Key West Weekly 25-0612

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“A great leader is one who serves others, not himself.” — C.S. Lewis

June 12, 2025

s d i k s Key s d a d r i e h t dig 15 | E N U J S I D AY F AT H E R ’ S

P. 28

OFFICIALS CHOOSE RESIDENTS OVER RENT HIKES

VOTE PROTECTS LIVEABOARD TENANTS’ AFFORDABLE HOUSING | P. 10

WILL VOTERS RECALL THEIR CITY COMMISSIONER? DISTRICT 4 RESIDENTS CONSIDER OPTIONS TO REMOVE THEIR REP FROM OFFICE | P. 4

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Island Dental DR. LOUIS SPELIOS | DR. MELVIN EATON | DR. AMY MENESES | DR. JOHN VALLILEE

1721 Flagler Ave. | Key West | 305.294.6696

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

Key West

Cooking School

®

Dinnertainment Cooking Classes TM

All meals are served with housemade plaintain chips

MORNING

AFTERNOON

3p-5p

11a-1p

EVENING

7p-9p

SERVED WITH BREAD AND BUTTER OF THE DAY

TM

Conch Fritters Mojo Roast Pork with Black Beans and Rice Key Lime Pie

TUESDAY Tropical Bites

WEDNESDAY Island Indulgence

THURSDAY Catch of the Day

FRIDAY A Taste of Havana

SATURDAY Key West Comfort

Tostones with Cuban Chimichurri Ropa Vieja with Yellow Rice Tia’s Flan Caldo Gallego Picadillo with Black Beans and Rice Key Lime Pie

Garbanzo Soup Lobster Enchilados with Rice Guava Bread Pudding

Bollos Grits-n-Grunts Key Lime Pie

Conch Fritters Mariscado with White Rice Guava Bread Pudding

Mariscado Swordfish Picatta with Rice and Broccolini Tia’s Flan

Avocado Salad Cuban Mix Tia’s Flan

Ceviche Mojo Roast Pork with Black Beans and Rice Key Lime Pie

Bollos Snapper Creole with Rice Guava Bread Pudding

Tostones with Cuban Chimichurri Picadillo with Black Beans and Rice Tia’s Flan

Conch Fritters Grits-n-Grunts Key Lime Pie

Conch Salad Sunday Pork Chops with Potato Gratin Guava Bread Pudding

Garbanzo Soup Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas Guava Bread Pudding

BAR Monday: 11am-7pm Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-10pm Happy Hour: 4pm-6pm

Cocktail Classes 1pm: Rum Revelations A Cocktail Adventure 5pm:Key West History Through Craft Cocktails

Caldo Gallego Key West Seafood Rissotto Tia’s Flan

Use Promo Code 50KWCS & Save 50% Now Through June 30

291 Front Street, Upstairs • 305-294-2665 • KEYWESTCOOKINGSCHOOL.COM

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

KEYS

NEWSPAPERS

5450 MacDonald Ave. No.5 Key West, FL 33040 Office: 305.453.6928 www.keysweekly.com Publisher / Britt Myers britt@keysweekly.com Publishing Partner / Jason Koler jason@keysweekly.com Editor / Mandy Miles mandy@keysweekly.com Account Executive Stephanie Mitchell stephanie@keysweekly.com Staff Writers Jim McCarthy jim@keysweekly.com Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com Copy Editor / Mike Howie mike@keysweekly.com Production Manager Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com Executive Administrator Charlotte Hruska char@keysweekly.com Design / Pre-Press Irene de Bruijn irene@keysweekly.com Javier Reyes javier@keysweekly.com Diana Striker www.keysweekly.com Web Master / Travis Cready travis@keysweekly.com Classifieds / Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com 305.743.0844 Se habla español THE KEY WEST WEEKLY (ISSN 1944-0812) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY FOR $125 PER YEAR

BY WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS, INC., 9709 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, MARATHON FL 33050.

APPLICATION TO MAIL AT PERIODICALS POSTAGE RATES IS PENDING AT FORT LAUDERDALE FL AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. All stories, photos, and graphics are copyrighted materials.

Postmaster SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO THE KEYS WEEKLY, 9709 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY MARATHON FL 33050 News Deadline Monday Noon Advertising Deadline Tuesday 2 p.m.

@KeysWeekly @theWeekly

Members of

5 million

The total number of copies of Life magazine sold in two days, when the magazine published an excerpt from Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea” on Sept. 1, 1952. Widely considered Hemingway’s finest work, the novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize on this day in 1953.

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 15, and the Keys Weekly asked a dozen or so Key West kids to brag about what makes their dad so special. See their responses on page 28.

WILL KEY WEST OFFICIALS FIX WHAT’S BROKEN AT CITY HALL?

Voters consider recall election to remove commissioner from office MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

K

ey West commissioners will convene a special meeting on June 25 to dissect the recent grand jury report and its scathing criticism of city government.

The 29-page report, released May 29, describes, “a pervasive culture of negligence, nepotism, manipulation and abdication of duty at the highest levels of city leadership” that was uncovered during an investigation into alleged corruption and criminal wrongdoing within city hall.

“What started as an investigation into possible Sunshine Law violations and various malfeasances of elected/charted officials and department heads rapidly developed into a wide-scale, multi-faceted investigation uncovering a network of nepotism, fraud, dereliction of duty and various criminal acts,” the report states.

The 16-member grand jury in April handed down indictments that led to the arrests of former Key West city attorney Ron Ramsingh; his brother, Raj Ramsingh, who was the city’s chief building official, and former code compliance director Jim Young.

Ron Ramsingh, the attorney, was terminated without cause in April.

Raj Ramsingh has been indefinitely suspended without pay pending the results of an internal city investigation.

Young retired days after his April 15 arrest. Each of the three men was initially indicted and arrested on April 15 for tampering with evidence after deleting or altering or withholding text messages that had been subpoenaed as part of an ongoing investigation.

Ron and Raj Ramsingh were subsequently re-indicted on additional charges.

Raj Ramsingh faces seven counts of official misconduct for allegedly falsifying building permits, closing permits without inspections being done and in some cases issuing a permit when one had previously been denied by another department. Raj Ramsingh additionally operated his own construction company, StrykkerAvery Homes, LLC while also working as the city’s chief building official, where he approved and issued his own company’s building permits in at least one instance.

“In just five construction jobs, CBO Ramsingh’s construction company’s gross revenue exceeded $1.9 million,” the report states. “Moreover, the evidence showed in a few of these projects, CBO Ramsingh was the one to approve the permits and furthermore neglected to require inspections.

One can only wonder how many more properties/permits chief building official Ramsingh’s company has worked on, and he supplemented his CBO income with. It is the grand jury’s hope that the fraudulent course of conduct, having now been revealed, a further investigation is conducted and steps are taken by city leaders to prevent all of this from ever happening again.”

City commissioners at their June 4 meeting voted to have a third party independently review all building permits issued by the city between 2020 and 2025.

Additional actions are underway, or soon will be once the appropriate new ordinances are passed in the coming month, Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez told the Keys Weekly on June 11.

“At the June 25 meeting, we are going to go through all 27 recommendations made by the grand jury,” she said. “We have to do the work to re-

build public trust and while that report was very difficult to read, I believe that acknowledging the problems is the first step to solving them. Rebuilding that trust starts with actions, not just words.”

The mayor said that the public will hear on June 25 that several recommendations have already been implemented by city manager Brian L. Barroso.

“I hope the commission can present a united front and show that we take responsibility for good government to heart,” commissioner Monica Haskell told the Keys Weekly on June 11. “If the previous commission had implemented the recommendations in the Corradino Report, instead of burying it and firing the city manager, we might not be in this situation today, a year later.

“Since I’ve been a commissioner, we have lost a number of good employees who finally gave up trying to make positive change. I welcome any and all suggestions and conversations with citizens between now and June 25 so I can truly be their voice.”

Commissioner Sam Kaufman, who called for the June 25 special meeting, said, “My intention is for the city to directly address the grand jury’s recommendations. This includes actions to strengthen ethics requirements for city employees and public officials, increase transparency and public participation, and reform the building development and permitting process to prevent future abuses. We will also identify necessary management reforms to improve the workplace environment, consider whistleblower protections and review recent employee resignations and exit interviews to ensure accountability and restore public trust.” continued on page 9

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

HONORED TO HAVE BEEN VOTED BEST DENTIST 8 YEARS RUNNING

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

island inspired Our bright and airy space is a treasure trove of fashion forward essentials that embrace the island lifestyle.

Offering fabulous brands including Farm Rio, Trina Turk, Oliphant & more. Stop by and check out Key West’s go to spot for splurge worthy and on-trend styles.

OPEN DAILY FROM 10 AM TO 5 PM 624 Whitehead Street | Key West 305.735.4674 | Instagram @floatkeywest

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

CAROL SHAUGHNESSY www.keysweekly.com

1. Tony Gregory displays his latest painting, a vivid floral piece, amid other art in Art @ 830 on Caroline Street.

TONY GREGORY LIVES LIFE IN FULL COLOR

2. Tony Gregory and Christine Scarsella opened the Art @ 830 gallery together many years ago.

SOMEONE YOU SHOULD KNOW

W

hen Tony Gregory quit his Maryland teaching job to move to Key West in 1976, he was partly motivated by a discovery made on previous visits: on an island full of offbeat characters, he wasn’t regarded as weird.

“I was weird where I grew up, I was weird when I went to college — but when I got here, nobody cared,” said Gregory, perched in his crowded studio above the Art @ 830 gallery he owns with best friend and life partner Christine Scarsella.

Gregory, with his charismatic grin and mop of curly hair, quickly became one of the island’s “cool kids” after his arrival, living a free-spirited life within the rebel art community.

He developed a reputation as a skilled airbrush artist, pedaled around town on a highwheel “penny-farthing” bicycle, hung out with the brilliant street performers known as Loco-motion Circus, and enjoyed one of the island’s most memorable eras.

“When we were doing these things, I don’t think everybody knew how great it was,” Gregory said. “I mean, Key West is very special and very magical, but the 1970s and beginning of the ’80s was over-the-top special and magical.”

Gregory eventually opened a store/studio/ gallery on Duval Street, whimsically named Art Attack, that emerged as a local creative hotspot.

He also honed his talent for painting canvases and shooting photos — and much to his own surprise, became an in-demand wedding photographer.

“I always was a photographer, but I was making my living as an artist,” Gregory said. “A friend of mine asked me to shoot their wedding and I said ‘I don’t do weddings.’”

But the buddy persisted, and Gregory finally agreed. That shoot led to a steady stream of bookings from local wedding coordinators, and later resulted in top placement on Google and other internet sites.

In 1994, he and longtime friend Scarsella launched Open Minded, an eclectic shop in the 700 block of Duval Street.

“We didn’t even know what it was going to be, but we got it off the ground and the things we carried sold like hotcakes,” Gregory said.

3. Each of Tony’s Key West alphabet paintings depicts an individual letter paired with island elements that begin with that letter. CAROL SHAUGHNESSY/Keys Weekly

1 2 3

After their successful professional partnership evolved into a personal partnership, he and Scarsella opened Art @ 830 on Caroline Street in the Key West Historic Seaport district.

Meanwhile, though grateful for his photography business, Gregory realized he was barely painting anymore and determined to restore the balance between his two creative passions.

Today he spends about 50 percent of his time doing photo shoots and the rest painting in his studio above Art @ 830. He also still airbrushes faces and bodies for special events such as Key West’s Zombie Bike Ride.

Gregory’s paintings are sometimes abstract and sometimes representational, full of vivid colors and alive with energy and life.

“When I’m painting, I never feel like I’m working because I enjoy doing it,” he said. “I do most of my art to make people feel good.”

He often thinks in terms of abstracts, Gregory explained, but as a painting develops he lets the creative process dictate the direction it will take.

From floral fantasies to swirling blends of shape and line, his works project an appealing exuberance that holds the viewer’s gaze — an exuberance that reflects his positive mindset and pleasure in his Key West life.

“All the beautiful Key West colors and floral things and the sunsets definitely inspire me,” Gregory said. “Seeing all these colors all the time definitely gets stamped into your brain.”

A few years ago, he immersed himself in creating what he calls the Key West alphabet — individual paintings of every letter of the alphabet surrounded by island elements beginning with that letter. For example, the “C” is embellished with images of a pink-lined conch shell and a cat, the “H” is adorned with lush hibiscus blossoms, and the bright purple “P” is paired with a pelican and a palm tree.

A selection of alphabet pieces is displayed in Art @ 830 — as are additional paintings by Gregory. The gallery is renowned for its vibrant blend of art glass, sculpture, unique jewelry and distinctive works by local artists and others.

When he’s not painting or shooting photos, Gregory enjoys island pursuits: pulling crab traps with two friends during the harvest season, taking his 18-foot boat out to fish for snapper and other food fish, and simply savoring time with Scarsella.

Key West may have changed a good bit since his arrival in 1976, but he still treasures the magical place he discovered where he “wasn’t weird.”

“The things that remain the same are much stronger to me than the things that have changed,” he said. “The weather, the people, the culture … I love my life.”

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025 continued from page 4

WILL KEY WEST OFFICIALS FIX WHAT’S BROKEN AT CITY HALL? 2021 CITY OF KEY WEST SINGLE MEMBER COMMISSION DISTRICTS

District I

4117

District II

District III

4655

4548

CITY OFFICIALS TO REVIEW KEY WEST YACHT CLUB LEASE

Questions about subleasing boat slips prompt a closer look District II

4655 District IV

District I

MANDY MILES

4518

4117

District V

4332

District III

mandy@keysweekly.com

Legend

4548

SMCD11921 DIST_POP

District VI 4274

District I

4117

District II

4655

District III

4548

District IV

4518

District V

4332

District VI 4274 Sources: Esri, HERE, Garmin, USGS, Intermap, INCREMENT P, NRCan, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China (Hong Kong), Esri Korea, Esri (Thailand), NGCC, (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community

GISKW2021 12/7/2021

The map outlines the boundaries of Key West’s six city commission districts. Commissioners are elected, and potentially recalled, only by voters in their district. The mayor is elected by all Key West voters. CONTRIBUTED

The mayor emphasized, “We are taking this very seriously” and will follow the recommendations and report transparently on their progress.

Two recommendations are out of the city commission’s hands, though. The grand jury recommends that assistant city manager Todd Stoughton and commissioner Lissette Carey resign their positions.

“As far as Todd, that will be up to the city manager, because Todd doesn’t report to the city commission,” Henriquez said.

“And as for commissioner Carey, that’s something she’ll have to decide — or it could be up to the voters in her district.”

District 4 voters consider recall election for Carey Some voters in District 4, a largely residential district in New Town that encompasses much of Flagler Avenue and stretches nearly out to North Roosevelt Boulevard to include streets such as Seidenberg, Harris and Staples avenues, are already considering a recall election to remove Carey from office.

Social media posts and a new website are seeking input from Key West voters and outlining the process to recall a municipal elected official.

District 4 resident Jim Strebeck posted on the popular Key West Locals Facebook page, “One of the most damning passages in the grand jury report dealt with the conduct of Commissioner Carey, who was advised to resign. Her response made it clear that she has no intention of doing so, so it’s up to us, the voters of District 4 to make our voices heard.

“Key West ordinances and Florida statutes lay out the procedure for recalling an elected of-

ficial, and as a first step, those of us in District 4 who no longer believe that Commissioner Carey remaining in office serves the community’s best interest are reaching out to see how many others in our district are of a similar mind.”

Strebeck said that 268 registered voters in District 4 are required to begin the formal recall process.

“Details about both Commissioner Carey’s misdeeds and the recall process are available on our website,” he writes, directing visitors to recallkeywest.com. The website contains links to the full grand jury report and to a statement Carey submitted in response to the grand jury report.

Her response states, in part, “I have a thorough understanding of the role of a city commissioner, having served the city of Key West as the assistant to the mayor and commissioners for five years, and subsequently as senior deputy clerk for three years,” Carey wrote. “I take my responsibilities seriously and invest significant time in researching matters that come before the commission. … I believe it is unjust to characterize this single instance as reflective of my overall performance or commitment to my duties. … I remain committed to serving the people of District IV with integrity, dedication, and transparency.”

Carey, who was elected in November 2022 for a four-year term that ends in 2026, is a lifelong Key West resident and an employee of the Key West Housing Authority.

When reached by the Keys Weekly on June 10, Carey declined to comment on the proposed recall based on advice of her attorney.

“But I hope to have an opportunity to do so at some point,” she said.

K

ey West officials voted on June 4 to take a closer look at the Key West Yacht Club’s $1-a-year lease with the city of Key West.

City commissioner Sam Kaufman had proposed a resolution directing the city manager to review the 99-year lease, which was signed in March 1961 and expires in 2060, to ensure the club is in compliance with its requirements.

“The city commission further directs the city manager to provide the commission with recommendations on how to remedy any determined non-compliance by the Key West Yacht Club,” the resolution states.

An area of potential concern is a clause in the yacht club’s lease that requires the city to approve any subleases that are granted by the yacht club, which may pertain to the leasing of its 68 boat slips.

Given the annual revenue from those slip rentals, Kaufman said on June 4, “That could be $15 to $20 million total with no revenue coming back to the city. We have to think of whether that’s lawful and whether that’s valid pertaining to the lease, which says the club should not sublease without the consent of the city. And there;s no evidence that consent was ever given. I don’t know why we wouldn’t at least look into this. We’re trying to restore public trust. If the commission turns this down, the optics are really bad.”

The commission didn’t turn it down. Kaufman’s motion 5-2.

“If there are lease violations, they need to be identified,” commissioner Donie Lee said before voting in favor of the lease review.

“I don’t think this resolution hurts anything. If we’re owed some money down the road, we can use it for infrastructure improvements.”

Commissioners Aaron Castillo and Mary Lou Hoover were the two dissenting votes.

Yacht club commodore Kris Pabian declined to discuss the item before the commission vote.

The Key West Yacht Club’s resident blue heron was released back into the ‘wild’ at the Key West Yacht Club on June 10 after being treated for illness at the Key West Wildlife Center. The city is reviewing the yacht club’s $1-a-year lease.

CONTRIBUTED

In the past, members of the club have pointed out that the Key West Yacht Club was instrumental in persuading state officials to give the entire Garrison Bight area to the city of Key West. In return, a small part of the waterfront property was retained for the club, which started in 1938 and now has 338 members.

Club’s only permanent resident returns While boaters and members come and go from the Key West Yacht Club, one resident has remained a permanent fixture around the docks.

A resident great blue heron, who has been a beloved and familiar sight for years, recently fell ill and was taken to the newly renovated Key West Wildlife Center for treatment and rehabilitation.

The yacht club’s dockmaster called the wildlife center when he saw the bird down and unable to stand in a mangrove area.

“Thanks to the swift actions of the dockmaster and the Key West Wildlife Center for the care they provided, the heron has made a full recovery and was successfully released back into the wild at the Key West Yacht Club on June 10,” said Pabian. “We were thrilled to work with the Wildlife Center to get our resident heron back to good health. He is the only permanent resident of our docks and we look at him just like our members — as family.”

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

KEY WEST OFFICIALS CHOOSE RESIDENTS OVER RENT HIKES

Commissioners protect liveaboard marina tenants & preserve affordable housing MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

K

ey West officials last week prioritized people over profit and working residents over unworkable rent hikes for tenants at City Marina on Garrison

Bight.

The city commission at their June 4 meeting shot down a proposal from the city’s port and marine services department that would have raised the rents for liveaboard residents at the marina by 50% to 70% and forced many of them from their homes.

“These increases would displace most of us,” liveaboard resident Joe Miccia, a co-founder of the Key West Liveaboard Association, told the commissioners. “The idea that these increases are fair or feasible is not rooted in reality.”

Miccio had strongly criticized and refuted a market rate study of marina rents the city had commissioned last year, which recommended the rent increases. The study compared the slip rents at City Marina with those at upscale, vacation-style marinas that do not rent to floating homes, and that offer amenities such as pools, private beaches, bars, restaurants and shuttle services. City Marina offers none of those.

“This city is getting a reputation of not caring for its workforce and becoming a city of haves and have-nots,” liveaboard resident Amanda Scott told the commissioners. “We need a more realistic plan. The proposed increases of $14 to $49 more per foot are unreasonable and outrageously shocking.”

Local nurse and business owner Suzy Jo Moore begged the commissioners to “please protect one of the last affordable ways to continue living in Key West,” while another speaker referenced a document from a city port department employee that said affordable housing is the city’s top strategic priority.

“Is it really?” the speaker asked, emphasizing that the proposed increases would eliminate the affordability of the liveaboard slips and displace dozens of local workers and retirees.

Commissioners spent nearly two hours listening to nearly two dozen such residents who live on boats docked at the city-owned marina near the corner of Palm Avenue and North Roosevelt Boulevard.

Houseboat residents at City Marina on Garrison Bight were facing up to 70% rent increases for their boat slips.

Key West city commissioners voted down that proposal on June 4. CONTRIBUTED

The liveboard residents at the docks that are designated for floating homes and houseboats pay about $17 per foot, according to the length of their vessel, in monthly slip rent, plus an upfront, nonrefundable fee of $5,000 to $16,000 to reserve the slip for a long-term lease. The same fee must be paid again if an additional person, such as a roommate, spouse, parent or adult child is added to the lease.

Their rent also increases yearly, often about 3%, according to the federal Consumer Price Index.

In the end, officials voted down the proposed slip rent increases for the houseboat residents and agreed to maintain the status quo, which is an annual rent adjustment according to CPI. The commissioners also voted to grandfather in an additional 28 long-term liveaboard residents whose boats are docked at a different pier from those designated for houseboats and floating homes. Those 28 residents at the other docks will be protected from proposed rent increases, and will continue paying their usual monthly slip rent of $32 per boat foot. But the rent control only applies to those current 28 residents. Once they leave, the slips they vacate will be subject to the proposed higher rates.

“The guiding principle here should be that no one gets forced out,” said commissioner Sam Kaufman, whose district includes City Marina, and who has been working closely with the liveaboard residents for more than three years.

Commissioner Aaron Castillo agreed, saying, “We need to protect our people and our workers. I made a promise to support them.”

Kaufman quickly supported a motion made by commissioner Donie Lee that would approve the proposed rent increases, but grandfather in the current 28 residents at the long-term, transient piers.

Lee also had proposed a 20% rent increase over two years for the houseboat piers, but that motion was voted down in favor of no increases other than annual CPI adjustments.

The city commission chambers erupted in relief and applause following the vote.

“We did it,” Miccio wrote in an email to his fellow liveaboard residents after the meeting. “Zero rent increases. Everything stays the same for all liveaboard leases. We also won ‘grandfather’ status for transient long-term liveaboards. Their rents will remain the same, and the Port Director was directed to prepare leases to reflect that, details to be worked out in collaboration with the Key West Liveaboard Association. It will remain at our normal annual CPI rent increases for all.

“We achieved together what most feared would be impossible. Everyone in our marina came together in an amazing show of support for one another. … Without this special unity we could not have accomplished this long and hard-fought goal.

“We thank our honorable mayor and city commissioners who time and again postponed the questionable proposals over these last two years until they gathered the information necessary that allowed them to make informed and compassionate decisions last night on behalf of the residents of this wonderful city we all love.

“Kudos to our district commissioner Sam Kaufman, who delivered by introducing his resolution to keep our rates the same, and bringing it home by rallying the votes. And to Commissioner Donie Lee for proposing his successful resolution that grandfathered rent rates for our long-term transient dock liveaboards.”

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

POWERING A NEW WORK SCHEDULE Electric utility one of the first to shift to 32-hour weeks JIM McCARTHY jim@keysweekly.com

A

new contract between the Florida Keys Electric Cooperative and the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers Local 349 provided a modest wage increase and a switch to a four-day work week.

On June 2, the new 32-hour, Monday-through-Thursday work schedule went into effect for employees who work at the memberowned, nonprofit electric utility serving the Upper and Middle Keys.

The work schedule shift went into effect not only for union members, who are hourly employees, but other FKEC employees both salaried and hourly who are not part of IBEW. Scott Newberry, FKEC CEO, told Keys Weekly in an interview that it made sense to apply the new schedule — with Friday being an off day — to all employees.

“We all work for the same cooperative basically,” he said.

The four-day work week arose during negotiations between FKEC management and IBEW Local 349.

Talks began last year as the union proposed wage increases of 30% over three years, with 20% of the bump in the first year and the remaining 10% over the final two years. FKEC’s initial wage proposal, however, stood at 4% for each of the three years. A previous five-year contract, which expired last February, between the two sides included annual raises ranging from 2.5% to 3%.

With requests for additional pay came a petition signed by all union members supporting the idea of converting the workweek into four 10-hour days. FKEC management didn’t believe such a move was feasible, citing concerns of manpower if half the workforce was out Monday and the other half took off on Fridays. Management countered with the idea for a fourday, 32-hour workweek.

“If we were to go to a straight four-day workweek of 10 hours per day, we wouldn’t gain any efficiency since we couldn’t start working in neighborhoods until around 8

a.m., and with daily excessive heat alerts during the summer, we would have to limit afternoon construction activities,” Newberry said.

“While they would be at work a couple extra hours per day, they really wouldn’t be productive during those two (extra) hours.”

In April, FKEC’s nine-member board of directors agreed to ratify a contract with IBEW Local 349 which detailed a four-day, 32-hour work week and a 4% bump in wages for the first year. No wage increases are included in years two and three.

Four-day workweeks have been instituted within a few local governments across the U.S. The city of Golden, Colorado adopted a four-day week in August 2024 for its police to address staffing. Three departments within the town of Plainville in Connecticut converted to four-day workweeks in April 2024 as a way to recruit and retain employees while maintaining quality of service.

And while some Florida companies have implemented four-day workweeks, FKEC is one of the first — if not the first — public utility in the Sunshine State to move to a four-day, 32-hour work schedule.

Newberry anticipates the move will yield less turnover, increase efficiency and morale while making it easier to recruit should FKEC need to fill vacant positions.

As to what the new work schedule means for customers, FKEC says emergency operators remain available 24/7. Newberry said those operators work for many other electric cooperatives across the country.

Line crews will also be on call and ready around the clock in times of a power outage or other emergency.

Newberry said FKEC should save around $1.8 million in labor costs with no wage increases in years two and three of the labor contract.

An uptick in overtime is possible when linemen need to respond to emergencies on Fridays. Newberry acknowledged the dollar figure associated with overtime is not going to be anywhere near the wage savings.

FKEC maintains a 138,000-volt transmission line, which brings power from the mainland to the Florida Keys. FKEC purchases nearly 100% of its energy needs from Florida Power & Light. Generators in Marathon and FKEC’s two solar arrays also contribute to our power supply.

NOW HEAR THIS

Mark Hedden & Keys Weekly launch ‘On the Rock’ podcast

Farmer Jeanne Selander speaks with Mark Hedden about her jailhouse menagerie and unlikely career in Hedden’s new Keys Weekly podcast, ‘On the Rock.’ MARK HEDDEN/Keys Weekly

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ark Hedden kicks off the first edition of his “On the Rock” podcast with one of the most beloved people in the Florida Keys.

Farmer Jeanne Selander of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm (commonly referred to as “the jail zoo”) joins the show to discuss her career and the 20-plus years she has spent running one of the most unusual jail programs on the globe.

From kinkajous, sloths, ponies, alligators and more, the jail zoo is located, literally, at the county jail. It started in 1994 as a rescue haven for homeless ducks and has since become a sanctuary for up to 150 animals that have been abandoned, abused, confiscated or donated.

Now approaching retirement, Selander recounts riding out Hurricane Irma alone in a

jail with 150 animals, tips on how to catch alligators and which sloths are OK to pet.

Listen at keysweekly.com/ podcast.

— Keys Weekly staff report

Scan the QR code to listen to Mark Hedden’s new ‘On the Rock’ podcast.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

HELP KEEP KEY WEST CLEAN -

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

JOIN A 1 HOUR CLEANUP FRIDAY MORNINGS

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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.

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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 street or sidewalk, as from there, they easily end up in the ocean.

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

Please pick up around your home or apartment complex. Every piece of trash picked up is one less that may end up in the ocean that surrounds and sustains our island community. It is not just the large items you can see easily when you are walking, but the smaller items such as bottle caps and cigarette butts that are collected by the volunteers that make the biggest difference.

It takes committed community involvement to keep Key West beautiful and we are making progress with every cleanup event and every spot

The June 6 cleanup took place on Duval Street, where 44 volunteers met in the 1300 block of. They spread out to the surrounding streets and in one hour collected 152 pounds of trash, 27 pounds of recycling and 2 gallons of cigarette butts. Special thanks to the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory for hosting. The June 13 cleanup will be held at the Key West Fire Station on Simonton Street. Thank you to everyone who helps Keep Key West Beautiful.

CONTRIBUTED

that’s adopted. Call Dorian Patton at 305-809-3782 to find out how your business, nonprofit or club can help.

— Contributed Join a one-hour Friday morning cleanup. All events are 8 to 9 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

June 13: Key West Fire Station on Simonton Street. Meet in the parking lot by the fire station.

Hosted by Last Stand of the Florida Keys.

June 20: Lazy Way and the Key West Bight area. Meet next to the Wyland Wall at the end of William Street. Hosted by The Marker Resort.

June 27: Simonton and Catherine streets. Meet in the parking lot of First State Bank, which is hosting.

Looking for a furry ball of sunshine?

Meet Lonnie, our 2-year-old tabby girl with a personality as bright as her stripes. She’s sweet, sassy, and always ready for some playtime mischief.

Confident and curious, Lonnie loves to explore every nook and cranny. She’d thrive in a calm home where she can show off her playful side and get all the love she deserves.

Midnight, our adorable 2-month-old black kitten, is all the mischief and magic you could ask for. This little black void is curious, playful and ready to pounce on your heart. Midnight is starring in our Kitten Extravaganza Week, so come meet him at one of our events.

We’re currently accepting applications, but Midnight can’t go home until Monday June 16.

Meet Rambo, a 13-year-old Jack Russell terrier looking for his next loving home.

Rambo’s journey started in a Virginia breeding facility before he found safety with Barry in 2020. They moved to Key West, where Rambo settled in well, loving his toys and daily walks. Unfortunately, Barry’s health issues now prevent him from caring for Rambo, and he’s hoping someone else can step up.

Rambo is healthy, vaccinated and still full of life.

Meet Missus, a 4-year-old tortie who’s been charming us since May 2024. It’s high time she finds a forever home. Missus is sweet and affectionate, but true to her tortie nature, she’s got plenty of “tortitude” and isn’t afraid to let you know when she’s had enough attention.

She loves being around people but also values her independence — like a true queen.

Meet Louise, a 7-month-old caramelcolored cutie who’s as sweet as she is adorable. This little guinea pig is a heart-stealer with her soft fur and curious personality. Louise loves to explore her surroundings, munch on treats and spend time with her favorite humans.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

KEY WEST HOSTS SPECIAL OPERATIONS HEROES JUNE 14-21

Task Force Dagger’s Dagger Dive event returns to Key West June 14-21, offering injured Special Operations servicemembers and their families a healing week of connection, activities and exploration. CONTRIBUTED

MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

Task Force Dagger’s dive trips helps warriors & families heal

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hey’re known by many names — Army Rangers, Green Berets, Night Stalkers, Delta Force, Navy SEALS, SWCC, Air Force Special Tactics and Marine Raiders.

They are the U.S. military’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) and they represent the most elite warriors in all branches of the U.S. armed forces.

“They’re tasked with carrying out the military’s most secretive and specialized missions,” missions that are “extreme in risk, precise in execution, and able to deliver a high payoff, the impacts of which will be felt for decades,” states the military’s Special Operations Forces Reference Manual.

But some of those missions have other lasting impacts — physical, mental, visible and invisible — on the fighters and on the families that welcome them home.

Enter Task Force Dagger. The nonprofit “provides assistance to more than 1,000 Special Operations Forces members and their families through programs crafted to heal, rebuild and empower, providing them with mission, purpose, and focus.”

The SOF community “is first in, last out, and adopts an intense training and deployment tempo that has a ripple effect on their families and their health,” states the nonprofit’s website.

“The needs of these families and service members are the top priority for Task Force Dagger and the foundation of our programs.”

The Key West community, both military and civilian, has made one of

those programs possible for the past 13 years and will once again welcome 10 Special Operations members and their families, plus 60 volunteers, to the island June 14-21 for its flagship Dagger Dive event.

It offers SOF families a week of: • Adaptive dive certification and wellness-focused activities.

• Peer support and reconnection among warriors, spouses and children.

• Opportunities for recovery in a setting that promotes resilience, rest, and renewal.

“Since its inception in 2011, Dagger Dive has thrived because of the generosity and spirit of the Key West community,” the website states. “The program’s success is directly tied to the support of local businesses, residents and volunteers who come together to create a week of healing, connection, and care for Special Operations families.

“From donating dive boats and offering access to local attractions, to providing in-kind meals, accommodations, and their time and expertise — Key West plays an essential role in bringing Dagger Dive to life each year. The community’s support is what makes this life-changing experience possible.”

Special Operations members and their families will stay at Opal Key Resort, receive dive training — adapted for specialized injuries — and certification at the U.S. Army’s Special Forces Underwater Operations School on Fleming Key. They’ll also enjoy tours, sunset cruises, meals, and, finally, two days of open water dives aboard local dive boats.

To support this year’s Dagger Dive through sponsorships or in-kind donations, contact Jillian Andrews, director of development at Jillian.Andrews@ taskforcedagger.org.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

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Visit us in Key West, Big Pine, Marathon or Tavernier.

Call 305.294.6622

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES NEW SUPERINTENDENT’S CONTRACT Classroom technology contracts, Trumbo housing RFP get support FRANK DERFLER www.keysweekly.com

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onroe County school board members approved a three-year contract for incoming superintendent Ed Tierney during a June 10 Monroe County school board meeting in Key West.

Tierney, the former deputy superintendent at Palm Beach schools, will receive an annual salary of $199,500 with yearly increases at the same percentage as the rest of staff. He also receives $5,000 annually for civic organizations and activities, an $850 monthly vehicle allowance and county medical and retirement plans.

In May, the school board’s fivemonth search for its next superintendent ended with the selection of Tierney. The board voted to hire him over two local finalists — Amber Archer Acevedo, the deputy superintendent, and Laura Lietaert, the principal of Coral Shores High School.

In other matters, a consent agenda containing 32 items addressed the school district’s operating budget and two contracts, capped at $4 million each, for computers and software purchased as needed from United Data Technologies and CDW-Government.

Classrooms throughout the district feature large touch-panel displays that replaced chalkboards and erasers along with movie screens and projectors. Every staff member has schoolprovided technology that often includes simultaneous translation devices for dealing with students and parents who do not speak English. Students have Chromebooks with specialized features for both safety and learning.

The contracts for software and equipment as needed don’t include the educational software used by students and teachers. There are various contracts for math tutoring programs, English learning programs and other supplemental programs amounting to over $2 million.

During the meeting, board member Sue Woltanski noted, “We never get feedback on whether these educational programs give us results.”

Board member John Dick commented, “You only hear about it when a parent has a problem with the program.” Theresa Axford, the outgoing superintendent, responded that she would provide a report at the next school board meeting.

The district’s operating budget includes just under $128 million in revenue from property taxes. During an address to the Upper Keys Rotary Club earlier in the day, state Rep. Jim Mooney stated he is on a special committee to examine property taxes as part of an upcoming state referendum, but that he saw no changes coming for the school district or special taxing districts like mosquito control.

Mooney also said that the school district would receive $3.5 million in state funds to refurbish historic Bruce Hall in Key West to serve as the new administrative offices for the district.

This is part of a larger initiative to relocate 52 district employees from the current administration building on Trumbo Road, which would be demolished and used to create approximately 150 housing units specifically for teachers and staff. This is a public and private initiative and planners hope to have it complete by 2027. The board approved negotiating with TVC Development to write the request for proposal for the Trumbo Road project.

The board also renewed the contracts for school resource officers from both the Key West Police Department and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

At a prior meeting, board member Dick said, “the state mandates what the statute calls ‘Safe School Officers’ and the state provides some funds to support the program.”

Dick said the cost of the SROs provided by MCSO and the KWPD totals $2,753,547. The state provided $1,048,089. The remaining $1.7 million comes from property taxes.

School board chair Mindy Cohn expressed concern about one aspect of these contracts. She said, “the sheriff regularly gives money back to the county from his budget. But the school district doesn’t get anything back.”

The new contract with the Monroe County Sheriff for school resource officers is for $1,866,887.

Axford told the board that because of new legislation, the district would need specific written policies on cell phone use by students in schools. Students in elementary grades would be completely restricted and high school students would have significant restrictions. The exceptions to the restrictions have to be carefully spelled out.

OFFICIALS TO OPEN NEW HOMELESS SHELTER

Ribbon-cutting for John Jones Navigation Center set for June 18

An architect’s rendering shows the new John Jones Navigation Center, which replaces the former KOTS as a homeless shelter on College Road.

CONTRIBUTED

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he City of Key West will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly completed John Jones Navigation Center, formerly the Key Overnight Temporary Shelter, or KOTS. Representatives of the city, Monroe County, social services agencies and Keystar Construction will be on hand to celebrate the new center, which will provide shelter for about 150 people as well as onsite accessibility to services to help get people back into the mainstream.

The ceremony will be held on Wednesday, June 18 at 9 a.m. at 5537 College Road.

The new facility is named for the late Key West assistant

city manager John Jones who, in the early 2000s, responded to a growing issue of homeless individuals camping on private and public property. Working with local agencies, he created the Keys Overnight Temporary Shelter on property adjacent to the Monroe County Sheriff’ Office.

The new 10,422-squarefoot facility includes updated infrastructure such as staff offices, a food preparation area, fire-safety sprinkler system, lighting, site security fencing, climate control, improved plumbing, energy-efficient operations and accessibility.

— Contributed

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

MIND ALTERING LUBRICANTS FOR SOCIAL INTERCOURSE

LAST YEAR WE WON OUR 1ST BUBBAS AWARD!

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

WE’D LOVE YOUR NOMINATION FOR

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BEST PRICES IN THE KEYS!!!

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FREE LIQUOR TASTINGS EVERY FRIDAY 3-6PM

free wine tastings every saturday 2-5pm

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1792 bourbon 750ml $25.99 absolut vodka 1.75l $29.99 angels envy cask strENGTH $99.99 beefeater gin 1.75l $29.99 CAZADORES BLANCO 1.75L $36.99 DEWAR’S WHITE LABEL 1.75L $29.99 FRIS VODKA 1.75L $11.99 GREY GOOSE VODKA 1.75L $49.99 jameson irish whiskey 1.75l $39.99 kahlua 750ml $19.99 malibu rum 1.75l $20.99 skyy vodka 1.75l $19.99

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cabernet $12.99 buttery chard $12.99 chardonnay $11.99 hearth cabernet $12.99 legacy $12.99 merlot $12.99 paso cabernet $16.99 pinot grigio $11.99 pinot noir $13.99 PROSECCO $13.99 KROMBACHER PILS 4PK 16.9OZ $5.99 sauv blanc $11.99 SIERRA NEVADA BIGFOOT 6PK $15.49 seaswept blend $11.99

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

NOMINATE US FOR BEST HAPPY HOUR AND BEST SERVICE & STAFF

Key West’s Hometown Bank Since 1955

Key West & Cuba’s Museum Quality Regional Art

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Pablo Picasso

CUBAN ART TOUR – November 10-14, 2025

Michael Marrero

We’d appreciate your nomination for

BEST BANK Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender

Michael Marrero is a Cuban-American artist, playwright, and filmmaker. His award winning short films Buzzcut and Riley Was Here have been showcased in over 100 festivals worldwide. He is the author of several original plays including productions at Guild Hall Center (NY), Repetorio Español (NY), Teatro de Centre (Havana), and the Studios of Key West (FL). His original play, Locura, was part of a historical theatrical exchange between Cuba and the United States. Recently his project, Orisha: The Lost Saints, was awarded a prestigious Knight Foundation Grant and officially selected to be exhibited at the 2021 Havana Biennual.

Saint Christopher, Aganyu Sola, 24 x 16, Archival Pigment On Paper The Gallery on Greene | 606 Greene Street | Key West, Florida galleryongreene.com | 305-304-2323

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

we’re happy to announce our new location!

CATERED AFFAIRS WOULD LOVE YOUR NOMINATION FOR BEST

CATERING COMPANY!

Les Steele at elizabeth, next to the hilltop laundry.

Les invites you to come stop by the pop-up shop!

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a hair salon for women + men

For an appointment, call Les at 305 -731- 6557

With the sunset as your backdrop and a private table set on the sand, This exclusive experience to the Southernmost Beach Resort is the perfect way to celebrate love. Reserve your extraordinary evening now by calling 305.295.6500 or emailing sales@southernmostresorts.com

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

WE WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR NOMINATIONS AGAIN FOR

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

SHARK STABBING LEADS TO CHARTER CAPTAIN’S ARREST

WANT A CAREER IN RENEWABLE ENERGY, HOSPITALITY OR CULINARY ARTS? College of the Florida Keys offers virtual info event on June 25

Zane Garrett, 26, faces animal cruelty charges

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Monroe County charter captain allegedly seen stabbing a shark multiple times in a viral video was arrested by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers on June 5. Zane P. Garrett, 26, of Stock Island was charged with one felony count of animal cruelty.

On May 23, officers received tips through FWC’s Wildlife Alert Program of a man repeatedly stabbing a shark on a fishing line before cutting the line and releasing the animal. In the widelycirculated video, uploaded to social media, blood clouds the water behind the caption “bud u broke my rod.”

Through investigation and using video evidence provided by witnesses, FWC officers were able to locate the vessel in Key West and identify Garrett as the charter captain on the day of the incident. FWC investigators spoke with Garrett, who reportedly admitted to the act.

Zane P. Garrett stands accused of animal cruelty after a video surfaced showing him reportedly stabbing a hooked shark at the side of a boat. MCSO/Contributed

He was arrested and taken to jail before being released on a $10,000 bond.

“The careless cruelty displayed in this video is unacceptable,” said FWC Major Alberto Maza, South Bravo Regional Commander, in a press release. “I’m proud of the public for reporting this senseless act and our officers’ work in identifying the subject and holding him accountable.”

The FWC takes wildlife violations very seriously and encourages the public to report them by downloading the FWC Wildlife Alert app, calling the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922) or submitting a tip at myfwc. com/wildlifealert.

– Keys Weekly staff report

Left: Patrick Rice, the chief science and research officer of the College of the Florida Keys, shows Leah Eve a small wind and solar training device. Right: College of the Florida Keys culinary students Chiara Scappaticci and Wyatt Rhodes present a snapper escovitch created in class. CONTRIBUTED

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he College of the Florida Keys will hold two virtual events this month for prospective students to learn about career training opportunities. A session focusing on the engineering technology-renewable energy technician program will be held on Wednesday, June 25 at 5:30 p.m. and a session focusing on the culinary management and hospitality and ecotourism management programs will be held on Thursday, June 26 at 5:30 p.m. The events will feature information about the curriculum, career opportunities and student experiences. Attendees will hear from faculty, academic leaders, current students and/or recent alumni. A code to waive the $30 application fee will be provided. Registration for the events is required at cfk.edu/futurestudents.

CFK’s fall semester begins Aug. 19 and the deadline to apply is Aug. 1. More information is available from Marissa Owens at recruiter@cfk.edu or 305-809-3207.

The college’s associate in science in engineering technology program provides technician training for renewable alternative energy careers, offering specialization in wind, solar and hydrokinetic power industries. Curriculum focuses on math, science, design and communications skills that build a versatile foundation for students to pursue a variety of potential areas of specialization beyond renewable energy, such as mechatronics, elec-

tronics, advanced manufacturing, and building construction.

The associate in science in culinary management provides intensive practical instruction in all aspects of food preparation and presentation to prepare students to step into the culinary workforce.

Curriculum focuses on broad transferable skills and stresses understanding and demonstration of the following elements of the culinary industry: business, food science, culinary artistry, management, financial, technical and product skills, underlying principles of modern food technology, labor issues and sanitation and safety.

The associate in science in hospitality and ecotourism management prepares students for employment in management positions in the hospitality industry, including careers at hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, resorts, clubs, marinas and other lodging organizations. Curriculum covers customer service, management and supervisory development, management theory, hospitality attitude, guest experience, communications, leadership training, personnel training, security, sanitation, food and beverage management, sales, hotel accounting, housekeeping, energy management, maintenance and engineering, marketing, property management, law and asset management.

— Contributed

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

Specializing in Native Flora

and Fauna of the Keys, Cuba and Western Caribbean Bird Watching Hot Spot Self Guided Tours Pet Friendly!

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Ricardo I. Palmerola, MD

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025 A male red-winged blackbird, left, and a female red-winged blackbird, right. PAUL DANESE/Contributed

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ed-winged blackbirds vexed me when I first started birding. Not the males. They’re easy.

They have that sleek all-black plumage, accented by those nominate red and non-nominate yellow epaulets, which generally make them look all MARK shipshape and Bristol fashion.

(This sense of military orderliHEDDEN ness is only enhanced by the ... is a photografact that their three-note call is pher, writer, and semi-professional similar to the tune of the boatswain’s whistle on “Star Trek.”) birdwatcher. He has lived in Key Male red-winged blackbirds West for more are a study in effectively simple than 25 years and design, but also in obviousness. may no longer We used to have this winbe employable in dow in our living room that the real world. He is also executive was covered by our neighbor’s director of the bougainvillea, which was fine Florida Keys because they weren’t the kind Audubon Society. of neighbors you want to see anyhow. But the backside of the bougainvillea, framed by the window, looked something like a diorama, or one of those pens at a zoo designed to look like natural habitat. Mostly it was an empty tableau, but occasionally it was inhabited by these plain brown birds whose most distinctive feature was a long (for a songbird) pointed bill, and some brown streaks in their chest. They seemed designed to confuse with their vague, non-distinct birdness.

This was in my early birding days. It took me several flips through the bird book to figure out what I was seeing. And then I’d forget by the next time I saw them.

And, yes, they were female red-winged blackbirds. They just looked nothing like their male counterparts. This throws a lot of birders in their early days.

Bird species having sexually dimorphic plumage is not rare. In a solid 10 minutes of Googling I couldn’t find a statistic for dimorphic versus monomorphic plumage, but an impatient survey of my Sibley field guide makes me think about 30% to 40% of bird species in North America have sexually dimorphic plumage. (This should all be asterisked by the fact that birds see in a wider color spectrum than we do. So who knows what we’re missing?)

The dynamic of males being more eye-catching than females in dimorphic species is thought to be because males need to be flashier, with a higher risk of visibility to predators, in order to show their reproductive fitness. And also to scare other males out of their territory. Females, being less conspicuous, incur less risk, and therefore are more likely to survive, at least long enough to raise offspring.

Humans tend to admire monogamy in birds.

How many sentimental poems have been written about swans and their lifelong devotion to each other? Though it is not as lifelong as many people think, with about a 10% divorce rate. And if a female loses her mate, she’ll sometimes find a new one in as little as three weeks. Other monogamous species are often only monogamous for a season.

None of that matters to red-winged blackbirds.

They have no time for that truck. Because honestly, social structure-wise, they’re pretty freaky.

THE LOWDOWN ON THE DOWN-LOWS OF RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS

The technical term is polygynous — one male has multiple female mates.

Red-winged blackbirds are considered colonial breeders, but males will hold territory within those colonies, and will breed with one to four females within those territories. (The record of observed females in a red-wing harem – not my term – is 15.)

Males can make their epaulets more prominent and less prominent. They use their epaulets (properly called lesser coverts) to intimidate each other. In one study, in which a group of red-wings had their epaulets dyed black, the birds lost their territories 60% more often than red-wings with unadulterated epaulets. In another study, taxidermied birds were placed in the male red-wing’s breeding territories, with epaulets completely blackened, half-blackened, left untouched, or augmented with the epaulets of other taxidermied birds. The bigger their epaulets, the more the stuffed birds were attacked by territorial males.

Male red-wings also use their adornments to pitch woo. In the general mating ritual, the male will crouch, sing a chit-chit-chit song, flash some vibrating epaulets and approach the female. If she’s game, she will hold her body horizontal, or maybe angle down some, and raise her tail a bit.

An epic interval of romantic pleasure will follow. By which I mean a two- to three-second cloacal kiss. The male may then sing some and act aggressively toward any other birds around, no matter their sex.

At the beginning, the males will make a visual show of helping build the nest, grabbing a loose twig or two, but the female will build the whole thing, sometimes within a single day. While she’s doing that she will lose a small tract of feathers in her belly to create a brood patch in order to help incubate the eggs.

Unlike a lot of species, after the donation of his genetic material, the male does not go out for a pack of cigarettes and never come back. While the female incubates, he will find a high perch and sing. The song will convey that it is his territory, but

also the threat level of predators. The female will sometimes sing back. When the chicks hatch, they both feed them.

Among the potential predators are owls, hawks, minks and raccoons. And sometimes marsh wrens who, because they are apparently little psychos, like to poke holes in the eggs of any other songbirds nesting near them, including other marsh wrens. (There are no marsh wrens in the Keys.)

Fortunately, red-winged blackbirds, if the alarm goes out, will gang up – both males and females, often from different territories – and mob whatever or whoever they see as a threat. Including the occasional bald eagle.

The whole polygyny thing may seem bleakly patriarchal, but that’s not really the case. Female red-wings participate in a lot of EPCs, or extra-pair copulations, sometimes with males from neighboring territories, sometimes with males known as floaters – birds that have given up on their inferior territories, or periodically, birds that are just inclined to live as territory-less avian rolling stones.

Polygynous species often have a lower ratio of males to females, but the sex ratio is close to even for red-wings with, on average, nine males born for every 10 females. Between 6% and 18% percent of observed copulations are considered to be EPCs. Which doesn’t necessarily mathematically jibe with the near-even sex ratio. But genetic testing shows that up to 40% of chicks hatched come from EPCs. Meaning females may be more discreet and on the down-low than humans have been able to observe.

Red-winged blackbirds are pretty widely distributed across North America and Mexico, as well as the Bahamas and about half of Cuba. There are about 20 subspecies with one, Agelaius phoeniceus floridanus, living in the range of South Florida and the Keys.

Interestingly, the way you can distinguish it is the belly and throat of the female is whiter than the other subspecies.

27

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

Protect Your

HEALTH

Early Cancer Screening Saves Lives The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County encourages all residents to get screened early. Talk to your primary care doctor and ask what preventive cancer screenings are recommended for you.

SCREENING RECOMMENDATIONS Breast Cancer

Skin Cancer

Annual mammograms start at age 40.

Monthly self-exams start in your 20s.

Consider earlier screening if you have a family history of breast cancer.

Begin annual full-body exams by age 35, or earlier if you are high-risk.

Colon Cancer Begin annual stool-based screening at age 45.

Ask about colonoscopy or stool-based tests.

Cervical Cancer Annual Pap tests start at age 21.

Start co-testing (Pap and HPV) every five years from ages 30–65.

Prostate Cancer Talk to your doctor at age 50, or 45 if you’re Black or have a family history of prostate cancer.

Visit FLCancerConnect.com for cancer screening information and resources for assistance.

Visit Monroe.FloridaHealth.gov for more information.

28

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

“Life doesn’t come with an instruction book — that’s why we have fathers.”

— H. Jackson Browne

T

hankfully, dads provide plenty of instruction — from riding a bike to driving a stick shift, two things I happen to have mastered. It was the lesson on never letting the gas gauge go below a quarter tank that I’ve never fully grasped.

We asked Key West kids, ages 8 through 13, what makes their dad so great, and while few of them mentioned specific lessons, their responses make it obvious that kids are always watching and everything dad does makes an impact.

Happy Father’s Day to every dad, stepdad, granddad — and to every man who has been a father figure to any kid who needed it.

Every dad is different; I’m just glad I got the one I have. I love you, Dad. (And yes, I’ll put gas in my car.)

CHRISTOPHER CHERY, 10 “My dad always does everything for me. He takes me places and buys me stuff.”

HAZEL RICCIO, 8 “My dad’s very gentle. He taught me to ride a bike and he’s taken me around the world to places like Paris, Australia and Hawaii.”

! y a D s ’ r e h t a F y p Hap KEY WES

JOHN CIUPULIGA, 9 “My dad rocks because he makes a lot of jokes and makes up funny games. He’s a busy man. He works at A&B Lobster House.”

JASON LEE, 9 “My dad takes me out on the boat and to swim at my uncle’s pool. He can do flips into the pool. We’ll probably go out on the boat for Father’s Day.”

EMILY CLARK, 8 “Our dad takes us to lots of different places so we can learn different cultures. Hawaii is my favorite.”

T KID

S THEI D A D E V I SG

DOMINIC HERNANDEZ, 13 “My dad teaches me things that I should know and that will help me in life, like how to paint a room, and how to cook. But he always makes it fun when he’s teaching me.“

SAMUEL CERON, 10 “My dad teaches me all about sports, like soccer. He knows all about the teams and the players when we watch soccer on TV. I like Portugal, the soccer team.”

KEION HODGES, 12 “My dad can do a back flip out of a tree and one time he did a flip off a big Styrofoam box.”

R DUE

MARTIN ROSSI, 9 “My dad is nice to everybody, and he takes us places that we like to go, like bowling at the Navy base, the pool at the Gates Hotel and to Denny’s to eat. That’s where I like to eat.”

SADIE CLARK, 8 “Whenever I get hurt, he comes out to get me.”

OCEAN DILLON, 8 “He’s just my best friend. He always takes me to get ice cream at Flamingo Crossing, and when my mom says ‘maybe’ to something, he’ll say, ‘yes.’ And whenever I’m at swim meets or softball games, he’s there cheering the loudest. He’s just a great dad all around.”

29

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

WILDLIFE LANDSCAPE GARY CARNEY PROMOTED TO CEO OF FIRST STATE BANK

Gary Carney. CONTRIBUTED

F

irst State Bank recently announced that President Gary Carney has also been named chief executive officer, effective May 22.

Carney has served as president since 2023, playing a key role in the bank’s growth, efficiency and community engagement.

“Gary has been instrumental in shaping our bank’s forward momentum,” said Jack Spottswood, board chairman. “Gary has introduced a new level of employee collaboration which in turn has enhanced morale, increased productivity and improved customer satisfaction.

We are confident in his ability to lead First State Bank into our next phase of growth with continued integrity, vision, and commitment to community.”

In his expanded role as CEO, Carney will assume full responsibility for overseeing the bank’s overall direction and performance, vision and long-term strategy.

“I am honored to take on this new role and continue working with our team — the best team in banking — to serve our customers and our communities,” said Carney. “I look forward to leading First State Bank through its next chapter of success.”

— Contributed

Shelter, food and habitat help wildlife, insects

F

lorida’s population is expanding by an estimated 600 people daily, feeding an ever-increasing LIAH demand for CONTINENTINO development.

Developis the University of Florida, IFAS ment drives County Extension one of the environmental horticulture agent greatest threats to Florida’s and master garwildlife: habitat dener volunteer coordinator loss. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida is home to 70 endangered species, the second-highest number in the nation. Many more species are threatened or imperiled.

As a homeowner, you can make a difference by creating habitats in your yard, providing the crucial resources our local wildlife needs to survive. Attracting wildlife is one of the nine core principles of the Florida Friendly Landscaping program. When landscaping for wildlife, keep the following key objectives in mind: Provide shelter/habitat Limit the use of turf or pea rock as these provide few resources. Instead, opt for native ground covers such as frog fruit or powderpuff mimosa if you desire low-growing vegetation. Diversify your plantings by including various growth patterns, heights and flowering times to create layers of shelter and attract a greater variety of wildlife. The more habitat variety you have, the more niches you will create for different species.

When considering built shelters like birdhouses, bat boxes and bee hotels, remember that many are species-specific. For advice on which structures are right for you, contact the Monroe County Extension office.

One of the easiest ways to provide habitat is to embrace a bit of untidiness. Cleaning your yard often removes habitat. Fallen leaves, dry stems, brush piles, and dead trees are excellent shelters for wildlife. Consider leaving some areas a little “messier”; the critters will love it.

A bee approaches a flower. Inset: A bee house attached to a wooden pole.

FLORIDA FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING/Contributed

Provide food Food is essential for wildlife.

Your goal should be to provide as much food as possible through natural sources. Ideally, these are available year-round. These can include flowers, berries, seeds, foliage and more. You can also offer supplemental food sources such as bird feeders. Think of feeders as fast food and wild seeds and berries as a well-balanced meal. Feeders are good in moderation, but what you really want is the healthy stuff. When selecting a feeder, pick the style best suited for your environment, and if in doubt, contact the county extension office.

Providing water Water is a critical resource in your wildlife garden. You can provide water through puddling stations, fountains and bird baths.

Puddling stations consist of sand, soil, stones and water, mimicking a puddle and providing water and essential minerals to pollinators.

They are easy to make at home and an excellent activity for kids.

For information on building a puddling station, contact the county extension office.

Bird baths should be shallow with a textured surface to prevent slipping. Change water regularly to prevent mosquito breeding and algal growth. The sound of running water alone can attract wildlife; consider including a small fountain in your yard to entice wildlife.

A bat box posted to a tree.

Reduce threats to wildlife Removing invasive species is a great way to support native species; for information on invasive species identification, contact the county extension office.

Outdoor cats pose another major threat to wildlife. Cats play a significant role in bird decline, killing hundreds of millions of birds annually. Consider keeping your cats indoors or limiting their outdoor time to a supervised schedule.

Wildlife landscaping means embracing wildlife, even those less-desirable species. Insects are vital to our ecosystems; while they may not be your favorite, practice tolerance by limiting pesticide use and allowing insects to roam free.

Likewise, many weeds are beneficial to our native ecosystems.

Consider letting some weeds grow; your local wildlife will thank you.

For specific plant recommendations or horticultural questions, contact the Monroe County Extension Office at monroe@ifas.ufl.edu or 305-292-4501.

30

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

Last week was fairly quiet CHRIS astrologically, McNULTY but this week is an astrologer, is so full of wanderer, baraction I will tender and advocate for have to hone queer justice. He my focus on is a loquacious the highlights Gemini with a — the great cozy Cancer rising. Find him at boon and the hearthandheraldfull moon. First, astrology.com the great boon of the year is Jupiter’s entry into the sign of Cancer on June 9. Jupiter is known as the ‘greater benefic’ in astrology because he brings largesse, joy, bounty, wisdom and luck wherever he travels. Moving into the sign of Cancer is like moving into a guesthouse where he is greatly honored by his host, the moon. When Jupiter is in Cancer, good things flow freely. Jupiter will be in Cancer for an entire year, so wherever this transit touches your personal chart, you are well primed for goodness in that part of your life. Also, the Sagittarius full moon on June 11 takes place in Jupiter’s sign, so the Moon and Jupiter are in what we call ‘mutual reception,’ wherein they are hosting each other. This week, we should experience a major coalescence or coming to wholeness, as if the pieces of a puzzle are finally put together.

Here are your horoscopes for Jupiter entering Cancer and the Full Moon in Sagittarius. Read for your rising and sun signs.

GEMINI May 21 - June 20 If money talks, yours is about to start singing show tunes. This week begins a chapter where abundance meets self worth, and your job is to believe it before you see it. Trust your value without waiting for someone else to confirm it. Midweek may offer a moment of clarity through a conversation. Someone might show you how far you’ve come or where you’re still selling yourself short.

Listen.

CANCER June 21 - July 22 Congratulations, darling. You are now the universe’s favorite child, at least for the next 12 months. This is a rare invitation to expand, glow up and grow into the most radiant version of yourself. Try not to overthink it. Your presence is enough. The full moon highlights your daily rituals and responsibilities. Are your habits helping you shine or draining your sparkle? Small changes make big impacts.

LEO July 23 - Aug. 22 Something is brewing in the quiet corners. You might not have words for it yet, but you can feel it, like a secret or a hum just out of reach. This is not the moment to make a big reveal. Rest, dream and feed the fire within. Midweek, something playful might pop up and remind you that joy is a tool, not a distraction. Laugh, dance, flirt with the muse.

VIRGO Aug. 23 - Sept. 22 Your people are your power in the year ahead. Whether building something bold or reconnecting with old hopes, you’re being propelled toward a future vision. You don’t need all the steps. Just find the allies who make the journey feel possible. The full moon brings light to your home life, stirring memories or nudging you to tend your foundations. You can be both strategic and soft.

LIBRA Sept. 23 - Oct. 23 This could be a breakthrough moment in the public sphere — career, calling, reputation, whatever you call your purpose. Doors open.

Spotlights find you. Say yes to opportunities that let you be fully seen. Around midweek, stay alert to something you read or overhear because it might shift your perspective in just the right way. Stay curious.

SCORPIO Oct. 23 - Nov. 21 You are being invited to believe in more – not more pressure, but more meaning, beauty and life. This week begins a long stretch of exploration. Whether you’re learning a new skill or dreaming bigger, the universe wants to expand your view. The full moon turns attention to your resources, financial or otherwise.

What are you building, and whom do you trust with it?

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22 - Dec. 21 You are not here to live a half life. Focus on depth, intimacy and the kind of honesty that gives you goosebumps. Something real wants to be shared. Let others in, not out of obligation, but because it’s finally safe to be seen. The full moon in your sign is a personal spotlight. It may bring clarity about who you’re becoming and what needs releasing to continue.

CAPRICORN Dec. 22 - Jan. 19 The weight is shifting in your relationships. This isn’t about finding perfection, but realizing you don’t have to do it all yourself.

Support is strength. Let the right people surprise you. Midweek, you may feel a wave of emotion or fatigue that invites a deeper checkin. Rest doesn’t need justification.

Pause and find clarity.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20 - Feb. 18 Let’s talk about your schedule — not the one on paper, but the one your body and soul keep. This week opens a chapter where your daily life becomes fertile ground for change. A little more joy here, a little less self-sacrifice there, and suddenly you’re living like someone who believes in their own well-being. The full moon charges your social life. Reconnect with friends or causes that light you up.

THE GUEST OF HONOR PISCES Feb. 19 - March 20 You are entering a golden year of creativity, romance and heartforward living. What you make now — art, love, or mischief — can grow roots and bear fruit. Don’t hold back. You weren’t put here to play small. Meanwhile, the full moon lights up your legacy. How do you want to be seen? This week could bring a career moment or glimpse of your next chapter.

ARIES March 21 - April 19 Your home base is about to feel more abundant. That could mean a change in your living space or simply a sweeter sense of belonging. Let comfort guide you.

If it feels like peace, you’re on the right path. The full moon may stir your need for freedom or a bigger bite out of life. You don’t have to go far to feel expanded.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20 Your words have wings. Conversations, writing, teaching, even that text you keep rewriting — this is where your luck lives. Share what’s on your mind, especially if it scares you a little. The connections you make now carry long-term resonance. Midweek may bring something buried or private to light. You’re more than what you hide. Speak up.

31

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

STRUCTURES ON FORMER PINDER PROPERTY BRING SEARCH FOR ANSWERS Signs lead to possible business being conducted on the land

C

ornelius Pinder was a Key Largo farmer born in the Bahamas circa 1862. At age 12, on June 18, 1874, he became a U.S. FLORIDA citizen.

When the KEYS 1880 census was HISTORY taken, Cornelius WITH was identified as BRAD a cigar maker livBERTELLI ing in Key West. If Brad is a local he hadn’t started historian, author, farming by 1880, speaker and it was coming Honorary Conch who loves sharing soon.

The June 11, the history of the Florida Keys.

1884, edition of the Deland Florida Agriculturalist noted: “Mr. Cornelius Pinder brought into market this week 134 pines averaging 9.5 pounds apiece. He succeeded in realizing 39,000 pines from his first cutting and has about the same number left in his field – Key West Democrat.”

Not quite a year later, he was granted a 160-acre homestead on the land where he had been busy farming pineapples. After the turn of the century, the pineapple farms began to disappear due to a series of events that included hurricanes, blight and an influx of competing Cuban pineapples. Many farmers replanted their former pineapple fields with Key lime trees, which were referred to in those days as lime trees.

I’m writing about Mr. Pinder and his homestead because I’ve been trying to solve a little property mystery that has me stumped (when I’m usually pretty good at this), and I’m feeling a bit like a dog with a bone. While I’ve not traced every subsequent property transaction after Pinder began selling his parcels, I’ve been trying to track down the history of Lots 15 and 16 of Township 61S, Range 39E, Section 1. The location might be better recognized as MM 105.

I’ve pieced together bits of the story, and at least some of the Pinder homestead was owned by a fellow Bahamian transplant named T. Jenkins Curry. In the 1920s and 1930s, he appears to have bought and sold a substantial amount of property, including significant holdings on Key Largo. A resident of Key West until his divorce, after moving to Key Largo, he served as a county commissioner and ran for sheriff. He also did a little farming.

The Miami Herald, dated Sept.

22, 1923, noted that Curry was planting tomatoes in Key Largo. The Sept. 6, 1936, edition of the Bradenton Herald quoted Curry. “T. Jenkins Curry, grower of Key Largo, said the lime crop was big this year but still is bringing good prices. Buyers visit the groves, he said, and pay $4 to $7 a crate as fast as the limes are picked.”

Referencing what might be the former Pinder homestead, the following advertisement appeared in the Miami Herald on Jan. 22, 1938: “On Key Largo, 125 acres. Half mile oceanfront, half double highway.

Laborers house. Packing house. Two extra large cisterns. Every car going to Key West passes through this property. Sell all or parts at almost raw land price. See T. Jenkins Curry, Key Largo, Fla. Dealers Protected.”

What I know for sure is that in 1940, T. Jenkins Curry sold a twoacre parcel to Lewis and Rosalind Albury, located in the area of MM 105, across from the Family Dollar, which was once part of the Cornelius Pinder homestead. The home where the Alburys lived was built circa 1950 and is still there.

There are other structures on the property that indicate it wasn’t just a residence and that some other business was being conducted, including corrugated walls that once belonged to a shed or something, concrete steps that lead nowhere, a large metal tank that could have held oil, gas or water next to a concrete base with a curved feature that might have once held the tank, and a metal pole about 20 to 25 feet tall that looks as if it could have held an advertising banner.

Figuring out what all those old structures were used for has become a personal goal. Research has uncovered a lot of clues, and I’ve learned about Pinder, Curry and Lewis Benjamin Albury. He was the son of Oliver (1881-1952) and Romalda (1884-1960) Albury, both Bahamians.

Oliver was a farmer living in Key West when Lewis was born on Nov. 28, 1904.

The Alburys left Key West circa 1920 and moved to the Key Largo community of Rock Harbor. According to his military registration, Lewis Albury was 5’10”, 150 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair. The 1930 census says he was employed in road construction. In the 1940 census, his occupation is listed as a service station manager: Bernice Station Manager.

I cannot find a record for a Bernice Station, and it is likely misspelled in the record. The 1945 state census identified Lewis Albury as a water tender. That fits as the first freshwater pipeline in the Florida Keys opened in 1942, and Albury spent the rest of his career working for the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority.

In 1928, he married Rosalind Sawyer. They had two boys, Gerald Lewis (born Feb. 20, 1930) and Royce Lyn (born Dec. 18, 1931). Lewis Benjamin Albury died in July 1967.

He was 62. The Albury family owned the property for more than 50 years and sold it in 2001.

Mystery relics found at the Albury property at MM 105. KEVIN MESA/Contributed

This is where the story initially becomes interesting and then frustrating. I reached out to family members from both sons, and I thought I was on the cusp of discovering why those relics were there. One of the son’s daughters responded and said that, although she was too young to remember, her oldest brother did and that he would be happy to talk to me.

I was so close. I reached out through the requested channels and have heard crickets ever since. The answer is out there, apparently, but I haven’t been able to access it yet.

If the story, the people or the relics spark a memory, please reach out to me at 305-395-9889, via text, or email to keyshistorian@gmail.com.

I’m hoping that nothing stays buried forever.

33

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

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34

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

WHAT’S COOKING, KEY WEST?

Mangoes and other local fruit sweeten Key West summer

ED SIMON IS TDC CHIEF SALES OFFICER Tourism expert to focus on groups & events

CAROL SHAUGHNESSY www.keysweekly.com

M

uch to the delight of fruit-loving foodies, trees or bushes bearing tropical fruit can be found in countless Key West yards and gardens.

Sour oranges, avocados, star fruit, guavas, mangoes, Key limes and other species thrive in the sunny climate, and their bounty plays an important role in the island diet.

Tropical fruits are often featured in local restaurant offerings, and they’re a favorite of home chefs who want to elevate their recipes from simple to special.

Sour oranges, for example, are a vital ingredient in the Cuban mojo marinades used in so many local dishes. But during the island chain’s long summer months, nothing eclipses mangoes in popularity.

Sometimes called the “king of fruit,” the luscious, juicy mango has been a refreshing staple in Florida Keys recipes for generations. The fruit is generally available from late May through October, and can be used in everything from salads and seafood relishes to salsas, sauces and desserts.

Mangoes also play a role in Key West summer events — including the “Mango Madness” art show at The Studios of Key West and Truman’s Tropical Fruit Festival at the Harry S. Truman Little White House.

Set for Saturday, June 14, the festival features food, beverages and specialty cocktails made with tropical fruit. Fruit lore and activities for kids round out the tasty event.

Locally grown fruits are highly prized as ingredients at the Key West Cooking School, starring in dishes like avocado salad, Key lime pie and guava bread pudding. General manager Kelly Marshall has launched a “fruit trade” for islanders with over-abundant crops.

“Do your neighbors run when they see you coming with the mangoes or avocados or other fruit you can’t give away?” Marshall asked. “We’ll trade for them.”

The Florida Keys’ abundant tropical fruit species are celebrated in colorful displays at the Key West Cooking School. KEY WEST COOKING SCHOOL/Contributed

Anyone who provides the school with a half-bushel of tropical fruit — mangoes, avocados, sour oranges, coconuts, Barbados cherries, Key limes, kumquats, loquats, calamondins, star fruit, soursop or sapodillas — will receive a ticket to an entertaining learn-and-dine class.

Three classes are offered daily, Tuesday through Saturday, showcasing the Keys’ heritage through cooking demonstrations and a four-course meal of appetizing island dishes.

Fruit can be dropped off at the school, located upstairs at 291 Front St., from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays.

LAST BITES Dish of the week: Guava Bread Pudding. A “comfort food” dessert with a tropical twist, this pudding blends guava marmalade and cubed bread with creamy custard and a hint of vanilla. The rich, fruity concoction is baked until it’s slightly caramelized and finished with additional guava marmalade.

Guest chef dinner: Sunday, June 29. The Key West Cooking School presents chef Andrew Berman, famed for his tenure at the island’s Café des Artistes, preparing an exclusive countryside French dinner paired with skillfully selected French wines. Reservations are required and seating is extremely limited; call 305-294-COOK. Helpful kitchen hack: When recipes call for fresh citrus juice, don’t cut and squeeze the citrus fruit at room temperature. Instead, microwave it for 10 to 20 seconds, depending on the size of the fruit, to soften the peel or rind and maximize the juice yield.

Hungry for more? Visit keywestcookingschool.com.

Ed Simon. CONTRIBUTED

E

d Simon has been selected as the executive vice president and chief sales officer for the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, formally named Visit Florida Keys & Key West. Simon has more than three decades of expertise in travel and tourism and a network of industry relationships.

Simon will drive the strategic direction of sales and business development efforts, with a focus on leisure sales, group meetings, events and long-term partnerships — all to benefit the Florida Keys community.

His background includes roles as executive vice president for Visit Lauderdale (the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau) where he led the sales, sports business development and destination services divisions. His efforts played a pivotal role in growing the nationwide sales team, preparing for the expansion of the Broward County Convention Center. He was named the 2019 South Florida Hospitality Sales & Marketing Professional of the Year by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International.

Simon also served as vice president of sales for Destination Hotels, and regional vice

president of sales & marketing with Remington Hotels. He began his career with Associated Luxury Hotels, where he spent 17 years. In 2016, Simon launched the Association Meeting Buyer’s Collective, a cooperative marketplace serving associations and their hotel partners.

“Ed’s strategic vision, innovative mindset and deep industry expertise will be instrumental as we amplify our sales initiatives and broaden our reach in key global markets,” said Kara Franker, president and CEO for Visit Florida Keys.

“His track record of driving growth and leading high-performing teams speaks for itself, and we feel extremely fortunate to welcome him.”

Simon earned a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant & institutional management from Penn State University, and began his hospitality journey in food and beverage with Hyatt Hotels. He has been a member and leader in several industry associations, including American Society of Association Executives, the Professional Convention Management Association, Meeting Planners International, and the Association Management Company Institute.

— Contributed

35

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

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37

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

FREE FAMILY FUN DAY AT WILLIE WARD PARK A Positive Step hosts picnic to kick off Father’s Day weekend

COLDWELL BANKER SCHMITT CHARITABLE FOUNDATION DONATION KICKSTARTS SCHOLARSHIP Award honors ocean-minded memory of AJ Hally

Children play in a bounce house at a previous ‘Fun Day at the Park for Dads and Kids’ held on Father’s Day weekend. This year’s event is set for Saturday, June 14. CAROL TEDESCO/A Positive Step of Monroe County

Halley Haack, center, chair of the Coldwell Banker Schmitt Charitable Foundation, presents a check to establish the A.J. Hally Marine Scholarship to Lana Gaspari, left, vice president, and Jonathan Gueverra, president, of the College of the Florida Keys. CONTRIBUTED

A Positive Step of Monroe County founder Billy Davis, right, welcomes visitors to a previous ‘Fun Day at the Park for Dads and Kids.’

A

Positive Step of Monroe County invites parents and kids to kick off Father’s Day weekend with a Fun Day at the Park for Dads and Kids on Saturday, June 14, from noon to 4 p.m. at Willie Ward Park, 300 Catherine St., Key West.

During this free community event, parents and kids can enjoy picnic food, play activities, music, a bounce house and more, while celebrating and cultivating the bond between fathers and their children.

The event also offers the opportunity for dads to learn about the Southernmost Fatherhood Initiative, a cost-free program that provides parent-

ing skills and coaching, resources and other support services for dads.

A Positive Step Monroe County is a nonprofit organization serving Monroe County’s highest risk kids and their families since 1999. The Southernmost Fatherhood Initiative program is funded in part by the Human Services Advisory Board, the Batchelor Foundation, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and Truist. More information is available from APSMC founder Billy Davis at 305-304-1969 or at apsmccrp@aol.com, or at apsmc.org.

— Contributed

O

n June 3, the College of the Florida Keys Foundation received $32,500 from the Coldwell Banker Schmitt Charitable Foundation to establish a scholarship in memory of Arcenio John “A.J.” Hally.

This scholarship supports students who, like Hally, demonstrate a deep appreciation for the ocean, a commitment to environmental stewardship, and a drive to make a meaningful impact in their communities.

By endowing the scholarship, a portion of the donation is invested, and its earnings will provide scholarship awards to students in perpetuity — memorializing Hally and supporting marine education and training.

The scholarship is available to students pursuing degrees and certificates within the college’s Division of Marine Sciences and Technology, including marine science, marine engineering and diving, as well as engineering technology. Interested students may apply for the $2,000 scholarship for the 2025-26 academic year by June 30 at www.cfk. edu/discover/cfk-foundation/ scholarship-info.

More information is available from Lana Gaspari, vice president of advancement and foundation executive director, at 305-809-3214 or foundation@cfk.edu, and at cfk.edu/ paying-for-college/.

— Contributed

38

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

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We provided medical care for nearly 24,000 patient visits in 2024. And, advances like 24/7 staffing of our cardiac catheterization lab have helped reduce patient transfers out of Key West for heart care by more than 50%.

When time is everything, close access to emergency care can be life-saving. That’s why we’re always working to Keep Care in the Keys for you and your family.

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40

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JUNE 12, 2025

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1

KEYS WEEKLY COMICS, LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JUNE 12, 2025

In The Bleachers

Brevity

Adam Dailies

NEWS OF THE WEIRD Residents of Fort Myers Shores, Florida, who own pets are taking extra precautions about letting them out at night, Gulf Coast News Now reported on May 27. That’s because cane toads are spreading through the community, especially near parks, canals and gardens. The invasive toad secretes a toxin from glands on its back that “can kill very quickly,” said Jordan Donini, a biology professor at Florida Southwestern State College. “They can lay anywhere from 8,000 to 32,000 eggs in a single clutch,” he said, noting that female toads “are a priority for removal.” Donini said the toads have to be removed humanely and encouraged contacting local wildlife control services for help.

2

KEYS WEEKLY COMICS, LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JUNE 12, 2025

Nancy Dailies

TODAY’S HISTORY

In 1964, anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison for sabotage in South Africa.

TODAY’S FACT

Assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers’ brother, Charles Evers, was the first African American since Reconstruction to be elected a mayor in Mississippi, in 1969.

TODAY’S QUOTE Brevity

“Never, if possible, lie down at night without being able to say: I have made one human being at least a little wiser, or a little happier, or at least a little better this day.”

— Charles Kingsley

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3

KEYS WEEKLY COMICS, LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JUNE 12, 2025

Founded by Betty Debnam

Wave Your Flag!

49. Alaska Jan. 3, 1959

50. Hawaii Aug. 21, 1959

P

eople in the United States celebrate Flag Day on June 14. It was on that date in 1777 that the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as our country’s flag.

The Mini Page celebrates Flag Day with our state flags and the date each state joined the Union.

1. Delaware Dec. 7, 1787

4. Georgia Jan. 2, 1788

7. Maryland April 28, 1788

10. Virginia June 25, 1788

2. Pennsylvania Dec. 12, 1787

5. Connecticut Jan. 9, 1788

8. South Carolina May 23, 1788

11. New York July 26, 1788

3. New Jersey Dec. 18, 1787

6. Massachusetts Feb. 6, 1788

9. New Hampshire June 21, 1788

12. North Carolina Nov. 21, 1789

13. Rhode Island May 29, 1790

16. Tennessee June 1, 1796

19. Indiana Dec. 11, 1816

22. Alabama Dec. 14, 1819

25. Arkansas June 15, 1836

14. Vermont March 4, 1791

17. Ohio March 1, 1803

20. Mississippi Dec. 10, 1817

23. Maine March 15, 1820

26. Michigan Jan. 26, 1837

15. Kentucky June 1, 1792

18. Louisiana April 30, 1812

28. Texas Dec. 29, 1845

29. Iowa Dec. 28, 1846

30. Wisconsin May 29, 1848

31. California Sept. 9, 1850

32. Minnesota May 11, 1858

33. Oregon Feb. 14, 1859

34. Kansas Jan. 29, 1861

35. West Virginia June 20, 1863

36. Nevada Oct. 31, 1864

37. Nebraska March 1, 1867

38. Colorado Aug. 1, 1876

39. North Dakota Nov. 2, 1889

40. South Dakota Nov. 2, 1889

41. Montana Nov. 8, 1889

42. Washington Nov. 11, 1889

43. Idaho July 3, 1890

44. Wyoming July 10, 1890

45. Utah Jan. 4, 1896

46. Oklahoma Nov. 16, 1907

47. New Mexico Jan. 6, 1912

48. Arizona Feb. 14, 1912

21. Illinois Dec. 3, 1818

24. Missouri Aug. 10, 1821

27. Florida March 3, 1845

Which flags are your favorites? If you’re going on a road trip this summer, check off the states you travel through.

The Mini Page® © 2025 Andrews McMeel Syndication

Words that remind us of state flags are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:

ANCHOR, BEAR, BEEHIVE, BUFFALO, CELEBRATE, CONGRESS, CONTINENTAL, DAY, DIPPER, EAGLE, FLAG, MAGNOLIA, MOON, PALM, PELICAN, SUN, UNION, WASHINGTON.

H A I L O N G A M O B H A M X C O N T I N E N T A L E O S E O O V P E L I C A N U O A B A N R F L A G G Y S U N I N R G G R E P P I D B U F F A L O L R G M J G O I V Y A D F U H E E N L Q J C E L E B R A T E K S U A N C H O R E N M L G H N S T P M L W A S H I N G T O N W B E V I H E E B R U N I O N

ECO NOTE Once nearly extinct due to wetland loss, the great raft spider is making a major comeback across Europe. Thanks to a breeding and reintroduction program led by England’s Chester Zoo and supported by wetland restoration, more than 10,000 breeding females have been recorded in the U.K. The giant, semiaquatic spider plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy wetland ecosystems by controlling insect populations.

Conservationists see this as a model for similar recovery efforts, with successes also seen in species like beavers and European bison.

4

KEYS WEEKLY COMICS, LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JUNE 12, 2025

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 3:00 P.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: Chemical Water Treatment and Testing Services 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 the County’s electronic bidding platform at https://monroecounty-fl. bonfirehub.com OR www. monroecounty-fl.gov/ BonfireBids. The Public Record is available upon

request.

Monroe County Purchasing Department receives bids via the Bonfire electronic bidding platform. Please do not email, mail or attempt to deliver in person any sealed bids.

Emailed/mailed/physically delivered bids/proposals/ responses WILL NOT be accepted.

The Monroe County Purchasing Department hereby directs that bids be submitted via the Bonfire electronic bidding platform at https://monroecounty-fl. bonfirehub.com, no later than 3:00 P.M. on Thursday, July 10, 2025. There is no cost to the bidder to use the Bonfire platform.

Please do not submit your confidential financial information as part of your proposal. There are separate uploads for each set of documents, including

confidential financial information. All proposals will be made public on the platform after an intended decision or 30 days, whichever is earlier, unless the bids/ proposals are rejected in accordance with F.S. 119.071.

If your proposal document includes financial information, that information will not be considered confidential and will be available and viewable to the public in accordance with public records law. In the event of a discrepancy between the bid amount on the Proposal Form and the bid amount entered in Bonfire, the bid amount listed in the “Proposal Form” provided by Monroe County in the RFP is the amount that will be utilized by the County when considering the bid proposal.

The County reserves the right to waive any proposal/bid irregularity.

The bid opening for this solicitation will be held virtually, via the internet, at 3:00 P.M., on Thursday, July 10, 2025. 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 US (New York) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Publish: June 12, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

CONSERVATION COMMISSION Sandy Sprunt Day Use Aea and Dove Creek Quarry Fishing Dock BID NO: FWC 24/25-99C TITLE: Sandy Sprunt Day Use Area and Dove Creek Quarry Fishing Dock The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is seeking competitive pricing for the construction of five Crushed Rock Parking spaces and one ADA Compliant parking space. A Day Use Pavilion, Information Kiosk, Asphalt Driveway connection, and concrete sidewalk at Sandy Sprunt Day use area and a fishing pier, a pavilion and a covered bench at Dove Creek Quarry in accordance with the contract documents and Chapter 255 of the Florida Statutes.

To review the bid details: Visit https://vendor. myfloridamarketplace.com/

Select Search Advertisements.

Enter FWC 24/25-99C into the Agency Advertisement Number box Click the Search button Select the solicitation to view the advertisement details Download files made available in the advertisement details page NOTE: The MyFloridaMarketPlace Vendor Information Portal (link provided above) is the posting location for all new and changing information regarding this solicitation.

Interested bidders should continue to monitor this site for the entirety of the solicitation process.

Direct all questions to the Procurement Manager: Joshua Stringer Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission 1875 ORANGE AVENUE EAST, Tallahassee, FL 32311–6160

Joshua.Stringer@MyFWC.com (850) 617-9617 Publish: June 12, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS FISH AND WILDLIFE

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS Request For Proposals San Carlos Institute 516 Duval Street Key West, Florida 33040 The San Carlos Institute (Owner) seeks sealed bids from qualified and licensed general contractors (bidders) for the following: Project: Engineering and Architectural Restoration of the Historic San Carlos Institute Project Location: 516 Duval Street, Key West, Fl 33040 Scope of Work: 1. Concrete structural restoration.

2. Replacement and restoration of doors and windows.

3. Installation of new roofing – TPO membrane and metal roof.

4. Replacement of HVAC mechanical equipment and ductwork.

5. Repair and/or replacement of electrical panels.

6. Painting the exterior of buildings and waterproofing.

Bids are due and must be received by 2:00pm on Thursday July 24, 2025.

Submit original Bid Submission Package via email to: Rafael Penalver, rafaelpenalver@aol.com Roberto Hernandez, rhernandez@ rhengineeringggroup.com The San Carlos Institute will host a mandatory pre-bid conference at the project location on Friday June 20, 2025, at 10:00am. A guided tour of the building will be given at this meeting, at which time the project site will be made available for inspection.

To obtain a complete copy of the RFP documents including construction documents, please email your request along with your full contact and company information to: Roberto Hernandez, rhernandez@ rhengineeringgroup.com List in the email subject – San Carlos Institute RFP Document Request Publish: June 12, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA KEY WEST DIVISION IN ADMIRALTY CASE NO.: 4:25-cv-10041-DPG IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPLAINT OF REINALDO AQUIT AS OWNER OF A 2022 DEEP IMPACT, REGISTRATION NO. 4O1327056, 39' HIN DIC39928K122, AND OTHER APPURTENANCES, Petitioner, NOTICE TO CLAIMANTS OF PETITION FOR EXONERATION FROM OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY Notice is given that the above named Petitioner, Reinaldo Aquit ("Limitation Petitioner") has filed a Petition/Complaint for Exoneration from or Limitation of Liability, pursuant to 46 U.S.C. § 30501 et seq., ("Limitation Petition") for all claims for any damages or injuries, arising out of, or occurring as a result of an incident on the navigable waters of the United States on or about November 7, 2024, allegedly involving a 2022 Deep Impact, Registration No. DO1327056, 39' HIN DIC39928K122, and Other Appurtenances, as more fully described in the Limitation Petition.

All persons having such claims must file their respective

5

KEYS WEEKLY COMICS, LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JUNE 12, 2025

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

claims, as provided by Supplemental Rule F of the Supplemental Rules for Certain Admiralty and Maritime Claims of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, with the Clerk of Court in writing and must serve a copy thereof on attorneys for Limitation Petitioner on or before July 14, 2025 or be defaulted. Personal attendance is not required.

Any claimant who desires to contest either the right to exoneration from or the right to limitation of liability shall file and serve on attorneys for Limitation Petitioner an answer to the Complaint, on or before the aforesaid date, unless the claim includes an answer, so designated, or be defaulted.

DONE AND ORDERED this 12th day of May, 2025.

DARRIN P. GAYLES UNITED STATE DISTRICT JUDGE Publish: June 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

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 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: June 5, 2025.

Personal Representative: Simon Lee Sherrill 100 Ocean Shores Dr. Key Largo, FL 33037 Attorney for Personal Representative: 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: 3056645065 Publish: June 5 & 12, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION CASE NO.: 25-CP-200-K IN RE: THE ESTATE OF ELSIE P. ROGERS a/k/a ELSIE LEE ROGERS, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of ELSIE P. ROGERS a/k/a ELSIE LEE ROGERS, deceased, whose date of death was January 31, 2025, Case: 25-CP-200-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: June 5, 2025.

Personal Representative: SHERYL R. SMOAK c/o Samuel J. Kaufman, Esq. 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: June 5 & 12, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

attached thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”).

Pursuant to IN REM SUMMARY FINAL JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AS TO COUNT(S) V enter in a case pending in said Court, the 26TH day of April 2025 Style of which is: BEACH HOUSE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION OF KEY WEST, INC., A NONPROFIT CORPORATION UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA Plaintiff vs.

ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES WHO CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSE, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES, PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES, ADMINISTRATORS OR AS OTHER CLAIMANTS, BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST DIANE CHRISTINE FAY, DECEASED, ET AL Defendant And the Docket Number of which is Number 2024-CA61-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 29TH day of April 2025.

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

Publish: June 12 & 19, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

N AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 2024-CA-75-K NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 25TH day of June 2025 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit: Unit A14, Week 41, Beach House, a Condominium according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1510, Page 225, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits attached thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”).

Pursuant to IN REM SUMMARY FINAL JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AFTER DEFAULT entered in a case pending in said Court, the 28TH day of March 2025 Style of which is: BEACH HOUSE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION OF KEY WEST, INC., A NONPROFIT CORPORATION UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA Plaintiff vs.

NEWTON GRIFFITH, et.al Defendant And the Docket Number of which is Number 2024-CC75-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 3RD day of April 2025.

KEVIN MADOK, CPA Clerk of the Circuit Court

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

Publish: June 12 & 19, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 2025-CP-220-P IN RE: THE ESTATE OF EDITH WINIFRED SHERRILL, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of EDITH WINIFRED SHERRILL, deceased, whose date of death was April 25, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88770 Overseas Highway, Suite 2, Plantation Key, FL 33070. The names and addresses of the personal representative and

Effective May 31, 2025, Joseph Sunny, M.D., is no longer practicing with Baptist Health Gastroenterology at the following location: 91550 Overseas Highway, Suite 205, Tavernier, FL 33070.

Patients who wish to receive copies of their medical records may log into our patient portal at myBaptistHealth.net, call 305-434-3400 or fax 786-260-0513 to request a records release.

Publish: June 12, 19, 26 & July 3, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 2024-CA-61-K NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 25TH day of June 2025 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit: Property: Unit B33, Week 27, Beach House, a Condominium according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1510, Page 225, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

Stanley Zuba, M.D. Florida Keys Pediatric & Adolescent Center 91550 Overseas Highway, #209 Tavernier, Florida 33070 Dr. Stanley Zuba will be retiring and will no longer be practicing at Florida Keys Pediatric & Adolescent Center effective June 3, 2025.

Patients’ medical records will remain at Florida Keys Pediatric & Adolescent Center, 91550 Overseas Highway, #209, Tavernier, Florida 33070 under the custodianship of Dr. Manuel Joaquin Gomez and his staff. Patients wishing to pick up their records may do so starting June 3, 2025.

Publish: June 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 2024-CA-61-K NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 25TH day of June 2025 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit: Unit E33, Week 3, Beach House, a Condominium according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1510, Page 225, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits attached thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”).

Pursuant to IN REM SUMMARY FINAL JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AS TO COUNT(S) XIII, UNIT E33, WEEK 3 entered in a case pending in said Court, the 5TH day of June 2025 Style of which is: BEACH HOUSE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION OF KEY WEST, INC., A NONPROFIT CORPORATION UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA Plaintiff vs.

ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES WHO CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSE, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES, PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES, ADMINISTRATORS OR AS OTHER CLAIMANTS, BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST DIANE CHRISTINE FAY, DECEASED, ET.AL Defendant And the Docket Number of which is Number 2024-CC61-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 8TH day of May 2025.

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

Publish: June 12 & 19, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 2024-CA-61-K NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 25TH day of June 2025 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of

6

KEYS WEEKLY COMICS, LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JUNE 12, 2025

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES • LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

BOAT SLIP FOR RENT

EMPLOYMENT

Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit: Unit E33, Week 4, Beach House, a Condominium according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1510, Page 225, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits attached thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”).

Pursuant to IN REM SUMMARY FINAL JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AS TO COUNT(S) XII, UNIT E33, WEEK 4 entered in a case pending in said Court, the 5TH day of June 2025 Style of which is: BEACH HOUSE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION OF KEY WEST, INC., A NONPROFIT CORPORATION UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA Plaintiff vs.

ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES WHO CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSE, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES, PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES, ADMINISTRATORS OR AS OTHER CLAIMANTS, BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST DIANE CHRISTINE FAY, DECEASED, ET.AL Defendant And the Docket Number of which is Number 2024-CC61-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 8TH day of May 2025.

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

Publish: June 12 & 19, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit: Unit 5123, Week 49, Windward Pointe, a Leasehold Condominium (“Condominium”), according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1803, Page 844, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”).

Pursuant to IN REM SUMMARY FINAL JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AS TO COUNT(S) I entered in a case pending in said Court, the 28TH day of March 2025 Style of which is: WINDWARD POINTE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION OF KEY WEST, INC., A CORPORATION NOT-FORPROFIT UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA Plaintiff vs.

ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES WHO CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSE, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES, PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES, ADMINISTRATORS OR AS OTHER CLAIMANTS, BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST WAYNE NIES ROOT, DECEASED, et.al Defendant And the Docket Number of which is Number 2023-CC75-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 3RD day of April 2025 KEVIN MADOK, CPA Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida By: Shonta McLeod Deputy Clerk Florida Statute 45.031: Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the Lis Pendens must file a claim within 60 days after the sale.

Publish: June 12 & 19, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

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

S e r v e / B a r t e n d on the ocean! The Cabana Club, an ocean front private swim club is seeking a customer service-oriented Server/Bartender.

Serve on pool deck, beach and/ or bar lounge. Open year round, 9:30am7pm daily. Full time/ Part time. Small friendly staff.

Above average hourly wage plus tips.

Apply in person at 425 E. Ocean Dr. Key Colony Beach or call 404-2193359 and ask for Dave.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 2023-CC-75-K NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 25TH day of June 2025 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale

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

Runs or Not.$CASH 305-332-0483

AUTOS FOR SALE 2003 Ford Explorer.

174k miles, runs great, A/C works. $3,500 OBO. Located in Middle Keys.

3 0 5 - 4 1 7 - 0 1 6 9

SUDOKU SOLUTION

19’x40’ slip in Marathon, could handle somewhat larger boat with approval from dockmaster. Desirable location in marina, easy in, easy out. Available 1 June 25 thru Oct 25, possibly long term lease. $1,400/ mo. Please contact Vern Rozier, 904 626 5279, or 904 626 8224 and leave call back info. Or email vrrozier@yahoo.com.

EMPLOYMENT ALL KEYS GUTTER HIRING INSTALLERS $25/$35hr - Holidays Off -BenefitsTavernier. Apply: call or text Jay 305-587-1581 Night Monitor – FREE Private Room in exchange for overnight availability at our Assisted Living Facility. 5 nights on, 5 nights off 10pm-8am plus weekly stipend, Drug & background screen required. www.westcare. com/join-our-team/ Boat rental company in Marathon needs workers – Boat drivers, Truck drivers, Boat cleaners & Boat detailing. Call 305-481-7006 Fantastic part-time Housekeeper position available in Key Colony Beach!

Immediate start date. Primarily on weekends, with excellent pay for the right candidate.

Reach out to Continental Inn Beachside at Vivian 952-208-2850 or Cheryl 305-505-8747 The Housing Authority of the City of Key West now hiring for the following positions: Resident Care Supervisor with min. 3 yrs. experience of an LPN, Housing M anager-FT-M arathon, Carpenter-FT, Maintenance Mechanic (Maintenance Worker. To apply, please contact Human Resources at: wrightk@kwha.org or 305-296-5621 ext. 224.

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.

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

HOUSING FOR RENT 2/2 on the water w/ dockage in Pirates Cove, Key Largo. Fenced & fully furnished. Short and long term available.

From $3500/month. Credit check required. 28 day minimum.

Call 305-588-6723 Studio House with Queen size bed available in Marathon. Furnished, kitchen, dining, newly renovated.

No pets. $1,299 + utilities F/L/S 305-610-8002 3BR/3BA fully furnished home for rent in Marathon.

Avail July 1. $4,500/mo.

6 1 8 - 5 5 9 - 9 1 4 3

VACATION RENTAL Key West House For Rent - 28 day minimum.

Recently renovated. 2 Units: 3BR/3BA or 2BR/2.5BA. 1 block to Schooner Wharf @ Historic Seaport.

Starting $214/night. Sweet CarolineSeaport.com Key Colony Beach 7 night min., 2BR/1BA, max.

3 guests per rental agreement. Starting $175/ night + cleaning fees & t a x e s .

7 8 6 - 2 8 5 - 9 4 7 6 fjvillegascpa@gmail.com

YARD SALES PLACE YOUR YARD SALE AD HERE. $25/week for up to 5 lines of copy!

Pease call 305-4170871 or email Anneke@ KeysWeekly.com

CROSSWORD SOLUTION

305.743.0844

FULL-TIME POSITION

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT REPORTS TO: CITY CLERK

The City of Key Colony Beach is accepting applications for the Administrative Assistant position. The Administrative Assistant will respond to and resolve administrative inquiries, issue boat trailer parking permits, review and issue annual Business Tax License applications while keeping those records updated, issue Property Management Certificates of Completion, and accurately maintain those records. Additionally, this role involves conducting educational classes and fostering strong relationships with managers, owners, and the city, assisting the Front Desk and other departments, and performing any other necessary tasks.

Qualifications: High school graduate with two years of experience in customer service and administrative support. Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite. Applicants must have strong communication skills, both written and verbal.

Salary: $61,000.00+ Competitive salary based on experience. Exceptional benefits, including participation in the Florida Retirement Fund, are available.

Contact City Hall for an application at 305289-1212, opt. 2. Applications are also available at www.keycolonybeach.net; see “City Government” then “Forms”. Open until filled. Equal Opportunity Employer Submit resume and application by mail or in-person to: City of Key Colony Beach City Hall Attn: City Clerk 600 West Ocean Drive PO Box 510141, Key Colony Beach, FL 33051 Or email cityclerk@keycolonybeach.net

WE ARE HIRING! CLIENT MEDICAL SERVICES ASSISTANT, CNA (FT) Assisting our clients with dental, medical and transportation appts. Act as liaison between clients, families and support staff. Requires some on-call responsibility. Min. requirement - Florida certification as a Certified Nursing Assistant.* CLIENT MEDICAL SERVICES MANAGER, RN/LPN (FT) Responsible for medical administration of prescriptions and over the counter drugs. This nurse will serve as a liaison between the medical services staff, group homes, supported living and ADT staff and the physicians and pharmacy as needed. Coordinate needs and services, supervise the medical services staff by overseeing the implementation of all medical & therapeutic interventions.

Coordinate w/other medical staff for on-call duties as required. Must have a current Florida license as an RN or LPN.* DIRECT CARE STAFF – NIGHTS/WEEKENDS – GROUP HOMES 24/7 (FT) These positions are available at our Windsor and Von Phister Group Homes.

Providing direct-care services and support to our clients in their home. Must be willing to work flexible shifts including overnights. This position requires a minimum of high school completion or GED and 1 year of experience with care giving or 30 hours of college coursework.* DIRECT CARE STAFF/DRIVER AT ADULT DAY-TRAINING PROGRAM (FT/PT) This position is available at our Adult Day program. Providing direct care service and support for our clients in the day program. Requires the minimum of high school completion or GED. Prefer experience with caregiving or working with adults with disabilities* *ALSO REQUIRED FOR ALL POSITIONS: Fluent in English language, speaking and writing, proficiency is a must. Level 2 background screening and valid Florida driver’s license. EOE Apply at the MARC office, 1401 Seminary St., Key West.

Or online at www.marchouse.org. For more information, please contact hr@marchouse.org Phone: 305-294-9526 *32

Come join our family!

7

KEYS WEEKLY COMICS, LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JUNE 12, 2025

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

Work with the BEST!

• 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 - 2024

SUNSET GRILLE NOW HIRING BARTENDERS WAIT STAFF - HOST/HOSTESS BUS PERSONS Apply in person at

Key West

SUNSET GRILLE & RAW BAR 7 Knight’s Key Blvd, Marathon

Customer Service Representative Branch Manager Controller

Key Largo

IS HIRING ACCOUNTING PERSON

Apply Online at KeysBank.com/Careers

EOE-M/F/V/D

Equal Housing Lender

OPERATOR/MAINTAINER Starting pay rate for this position, depending on qualifications and experience: $40.15/hr - $44.97/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.

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

IN THE UPPER KEYS

Full Time Teller

Member FDIC

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

Must have experience with Excel. We are willing to train the right candidate.

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

NOW HIRING

GENERAL OFFICE HELP

Captain Pip’s & their sister properties are looking to hire for general office help.

Send resume to captpips@aol.com or come in the office to fill out application.

1480 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050 CAPTAIN PIP’S IS AN AWESOME PLACE TO WORK, WE TREAT OUR EMPLOYEES GREAT. COME JOIN OUR TEAM!

NOW HIRING! The Turtle Hospital in Marathon wants you to join their team!

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM GUIDES/GIFT SHOP SALES Full and part-time. Public speaking and & retail sales experience helpful. $19/hour to start.

Send resume to: turtlehospital@turtlehospital.org

ELECTRICAL PROJECT ENGINEER

Starting pay rate for this position, depending on qualifications and experience: $136,979/annually $140,815/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.

LIVE IN PARADISE AND SEE DOLPHINS PLAY EVERYDAY! DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER is a fun, environmentally friendly non-profit 501(c)(3) Corporation specializing in education, research, and rescue of marine mammals.

We have the following opening available.

Scan the QR code to visit the careers page on our website.

FACILITIES MAINTENANCE APPRENTICE (Full-Time, Permanent) DRC seeks to provide for the well-being of its employees by offering a competitive total package. DRC currently offers a 401k retirement plan, medical benefits, HSA account, paid holidays, vacation, sick and an employee assistance program. DRC also provides life and disability insurance at no cost to the employee.

COME JOIN THE FAMILY!

Email your resume and a DRC application to drc-hr@dolphins.org. EOE

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

8

KEYS WEEKLY COMICS, LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JUNE 12, 2025

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC && LEGAL NOTICES • • 305.743.0844 • CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC LEGAL NOTICES 305.743.0844 The Guidance/Care Center, Inc. a division of “Uplifting the human spirit since 1973”

THE GUIDANCE/CARE CENTER, Inc.

IS HIRING!

JOIN A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE NONPROFIT HELPING PEOPLE COPE AND CHANGE FOR 52 YEARS! We provide Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs to the Florida Keys community while valuing and rewarding our employees.

KEY LARGO

Behavioral Health Counselor (Children) Behavioral Health Therapist (Children)

KEY WEST

Case Manager (Children Forensic, Adult) (FT,PT) Behavioral Health Therapist (Adult, PT) Behavioral Health Therapist (Children) Prevention Specialist Advocate

MARATHON

Care Coordinator (PT) Driver (CDL not required) (PT) RN/Licensed Practical Nurse (FT,PT) Maintenance Specialist *Behavioral Health Technicians – 3 shifts (FT,PT) *Support Worker (Assisted Living) (FT,PT) *Night Monitor (Assisted Living - Free Housing) *No experience required for this position. Will train.

A caring heart & helpful hands necessary.

Background and drug screen req. EEOC/DFWP COMPETITIVE PAY! EXCEPTIONAL BENEFITS!!!

Apply at guidancecarecenter.org Search Employment/Portal/Location/zip

DUI FRONT DESK CLERK & EVALUATOR/INSTRUCTOR The Advocate Program DUI school is hiring for part time positions.

Front desk: 3 days a week, high school diploma and computer data entry skills required.

DUI instructors and evaluators: 2 days a week, Bachelors or Masters degree in substance abuse field required.

Office located in Marathon.

Contact Marcia at 305-704-0117.

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

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

4290 Overseas Hwy, Marathon

OPENINGS AVAILABLE PHYSICIAN PRACTICE OPENINGS

- Advanced Practice Provider (APRN-PA-C)Surgical, Ortho, Tavernier - Medical Assistant, Primary Care Marathon, $5k Bonus - Medical Assistant, Upper Keys-Gastro, $5k Bonus

MIAMI CANCER INSTITUTE KEY WEST - Radiation Therapist, $12k Bonus - Medical Assistant, Medical Oncology, $5k Bonus - Dosimetrist, FT

TAVERNIER MARINERS HOSPITAL

- Cook, Dietary - Radiology Technologist 1, Imaging-MRI, $40k Bonus - Multi-Modality Imaging Tech 1, (Mammo & X Ray), Radiology, $50k Bonus - Registered Nurse, Emergency Department - ED Team Coordinator 1, Emergency Department - MC Multi-Modality Imaging Tech 1, Ultrasound/Vascular with Echo, $50k Bonus - AC Mechanic-Licensed - Registered Nurse, ICU, Per Diem, $15k Bonus - Cook, Per Diem - Environmental Tech, $5k Bonus - Manager Imaging Services - Pool Medical Technologist - Pool Registered Nurse, Cardiac Rehab - Patient Access Associate, $1k Bonus - Patient Scheduler 2, Radiology, PT - Supply Chain Inventory Control Admin, FT

MARATHON FISHERMEN’S COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

- Multi-Modality Imaging Tech 1, (CT & X Ray), Radiology, $50k Bonus - Multi-Modality Imaging Tech 1, (Mammo & X Ray) Radiology, $50k Bonus - Social Work Case Manager, Case Management, $10k Bonus - Pool Pharmacy Tech 2 - Pool Occupational Therapist - Read Registered Respiratory Therapist, PT, $12,500 Bonus - Sr. Phlebotomist - Security Officer, FT - Supervisor Patient Access Operations - Patient Financial Associate, $1k Bonus All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. *Sign-on bonuses are available only for select full-time positions based on candidate experience.

APPLY AND LEARN MORE careers.baptisthealth.net

THEME: ON BROADWAY ACROSS 1. Benatar and Morita 5. Certain tray contents 8. In custody 12. *Main character in “Shrek the Musical,” based on 2001 flick 13. Soreness 14. Wore (2 words) 15. Street in Anytown, USA 16. Burn to a crisp 17. Opposite of alpha 18. *Musical with most Tony Awards, with The 20. Grape holder 21. Entertain 22. ___ Aviv 23. Unrhymed Japanese poem, pl.

26. Snakebirds 30. Opposite of hence 31. Shooting star 34. Milk’s favorite cookie 35. Zoroaster follower 37. A Beatle bride 38. Mix-up 39. Type of cotton 40. *____ Lloyd Webber 42. Dog command 43. Inference of similarity 45. 4th letter of Hebrew alphabet 47. “But I heard him exclaim, ____ he drove out of sight...”

48. Pool table fabric 50. Altar location 52. *Last year’s Tony Award winner for Best Musical, with The 56. Santa Anna’s target 57. To, archaic 58. Small cave 59. Cocaine-producing plant, pl.

60. Diagnostic test 61. Biblical Isaac’s firstborn 62. Not quite an adult 63. Craggy peak 64. Tear

DOWN 1. Circumstance’s partner 2. Lab gel 3. Domingo, Pavarotti and Carreras, e.g.

4. “Where the Wild Things Are” author 5. Plural of #13 Across 6. Social media button 7. Not his 8. *Musical with most Tony nominations 9. Barbara of “I Dream of Jeannie” 10. *Private box 11. Double helix-shaped structure 13. Emile Zola’s “J’____...!”

14. What helicopter parents do 19. Savory taste sensation 22. Black gunk 23. Tapa, alt. sp.

24. “Encore!”

25. _____ Jean, a.k.a. Marilyn Monroe 26. Don’t let this hit you on the way out 27. Use the other end of a pencil 28. Re-equip 29. *Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s “____ Pacific” 32. *Award nickname, short for Antoinette 33. Finish line 36. *Arthur Miller’s “Death of a ____” 38. Swaziland native 40. *”____ of Aquarius,” song from “Hair” 41. a.k.a. the Wizard of Menlo Park 44. Plural of #34 Across 46. Late actor Heath 48. Social dice game 49. Rose oil 50. Medicinal house plant 51. Tempo 52. Give a boot 53. Gaelic 54. Multicolored horse 55. Wall support 56. *Part of a play