Key West Weekly 25-0814

KEY WEST ASYLUM

TO BE DEPORTED

Aug. 14, 2025

SEEKER

Detained since July, he has to return to Nicaragua | P. 10

SO LONG, SUMMER

Keys kids head back to school | P. 17

COMMISSION PROTECTS PRIDE CROSSWALKS

Unanimous vote gets resounding approval | P. 14

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On Aug. 11, Paramount and UFC announced a new seven-year deal worth $7.7 billion. Paramount announced it’s moving away from UFC’s pay-per-view model, making the marquee events and fight nights available at no additional cost to the subscriber based on Paramount+

The 2025-26 school year began Wednesday, Aug. 13 for Florida Keys kids. See safety tips from school officials on page 17. CONTRIBUTED

LAW REQUIRES ELECTIONS OFFICE TO REJECT RECALL PETITIONS

All signatures had to be collected & submitted within 30 days

MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

The county elections official was forced by Florida state law to invalidate the 327 signed petitions supporting a recall election for Key West City Commissioner Lissette Carey.

The invalidation of the recall petitions occurred separately from a lawsuit that Carey filed on July 30 to stop the recall effort.

Carey’s lawsuit claims the recall effort is illegal because the petitions lacked specificity in outlining charges against her. It further claims that the recall committee did not file paperwork with the state and that some petition signers did not know what they were signing. The lawsuit names as defendants Key West city clerk Keri O’Brien, Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies, and resident Aaron James Strebeck, who is leading the recall effort.

Regardless of a lawsuit being filed, Hodies’ office was tasked with verifying all signatures received for the recall effort. Hodies told the Keys Weekly on Aug. 7 that Florida law forced her to invalidate all 327 petitions because the signatures were not all collected and submitted within 30 days, as the law requires, making them late.

“It’s a shame I have to deny these because people worked hard to exercise their constitutional rights and the democratic process. But the law is clear,” Hodies said. “This isn’t a technicality; it’s the law.”

Florida Statute 100.361(2)(f) states: “Filing of signed petitions. — All signed petition forms shall be filed at the same time, no later than 30 days after the date on which the first signature is obtained on the petition. The person designated as chair of the committee shall file the signed peti-

tion forms with the auditor or clerk of the municipality or charter county, or his or her equivalent, hereinafter referred to as ‘clerk.’ The petition may not be amended after it is filed with the clerk.”

Hodies filed a response to Carey’s lawsuit on Aug. 5, outlining the same legal requirements for the petition and stating that the first petition signed by a voter was dated June 6.

“Using the June 6 date as the starting point for the process, the (recall committee) had until July 6 to file the petitions with defendant Keri O’Brien in her official capacity as city clerk. …The committee submitted the petitions to the clerk on July 23. The clerk transmitted the petitions on July

24, the following day, to the Supervisor.

“Accordingly, the committee turned in the petitions late as a matter of law – based upon the earliest date on the submitted petitions. As one conducting a ministerial duty, the supervisor does not have the legal latitude or discretion to assume that the “6/6/25” date was a scrivener’s error and really intended to read “7/6/25….”

“Moreover, using the June 6 date as the starting point, the committee submitted a total of 327 (petitions), of which 157 were validly signed within 30 days of June 6, based upon the supervisor’s comparison of the signature on the petition with voter registration records. That number falls short of the 273 valid signatures needed in order to proceed to the next phase of the recall process set forth in F.S. 100.361(3). Absent an order from this Honorable Court to use a date other than June 6 as the initial date, the supervisor will be sending the clerk a written determination before the end of the 30-day deadline set forth in (Florida law) that: a. the recall petitions were submitted untimely; and b. there is not the requisite number of verified and valid signatures needed for a recall election to be called.”

It’s a shame I have to deny these because people worked hard to exercise their constitutional rights and the democratic process. But the law is clear,” Sherri Hodies said. “ is isn’t a technicality; it’s the law.”

Strebeck told the Keys Weekly on Aug. 7 that he had not received any official word about the validation of the petitions, but he has been working with an attorney following his being named as a defendant in Carey’s lawsuit. Court records show that Ralf Brookes is representing Strebeck, who has not said yet whether he plans to retry the recall petition process. It is unclear how the invalidated petitions will affect Carey’s lawsuit, which seeks an emergency hearing in front of a judge as well as financial relief for Carey for attorney fees, court costs and “all other allowable relief.”

Key West City Commissioner Lissette Carey

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KEY WEST STILL NEEDS A CITY ATTORNEY

Commission declines to voice opposition to Alligator Alcatraz

MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

The position of permanent city attorney remains unfilled at city hall, since the late April departure of former city attorney Ron Ramsingh following his indictment and arrest stemming from a corruption-related investigation that is ongoing by the state attorney’s office.

Ramsingh was terminated without cause and walked away with a $221,000 payout. Kendal Hardin has been working as interim city attorney since then.

Only four people applied for the position of permanent city attorney, according to a screening committee, whose members each were appointed by a commissioner and the mayor.

Former Key West city attorney Shawn Smith, who preceded Ramsingh in the position and held the job for more than a decade, is chairing that selection committee and spoke to the commissioners at their Aug. 6 meeting.

Smith relayed the committee’s suggestion that the commission hire an outside law firm to act as city attorney for 12 to 18 months until an experienced and qualified candidate can be found and hired.

“Quite frankly, the city needs some stability,” Smith said. “You have an interim attorney here who hasn’t even applied for the job because watching you guys is not fun. We want someone to stabilize things for a while, to take the bullets the city attorney is supposed to take but not to the degree that they’re coming now. Our hope is that an experienced attorney will mentor those currently in that office and maybe in a year we’ll get more experienced applicants who have sat in that seat and are willing to come here.”

The commission ultimately voted unanimously to support the screening committee’s recommendation. That committee will bring forward recommendations for potential outside legal firms at the September commission meeting.

In other commission news, Key West lawmakers declined to pass a

resolution expressing the city’s opposition to the immigrant detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz, despite urging by Commissioner Monica Haskell, who proposed the measure.

Haskell said she wanted the city commission to keep due process and people’s human rights at the forefront of their minds, along with the environmental concerns posed by a 5,000-person detention center in the protected Everglades.

“We’re in hurricane season now, and there’s no hurricane evacuation plan for that facility,” Haskell said, adding that the Everglades provide fresh water to the Biscayne Aquifer, which provides drinking water to the Florida Keys.

Haskell detailed lawsuits that have been filed against the detention facility by two environmental groups.

In response to Haskell, commissioner Lissette Carey said, “I respect you, commissioner Haskell, for supporting those environmental groups, but I support our state and federal government and for that reason, I can’t support this resolution. The city of Key West keeps giving the state and federal government the proverbial middle finger, and then opening our hand and asking for funding. I think we have to be respectful to our leadership. … Many times our city takes a position against what the state and federal leaders are doing, and at this point, that facility is needed in order to support the efforts of our state and federal government, in my opinion.”

Lastly, city manager Brian L. Barroso alerted the commission and all Key West residents to new efforts at transparency and accessibility on the city’s website. The site now features regular updates about efforts the city has undertaken to fulfill the recommendations of a recent grand jury report that was the result of the corruption scandal involving the city’s former attorney and his brother, Raj Ramsingh, the city’s former chief building official.

The city is planning a comprehensive review of all building permits issued between 2020 and 2025, but Barroso acknowledged that the state attorney’s investigation into many of those permits is ongoing, so the city doesn’t want to duplicate efforts and spend unnecessary taxpayer money until the state attorney’s investigation is concluded.

STUDENT NAMED MARINE SANCTUARY VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

For two years, Nova Southeastern University student Bianca Ruiz logged on remotely for a virtual internship with Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. When she finally had the chance to travel from her Miami home to meet the team she had only known as tiles on a computer screen, she quickly realized the tangible effect of her virtual assignment.

In the middle of a meeting at the sanctuary’s Key Largo office, Ruiz was unexpectedly awarded the organization’s 2025 Volunteer of the Year Award.

“When we got pulled into a morning meeting, I didn’t think much of it at first,” Ruiz said. “So it was a complete surprise when a slide popped up on the screen with a photo of me, announcing that I had been awarded Volunteer of the Year. I was completely shocked, especially since I hadn’t even known the award existed. My shock quickly turned into gratitude. One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about volunteering here is the freedom I’ve had to shape and grow my projects.”

Ruiz joined the sanctuary in 2023, and during her virtual service, reviewed 50 papers related to human use and impacts in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). She later created a system to document the relevant findings of research publications on human dimensions of resource management, a framework for recording information from literature reviews that other virtual volunteers and interns still use.

In the second summer of her internship, Ruiz joined the Mission: Iconic Reefs team, where she conducted an in-depth literature review on sea snail predation across Caribbean coral reefs and then created a public-facing social math resource, translating complex metrics into relatable visuals and storytelling.

“I am incredibly proud to work alongside volunteers like Bianca who give their time to support our national marine sanctuaries,” said Lindsey Crews, FKNMS science and outreach coordinator. “Bianca is an incredibly hard worker, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to recognize her contributions.”

2025 Volunteer of the Year Bianca Ruiz. FKNMS/Contributed

Ruiz is now in graduate school at NSU, pursuing a master’s degree in marine sciences, after which she hopes to apply her knowledge in science education within the national marine sanctuaries. Twenty-five of the publications she researched were related to understanding recreational boating impacts on coral and seagrass habitats.

“I am particularly interested in how anthropogenic activity can impact ecosystem dynamics and marine life in South Florida,” said Ruiz, “working alongside scientists and stakeholders to raise awareness of these impacts. Additionally, I hope to collaborate with anglers and divers to better understand how these ecosystems support their way of life and how they can play a role in restoration and conservation efforts within marine protected areas.”

The sanctuary has one full-time employee for every 105 square miles of protected water, so volunteers, including some who are certified as NOAA divers, play a vital role.

“Each year, I am humbled by how much value added our volunteers provide to the sanctuary to support the activity going on here,” said David Burke, acting superintendent. “It’s great to see they’re getting recognized at the national level for the efforts they put in.”

Volunteer opportunities remain, especially at the sanctuary’s EcoDiscovery Center in Key West. More information is available via email to elizabeth.trueblood@noaa.gov. — Contributed

Science and outreach coordinator Lindsey Crews, left, of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, with

KEY WEST LANDSCAPER

TO BE DEPORTED

An update on ‘Antonio’ and ‘Carmen’ after ICE detained him

MANDY MILES

mandy@keysweekly.com

AKey West landscaper who arrived from Nicaragua four years ago, has a fiveyear work authorization, a blemish-free asylum case pending, no criminal record and two jobs is now awaiting deportation back to Nicaragua.

Last month, the Keys Weekly brought readers the story of a young Nicaraguan couple — we called them Antonio and Carmen. Antonio had been detained July 5 after ICE agents followed him and two coworkers in a landscaping vehicle to a job on Stock Island on a Saturday morning.

He has been detained in a Broward County center since then.

The couple has asked the Keys Weekly not to use their real names or the names of their employers for fear of government retaliation. After verifying their authentic names through identification documents, we agreed.

Antonio had video hearings in front of an immigration judge on July 21 and Aug. 7. His next asylum hearing in Miami had been scheduled for Aug. 21, but that won’t matter.

“The judge denied his monetary bond, so he’ll be deported,” Carmen told the Keys Weekly on Monday, Aug. 11 through a close friend of the couple, who was translating. “Now his only choice is whether to self-deport or wait for them to deport him.”

The federal government has been telling some immigrants they’ll receive $1,000 if they self-deport, but many immigrants are wary of believing anything the government tells them these days, the translator said.

“I watched Antonio’s hearings via Zoom and the judge and prosecutor kept telling his attorney that he was missing documentation. But Antonio’s attorney had all the receipts for each piece of paperwork that had been mailed via certified mail and signed for by someone in the state attorney’s office. So they had the paperwork, but it didn’t matter. Bond was still denied,” the translating friend said. “They don’t care. The judges, state attorneys don’t care about the law. They’re just puppets.”

Carmen plans to self-deport back to Nicaragua to be with Antonio and will leave once his deportation order and date have been set.

“The only chance they may have to come back to the Keys will only happen when Donald Trump is no longer president,” Carmen said. “The only crime we’ve committed is the color of our skin.”

The couple will return to Nicaragua, where initially they’ll stay with Carmen’s sister and her 7-year-old son, who has autism.

“It’s not like they left Nicaragua because the situation there was so great. But now they have to start all over again,” the translator said.

Antonio came to the U.S. from Nicaragua in

A Key West Facebook page has been posting photos of unidentified Key West residents being handcuffed and detained by ICE agents. The photo above does not show any of the people mentioned in this story, as the Keys Weekly agreed not to disclose their identities. CONTRIBUTED

August 2021. His brother, an electrician, was living in Key West with his wife, who is an American citizen. Antonio came across the border through Mexico and immediately turned himself in to ask for asylum, “as President Biden was allowing people to do at the time,” Carmen said through her interpreter. “He was detained for a short time in Texas, then they gave him paperwork for the asylum process and a phone that can track where he is.”

Antonio, who graduated college in Nicaragua, then headed for Key West, where his brother and sister-in-law were living. He had a work authorization, a social security number, a driver’s license, health insurance, pay stubs and tax returns. He attended every asylum hearing and immigration interview that were scheduled in Miami.

“He recently was given a five-year work permit and didn’t have to be back in court to update his status for another two years,” his wife said.

Carmen followed the same process as Antonio three months later, in November 2021, seeking asylum in Texas, after having been college-educated and licensed as a pharmacist in Nicaragua.

Now, she rides to work each morning hidden in the back of her friend’s car, terrified of being stopped and detained by ICE agents.

“I’ve never seen anything like this hatred for immigrants that is happening in this town in my 35 years here,” Carmen’s friend and coworker told the Keys Weekly during the interview, where she was helping to translate for Carmen.

The woman is a Cuban-born American citizen, who came to the U.S. more than 50 years ago. She owns a home and a business in Key West and considers Carmen and Antonio her family.

“This is a terrifying time. It’s destroying families and lives. These people are not criminals. Antonio has no criminal record here or in Nicaragua. Nothing.

“What’s happening on the streets of Key West and Stock Island is 100% racial profiling,” the Cuban woman said, adding that she now carries her U.S. passport with her everywhere she goes.

“Carmen’s immigration attorney told us that she doesn’t even know how her profession will survive because the laws are changing so fast — either that or the other side just ignores the laws anyway.”

KEY WEST REMEMBERS SLAVE TRADE & ITS ABOLITION Commission issues

Key West Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez and the Key West City Commission, during their monthly meeting, proclaimed Aug. 24 as UNESCO International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

Established in 1994, the UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples project recognized a critical four-centuries-long human-trafficking slave trade to ensure that it is widely known, never to be forgotten, and to be prevented in the future.

"Our shared human history and the heroism of those who tirelessly fought for abolition of the slave trade is a common bond for nations on both sides of the Atlantic," reads the proclamation.

Locally, this heritage includes the iconic landmark of the Key West African Cemetery, with its rare distinction of being one of very few global locations where Africans were buried who survived the ocean crossing but were rescued, brought to a safe haven and welcomed with generosity instead of being sold into slavery.

The rescue of the 295 Africans buried there and of their 1,127 companions from three captured American slave ships bound for Cuba in 1860 was due to the little-recognized heroism of the United States Navy, whose presence in Key West has long been prominent.

Key West remained an anti-slavery bastion throughout the Civil War, in spite of Florida's secession, even becoming a recruitment point for United States Colored Troops, and, evidence suggests, held the first Emancipation celebration in the nation only weeks after the Proclamation took effect in January 1863, led by domestic-slave-trade survivor Sandy Cornish, one of the city's most prosperous and prominent citizens.

"Key West's role as an epicenter has been convincingly established by the presence of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum as a repository of compelling artifacts from slave shipwrecks," reads the proclamation.

District VI commissioner Aaron Castillo accepted the proclamation.

— Contributed

Key West City Manager Brian L. Barroso, commissioners Monica Haskell and Lissette Carey, Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez, commissioner Aaron Castillo, Vice Mayor Donie Lee and commissioner Sam Kaufman proclaim Aug. 24 as UNESCO International Day for Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Abolition. CONTRIBUTED

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Commission honors Tiffany Pellicier for parks & rec commitment

Key West Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez and the Key West City Commission last week commended Tiffany Pellicier for her volunteer service to the community.

Pellicier has been an original member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board since its inception in 2019, including five years as chair.

“Under your leadership,” reads the commendation, “the board prioritized projects that have enhanced the quality of life for our residents and visitors alike. These initiatives included the turfing of multi-use fields, the design of shade structures to promote public health, upgrades to Bayview Park, and the reimagining of the Hawk missile site with an emphasis on community input and public art collaborations. Your vision, leadership and dedication have left a lasting impact on the City of Key West.”

Bayview tennis courts to close Aug. 19 & 20 for new lights

Key West’s two-court tennis courts at Bayview Park will be closed Aug. 19 and 20 while Keys Energy Services installs new light poles at no expense to the city.

The three-court complex will remain open during this two-day closure of the other complex.

The 40-foot poles will replace the current wooden light poles. The old poles will be removed by Community Services once a new electrical panel is installed. The upgrade will consolidate the number of poles in that section of the park.

Commissioner hosts town hall to discuss water quality on Aug. 18

Key West City Commissioner Sam Kaufman will hold a District II Town Hall to discuss “Water Quality, Data and Strategic Planning for Our Future” on Monday, Aug. 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Southernmost VFW Post 319, 2200 North Roosevelt Blvd.

This event will feature presentations from experts on nearshore water quality testing, a review of the latest data and a community discussion on steps for a strategic plan to protect our waters. The entire community is encouraged to attend regardless of voting district.

CHIEF BRANDENBURG MEETS DEPUTY FBI DIRECTOR

Bongino discusses law enforcement partnerships

Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg this week was invited, along with representatives of other South Florida law enforcement agencies, to meet with FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino.

The meeting included just over a dozen agency representatives. In a roundtable discussion, Bongino discussed the FBI’s philosophy of partnerships among agencies. He described the FBI resources available to enhance those partnerships.

Bongino noted that the first half of the year crime statistics are being compiled and they are looking good.

“He credited the boots on the ground for improving statistics,” said Brandenburg. “The partnerships he described are a fundamental foundation of law enforcement here in the Keys. This meeting was an honor, and it was also a great opportunity to meet with our partners who support Key West during our big events like Fantasy Fest and the boat races.”

Following the roundtable, Bongino met individually with Brandenburg and the others. He was selected in February by FBI Director Kash Patel to serve as the deputy

director of the FBI. His career began as an NYPD officer. He joined the U.S. Secret Service in 1999 as a special agent. He received a Department of Justice award for his role in the successful investigation and prosecution of white collar criminals while assigned to the Financial Fraud Task Force.

In 2010, Bongino concluded his protective duty assignment and returned to the Baltimore Field Office. His most recent job before being appointed deputy director of the FBI, was as a conservative – and at times controversial – podcast host. — Contributed

Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg, left, meets FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino during a recent roundtable discussion for South Florida law enforcement leaders. CONTRIBUTED

Police officers from South Florida join a roundtable discussion about partnerships that included FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. CONTRIBUTED

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‘WE ARE ONE HUMAN FAMILY’ BECOMES OFFICIAL KEY WEST SONG

CW Colt’s island tribute joins two other locally-written tunes

The Key West City Commission recently included longtime Key West musician CW Colt’s song, ‘We Are One Human Family,’ in a trio of official island songs. CONTRIBUTED

To celebrate 25 years of unity and inclusivity, the city of Key West last week recognized “We Are One Human Family” as an official song of Key West and its One Human Family motto and philosophy. Written and performed by longtime Key West musician CW Colt, the song pays tribute to the city’s defining ethos, which has become a global symbol of acceptance and compassion since its adoption 25 years ago.

The lyrics, in part:

“We’re human beings; one and the same.

Love and compassion aren’t just a game.

Hand in hand we’ll find a way.

We’re one human family, what do you say?”

The resolution to adopt the song was presented and approved at the city commission meeting on Aug. 6 and received strong community support, including from JT Thompson, the creator of the One Human Family philosophy and its ubiquitous bumper stickers that have been distributed throughout the world. The song’s message of unity, diversity and equality echoes the values that define Key West and make it a welcoming island for all.

In recognition of the city’s musical culture, commissioners also voted to honor two additional local songs. These include “Key West is the Best” by Luis Carbonell, and “The Beautiful Isle of Key West,” written by Ellen Welters Sanchez and performed by the beloved Coffee Butler. Together, these selections reflect the diverse musical spirit of Key West. Colt plans to pay tribute to all three songs — as well as other iconic local tunes — in his upcoming “Be Love Show,” a celebration of the island’s music, history and heart.

While the other songs serve as heartfelt tributes to Old Key West, Colt’s carries the city’s message of diversity, unity and equality beyond the island’s shores — making Key West a beacon of compassion for the world. Colt said he is honored to have his song included alongside the contributions of Carbonell and Butler — artists who have helped shape the musical legacy of the Keys.

The effort to have the song officially recognized was initiated by Colt’s daughter, Amber Neill, who brought the idea to city officials in March. After several delays, the resolution made its way onto the city’s Aug. 6 agenda.

“I’m honored that the city has embraced this song, especially in this milestone year,” said Colt. “Key West is more than a destination; it’s a beacon of love and unity, a place that stands for the acceptance of all humanity. I believe we can serve as an inspiration to the world, showing that when we come together in the spirit of One Human Family, we can achieve great things on this planet. With that in mind, I invite musicians everywhere to perform their own versions of the song. My dream is to hear it sung in every language — because this song belongs to everyone.”

For nearly 40 years, Colt has been a fixture in the Key West music scene, performing on stages large and small, from local benefit concerts to international festivals. His music reflects the spirit of the island, and “We Are One Human Family” is available on all streaming platforms.

GRAND TASTING

The county health department provided 166 free swim lessons this summer with an additional session still available. CONTRIBUTED

HEALTH DEPT. ENSURED SAFE SUMMER FOR KIDS

Department provided 166 free swimming lessons; more still available

The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County (DOH-Monroe) provided summer safety initiatives for local families. DOH-Monroe promoted child safety and supported local families through a variety of programs and community partnerships.

“These programs help keep our children safe, healthy and thriving,” said Carla Fry, administrator and health officer, DOH-Monroe. “Whether it’s in the water, in the car, or at home, working together with our community partners supports protecting our youngest residents.”

THE PROGRAMS INCLUDED:

Water safety

• As water activity increases during the summer months, DOH-Monroe facilitated the donation of life jackets for infants and small children between 30-50 pounds from the Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition to the College of the Florida Keys (CFK).

• Additionally, eligible families have been able to take advantage of free swim lessons for children four years old and younger, offered through the Florida Department of Health’s Swim Lesson Voucher Program. Local lessons have been offered at the CFK pool (Stock Island) and Jacob’s Aquatic Center (Key Largo) with certified instructors to help children build vital swimming skills.

• A total of 166 lessons were provided to Monroe County children between February and June 2025. Applications for free swim vouchers for the Aug. 4 through Sept. 1, period can be found at WaterSmartFL.com.

More information about water safety can be found at WaterSmartFL. com.

Bike safety

• DOH-Monroe partners with local law enforcement and municipalities to make bike safety a priority. The Florida Pedestrian Bicycle Resource Center provides free helmets that the DOHMonroe, along with multiple trained and certified helmet fitters, properly fit and give to community members at no cost.

• DOH-Monroe attends numerous events each year to provide education about bicycle safety, raise awareness about safe riding practices (such as wearing a helmet), and mobilize local community members to bring resources to the area in an effort to reduce bicycle accidents and injuries.

• Monroe County residents can visit monroe.floridahealth.gov/bikesafety to request an appointment to be fitted for a bicycle helmet at no cost. Appointments for free bicycle helmets are available at the following DOH-Monroe clinic: Gato Building, 1100 Simonton St., Key West.

Home visitation programs

DOH-Monroe continues to offer voluntary home visitation programs, such as Healthy Families and Healthy Start, to support pregnant mothers and families with young children through parent education, child developmental screening and activities, child safety promotion, linkage to community resources, and additional services.

Car seat safety

DOH-Monroe has certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians available to assist with car seat checks, installations, and adjustments to ensure your child is safely secured while traveling. Appointments are free and can be scheduled by calling 305-676-3841.

LETTER

SAFETY OFFICERS OFFER BACK-TOSCHOOL TIPS

Reporting threats is crucial; making false threats is criminal

Here are important safety tips for parents, guardians and school supporters.

Every day, thousands of students attend school across our Florida Keys. And while school is a place for learning and growth, it is crucial for everyone to feel safe and secure.

School safety is not just the responsibility of teachers and staff. It is something in which each one of us plays a part. We are committed to providing a safe environment for all. We appreciate the trust you place in us to keep our campuses and classrooms secure for learning. When attending activities or participating in events on one of our school campuses, fields, properties or in a school transportation, safety is everyone's responsibility.

If you notice something that doesn't seem quite right, makes you feel uneasy or seems out of place, speak up and tell a trusted adult.

Report suspicious activities by immediately talking to an administrator or a school resource officer or through the use of anonymous reporting tools like our School Text Tips or the Fortify Florida link found on all school Chromebooks and all Monroe County District websites. These digital platforms allow students, parents and community members to anonymously report suspicious or potentially dangerous activities related to schools. It is a vital tool for maintaining school safety, preventing violence from someone who may want to harm themselves or others. Remember to report safety concerns immediately. Someone's life could be at risk.

Now, an important and serious reminder of what NOT to do.

Fortify Florida is not for jokes and should not be used to submit false reports as pranks, to retaliate against others, or to misuse these tools to spread rumors or misinformation. Tips that are sent through Fortify Florida are taken very seriously. Joking around or submitting false reports can mean serious illegal trouble, including being charged with a crime that could lead to jail time. These are not the topics that anyone considers funny or playful. They waste valuable resources and create unnecessary fear. Parents may also face consequences if their child misuses Fortify Florida.

Now, listen to and share this next important note with your loved ones: Anyone who communicates a threat to kill, do great bodily harm, conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism in a way that another person can view it, is committing a seconddegree felony. This includes threats via text, email and social media. It doesn't matter if you do not have any intent or ability to carry out the threat. Merely communicating a threat is enough to warrant a felony charge. This also includes threats to use a bomb or other destructive device with an attempt to harm people or property. All reports are investigated and a false report could lead to further examination. Even if the tip was shared anonymously, if it is found that any person, parent or child knowingly submitted a false tip through Fortify Florida or any other tip reporting tool that involved school or school personnel's property, school transportation, or a school- sponsored activity, information on the actual device used to make the claim will be provided to law enforcement, and the person may be subject to criminal penalties. You are accountable for what you report, even anonymously. All threats will be taken seriously and will result in severe consequences up to and including arrest, restitution and expulsion. Some other consequences could prohibit attendance at and participation in school activities or functions like games or performances on any campus in the district, or even the inability to graduate with friends.

Parents are urged to discuss these important issues with their children. False threats, even if intended as a joke, can result in life-altering consequences. When speaking to your child about posting on social media or falsely reporting a threat, remember to tell them it's no joke.

Parents, here's one more quick final reminder.

Please keep your contact information up to date with your school’s front office so you can receive any important information from the school or district in a timely fashion. Important information will also be shared through our MCSD websites and social media outlets.

Thank you for your part as we continue working together for the protection and care of our Monroe County schools, promoting comprehensive school safety and harm prevention in every school, every day.

– Alfredo Vasquez, director of safety and security for Monroe County schools, and Daliana Goins, threat management and harm prevention coordinator

KEY WEST BACK IN THE DAY

Jimmy and ‘The Margaritaville Movie’

Tom Corcoran’s book ‘Jimmy Buffett: The Key West Years’ chronicles Buffett’s early Key West hangouts and homes — including the apartment near Louie’s Backyard, where he wrote ‘The Margaritaville Movie.’ TOM CORCORAN/Contributed

ICAROL SHAUGHNESSY www.keysweekly.com

f you hung out at the Chart Room, Full Moon Saloon or Louie’s Backyard in Key West during the late 1970s and early ’80s, you knew Jimmy Buffett. The legendary Chart Room at the Pier House Resort, the “Moon” where writers and renegades shared stories, and the highrollers’ haven called Louie’s Afterdeck were his go-to spots.

In those days I was living with Phil Clark, a charismatic man with a renegade soul, who had turned out to be the subject of my favorite Buffett song: “A Pirate Looks at Forty.” I got to know Jimmy through Phil, and through the literati, smugglers and fishing guides who frequented the aforementioned island hotspots.

Jimmy was perennially laid-back but always ready for adventure, and he seemed to light up every room he entered. What he couldn’t do, in those tentative early days of the technology revolution, was operate a computer — and that’s why he reached out to me.

It happened about a year after Phil was caught importing illicit substances and disappeared. I was working as a part-time office manager for a difficult boss, who taught me what people then called “word processing.”

At that point, Jimmy lived near Louie’s and was writing a screenplay — handwriting it in capital letters on yellow legal pads. He needed someone to input the script onto his computer, an Apple IIc that he barely knew how to turn on, and a mutual friend suggested he hire me.

Whether it stemmed from Jimmy’s long association with Phil, his acquaintance with me or his own easygoing nature, he decided to trust me. His computer quickly became my responsibility, and he gave me a workspace in his apartment and the freedom to wander in and out as needed.

Even more important, he trusted me with his screenplay — which in those days was his passion and the focus of his intense creativity.

Its working title was “The Margaritaville Movie,” and it was full of engaging characters that included the carefree Delaney and a man named Frank Bama. Frank later turned up as the protagonist of Jimmy’s novel “Where is Joe Merchant?” (and, oddly enough, as an eccentric helicopter pilot played by Jimmy himself in several episodes of television’s reincarnated “Hawaii Five-0”).

“The Margaritaville Movie,” set on a fictional island that had a lot in common with Key West, was a sundrenched romp and a total delight. The good guys triumphed, the hero wound up with his love interest, and virtually everybody who read the script pages (meticulously printed on a dotmatrix printer we acquired somewhere along the line) wanted to move to the fictional island.

For me — despite occasional allnighters necessary to keep up with Jimmy’s fast-paced writing, and extensive edits required by his frequent character revisions — it was a rare privilege to observe his creative process as the story unfolded.

Unfortunately, the gorgeous feelgood script, though completed, never became a film. For several reasons, including Jimmy’s decision to open the first Margaritaville Store, he put the project aside. He gave me his stack of yellow pads and the final printed script, and told me to hang onto them until he wanted them again. I did, storing them safely for decades while his talent brought him enormous success in realm after realm. We reconnected about a year before his death, and the script and yellow pads finally went home with him.

Jimmy Buffett will always be famed as a singer-songwriter who inspired a mystique, a lifestyle and eventually an empire. Yet that doesn’t fully communicate the breadth of his creativity. Though “The Margaritaville Movie” was never produced, scripting it set him on the path to write “Tales from Margaritaville” and his other top-selling books — and become one of the leading storytellers of our generation.

Jimmy Buffett’s 1973 ‘White Sport Coat’ album contained his heartfelt ode to Key West, titled, ‘I Have Found Me a Home.’ CONTRIBUTED

Now Leasing!

The Fantasy Fest Parade welcomes entries large and small and offers $20,000 in cash prizes. Julie Roubik, left, and Christie Fifer work on a giant Cheshire cat character for a previous year’s parade float. CONTRIBUTED

Deck out the façade of your Key West or Stock Island home or business and enter this year’s Fantasy Fest Fantasy Facades contest for a chance to win cash prizes. CONTRIBUTED

JOIN THE CREATIVITY OF FANTASY FEST

Calling artists, makers, movers & shakers

Fantasy Fest in Key West is a magical escape for costumers and revelers from all over the world, but it’s the locals whose creative genius and behind-the-scenes wizardry bring the spectacle to life. Whether you prefer to build it, stitch it, imagine it, guide it, paint it — here are four opportunities to get involved in the 2025 “Bedtime Stories & Magical Monsters” themed extravaganza:

• Create a Fantasy Fest parade float, march in costume, or roll with style: The parade is open to entries large and small: floats, marchers, kinetic creations and wheeled wonders. $20,000 in cash prizes will be awarded in categories including “Best Interpretation of Theme,” “Best in Entertainment,” “Best in Costume,” and more. Entry fees are waived for Monroe County residents and non-profits who submit their applications on or before Aug. 22, and discounted 50% for those who apply before Sept. 19.

• Be a Fantasy Fest ambassador: The volunteer ambassador crew helps guide the parade down Duval Street

REEF RELIEF & HYATT CENTRIC KEY WEST REMOVE MICROPLASTICS Cleanup

led by Proud Source Water company

Proud Source Water, a company that specializes in sustainably bottled and packaged spring water, partnered recently with Hyatt Centric Key West to conduct a marine debris cleanup effort at Rest Beach in the Key West Nature Preserve.

and ensures that everyone has a safe and enjoyable time. Includes a preevent planning meeting and an invite to join the Fantasy Fest team for the annual ambassadors social mixer.

• Go big with the Fantasy Facades Contest: Deck out your Key West or Stock Island home or business facade and enter the 2025 Fantasy Facades contest for a chance to win cash prizes ranging from $100-$1000. Reflect this year’s “Bedtime Stories & Magical Monsters” theme, channel traditional Halloween ghoulishness, or concoct a combination of both. Entry form available Sept. 1; deadline to enter Oct. 13; judging Oct. 20.

• Name the 2026 Fantasy Fest theme: The future is in your hands. Submit your idea for the 2026 Fantasy Fest theme by Sept. 3. The winner and a guest will score 2026 Fantasy Fest parade grandstand seats with judges and organizers.

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

Contributed

The initiative is part of Proud Source Water’s Proud Planet project, a community-based program focused on removing waste and promoting sustainability. It involves local cleanups, partnering with communities and using 100% recyclable aluminum bottles to minimize plastic waste. The project aims to help the environment and promote responsible consumption.

More than 30 volunteers, equipped with special cleaning kits, gathered to collect and remove all non-biodegradable waste littering Rest Beach. The effort, conducted under the guidance and supervision of Reef Relief, resulted in the removal of over 120 pounds of debris, primarily consisting of microplastics, which are a deadly barrier for the sea turtle ecosystem in the preserve.

“We have a responsibility as a consumer-packaged goods company to collect what we put out into the world,” said Michael Boyd, president of Proud Source Water. “Proud Planet project is a progressive and innovative program built on partnerships with community-focused organizations like Hyatt Centric Key West that gather and engage the local community in efforts

to minimize the damaging footprint humans can leave on our planet’s greatest resources.”

"As a premier resort destination, our pristine beaches and vibrant marine life are integral to the breathtaking natural ecosystem we proudly share with our guests," said Hyatt Centric Key West general manager Hector Ortiz. “Through our partnership with the Proud Planet project, Hyatt Centric Key West is able to combat the real-world consequences of marine debris while acting as stewards for the environment to further build sustainability throughout the Key West Community.”

Proud Planet project is part of an on-going relationship between Proud Source Water and Hyatt Centric Key West built on environmental responsibility and sustainability efforts. In 2023, the pair launched the Infinite Bottle project. The initiative reclaims and recycles aluminum collected on the resort property and the surrounding Key West community. That project has recycled over 4,300 pounds of aluminum, going a long way toward meeting Hyatt Centric Key West’s goal of becoming a true single-use plasticfree resort. It has also raised awareness and support for Reef Relief’s mission of protecting and preserving the Great Florida Reef, the only living coral barrier reef in North America.

— Contributed

The Fantasy Fest Parade takes place the last Saturday of October. CONTRIBUTED

Reef Relief volunteers team with Hyatt Centric Key West and Proud Source Water to remove microplastics from Rest Beach in Key West. REEF RELIEF/Contributed

I... is a photographer, writer, and semi-professional birdwatcher. He has lived in Key West for more than 25 years and may no longer be employable in the real world. He is also executive director of the Florida Keys Audubon Society.

was walking the dog down Reynolds Street, past the Casa Marina, when the dog started pulling for the pier. I try to give her her head as much as possible, to let her sniff whatever she wants, to lead the way on occasion. Though sometimes when I let her lead the way she starts trying to take us home, and I have to point out to her that we have further walking to do. Last time we’d walked by the pier she’d pulled that way too, but after we’d walked about 20 yards out she realized she was walking on a grating that she could see through, and she freaked out, started pulling hard back toward the beach. I decided not to force it and let her lead the retreat.

I think it was the fact that she knew there was water under the pier. In the almost three years we’ve had her, June has done a pretty good job of acting as if large bodies of water, such as pools and oceans, don’t exist. You get to the beach and that’s it, you’ve reached the end of the world. A tennis ball falls into the pool and, sad to say, it is lost forever.

So when we started out on the pier this second time, I expected a repeat performance. But no, she wanted to keep going. She had her tail tucked under her, but she wanted to keep going. She gave hopeful looks to the people and ignored the pigeons.

Halfway through, a little girl out in the water smiled and waved at her, and suddenly June was wagging her tail, the happiest, bravest dog in the world. She seemed a little disappointed that the pier ended.

Sometimes I underestimate her ability to overcome her fears. I mean, she’s 65 pounds, and when lightning strikes, she no longer tries to wedge herself into the six-inch space between the couch and the floor. Instead she will sit on the couch in her circus bear pose and stare at us dolefully, as if we could do something about the weather if we really tried. If a storm is really loud and prolonged, she may sneak off and lie on the floor in our bunker of a bedroom. But she doesn’t panic so much anymore.

I was grooving on this sense of progress all the way back to the house, and really wasn’t paying much attention to the world. But as we were passing the No Trespassing at the entrance to the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Kingdom Hall parking lot, I heard a yip. A telltale yip. It came from a barn swallow that was zooming overhead in the last light of the day. I try to avoid anthropomorphism when I think

SHORT WALKS ON LONG PIERS AND THE START OF SOMETHING

about animals, because a human take on an animal’s mood – especially non-mammals – is rarely accurate. Still, I usually fail at this when it comes to barn swallows because they are the one species of birds that I’m pretty convinced are having fun as they rip around the sky, 40 times more agile than any Olympic snowboarder. And their yip always sounds like an expression of that joy.

Whatever the yip meant, it woke me up to something. It may seem like we’re waylaid in the doldrums of the Keys’ never-ending, very hot summer, but there is a little bit of change in the air. Bird migration is afoot.

It rained on and off overnight, and on and off through the next day – make up your mind, weather – but by late afternoon it was bright and overly sunny, so I decided to head over to Fort Zachary Taylor to see if there were any birds.

It’s not like I haven’t been out birding since the northbound migration trailed off in mid-May. But I haven’t gone out with that sense that anything could be anywhere. I’ve been kind of impatient and deliberate about looking for things, partly because it’s hotter than (fill in your favorite pithy metaphor for heat), and partly because there haven’t been that many species of birds around, and most of the species that are birds I could see any day of the year. Standing still and staring into the treetops is less fun when you’re unlikely to see anything, and the thought keeps creeping into your head that you have perfectly good central air conditioning at home, as well as a dog who would be happy for the rest of the day if you just played tug-o-war with her for five minutes.

I was worried I might be a little rusty, that I’d forgotten what warblers looked like. You generally find songbirds by watching for

movement in the trees – the figures of birds themselves, but also the leaves and twigs moving more than, or out of sync with, the other surrounding leaves and twigs. (You might think it’s hard to confuse a bird with a three-foot iguana, but I did it several times before I convinced my brain to ignore anything that was disrupting the foliage too much.)

What I saw at first were summer residents like white-crowned pigeons, common grackles and gray kingbirds, most of which I ignored. Except for one gray kingbird who caught some kind of sizable buzzing insect in its bill, landed on a branch above me, then banged the insect onto the branch, trying to subdue it but only changed the pitch of the buzzing. Another gray kingbird came in, started fluttering its wings and yelling at the first bird, demanding the still buzzing insect. Learn to feed yourself, kid, the first bird essentially said when it flew off. All of which made me laugh a little.

Walking just below the blacksmith shop, I caught sight of a small bird making the leap from one bush to another, and even with such a fleeting glance in a terrible light and no articulable field marks, I knew it was a northern parula. I followed the bird as it moved through the landscape until I caught sight of its slaty blue head and lemon yellow throat, and then was sure.

After that, it was like I’d tapped into something slow and steady. First there was the black-and-white warbler, then a prothonotary, an immature hooded warbler and a female American redstart. Your basic early fall migration starter pack.

Migration had officially started. The warblers were back. And maybe I was, too.

MARK HEDDEN

Daily Brito Fernandez. MCSO/Contributed

SHERIFF: TRAPS ROBBED

Marathon pair allegedly stole lobster just before season

A40-year-old Marathon man was arrested in the latenight hours of Aug. 5 – just minutes before the start of commercial and regular lobster season — for allegedly robbing lobster traps on the bayside of Grassy Key.

“I want to thank marine deputies Willie Guerra and Luis Guiardinu, who made this case, for their continued hard work to protect our environment, and warn others who are thinking of committing this crime — you will be arrested and you will go to jail,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay.

Dorgis Rodriguez Lugones was charged with trap molestation, possession of out-of-season lobster, and tampering with evidence.

The deputies were on patrol around 11:45 p.m. when they saw a blacked-out 17-foot Mako boat with a lobster trap aboard. A man, identified as Rodriguez Lugones, was commanded not to dump the trap back in the water, but he did just that, authorities said.

He then reportedly picked up a cooler and dumped roughly 30 lobster back into the water and placed his hands on his head.

FWC OFFICER SAVES CAPSIZED KAYAKER

Rodriguez Lugones was detained and the trap was retrieved. Rodriguez Lugones was taken to jail and the boat was impounded.

A day later, authorities made a second arrest in the case – 27-year-old Daily Brito Fernandez of Marathon, who was reportedly aboard the vessel with Lugones as traps were robbed. She was charged with trap molestation, possession of out-of-season lobster and being a principal in a crime.

– Contributed

Michael Krevat was barely afloat, ‘praying to God’

AMiddle Keys kayaker in distress got a timely save last month, thanks to the quick action of a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officer.

On July 19, officer Shawn Turner responded to a report of a kayaker in distress about half a mile south of the Spanish Harbor Bridge near Big Pine Key.

Turner found the individual while on land and quickly made his way to his patrol boat to provide assistance. About 20 minutes later, he arrived and found the man, later identified as Michael Krevat, clinging to an overturned kayak with his head barely above water.

Mr. Krevat was not wearing a life jacket and was too exhausted to reboard his vessel, FWC South Region public information director Arielle Callender said in a press release. Turner threw a line to Krevat and pulled him to the stern of the patrol vessel, where he was safely brought aboard. The officer also recovered the overturned kayak, and they returned to shore.

Once on land, emergency medical services evaluated Krevat, who was found to be uninjured. Because Krevat did not have a life jacket, officer Turner provided him with a spare.

“I was paddling water for 20 or 30 minutes, at least,” Krevat told officers in bodycam footage of the incident released by FWC. “I started praying to God, and then this guy (Turner) showed up.”

“This incident highlights the importance of always wearing a life jacket. Drowning is the leading cause of death in boating accidents,” said FWC Captain Adam Garrison. “Fortunately, our officer’s quick response helped prevent a potential tragedy on the water.”

For more information about boating safety, visit myfwc.com/boating and select “Boater Education” then “Boating Safety.”

– Keys Weekly staff report

Stills from bodycam footage released by FWC show officer Shawn Turner’s rescue of kayaker Michael Krevat on July 19. FWC/Contributed

Marine deputies Luis Guiardinu, left, and Willie Guerra intercept a vessel reportedly robbing traps on the bayside off Grassy Key. MCSO/Contributed

Dorgis Rodriguez Lu-

THE GREAT FLORIDA KEYS ROAD TRIP: MILE MARKER 0

The Great Florida Keys Road Trip comes to an end, not with a whimper, but a big Key West bang.

After crossing Cow Key Channel, the Overseas Highway name disappears and is replaced by a series of roads. It starts with a traffic light and two options: a left turn or a right turn. The left option follows South Roosevelt Boulevard and winds around the edge of the island, past the airport, Fort East Martello and the museum where the haunted Robert the Doll lives, Smathers Beach and ends at Bertha Street.

FLORIDA KEYS HISTORY WITH BRAD BERTELLI

Brad is a local historian, author, speaker and Honorary Conch who loves sharing the history of the Florida Keys.

The right option follows North Roosevelt Boulevard and the last mile or two of the highway’s path. North Roosevelt skirts the other side of the island until it becomes Truman Avenue, which, like the Overseas Highway, has been called a name or two.

According to J. Wills Burke’s fun book “The Streets of Key West,” it started as a rocky path hacked out of the island’s hammock as a way for General John M. Brannan and his Union troops to avoid the island’s Confederate sympathizers, of which there were many, during the Civil War years.

Its earliest version was known as Brannan Road. Locals called it Rocky Road for the same reason locals once called the Overseas Highway Old Bumpy; the islands are built atop an ancient system of barrier reefs covered by a thin layer of topsoil. In 1870, Brannan Road was identified as Military Road. As the island’s population grew, it became a metaphorical line of division between what is called Old Town today and the rest of the island.

Old Town is now the Key West Historic District and covers the western half of the island. Because of the road’s placement, Military Road became Division Street. On Nov. 16, 1948, Divi-

sion Street was renamed Truman Avenue to honor President Harry Truman’s many visits to the island. Truman Avenue cuts through the middle of the island and crosses Duval Street. One block beyond Duval is Whitehead Street. To find Mile Marker 0, turn right (if you’re coming from the east).

Before the much-anticipated green and white sign appears a few blocks away, there are several points of interest to note. The first is a lighthouse. There are nine lighthouses on and around the Florida Keys. Six iron lighthouses were built to mark dangerous tracts of coral along the Florida Reef: Fowey Rocks Lighthouse, Carysfort Reef Lighthouse, Alligator Reef Lighthouse, Sombrero Key Lighthouse, American Shoal Lighthouse and Sand Key Lighthouse. Each was placed in the Atlantic shallows miles offshore.

Two stand in the Dry Tortugas, about 70 miles southwest of Key West. One is on Loggerhead Key and the other is at Fort Jefferson on Garden Key. The last one is steps away from Whitehead Street.

The Key West Lighthouse is taller than it used to be. It stood 65 feet tall when it was first lit in 1825. After a hurricane destroyed the light in 1846, it was rebuilt. (The storm also devastated the Sand Key Lighthouse.) When it was again lit in 1848, it stood 50 feet tall. By 1894, Key West had grown up, both the buildings and the trees, and the lighthouse was raised another 20 feet.

Another thing that makes the Key West Lighthouse different from the others is that you can still climb the stairs, all 88 of them, to reach the top of the tower. The view might be the best in Key West. The lighthouse looms over Ernest Hemingway’s old house and the posse of six-toed cats that still call the property home.

Just ahead, at the corner of Southard Street, is the Green Parrot, one of the classic Key West bars that locals still flock to. It seems to have started as a grocery store owned by Antonio Sanchez in 1890. In the 1940s, it was a bar called the Brown Derby, a favorite air-conditioned haunt of the Navy. When the Navy left and the bar transitioned into the Green Parrot, the windows and the air conditioning were removed. Open windows, ceiling fans, and cold drinks are what’s

End of U.S. Highway 1 Mile Marker 0. DALE McDONALD COLLECTION/Florida Keys History Center

left. Little has changed about this local treasure, once deemed by Playboy Magazine one of the best bars in America.

The Green Parrot is kitty-corner to the Monroe County Courthouse, one of the few places in Key West that you do not want to visit. Well, not on official business. Between the sidewalk, the chickens and the buildings is a magnificent kapok tree. It is one of the most photographed trees on the island. Native to southern Mexico, South America and West Africa, the massive tree can grow to 200 feet tall, and as much as 13 feet in a single year. There are eight kapok trees in Key West. This one, thought to have been planted in 1905, is the oldest.

On the other side of Whitehead Street, just before Fleming Street, is the green and white sign marking the end of the highway, Mile Marker 0. There is more to the sign than there used to be. As the road’s significance has grown, so has the pole to which it is securely attached. The road just traveled is more than the Overseas Highway and U.S. 1. It has been designated a National Scenic Highway. In 2009, it was declared an All-American Road, one of about 30 in the country.

Taking a picture of the iconic Key West marker is a rite of passage. It is not the end of the adventure. One of my favorite things about Key West is that, unlike most of the rest of the island chain, it is by and large a walking town. It is nice to be able to go somewhere on vacation, park the car and not have to open the door again until it is time to slip inside, start the engine and drive back up the highway. Two recommendations. First, stay hydrated. Second, wear comfortable shoes.

The Aug. 8 cleanup was held across the street from city hall at the Montessori Children’s School. Sixty-two volunteers showed up and in one hour gathered 180 pounds of trash, 18 pounds of recycling and 1.75 gallons of cigarette butts. Thank you to the teachers and students for hosting the volunteers with breakfast and refreshments. On Friday, Aug. 15, volunteers will meet in the parking lot of the Capitana Key West, 2401 N Roosevelt Blvd. CONTRIBUTED

HELP KEEP KEY WEST BEAUTIFUL

Join a 1-hour cleanup Friday mornings

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

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

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

The city of Key West and its residents ask everyone to do their part to help keep Key West beautiful. 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

A special cleanup crew met Aug. 9 in the neighborhood of 16th Terrace and Donald Avenue. Twenty volunteers pulled trash from the mangroves and the right of way down the side streets. In one hour they collected 356 pounds of trash, 59 pounds of recycling and 0.25 gallons of cigarette butts. Special thanks to Nadene Grossman Orr from We’ve Got The Keys and Derek McCann of La Te Da for hosting the volunteers with breakfast and refreshments on a hot Saturday morning. CONTRIBUTED

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

JOIN A ONE-HOUR FRIDAY MORNING CLEANUP. ALL EVENTS ARE 8 TO 9 A.M. UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Aug. 22: North Roosevelt in New Town. Meet in front of the Laureate Key West Hotel (next to Keys Auto). Hosted by the Laureate Key West.

Aug. 29: Greene & Elizabeth streets. Meet in the parking lot by Conch Republic Seafood Co. Hosted by Just a Few Friends, Key West 2025, Reef Relief & Conch Republic Seafood Co.

TAKE ME HOME?

FIND A FRIEND AT THE FLORIDA KEYS SPCA

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

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

The SPCA’s Golden Paw program also provides special assistance with vet bills and medications for special-needs and older animals that require a little extra TLC.

Check these pages each week for just a few of the animals waiting for a home and see them all at fkspca.org

You’ve met Perry. Perry could be a lot of things. If he was a color he’d be Perry-winkle. If he was a dentist he’d be Perry-odontal. But he’s not. He’s just sweet, cuddly, 9-year-old Perry and he needs a home. Maybe with you?

Meet Luna! Or is this Moon? It’s hard to tell as they are identical-looking 1-year-old ferrets. Luna has been from Zanzibar to Mallory Square; Moon has only seen the sights a girl can see from Solares Hill; what a crazy pair. But they laugh alike, walk alike and at times even talk alike. These ferrets are two of a kind, and they only need one home.

Oh Pinkerbell Robbins. The Pinkster is 3½ years young and was surrendered to the Key West shelter in February. Much like Tinkerbell, Pinkerbell only exists in your memory if people believe in her and clap for her. So please, clap as loudly as you can while reading this description so we can find this beautiful girl the home she deserves.

Meet Shemp. Currently calling the Key West campus home, along with his brother Moe, this sweet guinea pig is only 6 months old. As with his namesake, the overlooked member of the Three Stooges, Shemp is a funny, somewhat quirky guy who is comfortable with his own style.

Meet Lorelai, who has been at the Key West campus for more than three years. She was originally brought in with a litter of stray kittens, yet she has been constantly overlooked when it comes to being adopted. Please help this girl find her own Stars Hollow, as in the TV show ‘Gilmore Girls,’ which we’re pretty sure is located right in your loving arms.

WHAT’S COOKING, KEY

WEST?

TRIVIA AND TREATS DEBUT IN HISTORIC KEY WEST SETTING

CAROL SHAUGHNESSY www.keysweekly.com

What’s the lively competitive game that — mixed with cocktails, camaraderie and culinary tidbits — is currently taking Key West by storm? And what’s the most historic setting on the island where it can be enjoyed?

The answer to the first question is simple: trivia. There’s nothing trivial, however, about Key Westers’ passion for the pastime.

Played by individuals or teams of up to eight people, trivia is staged several nights per week at venues around the island. Competition for bragging rights and prizes of miscellaneous swag is good-natured yet intense, typically resulting in laughter, banter and teasing between teams.

The fun-filled evenings are guided by a host who presents the categories and questions for each of seven rounds, displaying them on a television or video screen, and handles scoring when rounds conclude and teams turn in their answers. Categories might include music, television and film, sports or seemingly random topics. Questions are different at each trivia venue, providing an always-fresh experience for participants.

While most trivia nights are staged at bars or pubs, that will change starting Aug. 18 — when Monday night trivia debuts at the Key West Cooking School, located in a prominent historic landmark at 291 Front St.

Individuals and teams will compete in the 1856 building that was the island’s first permanent brick structure built by the Navy, now beautifully restored and featuring the original wood floors and soaring ceilings. The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973.

Comfortably seated in the spacious demonstration dining room, participants can test their topical knowledge surrounded by art, artifacts and memorabilia that showcase the Florida Keys’ unique heritage and culture.

As well as enjoying camaraderie and competition in the colorful

Starting Aug. 18, the Key West Cooking School will stage Monday night trivia gatherings hosted by the school’s Amy Lubchansky. KEY WEST COOKING SCHOOL/ Contributed

setting, they can also order casually elegant snacks and treats. The special “trivia night” menu is designed by the school’s executive chef, Keith St. Peter, who is renowned for his innovative cuisine.

Since trivia can be a thirsty occupation, specially priced drinks are available from the school’s Bar 1.

“Our goal is to present an elevated experience in a one-of-a-kind setting,” said the school’s Amy Lubchansky, a long-time trivia buff and culinary industry veteran who will host the two-hour gatherings each Monday.

Lubchansky will also keep track of cumulative team scoring and statistics as the competition progresses from week to week. That’s because, while “prize swag” from the school and other entities is awarded to winners of each round, teams with the highest cumulative scores will receive quarterly grand prizes.

Monday night trivia is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Admission is free, but teams are encouraged to call 305-395-4034 to reserve seating and tables.

Last Bites

Dish of the week: Hot Cuban beef sandwich. Conceived by St. Peter for the Key West Cooking School’s “trivia night” menu, this delicious hand-held treat features traditional Cuban bread, expertly seasoned beef and luscious melted cheese. Protein-packed and hearty, it’s ideal for fueling high-scoring trivia success.

Helpful kitchen hack: When confronted with extra herbs after preparing a dish, don’t discard them — preserve them for future use. How? Just mince the herbs and freeze them in olive oil in an ice cube tray, so they’ll retain both their flavor and color. Next time a recipe calls for herbal enhancement, simply drop a frozen cube into the cooking pot.

Hungry for more? Visit keywestcookingschool.com.

SHELF HELP

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

What: “The Last Sunrise” by Anna Todd

Why: The cover of this book promised a nice summer read in a paradisiacal setting, and Anna Todd did not disappoint. Oriah (Ry) Pera is a young adult whose health journey has delayed her comingof-age story. When she has the opportunity to spend the summer in Mallorca, Spain, with her mother, she dives in head-first and quickly settles into the island life and a boyfriend. It is a summer of both firsts and lasts, and the reader experiences the adventures alongside Ry. Not usually drawn to light romance novels, I appreciate that the author provides good characters and story arcs while deftly handling complicated topics such as grief and depression. And now I’m seriously craving paella!

Where: You can borrow this as a large print book from the Monroe County Public Library.

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

Recommended by: Cindy Scofield, library associate, Key Largo library branch See previous recommendations at keyslibraries.org/postshelf-help.

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

What: “A Star Is Born” (1954)

Why: When Judy Garland lost Best Actress at the Oscars for this role, Groucho Marx famously quipped it was the biggest robbery since Brink’s. That statement is no exaggeration. This second of no fewer than four versions of this story is arguably the best one, mainly due to the powerhouse that is Garland. She takes big swings between comedy and tragedy and marries them together with her signature belting voice. The film was infamously edited down from three hours to two-and-a-half (possibly costing her the Oscar). The original cut is presented almost completely intact here, save for five minutes of footage that could not be recovered. See it and marvel at how relevant this story remains today. Where: This film is available on Kanopy, the library’s streaming app.

How: You can browse and request DVDs online by logging in to your account at keyslibraries.org. To view our collection of streaming movies and TV, go to kanopy.com/keyslibraries and set up an account with your library card. If you don’t have a card, you can visit your local branch or register online to get one. Questions? keyslibraries.org/contact-us. Recommended by: Kelvin Cedeño, library assistant, Islamorada library.

See previous Reel Recs at keyslibraries.org/post/reel-recs.

MONROE’S HIGH SCORES EARN ADVANCE FEMA PAYMENTS

State

disaster program rewards preparedness; county ranks

in top 3

Monroe County and two other counties earned the highest scores out of 441 participants for disaster preparedness by the state’s Emergency Management program.

The county’s high rating ensures that in the event of a declared disaster and FEMA Public Assistance approval, Monroe County will receive an advance payment of 60% of its obligated project funding, speeding up recovery efforts and reducing the financial strain on the county while it awaits FEMA reimbursement. In recent years, there have been no advance payments, and funding has been provided on a reimbursement basis once the project is obligated.

The program is designed to help state, tribal and local governments, as well as certain private non-profit organizations, streamline the public assistance process, identify risks and implement plans to mitigate those

FEDERAL INDICTMENT CHARGES KEYS CAPTAIN IN PARASAIL DEATH CASE

Daniel Couch already faces state manslaughter, civil cases over 2022 incident

Afederal indictment released this week adds a third layer of charges for a Marathon captain accused of killing a woman in a 2022 parasailing accident.

A federal grand jury returned the indictment charging Marathon captain Daniel Gavin Couch with one count of seaman’s manslaughter, the United State Attorney’s Office said on Aug. 11.

dragged by the freed parasail across the surface until it collided with the old Seven Mile Bridge, throwing the three into a piling.

Supraja was pronounced dead at the scene when she reached land, according to FWC’s report. Sriakshith suffered minor physical injuries, while Sadda was airlifted to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami.

risks before disasters strike. Each year, participating jurisdictions complete a Disaster Readiness Assessment (DRA), which evaluates key emergency functions for debris removal (Category A) and emergency protective measures (Category B).

In 2023, Monroe County volunteered to participate in the pilot program and provided input to help improve the process. This participation also contributed to the county’s finance and budget team’s ability to gain a better understanding of the process and receive improvement feedback.

“This is a huge win for Monroe County, which means we can respond and recover more quickly when disaster strikes,” said assistant county administrator Tina Boan. “Our staff’s commitment to improving our emergency processes is paying off for our entire community.”

Monroe County prioritize disaster readiness through partnerships with the Florida Division of Emergency Management and planning by leveraging programs like the one in which it rated so highly to protect its residents, infrastructure and natural resources.

— Contributed

Per the indictment, Couch, 52, was employed as captain by Lighthouse Parasail Inc. in Monroe County, and operated a commercial parasailing vessel, the M/V Airborne, on the company’s behalf. The Airborne was an inspected commercial vessel regulated by the U.S. Coast Guard and primarily used for parasailing charters.

On May 30, 2022, the indictment states Couch engaged in misconduct, negligence or inattention to his duties as captain, which led to the death of a passenger, 33-year-old Supraja Alaparthi.

Alaparthi was taking a parasail flight with Lighthouse Parasailing out of Marathon along with her 10-yearold son, Sriakshith Alaparthi, and 9-year-old nephew, Vishant Sadda. According to an FWC 24-hour report released a day after the incident, a strong gust of wind “pegged” the parasail, a term used to describe when a parasail becomes controlled by the weather instead of the towing vessel and begins to impede the safe operation of the towing vessel by becoming a sail.

With the parasail pegged, the boat’s captain, Couch, intentionally cut the line tethering the three victims, who dropped to the water and were

An indictment contains allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. If convicted, Couch could face up to 10 years in federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne, of the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent-in-charge Josh W. Packer, of the Coast Guard Investigative Service Southeast Field Office, made the announcement regarding Couch’s indictment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller and Coast Guard Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Stiehl are prosecuting the case.

Couch also faces state charges of negligent manslaughter and commercial health and safety violations. That trial is tentatively set for Oct. 6, according to most recent court records.

A civil wrongful death and personal injury case against Couch, mate Tanner Helmers, Lighthouse Parasail and Captain Pip’s Holdings, which owns the marina where the boat departed from, is also pending. The suit alleges that other vessels throughout Marathon came in early due to weather concerns on the day in question, and that the Alaparthi family had conversations with Couch about postponing the trip before being assured that “(they) will be fine.”

By Alex Rickert & Jim McCarthy

Daniel Couch. MCSO/Contrib-

High ratings for disaster preparedness will qualify Monroe County for advance payments after a storm, speeding up recovery operations like debris removal. KEYS WEEKLY FILE PHOTO

YELLOW SUBMARINE NO MORE

Abandoned craft removed from Boot Key

ALEX RICKERT

alex@keysweekly.com

A96-foot derelict submarine nestled in the mangroves of Boot Key made its final journey to shore this week.

In what the county dubbed “one of the most unusual and challenging projects” in the program’s history, crews with Monroe County’s derelict vessel removal program pulled the sub from the island’s internal canals on Aug. 11.

The operation was completed safely and efficiently by a pre-qualified marine contractor under the coordination of the Monroe County Marine Resources Office, a press release said.

“Derelict vessels, whether a small skiff or a massive submarine, pose serious threats to the environment, boater safety and navigation,” said the county’s senior administrator for marine resources, Brittany Burtner.

“Removing this submarine is not only a win for our waterways, but also a reminder of the importance of prevention.”

According to a 2008 report from the Associated Press, Marathon resident Duane Shelton purchased the windowless 100-ton pressure vessel from a Chicago scrapyard for roughly $10,000 in 1997, bringing it to Boot Key by “train, truck and barge.”

His original plan, the report said, was to mount cameras outside the hull and screens inside, motorizing the capsule and eventually using it to offer commercial tours.

HIGH-SPEED CHASE THROUGH UPPER KEYS ENDS WITH JUPITER MAN’S ARREST

A72-yearold Jupiter man is facing several charges for initiating a high-speed chase through the Upper Keys after he failed to stop for Florida Highway Patrol troopers on Aug. 8.

A report by FHP states Trooper Nathan Pope was attempting to conduct a traffic stop on a gray Toyota Camry for exceeding the speed limit on U.S. 1 near MM 95 in Key Largo just after 7:30 p.m. The motorist, later identified as Glenn Salts, didn’t stop as Pope activated his emergency lights.

Crews work to remove a 96-foot, 100-ton submarine from Boot Key on Aug. 11. The sub’s owner once hoped to use the vessel for tours, but never completed the project. BRITTANY BURTNER/Monroe County

That plan never materialized, however, as Shelton reportedly told the AP that the federal permit to operate the sub as a business would cost more than $750,000. His backup plan at the time was to bring the sub down to Honduras to offer tours, he said.

Fifteen years later, still without a valid Florida title or means of propulsion, the sub was declared a derelict vessel in October 2023.

According to court records, Shelton told FWC his plan was to have the sub removed by a Tampa-based salvage company, but had no set date for the removal.

One month later, Shelton pleaded no contest to the derelict vessel charge and was handed a $1,200 fine with 12 months of probation, which he successfully completed.

The submarine is the latest entry in a strong push by Monroe County

and FWC to clean up Keys waterways littered with derelict vessels, which pose a significant threat to navigation, marine life and the delicate sea floor in nearshore habitats.

Through the first six months of 2025, their efforts have pulled 134 vessels from waters throughout the island chain.

Boat owners whose vessels are at risk of becoming derelict are encouraged to surrender them and avoid legal challenges via FWC’s Vessel Turn-In Program. More information is at myfwc.com/boating/waterway/vtip/.

Two significant upcoming derelict vessel removals include a shrimp boat off Islamorada and the grounded boat off Bahia Honda State Park, which can be seen from U.S. 1. Both are scheduled for removal in the next week, weather permitting, the county said.

Troopers say Salts continued driving in a reckless manner, placing other motorists on the road in danger as Pope started to chase him. Trooper Robbie Valenzuela joined the high-speed chase near MM 91 and attempted a precision immobilization technique, or PIT maneuver, in which an officer tries to make the vehicle he’s chasing spin out and come to a stop by bumping the rear of it with the front of his squad car. The attempt was unsuccessful and his patrol vehicle was left inoperable.

According to the report, Salts continued driving at high speed on U.S. 1 and making multiple dangerous movements in congested traffic and through a construction zone where crews are installing new water transmission main. Continuing the pursuit, Pope successfully executed a PIT maneuver on the vehicle near MM 84 in Islamorada. The driver was pulled out of the vehicle and arrested. FHP received assistance from Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies who deployed spikes just before the vehicle raced south on U.S. 1 near MM 87.

“The troopers, motoring public, and MCSO sustained no injuries. Many thanks to MCSO; they were a great help as usual during the incident,” said FHP’s Pedro Reinoso.

Salts is facing felony charges for fleeing and eluding police, resisting an officer, evidence destroying and battery. He’s also facing several misdemeanor charges for DUI and moving traffic violations.

— Keys Weekly staff report

Glenn Salts. MCSO/ Contributed

Money.

Community.

3

3

3

BOUTIQUE HOURS

TUESDAY - WEDNESDAY 11- 4

THURSDAY - SATURDAY 11- 6

SUNDAY

Kirby

Keys Medical Center – a commitment recognized with a 4-star rating by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The national ratings provide a clear, reliable way to compare hospitals, helping you choose the hospital that is right for you. Less than 25% of Florida’s hospitals are recognized within the two top tiers, based on patient safety, experience and outcomes.

When it comes to your healthcare, there’s no place like home. LKMC understands the unique needs of our island community and provides high-quality care right here in the Keys.

A NOVEL GATHERING ON FRIENDSHIP,

HOPE AND THE MAGIC OF BOOK CLUBS

By Marie Bostwick

Small-town housewives in the 1960s baked upside-down cakes and prepared gelatin molds for parties. Aside from various household duties, women typically got together to exchange recipes and gossip about their neighbors. Frustrated by their cookie-cutter community, Margaret starts a book club with Viv, Betsy and Charlotte. The friends read “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan. This book describes how women are supposedly fulfilled by marriage, housework and motherhood. The belief was that they were simply not “feminine” if they desired to further their education and have a career or any political opinions. Growing up post-World War II, these women watched their mothers work hard to put food on the table. When the men returned from war, the women were pushed aside, as were their aspirations and sense of accomplishment. Many could not find the courage to express their feelings of unworthiness simply being trapped at home. Through the book club, “the Bettys” help each other maneuver through life’s many obstacles – their sisterhood prompting unimaginable changes in each of their lives.

First and foremost a reader, she has reviewed hundreds of books on her blog www. readingandeating. com. And, more recently, this new Keys resident has also begun writing.

By Ann Hood

A coveted seat finally opens in a neighborhood book club, and Ava steps in at exactly the right moment. Adrift after her husband walked away from their 25-year marriage, she craves conversation, routine and a circle that feels like home. Her friend Cate, a librarian and longtime confidante, guides the club through a year in which, each month, one member chooses the book that mattered most in their life. What sounds simple quickly becomes the highlight of Ava’s month as the group considers how reading challenges and heals. Structured around those monthly gatherings, the novel wins us over with warm and lovable characters. With every selection, Ava’s fresh heartbreak intersects with older losses — her children grown and gone, her mother and sister’s untimely deaths — until the stories on the table coax out the emotions she has so carefully tucked away. Page by page, she learns to face the future by walking back through her past. Perhaps the richest takeaway is timing; the right novel at the right moment can meet you where you are.

As a retired teacher and recent widow, she feels untethered in the world except when she is at book club. And the book club Harriet moderates is unique – it is at the local women’s prison. Through books, Harriet wants to teach these women to hear their own voices and to experience and express themselves through stories. When her student Violet is unexpectedly released early, she is on the “outs” for the first time in three years. Violet’s family has abandoned her and she must learn to accept her past in order to build a future. Frank works at a local bookshop. When Frank lost his wife, he, too, couldn’t make sense of life. The calming balm created by books felt like a warm blanket on a cold day, and the bookshop was a perfect escape. As the lives of Harriet, Frank and Violet intertwine, they discover the true meaning of friendship, family and love.

#WorthWatching: “Book Club: The Next Chapter.” This movie follows four friends who take their book club to Italy for a bachelorette celebration. What’s meant to be a breezy vacation turns into a laugh-out-loud adventure filled with detours, secrets and second chances. Don’t miss this talented allstar cast on Prime Video.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women

The Book That Matters Most

How To Read A Book

By Monica Wood

Harriet loves to read.

KAREN NEWFIELD

WE WON BEST BREAKFAST & BEST BLOODY MARY THANK YOU FOR YOUR VOTES!

NEW PREMIUM EARLY BIRD SPECIALS (1–4 PM, 7 DAYS/WEEK)

16OZ BONE-IN RIBEYE + SIDE $18

CHURRASCO STEAK + SIDE $18

BIKINI SHRIMP SCAMPI + RICE $18

SHRIMP CAJUN PASTA $18

SHRIMP TRIO $18

T-SHIRT DISCOUNT PROMO:

CUSTOMERS WEARING TWO FRIENDS OR PEPE'S T-SHIRTS AT PEPE’S OR TWO FRIENDS RECEIVE 15% OFF!

TO CELEBRATE WINNING BEST MOJITO WE ARE OFFERING $3.95 MOJITOS ALL SUMMER

EXTENDED HAPPY HOUR AT PEPE’S HAPPY HOUR 1–6 PM (INSTEAD OF 4-6 PM)

NEWS OF THE WEIRD

A zoo in northern Denmark has made an unsettling request of pet owners in Aalborg, the Associated Press reported. In a July 31 Facebook post, the zoo suggested, “If you have an animal that has to leave here for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us.” Not for a domestic pet display, mind you. The zoo is planning to “gently euthanize” the donated animals and feed them to its predators. Zoo officials said they’re trying to mimic the natural food chain, calling out specifically guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens as preferred donations. “That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators,” the post read.

Adam Dailies

In The Bleachers

Brevity

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Doc Holliday (1851-1887), gambler; David Crosby (1941-2023), singer-songwriter; Steve Martin (1945- ), actor/writer/musician; Danielle Steel (1947- ), novelist; Gary Larson (1950- ), cartoonist; James Horner (1953-2015), composer; Rusty Wallace (1956- ), race car driver; Earvin “Magic” Johnson (1959- ), basketball player/ businessman; Halle Berry (1966- ), actress; Mila Kunis (1983- ), actress; Tim Tebow (1987- ), athlete/sportscaster.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, guaranteeing income for retirees and the unemployed.

In 1945, President Harry S. Truman announced Japan’s unconditional surrender and the end of World War II.

In 2003, 50 million people in the northeastern United States and Ontario, Canada, lost power in one of the largest blackouts in history.

Brevity

Nancy Dailies

Founded by Betty Debnam

At the Museum

Whether with your family or on a school field trip, you probably have visited a museum. These destinations have so much to explore! This week, The Mini Page learns more about museums and how to make the most of your visits.

WHAT IS A MUSEUM?

There are many different kinds of museums. In general, a museum is a building where objects of lasting interest or value are displayed.

“Museum” comes from the Latin word meaning “a place for the Muses, for the study of special arts and sciences.” The Muses were the nine Greek goddesses of the arts and sciences.

VISITING A MUSEUM

• Take it easy. Museum visiting is fun, but it can be tiring and overwhelming. Bite off a little bit at a time.

• Dress comfortably. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes. You will be doing a lot of standing and walking.

• Learn something about what you will see be-

fore you go. Read a book or guide.

• Stop at the information desk. Pick up a map and exhibit information. Also, find out where restrooms, restaurants, drinking fountains and museum shops are.

• Together with your family, decide what to see. Parents and kids each could choose a few things.

• Decide how long the visit should last. One expert thinks that a young kid’s visit should not be more than 30 minutes. Older kids might stay up to two hours.

• Plan a route. This way you can see the most in the least time.

• Give yourself many breaks. Stop for a snack, or go sit outside and talk about what you’ve just seen. Then go back in refreshed.

• Mix looking at museum displays with hands-on activities. Many museums have areas where visitors can touch certain exhibits.

Museums may also have special shows, workshops or storytelling times, along with interactive exhibits.

The greatest thing about museums is that they’re everywhere! You can find museums in the smallest of towns and the largest of cities — maybe even right around the corner from your home.

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

BREAKS, COURTEOUS, DISPLAY, EXPLORE, GALLERY, GUIDE, INTERACTIVE, MUSE, MUSEUM, OBJECTS, RULES, SELFIE, SMITHSONIAN, STORYTELLER, THOUGHTFUL, VALUE, VISIT, VOICE.

BE A THOUGHTFUL VISITOR

You can help make the museum trip a happy visit for other people, too. Here are some tips for being a courteous tourist.

• Don’t horse around or try to take selfies with the displays. Leave your phone in your pocket and give your attention to the exhibits.

• Pick up litter. Take care of the museum property.

• Keep your hands in your pockets or to yourself. Many areas of a museum will be strictly hands-off.

• Pay attention to the rules and listen to the directions given by museum and tour guides.

• Wait your turn in line patiently.

• Keep your voice down inside the museum and other public places.

• Thank the tour guides.

• Be courteous to tourists from other countries.

• Respect rules about using your cellphone.

TODAY’S QUOTE

On the Web:

• flickr.com/groups/smithy/

• si.edu/about/history

At the library:

• “Simone Visits the Museum” by Dr. Kelsi Bracmort

ECO NOTE

India’s Asiatic lion population has grown by more than a third in five years, reaching 891 animals, according to a new government census. Once widespread across the Middle East and India, the lions now exist only in Gujarat’s Gir forest, where decades of conservation work have helped the species recover from a low of only 20 individuals in 1913. Despite the success, conservationists warn that having all the lions in one location increases their vulnerability to disease, natural disasters and genetic inbreeding.

The Mini Page® © 2025 Andrews McMeel Syndication

Mini Fact: The Smithsonian Castle in Washington, D.C., once held all the museum displays. Today it is the headquarters of the Smithsonian.

photo by

Richard Gillin

The Gallery of Maps is in the Vatican Museums in Rome, Italy. In 2023, more than 6.7 million people visited the Vatican

Warm Banana Dessert Topping

You’ll need:

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons shredded coconut

What to do:

• 2 medium bananas, sliced

• 1 tablespoon sliced almonds (optional)

• Vanilla ice cream

1. Melt butter over medium heat in small pan. Stir in brown sugar and vanilla. Cook on medium to low heat briefly until well-blended.

2. Add coconut and sliced bananas. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until bananas are completely coated with sugar mixture.

3. Add sliced almonds if desired, then pour over vanilla ice cream. Makes 2 servings.

* You’ll need an adult’s help with this recipe.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

George M. Cohan (1878-1942), songwriter/entertainer; Franz Kafka (1883-1924), author; Dave Ba y (1947- ), author/journalist; Montel Wi iams (1956- ), TV personality; Tom Cruise (1962- ), actor; Thomas Gibson (1962- ), actor; Yeardley Smith (1964- ), actre ; Co ie Nielsen (1965- ), actre ; Brian Cashman (1967- ), baseba execu ve; T mu Sela e (1970- ), hockey player; Patrick Wilson (1973- ), actor; Olivia Mu (1980- ), actre ; Chris Jones (1994- ), f tba player.

TODAY’S FACT

The New York mes reported in 1945 that an es mated 2 mi ion people fl ded New York City’s mes Square fo owing the a ouncement of the Japanese su ender in World War .

TODAY’S SPORTS

In 2007, Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox was ejected from his 132nd major league game, passing the record previously set by John McGraw. Cox retired in 2010 with 158 regular season and three postseason ejections in his career.

TODAY’S NUMBER

$47.5 million -- price paid by pop legend Michael Jackson when he purchased the company that owned the publishing rights to the majority of the Beatles’ catalog (251 compositions) on this day in 1985.

– Ken Follett, "Fall of Giants"

FICTITIOUS NAME

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of Sundek of the Keys located at 616 East Avenue J, Grand Prairie, TX 75050, intends to register the said name with the Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, FL.

By: Sundek National Accounts

Publish: August 14, 2025

The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Lien Sale

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned intends to sell the personal property described as blow to enforce a lien imposed on said property under the Florida Self Storage Facilities Act Statues (section 83.801-83.809) The undersigned will sell online by competitive bidding on August 29th, 2025, at 10:30am.

446 - Jennifer Davis - Personal Property

OP1 - Holly Tracker-Personal Property

OP49, OP74 - Daniel AdlerPersonal Property

Will be auctioned online by Storage Treasures via website at storagetreasures.com. All purchased items are sold as is. Items are located at Big Pine Storage at 30677 Overseas Highway Big Pine Key, Florida 33043 and must be collected within 72 hours of auction.

Publish: August 14 & 21, 2025

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 16TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA

UPPER KEYS PROBATE

DIVISION CASE NO.: 25-CP-000303-P

IN RE: ESTATE OF DONALD S. BRIGHT, Deceased. NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of DONALD S. BRIGHT, deceased, whose date of death was February 16, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88770 Overseas Highway, Tavernier, Florida 33070. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION

OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.

The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent's death by the decedent or the decedent's surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216-732.228, Florida Statutes, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes.

ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.

The date of first publication of this notice is: August 14, 2025.

Personal Representative: Patricia M. Bright 508 W. Wilson Creek Dr. Trent Woods, N.C. 28562

Attorney for Personal Representative: Victoria Miranda, Esq. Florida Bar No. #1015363 HERSHOFF, LUPINO & YAGEL, LLP 88539 Overseas Highway Tavernier, FL 33070 VMiranda@hlylaw.com –Primary kvilchez@hlylaw.comSecondary Publish: August 14 & 21, 2025

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 25-CP-278-K IN RE: ESTATE OF CELESTE YSABEL RUSSELL Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of Celeste Ysabel Russell, deceased, whose date of death was April 6, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, Florida 33040. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against

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

The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent's death by the decedent or the decedent's surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216-732.228, Florida Statutes, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes. The written demand must be filed with the clerk.

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.

The date of first publication of this notice is: August 14, 2025.

Personal Representative: Sonja Russell Gates 1213 14th Street, Lot 261

Key West, Florida 33040

Attorney for Personal Representative: Gregory D. Davila, Esq. Florida Bar Number: 886998 Law Office of Gregory D. Davila, P.A. 1111 12th Street, Suite 411 Key West, Florida 33040

Telephone: (305) 293-8554

Fax: (305) 294-9913

E-Mail: E-Filing@ keywestlawoffice.com

Secondary E-Mail: gdavila@ keywestlawoffice.com

Publish: August 14 & 21, 2025

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCIIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY CASE NO: 2025-CA-877-P

JUDGE: JAMES MORGAN IN RE: FORFEITURE OF PROPERTY DESCRIBED AS: A 2015 Gray Lexus RX350 SUV, VIN: 2T2ZK1BA7FC194338, FL Tag# NQUJ62, herein “Subject Vehicle” NOTICE OF ACTION

The Monroe County Tourist Development Council has funding available to governmental entities and non-profit organizations for capital projects for a second round for only District II (from city limits of Key West to west end of Seven Mile Bridge) and District V (from Mile Marker 90.940 to the Dade/Monroe County Line and any portions of mainland Monroe County).

The project/facility must have the primary purpose of promoting tourism and must fall into one of the following categories:

Convention Center, Sports Stadium, Sports Arena, Coliseum, Auditorium, Aquarium, Museum, Zoological Park, Nature Center, Fishing Pier, Beach or Beach Park Facility, Channel, Estuary, or Lagoon, Public Facilities in Accordance with Conditions set forth in the Florida Statutes.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 5:00 p.m. on August 27, 2025, and applications must be downloaded from the County’s Bonfire platform. For more information, please email maxine@fla-keys.com.

July 31 and August 7, 14 & 21, 2025. The Weekly Newspapers

TO: Antonio Alvarez, and ALL PARTIES HAVING OR CLAIMING TO HAVE ANY RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST IN the Subject Vehicle. YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action pursuant to the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act has been filed by Richard A. Ramsay, Sheriff of Monroe County, on August 8, 2025, in Monroe County, Florida, and you are required to serve a copy of your answer asserting any affirmative defenses with the Clerk of this Court and Petitioner's attorney, CHRISTINA CORY, ESQ., at MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, 5525 College Road, Key West, FL 33040, on or before 30 days after first publication; otherwise a default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint.

Publish: August 14 & 21, 2025

The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 16TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: 25-DR-805-M RICARDO HERRERA TORRES, Petitioner, and ADIANES GOMEZ, Respondent.

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

TO: ADIANES GOMEZ RESPONDENT’S LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: UNKNOWN YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for dissolution of marriage has been filed against you and that you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on Ricardo Herrera Torres, whose address is 240 Sombrero Beach Road, Apt. D8, Marathon, FL 33050 on or before September 7, 2025, and file the original with the clerk of this Court at 3117 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050 before service on Petitioner or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do so, a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition. The action is asking the court to decide how the following real or personal property should be divided: NONE Copies of all court documents in this case, including orders, are available at the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office. You may review these documents upon request.

You must keep the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office notified of your current address. (You may file Designation of Current Mailing and E-Mail Address, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.915.) Future papers in this lawsuit will be mailed or e-mailed to the address(es) on record at the clerk’s office. WARNING: Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, requires certain automatic disclosure of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal or striking of pleadings.

Dated: July 29, 2025

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

By: Leslie Rodriguez

Deputy Clerk

Publish: August 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2025

The Weekly Newspapers

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 greathave svc. records from 89k miles, A/C works. REDUCED to $3000OBO Bring an offer! Located in Marathon. Call Evan 305-417-0169 SOLD!!!

PLACE YOUR AUTO FOR SALE AD HERE. $25/week for up to 5 lines of copy! Call 305-417-0871 or email Anneke@ KeysWeekly.com

BOATS FOR SALE

17' Montauk Whaler, 90hp Yamaha-50 hours only, GPS, Depth Finder, Radio, Aluminum Trailer, excellent condition. Located in Marathon. $11,000 OBO 305-849-5793 SOLD IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!!!

PLACE YOUR BOAT FOR SALE AD HERE. $25/week for up to 5 lines of copy! Call 305-417-0871 or email Anneke@ KeysWeekly.com

BOAT SLIP FOR RENT

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

PLACE YOUR BOAT SLIP FOR RENT AD HERE. $25/week for up to 5 lines of copy! Call 305-417-0871 or email Anneke@ KeysWeekly.com

BUSINESS

OPPORTUNITY

OPPORTUNITY

FOR SALE: Charter Boat Business & Equipment for sale. Located in Marathon, Florida. CALL 305-240-3270

EMPLOYMENT

Boat rental company in Marathon needs workers – Boat drivers, Truck drivers, Boat cleaners & Boat detailing. Call 305-481-7006

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/

Handyman needed for residence in Marathon. Call:305-395-0478 bbrayman@proton.me

Serve/Bartend 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, 9:30am-7pm 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.

PLACE YOUR EMPLOYMENT AD HERE. $25/week for up to 5 lines of copy! Call 305-417-0871 or email Anneke@ KeysWeekly.com

UNFURNISHED 2/2 HOUSE FOR RENT ON CANAL, MM27, Ramrod Key, recently refurbished and painted, w/d, utilities paid by owner, $3000/ month, security negotiable, fenced yard, available now. Pete 786-649-9833 or pprm1119@aol.com

3BR/3BA fully furnished home for rent in Marathon. Available now. REDUCED to $3,300/mo. 618-559-9143

2BR/1BA house for rent in Marathon. Completely remodeled. All appliances. No pets. $2700/mo for 2+ ppl.$2,500/mo if less, incl. electric only. F/L/S Dock available for sep. fee. 305-610-8002

Studio House with Queen size bed available in Marathon. Bedroom/livingroom/ kitchen all sep rooms. Furnished & appliances, newly renovated. No pets. $1,299 + utilities F/L/S 305-610-8002

2BR/1BA with outdoor patio for rent in Marathon. $2,100/month F/L/S Taking applications. 305-849-5793 RENTED IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK!!!

Furnished Studio Apt. for rent in Marathon. 1 person only. No smoking. No pets. $1,100/ month incl. water and electric. 305-743-9876 RENTED IN LESS THAN THREE WEEKS!!!

PLACE YOUR HOUSING FOR RENT AD HERE. $25/week for up to 5 lines of copy! Call 305-417-0871 or email Anneke@ KeysWeekly.com

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

HOUSING FOR RENT

RV FOR SALE

5th Wheel 27' Forest River Travel Trailer For Sale. Located in Key West. $9,500 OBO 305-848-7070

PLACE YOUR RV FOR SALE AD HERE. $25/ week for up to 5 lines of copy! Call 305-4170871 or email Anneke@ KeysWeekly.com

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

YARD SALES

PLACE YOUR YARD SALE AD HERE. $25/ week for up to 5 lines of copy! Call 305-4170871 or email Anneke@ KeysWeekly.com

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

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:

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.

PART-TIME POSITION CODE

ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

The Part-Time Code Enforcement O cer is responsible for enforcing municipal codes and ordinances related to property maintenance, zoning, signage, public nuisances, rentals, and other related regulations. The O cer seeks to obtain compliance with City codes through citations or warning notices while assuring due process to violators. This position involves conducting eld inspections, responding to complaints, and ensuring compliance to maintain the health, safety, and appearance of the community.

Salary: Competitive Salary

Quali cations: High school diplomas or equivalent and a valid Florida drivers license. Prior experience in code enforcement, law enforcement, or a related regulatory eld is desirable but not required. Ability to interpret and apply city codes, ordinances, and regulations; strong communication and con ict resolution skills; ability to work independently and exercise sound judgement; experience using computer software and applications; active position including standing/walking/bending/kneeling/crouching throughout the day in varying climate conditions.

Application forms can be found at www.keycolonybeach.net; see “I WANT TO” then “APPLY FOR A JOB.”

Equal Opportunity Employer

Submit resume and application by mail or in-person to: City of Key Colony Beach

Attn.: City Clerk

P.O. Box 510141

Key Colony Beach, FL 33051 Or email Cityclerk@keycolonybeach.net

SUNSET GRILLE NOW HIRING

NOW HIRING

GENERAL OFFICE HELP

Captain Pip’s & their sister properties are looking to hire for general of ce help. Send resume to captpips@aol.com or come in the of ce to ll 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!

D’Asign Source is seeking the following professionals. Overtime and benefits are available.

Interior Designer

Apply knowledge & creative skills to projects at our high-end design center. Must possess history of achievement in quality projects and a strong sales background.

Warehouse Receiver

Responsible for receiving, inspecting, and processing incoming shipments in a timely and accurate manner. This role ensures that all materials and products are accounted for, properly labeled, and stored in the correct locations. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, organized, and capable of working in a fast-paced environment.

Project Foreman

For complete details and to apply, please visit: DAsignSource.com/careers

wants you to join their team!

RETAIL GIFT SHOP ASSOCIATE

Full-time. $19/hour to start.

EMAIL resume to: TurtleHospital@TurtleHospital.org APPLY in person: 2396 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL

Join our team! Full and part-time Educational Program Guides/ Gift Shop Sales. Public speaking & retail sales experience helpful. $19/hour to start. Send resume to: turtlehospital@turtlehospital.org

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)

EDUCATION PROGRAM HOST (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

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 Therapist (CAT)

Behavioral Health Therapist (Children)

KEY WEST

Case Manager (Children, Adult) (FT) Prevention Specialist Advocate

MARATHON

Advocate Care Coordinator (PT)

Driver (CDL not required) (PT)

RN/Licensed Practical Nurse (FT,PT)

*Support Worker (Assisted Living) (PT)

*Behavioral Health Technicians – 3 shifts (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 - Get Involved/ Join our team/Job Opportunities/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 eld required. Of ce located in Marathon. Contact Marcia at 305-704-0117.

MARATHON GARBAGE SERVICE

We

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

- Medical Assistant, LPN, EMT or Paramedic, Primary Care Marathon, $5k Bonus

MIAMI CANCER INSTITUTE KEY WEST

- Radiation Therapist, $12k Bonus

- Pool Advanced Practice Provider (APRN/PA-C), Medical Oncology, Per Diem

TAVERNIER MARINERS HOSPITAL

- Cook, Dietary

- Multi-Modality Imaging Tech 1, (Mammo & X Ray), Radiology, $50k Bonus

- Registered Nurse, Emergency Department

- ED Team Coordinator 1, Emergency Department

- AC Mechanic-Licensed

- Manager Imaging Services

- Pool Medical Technologist

- Pool Registered Nurse, Cardiac Rehab

- Patient Access Associate, $1k Bonus

- Patient Scheduler 2, Radiology, PT

- MC Multi-Modality Imaging Tech, CT Scan, $50k Bonus

- Patient Financial Associate, Patient Access, $1k Bonus

- Registered Nurse, ICU, $15k Bonus

- Registered Nurse, ICU, PT

- Registered Nurse, PACU, Per Diem

MARATHON FISHERMEN’S COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

- Multi-Modality Imaging Tech 1, (CT & X Ray), Radiology, $50k Bonus

- Pool Pharmacy Tech 2

- Pool Occupational Therapist

- Registered Respiratory Therapist, PT, $12,500 Bonus

- Sr. Phlebotomist

- Security Officer, FT

- Patient Financial Associate, $1k Bonus

- ED Team Coordinator, Emergency Department

- Inventory Control Administrator, Keys/Marathon Supply Chain

- MC Multi-Modality Imaging Tech 2, (MRI & X Ray), Radiology, $50k Bonus

- Patient Care Nurse Supervisor, PT, Nights

- Registered Nurse, Oncology, PT

- Registered Nurse, Surgery, $15k Bonus

FACILITY MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR – FULL TIME WITH BENEFITS.

40 hours per week at the Keys Marine Laboratory (KML), Layton, Florida.

KML supports research and academic programs conducted by universities/colleges throughout Florida, the US, and internationally. Duties include all facility maintenance of buildings, grounds, and equipment (e.g. janitorial, preventive, repair).

To apply for this opening visit: Careers@USF and search for Job ID 41130.

MARINA CASHIER

Looking for a friendly, dependable team member who can handle a busy retail environment with a great a itude. Customer service experience and willingness to learn our sales system is ideal. Duties include assisting customers, restocking, placing orders, and keeping the store clean and organized.

This is an hourly position with pay based on experience. Flexible hours with a consistent weekly schedule. Morning and a ernoon shi s available.

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