Key West Weekly 23-1019

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Hambright was one for the history books.

October 19, 2023 MAKING HISTORY KEYS LOSES LONGTIME HISTORIAN TOM HAMBRIGHT | P. 6

HERE’S TO HOMECOMING KEY WEST HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATES IN STYLE | P. 11

TURNING HEADS

KEY WEST’S HEADDRESS BALL TURNS 40 | P. 18

SEE THE OFFICIAL GUIDE INSIDE

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

FANTASY FEST 2023 PARADE OF HOMES Join us for our Fantasy Fest Parade of Homes on Thursday, October 26th. from 11 AM to 3 PM! Explore stunning homes throughout the Keys! And here's the exciting part - when you visit any of our open houses, you could enter to WIN four VIP tickets to our exclusive Fantasy Fest Parade Viewing party on World Famous Duval Street! For all the details and a complete list of the open houses, visit www.FloridaKeysParadeofHomes.com Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to see some amazing properties and party with us at this years Fantasy Fest Parade!

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

NUMBER OF THE WEEK KEYS

NEWSPAPERS

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

ON THE COVER

$60,000

— and counting. That’s how much a Key West bar raised for breast cancer awareness over a few hours last week. Tattoos & Scars on Greene Street hosted its second annual Tat’s for Tatas on Oct. 11. Organizers are still counting the money from silent auction sales. All proceeds will benefit Womankind in Key West, which enables mammograms for local residents.

Heads up — Key West’s Headdress Ball celebrates its 40th year of lavish design and creativity on Thursday, Oct. 26 at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater. See page 18.

LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

Publisher / Britt Myers britt@keysweekly.com Publishing Partner / Jason Koler jason@keysweekly.com Editor / Mandy Miles mandy@keysweekly.com Digital Editor / Gwen Filosa gwen@keysweekly.com Director of Sales Manuela Carrillo Mobley manuela@keysweekly.com Account Executive Stephanie Mitchell stephanie@keysweekly.com Staff Writers Jim McCarthy jim@keysweekly.com Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com Copy Editor / Mike Howie mike@keysweekly.com Production Manager Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com Executive Administrator Charlotte Hruska char@keysweekly.com Design / Pre-Press Irene de Bruijn irene@keysweekly.com Javier Reyes javier@keysweekly.com Diana Striker www.keysweekly.com Web Master / Travis Cready travis@keysweekly.com Classifieds / Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com 305.743.0844 Se habla español THE KEY WEST WEEKLY (ISSN 1944-0812) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY FOR $125 PER YEAR

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Members of

IS THIS THE LAST YEAR FOR PAINTED BOOBS AT FANTASY FEST? KEY WEST MAYOR AGAIN DEMANDS CHANGE

CLAYTON LOPEZ RECOVERS FROM HEART TROUBLE Key West City Commissioner Clayton Lopez thanks community as he recovers from a cardiac ‘event’ on Oct. 12.

Keys Weekly file photo

MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

P

ainted boobs will be allowed in the designated Fantasy Zone for this year’s 10-day Fantasy Fest celebration — but this could be the last year for it if Key West’s mayor has anything to say about it.

The Key West City Commission on Oct. 12 voted to approve a Fantasy Zone along the Duval Street corridor, where painted breasts are allowed as an exception to the city’s law prohibiting nudity. Breasts must be opaquely covered in paint in order to comply with the law. Nudity from the waist down, as always, remains illegal throughout the city of Key West every day of the year, including during Fantasy Fest.

Mayor Teri Johnston again emphasized her opposition to the Fantasy Zone and the exemption it provides for painted breasts.

“I think it’s high time we change the parameters,” Johnston said on Oct. 12. “(Fantasy Fest producers) do a yeoman’s job advertising a creatively costumed event, yet we still support semi-nudity. I realize Fantasy Fest 2023 will come with a Fantasy Zone, but I want to modify that for 2024.”

Johnston referred repeatedly to a December 2021 city leadership summit that included senior city staff and all elected officials, where “98% of participants wanted to either do away with Fantasy Fest or modify it,” she said.

Commissioner Sam Kaufman then pointed out, “not a single member of the public was present at the leadership workshop and that’s not how we do things.”

Kaufman called for input from the city’s stakeholders, including the chamber of commerce, the restaurants, hotels, attractions and all residents before any changes are made.

As usual, the conversation will continue after this year’s Fantasy Fest, which begins with the annual Goombay Festival on Friday, Oct. 20 and continues through Sunday, Oct. 29.

CITY COMMISSIONER THANKS COMMUNITY; ‘I’M STILL HERE’ MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

C

layton Lopez wasn’t playing hooky when he missed the Oct. 12 city commission meeting.

The longtime District 6 representative instead was in an ambulance bound for Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Miami, where he was treated for a cardiac “event.”

Lopez awoke on Oct. 12 with chest pain, high blood pressure and a racing heart, he wrote in an Oct. 18 email thanking his well-wishers.

When he called City Manager Al Childress to excuse himself from that day’s meeting, Childress offered to send the city’s ambulance to take Lopez to Lower Keys Medical Center. Lopez instead went to his cardiologist’s office, then to Lower Keys Medical Center.

From there, doctors decided to fly him up to Mt. Sinai Medical Center for specialized cardiac care.

But a life flight aboard one of the county’s Trauma

Star helicopters wasn’t possible.

The hours-long cell service outage that stymied text messages and cell phone calls for much of the Florida Keys on Oct. 12 had bigger implications for Lopez — and anyone else who may have needed an emergency medical helicopter flight.

“Air transport doesn’t fly when cellular communication is out, so I was transported by ambulance to Mt. Sinai,” wrote Lopez, who returned home to Key West on Oct. 14. “I underwent a cardiac catheterization, MRI, electrocardiogram exams and plenty of bloodwork. Today, I will see my cardiologist in his office, to learn the results of the tests that were unavailable here.”

“Thank you all, who called, texted, reached out in any way,” he wrote. “I want to especially give thanks to our top-of-the-mountain EMTs and paramedics. They are amazing. We are blessed to have the professional, caring people we have.”

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

TOM HAMBRIGHT — ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS Tom Hambright is seen in 2015 in his favorite spot — the Florida Keys History Center — at the Key West Library. Keys Weekly file photo

Tom Hambright in 1987, just two years after he started a decades-long career at Monroe County historian. RICHARD WATHERWAX/Contributed

LONGTIME COUNTY HISTORIAN DIES AT 85 MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

H

e seemed to know nearly everything about Florida Keys history — military, politics, influences, events, economics and, yes, scandals. And if historian Tom Hambright didn’t know the answer, he knew where to find it, typically somewhere in a filing cabinet of newspaper archives on microfilm or the temperature-controlled vault at the Key West Library that holds countless cartons of Keys history.

Hambright died Oct. 14 at the age of 85, less than two years after he retired from his 36year career as Monroe County’s lead historian.

“Tom will be missed terribly, and his death leaves a big hole, but he has also left so much for us to appreciate, learn from and build upon,” said Corey Malcom, Hambright’s successor as lead historian in Monroe County Library’s Florida History Center. “We understand the Florida Keys, and how our island communities came to be, much better because of him. Tom may be gone, but he is unforgettable.”

The Monroe County Library published a comprehensive obituary at keyslibraries. org. Portions of it appear below, with additional comments compiled by the Keys Weekly Thomas Leroy Hambright was born Feb. 23, 1938, in Mooresville, North Carolina and graduated in 1960 from Appalachian State Teachers College in Boone, North Carolina. He had planned to be a history teacher, but instead served 21 years in the U.S. Navy, including multiple tours in Key West.

He retired from the military in 1981 and returned to Key West, where he took computer

classes at Florida Keys Community College (now the College of the Florida Keys) and went to work for the Key West Art & Historical Society as a curator for three years.

Library legacy & worldwide reach In 1985, Hambright joined the Monroe County Public Library’s Florida History department, where he continued and expanded the work of Betty Bruce, researching Conch genealogy and greatly expanding the library’s collection of historical documents, newspapers, photos, books, diaries and more. He answered endless questions from journalists, homeowners, artists, researchers, historians, authors, realtors and more.

Though a popular public speaker, Hambright’s widest reach was online, where the Florida Keys History Center’s image archive on Flickr has been viewed more than 43 million times.

Hambright led a team of volunteers who made high-resolution scans, identified them, dated them and uploaded them — more than 23,000 images and counting. They’re now freely available for viewing and downloading, while the digital collection continues to grow daily. “…As I began my own career in maritime and local history, no phone call went ignored; no question went unanswered, even if that meant hours of digging through primary source materials on microfilm or in Florida History’s vault. Tom’s reverence and passion for local and maritime history seemed part of his genetic code. His eagerness to read everything, commit it to his eidetic memory, and share it in a cohesive and absorbing manner set him apart from all others. For years everyone said, ‘Tom is irreplaceable, What will we do without Tom?’ We will carry on his good work, but

Tom Hambright and Key West Art & Historical Society curator and historian Cori Convertito examine Navy artifacts, photographs and documents in 2017. CAROL TEDESCO/Contributed

it is difficult to imagine him not being on the other end of the phone to assist.” — Cori Convertito, curator & historian, Key West Art & Historical Society.

“Tom and I served in Vietnam at the same time in 1965 and 1966. He had a tough assignment as the only American serving on a Vietnamese river junk boat and the only Naval officer in highly dangerous areas. He was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V.” (Combat V honors those “exposed to personal hazard during direct participation in combat operations,” according to the Navy.)

“He was a gentle, quiet man with a big heart and an exceptional knowledge of Key West who will be greatly missed.” — Bill Verge, former Key West city commissioner and current director of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk floating museum.

“A great joy of my 23 years working with Tom was him peeking in my office door frequently to announce, ‘We’ve got treasure.’ I would proceed directly to the History Room, where Tom would delightedly explain a new donation. He didn’t just love history, he loved sharing history.” — Anne Layton Rice, assistant library director for support services “Endlessly fascinated by the history of Key West and the Florida Keys, Tom was inspired by Paul Harvey’s phrase ‘The Rest of the Story.’ He loved to uncover the deeper, little-known backstories. The Florida Keys History Center itself is Tom’s largest legacy. For over 35 years he worked to build an important archive for Monroe County that now houses documents, photographs and public records from the past.” — Corey Malcom, lead historian at the library’s Florida History Center.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

KEYS LEADERS PUSH TO USE $25M TDC SURPLUS ON WORKFORCE HOUSING MOVE WOULD REQUIRE STATE LAWMAKER APPROVAL GWEN FILOSA

gwen@keysweekly.com

M

onroe County commissioners can make all the plans and promises they want to alleviate the affordability crisis in the Florida Keys, as the rental market only continues to rise and workers struggle to stay.

But the five-member panel doesn’t have the authority to grab just any budget line and switch it to a workforce housing fund.

The latest idea: spend $25 million in surplus revenue the Monroe County Tourist Development Council raked in between 2020-2022 to house workers in the service and hospitality industries.

“We could really make a difference and build some workforce housing,” said County Commissioner Michelle Lincoln, of Marathon.

Lincoln believes it’s the right move for the Keys. “We’re not taking money out of the budget for advertising,” Lincoln said. “And it’s not asking for any more money. We’re not asking to increase a penny sales tax.”

The agenda for Wednesday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting, scheduled to start at 9 a.m. at the Marathon Government Center, once again included the TDC surplus.

The commission was set to take a vote on whether to lobby state lawmakers to craft a way for Monroe to use the surplus for something that’s not on the books.

“We’re asking the state if we could use that to fund workforce housing that especially benefits people in the service and hospitality industries,” Lincoln said.

Long-term rentals in the Keys have become harder to find, let alone afford on average local wages.

Fair market rents for 2024 determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for Monroe County are $1,556 for a studio, $1,730 for a one-bedroom apartment and $2,139 for a twobedroom.

But in reality, a studio apartment in Key West can easily run more than $2,000 per month and a 646-square-foot one-bedroom at Ocean Walk apartments was starting at $2,781 per month at press time, while a room in a twobedroom apartment, with a shared bathroom, on Duval Street was listed for $1,500 on Craigslist.

Lincoln is on the Florida Association of Counties, which she said will likely take a vote on the TDC tax surplus spending option idea in November.

Florida law restricts how counties spend the TDC tax money.

Elected officials can’t just tap into it for any project, such as rental housing designed to stick to fair market rates or reserved for people with lower than average incomes.

“We have to follow the state statute language as it’s written,” TDC director Stacey Mitchell told the Keys Weekly on Oct. 17.

The Keys scored that bonus $25 million from unprecedented tourism numbers for fiscal years ending in 2021 and 2022. It’s from the total four-cent “bed tax” collected on every dollar spent at hotels and lodging establishments across the 120-mile island chain.

The excess in TDC tax collections ran far over its forecasted budget due to the equally unprecedented number of tourists who poured into the Keys when the COVID-19 pandemic prompted other states, cities and countries to enforce shutdowns as part of safety measures.

Florida was one of the few top destination spots that remained open during a long stretch of the

first 18 months of the pandemic.

“We had zero competition,” Mitchell said.

The TDC, an advisory committee for the county commission, uses bed tax revenues to advertise the Keys, promote the largest events and for large building projects that boost tourism.

Commissioners have essentially frozen the line item for special public facilities capital projects. “They voted to defer accepting applications for the use of these surplus funds until after the 2024 legislative session,” Mitchell said.

At the Oct. 18 meeting, the agenda item that listed the 2024 legislative priorities included the TDC surplus idea.

In a report by Lisa Tennyson, the county director of legislative affairs, 10 major Keys issues made the priority list, including, “Support legislation to expand the eligible uses for Tourist Development Taxgenerated funds to include affordable/workforce housing for tourism sectors’ workers.”

It’s tagged as “tourism workforce housing,” in the report.

“We’re not sure if the entire state’s going to be behind us,” Lincoln said. “We’re definitely ready to stand alone on this one.”

Many urgent goals in 2024 The TDC surplus is one of three legislative priorities related to the housing crisis that county staff has compiled, including supporting local governments’ efforts to alleviate housing costs.

The report recommends the county support legislation to enable local governments to offer property tax relief for landlords who “voluntarily rent affordably.”

A property tax break could save long-term rentals from turning into vacation rentals.

But Monroe County’s top priority remains environmental protection, namely to secure $25 million through the Florida Keys Stewardship Act: $20 million for water quality projects and $5 million for land acquisition.

“The county utilizes its share of Stewardship funding for the canal restoration program,” according to the staff report.

The priority list also includes funding for raising roads, addressing marine issues such as mooring fields and removing derelict vessels, and protecting the Rate of Growth Ordinance from possible state preemption.

Most of Monroe’s legislative goals are incremental “and focused on issues that are built upon over several sessions, such as our water quality and land acquisition needs, the importance of wind insurance affordability, and protection of grandfathered vacation rental regulations,” the report states.

A longshot: reducing wind insurance costs The soaring cost of wind insurance is another piece of the Keyswide affordability crisis. Wind and flood insurance costs are a perennial issue but county staff says this year there’s even more urgency.

Most wind insurance policies in the Keys are through the statebacked Citizens Property Insurance Company, known as the insurer of last resort.

“Thanks to the spiraling property insurance crisis, Citizens’ policy numbers have soared past $1.4 million because it is the default insurer for policy holders from the private sector insurance companies that have failed or left the state,” the report says.

“Lawmakers continue to pressure Citizens to shed policies by forcing insureds into take-out companies with higher premiums, and by limiting eligibility,” according to the report. “Preserving affordable wind insurance requires regular advocacy with Citizens, legislators, and the Office of Insurance Regulation to oppose efforts to increase premiums, eliminate the cap on annual increases, reduce coverage, and reduce eligibility.

“To make matters worse, recent state legislation now requires flood insurance to be carried by all Citizens’ policy holders – even for homes not at risk for flood,” according to the report.

Florida lawmakers passed significant insurance legislation this past year and county staff says it’s unlikely they’ll revisit the issue in any type of comprehensive way.

“Nevertheless, we will work with our delegation and with Monroe’s insurance advocacy group, FIRM (Fair Insurance Rates in Monroe), to press for some reforms that may help to reduce costs,” the report says.

The 2024 Florida Legislature’s session begins Jan. 9 and ends March 8.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

COURT CONSOLIDATION CRITICIZED AT PUBLIC HEARING KEYS OFFICIALS SPEAK LOUD IN TAMPA

JIM McCARTHY

I

jim@keysweekly.com

nside a Hillsborough County courthouse, state attorneys, public defenders, sheriffs and residents provided three hours of testimony to a committee tasked with recommending whether Florida’s 20 circuit courts should be consolidated.

A final public hearing on Oct. 13 heard many in-person and Zoom speakers pointing to overwhelming evidence of survey results the 14-person Judicial Circuit Assessment Committee (JCAC) received from 5,000 law professionals and 2,000 residents urging them not to support or recommend combining the circuit courts. Many believed the move wouldn’t provide any noticeable taxpayers savings, nor would it bring efficiencies to the court system.

Roughly 74% of the surveys filled out by the public came from Monroe County residents. And that wasn’t an anomaly, Monroe County Attorney Bob Shillinger said to the JCAC at the public hearing. Shillinger’s comments alluded to remarks by Naples-based attorney Laird Lile at a Sept. 15 meeting regarding the large number of surveys from the southernmost county.

“We did public outreach,” Shillinger explained. “We see it as a threat to our way of life. If you have any doubt of the level of opposition or sincerity, I invite you to hold a hearing in Monroe County.”

In July, the JCAC convened after Republican Speaker Paul Renner wrote to Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz stating that the current circuit boundaries haven’t changed since 1969. Renner specifically noted the size difference between the 2.7 million residents in Miami-Dade County’s 11th Circuit and the fewer than 100,000 people in Monroe County’s 16th Circuit Court.

Renner believed consolidation could lead to greater efficiencies and more uniformity in the judicial process. It’s something the JCAC is currently examining as members work to submit a final report by Dec. 1. Judge Jonathan Gerber, of the 4th District Court of Appeal, is the Judicial Consolidation Assessment Committee chair. The 14-person committee doesn’t have a representative from Monroe County’s 16th Circuit Court.

Shillinger was joined at the public hearing in Tampa by Monroe County State Attorney Dennis Ward and Monroe County Mayor Craig Cates, who was first to speak among the Keys contingent. Cates said he

Judge Jonathan Gerber, of the 4th District Court of Appeal, is the Judicial Consolidation Assessment Committee chair. CONTRIBUTED

traveled to Tampa to express the county’s strong opposition to any merger with the larger neighboring 11th Circuit.

“While consolidating smaller courts into larger circuits might make sense in practice, it will spell disaster for the protection of the Florida Keys,” Cates said.

Ward told the JCAC the smallest circuit in the state runs a “pretty good show.” While the court system has a population size under 100,000, he said the southernmost courts serve more than 5 million visitors in addition to locals.

“When I first first heard about this, I asked, ‘Why are we doing this? What’s the purpose here?’ There’s been different responses and after listening to them, I find it’s not necessary,” Ward said.

Shillinger added the last six election cycles in the Keys have seen a contested race for state attorney. He said the county would lose accountability and representation if the 11th and 16th circuit courts combined.

Retired Judge Gerardo Castiello spent more than a decade hearing compensation claims in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

He discussed a project to land a third district of appeals judge in the Keys so residents didn’t have to travel hours to Miami-Dade.

“Folks in Monroe County were not properly served and I stopped that,” he said.

“We’re not sending folks to Dade; it does not work for them.”

Keys resident Alberto Gonzalez also made the trek to the courthouse to share his thoughts. He said votes from registered Keys voters, including himself, would never count again if the 16th circuit court went away.

“This has nothing to do with consolidating courts,” he said. “It’s a political move to prevent certain state attorneys from being elected, and we’re just collateral damage.”

Appearing on Zoom, Islamorada Councilman Mark Gregg said the Keys do not have a wide turnpike or bustling downtowns.

Rather, the Keys have the Everglades and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in its backyard.

“We are unique geographically from the 11th district,” he said. “And we’d be incompatible with their (Miami-Dade’s) way of administering justice.”

Some commenters believed court consolidations could bring a more uniform technology system. Not only that, it could also expand the jury pool for smaller counties whose residents are picked more frequently for jury duty. Kansas Gooden, a Miami-based attorney, said consolidations could address caseload disparities and availability of hearing times in some circuits.

Many sheriffs and state attorneys across the state, however, believed consolidations wouldn’t create positive change. Jack Campbell, Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association president, said he’s never seen state attorneys and public defenders so united on an issue.

“It’s time for a JOA (judgment of acquittal). In any other case we’d lose this case for lack of evidence,” he said.

The JCAC will meet three times in November to develop, review and finalize findings and recommendations.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

GOING THE DISTANCE

CONTINUING THE CONCH TRADITION

SMART RIDE FUNDRAISER RETURNS NOV. 17 & 18

KEY WEST HIGH SCHOOL RAMPS UP FOR HOMECOMING WEEK

Bicyclists in the 2022 SMART Ride, raising money for HIV and AIDS programs in South Florida, make their way across the Seven Mile Bridge en route from Miami to Key West. This year’s ride takes place Nov. 17 and 18. ANDY NEWMAN/Florida Keys News Bureau

B

icyclists will pedal the entire length of the Florida Keys along the scenic Overseas Highway and Heritage Trail during a 165-mile fundraising ride from Miami to Key West.

The 20th annual SMART Ride, also called the Southern Most AIDS/HIV Ride, is set for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17-18. Each year it attracts about 500 solo and team riders and 250 volunteers.

According to founder Glen Weinzimer, the ride has raised some $15 million since its inception, with 100% of proceeds distributed among HIV/AIDS service organizations throughout Florida, including the Florida Keys’ AH Monroe.

Although Weinzimer has announced that 2023 is his organization’s final year of producing the ride, he expressed confidence that fundraising will go on.

“Over the past two decades, SMART Ride has built a family of communities working together,” said Weinzimer. “Many of the fundraisers that have become annual stand-alone events to support SMART Ride and the community will continue.”

Participants in the 2023 event will depart Friday, Nov. 17 from the University of Miami and proceed from mainland Florida into the Florida Keys. The ride starts at sunrise with a scheduled 100-mile trek

to Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key in the Middle Keys.

Much of the journey takes place on the Overseas Highway, featuring 42 bridges over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Rest stops are available every 15 to 20 miles.

Participants will spend the night in villas at Hawks Cay. They also receive meals and the services of a first-aid team and a holistic and wellness tent throughout the event.

On Saturday, Nov. 18, riders will cycle 65 miles southwest to Key West.

Upon arrival, a police escort will lead them on a final trek around Key West and down Duval Street.

The procession is scheduled to end at the oceanfront Edward B. Knight Pier at White Street and Atlantic Boulevard, site of the Key West AIDS Memorial.

The public is encouraged to join in the closing ceremonies to congratulate riders, crew and volunteers. Post-ride celebrations are slated throughout the day on Nov. 18 at LGBTQ-friendly venues in Key West. They include a closing party at the Bourbon Street Complex, 724 Duval St. Registration for the 2023 ride is currently open with a fee of $135.

More information is at thesmartride.org.

— Contributed

The Key West Conchs’ homecoming week events starts with the annual parade at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 23. GRACE ANDREWS/Keys Weekly

H

omecoming planning and preparation is in full swing at Key West High School.

Class executive boards meet every week after school or during lunch in their sponsor’s classroom. The theme for homecoming this year is “A Conch Fairytale” and the school is buzzing about the parade, spirit days, crowning the homecoming queen and the dance — all of which kick off Monday, Oct. 23 with Senior Toga Day, followed by the traditional homecoming parade.

Due to ongoing construction at Tommy Roberts Memorial Stadium, the parade route will be in reverse this year.

Beginning at 6 p.m., the parade will start on Kennedy Drive and head toward Flagler Avenue.

It will turn right on Flagler and end at Key West High School’s

Backyard for a Spirit Night celebration. The community is encouraged to come out and support the annual event.

Each class will ride on a flatbed truck donated by Arnold’s Towing, in costumes and handheld props. Once they reach the high school, they will perform skits in front of the community in the Backyard. School officials hope the evening promotes safety and spirit, while maintaining the magic and tradition of this Key West High School homecoming event.

The week ends with a Conch football game on Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Backyard at Key West High School, where the crowning of the 2023 homecoming queen will take place at halftime.

— Contributed

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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15

KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023 MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

ON TAP

1. Cayo Hueso Brewing offers up to 12 beers on tap in its tasting room, including a pumpkin spice ale and a Havana harvest ale for the fall. BRITT MYERS/Keys Weekly 2. Jorge Quintana uses a giant wooden paddle to stir a boiling batch of beer-to-be at Cayo Hueso Brewing on Stock Island. A pumpkin spice ale is on tap for the fall.

MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly

CAYO HUESO BREWERY OPENS FRIDAY 1

3. The tasting room at Cayo Hueso Brewing is currently open Thursdays from 4 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 2 to 10 p.m. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly 4. Key West locals enjoy a September ‘soft opening’ at Cayo Hueso Brewing. The official grand opening takes place from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20. STEPHANIE MITCHELL/Keys Weekly

2

5. Cayo Hueso Brewing is on tap at about 30 Key West locations, and its tasting room on Stock Island has a grand opening from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20.

STEPHANIE MITCHELL/Keys Weekly

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R

emember when home-brewed beer swept the country a decade or so ago?

Wives gave their husbands beer-brewing kits for Christmas and the Willy Wonkastyle tubes and kettles would burp occasionally in a corner, or stowed in a bathtub when company came over for poker night.

Key West native Jorge Quintana was one of those home brewers. He was also a recipient, in 2011, of one of the home-brewing kits from his then-girlfriend, now wife.

But unlike most other initially committed beer creators, Quintana stuck with it.

“It turns out I was good at it. The science behind it made sense to me, and the results were really good. I started to win some competitions when we were living up in the Jupiter area and the idea kind of took root to turn it into a business,” Quintana said on Oct. 16 while stirring a roiling pot of beer-to-be in the new Cayo Hueso Brewing, 5635 1st Ave., Stock Island. “We got married in 2014 and wanted to start a family. So when we decided to move back to Key West to be close to family, I really started thinking I could make the brewery happen.”

The couple moved back to Key West in 2018.

But it was the pandemic, in March and April 2020, that prompted Quintana to start working in earnest. He bought the building on 1st Avenue and installed all the kettles, fermenters and walk-in cooler for keg storage himself.

“Gotta love YouTube,” he said, nodding to all the hoses, pipes, pressure valves and temperature controls that line the walls of the brewery.

The new brewery and tasting room will celebrate its official grand opening, after a few “soft openings,” on Friday, Oct. 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. All are welcome at the event that will feature live music, tastings and flights of beer.

The brewery’s location behind Roostica WoodFire Pizzeria also makes food easy. “(Roostica owner) Bobby Mongelli has been really great,” Quintana said. “Our customers can order food from Roostica and we’ll bring it to them back here. It’s really easy, and is popular with our happy hour crowd.”

4

A gate behind the brewery’s comfortable outdoor courtyard opens into the Roostica rear parking lot. Murals by local artists cover the interior and exterior walls, depicting Ernest Hemingway, Key West roosters and more.

“We started production in January for wholesale distribution and currently have about 30 local clients selling our beer,” Quintana said, adding that Cayo Hueso beers are on tap at Roostica, Hogfish Bar & Grill, Boat House Bar & Grill, Half Shell Saloon and Hank’s Hair of the Dog Saloon, among others. “I’m brewing two or three times a week, because I don’t have too much storage space, so the good news is, the beer is always fresh. Most beer takes about 10 days from the

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start of the process until you’re drinking it, but lager takes longer — four to six weeks, because that has to be stored cold for longer.

“By the grand opening, we’ll have 10 beers on tap,” Quintana said, adding that he’s currently brewing a pumpkin spice ale and a Havana harvest brew for the fall.

With names like Expired Passport, El Hemingway, Malecon, Jet Noise, Coconut Coma and Neon Palms, the libations are as decidedly Key West as Quintana himself.

Visit Cayo Hueso Brewing online at cayohuesobrewing.com and on Facebook and Instagram.

16

KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

LOCAL NEWS MATTERS

Keys Weekly, OMG all aboard for a day on the water

T

he Keys Weekly and Overseas Media Group team — with employees and offices in Key West, Marathon and Tavernier — enjoyed a full day on the water during a retreat on Oct. 7.

Company owners Jason Koler and Britt Myers welcomed more than 50 people — editors, designers, writers, sales pros, digital marketing strategists and their families — aboard the Fury Water Sports’ “Ultimate Adventure H2.0.”

The all-day trip included snorkeling, jet skiing, parasailing, a floating playground, plus breakfast, lunch, drinks and plenty of laughs and memories.

For an entire day, the dedicated local media team put away their phones (except to take fun photos) and took full advantage of our saltwater surroundings.

The Keys Weekly and Overseas Media Group team and their families enjoy a day on the water during a company retreat. FURY WATER ADVENTURES/Contributed

DIANA NYAD MARKS 10th ANNIVERSARY OF EPIC SWIM

TURTLE RELEASE COMMEMORATES 111-MILE SWIM

Diana Nyad emerges from the Atlantic Ocean on Dec. 2, 2013 after completing a 111-mile swim from Cuba to Key West. Events commemorating the 10th anniversary of Nyad’s feat will take place in Key West Saturday, Oct. 21, and Sunday, Oct. 22. ANDY NEWMAN/Florida Keys News Bureau

R

enowned endurance swimmer Diana Nyad will commemorate the 10th anniversary of her 111-mile swim from Havana to Key West by helping to release a rehabilitated sea turtle into the Atlantic Ocean from the beach where she completed her epic feat in 2013.

Nyad and her Cuba swim expedition leader Bonnie Stoll will release “Rocky,” a 120-pound adult female green sea turtle that was rehabilitated at the Marathon-based Turtle Hospital, on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 9 a.m. at Smathers Beach.

On Labor Day 2013, nearly 2,000 people gathered at the beach to welcome Nyad as she came ashore after swimming continuously for 52 hours and 54 minutes, becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to the Keys without a shark cage.

Then 64 years old, Nyad succeeded at the grueling Florida Straits crossing on her fifth try — achieving a dream she had held since first attempting the swim in 1978.

According to Turtle Hospital manager Bette Zirkelbach, it’s appropriate for the swimmer to release Rocky because the turtle’s endurance and determination echo Nyad’s own.

Rescued in January by Florida Fish & Wildlife officers off Key

Largo, Rocky was struggling and unable to dive. At the hospital in Marathon, the turtle required an eight-hour intestinal surgery, breathing treatments and a blood transfusion — followed by months of medications and recovery.

“Rocky beat the odds,” said Zirkelbach, “and now she’s fully recovered and ready to return to sea.”

For Sunday’s release, the Turtle Hospital team will arrive at the beach with Rocky at 8:30 a.m. and conduct an informational session before Nyad and Stoll help hospital staff in releasing the turtle into the Atlantic.

Many of the dedicated crew members who supported Nyad’s swim will be on hand, and the public is invited to join them for Rocky’s release.

Another scheduled 10th anniversary event is a party Saturday, Oct. 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Smathers Beach where Nyad, Stoll and their crew members will gather for remembrances and photos near the point where Nyad emerged from the water after her historic swim.

Like the turtle release, the beach party is open to the public.

More information is at diananyad.com and turtlehospital.org.

— Contributed

18

KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

KEY WEST’S HEADDRESS BALL CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF ‘HIGH’ FASHION

T

he year was 1983. Disco balls still glittered in Key West, where a still-new fall festival, called Fantasy Fest, was in its fourth year and drawing new events annually. That year spawned the Headdress Ball, now in its fourth decade of design and creative costuming.

This year’s 40th annual Headdress Ball, an over-the-top showcase for mask-makers and costumers, takes place Thursday, Oct. 26, at Key West’s Coffee Butler Amphitheater in Truman Waterfront Park. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m.

The Headdress Ball is the festival’s premier LGBTQ event.

Plans call for it to feature 12 to 15 contestants, all wowing the audience with unique headdresses — even some featuring moving parts or towering high above their wearers.

Although most participants are costumed from head to toe, entrants will be judged only from the shoulders up as they vie for the first-place prize of $3,000.

The event includes live entertainment by female impersonator Randy Roberts, Key West’s Laurie Thibaud as emcee and music overseen by DJ Rude Girl. The event always starts with an introduction of the newly crowned king and queen of Fantasy Fest.

Ticketholders are welcome at the amphitheater at 6:30 p.m., providing ample time for them to mingle and take photos with entrants before the show begins at 8 p.m.

Spectators also can enjoy bar and wine service and have preordered food delivered to their table during the event.

The Headdress Ball has been produced for the past 40 years by the Key West Business Guild, one of the oldest LGBTQ business organizations in the United States. Proceeds from the event help the guild support Key West’s gay and gay-friendly enterprises, community and the island’s position as a leading LGBTQ vacation spot.

Tickets are $320 for a premium table for four people, $270 for a VIP table for four, $35 per person for chair seating and $30 per person for general admission with lawn seating. To purchase tickets and preorder food, visit keystix.com.

HEAD & SHOULDERS ABOVE THE REST

HEADDRESS HISTORY Longtime Key Wester Pete Arnow, who has organized the Headdress Ball for the past 30 years, recalled the start of one of Key West’s most dazzling events, writing, “The Headdress Ball was one of the first events of the newly organized Fantasy Fest celebration in the early 1980s. The first ball was held at the old Monster Bar (now the Hog’s Breath) on Front Street.

As it grew, the Headdress Ball moved to the Copa Dance Club (now Wyland Gallery) in 1985. Bleachers were installed on Duval Street so people could watch the elaborate headdress entries arrive. This was the disco era, so the Headdress Ball consisted of an elaborate disco dance with Miami’s top DJs. “When the Copa burned down, the ball moved to the Bourbon Street Pub, then to the Eaton Street Theater (today’s Key West Theater) and then was produced under a tent at the Atlantic Shores Resort. Table seating was added. When the Shores closed, the Southernmost Hotel hosted the event.

The Headdress Ball outgrew that location and was moved to a bigger tent at the Truman Waterfront Park. In 2017 Key West Mayor Craig Cates and the City of Key West afforded the Headdress Ball the honor of first to perform at the new Coffee Butler Amphitheater right after Hurricane Irma. COVID canceled the 2020 and 2021 Headdress Ball.

— Contributed Randall Lail competes in the 2022 Headdress Ball in Key West.

FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU/Contributed

19

KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023 CAROL TEDESCO www.keysweekly.com

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T

he 2023 Bud Light Fantasy Fest parade is set to roll down Duval Street on Saturday, Oct. 28. Daniel Bitnar and Virginia Wark are longtime friends whose individual creative costuming ingenuity over the years has made them crowd and media favorites in the parade, Masquerade March, Headdress Ball and dozens of other events. Keys Weekly caught up with them to get some sneak-preview, behindthe-scenes insights into the methods behind their magnificence.

You are each renowned for your parade prowess. Have you ever marched or rolled on the same team?

Daniel: Yes, 10 years ago I designed an archangel team. I was Archangel Michael and Virginia was a devil. Our team of four won “Best Walking Group” that year.

Do you have an outline or plan of action that you follow?

Virginia: Hell no! I tried that once and it was a disaster. My method is pretty spontaneous. I start by collecting things and eventually the bits and bobs inspire the creation. It’s like, “No, that won’t work; that won’t work, oh yes – THAT’S going to work!”

MEET THE MASQUERADE MASTERMINDS DANIEL BITNAR & VIRGINIA WARK: OPPOSITES ATTRACT

Daniel: Absolutely. I’m a planner. My background is as a designer, and so my first step is research.

Once the next year’s theme is announced, I’ll spend a month or two just deciding what my team’s costumes will be and how to go about interpreting and building them. Next I begin collecting materials, and then I start putting it all together. In the past I made all my team’s costumes myself, but I’ve had three surgeries since Christmas 2022, and for a while I didn’t know if I was going to live or die. In March, our friend Gary came to town and helped organize a team building approach, with me supervising and building the costume wings, and the rest of our group helping assemble all the rest.

Were either of you involved in costuming before coming to Key West?

Daniel: Yes. It started for me at age 17 when I was invited to a costume disco party. I had never done makeup before in my life; my mother told me to help myself to hers. I wanted something that was an opaque white and she didn’t have anything like that, but then I remembered I had acne cream (I was 17, after all). I used that as my foundation, and when I looked in the mirror I didn’t recognize myself. I won first prize, and that contest actually launched me into professional work as a makeup artist.

What are some of your must-have materials for costume and float making?

Daniel: Garbage/recycling, fabric, paper/cardboard, glue gun, sewing machine and shiny stuff that catches the light.

Virginia: I use Goop to glue; a drill and screws for both construction and decoration; scraps of plywood for framing, although I’ve also had luck with cardboard, like TV or large appliance boxes; paint, latex and spray; and any junk that will go with the theme. My trike is my foundation, so weight is a factor. It all has to make it from my house in midtown, to Truman Annex, through the parade route, and then back home.

Daniel: Whenever I think of Gorilla Glue I think of you, Virginia.

Virginia: Actually I use Goop. And caulk.

Daniel: You used to use Gorilla Glue.

Virginia: No, it’s always been Goop and caulk.

4 What’s your number-one motivation for participating in Fantasy Fest?

Daniel: For me the biggest reward is that, “Ah! Wow, how did you make that?!” gasp of appreciation when someone first sees my creations, and knowing you’re bringing them joy.

Virginia: It’s a huge celebration and once you’ve been in it, it’s just such fun. So many other parades are about spectating. If you go to the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, spectators are standing on the sidelines dressed in regular clothes, being a regular person. But here, you see somebody in the crowd and they’re in a cool costume. They’re not just spectators; they’re also participating in it. And other people get inspired and say, “Hey – I can do that!”

More information, including a full calendar, schedule updates and a downloadable mobile app are at fantasyfest.com.

1. Daniel Bitnar, right, shows Virginia Wark some of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels tribute costume pieces he’s creating for this year’s Bud Light Fantasy Fest Parade. CAROL TEDESCO/ FantasyFest.com 2. Daniel Bitnar, right, interacts with spectators during the 2019 Fantasy Fest Masquerade March along with fellow ‘Bells of the Ball’ Mark Warmouth, left, and Gary Horne, center.

3. Virginia Wark consults with feline friend Freya while working with assorted costuming ‘bits and bobs’ in her workshop.

4. Daniel Bitnar shimmers as Archangel Michael in the 2013 Fantasy Fest Parade.

23

KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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24

KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

I

hope you’re holding onto your hats CHRIS and unicorn McNULTY horns beis an astrologer, cause we are wanderer, barin the midst tender and of eclipse advocate for queer justice. He season is a loquacious and on the Gemini with a threshold of cozy Cancer rising. Find him at Fantasy Fest. hearthandherald- Between astrology.com the eclipses on Oct. 14 and Oct. 28, we are all making major shifts in how we stand as individuals and how we relate as social beings. What needs to be let go and what needs to be brought in? These answers will be different for everyone, but know that we are all feeling the transformation in our own ways. Perhaps the Fantasy Fest revelry will allow folks to practice novel ways of being and relating. Just remember to be safe and intentional in everything you do. On Thursday, Oct. 19, the planet Mercury is as far from us as can be, all the way on the other side of the sun.

From our perspective, Mercury and the sun merge to form what’s called a cazimi, or “in the heart of the sun.” Mercury, the Messenger, is on a fact-finding mission on the other side of our star and beaming that information to us within the clarifying and warming rays of the sun’s unveiling light. Whatever unique message you receive, your role is to communicate it to others with creative amplification. Let your voice be heard, and be sure to listen to the other messages coming through from the people around you.

Here are your horoscopes for the Mercury cazimi. Read for your rising and sun signs.

BEAMING MESSAGES FROM THE OTHER SIDE LIBRA Sept. 23 - Oct. 23 What is your unique contribution to the world you inhabit? You are singular and rare, and sometimes it can be difficult to express that in a society that pushes us to seek conformity. Right now, you have a special opportunity to tap into your individual gifts and to communicate them in an incredibly effective way. Under this sky, you are persuasive and confident.

Share boldly.

SCORPIO Oct. 24 - Nov. 21 You are no stranger to depth of feeling, Scorpio. The unconscious realms of experience are familiar terrain, and right now you have an investigative reporter’s skill. What are the messages coming to you in your quiet reverie? Are there bits of your truth you can share with us? Journaling will help you translate your intuition into digestible poetry or prose for the rest of us.

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22 - Dec. 21 Hopes and dreams can sometimes reside silently within our hearts, Sag, particularly the pipe dreams that seem beyond our grasp. However, now is not the time to hide.

There are people in your corner who want to help you achieve your goals; you just need to say the word. Choose your allies wisely, but speak your heart’s desire fearlessly. Powerful support is lying in wait.

CAPRICORN Dec. 22 - Jan. 19 Who are you in the public sphere of life? Are you involved in your community or do you fly beneath the radar? Everyone has a part to play in the world, from the highest elected official to the “commonest” person simply existing. Right now, your words hold power for the public, so find your method of participation and let us know your ideas. In our world of constant opinion-sharing, yours will stand out.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20 - Feb. 18 For better or worse, everyone has a belief system that fills in the mysteries of our world. What holds it all together? What lies beyond our limited horizon of knowledge? This perpetual conversation within the human project is presumably unending, but right now you have a contribution to make. Tell us your beliefs and your thought experiments. Even if you tell one person, your input can make waves right now.

PISCES Feb. 19 - March 20 What is considered taboo is determined by one’s cultural context. Sometimes the things we are not allowed to talk about are the things that hold the greatest control in our lives. Open discussion about taboo topics should be treated delicately, but right now you have something to say that can contribute to our shared understanding of the unspoken.

What is not being said?

ARIES March 21 - April 19 As the sign of the independent warrior, relationships are not always your forte, Aries. Right now, however, you are being gifted with a clarifying insight into a significant partner in your life. Perhaps they have something to tell you, perhaps you have something to tell them. Either way, the communication stream is flowing. Remember to speak and listen with care.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20 There are things in life we all just have to do: brushing teeth, taking out garbage, side work, eating for sustenance. These are the things we can form avoidant or obsessive relationships with, but you currently have an opportunity to think very plainly about how to optimize your chores for your personal wellness. An aha moment is at hand.

GEMINI May 21 - June 21 Any transit involving Mercury is particularly poignant for you, Gemini, so pay attention now. You are being offered a clear understanding of what you need to let go of in order for your creative outlets to bear fruit. Speak these things out loud or write them down because externalizing what you let go is part of the process. What weight needs to be dropped?

CANCER June 22 - July 22 Relationships at home and with family can sometimes be the most complex, but there are moments when we can see very plainly the solution to a happy habitat. Right now, you are being offered one of those moments. What do you see and how can you verbalize it? Get to the root of the issue and share your insights with your nearest and dearest.

LEO July 23 - Aug. 22 There’s an image that exists in our minds that encapsulates our childhood, our siblings, our early education, our neighborhood growing up. For some, this image might be dark, for others infused with nostalgia. However this memory shows up for you, there is a golden kernel of wisdom there. See if you can dig it out and, ideally, share it with a friend.

VIRGO Aug. 23 - Sept. 22 Mercury rules your sign, and this transit is an extra impactful moment for you, Virgo. You have an opportunity to really assess how your personal values are exhibited in your finances and your material property. Are you surrounded by things and income streams that reflect your core convictions? Are there some tweaks that need to be made, or do you need to doubledown in some areas? Talking about this will only help.

25

KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

ST. PAUL’S CHURCH GETS $250K PRESERVATION GRANT STRUCTURAL REPAIRS AIM TO ‘BRING BACK THE BELLS’

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t. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Duval Street recently received a $250,000 grant to help restore its iconic facade, including the bell tower, which has been silent due to structural problems.

“The congregation hopes to ‘bring back the bells,’ which cannot be rung until the masonry has been secured,” said Elliot Carter, spokesperson for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Our grant will specifically be used to restore the south wall, which is the most urgent of restoration priorities.”

The church at the corner of Duval and Eaton streets was completed in 1919.

“Designed in the Gothic Revival style, it was constructed with the tropical climate of Key West in mind,” Carter said. “The altar faces east to channel ocean breeze through pivoting stained-glass windows, creating a shady and cool interior. The original concrete was a mixture of beach sand, saltwater, limestone aggregate, and cement. It is likely the only concrete church building of this age and style in the United States.”

The grant comes from the National Fund for Sacred Places initiative in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which awarded grants to 16 “significant faith communities,” throughout the country. St. Paul’s is the only Florida recipient.

“The only initiative of its kind in the United States, the National Fund for Sacred Places is a highly competitive program that supports faith communities that have buildings of historical significance and architectural character, and that play

Completed in 1919, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Duval Street is one of 16 faith-based buildings in the country to receive a $250,000 ‘Sacred Places’ preservation grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. MIKE KINDiNGER./Contributed

an essential role in meeting the larger spiritual, social and economic needs of the communities they serve,” states a press release from the National Trust for Historic Preservation: This year’s grantees represent important houses of worship in the country. With these grants, the National Fund recognizes their contributions and seeks to support their efforts.

THIS YEAR’S GRANT RECIPIENTS - All Souls Unitarian Church – Washington, D.C. - Alrasool Islamic Center – Taylorsville, Utah - Breakers Covenant Church International – Detroit - Church of the Holy Apostles – New York - Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist – New York - Faith Congregational Church – Hartford, Connecticut - First Bryan Baptist Church – Savannah, Georgia - First Unitarian Church – Philadelphia - St. Adalbert Catholic Church – South Bend, Indiana - St. Francis de Sales Oratory – St. Louis - St. Mark’s Lutheran Church – Baltimore - St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Key West - St. Peter’s/San Pedro Episcopal Church – Salem, Massachusetts - United Parish in Brookline – Brookline, Massachusetts - Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo – Buffalo, New York - Vang Lutheran Church – Dennison, Minnesota

“This year was the most competitive yet for the grants, and members of the new cohort stood out for their commitment to using their historic religious properties as civic assets,” said Bob Jaeger, president of Partners for Sacred Places. “We are excited to collaborate with the National Trust in serving faith leaders who are working hard to ensure that their buildings are preserved, fully used and able to serve their communities over the long term.”

“We’re honored to support the preservation of these 16 places of worship that hold so many stories of American history, architecture and religious expression,” said Jay Clemens, interim president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

More information is at fundforsacredplaces. org.

— Contributed

INSIDE CITY GOVERNMENT KEY WEST AMBASSADORS ACADEMY GRADUATES 39TH CLASS

T

he Key West Ambassadors Academy graduated its 39th class during the Oct. 12 city commission meeting. They join more than 600 citizens who now have a better insight into the workings of city government.

Each class of the Key West Ambassadors Academy has been a blend of dedicated, involved citizens.

During the commission meeting, class representative Jordan Upchurch commended the city staff who made the class possible.

Four city leaders – Mayor Teri Johnston, Commissioners Clayton Lopez, Sam Kaufman, and Lissette Cuervo Carey – were elected after finishing this program. Other alumni have served as commissioners and on a variety of city boards.

The Key West Ambassadors Academy was established in 2003 by then-city manager Julio Avael. Class 40 is slated to begin in mid-January. Applications will be available the first week in December on the city’s website.

— Contributed

Key West Ambassadors are recognized at the Oct. 12 city commission meeting. Kneeling: Brian Bradley; Navy Command Master Chief Josh Joiner; Ralph and Stacie Gleason; Alan Nations; Jen Menendez; Navy Capt. Beth Regol and Matt Puppich. Standing: City Manager Al Childress; Brandy Lewis; City Commissioners Mary Lou Hoover, Lissette Carey and Jimmy Weekley; Jordan Upchurch; Mayor Teri Johnston; Facilitator Alyson Crean; Vice Mayor Sam Kaufman; Commissioner Billy Wardlow; Greg and Stephanie Gordan; and Valarie Vanse. Class members not pictured: Cori Convertito, Joanne Garzarella, Jacqueline Luhta and Lynn Smith. CONTRIBUTED

27

KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

‘DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN’ HEADLINE BLUNDER TURNS 75 REENACTMENT & EVENTS PLANNED IN KEY WEST AND MIAMI CAROL TEDESCO www.keysweekly.com

T

he 75th anniversary of an iconic moment in U.S. presidential history will be celebrated at Florida’s Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami on Friday, Nov. 3 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The world-famous news image of President Harry S. Truman triumphantly holding the Nov. 3, 1948 Chicago Daily Tribune with its incorrect “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline will be re-enacted on board the same Ferdinand Magellan railcar, with Truman’s grandson, Clifton Truman Daniel, portraying the 33rd U.S. president.

The image, captured by multiple photographers on the scene that day, immortalized what the Chicago Tribune has described as “the most famous wrong call in electoral history.”

Upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, Truman became the 33rd president of the United States. In 1948, seeking a second term, and with polls and political experts predicting that his opponent, Gov. Thomas Dewey of New York, would prevail, Truman embarked on a crosscountry “whistle-stop” campaign tour on board the Ferdinand Magellan railcar.

In St. Louis, on the return trip to Washington, DC after learning of his surprise victory, Truman stepped out onto the Ferdinand Magellan’s rear platform and photographers captured what has been described as possibly “the most famous political photograph of all time.”

Clifton Truman Daniel is no stranger to depicting his presidential forebear. Since 2017, the actor has starred in the stage production, “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!”, a one-man-show written by Samuel Gallu that spotlights Truman’s life and presidency.

The event will also include author, historian, professor and Truman expert Robert Watson, who will speak about the impact of his 1948 campaign and the importance of his “whistle-stop” tour. Watson has published more than 40 books and 200 scholarly articles and essays on topics in political, military and social history, as well as two multivolume encyclopedia sets on the presidents and first ladies.

The Ferdinand Magellan, built in 1928 and one of more than 40 historic rail cars now housed at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum, served as Presidential Railcar, U.S. Number 1 from 1943-1958, and was acquired by the museum in 1959.

While Friday, Nov. 3, marks the 75th anniversary of the historic erroneous headline, Saturday, Nov. 4 marks the 75th anniversary of the iconic scene that memorialized it. Among the photojournalists in the throng surrounding the Ferdinand Magellan that day was Edwin O. Swift Jr., chief photographer for the St. Louis Star Times

1

3

2 and father of Historic Tours of America president and director Edwin O. Swift III. This date will be celebrated with a companion event at the Harry S. Truman Little White House Museum in Key West.

On Nov. 4,, from noon to 2 p.m., the public is invited to the Harry S. Truman Little White House, 111 Front St., Key West. The free event includes light refreshments and desserts, along with photo ops with the prop version of the Ferdinand Magellan that’s featured in “Give ’Em Hell, Harry!”

Tickets for the Friday, Nov. 3 Gold Coast Railroad Museum event, located at 12450 SW 152nd St., Miami, include hors d’oeuvres and two drink tickets. Cost is $25 for Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation and Gold Coast Railroad Museum members, $30 for non-members, and $15 for children under 12. Tickets are limited; doors open at 6 p.m.. Admission to the Key West event on Nov. 4 is free. In Harry S. Truman tradition and spirit, guests at both venues are encouraged to wear Truman’s preferred Key West attire of Hawaiian shirts.

The celebration is presented by the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation, the Society of Presidential Descendants, and the Gold Coast Railroad Museum, and sponsored by Historic Tours of America and the National Fire Sprinkler Association. For tickets and information, visit trumanlittlewhitehouse.org/foundation/events.

4 1. President Harry S. Truman, aboard the Ferdinand Magellan railcar, holds up the Nov. 3, 1948, Chicago Daily Tribune with its infamously incorrect ‘Dewey Defeats Truman’ headline. W. EUGENE SMITH/Courtesy of The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation via Getty Images 3. The crowd surrounding President Harry S. Truman in 1948 includes Edwin O. Swift Jr., chief photographer for the St. Louis Star Times and father of Key West businessman Edwin O. Swift III. HARRY S. TRUMAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM/Contributed 2. Harry S. Truman’s grandson, actor Clifton Truman Daniel, will portray his grandfather while reenacting the iconic presidential moment on Friday, Nov. 3 at Miami’s Gold Coast Railroad Museum, which houses the railcar that transported Truman on his ‘whistlestop’ tour. KEY WEST HARRY S. TRUMAN FOUNDATION/ Contributed 4. The Ferdinand Magellan, built in 1928, served as a “rolling White House” for presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. It is one of more than 40 historic rail cars housed at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami. CAROL TEDESCO/The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

MILITARY MATTERS THE LATEST FROM KEY WEST’S MILITARY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

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

FROM MAC PRESIDENT RON DEMES: This past month included a successful Army Special Forces Under Water Operations (SFUWO) Combat Diver Competition with the Army’s 5th Special Forces Group taking first prize in a close competition. Second and third place were also won by Army teams and fourth place went to Navy SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One. The community got to witness the Army Special Forces capabilities exercise (CAPEX) at Truman Harbor involving helicopter, boat and combat diver operations. SFUWO Commander Major Brandon Schwartz and MAC sincerely thank all organizations and community members that contributed to the event’s success. The Army is looking to hold an even bigger combat diver competition next year and provide the community another great opportunity to watch elite combat forces in action in Key West.

U.S. NAVY’S BIRTHDAY BALL Oct. 13 marked the Navy’s 248th birthday. The Navy Ball Committee celebrated with another well-attended celebration at Marriott Beachside Hotel. The black-tie event welcomed speaker Command Master Chief (Surface Warfare/Air Warfare/Fleet Marine Force)(Ret.) James G. Parlier.

Parlier enlisted in the Navy in 1978, became a hospital corpsman and rose to master chief petty officer with an impressive career of diverse assignments leading to the command master chief (CMC) program. He then took immediate orders to serve as USS Cole (DDG 67) Command Master Chief, where he expe-

rienced the horrific terrorist attack on Oct. 12, 2000 — 23 years and one day before he spoke at this year’s Navy Ball.

Parlier recalled the day of the attack, the loss of life, heroic life-saving efforts and the crew’s defense of their sinking ship. The takeaway from Parlier is that our Navy today is ready to meet any challenge, as it has in its 248 years of “Power, Presence and Protection.”

MAC’S SEPTEMBER MEETING Cathy Crane, director of Monroe County Veterans Affairs, discussed the many programs and benefits she administers to support our local military veterans and active duty personnel, including full-time, seasonal and visiting personnel. She noted that for the last fiscal year, Monroe County veterans received $74 million in benefits.

Monetary benefit programs include: Service-related disabilities, non-serviceconnected pensions, burial benefits, survivors’ benefits, educational and vocational benefits, VA home loans and appeals of denied benefits.

Crane also assists veterans with non-monetary benefits, including receipt of service medals and awards, service records, healthcare assistance, help with required documentation, transportation to medical appointments on the mainland and more.

Her office supports several annual events, including Operation Green Light, Purple Heart recognition ceremonies, Task Force Dagger, the annual Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride to Key West and more.

Crane has a passion for assisting veterans, and anyone who needs help should contact one of the county’s three Veterans Affairs offices that Crane oversees.

— Contributed

Monroe County Veterans Affairs Director Cathy Crane receives a Military Affairs Committee ballcap by MAC president Ron Demes in appreciation of her presentation at the October MAC meeting.

CONTRIBUTED

A U.S. Army helicopter takes part in the Special Forces Capabilities Exercise and the Combat Diver Competition in Key West last month. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

From left, a Navy Ball table of former COs of Naval Air Station Key West includes, from left, Steve McAlearney CO NASKW 2013-16, Cathy McAlearney, Bobby Baker CO NASKW 2016-19, Shantelle Baker, County Commissioner Jim Scholl CO NASKW 2003-6, Jolene Scholl, MAC president Ron Demes, Mary Demes, Pat Lefere CO NASKW 2010-13 and Wendy Lefere. CONTRIBUTED

From left, Navy Ball Committee Chair HM1 Robert Ticen presents keynote speaker Command Master Chief James Parlier (Ret.) a token of appreciation for his service and participation in the Key West Navy Ball. CONTRIBUTED

From left, US Coast Guard Station Key West Commanding Officer CWO2 Christopher Spurlock presents BM2 Gina Frye with the Station Key West Sailor of the Quarter award with MAC president Ron Demes. CONTRIBUTED

From left, VFC-111 Squadron Command Senior Chief Dennis Go and Executive Officer CDR Joseph Robinson present YN2 Ortiz Martinez with the Sailor of the Quarter award with MAC president Ron Demes and Commanding Officer CDR Matt Gibson. CONTRIBUTED

From left, Naval Air Station Key West Command Master Chief Joshua Joiner presents the Sailor of the Quarter award to MA1 Albert King, along with Blue Jacket of the Quarter MA3 Morgan Blocker, Executive Officer CDR Jim Brownlee and MAC president Ron Demes. CONTRIBUTED

From left, Deputy Commander USCG Sector Key West CDR Stan Fields presents YN3 Justin Ayla with the Sector Key West Sailor of the Quarter Award with MAC president Ron Demes and Command Master Chief Eric Silvoy. CONTRIBUTED

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

CELEBRATING 1 + 1 = A DUO

B

etween the solo troubadour and fundamental rock trio lies the intimate domain of the duo, a niche carved into our local music scene by some of the sharpest musical sculptors in town. When you hear a pair of musicians in sync with each other well beyond a ‘grunt and point’ level of communication, you better believe there are layers of dynamics at play under it all.

I’ll stay away from the dynamics at play when the musical duo is also a romantic couple, as I’m neither qualified (nor brave) enough to tackle those. But among all duos, there are some basic components to consider.

First is the reality of two instruments playing simultaneously. As in any conversation, tone (the sharpness or softness of the sound), tempo (the actual speed of the words), and pitch (the high, loud yell versus that lovely, calm, slightly deeper voice) all become important in expressing and understanding the emotion behind the words.

Now imagine both sides of the conversation happening at the same time, but in a way that enables an observer to understand every word from both sides, throughout the entire conversation, and respond to it on a personal level.

A duo may accomplish this communication by having one performer play the rhythm (often using chords in a pattern when it comes to guitar music) while the other plays the lead parts. An example is the single note lines in a guitar solo, which often reflect the vocal

RAY WEST

melody. Another approach is for ... a professional musician, singer, each player to actor and execuplay a part that tive director of the works in conKey West Music junction with Awards, is known what the other to sacrifice his is playing. When comfort for that of his cat. both parts are played together, the conversation can be heard as intended.

Singing together is one of the most powerful aspects of a great duo. The seamless blending of two voices, each hitting its own sweet spot, can send chills down the spine. This fusion often comes as naturally as the urge to beep the horn on a rented moped. One singer’s natural range and tone complements those of their partner. Some players have a special ear and are effortlessly able to find the notes that get our attention. In some instances, two great vocalists will trade the harmonic duties back and forth with just a wink or a nod.

A duo is a connection unlike other musical relationships. It can be much more intimate and thus, more interesting. The communication and honesty between two people who regularly perform together is akin to the personal relationships of our daily lives. You listen and hear, learn and teach. You play funny songs and sad songs, songs of love and songs of loss.

Two people doing this as one may represent the human desire to find someone to stand by our side and face the world together — as a duo.

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Art Garfunkel, left, and Paul Simon — better known as Simon & Garfunkel — are ranked third among Rolling Stone’s ‘20 Greatest Duos of All Time.’ WIKIPEDIA/ Contributed

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

SAVE THE DATE

CARRYING THE TORCH

S

ome 35 Special Olympics athletes from the Florida Keys traveled recently to Naples, where they competed in the Special Olympics Florida Area 7 Fall Classic Games to determine advancement to the statewide games.

Keys teams hailed from Horace O’Bryant School, Key West High School, Coral Shores High School, Key Largo School and Treasure Village Montessori. They competed Oct. 14 and 15 in flag football, powerlifting and cornhole, which made its debut at this year’s Special Olympics.

FLAG FOOTBALL • Coral Shores Hurricanes, under Coach Connor Dixon, finished in first place against Lehigh High Lightning and Immokalee Indians. They will advance to the State Fall Classic at ESPN on Nov. 8-12.

• Key West Conchs, under coach Randy Acevedo, competed against Sarasota Seadogs in a two-game, headto-head bracket to bring home the win, securing their slot in the State Games Competition at ESPN. • The Key Largo School Tornadoes will also advance to the State Games, but did not play last weekend due to a lack of competition from other teams.

POWERLIFTING • Heyden Fenney advances to the State Games and took first place in Bench, Deadlift and Squat.

• Gordan Gomilla of Coral Shores took first place in his class for the Deadlift event.

• Laila Jones of Coral Shores advances to the State Games and took first place among females in her division for Bench, Deadlift and Squat.

CORNHOLE The following cornhole competitors will advance to the State Games: • Horace O’Bryant School, with athlete Marvins Fil Aime and partner Kaden Savedra • Key Largo School with athlete James McCaffery and partner Bryan Leffler • Treasure Village Montessori with athlete Greyson Mack and partner Serenity McGee

Key Largo School’s Special Olympics flag football team advances to the State Games in November. CONTRIBUTED

Key West High School’s Special Olympics flag football team advances to the State Games in November.

Thursday, Oct. 19 • Cori Convertito, curator and historian of Key West Art & Historical Society, will host Happy Hour with the Historian from 5 to 6 p.m. at Comedy Key West, 218 Whitehead St. Convertito will discuss, “Collecting Key West: The Sketches of Mario Sanchez,” exploring the techniques, places and recurring characters in the Cuban American artist’s works.

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.

Saturday, Oct. 21 • Tenth anniversary celebration of Diana Nyad’s 2013 historic swim from Cuba to Key West. 1 to 4 p.m. at Smathers Beach.

The Coral Shores Special Olympics flag football team advances to the State Games.

Coral Shores Hurricanes’ powerlifters will advance to the State Games.

Special Olympics Florida provides year-round sports training, competition and health services to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, at no cost to the athletes or their caregivers, as a means to achieve physical fitness, self-esteem, socialization skills and the life skills necessary to be productive, respected and contributing members of their communities. More information is at specialolympicsflorida.org.

— Contributed

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.

Monday, Oct. 23 • Key West High School Homecoming Parade, 6 p.m. The parade route is reversed this year due to stadium construction.

The parade will start on Kennedy Drive, then proceed down Flagler Avenue, ending at the high school’s Backyard for Spirit Night.

The community is encouraged to come watch and support the students.

• Fantasy Fest Beard Contest returns from noon to 5 p.m. at Willy’s Chicken Shack, 221 Duval St. Enter online at captronwolek. com for a $5 entry fee. Entry fee the day of the event is $20 at the door.

Wednesday, Oct. 25 • Fantasy Fest’s family-friendly Pet Masquerade brings out the party animals. Costumed critters and their owners delight the crowd at Coffee Butler Amphitheater, 6:30 p.m. Visit fantasyfest. com for more information.

SHELF HELP

SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETES COMPETE IN FALL GAMES

Oct. 18-27 • Waterfront Playhouse presents ‘Rocky Horror Show’ at 8 p.m. each night. Tickets on sale at waterfrontplayhouse.org.

S

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

What: “Redshirts” by John Scalzi Why: Once, when my little sister was in grade school, she pointed out a red Star Trekthemed baby onesie and said “That’s kind of dark.” Being the person I am, I laughed. I reasoned that at least the United Space Ship’s red-shirted crewmembers didn’t know they were destined to expire – and maybe some babies look good in red.

She countered, “Yeah but we know, and that’s why it’s messed up.” Now imagine my surprise years later finding a novel about “Redshirts” and what would happen if they discovered their fate. This story breaks the fourth dimension and the fourth wall in an exciting race against the clock. It’s a love letter to campy science-fiction television and very worth the read.

Where: This is available as a print book from the Monroe County Public Library system.

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

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

HELP KEEP KEY WEST CLEAN

TAKE ME HOME? FIND A FRIEND AT THE FLORIDA KEYS SPCA

The Key West Bar Association’s Plogging event on Oct. 13 drew 53 volunteers who collected 113 pounds of trash, 29 pounds of recycling and 1.5 gallons of cigarette butts. CONTRIBUTED

Ryan Newkirk and Casey Jackson, of the Keys Cleanup Coalition, along with a team of volunteer boaters, collected 3,415 pounds of trash and debris from the water around Rat Key.

Volunteers from the Sunrise Rotary Club conduct a beach cleanup on Oct. 7, collecting 109 pounds of trash and 9 pounds of recycling.

JOIN A 1-HOUR CLEANUP FRIDAY MORNINGS

O

ne 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

T

he 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.

On Oct. 14, the Ploggers gathered for the Coast Love Stock Island Cleanup.

Ten volunteers worked for two hours to clean the city’s side of U.S. 1, collecting 435 pounds of trash, 10 pounds of recycling and 1.5 gallons of cigarette butts.

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.

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.

Meet Coriander. He simply loves to nestle in his straw bed while practicing his French, reading about the Roman Empire and learning to crochet — but not all at the same time.

This is one Barnacle you will want to cling to your side forever. Meet Barnacle, the kitten. This young man is 5 months old and looking for a hull to call his own.

K is for Kookie and that’s good enough for me. This 1-year-old Boston terrier mix is a sweet girl who won’t leave crumbs when you bring a little Kookie to bed.

— Contributed Join the Ploggers for 1-hour cleanup from 8 to 9 a.m. on Friday: Oct. 20: Duval and Eaton streets: Meet next to Berkshire Hathaway real estate office.

Oct. 27: North Roosevelt Boulevard: Meet in the Denny’s parking lot.

While this 3-month-old Miss Cleo isn’t a psychic, she is certainly hoping her future holds a family to call her own.

Riddle us this: What is always on its way here but never arrives? Tomorrow!

Which is why Riddles, this handsome 3-month-old kitten, needs a home today.

36

KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

VETERANS BUILD FOR VISITORS Florida Governor Dave Sholtz, center and Julius Stone, right. HERITAGE HOUSE COLLECTION/Contributed

Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part series on the history behind the arrival of veterans and their contributions to the Florida Keys through the New Deal.

NEW DEAL BROUGHT DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE KEYS

I

n 1924, the U.S. Congress voted to pass the World War Adjusted Compensation Act. The legislaFLORIDA tion created a bonus payout for KEYS veterans who served during World HISTORY War I: $1 per day served in the U.S. WITH and $1.25 per day for time served BRAD overseas.

BERTELLI The bonus was capped out at $500 for those who served stateAn author, speaker, Florida side and $625 for those who served Keys historian and on foreign soil. As the bill was writHonorary Conch. ten, the payout was set to occur in His latest book, 1945 or upon a veteran’s death. In “Florida Keys 2023, $625 in 1945 dollars would be History with Brad Bertelli, Volume worth a little over $10,000.

1,” shares fasciAnd then, the Great Depression nating glimpses brought the country to its knees. into the rich and World War I veterans, many of sometimes surprising histories of whom were out of work, were given the Florida Keys. a glimmer of financial hope when Texas Rep. Wright Patman crafted a piece of legislation that would allow for the early disbursement of the promised bonus checks.

In support of Patman’s bill, veterans began gathering at the Capitol. Some came from as far away as Oregon, and by June 1932, 20,000 or more World War I veterans had arrived, erected tents and shanty huts, and squatted on sidewalks and in parks in hopes that their pres-

ence would help to influence the vote. Some had traveled with their wives and family.

The World War Adjusted Compensation Act passed through the House but was defeated by a vote of 62-18 in the Senate on June 17, 1932. After the vote, President Herbert Hoover ordered the veterans who had gathered, the “Bonus Army,” to move out of D.C. The military was used to remove them. The Army was led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, aided by Maj. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Soldiers marched with fixed bayonets down American streets. Tear gas was fired into the throngs of veterans. Tanks, led

by Maj. George S. Patton, worked to drive the “Bonus Army” (and, in some cases, their wives and children) out of Washington.

It was not a good look for the president, and it was an election year. Subsequently, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected in November 1932. Roosevelt inherited the Great Depression and the aftereffects of his predecessor’s engagement with the Bonus Army.

One of Roosevelt’s early acts as president was implementing his New Deal, promising relief, recovery and reform. Part of his plan was the creation of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), approved by Congress on May 12, 1933.

The agency’s purpose was to grant relief funds directly to state agencies. FERA was allocated $500 million. Half was to be used for matching grants programs, and half was disbursed as discretionary funds. Julius Stone was Florida’s first FERA administrator. After graduating from Harvard University in 1926, Stone worked for the New York Welfare System. In 1933, he moved to Washington, D.C., and was employed by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration.

Stone had an affinity for Key West and opened an office in the Southernmost City.

Believing in the lure of Key West, he felt that

with a little bit of help and some elbow grease, Key West could become the “Gibraltar of the South.” He organized Key West’s residents into a volunteer corps responsible for beautifying the town. They worked on landscaping some of the main streets, spruced up the beaches, and refurbished 200 houses so that they could be rented out as accommodations by people visiting the island.

In accordance with FDR’s New Deal and its Works Projects Administration (WPA) programs, Stone lobbied to have the Florida Keys receive its fair allocation of funds. Among other Keys projects, the Key West Aquarium, touted as a tourist draw, became a WPA project. Another project was to have repairs done to the Civil War-era Fort Jefferson, located on Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas.

Three hundred World War I veterans were assigned to the Fort Jefferson job. While they were awaiting the U.S. Navy’s approval to allow civilians to be assigned work on a government base, Stone suggested that Key West be coupled to the mainland with a highway linked by a series of solid automobile bridges. Living on the island, Stone understood that while Flagler’s railroad brought the train to Key West, it was not bringing much of a tourist trade. State Road 4A, the first version of the Oversea(s) Highway that opened to public transit in 1928, was incomplete — and that was a problem.

In its present incarnation, the Oversea(s) Highway proved a detriment to tourism, and a more complete road system would help increase traffic flow to Key West. The original highway traveled from Miami and across the Upper Keys but ended at the far end of Lower Matecumbe Key. Bridging the gap required the use of automobile ferries that, depending on weather, tide and mechanics, were not always reliable. By 1933, one ferry ran between Lower Matecumbe Key and Grassy Key, and one operated between Hog Key (Marathon) and No Name Key. The WPA accepted Stone’s idea to have the veteran workforce brought in to build a solid bridge system that would eliminate the need for the ferry system. The 300 veterans initially assigned to rehabilitate Fort Jefferson were redirected to the Upper Keys to work on the automobile bridges. They began arriving in late 1934.

Part two will provide insights into the bridge projects the World War I veterans began, the devastating hurricane that altered the course of history and the response by Ernest Hemingway.

38

KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / OCTOBER 19, 2023

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3

OCTOBER 19, 2023 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP

WINTER SPORTS SEASON OFFICIAL COMPETITION START DATES

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Sport

Date

Girls Weightlifting

10/30

Girls & Boys Soccer

11/6

Competitive Cheerleading

11/6

Girls & Boys Basketball

11/20

Girls Wrestling

11/20

Boys Wrestling

11/27

THIS WEEK

Sofia

JANS

OCT. 19

THE SCOREBOARD

Team

Sport

Opponent

Date

Result

Key West

Volleyball

Coral Shores

10/10

W, 3-1

Marathon

Volleyball

Posnack

10/10

L, 3-2

Marathon

Volleyball

Coral Shores

10/12

L, 3-0

Key West

Volleyball

@ Mater Lakes

10/12

L, 3-0

Key West

Football

@ Estero

10/13

L, 28-9

Coral Shores

Football

Archbishop Carroll

10/13

L, 35-26

THIS WEEK IN KEYS SPORTS

OCT. 19

Date

School

Sport

Opponent

Start Time

10/19

Coral Shores

Swimming

@ Districts

9 a.m.

10/19

Coral Shores

Football

@ Tradition Prep

7 p.m.

10/20

Coral Shores

Diving

@ Districts

9 a.m.

10/20

Key West

Cross Country

@ 305 Classic

TBA

10/20

Marathon

Football

Gateway Charter

7 p.m.

10/23

All Keys Schools

Golf

@ Districts

8 a.m.

10/24

Coral Shores & Marathon

Cross Country

@ Pennekamp

3:30 p.m.

10/26

Coral Shores

Cross Country

@ Jr. Orange Bowl

TBA

Junior, Volleyball Coral Shores

Sofia has continued to improve and play well all year. She is such a hard-working coachable player.”

— Coral Shores coach Sam Ovalle

22 8 serve receptions

digs

Coral Shores junior Sofia Jans has been a steady contributor for the ’Canes all season and when her team needed her most, she stepped up and proved to be a force against county rivals Marathon and Coral Shores. In a pair of games for which Coral Shores was short-handed, Jans managed to help keep her team’s spirits and hopes for wins alive.

Against the Conchs, she amassed 22 serve receptions and eight digs. In her play against Marathon, the libero led the team with a dozen digs, nine serve receptions and five assists. For her dependability, stellar play and willingness to give it her all on the court for her team, Sofia Jans is the Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week.

ON THE COVER With a flurry of in-county rivalry matches to close the regular season, Ella Bishop’s Key West Conchs emerged as the top Monroe County Squad, followed by Sabina Naranjo’s Coral Shores Hurricanes and Reese Elwell’s Marathon Dolphins. Photos by Grace Andrew, Doug Finger and Barry Gaukel

Photo by: DOUG FINGER/Keys Weekly

4

KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP / OCTOBER 19, 2023 SPORTS WRITER

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.

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.

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Marathon - Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com

Keys football teams go winless ahead of district and conference matchups

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Manuela Carrillo Mobley manuela@keysweekly.com

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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.

TOUGH SLEDDING ON T

mike@keysweekly.com

Production Manager

sean mcdonald

T

he Fighting Conchs spent the better part of last Friday on a school bus – more than six hours each way on their trip to and from Estero High School. That brought their total hours of bus travel to 35 over the past three weeks, making their upcoming bye week and homecoming much appreciated.

Marco Davila put Key West on the board first, kicking a field goal in the first half, and Noah Mercer ran one in for a 55-yard rushing touchdown, but the Wildcats outmatched Key West in size and speed, downing the Conchs 28-9.

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“They were just more physical than us. Bottom line,” coach Johnny Hughes said. Also to the Conchs’ disadvantage were a pair of fumbles in Wildcat territory. “Ball security has not been too secure for us this year,” Hughes said. The Conchs have played some fantastic football this season but have been plagued with multiple turnovers in almost every game. Given the level of competition they face weekly, Key West cannot afford to turn the ball over if they hope to stay in the game.

As for the upcoming bye week, Hughes said, “We need it to heal some bumps and bruises.” After that, Key West will face Gateway High out of Fort Myers for homecoming on Oct. 27.

Marathon took full advantage of its bye last week to rest, recuperate and recharge. The Fins will need it for their upcoming homecoming week, a celebration packed with activities. The 2-5 Dolphins face 1-6 Gateway Charter out of Fort Myers on Friday, Oct. 20 for their homecoming game.

Coral Shores played Archbishop Carroll at home last Friday, losing to the Bulldogs 35-26. The ’Canes got off to a slow start against their highly-ranked opponent, fumbling the ball on their first offensive drive. Further dampening Coral Shores’ spirit was the loss of starting quarterback Yemcel Moreno, who took a helmet to the knee, rendering him unable to play for the rest of the game.

“Yemcel is a tough young man,” coach Ed Holly said of his QB. “For him to leave the game, it has to be pretty bad.”

Holly shifted his offense and moved Isaac Holmes to receive the snaps, a decision which helped spark the Hurricanes in the game. Dantay Diorio struck first with a 28yard touchdown run, the ’Canes’ only score of the first half.

Holmes took matters into his own hands in the second half, tossing two touchdown passes, one for 31 yards to Jamoris Davis and another to RJ Dube. Holmes also picked up a defensive fumble and ran it back 52 yards for another six points. Holly praised Holmes’ ability to calm the offense and get some points on the board.

“I’m happy with the effort the team put out. They played together and battled to the end,” Holly said, adding that Archbishop Carroll is “6-1 for a reason.” Next up for the ’Canes is Tradition Prep, a relatively new school out of Port St. Lucie.

Holly is “looking forward to the travel and playing a team we haven’t had the chance to play before. That is always exciting,” he said. The ’Canes will play the Pirates on Oct. 19 in a game which was moved to Thursday to accommodate Tradition Prep’s homecoming and senior night festivities.

5

OCTOBER 19, 2023 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP

THE GRIDIRON

Left: Coral Shores Hurricanes receiver Dantay Diorio dives for the ball but can’t make the catch against Archbishop Coleman Carroll Highs School.

Coral Shores Hurricanes back Dantay Diorio is tackled on a run.

Coral Shores Hurricanes quarterback Isaac Holmes stiff arms a defender as he scrambles out of the pocket.

DOUG FINGER/Keys Weekly

Right: Noah Mercer sprints to the endzone for the Conchs’ only touchdown.

Te’von Watson brings down the Estero ball carrier.

Running back Walson Morin carries the ball for Key West.

TRACY ELLEN LAVALLEE/ Contributed

6

KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP / OCTOBER 19, 2023

FINISH LINE IN SIGHT

O

n Oct. 11, Coral Shores and Key West runners traveled to Marathon for a rare in-county 5K race just ahead of districts. All three schools have been feeling the strain of long-distance travel, making the Marathon meet just what was needed toward the end of the regular season.

Runners started at Sombrero Beach, headed past Marathon High School to a turnaround point and finished at the start line, making for a fast, flat and scenic course.

Marathon’s Vance Bursa was first overall, running the 3.1-mile course in 16:28. Key West’s Colbin Hill was second in 18:08, while Jakub Bursa took third in 18:34. In fourth and fifth were Marathon’s Dillon Shelar and Mason Buxton, and behind them were Conchs Daniel Roy and Jerven Louis. Caleb Shelar and Adrien Holdinga of Marathon were eighth and ninth, and Coral Shores’ Nathaniel Shugarman finished 10th.

Curiously missing from the top spots of the varsity boys race was Tony Bursa, who typically trades places with his brothers on the podium. Already competing as a varsity runner in eighth grade, Tony took first overall in the middle school race held earlier in the afternoon, finishing a shorter twomile course in a blazing 10:30. Allan Taylor and Lucian Burns combined for the Marathon sweep of the first three places.

In the girls’ varsity race, Mikkel Ross of Marathon was first across the line in 22:05. Key West’s Laira Anaya was second in 23:09, followed by Ella Dunn of Marathon in third. Violet Jangraw of Key West was fourth and Coral Shores’ Kai Guth took fifth place. Dolphins Madelyn Thornton, Maeve Merryman, Rain Banks and Sara Robinson finished within a minute of one another in sixth through ninth place, with a runner from Florida Christian capping off the top 10.

Key West’s top two runners opted to sit the race out after running four races in a two-week window. Coach Keara McGraw felt that a fifth would be a little heavy for them, opting for a race on the grass in Key West later in the week.

McGraw has high hopes for the coming weeks. “Definitely excited going into the home stretch,” she said. “They’ve all been working really hard and it shows. It’s a great group of girls, and if we can keep everyone healthy, then I’m excited about our regional chances and beyond this year.”

Marathon’s Bursa and Ross win meet on home turf; Hill and Makimaa do the same in Key West

In the middle school and junior varsity girls’ race, seventh grader Rebecca Merryman crossed the line in first place in 15:10, followed by sixth grader Shaina Strama. Coral Shores’ Hayden Teal was third overall.

Three days later, Key West held a home meet at the golf course with a 5K for varsity runners and a shorter race for younger athletes. The ladies and gentlemen ran together, with Hill taking first place in an even 20 minutes. Next was Caylaa Makimaa in 20:44. Andrew Fedor was third, Roy was fourth, and Louis was fifth. Finishing in sixth overall was James Swain, then Naima Thomas in seventh. William Forster, Owen Fisher, and Wyatt Gibson finished in eighth through tenth place. Swain represented Basilica School, while the rest of the top 10 were Conchs.

As the teams make final preparations for districts, the vibe is nothing but positive.

“I feel great,” said Key West boys coach Mark Coleman. “The boys' average time yesterday (at the Marathon meet) was 21:00, which is our best average time in three seasons.”

Coleman was without his number two runner, and the team still managed to surpass his expectations. He described his team as “hungry” and “fired up,” saying they will be ready to run their best times of the season Nov. 1 at districts to hopefully qualify for regionals the following week.

Coral Shores’ young teams have less racing under their belts, but have improved greatly as the season has worn on. Coach Lyndie Myers’ girls and Gabe Suarez’s boys are making huge strides in their finishes and can expect to PR at districts on Nov. 1. Coral Shores and Key West participate in the 2A division, while Marathon is 1A. Marathon’s boys are hoping to make it to their ninth consecutive state meet but will first have to qualify in districts and regionals.

“To make it back, we have to stay focused and keep putting in the miles,” said coach Jim Murphy. His Dolphins love nothing more than to rack up extensive weekly miles, but some lingering injuries are looming over the team. “We have a couple runners that are limited to the ski machine and assault bike in the gym,” he explained. “We still have a lot of season left, and having everyone at their best come postseason is our goal.”

Meanwhile, the Marathon girls are looking to make their fifth consecutive state appearance. Head coach Darby Sheehan’s most difficult task will likely be determining who will make the cut for the team’s top seven runners. Her squad has been consistent and strong, with seniors Ross and Banks helping to set the pace for the younger athletes. Banks has made the trip to Tallahassee four times already, qualifying first as an eighth grader, and Ross has run the course one time less, due to a serious knee injury from which she has clearly recovered. Their first hurdle will be districts on Nov. 2.

Key West’s girls are the fastest team the Conchs have assembled in many years. They have a solid chance of qualifying for the big show this season. If they continue to run as a team and stay focused, their goal is within reach. Though it ultimately comes down to what their competition does on race day, the Lady Conchs have grit and positive mindsets fueling their drive to qualify beyond districts.

Ella Dunn (front left) and Mikkel Ross (front right) lead the pack in the varsity girls race. JUSTICE LEE/Contributed. See more meet photos at keysweekly.com

7

OCTOBER 19, 2023 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP

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eys golfers had one last meetup prior to their district matches held on Oct. 23.

In their final meeting, Key West pulled ahead, winning the boys match with the low team score of 192. Coral Shores took second with 207 and Marathon was third with 216.

It was senior night for the Conchs, but it would be a trio of juniors who stormed the podium. Andrew Bassett had the best score of the day, shooting a 41. Fellow Conch Peyton Zubieta scored a 43, winning second place. In third was Derek Ramos of Coral Shores with a 47. The best Key West junior Andrew Bassett senior score of the day in the earned the top score of the Keys’ boys’ division would come final in-county matchup, shooting from Michael Merryman of a 41. ALEX BEHLER/Contributed Marathon, who shot a 48 for fourth place. Key West senior Smith Switzer was fifth with a 49. Rounding out the top 10 were Preston Carroll (51) and Tanel Irons (52) of Coral Shores in sixth and seventh, Marathon’s Mason Thornton (55) and Cullen Coleman-Sayer (56) in eighth and ninth, and a three-way tie for 10th place, with Marathon’s Dylan Ziels and Roco Piscetello shooting a 57 along with Coral Shores’ Aiden Althouse.

On the girls’ front, Marathon senior Summer Haines, likely the school’s only representative at districts, won first place with a 52. Hurricane Gabby Thomas was next, scoring a 56. Conchs Maeve O’Hearn, Althea Olsen and Parker Curry took spots three through five scoring 65, 73 and 77 respectively.

Next week, Coral Shores and Marathon will have some friendly competition sprinkled in at the FHSAA District 16 1A Championship match held at Crandon Golf Course in Key Biscayne. Key West will play at Grand Palms Sabal Course in Pembroke Pines in the 2A Championships. Teams and individuals with low scores have the chance to move on to regionals on Oct. 30 for Marathon and Coral Shores and the following day for Key West.

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KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP / OCTOBER 19, 2023

OCTOBER 19, 2023 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP

K

ey West celebrated senior night with a win against Coral Shores on Oct. 10. The Conchs defeated the Hurricanes 3-1 on their home court for some lateseason confidence heading into district play.

A makeup match two nights later against Mater Lakes did not go as well for Key West. The Conchs lost 3-0, to end their regular season with a 7-17 record. Key West elected to play a level of competition beyond what they should expect in their own division this season. A FHSAA District 4A quarterfinal matchup against Miami Killian on Oct. 17 will determine whether that strategy pays off (results not available at press time). The Conchs earned the higher seed, which came with a home court advantage for the match. The winner will go on to play Gulliver on Oct. 19 in the semis.

Coral Shores finished its regular season on the road this week, but the drive was not too terrible. The ’Canes played county rivals Key West and Marathon, splitting the matches.

On Oct. 10, Coral Shores managed to win a set against Key West, despite missing two of three middle hitters due to injuries. They closed out their regular season on Oct. 12 in Marathon. The Dolphins gave the Hurricanes a great competition, but Coral Shores came away with the 3-0 victory (2520, 25-11, 25-21). In that game, the Hurricanes were without all three of their middle hitters, forcing head coach Sam Ovalle to make some changes.

Iona Holmquist shifted her regular position and Nivaeh Howard was moved up from the JV squad to help fill the voids. “Both girls played tremendous for us,” Ovalle said. “I am really proud of them.

Iona is such a leader and team player for us. We really needed her, and she not only moved positions to help the team, but she played great.” Coral Shores ends the regular season with a 13-9 record and now looks toward the postseason.

Marathon pulled out all the stops in an attempt to upset the higher-ranked ’Canes, bringing amazing energy and playing some of their best volleyball of the season in the loss to Coral Shores. In a rematch of their September win, the Fins dropped a 3-2 decision to David Posnack Jewish Day on Oct. 10, giving them a 2-15 regular season record.

At least one Keys team will make it past quarterfinal play.

Marathon, seeded sixth, and third-seeded Coral Shores faced one another on Oct. 17 in Tavernier for the FHSAA 3A District 16 Championships (results not available at press time). The winner faced second-seeded Somerset South Homestead, a team Coral Shores beat in the regular season, the following night.

In preparation for the match, Marathon coach Kelley Cruz kept it simple, saying the “plan for districts is to see what we can fix and fix it.”

Ovalle was a bit more elaborate. “Marathon has improved so much and their crowd really brought the energy with their football team coming in after practice,” he said.

“It was such a fun atmosphere and we kept telling our girls to embrace it. It’s the way high school sports should be. We thought we were going to be hosting Keys Gate in districts, and we know Marathon will make our first round tougher.

“We challenged our student body to make sure they bring the energy Tuesday like they did in Marathon. It should be a lot of fun and make it that much more special that our first district game will also be a county rival,” he said.

KEY WEST CONCHS ARE UNDISPUTED COUNTY CHAMPS District brackets await Top: In a battle of the Keys’ top volleyball squads, Key West squared off with Coral Shores on Oct. 10. Key West prevailed, 3-1. Photos by GRACE ANDREW/Keys Weekly.

Bottom left: Marathon lightened the mood on Friday the 13th with a costumed practice as they prepared for the first round of district play.

Bottom right: Coral Shores’ Deandra Valverde (21) leaps in an attempt to block a shot from Marathon’s Jordan MacDonald (4).

See more game photos at keysweekly.com

9

10

KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP / OCTOBER 19, 2023

K

ey West hosted its final regular season meet on Oct. 14. Doral Academy made the trip to the College of the Florida Keys pool to give the Conchs some fierce competition. The Conchs outswam the Firebirds in both the boys and girls divisions, and Key West piled on numerous first-place finishes and personal bests, proving they are peaking right on time for districts.

Key West’s girls swept the relay events. Katelyn Noss, Taylor Gibson, Gracie Lechnar and Aly Camargo teamed up for the top spot in the 200 medley relay, with Noss, Lechnar, Camargo and Reeghan Davis joining forces to win the 200 free relay. Davis then joined Gianna Felini, Megan Fedor and Hadley Badoni to win the 400 free relay.

Lechnar went on to win the individual 200 free and 100 butterfly races. Bardoni won two individual races of her own, the 200 IM and 500 free. Camargo took first in the 100 free, Noss won the 100 back, and Gibson placed first in the 100 breaststroke event.

KEY WEST DOMINATES DORAL FIREBIRDS Coral Shores’ girls relay makes waves at tri-meet

Gracie Lechnar

1ST 200 medley & free relays

WON 200 free and 100 butterfly

The boys fared well with a relay sweep, starting with Eli Morris, Anthony Korzen, Charlie Doerfel and AJ Smith in the 200 medley relay.

Korzen then teamed up with Santiago Gonzalez, Westley Ellerbee and Jeffrey Hoyt to win the 200 free relay. In the 400 free relay, Hoyt, Ellerbee, Smith and Hugo Blinckmann finished first.

In individual action, Korzen picked up his third first-place of the meet in the 100 breaststroke event. Gonzalez won the 200 free, Doerfel won the 100 butterfly and Ellerbee won the 100 free event. New school record holder AJ Smith tried his luck at a different event, winning the 100 backstroke.

Multiple athletes logged personal best times in the races. Bardoni and Fedor set personal records in the 500 free, along with Camargo and Mary Searcy in the 100 free and Tegan Lavin in the 200 free. For the boys, Westley Ellerbee and Santiago Gonzalez and Jason Frankel PRed in the 100 free. Frankel also had a personal best in the 50 free. Thomas Horvath and Eli Morris PRed in the 100 back, Jacob Perez in the 500 free, and Devon Soni in the 100 breaststroke.

Coral Shores traveled to Miami Country Day on Oct. 10 to participate in a tri-meet against the Spartans of Country Day and the Riviera Prep Bulldogs. The Hurricanes had some fantastic finishes in their final competition prior to districts, giving them lots of hope to swim on to regionals and states in Ocala this year.

The girls 200 IM and freestyle team of Layne Smith, Abbie Sargent, Allegra Fucaraccio and Riley Cooper beat out the other schools for two first place finishes. The foursome continued to swim past their competition, earning individual wins as well. Cooper finished first in the individual 200 IM, Sargent took first in the 100 backstroke, and Smith picked up a pair of individual victories in the 50 and 100 freestyle.

The boys team also faced stiff competition but Patrick O’Donnell still managed to cruise to two first place finishes. O’Donnell won the 100 yard butterfly and the 100 yard breaststroke events.

A trip to Ocala will be the goal for both teams, but they will need to get past two more rounds of competition, starting with districts. Coral Shores will swim at Ransom on Oct. 19 for the FHSAA 1A District Championships. Divers will take the plunge on Oct. 20. 2A Key West swam their district meet at Gulliver on Oct. 18 (results not available at press time).

Photo by GRACE ANDREW/Keys Weekly. See more meet photos at keysweekly.com

11

OCTOBER 19, 2023 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP

LOCAL SOCCER PLAYERS TAKE THEIR GAME TO THE NEXT LEVEL

T

he girls recreational and club soccer program in the Upper Keys has produced several champions and finalist medals over the last two years.

Recently, four teenage girls made it to the next level, joining Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Academy in Miami.

Paris Saint-Germain Academy is one of the largest youth soccer networks in the world, developing highpotential players with more than 175 locations, 30,500 players and 600 coaches across 19 countries.

Key West’s Kailey Clynes, Key Largo’s Farrah Valverde, Islamorada’s Nevyn Walsh and Tavernier’s Kayla Serota all received congratulations letters from the PSG Academy after going through multiple tryouts and camps that saw hundreds of girls trying out in Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

Serota, a 13-year-old defensive standout, has been playing up two age groups on the gold level U16 team.

Both Walsh and Valverde were starters for the U15 team that played in the West Pines Tournament “Kickoff Classic” in Pembroke Pines.

Clynes moved from Key West

Four youth stars join prestigious PSG Academy shortly after being accepted, but is a starter on her new high school soccer team in Maryland.

Since 2014, Paris SaintGermain Academy Miami has been established as a reference for European soccer development in Florida, the United States and abroad. By providing training and exposure to high-level youth soccer both locally and internationally, players of all levels are given opportunities to accelerate their progress.

In 2022, Paris SaintGermain Academy initiated a development program for girls and women through FC Miami City, co-founding members of the USL W League. As a competing team in the USL W, the club provides exposure oppor-

tunities, both on and off the field, for future generations of female soccer players, and further defines a soccer pipeline for women between the collegiate and professional level.

— Contributed

From left, Kailey Clynes, formerly of Key West, Islamorada’s Nevyn Walsh, Key Largo’s Farrah Valverde and Tavernier’s Kayla Serota made the PSG girls elite academy. MARC SEROTA/Contributed

STAY INFORMED

FKAA

REGISTER FOR "PRIORITY CALL" @FKAA.COM TO RECEIVE NOTICES VIA PHONE, TEXT, & EMAIL FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, FKAA.COM AND THE RADIO

CALL US @ 305.296.2454

12

KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP / OCTOBER 19, 2023

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

Patients who wish to receive copies of their medical records may call 305-271-9777 or fax 786-260-0516 to request a records release.

Publish: September 28, October 5, 12 & 19, 2023 The Weekly Newspapers

Effective September 29, 2023, Luis Geada, M.D., is no longer practicing with Baptist Health General Surgery at the following location: 91550 Overseas Highway, Suite 214, Tavernier, FL 33070.

Patients who wish to receive copies of their medical records may call 305-271-9777 or fax 786-260-0510 to request a records release.

Publish: September 28, October 5, 12 & 19, 2023 The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Wheatons Towing gives notice that on 10/27/2023 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.

1G1BE5SM7J7244589 2018 CHEV 1N4AA6AP9GC411704 2016 NISS 2GCEC19X331129488 2003 CHEV WBACD3323VAV21521 1997 BMW Publish: October 12 & 19, 2023 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE U-HAUL COMPANY OF MIAMI Notice is here by given that on November 6th, 2023, Leonard Richford Jr. Storage Auctioneer, Executive Administrator for U-Haul Company of Miami, Will be offering for sale under the Judicial Lien Process, By Public Auction, the following storage units. The Terms of the sale will be cash only. U-Haul Company does reserve the right to refuse any bids. The sales will Begin at 8:00 a.m. and continue day by day until all units are sold. The names of whose units will be sold are as follows: 103530 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037 Curtis Williams Unit 1536 $507.90 Alex Murgas Unit 1580 $742.70 Sheila Chamberlain

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

on Thursday, November 16, 2023, at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: Conference Planning, Implementation and Marketing Services for the 16th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Summit 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 16, 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: Conference Planning, Implementation, Marketing Services, 16th Annual SE Fla. Regional Climate Change Summit 1116-2023 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 16, 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) +16699006833,,4509326156# US (San Jose) Dial by your location: +1 646 518 9805 (New York) +1 669 900 6833 (San Jose) Publish: October 19, 2023 The Weekly Newspapers

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

Effective September 29, 2023, Luis Geada, M.D., is no longer practicing with Baptist Health General Surgery at the following location: 5701 Overseas Highway, Suite 17, Marathon, FL 33050.

305.743.0844

Unit 1167 $315.30 Allan Costow Unit 1208 $422.30 Taylor Adkins Unit 1561 $507.90 Publish: October 19 & 26, 2023 The Weekly Newspapers DISTRICT III ADVISORY COMMITTEE (DAC III) (From the West End of the Seven Mile Bridge to the Long Key Bridge) of the MONROE COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL has an opening for a LODGING INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVE – shall be owners or operating/general managers of motels, hotels, recreational vehicle parks, or other tourist accommodations which are subject to bed tax in the tax collection district for which they are applying.

Any person wishing to participate on the District III Advisory Committee of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council within the district so noted above, may request an application by emailing sydney@fla-keys.com.

Completed applications should be emailed to sydney@fla-keys. com or may be sent via U.S. mail to the address below: Department DAC Monroe County Tourist Development Council 1201 White Street, Suite 102 Key West, FL 33040 Deadline for receipt of application at the above address is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 17, 2023. A resume may be attached to the application.

Publish: October 19, 2023 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that

MONROE COUNTY DELEGATION MEETING via Zoom (link below)

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.

MEETING AGENDA Call to Order Pledge of Allegiance Welcome Remarks Delegate Roll Call Presenters (Local Bill) Public Comments Adjournment JOIN ZOOM MEETING

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82637118132?pwd= 2Ew972M2Uyim33hGcKCDexFmGsVJ7a.1 Meeting ID: 826 3711 8132 Passcode: 653462

If you have any questions or would like to have the link emailed to you, please email: Lee.young@myfloridahouse.gov

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS INVITATION TO RE-BID LEGO Construction Company and FLHSMV/FHP cordially invite interested subcontractors to complete and submit sealed bids by November 14th, 2023 no later than 03:00 PM for the following project/bid packages: RE-BID - ADA Restroom Renovation – Marathon FHP – Phase 2 (02219020) RE-BID SELECT TRADE BID PACKAGES (see below) This invitation to re-bid includes the following trades only. All contractors certified as SBE, MBE & M/WBE are encouraged to participate in any of these trades.

TRADES: • Millwork • Painting • Flooring • Drywall • Mechanical The bid manual, bid requirements, bid forms, specifications, drawings, and other construction documents will be available by reaching out to Ruturaj Sonawane at rs@ legocc.com or at 305-381-8421 Ext 105.

All bids must be received no later than November 14th, 2023 @ 03:00 PM at LEGO Construction Co office located at 1011 Sunnybrook Road, Suite 905, Miami, Florida 33136. Bids must be delivered in a sealed envelope clearly marked “Sealed Bid for Re-Bid of ADA Restroom Renovation – Marathon FHP – Phase 2” along with the name of your firm and the trades covered in your bid.

Subcontractors interested in working with LEGO must obtain prequalification with LEGO prior to bidding. All questions regarding prequalification & the bid process should be directed to Ruturaj Sonawane at rs@ legocc.com Publish: October 19, 26 & November 2, 2023 The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 2023-CP-113-P IN RE: ESTATE OF LARRY ALLEN McMANN Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of LARRY ALLEN McMANN, deceased, whose date of death was April 4,

13

OCTOBER 19, 2023 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

2023, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 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 is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME 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: October 12, 2023.

Personal Representative: KELLEY ANNE McMANN 1027 Gilbraltar Rd. Key Largo, FL 33037 Attorney for Personal Representatives: URBAN J. W. PATTERSON, ESQ. Email: ujwplaw@gmail.com Secondary Email: ujwplawfirm@yahoo.com Florida Bar No. 382035 Urban J. W. Patterson, P.A. P.O. Box 783 Islamorada, Florida 33036 Telephone: 305-664-5065 Publish: October 12 & 19, 2023 The Weekly Newspapers

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: October 12, 2023.

Personal Representative: STEPHEN C. GINN 5517 NE 31 Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308 Attorney for Personal Representative: SHARON QUINN DIXON Florida Bar No. 350311 Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A. Attorneys for Personal Representative 2200 Museum Tower 150 West Flagler Street Miami, Florida 33130 Telephone: 305-789-3200 E-mail: sdixon@stearnsweaver. com Publish: October 12 & 19, 2023 The Weekly Newspapers

2023.

Personal Representative: PATRICIA A. FREDERICK 9315 NW 1 ST CORAL SPRINGS, FL 33071 Attorney for Personal Representative: PATRICIA KEYES Florida Bar No. 61663 Law Office of Patricia Keyes, P.A. 111 N Pine Island Road Plantation, FL 33324 Telephone: 954-233-0682 E-mail Addresses: patty@mypklaw.org jodi@mypklaw.org Publish: October 12 & 19, 2023 The Weekly Newspapers

IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION CASE NO.: 23-CP-153-K IN RE: THE ESTATE OF BRUCE ALAN YORK, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of BRUCE ALAN YORK, deceased, whose date of death was March 3, 2023, Case: 23-CP-153-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: October 12, 2023.

Personal Representative: ALLEN LEVINE 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: October 12 & 19, 2023 The Weekly Newspapers

A.M. ON NOVEMBER 20, 2023 AT: 103500 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, Florida 33037.

Unit Week Owner Name Co-Owner Name Address City, State, Zip Default Year Amount Due Per Diem A05-38 Andrew Scott Thornton 701 Woodlawn Dr. Winter Springs, FL 32708 2022 $2,359.23 1.179615 A05-38 Key Largo Resorts Inc. a Florida Corporation 103500 Overseas Hwy Key Largo, FL 33037 2022 $2,359.23 1.179615 A05-38 Florida Bay Club Sole Owner 103500 Overseas Hwy Key Largo, FL 33037 2022 $2,359.23 1.179615 A06-21 Gloria Nelly P.O. Box 564 McDonough, GA 30253 2022 $2,337.29 1.168645 Obligors and junior lienholders showing on Exhibit “A” may cure the default and redeem the timeshare interest by paying the amounts secured by the Association’s lien on their unit week(s) as reflected in Exhibit “A” together with trustee’s fees and interest through the date of payment in cash or certified funds to TIMESHARE TRUSTEE™ at any time prior to the issuance of the Certificate of Sale on the above date.

GOVERN YOURSELVES ACCORDINGLY. STAACK, SIMMS & REIGHARD PLLC, d/b/a TIMESHARE TRUSTEE™ 900 DREW STREET, SUITE 1 CLEARWATER, FL 33755 PHONE: (727) 441-2635 FAX: (727) 461-4836 Website:www.staacklaw.com Publish: October 19 & 26, 2023 The Weekly Newspapers

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

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 23-CP-240-K IN RE: ESTATE OF JOHN E. IMBUS Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of JOHN E. IMBUS, deceased, whose date of death was December 11, 2021, is pending in the Monroe County Courthouse - Key West, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 23-CP-000143-K IN RE: ESTATE OF ANN STELLA a/k/a ANNA STELLA Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of ANN STELLA a/k/a ANNA STELLA, deceased, whose date of death was September 4, 2022, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME 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: October 12,

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 23-CP-000144-K IN RE: ESTATE OF PETER PAUL STELLA, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of PETER PAUL STELLA, deceased, whose date of death was April 26, 2022, is pending in the Circuit Court for MONROE County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME 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: October 12, 2023.

Personal Representative: PATRICIA A. FREDERICK 9315 NW 1 ST CORAL SPRINGS, FL 33071 Attorney for Personal Representative: PATRICIA KEYES Florida Bar No. 61663 Law Offices of Patricia Keyes, P.A. 111 N Pine Island Road Plantation, FL 33324 Telephone: 954-233-0682 E-mail Addresses: patty@mypklaw.org jodi@mypklaw.org Publish: October 12 & 19, 2023 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

NOTICE OF SALE To: All members of the general public including all persons on Exhibit “A”, record owners, their heirs, guardians and assigns, of the unit week(s) as showing thereon, all located in and governed by that certain: Declaration of Condominium for FLORIDA BAY CLUB OF KEY LARGO, a condominium, recorded in O.R. Book 871 at pages 1215, et seq. Public Records, Monroe County, Florida.

Based upon default in assessment payments and pursuant to the Claim of Lien filed by THE FLORIDA BAY CLUB CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC., a Florida not-for-profit corporation, recorded at O.R. Book 3240, Page 892 in the Public Records of Monroe County Florida, STAACK, SIMMS & REIGHARD, PLLC, d/b/a TIMESHARE TRUSTEE™ WILL CONDUCT A SALE OF EACH AND EVERY UNIT WEEK LISTED ON THE ATTACHED EXHIBIT “A” BEGINNING AT 11:00

AUTOS WANTED AUTOS ALL YEARS! Junk or Used Cars, Vans, Trucks.

Runs or Not. $CASH 305-332-0483 BOAT SLIP FOR RENT Boat Dockage for rent in Marathon. Private bay bottom, up to 40' boat, self containing, offshore water, car & dingy parking space provided.

305-610-8002

AUTOS FOR SALE 1964 Ford Galaxy, 427 Big Block, 5-speed, located in Key Largo. 954-445-6647

EMPLOYMENT Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder now hiring Guest Service Representative responsibilities 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.

Now Hiring in Marathon – Part time office position, needs to have prior office experience, Mon-Fri 8am1pm. Starting at $17/ hour. Please apply in person at Discount Rock & Sand, 10500 Aviation Blvd, Unit 2, Marathon.

Hiring: Lead Gutter Installer - EXPERIENCE REQUIRED – valid Driver’s License must be comfortable with heights - located in Tavernier.

To apply, please call or text Jay 305-587-1581.

The Housing Authority of the City of Key West now hiring the following positions: Housing Manager-Middle Keys, Resident Activities Coordinator, Housekeeper, HVAC Maintenance Mechanic, Maintenance Mechanic (Maintenance Worker) 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

HOBBIES/COLLECT. P R I V A T E C O L L E C T O R WANTS Rolex, Dive Watches and Pilot Watches.

Old Model Military Clocks & Watches.

Call 305-743-4578 LOTS FOR SALE Two oceanside adjacent lots for sale. One with PERMIT, construction in progress. 186 Dove Creek Drive, Tavernier. $675k OBO 305-9339594 Owner-Agent (2.5% to selling office) HOUSING FOR RENT 2 Bedroom 1 Bath house in Marathon. Tile & carpet floors, new appliances, gated property.

No pets.

305-610-8002 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 HARRY HARRIS PARK, MM93 - 3BR/2BA Central Air, No Pets, Long Term Lease. $3000/mo F/L/S Call 786-493-7829 Islamorada: Very Large 2BR Apt for rent in beautiful White Marlin Beach on the water. Yearly lease. $2,000/monthly - all utilities included .

First/Security 305-5222702 Leave message.

YARD SALES Yard Sale: Sat. Oct 21 & Sun. Oct 22 from 8am-3pm.

103 Orchid Street, Tavernier.

Household items and decor.

SUDOKU SOLUTION

14

KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP / OCTOBER 19, 2023

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES 305.743.0844 • CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES • •305.743.0844

NOW HIRING IN ISLAMORADA

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

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

HEAVY DIESEL MECHANIC 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

IS HIRING IN THE UPPER KEYS

FULL TIME PROJECT MANAGER EXPERIENCED TRIM CARPENTER CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR – WILL TRAIN Send resume to: admin@cbtconstruction.com Or call: 305-852-3002

NOW HIRING IN ISLAMORADA

BOAT RENTAL STAFF

FLEXIBLE HOURS & COMPETITIVE WAGES Need to have experience driving boats and a working knowledge of the Islamorada area by water.

Duties include taking reservations, giving captains lessons and routine boat maintenance.

Email Matt at eliteboatrentalsmatt@gmail.com.

Please include contact information and any relevant experience.

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR A LOCATION: CUDJOE KEY

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

Apply online at www.fkaa.com/employment

EEO, VPE, ADA, DFW

NOW HIRING DIVE INSTRUCTOR Please contact April at 305.407.3262 or april@floridakeysaquariumencounters.com for more information.

11710 OVERSEAS HWY, MARATHON

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 Seminary St, Key West, www.marchouse.org Come join our family! EOE

IS HIRING! SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT JOB COACH UPPER KEYS (TAVERNIER) P/T This position works with our clients in obtaining and retaining employment in the local community.

Minimum requirements: a bachelor’s degree OR 4 years of experience with DD individuals; a combination of formal education and experience are accepted.

Good computer skills utilizing multiple applications.

Florida driver’s license with a clean driving record required. English language, speaking and writing, proficiency is a must. Pre-hire coursework is required and ability to pass a Level 2 background check.

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

SUNSET GRILLE IS HIRING

• Bussers • Hosts • Line Cooks • Waitstaff • Bartenders • Dishwashers • Bar Backs Apply in person at Sunset Grille & Raw Bar, 7 Knight’s Key Blvd, Marathon

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

TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION T&D ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Starting pay rate for this position, depending on qualifications and experience: $108,332/annually $111,365/annually For more information, including job duties and required qualifications, and to apply for the job, please visit their website at www.KeysEnergy.com.

KEYS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

KEYS promotes a Drug-Free Workplace.

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

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

SUBSTATION ELECTRICIAN Starting pay rate for this position, depending on qualifications and experience: $40.35/hr. - $45.19/hr.

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.

15

OCTOBER 19, 2023 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC && LEGAL NOTICES • • 305.743.0844 • CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC LEGAL NOTICES 305.743.0844

Work with the BEST!

The Guidance/Care Center, Inc. a division of

“Uplifting the human spirit since 1973”

THE GUIDANCE/CARE CENTER, Inc.

IS HIRING!

GCC offers excellent benefits for full-time employment, but we realize some would prefer part-time to enjoy the Florida Keys lifestyle more.

All positions can be considered for full or part-time unless notated.

Apply at westcare.com and enter your availability.

KEY LARGO

Advocate Behavioral Health Therapist (Child) Case Manager (Child)

• Health, Dental, Vision & Life Insurance • Tuition Reimbursement • Paid Holidays, Vacation & Sick Time • 401K Employer Match • Quarterly Cash Profit Sharing • Fun, Fast-Paced Environment • Great Hours

Voted Best Bank 2014 - 2023 Key West Facilities & Grounds Maintenance Technician

KEY WEST

Peer Support Specialist Prevention Specialist Advocate Behavioral Health Therapist (Child, Adult) Behavioral Health Counselor (Children) Case Manager (Adult)

Lower Keys Customer Service Representative/Branch Lobby

MARATHON

EXPERIENCED ELECTRICIANS AND HELPERS NEEDED Experience is required.

Must have a valid driver’s license.

We offer 401K, medical insurance, paid holidays and paid vacation.

Positions available in Key West and Marathon. 305-292-3369

DUI EVALUATOR/ INSTRUCTOR The Advocate DUI Program is hiring for part time positions.

DUI instructors and evaluators - 2 days a week, Bachelors or Masters degree in substance abuse field required. Bilingual preferred, not required. Office located in Marathon. Contact Marcia at 305-704-0117.

Driver 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 *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

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER IS HIRING Volunteer Resources Administrative Assistant (Full-Time, Permanent)

Accounting Director (Full-Time, Permanent)

Facilities Maintenance Apprentice (Full-Time, Permanent)

Education Program Host (Full-Time, Permanent)

Medical Technician (Full-Time, Permanent)

MARATHON GARBAGE SERVICE We are now hiring for the following positions:

Diesel Mechanic Truck Helpers CDL Drivers Applicants must apply in person to be considered.

4290 Overseas Hwy, Marathon

Visual Communications Staff (Full-Time, Part-Time, Seasonal)

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

Middle Keys Assistant Branch Operations Manager

Apply Online at KeysBank.com/Careers

Member FDIC

EOE-M/F/V/D

Equal Housing Lender