Key West Weekly 25-1218

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“These go to 11.” — Spinal Tap

December 18, 2025

DECK THE HULLS

LIGHTED BOATS CRUISE PAST KEY WEST | P. 6

TIME’S UP FOR TRANSIENT RENTALS

WEEKLY RENTALS END IN TRUMAN ANNEX NEIGHBORHOOD | P. 4

KEY WEST CELEBRATES THE START OF HANUKKAH | P. 10

LIGHTING THE DARKNESS All I want for Christmas... is a bright and healthy smile!

Happy Holidays from your friends at

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

Join Us for the Holidays!

Christmas specials at Pepe’s & Two Friends, running 12/24 through close on 1/1 Breakfast: Filet Mignon Benedict with Potatoes $24.95 French Toast Special $17.95 Lunch: Blackened Yellowtail Tacos $21.95 Dinner: Surf and Turf 5oz Filet Mignon and Lobster Tail with choice of 2 sides $49.95 Seafood Trio yellowtail, Shrimp and Scallops with a Homemade Sauce and choice of 2 sides $44.95 Stone Crab 1/2lb $42.95 Danny’s Margarita $7.95 Breakfast: Filet Mignon Benedict with potatoes $24.95 Avocado Toast $18.95 Huevos Rancheros $17.95 Shrimp and Grits $19.95 - upgrade to Fried Oyster Grits $4 Lunch and Dinner: 5oz Filet Mignon, Shrimp Skewers and choice of a side $34.95 Spicy Seafood combo - Blackened Mahi Mahi, Buffalo Shrimp, Spicy Scallops and choice of a side $35.95 Shellfish Combo- 1/2 lb Snow Crab, 7oz Lobster Tail, Grilled Shrimp and choice of a side $48.95 Jambalaya $31.95 Stone Crab 1/2lb $24.95 | Stone Crab 1lb $44.95 Danny’s Margarita all day $7.95

KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

ON THE COVER KEYS

NEWSPAPERS

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

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

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

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

Members of

8M

AAA projects a record 8.03 million air travelers between Saturday, Dec. 20 and Jan, 1, 2026 – a 2.3% increase over last year. If the prediction holds, it will be the first time on record that the number of domestic air travelers over the year-end holiday period exceeds 8 million.

The city of Key West menorah stands lighted alongside the city’s Christmas tree in Bayview Park.

More than 200 people — Jewish and non-Jewish — participated in the annual menorah lighting on Sunday, Dec. 14. See page 10.

CAROL TEDESCO/Contributed

TIME’S UP FOR TRANSIENT RENTALS IN TRUMAN ANNEX

20-year agreement for weekly rentals ends Monday, Dec. 22 MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

“T

hey’ve had a good deal for 20 years and now it’s over. I’ve stuck with that since before I was

elected.”

That was Key West Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez, speaking on Dec. 16 about the ending next week of short-term rentals inside the gated Truman Annex neighborhood.

As of Monday, Dec. 22, property owners in Truman Annex are no longer allowed to rent their properties for any period shorter than a month. The deadline is the result of a legal settlement that was agreed upon back in 2005.

Twenty years felt like some far-off date in the future back in 2005. It was the year of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Hurricane Wilma in the Keys. An online video platform called YouTube had just launched and the world was picking sides in the “Brangelina” relationship.

In Key West, 2005 also brought an end to years of lawsuits and appeals, with a settlement agreement granting property owners in the Truman Annex neighborhood 20 years of transient rental rights.

Owners could offer their units for weekly rentals, which are significantly more lucrative than the monthly vacation rentals allowed at most properties in town without a pricey transient rental license.

That special transient rental license, granted only to the 300 or so Truman Annex property owners, and only for 20 years, expires Dec. 22.

City officials sent a letter on Dec. 5 notifying all Truman Annex owners of the upcoming expiration.

“In accordance with the 2005 Truman Annex Settlement Agreement, all transient licenses associated with the affected properties will be placed into inactive status and void on Dec. 22, 2025,” the letter states. “As of that

The gated Truman Annex neighborhood has been allowed to rent properties on a short-term, or weekly, basis since 2005. But those short-term rental rights end on Dec. 22, as part of a 20-year-old legal settlement.

MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly

date, the property will no longer be authorized to advertise or operate as a short-term rental.

“Additionally, the city-issued medallion currently affixed to your property must be returned to the City of Key West Licensing Division no later than Feb. 1, 2026.”

Property owners and property managers may apply for a non-transient license to rent on a long-term (or monthly) basis from now on. Nontransient licenses cost $16.65.

“All active transient licenses for Truman Annex properties will be automatically closed in the city’s licensing system on Dec. 22, 2025,” states a September letter from the city, meaning those transient licenses will not be circulated and available for purchase by property owners in other parts of town.

Anticipating the expiration, many local vacation rental companies have been alerting visitors to their website of the upcoming changes at Truman Annex.

But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been ongoing efforts by some property owners to persuade city officials to extend their more profitable transient rental rights. Recent discussions have raised the possibility of the Truman Annex owners hiring an attorney to try to reclaim short-term rental rights.

As of September, city officials reached by the Keys Weekly were not on board with granting special rental rights to a group of homeowners in a particular neighborhood.

“I stated from the start of my term that I would oppose it,” commissioner Monica Haskell told the Keys Weekly in September. “Any investor down there had adequate notice of the date these rentals would end. People can still rent their units out for a month at a time, as they can nearly anywhere in the city. But if we gave Truman Annex new transient licenses, we’d likely be subject to multiple lawsuits from every other property owner who wants permission to offer transient rentals.

The city has made a lot of mistakes with Truman Annex in the past, such as when it tried and failed to develop the property into housing but was unable, and ended up selling it to a private developer. But there’s no reason we need to continue to perpetuate those mistakes.”

Henriquez and commissioner Donie Lee echoed Haskell’s concerns about potential lawsuits from other property owners seeking transient rental rights. “When I first got into office, I met with the folks who were interested in extending the rentals and were offering the city money or housing for workforce housing,” Lee said. “But the reason I don’t support that is because I was advised by our former city attorney that if we did that for Truman Annex, then we’d have to offer transient rental rights to everyone who wants them and that would be a Pandora’s box that I’m not willing to open.”

“I am not aware of any proposal to extend transient vacation rentals in the Truman Annex, and I would not support such an expansion,’ commissioner Sam Kaufman said in September. “The city made clear agreements with neighbors and residents years ago, and I believe those commitments must be honored.”

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

ROTARY CLUB RAIN DELAY DOESN’T PRESENTS CHRISTMAS DAMPEN 34th LIGHTED CARNIVAL & BOAT BOAT PARADE Schooner Wharf Bar’s holiday tradition PARADE cruises through Key West Harbor Perry Hotel & Marina welcomes Santa, Grinch & even snow

The schooner America 2.0 took first place in the 34th annual Schooner Wharf Bar Lighted Boat Parade on Dec. 14 at the Key West Historic Seaport. CAROL TEDESCO/keywestholidayfest.com

The M/V Izzy Rose, decked out with holiday characters and a Key West chicken lighting the way, scored second place in the 34th annual Schooner Wharf Bar Lighted Boat Parade.

The Rotary Club of Key West turned the Perry Hotel & Marina into a Christmas carnival the afternoon of Dec. 14, followed by the Stock Island Lighted Boat Parade, which cruised past the marina and carnival.

The afternoon included carnival treats, prizes, games, a bounce house, photos with the Grinch and Santa and even snow. All proceeds benefited the Rotary Club’s scholarship fund for local students. VALERYIA SAVINKOVA/Contributed

Santa Claus waves from atop U.S. Coast Guard vessel that took fourth place honors in the Schooner Wharf Bar Lighted Boat Parade.

T

he 34th annual Schooner Wharf Bar Lighted Boat Parade was postponed a day due to nasty weather, but the Dec. 14 spectacle shined with dozens of entries, from tiny kayaks to majestic schooners.

And the top five winners are:

• 1st: S/V schooner America • 2nd: M/V Izzy Rose • 3rd: M/V Cruisin’ Tikis • 4th: M/V USCG Response Boat • 5th: S/V Danger — Contributed

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

JIM MARQUARDT ANNOUNCES KEY WEST UTILITY BOARD CANDIDACY

5 BOARD MEMBERS REPRESENT KEYS ENERGY SERVICES CUSTOMERS

J

im Marquardt recently announced his candidacy for the Key West Utility Board, Seat A, saying he is committed to enhancing the utility services in Key West and the Lower Keys.

With a focus on sustainable energy and infrastructure improvements, Marquardt brings innovative strategies Jim Marquardt and a deep understanding of local needs. His campaign centers around transparency, community engagement and cost-effective solutions to ensure a brighter, more efficient future for all residents, states a press release announcing his candidacy.

Seat A on the Key West Utility Board is currently held by Mona Clark, who is seeking reelection. Clark has served on the board since 2004. There are no term limits for the utility board.

Key West Utility Board members earn an annual salary. As of early 2024, the board chair made around $28,000 and other members earned about $24,520, plus full health insurance while they’re on the board. The board members are expected to attend an average of one meeting per month.

Marquardt has called Key West home since 1999. He is married and owns a home that is 100% solar powered. He is vice chair of inns on the Lodging Association of the Florida Keys and Key West’s board of directors.

He is a board member of the Key West Attractions Association and a family member of the Key West Business Guild.

As general manager of the Gardens Hotel, Marquardt has positioned it to be named within

the Top 4 small luxury boutique hotels in the U.S. by TripAdvisor and among the Top 10 of small luxury boutique hotels in the world by TripAdvisor 2025. He was named general manager of the year by the Lodging Association of the Florida Keys and Key West.

Marquardt is a graduate of Leadership Monroe Class 30. He is also a graduate of the City of Key West Ambassadors Academy.

Originally from Arizona, Marquardt graduated from NAU with a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications management and has produced and directed for ABC, NBC and the Signal Companies, traveling extensively domestically and internationally.

Prior to moving to Key West, he was an executive director of commercial broadcast copyright licensing for ASCAP in New York.

About Keys Energy & Key West Utility Board Keys Energy Services (KEYS) is the public power utility for the Lower Florida Keys. Headquartered in Key West, KEYS provides electricity from Key West to the Seven-Mile Bridge and serves more than 28,000 customers.

The city of Key West purchased the electric utility in 1943, and the city commission created the utility board to oversee KEYS (known as City Electric System before the utility’s name was changed in 2002). In 1969, the Florida Legislature passed a new enabling act for the governing of KEYS, which is still in effect and calls for the popular election of five utility board members serving four-year terms. Through the utility board, KEYS’ customers have a say in their municipal electric utility.

— Keys Weekly staff report

REFRAMING THE ISSUE

New Florida law targets license plate coverings, not decorations ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

Y

es, you can still keep that license plate frame to cheer on your alma mater.

No, you can’t black out the numbers to try and hide from SunPass.

Over the last two months, the Keys – and Florida as a whole – have seen a rash of social media complaints and calls over a “new” license plate rule. Motorists reported being pulled over because a license plate frame they’d used issue-free for years was obstructing a portion of the plate – and was therefore illegal.

In one highly-publicized Broward County case, a man spent the night in jail after being arrested because the “S” in the “Sunshine State” motto at the bottom of his license plate was partially obscured by the frame holding it.

The widespread confusion is due to an over-generalization of a new Florida law that went into effect in October. The new law (statute 320.061) prohibits altering the original appearance of a license plate or registration sticker including a “coating, covering or other material onto or around” the plate. The charge?

A second-degree misdemeanor, carrying up to 60 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.

But now, cases like the viral Broward County incident are prompting a memo from the FLHSMV, clarifying that the law never meant to criminalize decorative frames infringing on the borders of plates – including those commonly used to support auto dealerships, sports teams or colleges. Rather, it was meant to target those who use tinted coverings, reflective tape or other means to avoid tolls by zooming past automatic plate readers on Florida highways undetected.

Dated Dec. 12, the memo states that frames are allowed as long as they don’t obscure any part of the license plate’s alphanumeric identifier or registration sticker in the top right corner.

Frames that partially cut into the Florida state name or motto along the plate’s top or bottom edge, Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay told the Weekly, are still good to go.

“We had one of my officers actually stop somebody (for a frame),” he said. “So we actually put out a

Decorative frames that block lettering at the top or bottom of a license plate are still allowed, as long as officers can tell which state issued the plate. SEMINOLE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE/Contributed

In 2019, an appeals court ruled the frame on this license plate complies with Florida law. FLHSMV/Contributed

directive telling people to stop doing this. The frames are lawful, as long as they don’t block the letters, numbers or decals. If it blocks Florida on top or ‘In God We Trust’ on the bottom, it’s not a violation.”

The FLHSMV memo does state that officers must be able to identify the state issuing the plate – already a challenging task at times in a state with more than 100 specialty plates on top of the default two-orange design. Asked if the caveat could still be used as the basis for a traffic stop if a frame blocks part of a less-common plate, Ramsay said he’s instructed his deputies otherwise.

“I think that’s an interpretation of each police agency, how they want to view it,” he said. “Do I think that under the letter of the law, someone could stop you if they can’t see (the state)? I have to say yes. But if they’re taking action on that, I think it’s a shame.

“That’s not why these laws are in place. … I have to think if you’re a police officer and you can’t figure out what state a plate is from, maybe this isn’t the job for you. I want my people to focus on more important things.”

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

THEATER REVIEW

‘SCROOGE MACBETH’

Red Barn Theatre cast ‘nails it’ on opening night

HANUKKAH CELEBRATION BRIGHTENS THE DARKNESS Key West celebrates Jewish holiday following tragedy in Australia

Opening night for ‘Scrooge Macbeth’ at the Red Barn Theatre included playwright David MacGregor in the audience, who said the cast ‘nailed it.’ ROBERTA DePIERO/Contributed

WYATT SAMUELSON www.keysweekly.com

E

very year, I make it a tradition to watch “A Christmas Carol” in some form. I’ve seen nearly every type of Scrooge you can imagine — from “Scrooge McDuck” to “The Muppet Christmas Carol” to Jim Carrey’s CGI bah-humbug, and now most recently the Red Barn Theatre’s “Scrooge Macbeth.”

It’s a play that made my college education in English literature all worth it. The play begins in the most Shakespearean fashion: a theater troupe loses half its players to food poisoning and must dig deep to put on a play that will save their financially strapped theater. What follows is a bombastic and original retelling of Shakespeare’s greatest hits, all wrapped in Christmas fashion.

Opening night for the Red Barn cast is always special. But on this opening night, playwright David MacGregor decided to fly down with his wife to the Red Barn to see his words come to life on the Key West stage.

One can only imagine the pressure that might put on the cast to get everything just “right,” but in superb Red Barn fashion, they did just that.

From the music direction by Nancy 3 Hoffman to the costume design by Gary Marion, aka Sushi, and the stage design by Jack and Gary McDonald, the production worked incredibly hard to create an intimate yet expressive show for their audience.

MacGregor told the Keys Weekly that he was incredibly proud of what the cast and production team were able to pull off. It was his second time seeing his play in production since it was originally published in 2011.

“The play depends on the full commitment of the actors because of

the nature of the script. You can see what a workout it is on stage with the costume changes, and they nailed it. It was phenomenal,” MacGregor said.

“Commitment” is a great word to describe the dedication the cast had to putting on a good show, but once you’re seated inside the intimate Red Barn Theatre and can see the perspiration on the actors’ faces or the blood rushing to their heads from a masterfully executed song or dance, the word elicits an entirely new meaning.

I’ve had the pleasure of being invited to many of the Red Barn’s opening night plays, so I’ve seen many of the same cast members perform in different productions. And in all of them, the commitment of Nina Pilar, Cassidy Timms or Mathias Maloff has always been off the charts. They’ve never not gone all the way when they’re on that stage.

In his debut at the Red Barn, Dominic Palillo set the bar high for himself.

He owns the stage and possesses a comfort in front of those curtains that can only come from a dedicated pursuit of the arts.

As with any opening night at the Red Barn, the after-party featured food catered by Hard Rock Cafe, and the audience had the chance to meet and talk with the cast members, production team, and this time, even the playwright.

“Scrooge Macbeth” at the Red Barn is a perfect performance for the holiday season. It runs through Jan. 9 with all shows at 7:30 p.m. There will be no performances on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve, but there will be a performance on New Year’s Day. There is no parking at the Red Barn Theatre. More information is at redbarntheatre.com or from the box office at 305-296-9911.

Key West Rabbis Shimon Dudai and Yaakov Zucker, along with Key West City Commissioner Sam Kaufman, lead a large crowd at Bayview Park on Dec. 14, where city and community leaders lit the giant menorah that stands alongside the city’s Christmas tree. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

A

large crowd assembled at Bayview Park on Dec. 14, for the annual City of Key West Menorah lighting ceremony, held just before sunset and marking the beginning of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights. Hosted by the City of Key West and emceed by commissioner Samuel Kaufman, blessings were offered by Rabbi Shimon Dudai from Congregation B’Nai Zion and Rabbi Yaakov Zucker from Chabad of the Florida Keys.

Key West Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez and other community members lit the menorah lights. Arts, crafts and games were also available for the kids at Bayview Park.

This year’s celebration drew a larger-than-normal crowd and included a somber remembrance of the 15 Jewish people who were killed in a mass shooting on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, where hundreds of Jewish families were gathered to celebrate the start of Hanukkah.

— Keys Weekly staff report

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

‘DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?’

FREE CHRISTMAS CONCERT SET FOR DEC. 21

SHOP LOCAL AT KEY WEST ARTISAN MARKET INDIGENOUS PARK HOSTS DEC. 21 HOLIDAY EDITION

T

Robin Kaplan’s Music Room students will be joined by Key West’s Joe Dallas and Skipper Kripitz for the Music Room’s annual free holiday concert on Dec. 21. CONTRIBUTED

T

he stage is set for a musical tribute to the holiday season as young musicians present “A Very Merry Musical Night.”

The annual family-friendly event takes place Sunday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m. at Key West United Methodist Church, 600 Eaton St. Admission is free.

The program will feature a mix of Christmas favorites, ranging from “Silent Night” and “The First Noel” to popular favorites such as “Feliz Navidad” and “Santa Tell Me.”

The students will be joined

by Key West’s Joe Dallas and Skipper Kripitz, Robin Kaplan’s Music Room alumni and some special guests.

“This concert is all about bringing our community together to share in the magic of Christmas and giving our young musicians a chance to shine,” said Kaplan, Music Room founder and director.

— Contributed

he Key West Artisan Market continues its 2025-26 season on Sunday, Dec. 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Indigenous Park at Higgs Beach with the Shop Local, Support Local edition, featuring the Sister Season Fund and special guest Santa Q. This market is an opportunity to wrap up holiday shopping while supporting local small businesses and giving back to the people who help make the holidays in Key West so special.

At the Artisan Market, visitors can shop a curated outdoor event showcasing fine crafts and art from Florida Keys makers, festive food and libations, local authors signing books and ocean views. Shoppers will find one-of-a-kind gifts including handcrafted jewelry, original artwork, home décor, apparel, specialty foods, artisan breads and cheeses, fresh produce, and authentic dishes from the Mediterranean, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and the Caribbean.

Great Events Catering offers a full-service bar with bloody Marys, mimosas, beer and wine, or guests may enjoy fresh-brewed coffee, nitrogeninfused teas, pressed juices and boozy popsicles.

This edition shines a light on the Sister Season Fund, a local nonprofit that provides emergency financial assistance to hospitality and service industry workers during times of need. Representatives will

be onsite sharing how the fund supports those who work behind the scenes to create memorable experiences for residents and visitors alike.

Guests are encouraged to consider making a donation.

Santa Q will be onsite from noon to 2 p.m., spreading cheer and posing for photos as families enjoy the market’s relaxed island-style holiday vibe.

Keys Yacht Rock Station 93.7 will broadcast live from the market throughout the day, sharing island tunes, interviews and community highlights. Guests can also meet local authors signing books, watch artists at work, and explore the newly remodeled Key West Wildlife Center located at Indigenous Park.

The Key West Artisan Market blends community spirit with local creativity and entrepreneurship, pairing nonprofit partners with a vibrant openair shopping experience by the sea. Each edition supports a different charitable organization working to strengthen the island community.

Admission and parking are free, and guests are encouraged to BYOB — bring your own shopping bags or purchase a branded bag at the Artisan Market info tent.

The market takes place select Sundays at Indigenous Park at Higgs Beach, offering a rotating lineup of themes and nonprofit partners throughout the season.

— Contributed

13

KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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15

KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

MESSAGE FROM THE SHERIFF The holiday season is here again!

I have some suggestions to help ensure your festivities are safe, memorable, and crime-free: • U.S. 1 traffic tends to get heavy this time of year, especially as we approach Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Everyone who will be on the road should prepare for intermittent slowdowns and be patient.

• Keep valuables/presents out of view and locked securely in your vehicle.

• Park in well-lit areas and be aware of your surroundings.

• MCSO substations and headquarters building are safe zones for those making purchases/transactions in person. Those who are worried about giving strangers their home address — or meeting with strangers in general — to make transactions can do so at a safe place.

Go to www.keysso.net for location information.

• Be wary of online scammers. Don’t share personal or financial information over an unsecured network. Be leery of deals that sound too good to be true or implore you to act immediately. Be cautious of links that are provided in emails and online advertising.

• Let a trusted neighbor know if you plan on traveling or will be away from home.

Monroe County Sheriff, Rick Ramsay Download the MCSO App Today!

Let’s all have a safe and happy holiday season!

Download the MCSO App Today!

16

KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

A Kemp’s ridley sea turtle on the X-ray table recently at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon.

MARK HEDDEN/Florida Keys News Bureau

A

nd some days you find yourself in a room full of endangered sea turtles, most of them flapping their front flippers, trying to find an escape route, trying to make their way back to the ocean. Even though the MARK ocean wasn’t the best place HEDDEN for them to be just yet.

The turtles were all ... is a photograKemp’s ridleys, the world’s pher, writer, and semi-professional smallest sea turtle species, birdwatcher. He also the most endangered. has lived in Key They are generally creatures West for more than 25 years and of the Gulf of Mexico, with 95% of the population may no longer be employable in hatched in Mexico. But a sigthe real world. He nificant number do wander is also executive from there. In recent years, director of the for reasons largely attribFlorida Keys Audubon Society. uted to climate change, they have been straying farther and farther, later and later into the year.

These turtles, 25 of them, had been victims of cold water stunning on the inside curve of Cape Cod, their cold-blooded bodies less and less functional as the water temperatures dropped. They were picked up off the beaches over several weeks by volunteers and staff from the New England Aquarium, collected and triaged at the Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, Massachusetts. When the tanks there filled with turtles, they were organized, loaded into towel-covered banana boxes and flown to Marathon by a nonprofit conservation group called NightHawk.

I was there on the tarmac to do some photo work when the banana boxes were transferred from the single engine turbo-prop to the waiting Turtle Hospital ambulance, but other than cardboard, terrycloth and the Chiquita logo, all you could really see was the occasional turtle nose sticking out through an air hole.

Down at the pistachio-colored former motel that is the Marathon Turtle Hospital, a crew of a dozen or so people, most in matching blue scrubs, carried the boxes inside, lined them up on the floor, and took the towels off.

The turtles were all young, about the size of oblong dinner plates, though Kemp’s ridley shells are deeply rounded, so maybe the size of small inverted soup tureens is a better description. All of them had a number and the name of an instrument (Viola, Banjo, Tuba, Ocarina) chalked in bright colors onto their shells, so the staff could tell them apart.

They were lifted one by one by gloved hands out of the banana boxes and placed into pre-labeled blue plastic tubs with matching blue blankets and blue file folders containing information about them as individuals. (One of the staff told me the blue towels come out when there will be a lot of cameras around.)

Over the next hour or so the individual turtles were weighed, measured, blood sampled, X-rayed and otherwise examined by the

TURTLES, TURTLES EVERYWHERE

Turtle Hospital’s deft and efficient crew, under the watchful eye of manager Bette Zirkelbach.

The more entertaining side plot was watching the turtles trying to crawl out of their tubs, sometimes succeeding and making it onto the floor or into a neighboring tub, but more often than not getting caught by a pair of hands just as they were about to do so, and being placed back into the middle of their tubs. (This may have been less entertaining to the folks who had to do all the hunched-over catching and resettling.)

The turtles were all later given swim tests, which they all passed. Nineteen of the turtles were found to be in good health, with the other six suffering from infections and lung damage brought on by the cold shock.

The goal is to release them all in the Cape Canaveral area in the next one to 12 months. **** I’ve always had a fondness for Kemp’s ridleys despite, I believe, never having seen one in the wild, largely because of hometown pride.

The Kemp’s part of the name comes from Richard Moore Kemp, a man who was born in Green Turtle Cay in 1825 and died in Key West in 1908. He is credited with rebuilding the Cypress House on Caroline Street after it burned in 1886. He is said to have liked planting palm trees. He may have owned a furniture store.

A man named William Kemp is often credited with starting the sponging industry in Key West, but no one knows if they were related.

The rest of the details of Kemp’s life have been lost to history, except that in 1880 he came across a type of turtle he did not recognize, and he sent the specimen up to the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard.

Fishermen who sometimes caught Kemp’s ridleys often referred to them as “bastard turtles” they were thought to be a cross between

green and loggerhead sea turtles. The folks at MCZ recognized Kemp’s specimen as its own species, one that had not been previously described to science. They named it in his honor, even giving it the scientific name, Lepidochelys kempii.

The name ridley is something of a riddle, as no one knows where it came from, though one theory is it is derived from the word riddle.

(There’s a really good story from 1999 about all of this by some reporter who used to work for the Miami Herald named Nancy Klingener.)

(Other fun fact: A Kemp’s ridley was the first turtle admitted to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon as a patient.)

Sometime in the late 1990s someone did a grave rubbing of Richard Kemp’s grave in the Key West Cemetery and sold it at a charity auction to raise money for turtle conservation. But it turns out it wasn’t Richard Kemp the turtle finder’s grave, it was his son’s. Kemp the turtle finder was buried in an unmarked plot.

Fran Ford, then-doyenne of the Florida Keys Audubon Society, as well as several other environmental groups, thought this was outrageous.

“There is no stone to rub,” Ford told Klingener. “He’s important and he belongs to us.

He should have a stone.”

So she went out and raised donations for a $300 granite marker to be placed over his grave with the words: RICHARD MOORE KEMP Jan. 25, 1825 Feb. 8, 1908 KEMP’S Ridley / Lepidochlys kempii In the middle is an engraving of the turtle.

You can visit the grave yourself — assuming the city hasn’t recently declared it abandoned and resold it to someone else.

18

Home for the holidays!

BABY’S

KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

WM Holiday Schedule

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Residential yard waste and recycling will be collected Saturday.

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Monroe County commercial service: Extra collection on Wednesday and Saturday.

City of Key West: Regular service schedule.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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24

KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

CALICO JACK AND THE TUPPERWARE PARTY

KEY WEST BACK IN THE DAY

K

ey West is not a Tupperware town.

That fact shouldn’t come as a surprise. Especially nearly 50 years ago, Key West and Tupperware were as incompatible as corn flakes and champagne.

Back then, Key West waitresses thought high fashion meant using a purple Crown Royal bag as a purse. Fancy dress-up attire was a baby-doll top with jeans and spike heels, or a carefully preserved pair of “formal” flip-flops.

Our only airline was called Air Sunshine, and its 28-passenger planes operated on a timetable so erratic it was nicknamed “Air Sometimes.”

CAROL SHAUGHNESSY The power grid had an equally whimsical schedule, with has lived in Key brownouts and blackouts ocWest for 40-plus curring at random. years, witnessing We did not use Tupperand writing about the island’s ware. When the power was on, renegade past, we refrigerated leftover food shipwreck salvage in old takeout containers from adventures and La Bodega or Uncle Garlin’s. colorful presentWhen it wasn’t, leftovers beday characters. came a feast for the neighborhood dogs and cats.

We didn’t have TVs or air-conditioning. My friends were pot-smoking bartenders, outlaw artists and fellow 20-something escapees from the “real world.” As self-identified tropical hippies, we scorned the trappings of middle-class suburbia, which definitely included Tupperware.

For me, the hippie mindset was paired with a deep appreciation for the absurd. One day in the late 1970s, that appreciation overruled my common sense: it inspired me to plan a tonguein-cheek Tupperware party — a parody of the ladylike gatherings staged by Middle American housewives.

To set the proper satirical tone, I invited my boyfriend’s shrimper buddies as well as my female cohorts, plus the owner of a scruffy bar where we all hung out, who helped lead the Outlaws motorcycle gang, and a couple of suppliers of illicit substances (just for fun).

Somewhere I acquired a bunch of Tupperware catalogs and price lists, in case anyone actually wanted to order anything.

1. While the canine Calico Jack is long gone, subsequent dogs like Loralei share his goofy spirit and fondness for sausage balls.

JOANNE DENNING/Contributed

1

2. Most guests at the satirical Tupperware party ignored opportunities to order from a now-vintage catalog. CONTRIBUTED

2

After deciding hash brownies weren’t an appropriate menu item, I found a recipe for a quintessentially clichéd appetizer: cheesy sausage balls.

The pre-party food preparation, however, involved a few glitches — mostly because my hyperactive puppy, Calico Jack, decided sausage balls were the world’s most perfect dog treat. Named after the Caribbean pirate Calico Jack Rackham, he staged a raid on the ingredients that would have made the pirate proud.

While cleaning up the resulting mess, I recalled that Rackham had been hanged for his crimes at a relatively early age. Hanging seemed extreme in this case, but the sausage ball incident proved I couldn’t inflict the puppy on my guests.

So I did what any 1970s hippie would do: after checking with Jack’s vet, I gave him a valium and locked him in the bedroom.

The first guests arrived moments later, bearing high-octane liquid refreshments, and my memory of subsequent events is somewhat hazy.

I do recall that the sausage balls were a hit (especially with the shrimpers, who surprised us all by showing up). Jack stayed quiet, except for some wobbly howls from his bedroom prison.

Enjoying the spirit of absurdity, two or three women friends did order Tupperware. The shrimpers did not, despite my pointing out how useful the larger containers would be on their boats.

After everybody left, I freed Calico Jack and the two of us shared the few remaining sausage balls.

In its own satirical way, the party had been a success. Yet it didn’t change my mind about a fundamental truth.

“You know, Jack,” I said, wiping sausage grease off the puppy’s paws, “Key West just isn’t a Tupperware town.”

KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

Friday, Dec. 19 brings about CHRIS the final new McNULTY moon of 2025, is an astrologer, representing wanderer, barthe time to set tender and intentions and advocate for queer justice. He conceive of new is a loquacious plans. Being in Gemini with a Sagittarius, this cozy Cancer rising. Find him at new moon is about commithearthandheraldastrology.com ting to projects that inspire you, resolving to bring new joys into your life, and inviting adventure into your daily practice in even the smallest of ways. This new moon in Sagittarius invites us to deliberately cultivate hope and faith into our personal lives and to acknowledge that, while we only have control over our limited area of scope, we have great power to make change within that space. This new moon is taking place at a 90-degree square to the Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Pisces, challenging us to create personal goals that counter the sweeping changes that we are seeing at a societal level. Amid all of the chaos that news outlets present on a daily basis, what are you doing in your personal life to challenge the prevailing narrative of collapse?

Under this new moon, plant the seeds of your own personal resistance to a world that is constantly vying for your attention, commit to practices that are constructive, and envision your goals for the year ahead.

Here are your horoscopes for the new moon in Sagittarius square Saturn and Neptune. Read for your rising and sun signs.

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22 - Dec. 21 You always have the opportunity to reinvent yourself, Sag, and that is exactly what this new moon is encouraging you to do. What do you carry that no longer serves you?

As you answer this question, immediately envision who you would be if you did not hold yourself back.

Take a small step in that direction.

Major shifts in home and family are outside your control, but you choose how you show up.

CAPRICORN Dec. 22 - Jan. 19 How will you protect your peace in the coming year? How will you stop the self-sabotage? This new moon asks you these questions and begs for answers. Even if you don’t have fully fleshed-out answers, let the questions echo. There are tectonic shifts happening in how you connect to others, but if you home in on your inner peace now, you will position yourself to withstand the changes.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20 - Feb. 18 Set some goals for your social network under this new moon. Who do you want to invite into your circle of support and who needs to mosey along? No need to take any actions, just sit with the pondering for now. Your values are changing at a very fundamental level, and who you surround yourself with will be a reflection of the transition you are undergoing.

PISCES Feb. 19 - March 20 This new moon invites you to set some goals and intentions for your work and career. Whether you’re ready to jump ship entirely or you want to recommit to your current profession, use this new moon to set some goals. You have been going through a major personality shift, letting old patterns die and new parts come to the surface.

What career goals can reflect this change?

ARIES March 21 - April 19 Adventures and novel experiences are part of life, even though there is a tendency to get caught up in grinds that seem repetitive.

This new moon asks you to set intentions that bring novelty into your world. Plan a trip, sign up for a class, explore your back yard. You

are processing some deep-seated, unconscious patterns, and choosing your own adventure may be just the release you need.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20 This new moon invites you to sit with the hard stuff, but in a new way. Try to set some goals for how to compost the more difficult aspects of life, such as grief and debt.

How can you bring some hope into life’s inevitabilities? You choose your own path, particularly as you experience major changes in your circle of friends.

GEMINI May 21 - June 20 Partnership can serve as an important mirror in our lives, and this new moon invites you to set some goals for how you show up as a partner. Ask a question in a new way. Look at your partner through a fresh lens. Consider new goals for what partnership could be. While you go through some major changes in your career, set some goals for how you can be a better partner.

CANCER June 21 - July 22 How do you feel about your daily routines and the amount of physical activity that you are engaged in?

This new moon is about checking in on your physical output and wellness. Set intentions for how you might better serve your own wellbeing. While there may be some big changes taking place outside your control, you can control the routines you engage in.

LEO July 23 - Aug. 22 This new moon invites you to set goals for your creativity and your joy. What makes your heart beat a little faster, Leo? Whether it’s a hobby you’ve neglected or a new way of expressing yourself, commit to the things that make you feel alive.

While the world may feel heavy and your shared resources or deep bonds are undergoing a complicated shift,

COMMIT TO HOPE

your capacity for joy is your greatest tool for resistance.

VIRGO Aug. 23 - Sept. 22 Your home is your sanctuary, and this new moon asks you to set intentions for your private life. How can you make your living space reflect the hope you want to feel?

Whether it’s an actual spring cleaning or a shift in how you relate to your family, focus on your foundations. You are currently navigating significant changes in your partnerships and how you see others, so let your home be the place where you recalibrate.

LIBRA Sept. 23 - Oct. 23 How are you speaking your truth? This new moon invites you to set intentions for your communication and your local connections.

Whether it’s starting a writing project or changing how you engage with your neighbors, focus on the power of your words. Your daily work life and routines may feel like they are in a state of flux, but you can choose to communicate with clarity and intention right where you are.

SCORPIO Oct. 23 - Nov. 21 This new moon falls in your house of values and resources, asking you to set goals for your financial and physical security. What does “enough” look like to you? Beyond just money, consider what you truly value and how you can invest in yourself. While your creative outlets might feel a bit hazy or uncertain right now, anchoring yourself in your own self-worth will provide the stability you need for the year ahead.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

BEACH BOYS BRING ‘SOUNDS OF SUMMER’ TOUR TO KEY WEST Catch good vibrations on March 29; tickets available for locals Dec. 18

PYTHON HUNTER PROTECTS NATIVE EVERGLADES WILDLIFE Kym Clark speaks at Florida Keys Wildlife Society WYATT SAMUELSON www.keysweekly.com

K

Rams Head Presents is bringing back the Beach Boys, who will play the Coffee Butler Amphitheater on Saturday, March 29. CONTRIBUTED

S

ynonymous with the California lifestyle and beloved by fans around the world, the Beach Boys will bring their “Sounds of Summer” tour to Coffee Butler Amphitheater on Saturday, March 29. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for an 8 p.m. performance.

Since co-founder, lead singer and chief lyricist Mike Love wrote the lyrics to the band’s first hit, “Surfin’” in 1961, dozens of the Beach Boys’ chart-topping songs have become anthems of American youth. Audiences can expect classics including “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” “Surfer Girl,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “I Get Around,” “California Girls,” “Help Me, Rhonda,” “Barbara Ann,” “Good Vibrations,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Rock and Roll Music” and “Kokomo.”

With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the Beach Boys have earned more than 33 RIAA platinum and gold record awards.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers were also honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2001 Grammy Awards. With more than five decades of touring under their belts, the Beach Boys have performed more concerts than any major rock band in history.

The Beach Boys are led by Love — Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in-

ductee, Grammy winner, New York Times best-selling author and 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee — alongside longtime member Bruce Johnston. Together with musical director Brian Eichenberger, Christian Love, Tim Bonhomme, Jon Bolton, Keith Hubacher, Randy Leago and John Wedemeyer, the band continues to honor and carry forward the legacy of one of America’s most influential musical groups.

Adding to the significance of this tour, 2026 marks the celebration of 250 years of the United States, while also saluting the 60th anniversary of the landmark album Pet Sounds — a milestone that continues to influence generations of artists and fans.

— Contributed The Beach Boys The Sounds of Summer Tour Saturday, March 29 at Coffee Butler Amphitheater.

Tickets go on sale Friday, Dec. 19 at 10 a.m. for the general public.

For Key West locals, tickets will go on sale Thursday, Dec. 18 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Use promo code BBLOCAL26.

For tickets: thekeywestamp.com

ym Clark did what any person would do when she saw an 18-foot python slithering across the road in Everglades National Park — she slammed on her brakes, took out her phone and started recording. What she filmed would later go viral and lead her on a journey that would change her life.

At the height of her video’s popularity, a professional python hunter invited Clark on a hunt. Then, doing what most others probably wouldn’t, she accepted the invitation. From then on, Clark decided to become a fulltime python hunter, dedicating her life to the management of the Burmese python species in Florida.

Clark is a wildlife photographer, conservationist and, more recently, a Burmese python hunter. During a recent lecture, “Predators in Paradise: The Battle to Unravel the Python’s Devastating Grip on Wild Florida,” Clark detailed not only her personal accounts as a python hunter, but also the story of the Burmese python’s arrival in Florida and efforts to manage the invasive species ever since. Held Dec. 11 at the Florida Keys Wildlife Society on Big Pine Key, attendees filled the room that was packed with eager ears and skittish excitement.

The Burmese python isn’t native to South Florida. It’s primarily found in the jungles and grasslands of Southeast Asia. But in the ’70s and ’80s, exotic pets became popular, and Burmese pythons began to be imported, bred and kept by people in Florida.

While some believe irresponsible owners dumped their snakes in the Everglades when they grew too big, it’s widely reported that the Burmese python boom began after the Category 5 Hurricane Andrew destroyed breeding facilities in South Florida in 1992.

With no natural predators, the Burmese python population exploded in Florida and has since been wreaking havoc on local wildlife in Everglades National Park.

“They have practically eradicated all land animals now. The only thing you’ll see are cotton rats, because

Kym Clark’s Instagram account @kym_clark is filled with images of her Burmese pythonhunting adventures in the Everglades, although she caught this snake in Key Largo while en route to Big Pine Key to give a lecture about the invasive pythons. KYM CLARK/Instagram

there aren’t enough predators to control their population,” said Clark. “It’s estimated there are 300,000 pythons in Florida, but I believe there could be more.”

When the Q&A portion of the talk commenced, everyone wanted to know the same thing: How close are they getting to the Keys? Luckily for the Lower Keys, it doesn’t appear the python population can make the trip.

However, breeding nests have been found as far south as Key Largo, and work is being done to stop the reptiles from sliding any further south.

Clark has caught about 80 pythons this year and plans to attack the new year head-on. What does she do with all these dead pythons? She makes custom jewelry with the python hides and brings her larger catches to lectures like these so attendees can see them with their own eyes.

“I always have mixed feelings about (euthanizing pythons), but I try to think about it in a logical manner rather than an emotional way. Euthanizing one Burmese python saves thousands of native wildlife,” Clark wrote on her Instagram page @kym_ clark, which shows her photography, conservation work and python catches.

Clark encourages everyone to do their part in managing the Burmese python population in Florida, but insists newcomers to the python-hunting world take a class (or several) before marching off into the marshes.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

WHAT’S COOKING, KEY WEST?

Start the New Year with fortunate foods

Local relay team ‘runs into’ Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies

CAROL SHAUGHNESSY

I

www.keysweekly.com

t’s called Hoppin’ John, and serving the strangely named dish is a cornerstone of southern New Year’s Day traditions.

Eating the concoction of blackeyed peas, rice and bacon or pork on Jan. 1 is believed to bring luck in the coming year.

According to food historians, the first written recipe for Hoppin’ John appeared in an 1847 cookbook titled “The Carolina Housewife,” but the dish was likely developed much earlier.

Though the reason for its unusual name is widely debated, most foodies agree on the reasons Hoppin’ John is regarded as a lucky focus of New Year’s Day menus.

The black-eyed peas represent coins, rice symbolizes abundance, and pork supposedly relates to moving forward in life.

Other foods are also considered important to consume on New Year’s Day. Eating greens — kale, cabbage, collard greens or other varieties — is credited with bringing financial well-being because green is the color of American paper money. Cornbread too is associated with prosperity because of its “golden” appearance.

Cuisine-based New Year’s traditions aren’t limited to the United States. In Germany, soft pretzels are said to bring good luck; in several cultures, fish symbolize qualities including progress and abundance.

People who start the New Year on the warm and welcoming island of Key West — whether year-round residents, seasonal snowbirds, or visitors enjoying a holiday getaway — tend to consider themselves lucky no matter what their dining choices are.

But to increase their chance of good fortune throughout 2026, they can treat themselves to a special New Year’s Day meal at Bar 1 — the comfortable yet distinctive hotspot in the Key West Cooking Show’s historic venue at 291 Front St. Bar 1’s New Year’s Day menu spotlights a variety of foods widely believed to bring luck, prosperity, health and abundance. Dubbed

KEYS WOMEN FINISH DAYTONA ULTRAMARATHON

Foods believed to bring good fortune will be on the New Year’s Day menu at Bar 1, served in a setting that recalls Key West’s historic past. KEY WEST COOKING SHOW/Contributed

“Lucky Eats,” the special selection will be cooked up by chef Keith St. Peter and his culinary crew.

Featured items include blackeyed peas and collard greens, both prepared with a flavorful Key West twist. Fresh local catches will satisfy the multicultural focus on fish — as will Bar 1’s renowned smoked fish dip, a creamy and well-seasoned treat.

Since the year ahead should be sweet as well as prosperous, desserts will be available too. (Luscious meringue-topped Key lime pie, anyone?)

In addition to savoring luckbringing foods, traditional New Years Day activities focus on watching football and enjoying favorite libations — and Bar 1 will offer a big screen and special cocktails so patrons can start the year off right.

Plus, for those eager to welcome 2026 with a culinary adventure, the Key West Cooking Show’s learn-and-dine experiences will take place as usual.

LAST BITES Dish of the week: Cuban Black Beans. For an alternative to blackeyed peas, consider the black beans that are a staple of Cuban cuisine.

Hearty and satisfying, the dish typically features dried black beans, a “sofrito” blend of finely diced bell peppers and white onion, and spices including ground cumin and bay leaves.

Helpful kitchen hack: If soup seems too salty during preparation, simply slice up an apple and add the slices to the pot. The starch from the apple will absorb some of the salt while adding a little sweetness.

Hungry for more? Visit keywestcookingshow.com or call 305294-COOK.

PERRY HODIES/Contributed

M

onroe County Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies was in Daytona Beach last week for an election conference, and saw four women who looked familiar.

Turns out Hodies’ husband, Perry, a photographer, had taken the women’s picture before they ran the Daytona 100 ultramarathon as a relay team.

The race started in Jacksonville and made its way down Florida’s east coast to Daytona Beach. It is the sister race to the Keys 100 ultramarathon, which is held in the island chain every May.

The team of four women was composed of three Keys locals, including Lindsey Foster, Melanie Youschak and Brittani Mica; and Amy Batiste, who lives outside of the Keys. The team ran the Keys100 in May and more recently the Daytona100 as a relay team.

The Daytona race ended at the iconic Ponce Inlet Lighthouse.

Pictured are Amy Batiste, Brittani Mica, Lindsey Foster, Sherri Hodies and Melanie Youschak.

— Contributed

32

KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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

JOIN A 1-HOUR CLEANUP FRIDAY MORNINGS

T

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

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

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

Looking for a loyal companion to sweeten your days? Milky is a 2‑year‑old Terrier mix with a black and white coat and a loving heart. He’s the kind of dog who will brighten your mornings, keep you company through the day, and be there to unwind with you at night.

Meet Noel, a 1‑year‑old orange and white domestic shorthair cat with a big personality and an even bigger heart.

This handsome boy is ready to bring joy into your home just in time for the holidays. With a name like Noel, he’s the perfect reminder that the season is about love, warmth and new beginnings.

HELP KEEP KEY WEST BEAUTIFUL

Meet Little Lady. She’s a precious Chihuahua with a small bark that cannot compare to her big heart. She can be a bit shy when meeting new people and may vocally let you know, but she is just saying she needs a minute. Once she feels safe, she is the sweetest little girl and will be cuddling in your lap.

The Dec. 12 cleanup after the holiday parade started at the corner of White and Virginia streets. In one hour, 77 volunteers, including from the U.S. Coast Guard and Naval Air Station Key West, collected 229 pounds of trash, 19 pounds of recycling, and 1.75 gallons of cigarette butts. Special thanks to Fausto’s for providing breakfast and coffee for the volunteers and committing to host the Friday after the parade cleanup. The final cleanup of the year will take place Friday, Dec 19 at Opal Key Resort, which is hosting. Volunteers may park in the garage and they will validate your parking. Thank you to everyone who helped Keep Key West Beautiful in 2025.

O

Meet Fink. This little star is a 4‑month‑old domestic shorthair who’s curious, playful and ready to explore the world with you. He may be small in size, but he’s full of potential, whether it’s chasing toys, curling up for naps or learning all the joys of being part of a family.

Meet Paddy, a 3‑year‑old male guinea pig with long black hair that’s looking extra handsome thanks to a fresh grooming from our small-animal staff member, Nic. This medium‑sized gentleman is part of our ‘small & furry’ family and is ready to charm his way into yours.

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

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

A troubling number of cigarette butts and plastic bags have been included in recent hauls.

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

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

Please pick up around your home or apartment complex. Every

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

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

Dec. 19: Front & Whitehead streets. Meet in front of the Custom House. Parking vouchers for the Opal Key parking garage will be available. Hosted by the Opal Key Resort.

Dec. 26: No cleanup the day after Christmas.

KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

33

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

Founded by Betty Debnam MINI FACT: Keep a winter reading diary of the books you’ve enjoyed. You can share it with friends!

READING IS SNOW MUCH FUN!

During the quiet moments of winter break, it’s great to settle in with a good book. Take a look at these titles and make a list of those you’d like to read.

• Rebecca Lee Kunz won this year’s Caldecott Medal for illustrating “Chooch Helped” by Andrea L. Rogers. This picture book tells the story of a big sister who’s losing patience with her 2-year-old brother, Chooch, who wants to help with everything.

• The Newbery Medal for 2025 was awarded to “The First State of Being” by Erin Entrada Kelly. In 1999, 12-year-old Michael meets a teenage time traveler who knows what’s in Michael’s future. But does Michael want to know?

• Author Kyle Lukoff digs into the story of a kid named A, whose life has been turned upside down by the pandemic, parents who don’t accept them and a friend who mysteriously

• The main character in “Bionic Boy” by Lynn Plourde, Benji, was born without hands, which seems to bother other people more than it does him.

When he meets an amputee with bionic arms, he starts to dream big.

• What does it mean to be a U.S. citizen? For some, it’s as easy as being born. For others, it’s a long journey. “Some of Us: A Story of Citizenship and the United States” by Rajani LaRocca helps readers understand and celebrate the different ways that people become Americans.

disappears. “A World Worth Saving” addresses both fantasy and real-world dilemmas.

• Women were barred from being astronauts when the space program first started. But “The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts” by Loren Grush tells the story of the trailblazing women who finally found their way into space.

• Anyone who’s ever loved a dog will relate to “Forever Ripley” by McCall Hoyle. Ripley is a German shepherd who has taken good care of Charlie, her favorite girl. Now it’s time for Charlie to take care of Ripley.

• When the days get long, a good puzzle book will keep your brain engaged. “The Epic Puzzle Challenge for Smart Kids” by Taylor Marr includes all kinds of mind-blowing games, mazes, riddles, hidden pictures and more. Get puzzling!

• Fans of the “Little Ghost Quilt” books can cozy up to “The Little Ghost Quilt’s Winter Surprise” by Riel Nason. It’s holiday time in the ghost’s town, and he wants to share the warm lights and beautiful decorations with his friends (who are just sheets). Can he find a way to do that?

RESOURCES ON THE WEB • bit.ly/4np05Ls • bit.ly/48KvX9B AT THE LIBRARY • “Snowflakes and Giggles: Winter Poems for Kids” by Sukhdev Kaur Dosanjh

The Mini Page® © 2025 Andrews McMeel Syndication

ASTRONAUTS, BIONIC, BOOKS, CALDECOTT, CITIZEN, COZY, DIARY, DOGS, FRIENDS, GHOST, LIBRARY, NEWBERY, PUZZLES, READING, RIDDLES, SPACE, WINTER, WOMEN.

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

S D Y R A R B I L R

K S B G G H O S T Z

O E I R E A D I N G

O L O U X S B Z F H

B Z N C P T A Y O Y

J Z I A L R S S S R

S U C L C O G O E A

D P Y D R N O C L I

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

ECO NOTE Mosquitoes have been discovered in Iceland for the first time, following an unusually warm spring that shattered temperature records across the typically chilly island nation.

Entomologist Matthías Alfreðsson confirmed that three specimens of Culiseta annulata, a hardy mosquito species capable of surviving cold winters, were captured in Kjós, near Reykjavik. The insects were found by amateur naturalist Björn Hjaltason, who described the find as “the last fortress falling,” since Iceland and Antarctica had been the world’s only mosquito-free regions.

Adapted with permission from Earthweek.com

FIND IT

38

KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / DECEMBER 18, 2025

December 18, 2025

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3

DECEMBER 18, 2025 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS THE SCOREBOARD

DEC. 8 - 13

Team

Sport

Opponent

Date

Result

Key West

Boys Soccer

Coral Shores

12/8

W, 9-1

Coral Shores

Girls Basketball

Keys Gate

12/8

L, 70-25

Marathon

Boys Soccer

Franklin Academy

12/8

L, 3-0

Marathon

Girls Soccer

Franklin Academy

12/8

L, 2-0

Coral Shores

Girls Basketball

Basilica

12/9

W, 58-15

Key West

Girls Soccer

Florida Christian

12/9

W, 7-0

Basilica

Boys Basketball

Coral Shores

12/9

W, 58-53

Key West

Girls Basketball

Marathon

12/9

W, 46-45

Key West

Boys Basketball

Marathon

12/9

W, 58-48

Coral Shores

Boys Soccer

Silver Palms

12/10

L, 8-0

Marathon

Boys Soccer

Bridge Prep Academy

12/10

W, 3-1

Coral Shores

Girls Soccer

Marathon

12/10

W, 8-0

Coral Shores

Boys Basketball

South Homestead

12/10

L, 53-46

Key West

Boys Basketball

St. Brendan

12/10

W, 64-62

Marathon

Girls Basketball

St. Brendan

12/11

L, 48-25

Key West

Girls Basketball

True North

12/11

W, 29-22

Marathon

Boys Basketball

Fort Meade

12/11

L, 56-48

Coral Shores

Girls Soccer

Gulliver Prep

12/12

L, 2-0

Key West

Girls Soccer

ChaminadeMadonna

12/12

W, 8-0

Basilica

Boys Basketball

First Baptist Academy

12/12

W, 71-19

Marathon

Boys Basketball

Moore Haven

12/12

L, 68-62

Marathon

Girls Soccer

Florida Christian

12/12

L, 4-0

Coral Shores

Boys Soccer

Palmer Trinity

12/12

L, 9-1

Marathon

Girls Basketball

Westminster Christian

12/12

L, 64-28

Key West

Girls Soccer

South Fork

12/13

T, 2-2

Basilica

Boys Basketball

Calusa Prep

12/13

W, 68-64

Key West

Boys Soccer

St. Thomas Aquinas

12/13

L, 3-2

THIS WEEK IN KEYS SPORTS

DEC. 18 - DEC. 25

Date

School

Sport

Opponent

Start Time

12/18

Coral Shores

Wrestling

Marathon

1 p.m.

12/18

Key West

Girls & Boys Soccer

Silver Palms

4 p.m.

12/18

Marathon

Boys Basketball

@ Palmer Trinity

7:30 p.m.

12/18

Key West

Boys Basketball

Mater Brickell Academy

3 p.m.

12/18

Marathon

Girls Basketball

@ True North

3:30 p.m.

12/19

Coral Shores

Boys Soccer

@ Silver Palms

4 p.m.

12/19

Coral Shores

Competition Cheer

Key West

2 p.m.

12/19

All Keys teams

Wrestling

@ Key West Invitational

4:30 p.m.

12/19

Marathon

Boys Basketball

@ Palmer Tourney

TBA

12/19

Key West

Boys Basketball

@ Palmer Tourney

TBA

12/20

All Keys teams

Wrestling

@ Key West Invitational

9:30 a.m.

12/20

Key West

Boys Soccer

Sheridan Hills Christian

10:30 a.m.

12/20

Marathon

Boys Basketball

@ Palmer Tourney

TBA

12/20

Key West

Boys Basketball

@ Palmer Tourney

TBA

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

James

OSBORNE

Senior, Key West Basketball

Osborne has been doing it all for us lately – scoring, facilitating and defending.

His presence on the floor is unmatched. The guys really look up to him and he’s doing his part as our leader and captain.”

— Tommy Butler Jr., Conchs head coach

46 points in one game

1ST in points in 4A division

When Key West’s James Osborne steps onto the court, he is a game-changer. Last week, Osborne dropped 24 points on Marathon and another 19 on St. Brendan. The week prior, he went on a tear, scoring 32 in one contest and an awe-inspiring 46 in another to tie the Conch record for most points scored by a single athlete in a single game – a mark that had stood for more than 30 years.

The talented senior is averaging over 23 points per game and has logged six doubledoubles at the halfway point of the season, ranking him in the top 20 in the state and first in 4A. For his sensational scoring, dedication to the sport and phenomenal leadership, James Osborne is the Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week.

Photo by MAICEY MALGRAT/Keys Weekly

ON THE COVER

DECEMBER 18

Coral Shores’ Jordan Brown goes up strong against Basilica School’s Noah Wright in a Dec. 9 showdown in the Upper Keys. See page 8. DOUG FINGER/Keys Weekly

4

KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / DECEMBER 18, 2025 SPORTS WRITER

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

The Keys Weekly Sports Wrap is proud to be the only locally-owned publication providing prep sports coverage from Key Largo to Key West.

Together with our writers and photographers, we are committed to providing a comprehensive overview of the world of Keys sports with photography that allows our readers to immerse themselves in game action.

PUT TO TH Soccer squads seeking momentum

Publisher / Jason Koler jason@keysweekly.com

Publishing Partner / Britt Myers britt@keysweekly.com

1

Managing Editor / Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com

Copy Editor / Mike Howie mike@keysweekly.com

Business Development

Patti Childress patti@keysweekly.com Manuela C. Mobley manuela@keysweekly.com Stephanie Mitchell stephanie@keysweekly.com

Production Manager

Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com

2

3

4

5

Executive Administrator Charlotte Hruska char@keysweekly.com

Graphic Design

Javier Reyes javier@keysweekly.com

Web Master / Travis Cready travis@keysweekly.com

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

MARKET EDITORS

Marathon - Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com

Classifieds / Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com 305.743.0844

Se habla español

THE MARATHON WEEKLY (ISSN 1944-0812) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY FOR $125 PER YEAR

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

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

Upper Keys - Jim McCarthy jim@keysweekly.com Key West - Mandy Miles mandy@keysweekly.com

9709 Overseas Hwy. Marathon, FL 33050 Office: 305.743.0844 www.keysweekly.com

T

he Coral Shores Hurricanes suffered a trio of soccer losses last week, first to Key West on Dec. 8 by a score of 9-1. The lone Hurricane goal came from Armando Picado. Two days later, Somerset Silver Palms shut out the ’Canes in an 8-0 defeat. For their final game of the week, the ’Canes lost to Palmer Trinity 9-1. Freshman Finn Chesler, assisted by classmate Jackson Keller, scored for Coral Shores to prevent a Falcon shutout in the Dec. 12 home match.

Marathon’s gentlemen stand at 5-5 at the season’s halfway point after a split week of action. On Dec. 8, the Dolphins traveled to Franklin Academy, losing 3-0 after their charter bus caught fire – thankfully with no injuries.

Two days later, the Fins had better luck, both with the transportation and the outcome of the game. Marathon beat BridgePrep Academy 3-1. Giordani Prieto scored 2, one off a free kick, and Aiden McIntyre scored the third. Goalkeeper

6

5

DECEMBER 18, 2025 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS

HE TEST 7

8

Photos by Marc Serota, Jennifer Searcy and Tracy McDonald

9 10 Tiago Rivero kept the Dolphins in the game by blocking a Panther penalty kick.

Key West added one win and one loss to its record last week, starting with its win over Coral Shores. The Conchs scored early and often against the Hurricanes, with nine different athletes netting goals. Sonny Bowden, Owen Lindley, Loubins Fleuridor, Sebastian Camargo, Nico Sulak, Lorvensky Lyncy, Evens Louis, Brady Wright and Nathan Godlewski each added a goal to their stats. Camargo assisted on two other goals while Lindley, Sulak and Louis each added one assist to the team total. Chase Hoffman assisted on one and Kieran Smith two in the mercy-rule win. A Dec. 13 matchup against a formidable St. Thomas Aquinas resulted in a 3-2 loss. Evens Louis scored once, assisted by Camargo, and a well-orchestrated throw-in from Smith ricocheted off the St. Thomas keeper for the second goal.

1. Coral Shores’ Kayla Serota (13) dribbles the ball away from Marathon’s Fantine Mendez.

2. Saydie Hendrix (3) boots the ball away from Marathon’s Allison Helms.

3. Avea Jackson (4) and Bayley Catarineau (14) celebrate a Hurricane goal against Marathon on Dec. 10.

4. Bayley Catarineau receives a pass.

5. Marathon’s Daniuska Perdomo (3) and Coral Shores’ Sammy Bates compete for ball control.

6. Marathon’s Giordani Prieto.

7. Goalkeeper Mary Searcy reaches for a save.

8. Lily Andrew (5) fights for possession with a South Fork player on Dec. 13.

9. Chaos erupts in front of the Key West goal as keeper Mary Searcy stays ready.

10. Marathon goalkeeper Tiago Rivero.

Girls The Lady Conchs moved to 6-2-3 on the season, fueled by a pair of wins and a tie last week. On Dec. 9, Key West traveled to Florida Christian, where they handed the Patriots a 7-0 loss. Madison Kilduff scored two goals and assisted on another to lead the way. Gabriella Rodriguez, Alondra Montilla, Keira Feitz, Alyssandra Camargo and Lily Baxter each netted one and Baxter was credited with a pair of assists in the win. Dec. 12 was more of the same for the red-hot Conchs. Key West beat Chaminade-Madonna on the road, handing the Lions an 8-0 loss. The following day proved to be more of a challenge. South Fork traveled from Stuart to take on Key West in an aggressive match, resulting in a 2-2 tie.

Maicee Gage and Kilduff scored one apiece and goalkeeper Mary Searcy kept the team in the game with some outstanding saves.

The Lady Fins added another win to their record last week. The team did not allow their burning bus to affect their game against Franklin Academy on Dec. 8, as Marathon defeated the Panthers 2-0. Chloe Rodriguez scored the first goal unassisted, and Shilo Yeider netted the second off a Dani Perdomo assist. On Dec. 10, the Fins lost at home to Coral Shores, 8-0. Two days later, they fell to Florida Christian in a 4-0 road loss to bring the team to a 2-6-1 record.

In their match against Marathon, Coral Shores’ girls peppered the goal with 34 shots. Eight made it into the net, with two coming from the dynamic duo of Kai Redruello and Lela Goodrich. Redruello scored the points, assisted by some impressive Goodrich throw-ins. Bayley Catarineau capitalized on some chaos in front of the net to score one, then Jenna Mandozzi made good on a corner kick. Saydie Hendrix scored two while Avea Jackson and Sammy Bates accounted for the rest of the Lady ’Canes’ goals. Grace Goodwin, Mya Champigny, Kayla Serota, Gia Champigny and Noelle Engelmeyer controlled the back line, preventing the Dolphins from coordinating a legitimate scoring threat while goalkeepers Ally Rosendale and Sophie Stevenson combined time in goal for the shutout. The win made it two in a row for Coral Shores, but a strong Gulliver squad ended the streak when they handed the Hurricanes a 2-0 loss on Dec. 12.

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KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / DECEMBER 18, 2025

FINE TUNING Teams polish routines for upcoming regional and state competitions

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ith less than a month to go before regionals, Keys competitive cheer teams are putting the final touches on their routines. On Dec. 12, the Hurricanes and Conchs met in The Back Yard at Key West High School for a friendly competition to help one another polish their performances.

In the sport of competitive cheerleading, teams have 2-1/2 minutes to perform a routine scored on a variety of categories, including technique, difficulty, choreography and showmanship.

Key West has a long tradition of success in the sport, and Marathon fielded a team in 2018, but this year marks Coral Shores’ first season and coach Samantha Rodriguez could not be more excited for the upcoming regional competition.

“Our competition cheer season has been going really well,” Rodriguez said. “The athletes have been working extremely hard every day to clean up routines and make sure everything is looking sharp and consistent. We still have a few head-to-head competitions coming up, which will be 1. Coral Shores and Key West competitive cheer squads pose for a group photo after their head-to-head competition on Dec. 12.

great opportunities to see where we stand and continue improving before we head to Stuart for regionals.”

Unlike most sports in Florida, competitive cheerleading teams are not classified by the size of a school. Instead, a team’s classification is determined by the number of athletes on the squad, whether they include gymnastic tumbling and whether the team is all-female or co-ed. Because of this, teams do not have district contests and often do head-tohead competitions at nearby schools where routines are judged and teams can use the critiques to ready themselves for regionals.

Last season, Key West made the cut at regionals and then reached state, where they finished seventh in the small non-tumbling category. This season, both Key West and Coral Shores will compete at South Fork High School for regionals with hopes for a bid to the state championship event in Lakeland on Jan. 22-23.

2. Hurricane cheerleaders perform the pyramid portion of their routine.

3. Coral Shores cheerleaders perform their routine as Key West’s squad looks on.

Photos contributed

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DECEMBER 18, 2025 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS

THE REGAN ROTH TEAM IS HERE TO PROTECT YOU...

YOUR FAMILY, YOUR LIFESTYLE, YOUR HOME!

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Capt. Skip and Lisa Bradeen "We have been loyal customers of the agency for more than six decades. We love the personal touch we get when coming into the office with questions about our policies. Holly Redding and Jennifer Paul are always so helpful, nice and there to help if we have a problem or just a question. You always keep us up to date on the new laws and changes that come up. It is our pleasure to be your customers."

I’m proud of the progress this team has made and excited for what’s ahead.”

— Samantha Rodriguez, Coral Shores cheerleading coach

3

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8

KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / DECEMBER 18, 2025

BATTLE ON THE BOARDS Hoops action heats up as teams reach halfway point of regular season

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he Lady Conchs have worked hard in the last few seasons to rebuild their basketball program, and the fruits of their labor are paying off. For the first time since the 2020-2021 season, Key West’s girls have won back-to-back games, starting with an especially sweet one. Neighboring rival Marathon visited on Dec. 9, and the Conchs pulled off a 46-45 win over the Dolphins.

Lilee Gage and Damarla Thompson scored 13 points each while Raegen Graham added 10 to the total. Colleen Barter scored 5 and pulled down 8 rebounds to overcome the Dolphins for Key West’s first win of the season. The team picked up its second win on the road against True North on Dec. 11, beating the Titans 29-22 to make it a streak. Thompson led the scoring with 8 points and 14 rebounds.

Jasminabonu Ibodilloeva scored 6 and Barter 4 in the win.

In Marathon’s loss to Key West, Daysi Williams scored 15 and Shaina Robinson 12. The Lady Fins went on to lose two more, including a Dec. 11 matchup with St. Brendan. Robinson dropped 16 of the team’s 25 total, then she and Williams combined to score all of the team’s points against Westminster Christian in a Dec. 12 loss to the Warriors. Williams had 15 while Robinson scored 13.

Coral Shores’ girls team split the week, starting with a tough loss to Keys Gate on Dec. 8. Presley Bagwell scored 10 and Melanie Estevez had 7 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks in the 70-25 loss. The following night, they hosted Basilica School with a better outcome. Estevez led the charge with 22 points while Julia Miranda added 16. Niveah Howard scored 8 and Kimmie Kearns logged 5 rebounds with London Atkins adding 7 steals and a block in the 58-15 win.

Boys Key West added two wins to its record, making it three in a row for the Conchs. On Dec. 9, the team hosted Marathon, beating the Dolphins 58-48 behind a strong performance from James Osborne. He registered 24 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals against the Fins, but the senior standout didn’t do it alone. Jaxen Cabrera and Zach Levering added 9 points each, with Levering grabbing 10 rebounds and adding a pair of blocks. The following night at St. Brendan School, Osborne was good for 19, and his 10 rebounds made it his fourth

double-double in as many games. Levering also recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Judson Snider added 9 in the 64-62 win.

Marathon endured a week full of challenges, beginning with the loss to Key West and ending with two against district rivals. In Key West, Briggs Roberts had the team high with 11 points while Jack Chapman scored 9, Drew Suarez 8 and Josh Koler 6. Koler pulled down 6 rebounds and had 4 blocks and Chapman had 4 steals in the loss. continued on page 10

1. Coral Shores’ Sergio Avelar and Basilica’s Noah Wright battle for control.

2. The Hurricanes react to a Jack O’Keefe basket.

3. Coral Shores’ Sergio Avelar plays tight defense on Alex Bouttier.

4. Tomas Gonzalez and Nate Garbutt defend their basket from Noah Wright.

5. Sergio Avelar takes a shot from downtown.

6. Jaxen Cabrera goes up for a layup.

7. Judson Snider runs up the court.

8. Jack Chapman shoots a 3-pointer while Zach Levering tries to block him.

9. James Osborne goes for a layup while Giorvis Zamora tries to block him.

10. Zach Levering goes up for a layup while Josh Koler blocks the shot.

11. Briggs Roberts shoots a free throw.

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DECEMBER 18, 2025 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS

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KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / DECEMBER 18, 2025

from page 8

Two nights later, the Fins went on a road trip to test their mettle against district foes Fort Meade and Moore Haven. Fort Meade beat the Dolphins 56-38 despite solid performances by Chapman, who had 13 points and 7 rebounds, and Roberts, who scored 9 with 8 rebounds.

Koler sank 6 before going down with an injury, which hampered the Dolphins against the Miners, but really took its toll the following night when the team took on the Terriers of Moore Haven.

Marathon’s eight-man crew, down one player and hours from home, matched up well against the Terriers, forcing the teams into double overtime. By the final buzzer of the second overtime period, three Fins had fouled out, leaving just

four to finish the game, making the 68-62 loss especially frustrating. Chapman was the top scorer again with 19.

Suarez scored 18, Giorvis Zamora added 10 and Graham Murphy scored 8.

Coral Shores lost two last week, first to Basilica School in a Dec. 9 home matchup. Sergio Avelar scored 18 points with a pair of steals and Jack O’Keefe put up 12 points, but a tenacious Mariners crew outscored the Hurricanes 58-53. The following night, Coral Shores fell to Somerset South Homestead, and the team’s hopes of ending the three-game slide were cut short when a game against struggling Palm Glades Prep was canceled. The ’Canes will have to wait until after the holiday break to even up their 3-4 record.

Basilica School remains unbeaten after adding three wins to a now 4-0 record. In the first game of the week, the Mariners were able to combine hustle and high energy to overcome the Hurricanes. Alex Bouttier scored 22 points and Noah Wright added another 14 to lead the charge in the intracounty win. On Dec. 12, Basilica paid a visit to Cooper City to take on First Baptist Academy, defeating the Lions 71-19.

Bouttier dropped 24 and Jacob Miracle added 9 in the lopsided win. Their next victim, Calusa Prep, proved to be a bit more challenging, but 15 points from Julio Valero, 14 from Wright and another 13 from Miracle helped the Mariners seal the 68-64 victory and secure the team’s unblemished record.

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12. Sutton Sayer shoots a 3-pointer while Jasmina Ibodilloeva tries to block the shot.

13. Lilee Gage goes for a layup.

14. Reagan Graham shoots a jump shot.

15. Shaina Robinson goes for a layup.

16. Colleen Barter goes for a layup.

Photos by Maicey Malgrat and Doug Finger

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DECEMBER 18, 2025 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS

Justice Lee Isom.

NATALIE DANKO/ Keys Weekly

Keys’ most powerful ladies shine as postseason nears

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ey West’s lady lifters remain unbeaten in intracounty competition after Marathon paid a visit on Dec. 10.

High school weightlifting competitions are fairly straightforward – there are two events, and athletes can compete in one or both. The Olympic competition consists of the total of an athlete’s best lifts on the clean and jerk and snatch. Each athlete gets three opportunities to clear each lift. The traditional event is fairly similar, but the snatch is replaced with the bench press.

The Lady Conchs outlifted the Fins in both the Olympic and traditional events. Key West’s Keily Cardona-Quiche, Caylee Moore, Camila Linares and Aaliyah McLeod were double winners, taking first place in both competitions in their weight classes. Althea Olsen and Courtney Ward split their class,

with Olsen winning traditional and Ward taking Olympic. Monea McLeod and Sofia Nafrere split their class as well, with McLeod winning in Olympic and Nafrere winning the traditional event.

For Marathon, Ella Evans, Sofia Konyk, Adelle Bainbridge and Justice Lee Isom were all double winners in their weight classes.

Lee Isom was the top overall lifter in the Olympic competition while Evans was No. 1 in traditional lifts. The top lifter is determined via an algorithm which takes an athlete’s body weight and best lifts into consideration.

Evans, who competes in the 119-pound class, benched 155 pounds and clean and jerked 150 to boost her score in the traditional event. Lee Isom competed in the 183-pound class and clean and jerked 200 pounds and snatched 165 to rise to the top in the Olympic competition. Both athletes are state

medalists with eyes on more hardware this season.

While the Conchs and Fins were dueling it out in Key West, Coral Shores headed north to Gulliver Prep for a meet with Everglades Prep the same day. The Hurricanes easily won the top spot in both events. Emily Hurt, Mira Jones, Karla Guitierrez, Grace Patterson, Lily Ooms, Elaina Kerns and Vanessa Gabriel were all double winners for Coral Shores. Gabriel was the top lifter overall in both the traditional and Olympic events. Gabriel snatched 115 pounds, cleaned 155 and benched 165 in the Unlimited weight class for the wins.

District competitions begin next month, and the season culminates Feb. 11-13 in Lakeland, where the Keys’ strongest young women will test their strength against the rest of Florida.

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KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / DECEMBER 18, 2025

BEAST MODE Trio of Conch wrestlers go undefeated at Bear Down Duals

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he Southernmost grapplers participated in the Bear Down Duals at Mater Lakes Academy on Dec. 13, finishing 3-2. The Conchs destroyed Miami Norland 72-9 and beat Immokalee 5624 and Mater Lakes’ B squad 63-24. Mater’s A squad outscored Key West 58-17 and Miami Southwest bested them 53-29.

On the girls side, Yannesie Corrales was undefeated at Mater after registering a pair of wins. For the boys, Michael Guzman went 5-0 at the meet. Also unbeaten was Key West’s big man, Allens Alexandre, who capped off a week in which he received his second collegiate offer for football with a 4-0 day on the mats. Sandy Horn went 4-1 and Kyle Condela and Richardson Aristerne were both 3-2.

This week, Coral Shores will host Marathon on Dec. 18, then all three of Monroe County’s wrestling programs will be represented at Key West’s tournament on Dec. 19 and 20.

Key West wrestler Landon Shaw goes to work at the Bear Down Duals. PROMETHEUS DELACERDA/Contributed

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DECEMBER 18, 2025 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

FISHING ADVISORY COMMITTEE (District IV Representative) of the MONROE COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL has an opening for a District IV Fishing Advisory Committee Representative (between the Long Key Bridge and Mile Marker 90.939) Must reside full-time in the Florida Keys and have a fishing-related business, or represent and have knowledge of fishing tournaments that utilize/ request funding from the specific bed tax district that the applicant will represent.

Any person wishing to participate on the Fishing Advisory Committee of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council within the district so noted above, may request an application by emailing sydney@fla-keys. com. Completed applications should be emailed to sydney@fla-keys.com or may be sent via U.S. mail to the address below: Department FAC Monroe County Tourist Development Council 1201 White Street, Suite 102 Key West, FL 33040 Deadline for receipt of application at the above email address is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 16, 2026.

A resume may be attached to the application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm the email was received.

Publish: December 18, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

shall offer this property for sale, at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Headquarters building located at 5525 College Road Key West, Florida 33040 in the County of Monroe, State of Florida, on the 22nd day of January 2026, at the hour of 10:00 A.M. or as soon thereafter as possible. I will offer for sale all of the said defendant’s right, title, and interest in the aforesaid personal property at public auction and will sell the same subject to all taxes, prior liens, encumbrances and judgments, if any, to the highest and best bidder for cash in hand or cashiers check. The proceeds to be applied as far as may be to the payment of costs and the satisfaction of the above described execution.

Dated at Key West, Monroe County, Florida, this 4th day of December, 2025.

Richard A. Ramsay Sheriff of Monroe County By: Donald Stullken Deputy Sheriff In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons with disabilities needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact the Civil Division no later than seven days prior to the proceeding at (305)8093041 Publish: December 11, 18 & 25, 2025 and January 1, 2026 The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF ACTION RE: MARATHON KEY BEACH CLUB II ASSOCIATION, INC MONROE County, Florida NON-JUDICIAL TIMESHARE FORECLOSURE PROCESS TO: Unit Owner(s) Last Known Address Unit Week(s) Amount due: Gary R Albritton and Vicki L Albritton 7618 Krupp Road Belding, MI 48809 C 201/23 $1,521.08 Manuel Cantero and Maria Cantero Calle 37 Num 64-15 Medellin, Colombia C201/24 $3,269.53 Carol Cole 136 NW 10th Court Boynton Beach, FL 33426 C101/04 $1,521.10 C101/05 $1,521.10 YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED of an action for non-judicial foreclosure of timeshare units on the Claim of Lien on the following described real property, located in MONROE County, Florida, to-wit: Unit Numbers and Annual Timeshare Use Periods (as set forth above) in MARATHON KEY BEACH CLUB CONDOMINIUM II, and all appurtenances thereto, according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof, as recorded in Official Records Book 859, Page 786 of the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida and all amendments and exhibits thereto. has been filed against you.

If you fail to cure the default as set forth in this notice or take other appropriate action with regard to this foreclosure matter, you risk losing ownership of your timeshare interest through the trustee foreclosure procedure established in Section 721.855, Florida Statutes. You may choose to sign and send to the trustee an objection form, exercising your right to object to the use of the trustee foreclosure procedure.

If you would like an Objection form, you should contact the undersigned Trustee, Thomas L Avrutis, Esquire, in writing.

Upon the trustee’s receipt of your signed objection form, the foreclosure of the lien with respect to the default specified in this notice shall be subject to the judicial foreclosure procedure only.

You have the right to cure your default in the manner set forth in this notice at any time before the trustee’s sale of your timeshare interest.

Objections must be made in writing to: Thomas L Avrutis, Esquire TRUSTEE FOR MARATHON KEY BEACH CLUB II ASSOCIATION, INC 201 Fletcher Avenue, Second Floor Sarasota, FL 34237 within 30 days of the first date of publication of this Notice.

If you do not object to the use of the trustee foreclosure procedure, you will not be subject to a deficiency judgment even if the proceeds from the sale of your timeshare interest are insufficient to offset the amounts secured by the lien.

Dated this 10th day of DECEMBER, 2025.

Thomas L Avrutis, Esquire, TRUSTEE TRUSTEE for MARATHON KEY BEACH CLUB II ASSOCIATION, INC Publish: December 18 & 25, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

IN RE: ESTATE OF WILLIAM FRANCIS KELLY II Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of William Francis Kelly, II, deceased, whose date of death was October 12, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for MONROE County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 3117 Overseas Highway, Marathon, Florida 33050. 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. The written demand must be filed with the clerk.

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: December 18, 2025.

Personal Representative: Melody Spiering Kelly 777 23rd St., Gulf Marathon, Florida 33050 Attorney for Personal Representative: Richard E. Warner Attorney Florida Bar Number: 283134 RICHARD E. WARNER, P.A. 12221 Overseas Highway MARATHON, FL 33050 Telephone: (305) 743-6022 Fax: (305) 743-6216 E-mail: richard@rewarnerlaw. com Secondary E-Mail: pamela2@ rewarnerlaw.com Publish: December 18 & 25, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

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, 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 PERIOD SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is: December 18, 2025.

Personal Representative: Janet J. Schneider 1132 Bulevar De Palmas Marathon, FL 33050 Attorney for Personal Representative: Brad A. Galbraith Florida Bar No. 0494291 Galbraith Weatherbie Law PLLC 999 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Suite 410 Naples, FL 34108 Telephone: 239.325.2300 E-Mail Addresses: bgalbraith@gwtrust.law ewhittier@gwtrust.law Publish: December 18 & 25, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

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 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: December 18, 2025.

Personal Representative: Hana Hoza Jacobs 79 Sunset Shores Rd. Center Conway, New Hampshire 03813 Attorney for Personal Representative: Richard E. Warner Attorney Florida Bar Number: 283134 RICHARD E. WARNER, P.A. 12221 Overseas Highway MARATHON, FL 33050 Telephone: (305) 743-6022 Fax: (305) 743-6216 E-mail: richard@rewarnerlaw. com Secondary E-Mail: pamela2@ rewarnerlaw.com Publish: December 18 & 25, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

90 Universal Trail Palm Coast, FL 32164 Attorney for Personal Representative: BRIAN M. CASEY Florida Bar Number: 92715 WRIGHT BARROWS PLLC 9711 Overseas Highway Marathon, FL 33050 Telephone: (305) 743-8118 Fax: (305) 489-0307 E-mail: Brian@keysclosings. com Publish: December 11 & 18, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE U-HAUL COMPANY OF MIAMI Notice is hereby given that on January 5th, 2026, Leonard Richford Jr. Storage Auctioneer, Executive Administrator for U-Haul Company of Miami, Will be offering for sale under the Judicial Lien Process, By Public Auction, the following storage units. The Terms of the sale will be cash only. U-Haul Company does reserve the right to refuse any bids. The sales will Begin at 8:00 a.m. and continue day by day until all units are sold. The names of whose units will be sold are as follows: 103530 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037 Steele, Sarah 1272, 1327 Neuzill, Bill 1557 Thoman, Catherine 1598 Cox, Michael 1426 Publish: December 18 & 25, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA, IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO: 2018-CP-190-K IN RE: ESTATE OF RODERICK C. McNEIL, III, Deceased. ___________________/ NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY given that pursuant to a Writ of Execution issued in the Circuit Court, of Monroe County, Florida, on the 31st day of July, 2025, in the cause wherein IN RE: ESTATE OF RODERICK C. McNEIL, III, Deceased, being Case No. 2018-CP-190-K in said court, I, Richard A. Ramsay, Sheriff of Monroe County, Florida have levied upon all right, title, and interest of the defendant, in and to the following described personal property to wit: SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY 100% Ownership interest and shares in McNeil Bros., Inc. All bidders must have a valid Driver’s License with them and must register with the clerk at location of sale prior to start time of sale. I

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 5TH day of January 2026 at 11 o’clock a.m., at 500 Whitehead Street, Monroe County, in the City of Key West, Florida, offer for sale and sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for CASH the Following described property situated in Monroe County, Florida, to wit: Unit B204 of TAMARIND BAY CLUB, A CONDOMINIUM, according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof, as recorded in Official Records Book 840, Page 2213 of the Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and any amendments thereto, together with its undivided shares in the Common Elements (the “Property”).

Pursuant to FINAL JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE entered in a case pending in said Court, the 24TH day of September 2025 Style of which is: TAMARIND BAY CLUB CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC., A FLORIDA NON-PROFIT CORPORATION Plaintiff VS. MARISA MORVILLO AND KEYS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Defendant And the Docket Number of which is Number 2025-CA156-P WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 20TH day of November 2025 KEVIN MADOK Clerk of the Circuit Court Monroe County, Florida By: Shonta McLeod Deputy Clerk Florida Statute 45.031: Any person claiming an interest in the surplus from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the Lis Pendens must file a claim within 60 days after the sale.

Publish: December 18 & 25, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 25-CP-533-M DIVISION: MIDDLE KEYS

IN THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COURT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 25-CP-534-M DIVISION: MIDDLE KEYS IN RE: ESTATE OF WILLIAM P. SCHNEIDER Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of William P. Schneider, deceased, whose date of death was August 11, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 3117 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050.

The names and addresses of the Personal Representative and the Personal Representative’s attorney are

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 25-CP-557-K DIVISION: LOWER KEYS IN RE: ESTATE OF BOZENA HOZA Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Bozena Hoza, deceased, whose date of death was September 25, 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. 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.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA DIVISION: PROBATE CASE NO.: 25-CP-321-K IN RE: ESTATE OF HOWARD MERKEL Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of HOWARD MERKEL, deceased, whose date of death was March 25, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 WHITEHEAD STREET, KEY WEST, FL 33040.

The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is December 11, 2025.

Personal Representative: Bruce Merkel

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

Runs or Not.$CASH 305-332-0483

BOAT MISC. FOR SALE Two 425 XTO Yamaha outboard motors for sale.

Low hours, excellent condition, professionally maintained. $25,000 for both. Located in Marathon.

Call for details 3 0 5 - 7 4 7 - 4 2 2 7 BOAT SLIP FOR RENT Dockage up to 60’ Islamorada Bayside, 50 amp service.

Call 860-982-4517 Boat dockage, 29th Street Canal, Marathon.

Up to 33' - water & electric.

305-240-3270 Boat Dockage for rent in Marathon. Private bay bottom, up to 40' boat, self containing, offshore water, car & dingy parking space provided.

3 0 5 - 6 1 0 - 8 0 0 2 PLACE YOUR BOAT SLIP FOR RENT AD HERE. $25/week for up to 5 lines of copy!

Call 305-743-0844 or Email Anneke@keysweekly.com

EMPLOYMENT Fullers Insurance is looking for a Customer Service Rep. or Agent.

Hours are 8-5 Mon-Fri. Paid holidays and health insurance.

Apply in person at 1432 Kennedy Dr. Key West or email resumé to norman@ fullersinsurance.com.

Boat rental company in Marathon looking for help with boat detailing & boat cleaning.

Call 305-481-7006 Now Hiring in Key West: Vacation Sales Coordinators. Up to $2,000 Sign-On Bonus. Please contact Brea.RollinsSimms@vacationclub. com for more information!

SUDOKU SOLUTION

14

KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / DECEMBER 18, 2025

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES 305.743.0844 • CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES • •305.743.0844 EMPLOYMENT The Housing Authority of the City of Key West now hiring the following positions: Grounds Caretaker, Full-time Carpenter, Electrician & Housing Assistant. To apply, please contact Human Resources at: wrightk@kwha.org or 305-296-5621 ext. 224.

Applications are available at the Administrative Office located at 1400 Kennedy Dr., Key West, FL 33040 or online at www.kwha.org - EOE & Drug Free Work Place. This opportunity is covered under Section 3 of the HUD Act of 1968.

Experienced Full-time Line Cook needed at the Cabana Club, an ocean front private swim club.

10AM - 5PM, Good Pay. Small friendly staff.

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

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

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

Above average hourly wage plus tips.

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

Retail - Tues-Sat 3:00 pm-9:00 pm in Marathon.

Must be able to lift large boxes of tee shirts.

More hours available if needed. Inside Airstream with AC. Email Carolyn sparkyslanding@aol.com HIRED!!

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

Call 305-743-0844 or Email Anneke@keysweekly.com

HOBBIES/COLLECT.

NOW HIRING IN KEY WEST

WE ARE HIRING Cake Decorator Early Morning Baker (4am-10am) Cashier/Server Apply in person at: Vicky Bakery 97630 Overseas Highway (mm 97) Key Largo, FL 33037 KeyLargo@VickyBakery.com

Burton Memorial United Methodist Church

HIRING CHURCH SECRETARY This position is ideal for someone who enjoys serving others, maintains strong attention to detail, and can manage a variety of administrative tasks with professionalism and grace.

- Strong communication & interpersonal skills - Ability to multitask and prioritize tasks independently - Proficiency with basic office software (Word, Excel, Email) - Prior office or administrative experience preferred - Handling confidential information with integrity Part-time, 3-4 days per week, $20 per hour If you feel called to serve in this role, please contact burtonchurchpersonnel@gmail.com We look forward to hearing from you!

NOW HIRING FULL TIME POSITION

BOOKKEEPING Amazing benefits available that include: Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance, Long Term/Short Term Disability, 10+ PAID Holidays PLUS Vacation & Sick Pay, 401K Plan Available, Paid Insurance Licensing/Training, Paid Continuing Education & Bonus Potential (Profit Sharing).

HOUSING FOR RENT

Apply by email Jennifer.Roth@ReganRoth.com

2 Bedroom - All new - AND - Studio - Furnished in Marathon. On the water, gated property. Section 8 possible. $1,300 - $2,000 month. Call 305-610-8002

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

VACATION SALES COORDINATORS UP TO $2,000 SIGN-ON BONUS! Please contact Brea.Rollins-Simms@vacationclub.com for more information!

Regan Roth Insurance, 90144 Overseas Highway, Tavernier.

Family-owned business that will treat you like family!

SUBSTATION ELECTRICIAN

(High Voltage Substation Electrical Technician) Starting pay rate for this position, depending on qualifications and experience: $46.38/hr. - $51.94/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.

PERMIT CLERK Must have experience with Excel. We are willing to train the right candidates.

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

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

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

SEE DOLPHINS PLAY EVERYDAY!

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.

DETENTION RECORDS ASSISTANT Applicants required working various shifts at the Monroe County Detention Facility.

Job requirements: Type 25 wpm, clerical skills and ability to multi-task. Salary $48,910.00.

Full benefits and retirement system.

Paid holiday, vacation and sick time.

Applicants must fill out the online preliminary application at: www.keysso.net Applicants may contact Charles Slebodnick at 305-292-7044. EEO/AAP

IN THE UPPER KEYS

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

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

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

Old Model Military Clocks & Watches.

Call 305-743-4578

NIGHT MONITOR - FREE Private Room in exchange for overnight availability at our Assisted Living Facility in Marathon. 5 nights on, 5 nights off 10pm-8am plus weekly stipend, Drug & background screen required. www.westcare. com/join-our-team/

IS HIRING

NOW HIRING! GUEST SERVICES STAFF (Full-Time, Permanent) GUEST SERVICES STAFF (Part-Time, Weekend) DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER

is a fun, environmentally friendly non-profit 501(c)(3) organization specializing in education, research, and rescue of marine mammals.

IMMEDIATE OPENING FOR

SIGN TECHNICIAN Experience preferred. CDL required.

Applicant must apply in person at: MARATHON ELECTRIC SIGN & LIGHT

10690 Aviation Boulevard Marathon, Florida 33050

DRC provides for the well-being of its employees with a competitive package including: a 401k retirement plan, medical benefits, HSA account, paid holidays/vacation/sick days, an employee assistance program, in addition to, life and disability insurance at no cost to the employee. EOE

COME JOIN THE FAMILY!

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

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER 58901 O/S Hwy - Grassy Key, FL

15

DECEMBER 18, 2025 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS

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

THE GUIDANCE/CARE CENTER, Inc.

IS HIRING!

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

KEY LARGO

Behavioral Health Therapist (Children) Behavioral Health Counselor (CAT) Prevention Specialist Case Manager (Adult)

KEY WEST

Case Manager (Adult, Child) Mental Health Technician Line (PT or FT) Behavioral Health Therapist (Children) (PT) Crisis Counselor Behavioral Health Counselor Prevention Specialist

MARATHON

Mental Health Technician Driver (CDL required) (FT) Registered Nurse (FT, PT) *Support Worker (Assisted Living) (PT) *Behavioral Health Technicians – 3 Shifts (FT, PT) *Night Monitor (ALF – Free Housing vs. Salary) *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 field required.

Office located in Marathon.

Contact Marcia at 305-704-0117.

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

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

4290 Overseas Hwy, Marathon

OPENINGS AVAILABLE PHYSICIAN PRACTICE OPENINGS

- Advanced Practice Provider (APRN-PA-C)Surgical, Ortho, Tavernier - Medical Assistant Ortho, $5k Bonus - Medical Assistant, Primary Care Marathon, $5k Bonus - Patient Access Associates, $5k Bonus

We’re HIRING!

Apply Online at KeysBank.com/Careers

KEY WEST Controller Full Time Teller Information Technology Technician II

MIAMI CANCER INSTITUTE KEY WEST - Advanced Practice Provider (APRN/PA-C) Medical Oncology, Per Diem - Pool Radiation Therapist - Registered Nurse, Oncology, $15k Bonus

TAVERNIER MARINERS HOSPITAL

- Clinical Pharmacist, $5k Bonus - Cook, Dietary, $5k Bonus - Exercise Physiologist, Per Diem - MC Multi-Modality Imaging Tech, CT Scan, $50k Bonus - Mechanic, FT, 7A-3:30P - Multi-Modality Imaging Tech, Echocardiography, Per Diem - Multi-Modality Imaging Tech 1, (Mammo & X Ray), Radiology, $50k Bonus - Multi-Modality Imaging Tech, MRI, $50k Bonus - Medical Technologist, Laboratory, $20k Bonus - Physical Therapist, $25k Bonus - Pool Clinical Pharmacist, Per Diem - Pool Group Exercise Instructor, Per Diem - Pool Medical Technologist - Pool Registered Nurse, Cardiac Rehab - Registered Nurse, Emergency Department, $25k Bonus - Registered Nurse, Emergency Department, Per Diem - Registered Nurse, Multispecialty Acute Care Center, PT - Registered Nurse, Surgery, $15k Bonus

MARATHON FISHERMEN’S COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

- ED Team Coordinator, 7P-7A - Inventory Control Administrator, Keys/Marathon Supply Chain - MC Multi-Modality Imaging Tech 2, (MRI & X Ray), Radiology, $50k Bonus - Multi-Modality Imaging Tech 1, (CT & X Ray), Radiology, $50K Bonus - Pool Physical Therapist, Per Diem - Registered Nurse, Emergency Department, $15k Bonus - Registered Nurse, Emergency Department, Per Diem - Registered Nurse, Multispecialty Acute Care, Per Diem, 7P-7:30A - Registered Nurse, Multispecialty Acute Care, Part Time, 7P-7:30A - Registered Nurse, PACU, $15k Bonus - Registered Respiratory Therapist, PT, $12,500 Bonus - RRT 2, Respiratory Therapy, Per Diem - Security Officer, FT, 7A-7:30P - Security Officer, Per Diem All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. *Sign-on bonuses are available only for select full-time positions based on candidate experience.

APPLY AND LEARN MORE careers.baptisthealth.net

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