, Oct. 10
• 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.
Oct. 20-29
• Fantasy Fest 2023, with the theme, “Uniforms & Unicorns — 200 Years of Sailing into Fantasy” takes place all over Key West. Visit fantasyfest.com for a full schedule and information.
Sunday, Oct. 22
• Key West’s annual Zombie Bike Ride pedals the island along the Atlantic Ocean. Events in ‘Zombieland’ at Fort East Martello, 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd., start at 2 p.m.
November 15-19
• Tropic Cinema presents the Key West Film Festival. Tickets and packages are available at kwfilmfest. com.
Staff from your Monroe County Public Library recommend some of their favorites from the collection.
What: “Swamp Story” by Dave Barry
Decorate your digs to win big. The Key West Chamber of Commerce Fantasy Façades competition offers uniquely decorated Key West homes and businesses the opportunity to compete for cash prizes and glory. Think ghoulishly magical, Conch Republic and this year’s Fantasy Fest theme of “Uniforms & Unicorns — 200 Years of Sailing into Fantasy.” The final day to enter homes and businesses is Oct. 16. Judging takes place Monday, Oct. 23, with winners to be announced Oct. 24.
And, beginning on Oct. 24, this year for the first time, the public is invited to select a “Community Favorite” by casting a vote. Community voting will be open from Oct. 24-29, with the decorated digs that garner the most votes scoring a special gift package of treats and services from Key West Chamber of Commerce members.
Entry forms for the Fantasy Façades competition are available at fantasyfest.com. Download the new Fantasy Fest mobile app to view an interactive GPS map of all the entries, a complete festival schedule and more.
Why: Like his erstwhile Miami Herald colleague Carl Hiaasen, Dave Barry doesn’t have to reach too far into the fictional realm for ridiculous, hilarious scenarios in South Florida crime and capers. His latest, “Swamp Story,” takes on reality TV, social media frenzies, over-thetop children’s birthday parties and climate-obsessed national newspaper reporters as well as the requisite bumbling bad guys – and makes it work. It feels like something of a sequel to “Big Trouble,” his 1999 fiction debut that was the basis for a charming movie with Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Stanley Tucci, Dennis Farina and a young Zoey Deschanel. It’s not the same cast of characters, but it has the same sensibility of a couple of sane people coping with South Florida absurdity dialed up to 11. If you liked that, or you’re digging the current Peacock TV show “Killing It,” you will love this. And if you like audiobooks, Barry reads it himself and even though he’s not a professional voice actor, it’s perfect.
Where: This is available in regular and large print, audiobook on CD, e-book and e-audiobook from the Monroe County Library system.
How: You can request books online by logging in to keyslibraries. org and get e-books and e-audiobooks 24/7 at estuff.keyslibraries. org. If you don’t have a card, you can visit your local branch or register online to get one. Questions? info@ keyslibraries.org
Recommended by: Nancy Klingener, community affairs manager
There’s a piece of the Overseas Highway in Key Largo where traffic can slow to a standstill for only one reason: “Bikini Beach.”
That’s local slang for the roadside sandbar next to heavily traveled U.S. 1 at MM 109, where the view of people partying on boats – often in bikinis and swim trunks – distracts many drivers.
Monroe County Commissioners are in the process of choosing a new coverup for Bikini Beach.
In February 2022, they asked the Florida Department of Transportation for a visual covering along the milelong stretch of U.S. 1 to cut down on the congestion that Sheriff Rick Ramsay said is a threat to public safety.
FDOT put up a fabric screen along the existing fence at MM 109 with mixed reviews from locals. The county maintains the screen.
The Florida Department of Transportation and Monroe County are discussing plans to install landscaping to prevent distracted drivers and traffic slowdowns on the Overseas Highway, from MM 108 to MM 112. FDOT/Contributed
The SOS Foundation recently announced a new chapter for the organization that tackles hunger and food shortages by operating a Keyswide network of food banks.
Morgan Tracey will take over as executive director, a role previously held by Tom Callahan and Emily Nixon. As Nixon departs to explore new opportunities, the foundation salutes her for a decade of commitment to the community, states a press release.
Tracey lives with her fiancé (a Key West firefighter) in Key West. Born in Champion, Ohio, and a graduate of Mercyhurst College, Tracey began a career in public service with the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC). While enrolled, she built homes in Blythe, California, promoted fire safety with the U.S. Forest Service and helped people with tax preparation.
After her time with
AmeriCorps, she served as a wildland and senior firefighter, earning her a spot on the Eldorado Interagency Hotshot Crew, where her contributions didn’t go unnoticed. In 2012, she was named one of only 12 White House National Service Champions of Change.
Tracey then pivoted her focus toward law and elite athletics. As a Team USA skeleton athlete (a form of bobsledding done headfirst), she competed on the international stage. Simultaneously, she was part of GE Capital’s Olympic athlete career training program, where she practiced law upon passing the bar exam.
Most recently, she led team operations for USA Bobsled at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center, preparing the team for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China and other international competitions.
— Contributed
Now, FDOT is designing a 4.5-mile landscaping project from MM 108 to MM 112, which will fit the “Bikini Beach” section of U.S. 1.
The state agency wants Monroe leaders to consider taking up the responsibility of maintaining the new greenery, “since many of the plant species that could be utilized for a visual barrier will overgrow the narrow shoulder area and require maintenance,” according to a county staff agenda item report.
FDOT provided two illustrations predicting what the landscape barrier would look like either way. In the futuristic drawing where Monroe County tackles the maintenance, there are palm trees, while FDOT’s is a uniform tree line.
Also on the thick agenda is a proposed resolution for the county commission to declare its opposition to a proposal for Florida to consolidate Monroe’s 16th judicial circuit court system with Miami-Dade’s 11th judicial circuit. The Judicial Circuit Assessment Committee was formed July 14 and charged with evaluating the strengths of consolidating Florida’s judicial circuit courts within District Courts of Appeal boundaries.
After a series of planned public hearings, the committee is set to deliver findings and recommendations to the Legislature by Dec. 1.
The county commission can’t do anything to stop the courts being
combined, but the resolution would send a message to lawmakers and let residents know where their elected leaders stand on the issue.
“We’re just coming out loudly to support the judicial system and our residents,” said County Commissioner Michelle Lincoln, of Marathon. “This is not going to be good for anyone in Monroe County.”
The county commission was scheduled to meet from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20 at the Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo, with a budget hearing set for the evening with a start time of 5:05 p.m.
Keys residents have been granted time to speak to the commission about Key Largo neighborhood flooding issues. Sandy Milhiser and David Hughes are set to talk about the Twin Lakes/ Sands Neighborhood sustainability projects. Richard Ward wants to talk about flooding on Michael Drive.
Special Forces Green Berets. Army Rangers. Navy SEALs. Air Force Special Operations. Marine Special Operations.
They’re the military’s elite (badass) special operations units — the ones they make movies about — whose training, qualifications and missions make us glad they’re on our side.
They all spent part of their excruciating maritime training in and around Key West, at the U.S. Army’s Special Warfare Center and School on Fleming Key.
But did you ever wonder, who’s the best? Are Navy SEALS better combat divers than the Army’s Special Forces Green Berets? Are Marine Special Operations soldiers better than the Army Rangers? Find out next week.
The inaugural U.S. Army Special Operations Command Best Combat Diver Competition will take place in Key West Sept. 25-27, hosted by the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.
The competition determines the best two-man “dive buddy” team while promoting the Army Special Operations Forces core attributes of integrity, courage, perseverance, personal responsibility, professionalism, adaptability, team player and capability, according to a military press release.
“The competition tests academic rigor, physical toughness, mental agility and adaptability while planning for and executing high-risk waterborne operations,” said Maj. Brandon Schwartz, Special Forces Underwater Operations commander. “Competitors from Special Forces Green Berets, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, Air Force Special Operations, and Marine Special Operations will compete in 10 events, putting their advanced-skill capabilities to the test.”
The Special Forces Underwater Operations School is the premier institution in generating the expert special operator in underwater and maritime operations, the release states, adding that, “Combat dive operations reflect one of many advanced capabilities of the special operator in integrated deterrence.”
Florida Keys residents aren’t holding back their opinions over a potential consolidation of Monroe County’s court system with a larger neighboring county.
In June, Florida House Speaker Paul Renner tasked the state Supreme Court with analyzing a consolidation of the 20 judicial circuits. In his letter to Chief Justice Carlos G. Muniz, Renner said the courts have gone unchanged for decades despite significant population and demographic shifts over that time. Renner’s letter alluded to the size of certain judicial courts, specifically the 2.7 million people within the 11th Circuit, which encompasses MiamiDade, and the fewer than 100,000 people in Monroe County within the 16th Circuit.
A 14-person judicial assessment committee made up of judges, attorneys and a court clerk has until Dec. 1 to submit a final recommendation report. The committee’s representatives span from the Fourth Circuit in Duval County, the Sixth Circuit in Pinellas County to the 11th Circuit in MiamiDade County. There’s no representative from the 16th Circuit, however.
In August, a public survey released by the committee resulted in a total of 2,087 responses throughout the state. Of the respondents, 1,490, or 71%, came from Monroe County residents, many who believe a consolidation could pose a severe detriment to the marine and wildlife cases which could fall to the wayside.
Bay County was the next closest in public surveys sent, with a total of 200.
The large number of responses from Monroe County caught the attention of committee member Lile Laird, a Naples-based attorney, during a Sept. 15 virtual committee meeting. He asked the data presenter, Dustin Metz of the state courts administrator office, whether the flood of surveys from the Keys affected data integrity with only 29% of respondents from other areas of the state.
“It’s an anomaly there,” Lile said.
A majority of residents responding to the survey believed the judicial circuit courts appropriately expedited cases with judges issuing appropriate
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“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
You’d think the aging process stops once your face is cast in bronze and installed as a sculpture. The mustachioed Henry Flagler would stand forever dignified in front of the Key West Ferry Terminal. The larger-than-life Forgotten Soldier at Bayview Park, a salute to Key West’s Black Civil War soldiers, would never retire his Union uniform.
But time had taken its toll and tarnished Key West’s tributes to some of its earliest influencers. Sandy Cornish, Charley Toppino, Flagler, Stephen Mallory and the 35 others whose bronze busts sit atop pedestals in the Historic Memorial Sculpture Garden at Mallory Square were in desperate need of a little TLC.
The bronze had started to decay in some places. Faces became pitted and blemished by patches of green patina. The men in bronze continued to age — and not entirely gracefully.
Enter Davis Restoration, the familyowned conservation business that consists of Gerri Davis Bray, her husband Burt Bray and Gerri’s son, Alex.
The team spent the past week reviving scores of statues and sculptures — from the busts in the sculpture garden, affectionately known as the “Pez Garden,” and the military memorials at Bayview Park, to the Historic Seaport and the Key West Aquarium.
The sculptures and plaques that honor the island’s historical figures had been plagued by the island’s salt air, humidity, relentless sun and indiscreet birds.
“Key West’s climate is way worse for the bronze than in most other places,” Gerri said while working on the Forgotten Soldier at Bayview Park. Her late first husband, Andy Davis, was an artist and sculptor who taught Gerri and Alex how to preserve and maintain his works and those of others. Andy Davis died in a car accident years ago, killed by a drunk driver. The family conservation business continued, and when Gerri married Burt Bray, he joined the team as well.
Davis Restoration started in Atlanta, but is now based in St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, where the Brays live.
“But we go all over the Southeast conserving statues and sculptures,” Gerri said. “People and cities and businesses spend so much money on lawns and park maintenance and other things, which are certainly necessary, but they don’t always think about conserving and cleaning their sculptures. These are valuable pieces of art that really define and reflect the history and nature of a place. It says a lot about a place that invests in this sort of improvements and maintenance.”
Plus, Burt Bray said, “Many people and city leaders don’t realize how much attention and free advertising their sculptures receive due to the photos people take with them and post on social media.”
Every landmark and statue becomes an Instagram location, easily tagged and identified. Consider, for example, the lines of people waiting to photograph themselves at the Southernmost Point each day. And the majority of them move from the buoy to the Bishop Kee statue for their next photo. The same happens with Henry Flagler, the fountain at the aquarium and the military memorials.
Davis Restoration spent last week in Key West, moving from one location to the next. First, they hand-wash the piece with Dawn dishwashing liquid. Then they apply a special, UV-inhibiting wax and seal it with a heat gun that melds the wax to the bronze to offer lasting protection from the punishing environment.
“We love Key West, and we’ve been in touch with the city trying to make this happen since 2018, so we’re thrilled to be here now and the results speak for themselves.
The overall cost of the sculpture conservation was about $12,000, said Liz Young, director of the Florida Keys Council of the Arts. The cost was shared between the city of Key West and businessman Ed Swift, who owns
1. The Forgotten Soldier sculpture at Bayview Park on Sept. 13. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly
2. Before-and-after photos of the Sandy Cornish bust in the downtown Historic Memorial Sculpture Garden show a striking improvement. DAVIS RESTORATION/Contributed
3. The statue of Bishop Al Kee at the Southernmost Point gets a makeover. DAVIS RESTORATION/Contributed
4. Burt Bray uses a heat gun to seal the UVinhibiting wax on the Forgotten Soldier statue at Bayview Park. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly
Historic Tours of America, which paid for the conservation of the Historic Memorial Sculpture Garden, the Henry Flagler sculpture and the fountain at the Key West Aquarium. For more before-and-after photos of the local sculptures, find Davis Restoration on Facebook.
Two high school kids lean intently over a metal table, surgically studying the splayed innards of an outboard engine.
It’s 10 a.m. on a Friday morning in the marine repair lab at Coral Shores High School.
Dozens of outboard engines — mainly Mercury and Yamaha — line the work stations in the lab, in various stages of disassembly.
Erik Schottler’s 100 or so students learn the science behind marine propulsion and the construction and operation of outboard engines. He walks them through hands-on lessons about fuel systems, electrical systems and drive systems.
“We have students who want to do this as a career, which makes perfect sense being here in the Keys,” said Schottler. “I want them to be able to get in at a local dealership’s service department right after graduation.”
At the very least, he said, kids who don’t pursue it as a career can at least help maintain and service their parents’ boat at home to save the family some money.
The marine repair class at Coral Shores is one of the school district’s Career and Technical Education, or CTE, programs, and one some would like to see offered at Key West High School.
Kurt Lewin, a senior vice president at First State Bank of the Florida Keys, is a big supporter of career education.
Each year, the bank arranges for Coral Shores’ marine repair students to attend the powerboat races in Key West and Marathon. They meet the teams, drivers and mechanics, and see the workings of high-performance machines.
“They love it,” Lewin said. “They get to be down in the wet pits and see people with good careers doing what they’re learning to do.”
WE WILL REOPEN WEDNESDAY OCT 4
Upper Keys school board member Sue Woltanski is another ardent supporter of career education programs, particularly ones that make sense for the Florida Keys.
“We need career programs that serve kids from our community,” she said, and equip them for jobs that
will enable them to be successful and remain in the Florida Keys.
Along with marine repair, Woltanski said she’d like to see captains’ classes offered at local high schools. Real estate, appraisal, computer programming, business math and bookkeeping would also be relevant to a community with so many small businesses.
She said there is a renewed commitment toward career education nationwide and in Florida. Funding is available for programs but is distributed based on a program’s proven success and track record of graduates, making new programs difficult to fund. We can’t just assume all students are striving for college, Lewin said.
Back in the marine repair lab at Coral Shores, Schottler, who is teaching the class for the first time this year, is working to establish partnership and apprenticeship opportunities with local businesses and the College of the Florida Keys.
“The problem is, I only have these kids for 50 minutes a day,” he said. “That’s not enough time. For kids who want to pursue this as a career, they need more time with hands-on instruction.”
Woltanski was optimistic that there could be a way to make that happen — and encouraged that career education is once again getting attention and increasing support from state and federal education officials.
“The college prep curriculum shouldn’t be the only option,” Lewin said, adding the state-mandated college prep classes take time away from the more beneficial career-based electives.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends women who are at average risk for breast cancer get screening mammograms every two years starting at age 40. The recommendation is in response to the increase in breast cancer diagnoses in younger women and high mortality rates in Black women.
Women with strong family histories of breast cancer, African Americans and those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent should have a risk assessment at age 30 to see if a screening mammogram is needed before they are 40.
“The best chance for survival of any cancer is early diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr. Stanley Santiago of Keys Medical Group Obstetrics and Gynecology. “Mammograms can detect cancer before any symptoms, such as a lump, or spreading of the disease occurs, which can increase the likelihood of recovery.”
While mortality from breast cancer has declined in recent years, it remains the second most common cancer causing death in women. Lung cancer is the most common.
Fortunately, a screening mammogram can help detect breast cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages. Lower Keys Medical Center is encouraging women to schedule their screening now, because when breast cancer is de-
tected early, life-saving treatment can begin right away.
Nearly all breast cancers can be treated successfully if found early. The most effective way to detect breast cancer at an early, treatable stage is to have regular mammograms. Since mammography became widely used in the 1980s, the U.S. breast cancer death rate in women has dropped 43 percent through 2020.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Lower Keys Medical Center’s Women’s Imaging Center is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., with extended hours on Saturday, Oct. 7 and Oct. 14, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. A discounted self-pay rate is available through the month of October. Call 305-294-5535, extension 3308, for more information. A physician’s order is required.
— Contributed
Tattoos & Scars, 512 Greene St., will host its second annual Tats for Tatas fundraiser from 7 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11. All funds raised are donated to Womankind in Key West, which helps women pay for and schedule mammograms. The event includes a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, artistic bra auction and the world-famous motorboating booth. The goal is to top last year’s total of $40,000 raised. Visit Tattoos & Scars on Facebook for more information.
MANDY MILES
mandy@keysweekly.com
Key West city officials on Sept. 14 voted quickly and unanimously to name the Key West Firehouse Museum in honor of Alex Vega, the retired firefighter who saved the historic building and turned it into a museum for future generations.
In keeping with the city’s penchant for verbose building names, the Key West Firehouse Museum is now the Alex Vega Firehouse Museum at the Key West Historic Firehouse.
The museum at 1024 Grinnell St. joins the long-winded ranks of the Richard A. Heyman Environmental Pollution Control Facility and the Josephine Parker City Hall at the Historic Glynn R. Archer School.
But I digress.
Alex Vega is undeniably deserving of the recognition, and I’m glad the city named it in his honor while he’s around to take pride in it.
Vega joined the Key West Fire Department in 1975 when he was 22 and retired 30 years later, having earned several commendations throughout his career. He also took on the role of volunteer historian for the fire department, meticulously researching famous fires, construction of new fire stations, technology upgrades, personnel changes and more.
In 1992, the city of Key West started talking about demolishing
the historic 135-year-old firehouse that was no longer in active use, according to a press release from the city.
Vega wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, he initiated the restoration and preservation of Fire Station No. 3, leading to the establishment of the nonprofit organization Old Fire House Preservation Inc. He secured grants and donations from Tallahassee and local benefactors.
“It took years of hard work and dedication from countless volunteers and other fire department retirees to establish the museum,” the press release states. “A dedicated historian and community advocate, Vega has devoted his life to safeguarding the history of his hometown. His extensive background as a second-generation firefighter, combined with his knowledge of local history, makes him an invaluable asset to the museum.”
City Commissioner and retired fire chief Billy Wardlow wrote of Vega, “His familiarity with the firefighting profession and his family’s involvement in it provide a rare insider’s perspective that resonates with visitors. Alex serves as a bridge between the past and the present, connecting generations through stories, artifacts and interactive displays. He is an irreplaceable figure in the museum’s journey.”
Vega is currently president of the museum board and still offers tours, shares stories and acts as an ambassador to firefighters everywhere.
... 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.
This is the thing: I’ve seen American flamingos before. At least a dozen times in the U.S., maybe two dozen times, sometimes in groups, sometimes as solo acts. I’ve also seen them in Cuba, and, if I remember correctly, in Trinidad, though maybe I’m conflating that with a Jabiru stork. I missed them at a spot famous for them in Colombia but, you know, I’d seen them before, so no big deal.
But then we had this recent, post-Hurricane Idalia invasion, though a postHurricane Idalia diversion may be a better description. At least 100 different American flamingos have been spotted in various parts of Florida since the storm flung them from Mexico, possibly as they were trying to fly between the Yucatan and Cuba. They also appeared in such unexpected places as Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky and Pennsylvania – places that don’t even have the decency to have them on their lottery tickets as we do.
For a while I was cool with it, all the pictures online from birders I knew all over the country experiencing the joy of seeing one of the world’s more oddly and spectacularly evolved species, and one that color-matched the summer’s Barbie theme to boot. My friend George Armistead up in Pennsylvania even saw one while he was wearing what were apparently flamingo-print pajamas.
But I have to admit I started to get a little jealous and spiteful. I mean, how much joy can you really take in other people’s happiness? That was tempered somewhat by the fact that it seemed there was a solid chance that American flamingos, at some point, would be showing up in the Keys, in what was once their common natural habitat.
Mark Whiteside, Ellen Westbrook and I spent a couple hours one Thursday night driving around looking for them in the Lower Keys, though we didn’t have much luck. The next night I was floating in the pool, where the algae had somehow once again regained the upper hand, and where I was feeling old and sorry for myself after a marathon photo session. Then a text came in from Mariah Hryniewich. She and Gianna Arcuri had cruised the salt ponds on Grassy Key after working at the Florida Keys Hawkwatch all afternoon, and ran into a bunch of other birders who were looking at a flock of eight flamingos.
I considered getting in the car and driving straight up there, but realized I wouldn’t make it before sunset. Which turned out to be fine. Mariah texted later to say they had gone to get something to eat, stopped back and the flamingos were gone.
Flamingos can be habitual, though, sometimes visiting the same sites repeatedly. So Mark, Ellen and I headed out the next morning, zig-zagging our way up the Keys, checking every salt pond we could, and stopping to ogle the occasional tiny butterfly. We made it to Keys Fisheries in time to get lunch and watch dark storm clouds roll in. We tried to wait out the weather, but then got impatient and headed up to Grassy Key, where we drove around with the windows half open, raindrops continuing to splatter on the windshield even though the sun had come out. We saw some birds, the best being a pair of American avocets, small waders with impossibly skinny legs and similarly skinny recurved bills. I have actually seen far fewer avocets than I have flamingos in the Keys, but somehow they felt like a consolation prize.
I tried to stop thinking about flamingos for a while. I’m heading out of town for a couple weeks soon, and there are a lot of things I need to get done beforehand. But they were seen on Big Pine and other places early in the week. Then they were seen on Ohio Key on Wednesday, and again on Thursday. When they were reported on Friday, I texted Mark and Ellen again. Mark begged off, but Ellen and I headed up the highway.
When we got to Ohio Key cars were parked along the side of the road, people with binoculars and cameras were walking around smiling. We looked down into the salt ponds, but there were no pink birds. We saw Mary Stella, who’d come down from Marathon, who said, “Oh yeah, they were here five or 10 minutes ago, but then they flew off, cleared the bushes at the end of the pond, dropped down and disappeared, so it was hard to say if they went north or south.”
I was starting to take this whole thing personally. It wasn’t so much about seeing the birds as not wanting to miss out on seeing the birds – flamingo FOMO, as the kids would say. Also, it’s a bit ego-deflating to write a newspaper column about birds every week, and have the unshakable feeling that the charismatic megafauna that everyone else in the world was seeing were avoiding you, no doubt out of some kind of collective avian spite.
Flamingos kept getting seen at Ohio Key, though, pretty much every afternoon. Sometimes it was one flamingo, sometimes it was three.
I was up the Keys doing some photo work a few days later when I saw yet another post from people seeing them. And instead of going back to Key West and doing the chores that needed doing, I went north, made it to Ohio Key, and pulled over (very carefully) on the side of the road. There were four or five other cars there. And down in the salt pond, like a pink exclamation point, there was one lone flamingo slow-stepping through the mud.
I sat and watched the bird for a while, took some okay pictures. A small front was coming in from the north, tendrils of rain hanging down here and there. It didn’t quite get cool, but there was an appreciable drop in temperature, so welcome after such a long summer, even though it wasn’t going to last.
The flamingo stuck his head under water, kept it there for a couple seconds, came up to breath, took a few more steps.
The sky took on a weird orange glow, then it went gray as the rain started, taking the color out of everything. Except the flamingo. The flamingo stayed pink. Because the flamingo abides.
B e n e f i t i n g T h e C a n c e r F o u n d a t i o n o f t h e F l o r i d a K e y s a n d W o m a n k i n d
L e t ' s r a i s e a g l a s s a n d a w a r e n e s s d u r i n g B r e a s t C a n c e r A w a r e n e s s M o n t h
F o r e v e r y a p p o i n t m e n t b o o k e d o n t h e 1 8 t h , w e w i l l m a t c h t h e s a l e a n d d o n a t e t o t h e C a n c e r
F o u n d a t i o n f o r t h e F l o r i d a K e y s a n d W o m a n k i n d
P l u s , e a c h g u e s t w i l l r e c e i v e a c o m p l i m e n t a r y w e l c o m e d r i n k .
* r e s e r v a t i o n s r e c o m m e n d e d
P i e r H o u s e R e s o r t & S p a | 1 D u v a l S t |
O c t o b e r 1 8 , 2 0 2 3
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5 0 % o f f S e l e c t T r e a t m e n t
AVOID THE LONG DRIVE TO MIAMI AND HAVE ALL YOUR CHILDREN’S NEEDS MET RIGHT HERE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS.
Dr. Christina Smith DDS is now accepting new patients and is thrilled to be part of the 7-time Bubba Award-winning Doc Guzman’s o ce.
CHRIS McNULTY
is an astrologer, wanderer, bartender and advocate for queer justice. He is a loquacious Gemini with a cozy Cancer rising. Find him at hearthandheraldastrology.com
his week, the Sun is vibing with the two most outer planets of our solar system: Neptune and Pluto. As the Sun finishes its harvesting in the fields of Virgo and crosses the threshold into the lively cocktail party of Libra, it forms a 180-degree opposition with Neptune and a 120-degree trine with Pluto. During this time, The Sun and Neptune are reminding us that each person’s individual purpose requires meticulous focus and care, but if the project is not connected to a larger dream or vision of the world, it will not be watered or supported by its environment. The individual and the collective are symbiotic, and a disregard for either half of the equation is detrimental to both. Pluto offers a suggestion: Pay attention to unconscious drives, because they are the powerful thrust of evolution churning underneath the surface of each individual and the collective. Most of the time, why we do what we do is an unexplored mystery. But now, perhaps the motive is worth a lookieloo. It’s a time to check in with your purpose and make sure you’re in line with your dreams and ideals. There is a primal power just waiting to help you triumph.
Here are your horoscopes for the Sun opposite Neptune and trine Pluto. Read for your rising and sun signs.
VIRGO
Aug. 23 - Sept. 22
As Virgo season wanes, you are given great clarity and confidence in yourself. Ride that wave for the year ahead. While you’re clear on yourself, boundaries with a significant partner might feel ill-defined. Use this time to shore those up, and in the process, engage your empathy. Your personal creative process has been going through a profound shift for years now; use it to achieve the bal-
Tance you want to strike with your partner.
LIBRA
Sept. 23 - Oct. 23
As you’re realizing how best to use your alone time, setting up daily habits to achieve your goals is coming into focus. Set that schedule. But be wary of overhyping the importance of routine, because it is a tool for success rather than the endgame. All the work you’ve done transforming your relationship to home and family will help you find equilibrium.
Oct. 24 - Nov. 21
You can clearly see who is in your corner, rooting you on and helping you to be your best self. Keep those folks close. Your creative goals, on the other hand, might be feeling a little extra ambiguous. Ponder your highest dreams for your creative output, and your crew will help to shine a light on them. Articulating what motivates you out loud will empower the whole process.
SAGITTARIUS
Nov. 22 - Dec. 21
Being a boss-babe out in the public career world continues to be your focus, Sag. Soon your support network will be clear as day. Right now, however, remember your dreams in the other world - your home world. Striking a balance between success at work and your ideal homestead is your key. Find a powerful personal object to carry with you between both places to help you discover a happy medium.
CAPRICORN
Dec. 22 - Jan. 19
Right now, you strike me as an explorer discovering distant and exotic shores, but dreaming of your homeland with familiar streets and neighbors. Seeking new experiences is fantastic, but nurturing a life of familiarity is
also epic. Finding a place for both in your life is a current possibility. Dig deep into your own intrinsic power to satiate your needs for adventure and an ideal home community.
AQUARIUS
Jan. 20 - Feb. 18
Your output is aligned to the goal or purpose of someone else or a group of people, but I can see beautiful dreams of how you would use your energy to achieve your own goals if given the chance. Take the step now! In doing so, however, do not sacrifice your prior investments. Your individual goals and your collective undertakings are not mutually exclusive. Time alone will empower your decisions.
PISCES
Feb. 19 - March 20
A particular partnership in your life continues to be highlighted, Pisces, and it is bringing out the best in you! Ensure, however, that it is your actual best and not a front to impress the partner in question. It is easy to fall into the act of faking it til you make it, but you are fantastic without any bells and whistles. Listen to your friends right now - they have really powerful advice.
ARIES
March 21 - April 19
Work, work work… you’ve been getting shit done! It might even feel like you’re on autopilot when it comes to your daily routines and tasks. In fact, your spiritual well-being might even seem like a distant dream with all the output of practical energy. However, that dream is important right now, and it is a great time to make space for your ideal retreat. While it might seem counterintuitive, your career will support your time in solitude.
TAURUS
April 20 - May 20
Your personal creative projects
have been in the spotlight, taking your energy and focus. You might even feel like your social life has dissolved with all of the inspiration that you’ve been putting into your fingers. However, your friends can fill up your spiritual cup in a way that your artwork can not. Letting your adventurous instincts take over will help you to find a balance.
GEMINI
May 21 - June 21
Your home has been a main focus of yours for the past month or so, and work might feel somewhat unclear with all of the certainty in your home space. However, the energy you’ve put into your habitat is now serving your ability to achieve your dream job. People you’ve invested in prior will come back and support the symbiosis of your home and career.
CANCER
June 22 - July 22
Your local community has been shining a light on you and you have been shining back for them. This focus on the local has actually made taking a vacation or going on an adventure seem like a distant impossibility. However, an important partner in your life is going to provide a powerful infusion of energy to make sure that you don’t get stagnant in your too-familiar surroundings.
LEO
July 23 - Aug. 22
Now that you’ve had time to focus on your finances and material goods, it might seem like investing any time or energy into shared resources or assets is a dissolving pipe dream. However, if you find your ideal investment, your daily routines will go through a powerful change to support your personal well-being and your new cause. Your selfworth and connection with others can align beautifully under these skies.
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THE SHOPS AT MALLORY SQUARE HOSTS SEPTEMBER HAPPY HOUR EVENT
The Monroe County Education Foundation (MCEF) recently announced the addition of four new board members.
“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Jerome Covington, Ms. Marianne Finizio, Mr. Jjay Grazette and Mr. Terry Huff to the board of MCEF,” said Chuck Licis-Masson, executive director of the Monroe County Education Foundation. “Their diverse backgrounds and experiences will enhance our award-winning Take Stock program and the unique mentorship and college readiness services we provide to the students of Monroe County.”
Covington is well known for his expertise in medicine and advocacy for equal educational opportunities and has been a mentor for many years. Finizio, also a long-time mentor, brings her background in the medical care industry for economically disadvantaged families. Grazette is a seasoned professional in the medical sector and, with Huff, will “help us build diversity and equity and provide strategic guidance to ensure the program’s sustained success,” states a foundation press release.
Take Stock in Children has been changing the lives of more than 1,000 deserving students in Monroe County since 1999. Every TSIC scholar successfully graduates high school and enters a four-year university, a two-year college or a career technical college. And 74% of TSIC scholars earn a college degree or a career certificate, solidifying their path to a prosperous future.
More information is available at monroecountyedfound.com or from Licis-Masson at chuck.licis@monroecountyedfound.com or 305-293-1546.
Ahappy hour gathering of Key West women combined shopping, networking, socializing and a few adult beverages. What could be better?
A group of 153 local women joined Girls Night Out for its September event at The Shops at Mallory. The group meets monthly at a different Key West location. And donations are collected each month for a different nonprofit.
Each of the 22 shops in the revitalized Shops at Mallory Square
donated a raffle prize, and ticket sales raised $1,468 for the Take Stock in Children scholarship program.
The Hemingway Rum Co. will host the October event, and the money will benefit breast cancer awareness. The date remains to be determined given Key West’s busy Fantasy Fest schedule in October. Check the Girls Night Out Facebook page for more information.
— Keys Weekly staff report
— Contributed
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.
Big Pine Key is found a couple of islands south (or really west) of the Seven Mile Bridge, and is one of the Lower Keys. It is the second largest of the Florida Keys — only Key Largo is larger.
Unlike Key Largo and some other islands connected to the mainland by the Overseas Highway, Big Pine Key has remained relatively slow to develop, which is a good thing. While the gobs of high-end resorts have yet to arrive, it only seems like a matter of time before they do.
Big Pine is probably most famous for the Key deer, the alligators at the Blue Hole, and for being home to one of the last stands of slash pines in the Florida Keys. It is also the turnoff for the short drive to No Name Key, home to some fascinating Overseas Highway history, and an old brothel that is now home to the world-famous pub that greets visitors with a sign reading “You Found It.”
Technically, the No Name Pub is on Big Pine Key — but the pub, the highway and the deer are not the focal point of this Big Pine Key story. Later on, however, a Key deer does lend a leg. One of the things the island is not necessarily known for is that it was once home to a shark processing plant. The company, based out of New York, was called the Hydenoil Products Company.
While it might not be obvious at first glance, the name Hydenoil defines the primary products the company was making: hides and oil. The Hydenoil Products Company arrived in 1923. It
was determined that sharks had several commercial uses. Primarily, for Hydenoil, the skin could be used to make leather, and the liver boiled down to produce oil. The plant also produced a pungent odor that rose from the mess and wafted across Big Pine Key (and No Name Key) like a big chum bag.
The plant is said to have been located where Bogie Channel flows between Big Pine and No Name Key. A Miami News article, dated Nov. 16, 1930 and headlined “Shark Industry is Lusty One,” described aspects of the operation. According to the writer, Cecil R. Warren, who interviewed the company’s Florida representative, Mr. Eddy, Hydenoil planned to establish shark processing plants up and down the Florida coastline.
By 1930, the Big Pine plant had processed 20,000 sharks, including sawfish – 6,000 sharks had gone through the plant the previous summer. According to Eddy, nearly every part of the shark was used: “Hide for leather, liver for oils, fins for delicacies highly enjoyed by the Chinese, white meat for food, eyes and teeth for bead, buttons, and jewelry, bone for ornaments (sharks have cartilage, not bones), and dark meat and residue for chicken meal and fertilizer.”
As one would imagine, for a shark to be processed, its belly had to be sliced open and the stomach emptied of its contents. For some, that visual may bring to mind one of the classic scenes from Steven Spielberg’s movie “Jaws.” In the scene, Police Chief Brody and shark expert Matt Hooper are in a warehouse with a dead tiger shark. To determine if it was the movie’s killer shark, the tipsy characters cut its belly open. The contents spilled out across the warehouse floor and included fish, beer cans and a Louisiana license plate, but no human parts.
In one story about the Big Pine plant, when one of the sharks was cut open, the hindquarters of a ravaged Key deer came out. There is another
story written by Captain W. E. Young, a shark expert in his own right and author of the book “Shark! Shark!” that reveals a more grisly event. In his story, he writes about a large shark, reportedly 12 feet long, that was caught and brought to the Hydenoil plant at Big Pine Key. When the shark’s belly was sliced open, a hand attached to a human arm covered by a blue sleeve was discovered.
The arm reportedly belonged to a passenger aboard an Aeromarine Airways seaplane that had been flying to Havana from Key West on Jan. 13, 1923. About 20 miles out of Havana, the seaplane experienced engine failure and was forced to land in the Straits of Florida. According to some accounts, 10-15 foot waves were battering the plane when the hull was compromised and began filling with water.
Fortunately, the Florida East Coast Railway ferry H.M. Flagler, also connecting Key West and Havana, happened to be passing by at almost the perfect time. The crew aboard the ferry rescued two crew members and three of the seven passengers. The other four perished at sea, and, for the most part, were never seen again. However, what is suggested is that the blue material covering the severed arm that came spilling out of the shark’s belly in 1923 matched a description of one of the missing victims of the doomed Aeromarine Airways flight.
By 1930, the Great Depression was affecting the country, and in 1931, the Hydenoil plant at Big Pine ceased to exist. The employees were not being paid, with one manager reportedly owed thousands of dollars. Sometime in October or November, the sheriff came to the plant, seized the company’s assets and the operation was shut down once and for all.
It was not the last shark processing plant that would pop up along the island chain, but those are stories that can be told another time.
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.
If all of our cats were supermodels, Dimple would be Cindy Pawford. This 6½-year-old little lady is gorgeous and looking for a catwalk she can call home.
Kia may be FIV positive, but that doesn’t mean she’s a lemon. In fact, all it means is that this 3½-year-old girl would have to be your only cat, and she’s OK with that.
On
Kinsley means “King’s Meadow,” a natural habitat that encourages flora and fauna to thrive freely without interference. That’s exactly what this 5½-yearold female feline is looking for.
One hour a week makes a huge difference, and volunteers are welcome every Friday and some Saturday mornings, from 8 to 9 a.m., when the Key West Ploggers clean up a designated area of the island.
Gloves, pickers, buckets, vests, hand sanitizer and a parking pass are provided to all volunteers.
A troubling number of cigarette butts and plastic bags have been included in recent hauls. Please remember your reusable bags when shopping so we can keep the plastic off the streets, parking lots and, most importantly, out of the water. And dispose of cigarette butts in any receptacle rather than the street or sidewalk, as from there, they easily end up in the ocean.
The city of Key West and its residents ask everyone to do their part to help keep Key West beautiful. With simple steps like making sure you bag your trash before putting it in your Waste Management trash cans or Dumpsters, and making sure the lids on Dumpsters are closed, will keep a lot of trash from blowing into the streets. Call Waste Management at 305-296-8297 for any furniture items left on the city right of way.
Please pick up around your home or apartment complex. Every piece of trash picked up is one less that may end up in the ocean that surrounds and sustains our island community. It is not just the large items you can see easily when you are walking, but the smaller items such as bottle caps and cigarette butts that are collected by the volunteers that make the biggest difference.
It takes committed community involvement to keep Key West beautiful and we are making progress with every cleanup event and every spot that’s adopted. Call Dorian Patton at 305-809-3782 to find out how your business, nonprofit or club can help.
Join a Friday morning cleanup from 8 to 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 22: Flagler Avenue and Bertha Street. Meet at Brady’s Irish Pub. Friday, Sept. 29: Fort and Geraldine streets. Meet at CHI Health Center parking lot.
The Keys Weekly’s Best of Marathon Awards culminated in a night to remember on Sept. 16, when more than 300 community members filled the Million Air hangar at the Marathon/Florida Keys Airport.
There were jokes, tributes, parodies and musical performances (by the Keys Weekly’s own editor in Marathon, Alex Rickert.)
As the newspaper celebrates its 20th year of covering local news, the event brought out the best of the Middle Keys, much like the Keys Weekly’s Bubba Awards do for Key West.
And stay tuned for updates about the Best of the Upper Keys, coming soon.
— Keys Weekly staff report
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*Annual percentage yield. Keys FCU may cancel this offer at any time without notice. Restrictions may apply. Certificate requires new money only. Minimum to open certificate is $500. One-time Bump Up rate during certificate term will match prevailing term Certificate rate. New rate will carry forward from date of Bump Up. Penalty for early withdrawal. Dividends compounded daily and posted monthly. Federally insured by the NCUA.
From
Key West Military Affairs Committee’s (MAC) mission is to foster and strengthen the relationship between the military and civilians in our community.
FROM MAC PRESIDENT RON DEMES
September is a busy month for military-related activities, including the Army Special Forces Underwater Operations’ Combat Diver Competition Sept. 26-28 featuring the best special operations teams from various military forces testing their rigor, adaptability, mental agility, physical toughness and grit. Also, an Army Special Forces capabilities exercise will take place at Truman Harbor on Thursday, Sept. 28 from noon to 2 p.m. it’s open to the public and photos are permitted.
Florida’s Department of Commerce/Florida Defense Support Task Force recently brought consultants to Key West as part of the effort to develop a four-year strategic plan for the state. As part of Florida’s efforts to grow the military missions in the state, Roosevelt Group consultants visited several local military commands and held two meetings with community representatives. The Key West itinerary included military tours and briefs of Joint Interagency Task Force South, USCG Sector Key West, Special Forces Underwater Operations (Army Dive School), and Naval Air Station Key West. One of the goals is to identify actions that Florida, local governments, businesses or community organizations can pursue to increase military value of those installations. Key West Military Affairs Committee (MAC) coordinated the Roosevelt Group’s visit, which demonstrated this community’s commitment to our military.
The featured presentation this month was on the Florida Keys Division of the United States Sea Cadet Corps. MAC has secured a $100,000 grant for the last two years to support the local Sea Cadet Unit. This grant from the Edward B. and Joan T. Knight Foundation allows for life- changing experiences for kids participating in the program. The unit’s Executive Officer, CWO3 Wilber W. Lewis, gave an overview of the unit’s accomplishments and what is ahead for this year. It was great to hear one of the cadets just obtained their pilot’s license as part of the program. Cadets also obtain Scuba certifications. MAC Is proud to be part of that success. The Navy League Key West Council also plays a critical role in the Sea Cadet Program as they are responsible for program oversight.
Statewide
enhance
Marathon picks up first win | P.8
Summer has really spent some time during the offseason working on her game. She is more focused on the course and the ways in which she can continue to improve. She is working hard to be a leader and advocate for our program. I am proud of the direction Summer is moving in and looking forward to watching her shine during her senior campaign.”
– Mary Coleman-Sayer, Dolphins head coachMarathon senior Summer Haines has been the top female golfer for the Fins for a few years now, but has not let that go to her head. Haines uses her role to help out not just Marathon’s younger players, but those from other teams as well. All three Keys coaches offer praise for the sportsmanship and enthusiasm
Haines shows her competitors, helping them improve their games and winning matches graciously. For her hard work on the course and helping to boost the gameplay for all Keys golfers, Summer Haines is the Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week.
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
Managing Editor / Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com
Copy Editor / Mike Howie mike@keysweekly.com
Director of Sales 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.
Marathon - Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com
Upper Keys - Jim McCarthy jim@keysweekly.com
Key West - Mandy Miles mandy@keysweekly.com
Marathon’s Bursa brothers took the top three spots for the Dolphins this week at the annual King of the Hill race held at Tropical Park in Miami on Sept. 13. Vance Bursa was first for the Fins with a time of 17:16, followed by brothers Jakub and Tony. Mason Buxton, Caleb Shelar and Allan Taylor rounded out the top six finishers for Marathon.
Web Master / Travis Cready travis@keysweekly.com
Classifieds / Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com 305.743.0844
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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.
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Senior Mikkel Ross was first again for the girls, finishing in 23:35. Ross was followed by Ella Dunn, Madelyn Thornton, Sara Robinson, Rilynn Richards, Maeve Merryman and Rain Banks. All of the Lady Fins’ top seven runners completed the hilly 5 kilometers in under 27 minutes, putting them in contention for another trip to Tallahassee on Nov. 17 for the state championships. The team will have to continue to improve and make it past some of the highest-caliber teams in Florida at districts and regionals first, but if the tenacity of Marathon’s distance runners holds out, it’s looking good for both teams to advance far into the postseason.
Key West had a break from racing in preparation for the Spanish River Invitational on Friday, Sept. 22, and Coral Shores took the week off from competition focusing on training and preparations for an early week of homecoming celebrations.
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The Key West Conchs host the Conch Cup, going 2-2 with wins over Marathon and Riviera Beach Suncoast while falling to Stuart and Palm Beach. Photos by GRACE ANDREW/ Keys Weekly. For more game photos, see keysweekly.com
Marathon High School picked up its first win of the season on Sept. 12 against Posnack School in Davie. The Fins won the match 3-1. Describing the Rams as “a scrappy team,” coach Kelley Cruz said, “They made us make adjustments in our play, but we had the chance to get all of our players in and get everyone some game experience.”
The Dolphins did not have much time to celebrate their big win, as they were scheduled to travel four times last week. The day after Posnack, Marathon headed to Coral Shores in Tavernier, where they lost in three close sets. They had a day off before heading to Key West to participate in the Conch Cup against some of the top teams in South Florida. The Fins did not pick up another win at the tourney, but the team gained valuable experience playing against higher level competition.
Key West hosted the Conch Cup last weekend, as teams from Stuart, Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and Marathon descended upon Key West for the annual event. The Conchs continued what has become their style of playing larger schools in order to prepare for the postseason, facing 7A Palm Beach Central, 6A South Fork and 5A Suncoast. The 4A Conchs went 2-2 in the tournament, beating Marathon and Riviera Beach Suncoast. The Conchs will head to Coral Shores on Sept. 19, then take their road trip a bit farther to play in the Chaminade Madonna Tournament Sept. 22 and 23.
It was a productive week for Coral Shores despite a five-game road trip to Tampa the prior week. The team did not allow fatigue or the distractions of homecoming week to affect their play, winning back-to-back district matches against Somerset South Homestead and Marathon. The ’Canes’ latest wins helped improve their record to 7-3 overall and they remain undefeated in district play.
The Hurricanes got off to a rocky start on Sept. 12, dropping the first game with Somerset Academy South Homestead (SASH) before rallying and sweeping the next three. The whole team pitched in and poured on the stats for the victory. Seniors Brooke Mandozzi and Iona Holmquist paced the Lady ’Canes, combining on 19 kills while junior middle hitter Grace Leffler added five kills. Sofia Jans, Shelby Lynn, Ivy Tiedemann and Violet Matthews combined for 14 aces in the match. The quartet of Sabina Naranjo, Mandozzi, Lynn and Tiedemann combined for 43 digs and Tiedemann added 17 assists from her setter position.
“This was an important win for us as these district games can make a big difference in the seeding we get when we get to the tournament,” Hurricanes’ coach Sam Ovalle said of the win.
“SASH is much improved from last season and they really made us work for our points tonight. We need to do a better job of starting better as this was another match where it took us some time to really get going. We definitely need to fix that. I’m really happy with how the girls bounced back, though. They showed a lot of fight tonight to bounce back and really take it to them after we lost that first game.”
A familiar scourge caused a scheduling change in a match between neighbors on Sept. 13.
Coral Shores had been slated to play Marathon a day later, on Sept. 14, but the continuing shortage of officials pushed the match ahead a day. Coral Shores again got off to a slow start with the visiting Dolphins keeping it close, before Coral Shores’ Lady ’Canes pulled out the 25-22 victory in set one. In what has become typical ’Canes fashion, the team picked up steam from there, defeating Marathon in three sets. The Fins didn’t roll easily, though, keeping the second and third sets close, narrowly losing 25-20 and 25-18.
Offensively, the Lady ’Canes were paced by Mandozzi and Crystal Gutierrez with Mandozzi contributing 12 kills and Gutierrez adding five. Lynn and Naranjo both served 17 times for Coral Shores, combining on 10 aces. Defensively Naranjo, Mandozzi and Jans combined for 30 digs while Mandozzi and Matthews added two blocks each.
“We saw Marathon in the preseason and they always play us tough. I give them a lot of credit. They have definitely improved quite a bit since the last time we saw them,” Ovalle said. The ’Canes hope to keep the win streak going in what Ovalle admits will be a tough week with Key West on their schedule. “We know they’re an excellent team this season, so we’ll have our work cut out for us with that one.”
Key West made a statement against the visiting 7A Buccaneers of South Dade High School on Sept. 16. The 2A Conchs outswam their opponents by more than double the points as they continue to improve on their way to districts, which are just one month away.
The Conchs swept all of the relays, giving them a huge advantage in scoring. The 200-yard medley team of Katelyn Noss, Gracie Lechnar, Taylor Gibson and Aly Camargo cruised to a first-place finish for the girls team, while Eli Morris, Charlie Doerful, Anthony Korzen and AJ Smith won for the boys.
Noss and Camargo teamed up again, this time with Hadley Bardoni and Reeghan Davis to win the 200-yard free relay. Korzen and Smith did the same with Santiago Gonzalez and Westley Ellerbee. Lechnar, Davis, Bardoni and Megan Fedor won the 400 free relay and Gonzalez, Doerfel, Ellerbee and Hugo Blinckmann took the top spot for the boys.
In individual action, Lechnar, Fedor and Teagan Lavin swept the top three spots in the girls’ 200-yard freestyle event while Santiago won for the boys. Bardoni and Doerfel won the girls’ and boys’ 200 IM race and Smith won the 50 free for the boys. The Lady Conchs swept the 100 butterfly race with Lechnar, Colbie Turner and Lavin taking the top three places. Doerful was first again for the boys.
AJ Smith picked up his fourth win in the 100 freestyle event, and Bardoni and Korzen won the 500 freestyle race. In the 100-yard backstroke event, Noss, Camargo and Savannah Murray took the top three spots for the girls; Eli Morris won for the boys. The final points for Key West came from Taylor Gibson and Korzen in another double Conch win in the 100 breaststroke race.
Key West has a week off from competition before they travel to the FSPA Invitational in Orlando on Friday, Sept. 29.
Coral Shores hosted Doral Prep on Sept. 13 for a meet at Founders Park. The 1A ’Canes held their own against the 4A Firebirds, especially on the girls’ side. Layne Smith picked up four first-place finishes, starting with the 200-yard medley relay. Her teammates, Abbie Sargent, Riley Cooper and Allegra Fucaraccio, also combined to win the 200 freestyle relay event. Smith went on to win the 200 IM and 100 freestyle races, outtouching her closest opponent in the 200 by just .01 second. Sargent and Cooper also had big days, with each securing three first-place finishes.
Smith took the individual first in the 100-yard breaststroke event and Cooper picked up an individual win in the 500 freestyle. Rachel Rusch had the final first for the ’Canes, winning the 1-meter diving competition. Her teammate, Mae Turner, earned a score good enough for second in the exciting event.
The smaller boys team had a tougher time against the stacked Firebirds, but Patrick O’Donnell managed a secondplace finish in the 100 backstroke and third in the 200 free. Evan Osipov took second in the 50 free event and Anthony Jeffry came in third in the 100 backstroke race. All three, plus Mason Osipov, teamed up for a second-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay.
The Hurricanes were at home again on Sept. 20 before taking a two-week break in competition. The swim team will head to Westminster on Oct. 4.
Coral Shores’ girls have strong showing against DoralTop and left: The Key West Conchs swim teams left no doubt against South Dade High School, notching a medley of wins en route to a dominant win. Photos by GRACE ANDREW/Keys Weekly. Bottom right: Coral Shores swimmer Patrick O’Donnell managed a second-place finish in the 100 backstroke and third in the 200 free. See more meet photos at keysweekly.com
Coral Shores gave the Upper Keys community something to rally behind in a 42-0 homecoming win against SmartEn Academy on Sept. 15. The ’Canes were able to block out the distractions of an action-packed homecoming week and beat the Goats handily, scoring 20 points in the first quarter alone. Dantay Diorio started off the scoring with a 13-yard touchdown run followed by an Ethan Marguet PAT. AJ Putetti picked up the next two TDs with a 7-yard run, then a 45-yard pick-6. The Hurricanes added a safety, a Diorio 9-yard TD run and a Jhonathan Mesa fumble recovery he converted for 6 to end the half 36-0. Mesa picked up the final score of the game with a 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Coach Ed Holly praised the community as much as he did his team. “What the community here does for us at homecoming is spectacular,” he said, before rattling off a list of events the school and Upper Keys community put on for the students at Coral Shores High School. “Our administration and school are really the greatest.”
Holly’s Hurricanes have a bye week this week, then take on Ransom Everglades on Sept. 29. He plans to use the week to “get healthy and work on our timing, concentrating on the passing and tempo of Ransom. We will keep up conditioning and stamina but get healthy for our next game.” The ’Canes will have the benefit of seeing just what the Raiders can do against neighboring Marathon, which plays Ransom this week.
Marathon can breathe a sigh of relief this week after picking up its first win of the season against the 8A Knights of Miami Sunset. Dolphins head coach Sean McDonald said his team focused on two things the prior week in anticipation of the game: high energy and high effort. The effects were evident on the first drive of the game after the Fins’ defense stopped the Knights short of scoring, then went on to eat the entire remainder of the first quarter off the clock before putting 6 on the scoreboard early in the second quarter off a Carlos Lezcano 13yard touchdown run. Lezcano scored again before the half on a seven-yard run and Fab Louis Jeune punched one in for 6 more before the half.
Marathon’s community came together to honor the victims of 9/11 at halftime with a special presentation, which kept the crowd engaged and helped boost the energy in the stands as much as on the field. The Thursday game gave the Dolphins less prep time than usual, but you would never know it from their play. Louis Jeune and Lezcano connected in quarter three
for a 70-yard touchdown reception. Louis Jeune’s legs held out after evading multiple defenders and he was able to kick the extra point, completing a 4-5 night kicking. Marathon’s final score was a Josh Wall 6-yard touchdown run late in the game, which ended in a 34-6 victory for the Fins.
Lezcano was 5/5 on passing with 154 yards and one TD and had 16 carries for 62 yards on the ground, resulting in two TDs. Louis Jeune had six carries for 83 yards and a touchdown running and added 105 yards off of three receptions, including the 70-yard TD. Defensively, he was good for eight solo tackles. Tanner Ross had five tackles and Alex Cruz had three tackles, all for a loss, and Justice Lee had a fumble recovery to cap off the win.
“We played with energy, emotion and physicality,” McDonald said of the win over the larger, faster Knights. “Our sidelines had energy from the start and the crowd was fantastic. Marathon’s community is truly something special.”
Marathon will need to keep the energy at peak levels this Friday to take on Ransom Everglades in Miami in a game that was moved to 4 p.m.
“I don’t mind that we are playing in the heat of the day,” McDonald said. “We are used to heat, that’s for sure.” One thing the Fins may not be so used to is a quarterback ranked first in the nation in his class. The eighth-grade Ransom QB has been tearing up defenses all season and has already earned an offer to play at University of Miami.
“Fast. Just fast.” That is how Conchs coach Johnny Hughes described the undefeated 8A Trojans of University High School of Volusia County after a Sept. 15 Key West loss. The non-district game was scheduled in part because University head coach Justin Roberts wanted to come play against the school where his father attended and his grandfather, Gene Roberts, coached. The elder Roberts led the Conchs to three district and two regional titles in the ‘70s during the days of Speedy Neal, before moving to the mainland and coaching at Citrus High.
Key West played three solid quarters of football against the powerhouse, keeping the score close and the momentum going in the right direction. Down by just 3 at the half, the Conchs suffered an interception in the third quarter, and a letdown in spirits coupled with a lack of depth due to nagging injuries and a smaller roster put an end to any hopes Key West had of an upset.
“We had four turnovers in the second half,” Hughes said. “That hurt us.”
In addition to the turnovers, Key West played the game and every single game this season without a key player in a successful football program – their trainer. Athletic trainers are often the first line of defense in determining whether a player has something that can be managed with tape and ice or needs further attention. They also play a vital role in getting players healthy again and managing minor injuries. The Conchs have at least four starters and some special teams players out with injuries of varying degrees, and determining if and when those players will be healthy enough to safely play again is more difficult when the medical professional treating the athlete is not on campus.
Despite the injuries and level of play they faced, Key West still scored a pair of touchdowns. One came from Clerff Alexandre on a 30-yard run, and the other by Leo Batista, who took the ball 67 yards for the score. Marco Davila was 2/2 on extra points. Hughes found further positivity in the loss saying, “The young guys are getting some playing time and that is important for them.”
There will be no cakewalk next week for Key West, either. University Christian School out of Jacksonville will make the long trip to the Keys to play the Conchs. The Christians are nine-time state champions. In preparation for the game, Hughes said his team will “control the clock and do our best to not turn the ball over.”
In their usual showing of strong sportsmanship, Monroe County’s golf teams met twice last week to compete and also help one another improve. This season has proven that rivalries can be friendly and that fair play and respect rule when Keys golfers take the course.
On Sept. 11, Keys prep golfers descended upon Marathon’s golf course with each team donning red, white and blue uniforms. Rather than wearing their traditional green polos, the ‘Canes donned white tops. Golfers circled around to hear the typical rundown of rules, regulations and course idiosyncrasies, which are clarified prior to any match. The ring of athletes surrounding Mary Coleman-Sayer, Marathon’s head coach, created a patriotic vibe.
“Our first home match was dedicated to the events of 9/11 to honor and remember those individuals who worked tirelessly to secure our freedom. Our red, white and blue theme was chosen as a result,” Coleman-Sayer said.
Key West’s Claudia Steling was the top golfer for the
girls, shooting a 44 on a hot and steamy afternoon. Marathon’s Summer Haines took second with a 49, and Coral Shores’ Gabby Thomas placed third shooting a 51.
Maeve O’Hearn, Althea Ol-
sen, Lexi Finigan and Parker Curry, all Lady Conchs, took the final four places in competition play.
For the boys, Marathon’s Michael Merryman shot a 44 followed by fellow Fin Mason Thornton with a 47. Coral Shores’ Tanel Irons and Aiden Althouse, along with Key West’s Jackson Barroso, tied for third with 48 strokes. Rounding out the top 10 were Marathon’s Dylan Ziels, Aiden Richard, Cullen Coleman-Sayer and Leo Mendez and Coral Shores’ Brock Bynum.
Added to the pre-match talk was a letter written by Josh Bassett, Key West’s coach who was unable to attend due to work-related travel. On 9/11, Bassett was stationed in Boston while serving in the United States Coast Guard, and on that fateful day, was sign-
ing his reenlistment papers. Although he was never stationed in the New York area, his crews worked to secure and support those harbor areas. It was a day he will always remember and wanted to share his thoughts with the teams. The teams listened respectfully and posed for a red-white-andblue-themed photo before beginning their match.
Two days later, the ’Canes were back in green as all three teams played another nine holes, this time at Ocean Reef’s Hammock Course. Marathon’s Haines took first for the ladies, shooting a 53 during the Sept. 13 match. The ’Canes’ top golfer in Thomas finished two strokes behind. For Key West, Steling and O’Hearn tied for third and Finigan finished fifth.
While the top girls are sorted out for the most part, the gentlemen are shaking things up with each match.
On Sept. 13, Key West’s Ty Hill was first with a score of 42. Preston Carroll, of Coral Shores, was one stroke behind Hill. Coral Shores’ Bynum placed third with a 48. Placing in the top 10 were Key West’s Peyton Zubieta, Ryan Kight and Andrew Bassett; Marathon’s Ethan Sauders, Michael Merryman and Roco Piscetello; and Coral Shores’ Tanel Irons.
Golf is just over the halfway mark in regular season play. District play begins in the Sunshine State on Oct. 23, and with the scorecards continuing to show marked improvement, Monroe County has a good chance to advance some athletes to regionals one week later.
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
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
Publish:
September 14 & 21, 2023
The Weekly Newspapers
PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE
Florida Keys Council of the Arts
Notice of Upcoming Meeting
The Florida Keys Council of the Arts will hold the following meetings via Communications Media Technology using a ZOOM webinar platform. The access points to view the
meeting or for members of the public to provide public input will be:
JOIN ZOOM via the Zoom app and use each meeting ID and password listed. Meetings are open to the public, and all are invited to attend. Questions, or to RSVP, please email Liz Young at director@keysarts.com
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Meeting
Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 838 1582 5453
Passcode: 186586
Publish:
September 21, 2023
The Weekly Newspapers
NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Thursday, November 9, 2023, at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following:
Rowell’s Waterfront Park Development Phase II Monroe County, Florida Pursuant to F.S. 50.0211(3) (a), all published competitive solicitation notices can be viewed at: www. floridapublicnotices.com, a searchable Statewide repository for all published legal notices. Requirements for submission and the selection criteria may be requested from DemandStar at www.demandstar.com OR www.monroecounty-fl.gov/bids. The Public Record is available upon request. Monroe County Purchasing Department receives bids electronically. Please do not mail or attempt to deliver in person any sealed bids. Mailed/
physically delivered bids/ proposals/responses WILL NOT be accepted.
The Monroe County Purchasing Department hereby directs that bids be submitted via email to: OMB-BIDS@monroecounty-fl. gov, no later than 3:00P.M., on November 9, 2023. Please submit your confidential financial information in a SEPARATE EMAIL from your bid and required documents. Your subject line on both emails must read as follows:
Rowell’s Waterfront Park Development Phase II 11-092023
Files that do not contain this subject line WILL BE REJECTED. Please note that the maximum file size that will be accepted by email is 25MB. Please plan accordingly to ensure that your bid is not rejected due to the file size. Should your bid documents exceed 25MB, in advance of the bid opening, please email: omb-purchasing@ monroecounty-fl.gov so accommodations for delivery of your bid can be made prior to the bid opening. Please be advised that it is the bidder’s sole responsibility to ensure delivery of their bid and waiting until the bid opening to address or confirm your bid submission delivery will result in your bid being rejected.
The bid opening for this solicitation will be held virtually, via the internet, at 3:00 P.M., on November 9, 2023. You may call in by phone or internet using the following: Join Zoom Meeting https://mcbocc.zoom. us/j/4509326156
Meeting ID: 4509326156
One tap mobile: +16465189805,,4509326156# US (New York)
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
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US (San Jose)
Dial by your location:
+1 646 518 9805 (New York)
+1 669 900 6833 (San Jose)
Publish:
September 21, 2023
The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION
CASE NO.: 23-CP-232-K
IN RE: THE ESTATE OF GLENN G. COLLINS, Deceased.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The administration of the estate of GLENN G. COLLINS, deceased, whose date of death was August 25, 2023, Case: 23-CP-232-K, is pending in the Circuit Court, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.
All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, on whom a copy of this notice is served must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.
All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.
ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. The date of first publication of this Notice is: September 21, 2023.
Co-Personal Representatives:
KEITH LAPP
c/o Samuel J. Kaufman Law Offices of Samuel J. Kaufman, P.A. 3130 Northside Drive Key West, Florida 33040 MARY ELLEN LAPP
c/o Samuel J. Kaufman Law Offices of Samuel J. Kaufman, P.A. 3130 Northside Drive Key West, Florida 33040 Attorney for Personal Representative:
Samuel J. Kaufman, Esq. Florida Bar No. 0144304
Law Offices of Samuel J. Kaufman, P.A. 3130 Northside Drive Key West, Florida 33040
Email designation for service: Service.Probate@ samkaufmanlaw.com
Telephone: (305) 292-3926
Fax: (305) 295-7947 Publish: September 21 & 28, 2023
The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA
PROBATE DIVISION
FILE NO.: 23-CP-114-P
IN RE: ESTATE OF STANLEY K. ALBERTSON, Deceased.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The administration of the estate of STANLEY K. ALBERTSON, deceased, whose date of death was July 31, 2023, File Number 23-CP-114-P is pending in the Circuit Court for
Key Government Center, 88820 Overseas Highway, Plantation
Key, FL 33070. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.
All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice has been served must file their claims with this Court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE TIME 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 SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED.
NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIOD SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.
The date of first publication of this notice is: September 21, 2023.
Personal Representative:
GERALD ALBERTSON
149 Dickie Way Tavernier, FL 33070
Attorney for Personal
Representative:
JOE A. CATARINEAU
Florida Bar Number: 0517291
91750 Overseas Highway Tavernier, FL 33070
Telephone: (305) 852-4833
Publish: September 21 & 28, 2023
The Weekly Newspapers
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA
PROBATE DIVISION
FILE NO.: 23-CP-000111-P
DIVISION: PLANTATION KEY IN RE: ESTATE OF BARBARA MARY SCHAEFFER
Deceased.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The administration of the estate of Barbara Mary Schaeffer, deceased, whose date of death was July 14, 2023, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88770 Overseas Highway, Ste. 2, Plantation Key, Florida 33070.
The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.
All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.
All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS
AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.
ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH
IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED.
NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.
The date of first publication of this notice is: September 21, 2023.
Personal Representative:
Wanda Kierski
23 Mockingbird Rd.
Key Largo, Florida 33037
Attorney for Personal
Representative:
Robert K. Miller, Esq.
Attorney
Florida Bar Number: 359173
Cunningham Miller Rhyne PA 10075 Overseas Hwy PO Box 500938
Marathon, FL 33050
Telephone: (305) 743-9428
Fax: (305) 743-8800
E-Mail: service@floridakeyslaw. com
Secondary E-Mail: rmiller@ floridakeyslaw.com
Publish:
September 21 & 28, 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 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.: 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
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-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.
We are hiring CDL CLASS A Drivers with Hazmat endorsement.
Monday-Friday with overtime available.
Please apply at Charley Toppino & Sons, Inc.
129 Toppino Industrial Dr, Key West – ask for Cheryl 305-296-5606 extension 126
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 DeputyClerk
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
We are hiring a heavy diesel mechanic with experience working on John Deere, Caterpillar, Kubota, etc.
Monday-Friday with some overtime available.
Please apply at Charley Toppino & Sons, Inc.
129 Toppino Industrial Dr, Key West – ask for Cheryl 305-296-5606 extension 126
Junk or Used Cars, Vans, Trucks. Runs or Not.
$CASH 305-332-0483
2014 GMC Savana, 84k miles, everything works great. Cold AC, fully shelved Ladder racks, new tires, new battery $16,000 305-743-6098 text or call
Night LPN needed. 1-2 nights per week, 8:30pm-5:30am. Private Pay. Marathon area. 631-831-0879
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 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
PLACE YOUR EMPLOYMENT AD HERE FOR $25/WEEK FOR UP TO 5 LINES OF COPY. CALL 305-743-0844.
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.
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 305743-0844.
WANTS Rolex, Dive Watches and Pilot Watches. Old Model Military Clocks & Watches. Call 305-743-4578
HOUSING FOR RENT
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!
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
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 Research Center has Full-Time/Part-Time, Permanent/Temporary Guest Services & Gift Shop positions that involve direct contact with our visitors & is another opportunity to ensure they leave DRC with a happy & positive experience. Walk around the grounds and see dolphins every day.
Job description available at www.dolphins.org. E-mail your resume and a DRC application to drc-hr@dolphins.org. EOE
58901 O/S Hwy - Grassy Key, FL Teaching... Learning... Caring
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.
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.
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.
Please contact April at 305.407.3262 or april@floridakeysaquariumencounters.com for more information.
11710 OVERSEAS HWY, MARATHON
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
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
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
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
PROGRAM COORDINATOR / DIRECT CARE (F/T) (TAVERNIER OFFICE)
Responsible for development, implementation, and goal setting for clients. Interaction with co-workers and supervision, and any miscellaneous training and/or counseling that is needed to acquire and maintain employment. Associate degree or 2 years of experience working with DD individuals.
Minimum requirements: moderate to advanced computer skills. FL driver’s license w/clean driving record, pre-employment training online and in person. Level II background screening and references.
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 Come join our family! EOE
Keys Energy Services, in Key West, Florida, is accepting applications for the following position in its Executive Department:
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:
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.
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
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.
We are now hiring for the following positions:
CDL Drivers
Applicants must apply in person to be considered.
4290 Overseas Hwy, Marathon
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.
Background and drug screen req. COMPETITIVE PAY! EXCEPTIONAL BENEFITS!!!
Check out all available positions at: www.westcare.com (search by zip code) EEOC/DFWP
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)
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
THEME: OCEAN DWELLERS
ACROSS
1. Kind of wrap
6. Pose a question
9. Be sore
13. Ottoman title
14. Ornamental pond-dweller
15. Florida Key, e.g.
16. Mr. T and friends
17. Knot-tying vow (2 words)
18. Milan’s La ____
19. *Walrus’ cousin (2 words)
21. *Crustacean “on the barbie”
23. Finish line
24. Creole vegetable
25. He had
28. Gives a helping hand
30. Tranquil
35. Frosts, as in cake
37. Bear, in Latin
39. All the words in a language
40. “By ____, I think she’s got it!”
41. Silver to Lone Ranger
43. Chows down
44. Mark Twain to Samuel
Langhorne Clemens
46. Toupee spot
47. Pestilence pest
48. Singer Eilish
50. Rub the wrong way
52. Yoda: “Do or do not. There is no ____”
53. *A type of whale or the color of many dolphins
55. Overnight lodging
57. *Inspiration for a certain pineapple dweller
60. *Inspiration for Marvel’s Doc
Ock
64. South American juice flavor
65. Bearded antelope
67. All thumbs
68. Pineda of Journey
69. Stomach pain-causing acronym
70. Hundred, in Italian
71. Hammer part
72. Not stood
73. Bar, legally
DOWN
1. R&R destinations
2. Angie Thomas’ “The ____ U
Give”
3. Seaward
4. *Cetology object of study
5. Thin layer
6. *Like green sea turtle and loggerhead sea turtle
7. Grass “carpet”
8. Newsstand, e.g.
9. Fungal spore sacs
10. *Edible bivalve
11. S.O.S.
12. Pilot’s estimate, acr.
15. Netanyahu’s country
20. Abomination
22. 9 to 5, e.g.
24. Bone burial spot
25. Muslim woman’s headscarf
26. Cause for food recall
27. a.k.a. Lucifer
29. Between stop and roll
31. *Coral polyps’ structure
32. Raise one’s rank
33. Potassium nitrate
34. Student’s request for ChatGPT?
36. *#19 Across’ earless cousin
38. Hostile to
42. Opposite of ecbatic 45. Smoke, sometimes 49. Energy unit
51. Attract
54. Front of cuirass
56. Religiously unaffiliated, pl.
57. Confident answer
58. Glazier’s unit
59. Baker’s baker
60. Give a boot
61. Closely confined
62. Plotting
63. “____! In the Name of Love”
64. Year off in school
66. Giannis’ league
