Key West Weekly 26-0101

2026 bingo cards have been canceled due to high levels of WTAF.

January 1, 2026

WHAT JUST HAPPENED? HERE ARE THE HEADLINES FROM 2025 | P. 9

A fresh start, a healthy smile.

Wishing you a joyful and sparkling new year!

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

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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 / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

ON THE COVER KEYS

NEWSPAPERS

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

1.2 T billion

hat’s the number of iPhones sold in the decade after Apple introduced the first-generation unit in January 2007. The latest iPhone 17 series offers enhanced cameras, Apple Intelligence and better displays, among other features.

With 2025 now in the rearview, our Keys Weekly families wish everyone a happy, healthy and hopeful New Year.

Publisher / Britt Myers britt@keysweekly.com

MILES TO GO

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

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MANDY MILES

WHERE WILL YOU BE WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES 2026?

I

f you’re in Key West for New Year’s Eve, you’re in the right spot — no matter where, specifically, you choose to spend the last minutes of 2025.

As always, you have plenty of choices, unlike that “other” island up north, the one that seems to think it’s cornered the market on New Year’s Eve — by dropping the ball.

But have you ever spent three hours barricaded into a few freezing city blocks, shoulder to shoulder with 150,000 complete strangers navigating the six degrees of drunk?

The nearest bathroom may as well be in Boston, and despite the “spirited” crowd, adult beverages are decidedly inconvenient. But hey, at least they’re also wildly expensive, so you’ve got that going for you.

As the third hour of standing begins with the same seven people within a barricaded 10-foot square on the street, your insufficient buzz only amplifies your annoyance with the drunk moron. Not only did this meathead wear a Patriots hat & jersey to New York City on its busiest night, because, well, he’s that guy, but he’s also been intermittently scream-singing the only line he knows of “New York, New York” for nearly three hours — “It’s up to you, New York, New York. Bahm. Bahm.

Badadah…..”

Get the picture?

Now, welcome to a Key West New Year. We’re glad you’re here for it — and you will be, too. I promise. Unlike the Times Square been-there-done-that-never-againbucket-list experience, a Key West New Year’s Eve is one you’ll actually want to do more than once. drops stuff, breaks things and falls down more than any adult should.

She’s married to a saintly — and handy — fisherman, and has been stringing words together in Key West since 1998.

Female impersonator Randy Roberts rides a giant red, high-heeled shoe down to Duval Street at the stroke of midnight.

LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

Our warm little island can “drop” stuff, too.

During the final minute of the year. Bourbon Street Pub “drops” a drag queen in a giant red highheeled shoe down to Duval Street.

At the other end of the street, crowds pack Duval and Greene streets around Sloppy Joe’s, where a lighted conch shell drops to the roof of the iconic bar at the stroke of midnight.

Over at the Key West Historic Seaport, a sexy pirate wench (who’s also a damn fine sailor and successful business owner) descends expertly down the towering mast of the schooner America 2.0 in front of Schooner Wharf Bar, which, conveniently, specializes in adult beverages. Down near Mallory Square, the Sunset Pier at Ocean Key Resort drops a giant lime wedge into an even bigger margarita.

What’s more, our weather in January is damn near perfect and the only ice is in our drinks. You’ll never be more than a few steps from an expert bartender, an indoor bathroom and a bite to eat.

I do recommend picking your drop site well before 11:55 p.m. and plan accordingly to get a good view.

Keep in mind, several blocks of Duval Street will be closed to vehicles most of the night.

A lighted conch shell drops to the roof of Sloppy Joe’s Bar at midnight each New Year’s Eve. CAROL TEDESCO/Contributed

And never panic. In Key West, your New Year’s Eve adventure ends when you want it to — not once the crowd finally thins enough to let you out of your barricades. Unlike Midtown Manhattan, Key West’s crowds are always easily accessible — and avoidable.

(Pro tip: When your party is over for the night, don’t order an Uber amid the post-midnight mayhem that descends on Duval Street. Walk a block or two in either direction, to Simonton or Whitehead street, and then order a ride.)

I’ll take Old Town Key West over Midtown Manhattan every damn time. No freezing stampedes. No bulky coats, missing gloves, lost valet tickets or missed trains to Jersey.

I promise, we’ll show you a good time — unless of course you’re that chick who’s always crying in a bar bathroom, or an obnoxious, aggressive drunk. Then we’ll just show you the door — of a cop car.

Our Key West Police have seen it all. They have a great sense of humor, and protecting us is their No. 1 priority. So be nice. Be patient.

Say thank you. Keep your hands to yourself. Leave your politics on the plane. Tip your bartenders, servers and drivers.

Above all, enjoy yourself and welcome the new year knowing you picked the right place to start 2026.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

THE POT-BELLIED PIG & A GRILL IN THE BATHTUB

KEY WEST BACK IN THE DAY

W

hen my long-ago boyfriend Gerry left for Cuba, I was interviewing a pig. This was not just any pig — it was a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig that, as a fledgling writer in the early 1980s, I had been assigned to “profile” for a small Key West magazine.

Gerry’s journey with a group bringing humanitarian aid to Cuba took a long, rocky 30 hours in 15-foot seas. Passengers huddled in any dry spot they could find. The voyage back to Key West was worse — involving a broCAROL SHAUGHNESSY ken steering mechanism, a dramatic 3 a.m. rescue has lived in Key by the Coast Guard and West for 40-plus an eventual arrival in Key years, witnessing West 12 hours late. and writing Meanwhile, I wrote about the island’s renegade past, the story on the pig, shipwreck salvage obsessively watched CNN adventures and news reports of the Cuba colorful presentcrossing, and developed a day characters. chummy relationship with the Coast Guard communications staffers.

They were very considerate, but eventually got tired of my calls seeking reassurance about the lost boat.

“It’s that crazy woman,” they’d whisper, passing the phone around like it was a ticking bomb. “Don’t let her start telling the story about interviewing the pig again.”

That same year, I was writing press releases for a local festival when Gerry weathered a ferocious hurricane on an unnamed Caribbean island. He rode out the squall (affectionately nicknamed the “Storm of the Century” by TV newscasters) in a glasswalled oceanfront hotel.

He hid from the hotel’s security crew to avoid being confined to a shelter, he explained during a pre-storm phone call.

He planned to prowl the deserted property with his trusty tape recorder, dictating an audio documentary on the hurricane.

1. After surviving the crossing to Cuba and back, Gerry sought smoother seas in Key West.

1

2. No matter the species, grilling fish in a hotel bathtub is a really bad idea — as Gerry discovered.

CAROL SHAUGHNESSY/Contributed

2

I rode out the storm in our Key West cottage, glued to CNN, getting periodic updates on estimated death and destruction in the Caribbean. Mercifully, it was exaggerated.

A few months later, Gerry took a train from Miami to New York. When he called from an obscure South Carolina hamlet to report the train’s collision with a lumber truck, I knew the drill. Sighing, I switched on CNN. Once, when I was young and trusting, I accompanied Gerry to a music festival in the Cayman Islands. We stayed in a luxury beachfront hotel, ate wonderful island food and snorkeled in clear blue waters. On the final night of our trip, he almost set the hotel on fire.

He swore he didn’t mean to, insisting it was just a mishap as he tried to grill fresh yellowtail on our hotel balcony.

Balcony grilling was forbidden, but Gerry (after numerous cocktails) had bought a tiny barbecue grill to circumvent the rules — without realizing how much smoke it would generate.

As great plumes billowed into the night

sky, security guards gathered beneath the balcony, pointing upward and muttering.

To avoid their surveillance, Gerry attempted to make the cooking process less visible. He picked up the grill, carried it into the hotel room’s bathroom, and deposited it in the bathtub. The coals continued to burn, the yellowtail cooked, and the smoke built up.

Inevitably, the resort’s fire alarm went off.

The resultant arrival of Caymanian police and firefighters was so unnerving that Gerry never did eat his yellowtail. Instead, he crept downstairs with the fish, grill and all, and hid the evidence in the back of a jeep in the parking lot.

Happily, CNN was elsewhere that night.

When organizers began planning the Cuba voyage, I considered accompanying Gerry — but ultimately decided to stay home and watch events unfold on TV newscasts.

It proved to be the right decision. After all, if I had traveled with Gerry, who would have entertained the Coast Guard with tales of the pot-bellied pig?

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

WHAT JUST HAPPENED? A look back at 2025 in Key West MANDY MILES

I

mandy@keysweekly.com

t’s been a hell of a year. From corruption and crosswalks to ICE raids and commission campaigns. Happy New Year, Key West. Here’s to perhaps a smoother 2026.

JANUARY • Brian L. Barroso begins work as Key West city manager with a $215K starting salary that increased to $230K after a six-month probationary period. The contract will automatically renew in 2027 for another two years unless Barroso or the city commission wants to change or end it.

• Sherri Hodies is sworn in as Monroe County Supervisor of Elections following some upheaval within the Monroe County Republican Party.

• The Wounded Warrior Project returns to Key West for the 20th year of its Soldier Ride.

• The Key West Literary Seminar welcomes author John Irving and dozens of other internationally acclaimed writers for four days of readings, panel discussions and receptions.

• Key West firefighter and real estate agent Austin Kimbler was arrested for possession of anabolic steroids, cocaine and a designer drug known as “Tussi,” which is a mix of cocaine, methamphetamine and ketamine.

• Concerned residents formalize efforts to urge hospital district board members to seek proposals from multiple health care companies interested in running Lower Keys Medical Center, Key West’s only public hospital, before the current company’s 30-year lease ends in 2029.

• President Donald Trump taps Key West businessman and environmental consultant Ed Russo to chair Trump’s environmental advisory task force, “which will advise my Administration on initiatives to create great jobs and protect our natural resources, by following my policy of CLEAN AIR and CLEAN WATER. Together, we will achieve American Energy DOMINANCE, rebuild our Economy, and DRILL, BABY, DRILL,” Trump

posted on Truth Social when announcing the appointment.

• Jenny Lorenz is named CEO of Overseas Media Group, the Keys Weekly’s sister company that specializes in digital and social media marketing.

The Monroe County School Board launches a nat • ional search for the next superintendent.

• Florida Keys charter boat Capt. Laurence Lewis is arrested by state wildlife officers for allegedly operating a vessel under the influence at the time of a July 2024 crash that injured seven people in the Lower Keys. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission’s investigation showed Lee was operating the 35-foot vessel when it hit the South Pine Channel Bridge at high speed, throwing multiple passengers overboard.

• A Jan. 23 fire in public housing apartments on Emma Street devastates a local family, killing two parents and one child, 5. Three other children were severely injured and taken to mainland hospitals, where a 7-year-old succumbed to his injuries on Jan. 25, bringing the death toll to four.

• Community activist Shirlee Ezmirly dies at the age of 97, having lived in Key West since 1981, when working for the U.S. Coast Guard as a civilian. She was known for her daily walks around town and for her role with the Key West Rip-Off Rapid Response Team that relentlessly picketed predatory cosmetic shops on Duval Street.

• A Marathon man who was sentenced to 45 months in prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots in Washington, D.C. was set free after serving fewer than five months when Trump pardoned more than 1,000 convicted rioters.

• A Key West man is arrested with 40 grams — 20,000 lethal doses — of fentanyl after multiple overdoses had occurred in the city. Key West police detectives traced the source to a man living across the street from Key West High School. William Edward Madalinski, 51, was arrested. Authorities also seized 77 grams of cocaine, 25 grams of MDMA and 3.2 grams of ecstasy pills.

• The basketball court at Horace O’Bryant School is renamed in memory of Coach Dexter Butler, who died in March 2024 at the age of 37.

FEBRUARY • City Commissioner Donie Lee proposes a partnership in which the Navy would lease the city 18 acres of land at Sigsbee Park, so the city could rebuild more than 166 housing units that the Navy has failed to replace after demolishing the townhomes in 2021. The units were flooded in Hurricane Wilma in 2005, then sat empty for 16 years aside from the mold that made the units unlivable.

• An advisory committee of concerned residents persuade a majority of hospital district board members to hire an independent legal representative to help the committee solicit proposals for a new hospital operator.

• ICE anxiety grips Keys immigrants as advocates and officials brace for effects of Trump’s mass deportation campaign to remove undocumented immigrants from the country. This was only the beginning of policies and practices that would upend the lives of local immigrants, including those with pending asylum cases who had been granted work authorizations.

• The Key West Aquarium, the island’s first tourism attraction that emerged from the Great Depression, celebrates its 90th anniversary.

• The Key West Weekly welcomes columnist Carol Shaughnessy to our pages. Her “Key West Back in the Day” columns revisit the Key West we all wish we had experienced in the 1970s and ’80s.

She alternates those features with twice-monthly profiles of “People You Should Know.”

• Judge Mark Jones denies Preston Brewer’s self-defense claim in shooting death of Garrett Hughes.

• Military officials survey Sigsbee Park residents about mold and other housing concerns.

• Rams Head Presents brings country music legend Willie Nelson back to Key West to perform at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater at the age of 92.

• Brittany Holbrook is convicted of seconddegree murder for the fatal June 2023 shooting of her then-boyfriend Tyler Nulisch on Big Coppitt Key. MARCH • Federal turmoil affects Florida Keys; tariffs and Canadian travel boycotts could affect tourism and threaten jobs.

• Rams Head brings the Beach Boys and their good vibrations to the Coffee Butler Amphitheater.

• Hospital board hears preliminary proposals from companies interested in running Lower Keys Medical Center when the current long-term lease with Community Health Systems ends in 2029.

• Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoes all components of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary’s newly-finalized Restoration Blueprint in state waters.

• ‘Cops’ TV show features spring break in Key West on March 7 episode.

• Judge allows Brewer a $3 million bond to remain on house arrest while awaiting trial for the shooting death of Garrett Hughes. (As of Dec. 11, Brewer had not posted the bond and remained in the Monroe County Detention Center on Stock Island.)

• Key West officials and residents celebrate the opening of the long-awaited new Frederick Douglass Community Center in Bahama Village.

• Local panelists look back on the COVID pandemic, on the fifth anniversary of the March 2020 shutdown that changed our world.

• Breeze Airways announces that it will begin offering flights to and from Tampa and Orlando starting in June 2025.

• Former Key West firefighter Vincent M. Vega is arrested following a traffic stop, when he was reportedly traveling 69 mph in a 30 mph zone. In his car, police found a loaded AR-15 that had been illegally modified to shorten the barrel.

A subsequent search warrant for Vega’s bedroom revealed 20 guns, 10,000 rounds of ammunition, continued on the next page

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

continued from previous page

bomb-making materials and a diagram of a Key West building. (Update: Vega’s case has been moved to federal court. He agreed to plead guilty to possession of an illegal firearm and possession of an explosive device. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 21 in a Miami federal court.)

• Catholic Charities opens 10 new affordable apartments for people living with disabilities at St. Bede’s Village on Flagler Avenue.

• Lower Keys Medical Center announces that Drew Bigby, former CEO of Walter Reed military hospital, will take over as CEO of LKMC on April 28.

• Federal funding cuts prompt summer camp cancellations at Dry Tortugas National Park and peaceful protests along Truman Avenue.

• Key West raises a glass at Truman Waterfront for the 30th Taste of Key West fundraiser.

• The Blue Angels return to the skies over Key West for the Southernmost Air Spectacular.

APRIL • City commissioners back homeowners and deny the Casa Marina Hotel’s rezoning request that would have enabled it to create 20 or so new hotel rooms.

• Publix announces plans to build a new Searstown Plaza — but no affordable housing to go with it.

• The Key West Wildlife Center, which rescues and treats injured birds, opened its new avian clinic at Indigenous Park.

• Square Grouper Key West opens to rave reviews on Caroline Street.

• More than 600 protesters join Key West’s Hands Off protests in opposition to federal funding cuts.

• The Monroe County school district continues its search for a new superintendent; narrows list from 32 to 11 candidates.

• Military families, including some in Key West, sue military housing provider Balfour Beatty, citing ‘horrific conditions’ in base housing.

• Scandal erupts within Key West’s city hall with the arrest & indictment of officials Raj Ramsingh, Ron Ramsingh and Jim Young.

• The new terminal at Key West International Airport welcomes first passengers.

• Brittany Holbrook of Big Coppitt Key is sentenced to 40 years in prison for the 2023 killing of her boyfriend, Tyler Nulisch.

• Plot thickens with city hall corruption probe; subpoenaed texts reveal plot to oust former city manager.

• Key West city attorney Ron Ramsingh is on his way out amid an indictment & corruption probe.

MAY • County school board members hire Ed Tierney as superintendent after a comprehensive search and interview process.

• Nashville artists fill the island for the annual Key West Songwriters’ Festival.

• Key West city attorney is terminated without cause, meaning he walks with a $220,000 payout following multiple indictments.

• More charges filed against the brothers Ramsingh amid city hall corruption investigation.

• A near-fatal shooting starts with a fight over macaroni and cheese on Greene Street. Alijah Helmar of Key West is arrested.

• Harry Russell announces campaign for the Key West City Commission, District 5.

• FBI interviews of current & former city employees detail favors & cronyism at city hall.

• DeSantis & Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority dedicate a new water desalination plant on Stock Island, named for former Key West Mayor Kermit Lewin.

• Patrick Wright returns to Key West city hall as newly appointed growth management director.

• City Manager Brian L. Barroso suspends former Key West chief building official Raj Ramsingh without pay, ending three weeks of paid administrative leave while city officials investigate allegations against him.

• Class of 2025 graduates Key West High School, accepting diplomas at the newly renovated Tommy Roberts Memorial Stadium.

• George Fernandez donates $1 million to Baptist Health to honor the late Michael Halpern and keep cancer treatment available in Key West.

• Miss Island Queen amateur drag pageant raises $180K for nonprofit women’s shelter.

• Florida’s decision to ban fluoride from drinking water concerns Key West dentists.

• Somerset Island Prep charter high school continues tradition with sixth-annual jet ski graduation.

JUNE • Grand jury report reveals ‘network of fraud & criminal acts’ inside Key West’s city government.

• Proposed marina rent hikes threaten to sink Key West’s houseboat community — then commissioners approve protections.

• CFK Academy, a new charter high school on the College of the Florida Keys campus, graduates its first class.

• Despite federal staffing cuts, Keys weather experts at NOAA forecast office are ready for storm season.

• Capt. Colin Thompson takes helm as commander of Naval Air Station Key West from Capt.

Beth Regoli.

• Key West voters in District 4 start researching the legal process to initiate a recall election to

remove commissioner Lissette Carey from office in the wake of the continuing corruption probe.

(Carey has not been charged.)

• School board members approve a three-year contract for new superintendent Ed Tierney.

• Florida Keys face immigration anxiety amid ICE raids.

• Key West residents pack Bayview Park for nationwide No Kings protest.

• Online voting begins to choose the 2025 winners of The Bubbas: Key West People’s Choice Awards.

• Key West is drenched in color — and Pride.

• Popular Key West hairstylist Lee Stinton detained by ICE and later sent back to Ireland.

• Volunteers rescue 19 baby sea turtles from storm drain on S. Roosevelt Boulevard.

• Capt. Josh Empen takes helm of Coast Guard Sector Key West from Capt. Jason Ingram.

JULY • Key West officials void the city’s cooperative agreement between Key West police and ICE. • Longtime teacher, principal and superintendent Theresa Axford retires after more than 30 years.

• City commission meeting goes off the rails amid corruption probe, as indignant residents booed five of seven local lawmakers who voted to make them wait more than three hours to offer public comment.

• Key West officials reverse course and approve a cooperate 287(g) agreement with ICE despite public uproar.

• Monroe County school district earns an A grade.

• Ed Tierney takes reins as new superintendent of schools.

• ICE detains, then deports, Key West landscaper who had a work visa & pending asylum case and no criminal record.

• Key West Bubba Awards welcomes votes from all 50 states and six of seven continents.

• Recall effort to remove Carey from office finds volunteers collecting petition signatures. continued on the next page

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026 continued from previous page

• Key West rallies for its rainbow crosswalks after the state deems them unsafe.

• Appeals court denies Brewer’s self-defense appeal, allowing trial preparation to proceed.

AUGUST • Carey sues to stop recall efforts against her, after saying she’d let the democratic process play out.

• Tempers flare in testy city budget talks as officials consider 4% to 7% tax increase.

• State law requires Hodies to reject recall petitions against Carey. Signatures were not collected within the required timeframe.

• Key West still needs a permanent city attorney.

• CW Colt’s “We Are One Human Family” becomes Key West’s official song.

• Sunshine State won’t tolerate crosswalks.

FDOT bans, then removes, Key West’s rainbow crosswalks.

• College of the Florida Keys turns 60.

• ICE agent arrested for DUI with his kids in the car — and heading the wrong direction.

• College of the Florida Keys reopens ceramics program.

• Ethics complaints dismissed against Key West commissioners Monica Haskell and Sam Kaufman.

• Keys resident Tyler Howell Nolan sentenced to 18 months in prison for revenge porn.

• Key West seeks new rainbow ideas in preparation for state-mandated crosswalk removal.

• Key West businessman Peter E. Batty sues county tax collector Sam Steele — over kids baseball.

SEPTEMBER • Just a Few Friends Festival honors Jimmy Buffett with music and margaritas over Labor Day weekend.

• Key West Housing Authority announces end of assisted-living units at Poinciana Gardens.

• State officially erases Key West’s rainbow crosswalks.

• Southernmost Point buoy moves temporarily to Duval Pocket Park.

• Truman Annex property owners prepare to lose their short-term rentals rights in December.

• Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jonathan Crane completes FBI training academy.

• Key West’s former building official Raj Ramsingh picks up 7 new charges amid ongoing Key West corruption scandal.

• Is Florida now the Gunshine State? Court ruling allows open-carry of firearms.

• Navy housing company Balfour Beatty faces 80 more accusers in lawsuit over poor quality military housing.

• The Navy’s objection threatens a new mooring field near Wisteria Island.

• Jail deputies arrested for allegedly conspiring to smuggle fentanyl into the Stock Island jail.

OCTOBER • Key West plans a permanent Pride display to replace painted crosswalks.

• Key West Fire Departments turns 150 • Rhonda Lopez and Hodies cleared in election fraud complaint.

• Indicted former county administrator Roman Gastesi gets one year — or less — of probation; no jail time.

• Key West wonders how a federal shutdown could affect the island.

• Female impersonator Mulan Alexander is chosen to ride the iconic high-heeled shoe on New Year’s Eve at Bourbon Street Pub. • Costumed chaos delights during another Fantasy Fest.

• Community members continue to seek a new operator for Lower Keys Medical Center.

• Tourist Development Council launches new website at visitfloridakeys.com.

• City Commissioner Sam Kaufman enters the mayor’s race.

• Sarah Compton files to run for Carey’s seat.

• Chris Massicotte joins District 5 commission race against Harry Russell.

• Tats for Tatas raises $491K for women’s health and breast cancer screenings.

NOVEMBER • Keys Weekly joins a humanitarian flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica following a devastating hurricane.

• Long-awaited Lofts, affordable housing units, opens at Truman Waterfront.

• Hodies improves website and joins social media.

• Local food pantries fill a bigger need than usual amid government shutdown.

• Mark Rossi and Bobi Lore to run for city commission, District 2.

• City Commissioner Mary Lou Hoover passes away.

• Actors Steve Buscemi & Aiden Quinn visit Key West Film Festival to honor Sir Billy Connolly.

• City officials to consider future of Jimmy Buffett’s old recording studio.

• Juan Llera enters city commission race in District 4.

• Former deputy Jennifer Ketcham sentenced to three years in prison after giving her then-boyfriend information about narcotics operations.

DECEMBER • Key West commissioners appoint former city manager Greg Veliz to finish the term of Hoover.

• Southernmost City shines with holiday sparkle.

• State investigates Key West Cemetery after exposed human bones were discovered.

• Florida Keys immigrants continue to face ICE raids and detention.

• Time’s up for transient rental in Truman Annex neighborhood; 20-year legal settlement ends Dec. 22.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

YOU THOUGHT WE WERE KIDDING? A few of the strangest headlines this year

T

ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com

T

here’s the Florida Man, and then there’s the Florida Keys Man (ladies, don’t worry, we didn’t forget about you). Without fail, our Year in Review editions unearth golden nuggets of stories we almost forgot about over the last 52 weeks. You know – the kind that make you scratch your head and say “wait … what?”

Shots on a makeshift gun range on Little Torch Key sent bullets flying into the home of an unsuspecting neighbor in January.

MCSO/Contributed

Home on the (gun) range? The oddities started right away when a trio on Little Torch Key were arrested for firing an AR-15 rifle at homemade targets. Things were going swimmingly – until a stray bullet found its way through the wall of an unsuspecting neighbor’s home. There were no reported injuries.

Sergeant James Hager gets friendly with a visiting crocodile at a Key Largo residence.

CONTRIBUTED

Crikey! MCSO deputies deal with more than just speeders and the occasional cocaine brick – a LOT more.

Sergeant James Hager channeled his inner Steve Irwin during a call of a crocodile lounging in a pool at a Key Largo home on Jan. 31. Hager and a resident were seen on video using long-handled tools to shoo the crocodile away from the property and back toward the water.

Dance like it’s your birthday (suit).

A 55-year-old Montgomery, New

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GRANTS BOOST LOCAL PANTRIES

Authorities say when they found 55-yearold Timothy Mahoney after a car chase, he was dancing to music and wearing nothing but a hard hat. MCSO/Contributed

York man was arrested in March after MCSO received calls about a reckless driver on U.S. 1 in Key Largo. When deputies arrived, they found Timothy Mahoney wearing a construction hard hat, but otherwise nude, dancing to music. He tried to continue smoking marijuana from a pipe while being detained, deputies said.

Timing is everything. A 40-yearold Marathon man and 27-year-old Marathon woman were arrested 15 minutes before the midnight opening of the commercial and regular lobster season on Aug. 6 for allegedly robbing lobster traps on the bayside of Grassy Key in the vicinity of the Quay boat ramp. According to deputies, Dorgis Rodriguez Lugones refused commands by dumping a lobster trap aboard his 17-foot boat back into the water in plain view, before also emptying a cooler full of poached lobster back into the water and putting his hands on his head. The court case is pending.

Getting freaky in public. A Middle Keys woman was arrested twice in five months for allegedly engaging in sex acts in public view – first in August at a Marathon gas station, and later in December with two men mid-day in the parking lot of the Marathon Winn Dixie.

He’s with me, man. An unlicensed contracting investigation in Islamorada turned into a chaotic car chase for MCSO in late September, as a Fort Lauderdale trio jumped in a truck and led deputies on a ride through the Upper Keys. A mother and son were eventually arrested after the truck’s tires were spiked and it came to a stop, but the father ran off, later changing his clothes and fishing near another man who told officers the pair had been together for hours. Deputies soon realized 46-year-old Butch Anthony Stevens was the runaway they’d been searching for – and also handed 69-year-old Felix Esquijarosa a notice to appear in court for his alleged role in the cover-up.

he Community Foundation of the Florida Keys’ Upper Keys Advisory Council recently awarded three grants for $5,000 each to strengthen local food pantries, which play a key role in supporting families throughout the community.

The awards come from the foundation’s Upper Keys Future Fund, one of three hyper-local regional funds that provide grants to nonprofits serving the Upper, Middle and Lower Keys.

Beyond supporting local food pantries, the Upper Keys Advisory Council also recently played a substantial role in fully funding a Community Foundation grant to the Good Health Clinic for their Healthy Lives Program. The council’s $15,000 contribution helped bring the total award to $30,000, ensuring the program could move forward as designed. Healthy Lives is a collaboration between the Good Health Clinic and the S.O.S. Foundation, pairing access to medications with nutritional support for residents in the Upper Keys.

The food pantry grants will provide a boost to the S.O.S. Food Pantry at St. Justin Martyr Catholic Church in Key Largo, the pantry at Burton Memorial United Methodist Church in Tavernier, and the First Baptist Islamorada Community Ministry food bank.

Food pantries across the Keys have seen more visitors in recent months. A recent Keys Weekly report noted that some providers are serving more than twice as many clients as earlier in the year. Even as rising costs and temporary disruptions to federal assistance programs bring new families through their doors, local pantries continue to offer steady and welcoming support.

The Upper Keys Advisory Council recognized an opportunity to support these organizations during a particularly busy season. Funding from the Upper Keys Future Fund will help keep shelves stocked and expand access to fresh and healthy foods for residents in Key Largo, Tavernier, Islamorada and surrounding neighborhoods.

“Food insecurity remains a growing challenge and addressing it has become a primary mission of the Upper Keys Advisory Council,” said Suzi Youngberg, council chair.

“As rising food costs continue to

From left, Suzi Youngberg, Community Foundation Upper Keys Advisory Council; Burton Memorial’s Ariel Poholek, David Charleton and Betsy Edwards; and Suzanne Holmquist, Community Foundation Upper Keys Advisory Council. CONTRIBUTED

impact local families, these grants provide vital support to our food pantries and community kitchens.

Donations to the Upper Keys Future Fund make this work possible and help ensure our neighbors have access to essential meals and nutrition.”

About the food pantries Part of the Star of the Sea Foundation network, the pantry at St. Justin Martyr Catholic Church provides fresh produce, proteins and shelf-stable food to families across the Keys. S.O.S distributes the equivalent of 1.6 million meals each year through its two client-choice pantries, and both locations are seeing an increasing number of visitors this season. The grant will help ensure continued access to nutritious food for local households.

A long-serving emergency food provider in Tavernier, the Burton Memorial United Methodist Church food pantry offers groceries and essentials to Upper Keys residents.

With demand rising, the need for consistent funding has grown as well. The pantry also welcomes volunteers year-round and encourages community members to get involved.

Serving residents throughout the Islamorada area, the First Baptist Islamorada Community Ministry Food Bank offers nutritious food and caring support to individuals and families facing short-term challenges or longer-term financial hardship. Through its Community Ministry, the church combines food assistance with counseling services to address both immediate needs and the deeper causes of food insecurity.

— Contributed

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

CITY PROVIDES SAFE RIDE SHUTTLES FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE

Duval Loop bus service ends Jan. 1

NAVY HONORS KEY WEST CORPSMAN

Daniel Castaño Piedrahita named Junior Sailor of the Year

P

The City of Key West will offer safe ride shuttles on New Year’s Eve until 1:30 a.m. providing rides from Key West’s downtown area into New Town, Stock Island and as far as Marathon. CONTRIBUTED

L

et someone else drive home after the New Year’s Eve party.

Key West’s transit department will offer shuttles starting on New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 5 p.m. and running continuously until 1:30 a.m.

The fare is just $2 per person per trip on the local route and $4 per trip for the Lower Keys Shuttle.

The Safe Ride shuttles cover Key West and Stock Island, and the Lower Keys Shuttle connects Marathon and Key West.

The downtown dropoff and pickup point is the bus stop in front of Fausto’s, 522 Fleming St. There will be no service west of Simonton Street after 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. The final Lower Keys Shuttle will depart Key West at 1:30 a.m. the morning of Jan. 1.

The last local shuttles via the Duval Loop and Workforce Shuttles will leave Fleming Street at 1:30 a.m.

Duval Loop ends Jan. 1 Beginning Jan. 2, the city of Key West will suspend the Duval Loop bus service. The existing bus stop locations will continue to be served by the Key West Rides on-demand service.

Key West Rides on-demand gets you to your destinations in the community without a need to transfer. It will also connect you with other transit routes, such as the Lower Keys Shuttle.

The app-based service matches multiple riders headed in a similar direction into a single vehicle, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips for just $2 a ride. To download the app, search for Key West Rides in your app store.

— Contributed

etty Officer 3rd Class Daniel Castaño Piedrahita, a resident of Key West, was awarded Junior Sailor of the Year 2025 (JSOY). Castaño Piedrahita serves at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Unit in Key West.

The JSOY award recognizes sailors who demonstrate sustained superior performance, leadership and professionalism.

Enlisted sailors in the E-4 pay grade and petty officers third class are eligible for the honor.

Castaño Piedrahita joined the Navy three years ago and currently serves as a hospital corpsman.

“I joined the Navy to continue my schooling, travel the world and experience different cultures,” Castaño Piedrahita said.

Castaño Piedrahita values working with sailors the most.

“What I like most about my job is working with personnel who are in flight status,” Castaño Piedrahita said. “I assist in keeping pilots flying and the air traffic controllers directing all air traffic.”

Piedrahita credits his mother for the skills and values that serve him well in the Navy.

“The most important lesson I learned came from my mom — the importance of a good work ethic,” he said.

“Being proud of the work you do, no matter how small, and being proud of something you can call your own.”

The mission of the Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Unit, located in the Naval Branch Medical Clinic near the entrance to Key West, is to

Petty Officer 3rd Class Daniel Castaño Piedrahita, a Key West resident, was recognized with the Junior Officer of the Year award.

CONTRIBUTED

maximize warfighter performance by enhancing the branch’s medical force, ensuring its readiness and training Navy Medicine personnel.

More than 44,000 military and civilian health care professionals make up Navy Medicine, providing medical support to the warfighter on, below and above the sea and ashore.

Castaño Piedrahita said the Navy plays a vital role in national defense.

“The Navy contributes to national defense by allowing rapid response to crises without waiting for forces to deploy from the U.S.,” he said.

“My proudest accomplishment in the Navy is having the opportunity to help younger and older sailors achieve their goals and further their careers,” Castaño Piedrahita said, adding that, for him, serving in the Navy means responsibility and heritage.

— Contributed

18

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

New Years Eve Open from 5pm till the ball drops!

Complimentary champagne toast & countlown at midnight Holiday special menus available Late night happy hour 9pm to midnight of 2-4-1 drinks!

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

Part of a kettle of turkey vultures swirls over Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. MARK HEDDEN/Keys Weekly

I

don’t usually have anxiety dreams about birding. I usually have them about cameras, social faux pas or software. Actually, it’s software more than anything. Passwords I keep typing in wrong. Dropdown menus that won’t stay dropped down. Cursors gone MARK rogue.

HEDDEN But I had anxiety dreams ... is a photograabout birdwatching a few pher, writer, and nights before this year’s Christsemi-professional mas Bird Count. Two of them. birdwatcher. He In the first dream, I pulled back has lived in Key West for more a couple branches in a park than 25 years and and caught sight of a pair of may no longer breeding smooth-billed anis be employable in the real world. He and a blue jay. Anis pretty much disappeared from the South is also executive director of the Florida landscape 15 or so years Florida Keys ago, but they’ve been making Audubon Society. something of a comeback. But the blue jay, one of the most common birds in America, was the anomaly. We don’t get them much south of Islamorada.

In the second dream I was in my living room, which somehow had an A-frame ceiling. And a green heron flew across the room like an arcing dart and stabbed me in the forehead, leaving a perfectly round cut and giving me one of those what-you-going-to-do-about-it stares as it sat on the arm of our sofa.

And, oh yeah, there was a whole third one where I kept writing down numbers on the Christmas Bird Count tally sheet, and then they would change or disappear or move themselves to a different part of the sheet. Or maybe that was interspersed throughout the first two dreams.

The Christmas Bird Count is a (stops to look it up) 126-year-old tradition. The first one was held in 1900 with the intention of replacing the Christmas Bird Hunt, where hunters would shoot every bird out of the sky, and whoever had the biggest heap of dead birds at the end won. Oddly enough, it worked. That first year there were about 25 Christmas Bird Count circles. This year there are close to 2,700 count circles in North America, as well as a good number in Central America and parts of South America.

While it is a good substitute activity, the counts over the last 125 years have also created a massive data set – an annual census of what species are where in the days surrounding Christmas and the New Year.

The Key West CBC is the southernmost count in North America, as long as you define North America as stopping at the Mexican border, which most bird books do. There were 10 of us this year, which is more than we’ve had since the beginning of the pandemic. Ellen Westbrook and I, stalwarts of the Florida Keys Audubon Society, along with nomadic birding superstar power couple Luis Gles and Mariah Hryniewich, were the Old Town crew.

We traveled by bike, gear in baskets and backpacks.

It was pretty much a perfect day – low 70s, light winds. The sky was a big, glacial blue pool, empty of clouds and, so far, birds.

COUNTING EVERYTHING, HOPING FOR ANOMALIES

We had our first raptor of the day in the park across from Higgs Beach, a female American kestrel (no blue in the wings) sitting on top of an old utility pole. Riding by the Casa Marina we had our first turkey vulture of the day, flying low, the featherless red of its head complimenting the blue of the sky.

When we stopped, Ellen recorded both species, and several others we’d seen, on the data sheet.

The turkey vulture was most likely going to be statistically insignificant, but you never know.

The point of the Christmas Bird Count is to tally everything you see – shorebirds, gulls, terns, warblers, pigeons, pelicans, mockingbirds. We even count chickens. Every damn one.

But certain themes start to develop, affinities, through lines. Certain things rang the bell of enthusiasm more than others. In this case, it was raptors. When we spotted a red-shouldered hawk on a street light over JIATF, it seemed like it was going to be a good day for them. The merlin in a tree soon after bolstered that idea.

A while back, we’d all spent multiple hours looking for a golden eagle that had been spotted at Fort Zach. A month later we all still held on to the slight chance it could make a reappearance.

The only birds you could possibly mistake it for were turkey vultures or bald eagles. So we had to pay attention to each one.

We’d been seeing turkey vultures in dribs and drabs since that first one. Three here, five there, all of their number duly recorded.

At the far end of Truman Annex we watched as a Würdemann’s heron flew in and landed on some jet skis. Then we looked up and saw our first kettle of the day – 50 or so TVs swirling on the thermals, all ashy wings and dihedrals. As we rode our bikes towards the fort we spotted two Cooper’s hawks, then a second kettle of 50 or so TVs. Then the two kettles merged, and continued to grow in number as birds kept flying in from all directions, like some kind of reverse avian version of the Big Bang. Ultimately it grew to about 250 birds.

We stopped and gawked for a while at the spiraling mass, trying to clock every bird, trying to see if we could find anything different.

Eventually Mariah and Luis pulled a couple of broad-winged hawks out of the spiraling mass, then a light morph Swainson’s hawk, a dark morph Swainson’s hawk, and another light morph.

The broad-wing was expected. We had a little under 4,000 fly by the Florida Keys Hawkwatch site (staffed by Mariah) in Marathon this fall. And a good number of them usually overwinter in Key West.

The Swainson’s had longer, lankier wings than the broad-wings, marked by dark commas out toward the end. And they had a certain heft to them, a bulkiness. Like the blue jay in my dream, they were the anomaly. The hawkwatch has counted up to 341 in a season, though this year was just a little under the average, with 38 counted. Normally they were late October and early November migrants.

But I can’t recall one, let alone three, this late in the season.

We had other cool birds that day, like the pair of low Cooper’s hawks we saw when we started pedaling again, the former accipiters no doubt up to no good. At Fort Zach we watched an immature bald eagle work his way into the kettle and join the hurley burley for a while.

In the Key West Cemetery we made our traditional stop to say hi at the graves of Fran and Bill Ford. It took us a few minutes to notice all the mourning doves and white-winged doves snoozing on the branches of the nearby plumeria tree. And then the short-tailed hawk that came from the direction of the Harris School and drifted overhead.

We counted everything, and Ellen wrote it all down. At some point I’m going to have to type it all into an online form.

Later, though, when I closed my eyes, it wasn’t the numbers I remembered. It was that kettle, all those eddying birds watching the world from up there at the edge of our perception.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

FROM THE AISLE SEAT WITH UNCLE G

KEY WEST CULTURAL SCENE OFFERS EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES

W

elcome to 2026, Key West. If you were expecting a little downtime after the winter holiday season, think again. The new calendar is only a day old, and is already filled with a dizzying array of Key West’s cultural offerings — art, theater, dance, literature, music, museums and festivals that pack our little island.

• The short documentary-in-progress based on the life and work of local artist Eric Anfinson recently premiered at The Studios of Key West. Veteran filmmakers Cassidy Rast and Odin Wadleigh have created a compelling and insightful portrait of Anfinson and the art he has created in Key West for the last 25 years.

A native of Austin, Minnesota (the proud home of Spam, the iconic mystery meat), Anfinson was a high school jock until a traumatic football injury left him paralyzed and facing an uncertain future. Then a figure drawing class changed his life; art became his obsession. The film, “Eric Anfinson: His Life and His Art,” is in the editing stage and will be entered this year into film festivals around the world. ... is a chronologiA full-length documentary is cally gifted tour guide, recovering also planned. innkeeper and • The 43rd annual Key grateful freshwaWest Literary Seminar, Jan. ter Conch. Join 8-11, ranks among the top him here each of many “can’t miss” lists for month for a look at Key West’s Key West residents and visicultural calendar. tors. The acclaimed annual Email him at seminar returns this year to unclegkw@yahoo. its previous venue at the San com.

Carlos Institute, 516 Duval St. This year’s theme, timely and relevant as always, is “Pay Attention: The Novel” aka “The Long Form in a Time of Short Attention.” The roster of writers who answer questions, lead panel discussions and relax over cocktails, includes Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Russo, former U.S. poet laureate and crowd favorite Billy Collins and celebrated writer and long-time Key West resident Joy Williams.

• Local theater is in overdrive. The Waterfront Playhouse continues its Spotlight Series with performances of “What The Constitution Means to Me” Jan. 1-4, followed Jan. 15-18 by “Tuesdays with Morrie,” adapted from Mitch Albom’s best-selling book of the same name.

“Tuesdays” brings the audience along as a journalist visits his former professor, who’s facing the devastating disease of ALS but still has lessons to teach — and learn. The Waterfront Playhouse season continues Jan. 29-Feb. 14 with “Almost

Ulysses Quartet performs Jan. 4 at Tennessee Williams Theater, one of dozens of performances slated for the 2026 performance season. LARA ST. JOHN/Ulysses Quartet. CONTRIBUTED

Maine” a series of vignettes that consider the joys and sorrows of love in the fictional town of Almost, Maine against the backdrop of the Northern Lights. All shows start promptly at 7:30 p.m.

• The Red Barn Theatre, 319 Duval St., will be sold out for each performance of “The Queens of Country: Patsy! Dolly! Loretta!” by vocalist Christine Mild. Jan. 7-10 at 7:30 p.m.

• Fringe Theater, located in the historic Armory building, 600 White St., presents “70 Girls 70” Jan. 21-31. Senior citizens embark on a crime spree, stealing furs to save their New York City apartment building from greedy developers.

Rebecca Tomlinson, Fringe managing artistic director: “This is a gem of a show that allows us to showcase many of the island’s veteran performers. This show reminds us it’s never too late to take center stage.”

• Tennessee Williams Theater, at the College of the Florida Keys, has a packed and eclectic schedule this season. Impromptu Classical Concerts presents two mainstage chamber music performances: The Ulysses (String) Quartet on Jan. 4 and violin prodigy Yevgeny Kutik on Jan. 18. Both concerts begin at 4 p.m.

Also at Tennessee Williams Theater, South Florida Symphony, founded by and under the baton of Key West’’s own Maestra Sebrina

Alfonso, takes the main stage on Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major fill out the bill. The next night, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m., brings another popular, home-grown musical group, Paradise Big Band under the direction of Joe Dallas Jr. “Swinging Forever” encapsulates the band’s musical groove.

• Classical guitarist Martina Bevis shares the stage on Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m. with local musicians Lynn-Marie Smith on piano and John Griffin on cello.

• Calling all singers. Keys Choral Arts will begin rehearsals for its 2026 spring season. Membership sign-ups, music distribution and the first rehearsal will take place Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 6:15 p.m., at Grace Lutheran Church, 2713 Flagler Ave. Rehearsals take place every Tuesday and new singers will be accepted through Jan. 20.

“We are a true community choir and open to anyone interested in singing high-quality choral music,” said artistic director Tim Peterson. For more information, contact Peterson at 561-4451709 or keyschoralarts@gmail.com.

This list, while certainly not comprehensive, should keep us all busy for the next few weeks.

Happy New Year, Key West. I’ll save you a seat at the show.

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

WHAT’S COOKING, KEY WEST?

Food fests start the new year in style CAROL SHAUGHNESSY

Volunteers stock new little food pantry at Poinciana Housing

www.keysweekly.com

K

ey West’s cuisine is diverse and delicious — and so are the local festivals that celebrate it. In January and February, “foodies” can sample the island’s culinary delights at two appetizing events.

Blending sunny outdoor venues and perfectly paired food and drinks, Key West food fests typically display indigenous ingredients like fresh fish and seafood creatively prepared by local chefs.

First on the 2026 calendar of cuisine is the Key West Food & Wine Festival set for Jan. 28-Feb. 1. The festivities combine adventures in flavor with explorations of the continental United States’ southernmost city.

Five days of flavor are planned for culinary explorers, including some staged on beaches and in outdoor locales suited to Key West’s typically balmy January climate.

Highlights include the Grand Tasting at Audubon House & Tropical Gardens, a dockside seafood fiesta and multiple other events featuring distinctive dishes and wine pairings.

While the festival spotlights tempting and delicious cuisine, equally enticing are the glimpses selected events offer into the unique heritage, intriguing culture and warmly welcoming vibe that characterizes Key West. That’s particularly true of the Key West Cooking Show’s featured learn-and-dine lunch, taking place Jan. 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 291 Front St. Saluting the island’s colorful past, the menu features the bollos that Cooking Show’s chef Keith St. Peter describes as a supremely authentic Key West dish. The deepfried appetizer is followed by grits and grunts — popularized during the Great Depression and adapted from the traditional recipe. The meal is capped by Key West’s “signature” dessert: the Key lime pie that was born on the island.

Next on the roster of foodie fun is the 20th annual Florida Keys Seafood Festival, a gathering of local commercial fishermen and fans of fresh fish and seafood. Presented by the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association, the family-friendly feast takes place Feb. 14-15 at Key

HELP YOURSELF — OR SOMEONE ELSE MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com

W

Key lime pie is the perfect finish for a meal of authentic local foods — like the Key West Cooking Show’s offering during the island’s upcoming Key West Food & Wine Festival. KEY WEST COOKING SHOW/Contributed

West’s Truman Waterfront Park.

Attendees can enjoy savory seafood selections such as fresh grilled Florida spiny lobster, Key West pink shrimp, stone crab claws, fried fish, smoked fish dip and more — all prepared and served by Keys fishermen and their families.

Tasty as it is, the ocean’s rich harvest isn’t the only attraction. The festival includes nonstop entertainment and booths featuring art, crafts and other appealing items.

Those who can’t be in Key West for a culinary celebration can still indulge their appetite for local cuisine and heritage during regularly offered Key West Cooking Show experiences. Not only will they learn about the island’s signature dishes and the tales behind them — they’ll learn the necessary preparation tips to recreate the taste of Key West at home.

LAST BITES Dish of the week: Swordfish piccata. Nothing is better than fresh fish — for example, tender pan-seared swordfish steaks with a lemony caper sauce enhanced with white wine. Light and satisfying, the dish is easy to prepare yet features a subtle sophistication to elevate any gathering.

Helpful kitchen hack: What’s the secret to keeping fish from sticking to the pan during the cooking process? Simply heat the pan before adding the oil and fish to ensure a clean, golden crust.

Hungry for more? Visit keywestcookingshow.com or call 305-294COOK.

hat started as a temporary way to help neighbors during the financial crisis and uncertainty of the 2020 COVID pandemic has become a permanent — and growing — fixture in Key West. The grassroots Little Free Pantry program, which started with some well-stocked shelves providing free nonperishable food items on Geraldine Street in Bahama Village, recently expanded and installed a second Little Free Pantry, this time in New Town.

On Dec. 18, Kevin Paul Taylor, a Key West mail carrier who established the first Little Free Pantry in Bahama Village in March 2020, joined City Commissioner Sam Kaufman, his wife Julia and son Michael, along with Leah Stockton and Dave Crooks from the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition and AH Monroe and volunteers Kathleen Goldstein and Mary Hanel McDowell to launch the brand new Poinciana Little Free Pantry.

The new teal cabinet was donated

by Goldstein and her husband, Danny, and will be restocked daily with food and toiletries, thanks to the efforts of Michael Kaufman and McDowell.

“Back in 2020, we had thought the first Little Pantry on Geraldine Street would just be temporary,” Taylor told the Keys Weekly recently. “But food insecurity has just kept growing. We’ve always had people coming to Bahama Village from New Town to access the Little Free Pantry. But my efforts to install a Little Pantry in New Town were fruitless. I tried again during the SNAP crisis in November and Scott Pridgen, executive director at AH Monroe, didn’t hesitate to support the idea.”

The new pantry is right outside the FKOC offices on Truesdale Court in the Poinciana housing complex off Duck Avenue.

“We’re thrilled to have this second pantry set up,” Taylor said. “Many folks are embarrassed to go to a traditional food bank when they need a little help. That’s one of the benefits of the Little Free Pantry program — folks can access it discreetly 24/7, no questions asked.

“A few years ago an older lady

A teal cabinet, donated by Kathleen and Danny Goldstein, was installed and stocked for the first time on Dec. 18, featuring nonperishable and ready-to-eat foods, along with personal items, all donated by local neighbors. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly

who lived on Geraldine Street was thanking me for the food. Her car had broken down and all of her money for that month went to fix it. She relied on the pantry for food that month,” Taylor said. “I met one lady who wouldn’t go to the food bank because she knew one of the volunteers there and she didn’t want her to know she was struggling.”

Hunger and struggle are global.

Thankfully, so is the Little Free Pantry movement. It started in 2016, when Jessica McClard installed a small cabinet stocked with food in her neighborhood in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Today, there are more than 2,300 Little Free Pantries around the world. The little pantries are accessible to anyone 24 hours a day with no questions asked, and they’re restocked daily. Donations of food and personal items are crucial to the Key West pantries’ survival.

“The Little Pantry isn’t eligible for any of the $75,000 the city recently approved for food pantries,” Taylor said.

“Because we’re not a nonprofit. The Little Free Pantry was and is a grassroots effort supported by neighbors helping neighbors, not government or corporations. So we keep moving forward knowing this community will always answer the call.”

More information is at littlefreepantry.org.

26

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

WATERFRONT PLAYHOUSE MAKES HISTORY MEANINGFUL

KEY WEST HISTORY GETS PERSONAL

Cemetery tours slated for Jan. 11, Feb. 15 and March 15

‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ explores document that defines a nation

‘What the Constitution Means to Me’. Waterfront Playhouse, Jan. 1-4, waterfrontplayhouse.org, 305-294-5015

T

he Waterfront Playhouse continues its Spotlight Series with the play “What the Constitution Means to Me,” by Heidi Schreck.

Starring Chicago actress Elizabeth Ledo and directed

by Melanie Keller (“Sex With Strangers,” “Vagina Monologues” at the Waterfront), this work invites audiences into a personal exploration of the document that shapes American life — and the real people whose lives it has touched.

Blending humor, history and lived experience, “What the Constitution Means to Me” examines the promise — and limitations — of the Constitution. The play asks questions about justice, equality and the future. The play resonates across generations and political perspectives.

Ledo brings clarity, warmth, humor and intelligence to the role while Keller’s direction underscores the Waterfront Playhouse’s commitment to presenting work that reflects the moment we are living in — without losing its sense of humanity or humor.

“What the Constitution Means to Me” runs Jan. 1-4, including a Sunday matinee, at the Waterfront Playhouse, 407 Wall St. Tickets and additional information are available at waterfrontplayhouse.org or at 305-294-5015.

The Waterfront Playhouse is Florida’s longest-running professional theater, committed to producing work that is inclusive, artistically ambitious and rooted in the power of live performance to bring people together.

— Contributed

The Historic Florida Keys Foundation will offer guided strolls through Key West’s historic cemetery the mornings of Jan. 11, Feb. 15 and March 15. CONTRIBUTED

T

he Historic Florida Keys Foundation will kick off the first cemetery stroll of 2026 at the Historic Key West Cemetery on Sunday, Jan. 11. During the stroll, guides escort small groups to notable gravesites, where volunteers share stories of the deceased and their effect on the island — for better or worse. Tours are scheduled for 9:30, 9:50 and 10:10 a.m., and they fill up quickly.

Among the gravesites to be visited are those of Capt. Willard Antonio Gomez; Los Martires de Cuba; Elena Milagro Hoyos; Archibald Sheldon Yates; Frank Booth; and the Figueredo Family Plot.

The tour lasts about 90 minutes. Participants should wear comfortable shoes and plan to walk over a mile on uneven ground. Bottled water will be provided.

The foundation offers the tours each January, February and March, personalizing Key West’s

history by considering the lives — and deaths — of the characters who defined the island, in their own ways, one generation at a time.

Space is limited for the tours and pre-registration is required by calling or texting 305-3041453 or emailing at hfkf@ bellsouth.net. A donation of $20 (cash or check) per person to the Historic Florida Keys Foundation is recommended, with all proceeds committed to cemetery restoration and education.

Participants may enter the cemetery by either the main gate at 701 Passover Lane or the Frances Street gate and go to the registration table on Palm Avenue.

Additional strolls featuring other gravesites will take place on Feb. 15 and March 15.

The cemetery strolls are sponsored by Key West and the Historic Florida Keys Foundation.

— Contributed

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

31

R

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS PROVIDE BIKES FOR 200 KIDS

2026 Season

WeCycle, law enforcement, fire departments & nonprofits are on a roll

January 4 - Ulysses Quartet Grosshandler • Debussy •Mendelssohn

Tennessee Williams Theater• 4pm $20 at door • all students FREE keywestimpromptu.org

Leadership Monroe County and the MCSO thank Local 3909 Professional Fire Fighters of Monroe County and Evan Haskell at We Cycle for contributing to the annual holiday bike drive that ensured nearly 200 needy Keys kids received a new bike.

CONTRIBUTED

A

long-standing collaboration among local businesses, first responders, faith organizations and nonprofits ensured that nearly 200 donated bicycles were delivered to children in need across Monroe County this year.

The effort began several years ago when Gary Centonze of Gary’s Plumbing and Fire started coordinating bicycle donations through local donors and community partners. Working with Rotary clubs, fire and police departments, churches and charitable groups, the goal has remained consistent: ensure children throughout the county have access to bicycles through trusted local channels.

“This has always been about cooperation,” Centonze said.

“When businesses, first responders, and community organizations work together, the impact is much greater than any one group could achieve alone.”

WeCycle, the local bike shop owned by Evan Haskell, has supported the initiative by donating bicycles, sourcing other bikes at wholesale cost, and assembling and

delivering bikes to kids in need. His approach has focused on reducing barriers so partner organizations can concentrate on distribution and outreach.

“This has always been about getting more kids on bikes,” Haskell said. “The real work is done by the organizations that know the families and make the connections.”

This year’s bicycle distributions are being coordinated through a wide range of organizations.

They include Southernmost Baptist Church, Monroe County firefighters union, SOS Foundation in coordination with the Key West Fire Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Presents in Paradise with support from Monroe County Fire Rescue.

Over the past few years, some 600 bicycles have been donated or partially funded through Gary’s Plumbing and Fire and WeCycle, in partnership with these organizations, and distributed to children throughout Monroe County.

— Contributed

LOCAL REPORTING BY LOCAL JOURNALISTS

TRUSTED EXPERTS IN THE FIELD For 22 years, Keys Weekly has been the ONLY locally-owned and operated news source covering all of the Keys with our boots on the ground and our butts in the seats at meetings.

Jim McCarthy, Editor Upper Keys Weekly 305.850.8034 jim@keysweekly.com Mandy Miles, Editor Key West Weekly 305.923.6012 mandy@keysweekly.com

Alex Rickert, Editor Marathon Weekly 401.256.0645 alex@keysweekly.com

32

Happy New Year! I don’t CHRIS know about you, McNULTY but I feel as if is an astrologer, we just ran an wanderer, barobstacle course tender and advocate for and tripped over queer justice. He the doorstep. is a loquacious So much has Gemini with a changed since cozy Cancer rising. Find him at the beginning hearthandheraldof 2025 and it’s astrology.com not likely to calm down any time soon. We are in the midst of all three outer planets — Pluto, Neptune and Uranus — changing signs. These slow-moving giants are generally associated with power, beliefs and technology, respectively. At a grand scale, between November 2024 and May 2026, we are witnessing and participating in epochal shifts in geopolitical power, collective beliefs and technological development, so being a tad overwhelmed is perfectly normal. Consensus reality can be difficult to find as the monumental changes are taking place, but remember to anchor yourself with the life-giving energy of the sun and the grounded sustenance of the Earth, and never forget that our One Human Family includes all people across our differences.

In a more immediate sense, intellectual Mercury is moving into productive Capricorn on New Year’s Day and we have our annual full moon in Cancer on Jan. 3, calling us back to heart and home. Mercury will be in Capricorn until Jan. 20, so let’s use those three weeks to train our minds on what is practical and achievable. Make goals that are within reach and bring them to fruition. Hone your attention. As a counterbalance to this goal-setting, Saturday’s full moon in Cancer is a time to celebrate and appreciate what we have in the here and now.

Here are your horoscopes for Mercury’s ingress into Capricorn and the full moon in Cancer. Read for your rising and sun signs.

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

CAPRICORN Dec. 22 - Jan. 19 At the start of the new year, define who you want to be. How do you want to make an authentic impact in the world around you?

Set achievable goals and, while you analyze how you want to show up, an important partner will offer some emotional grounding. See your goals in this person’s reflection of you.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20 - Feb. 18 How can you start the new year with more intentional quiet and personal space? Practicing mindfulness is your goal right now, allowing your mind to defragment in meditative reflection. Under the full moon, appreciate the hard work you have put in to get to where you are, and appreciate your body for its labor.

You’ve done the physical work, now focus on your inner peace.

PISCES Feb. 19 - March 20 There are people who want to help you achieve your goals; you just have to start looking in the right places. Take the next few weeks to seek out your supporters with a finetoothed comb. Look at your social circle with your ambitions in mind.

Your creative pursuits are reaching a crescendo, and you should breathe out to enjoy and appreciate what you’ve created.

ARIES March 21 - April 19 Set some goals at work that are doable. What can you write on a list that you know you will be able to cross off? The road to great achievements in your career starts with small steps in a meaningful direction. While you seek growth at work, take time to revel in the love and comfort of your home. Nothing needs to move or change there, simply enjoy the contentment.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20 You can plan great adventures while appreciating what is right

in front of you. Practice present nostalgia by appreciating the world you experience every day with eyes that look on with wistful love. Your familiar surroundings are reaching out to be held. At the same time, you have the ideal opportunity to get strategic about your next great exploration. What’s next for you?

GEMINI May 21 - June 20 You have an opportunity to make some wise investments, so take your time and analyze the possibilities before you. Determine what you want your return to be, whether monetary enrichment for yourself or if there is another beneficial outcome. This full moon asks you to respect your own values and reflect on where they come from. No need to change them, just acknowledge them.

CANCER June 21 - July 22 Give yourself flowers. This full moon is basking you in silver light, and asking you to love yourself for all you have accomplished. Really honor yourself now. There is a partner in your life in need of meaningful and practical conversation. Think about what this relationship is for you and open up a direct dialogue without a preconceived outcome.

LEO July 23 - Aug. 22 What small goals can you set that will help you be a healthier and more disciplined you? Think about your daily routines and think about how you can incorporate even the smallest of efficiencies. You have done a lot of work when it comes to your inner peace, and really appreciate the inner work you’ve done.

Help your outer world live up to your inner world.

VIRGO Aug. 23 - Sept. 22 It is time to get serious about your joy. Treat your creative projects or hobbies with the same professional rigor you bring to your work.

PLANNING AND PRESENCE

Map out a logistical plan to bring a passion project to life over the next three weeks. While you organize your creative bliss, let this full moon illuminate your community. Appreciate the collective support that surrounds you.

LIBRA Sept. 23 - Oct. 22 It’s time for some domestic logistics, whether that means organizing your living space or having a direct, practical conversation with a family member. Create a sense of order at home so it can serve as a sanctuary. As you tighten up your private world, take a moment to honor your professional achievements and the reputation you’ve built thus far.

SCORPIO Oct. 23 - Nov. 21 How can you communicate what needs to be said in simple and effective ways? You can use very direct language to get your point across.

Thinking small will lead to big results right now. While you’re focused on the details of communication, lift your gaze to the horizon. Appreciate the wisdom you’ve gained and the big truths that guide your soul.

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22 - Dec. 21 It is time to get your accounts in order by looking at your budget with a realistic eye and setting tangible financial goals. While you’re planning your prosperity, remember the things money can’t buy. This full moon, reflect on the deep, soulful connections and shared trust you have with others. Give thanks for the intimacy and support that sustains you on a soul level.

33

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

Founded by Betty Debnam MINI FACT: About 330 million adults in the U.S., or 98% of us, own a cellphone.

In 1995, about 12% had cellphone service.

Today, we take it for granted that we can call across the country or around the world easily. But just 110 years ago, making a transcontinental phone call was the next big communications challenge.

On Jan. 25, 1915, two telephone calls between the East Coast and the West Coast of the United States were celebrated.

This week in The Mini Page, we find out more about how our phones work and the evolution of the device.

BEFORE PHONES Before the telephone was invented in 1876, people could speak to each other in person or write letters.

But the mail was slow, This “straight key” Morse and it was expensive code device is from the to send a letter.

World War II era. Today, Urgent mesoperators use automatic sages could be sent by machines or computers to telegraph in the U.S. tap out the code. by the mid-1800s. This system used Morse code, or dots and dashes that were tapped onto a machine. The receiving machine would tap the coded message onto paper, and an operator would translate it.

But people had to go to a telegraph office to send a message. Only one message could be sent at a time, and the system didn’t always work well.

TALKING TELEPHONES Telephones became popular quickly. By 1915, more than 10 million telephones Telephone operators in the had been installed early 1900s connect callers in the United at a switchboard.

States.

Early telephones were connected through an exchange, or central office. Operators sat at a switchboard. A caller talked to the operator first, asking to be connected to another person.

When machines took over the switching of calls, customers got unique phone numbers and used a dial to contact each other. Operators were used only for long-distance or other special calls.

HOW DOES IT WORK? A landline telephone changes your voice into electrical signals. The signals are sent over a wire to another telephone, which changes the signals back into your voice for the person on the other end.

In cordless telephones, the handset sends radio waves to the base unit, which sends the signals over a wire.

Cellphone signals are sent by radio waves to a cell tower. The radio waves are transferred from tower to tower, then to the receiver’s phone.

Photo courtesy Library of Congress

KEEPING IN TOUCH

LONG-DISTANCE CALLING The first transcontinental phone call, from New York to San Francisco, took place in 1915.

A three-minute call between New York and San Francisco would have cost $20.70 at that time.

That would be $664 today!

In January 1927, calls between New York and London became possible.

FUN WITH MORSE CODE You can use Morse code to send secret messages to friends! People also use Morse code to send messages with mirrors, flashlights or radio signals, especially in an emergency.

INTERNATIONAL MORSE CODE

RESOURCES ON THE WEB • bit.ly/48i46g9 • youtu.be/cRrtIildKDM AT THE LIBRARY • “Ringing in Innovation: American Inventions That Transformed Communication”

by Margaret J. Goldstein

The Mini Page® © 2026 Andrews McMeel Syndication

FIND IT COASTS, CODE, DIAL, EMERGENCY, EXCHANGE, LETTER, MAIL, MESSAGE, MORSE, NUMBER, OPERATOR, RADIO, SERVICE, SIGNAL, TELEGRAPH, TELEPHONE, TOWER, WAVE.

Words that remind us of telephones are hidden in this puzzle.

Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:

T O W E R K I M O R P F A E P L E V M E U A A G E W Z E M E A S E R V P D S I G P T E L E M A I L Q

Q D G S E U T E L R O P X C H R G E I C E N A L G R A Z M E

C Y E E A N K A P S

O N P R N C R Y H S

A S T U M B H O N A T O G E J Y C O A D I A D I N D Y A G E

S E E R P D O A Z R

B R E T T E L L D O

ECO NOTE Australian scientists have discovered a new bee species Photo courtesy Curtin University with tiny hornlike projections and named it Megachile lucifer for its devilish appearance. Found in Western Australia’s Goldfields region, the female bee’s horns measure about 1 millimeter long and are unique to the species. The solitary bee species was found as scientists surveyed a critically endangered wildflower that grows only in the same area as the horned bee, where mining and climate change threaten both the pollinator and the plant.

Adapted with permission from Earthweek.com

38

KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

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KEY WEST WEEKLY / JANUARY 1, 2026

January 1, 2026

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3 January 30, 2025

JANUARY 1, 2026 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS

FROM OPENING KICKOFF TO FINAL BUZZER

Fins defend home court | P.4

January 16, 2025

Key West competition cheer preps for regionals | P.4

January 9, 2025

MASTERS OF LAND & SEA Meet the All-Keys Football, Swim and Dive Teams | P.4

Highlight-reel performances

by Keys athletes in 2025 February 13, 2025

FIRE IT UP Conchs, Fins test preseason bats | P.8

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s schools pause for the holidays, the Keys Weekly Sports Wrap recaps the highlights of the 2025 prep sports seasons. Record-breaking efforts and historic performances defined the year, as Monroe County athletes brought recognition and pride to the Florida Keys. From championship runs to individual milestones, these moments reflect the dedication, resilience and talent that made 2025 a year to remember across local programs. For a small, close-knit community, the Florida Keys continue to produce top-tier athletes and standout performances that compete and shine on much larger stages.

March 6, 2025

January 1, 2026

EL HT RE G I L H HIG : THE 5 2 0 2

P.3 ar | e ye of th stars e th ting sen Pre

WINTER

March 27, 2025

Lady Fins plate 75 in 3 games | P.5

The past 12 months gave fans of Keys athletics a record-breaking year, as squads and individual stars accomplished feats never before seen in the island chain. Enjoy our Keys Weekly Sports Wrap 2025 year in review.

Photos by Maicey Malgrat, Barry Gaukel, Rachel Rusch, Tracy McDonald, Doug Finger and Rick Mackenzie

4

KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JANUARY 1, 2026 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.

HEAVY MEDALS

Publisher / Jason Koler jason@keysweekly.com

Publishing Partner / Britt Myers britt@keysweekly.com

Sydney Eysenbach, left, and Jennille Arias.

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

Tanner Ross, left, Max Childress and Matthias Martinez-Velez.

Production Manager

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Anneke Patterson anneke@keysweekly.com

Executive Administrator Charlotte Hruska char@keysweekly.com

Graphic Design

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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.

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Marathon - Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com

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Ella Dunn, top, and Justice Lee Isom.

he Lady Fins weightlifters finished second in Florida for the traditional lifting category, outlifting over 100 other schools in the classification. In Olympic events, Marathon finished seventh. Coral Shores finished in a six-way tie for ninth place, making it two Keys schools in the top 10 for the entire Sunshine State.

Justice Lee Isom successfully defended her Olympic title, adding a third gold state medal to her expansive collection as she shattered school records again and again during the season. Lee Isom also brought home a silver medal in the traditional event. Ella Dunn picked up a pair of fifth-place finishes at the state meet, while Ayme Maradiaga won bronze in the traditional event in the same weight class as Dunn. Ella Evans also made two trips to the podium, one for a fourth-place traditional medal and another for a sixth-place medal in Olympic lifts.

The Lady ’Canes picked up some hardware of their own at states. Jennille Arias won one silver and one bronze in her weight category, and Sydney Eysenbach won fourth in Olympic and sixth in traditional lifts in her class. Coral Shores’ Vanessa Gabriel, in the same class as Eysenbach, finished 10th.

On the boys’ side, Marathon did the heavy lifting in 2025, sending four athletes to the boys FHSAA 1A State Championships, three of whom medaled at the event. Matthias Martinez-Velez brought home a fourth-place medal in the traditional event and Max Childress won fifth.

Tanner Ross finished sixth in the Olympic event.

5

Alfredo Corrales, right, shows off his

David Beltran and Jake Ferguson take the podium at regionals.

PINNING DOWN SUCCESS

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he Key West Conchs earned their 16th consecutive wrestling district championship in 2025, while Coral Shores finished third in FHSAA’s 1A District 16. Key West’s entire team qualified for regionals by placing in the top four spots at the meet. In all, the Keys saw five district champs in Key West’s Lazaro Diaz, Kyle Condella, Abram Canet and Alfredo Corrales as well as Coral Shores’ Costa Tuttle.

At regionals, Corrales brought home gold, joining Canet, Jake Ferguson, James Searcy and Lady Conch Maria Halushka in qualifying for states. Also qualifying were Tuttle, David Beltran and Sebastian McCoy from the Hurricanes’ crew. Corrales went on to capture fourth place at states. He surpassed the school record in career wins with 150 and career pins with 94. 2025 also marked the inaugural season for Marathon’s wrestling team. The squad, a mix of middle school athletes and underclassmen, took to the mats at Coral Shores Dec. 18 to add a third Monroe County team to the district.

Marathon wrestlers after their first meet Dec. 18.

ALL CHEERS

JANUARY 1, 2026 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS

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t the start of 2025, Key West was home to the only competitive cheer squad in Monroe County.

The team hit the mark at regionals and earned a bid to states, where they finished seventh in their division. By mid-year, Coral Shores joined in the fun, adding the sport to the school’s athletic offerings and competing against the Conchs at a head-to-head competition in the Southernmost City in preparation for regionals.

The Lady Conchs competitive cheer squad qualified for states.

6

KINGS OF DIAMONDS

KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JANUARY 1, 2026

The Hurricanes, top, Dolphins, center, and Conchs celebrate their district championship wins.

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or the first time in history, all three of Monroe County’s public high school baseball teams were crowned district champions.

The Dolphins, competing for the first season in the 1A Rural classification, went 18-11 after winning their first district title in the new division. The Hurricanes finished 19-5-1 on their quest, which culminated with a 2A District 16 title. Key West made some room in the trophy case for district title number 34 when they won the 4A championship.

Ali Wheatley

ABOVE THE BAR

F

Ava Merryman

Josh Johnson

ifteen Monroe County athletes qualified for the state championships in track and field, and many of them brought home hardware. Key West’s Ian Newton struck gold when he cleared 15’3” to win a state championship in the pole vault. Teammate Shane Lavallee brought home bronze in javelin, and Audrey Smith placed fourth in girls javelin.

Jeremiah Harvey and Peyton Zubieta also medaled in javelin, winning sixth and seventh place, respectively. Noah Mercer broke the school record in discus at the state meet to capture a fourth-place medal. Ariel Newton and Josh Johnson finished in the top 10 in pole vault and shot

JANUARY 1, 2026 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS Clockwise from far left: Scout Oliver, Emmett Merryman, Roco Piscetello and Claudia Steling.

TEEING UP HISTORY

K

eys golf teams saw an increase in athletes and in their success in 2025. Coral Shores sent its first athlete to regionals with Scout Oliver’s fantastic performance at districts. Oliver punched his card to regionals with a third-place tie at districts and was joined by Marathon’s Emmett Merryman, who narrowly won a tiebreaker with teammate Roco Piscetello to become the Dolphins’ first regional qualifier.

Key West’s Claudia Steling became just the second female golfer to break 100 at districts, shooting a 94 and earning a spot of her own at regionals to give all three Keys schools regional representation.

Ian Newton

Justice Lee Isom

Noah Mercer

Ariel Newton

put, making it an incredible season in the field for Key West.

Marathon’s Justice Lee Isom dominated the throwing events, capturing three medals for the Fins. Lee Isom was eighth in javelin, third in discus and second in shot put. Joining Lee Isom on the podium was Ava Merryman, who took seventh in the pole vault event. Though no medals were won on the track, Marathon’s Jay Marshall and Vance Bursa plus Key West’s Caylaa Makimaa and Coral Shores’ Ali Wheatley all qualified for the big show. Rounding out the state qualifiers was Key West’s Malachi Telisma, who made the cut in high jump.

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KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JANUARY 1, 2026

MAKING WAVES Santiago Gonzalez

James Osborne

Jack Chapman

HARDWOOD HEROES

The Lady Fins hoist their trophy after se

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wo Keys hoopsters matched school records in 2025. In early January, Marathon’s Jack Chapman, then a freshman, matched Stephen Hernandez’s 2018 three-point record, sinking 10 threes in a single game.

Noah Mercer

Chase Gaertner

Layne Smith, left center, and Aaron Lykins, right center, with their coaches.

T

his year we watched one school record fall and a pair of athletes make the cut for the state meet in swimming and diving. Key West’s Santiago Gonzalez broke a sevenyear-old record in the 200 freestyle event by nearly a second.

While Gonzalez was making his mark for Key West, Coral Shores sent two athletes to states. Layne Smith, unquenched by her historic win in the 8-mile Swim to Alligator Lighthouse race through open water, dove in at states after qualifying in the 500-yard freestyle event. Teammate Aaron Lykins also qualified for the state meet in the 1-meter diving event. Lykins’ first foray into the event was in 2024, and despite his newcomer status, he qualified both seasons.

Jeff Dejean

GRIDIRON GREA

9

JANUARY 1, 2026 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS

Loubins Fleuridor

Sofia Jans

ecuring a district title.

In Key West, James Osborne, named Player of the Year despite missing a large portion of the 2024-25 season with an injury, came back with a renewed focus in 2025. Now a senior, Osborne unleashed a flurry against Westminster Christian School on

Walson Morin

ATNESS

Nov. 29, scoring an incredible 46 points to tie Leron Graves’ feat from 35 years ago.

In girls basketball action, Marathon found success in the new Rural 1A classification, winning the district title and securing a 10-8 record.

K

ey West led the way on the football field in 2025, earning a 7-5 record and bringing home the runner-up trophy in FHSAA’s 3A District 16. The Conchs had an arsenal of weapons, with a pair of running backs who were a scoring threat every time they touched the ball.

Jeff Dejean rushed for 1,112 yards and scored 14 touchdowns in his senior season, finishing second on the leaderboards for the district.

Only teammate Walson Morin topped him. Morin rushed for 1,802 yards and 21 touchdowns to lead District 16 in both categories and rank him 11th in the state in all classifications.

Chase Gaertner tied the school’s record for longest punt with a 68-yarder – one of his two on the season to surpass the 60-yard mark. Noah Mercer, wooed by a multitude of college football teams, took his place in the Conch record books when he became the all-time leader in sacks in a single season as well as a career.

PITCH PERFECT

K

ey West’s boys soccer team captured the FHSAA 4A District 16 title in 2025, fueled by DJ Barrett’s game-winning goal. Barrett earned a nod from the FACA All-Star committee and a spot on the Roosevelt University team in Chicago.

Loubins Fleuridor scored 13 goals and Sonny Bowden netted 11 to make the season one of Key West’s best.

Coral Shores’ girls made their mark, beating Marathon twice and Key West once in 2025.

Sofia Jans led the team in scoring with 12 goals and four assists.

Key West’s Maddie Kilduff scored 13 goals last season and is already making net gains in the first half of play this season.

Kilduff had a collegiate offer early in her junior year, proving her prowess on the pitch goes well beyond the Southernmost City.

DJ Barrett

10

GOING THE DISTANCE

KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JANUARY 1, 2026 Below: Ali Wheatley sprints for the finish at states.

Bottom: The Marathon boys cross country team waits for the gun at the state championship start

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he Lady Conchs softball team finished 16-8 in 2025, winning a district championship and picking off opponents one contender at a time until the regional championship game. Pitcher Brianna Brenner, then a sophomore, topped the district with 127 strikeouts and a 2.26 ERA. Marathon also finished above the .500 mark, going 9-7 in their first season in 1A’s Rural classification.

Then-sophomore Madelyn Thornton was perfect in the field defensively and batted for a noteworthy .909 slugging percentage.

SEASON OF SUCCESS Brianna Brenner

M

arathon’s Tony Bursa won the 1A District 8 cross country championship in 2025, while Coral Shores’ Ali Wheatley won silver. Both athletes are just sophomores. Marathon and Coral Shores qualified their entire boys and girls squads for regionals, while Key West’s boys finished strong to upset the odds for a place at the event.

For the 11th consecutive season, Marathon’s boys cross country team toed the line at the state championships. The Fins finished 16th in Florida’s 1A, but led the classification for public schools, a feat made even more noteworthy given Florida Keys teams do not have the opportunity to train on the type of hilly terrain that makes up the state course.

Wheatley earned an individual spot at the state championships after missing out by a single place in 2024 during her freshman campaign.

11

JANUARY 1, 2026 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS

In The Bleachers

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KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JANUARY 1, 2026

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Pursuant F.S. 328.17, United American Lien & Recovery as agent w/ power of attorney will sell the following vessel(s) to the highest bidder. Inspect 1 week prior @ marina; cash or cashier check; all auctions are held w/ reserve; any persons interested ph 954-563-1999 Sale Date January 16, 2026 @ 10:00 am 3411 NW 9th Ave #707 Ft Lauderdale FL 33309 V13261 1969 Hat FL0299NF Hull ID#: DO515826 inboard pleasure diesel fiberglass 38ft R/O Anthony Michael & Monic Echevarria Manguart Lienor: Marina Key LLC 99701 Overseas Hwy Key Largo Publish: December 25, 2025 & January 1, 2026 The Weekly Newspapers

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

Administrator's Office, by phoning (305) 292-4441, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., no later than five (5) calendar days prior to the scheduled meeting; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call “711”.

NOTICE: It shall be the responsibility of each Respondent or other person addressing the Board to have an interpreter if the party is not able to understand or speak the English language.

Rick Griffin, Building Official/ Board Secretary Jamie Gross, Senior Contractor Licensing Coordinator – CEB Board Monroe County Building Department Publish: January 1, 2026 The Weekly Newspapers

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE MONROE COUNTY CONTRACTORS EXAMINING BOARD MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA Notice is Hereby Given To Whom it may concern, that on Tuesday, January 13, 2026 the Monroe County Contractors Examining Board (CEB) will hold a scheduled meeting at the Marathon Government Center, 2798 Overseas Highway, Second Floor, BOCC Room, Marathon, Florida scheduled to commence at 9:30 A.M. This meeting is to hear the following: any person(s) to come before the board; any reports from Monroe County Assistant Attorney; any reports from Monroe County Building Official; any reports from Staff.

The Monroe County Contractors Examining Board (“CEB”) will review Certificate of Competency Trade applications and the Industry Input Section. All public participation in this meeting may be conducted via Communication Media Technology (“CMT”) using Zoom Webinar platform, during the scheduled meeting.

Meeting Agenda and Zoom Webinar information is available 7 days prior to meeting date on the Monroe County Web Calendar and the Contractors Examining Board webpage: www. monroecounty-fl.gov PURSUANT TO FLORIDA STATUTE SECTION 286.0105, be advised that, if a person decides to appeal the decision made by the Contractors’ Examining Board with respect to any matter considered at today’s hearing, that person will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, he or she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.

ADA ASSISTANCE: If you are a person with a disability who needs special recommendations in order to participate in this proceeding, please contact the County

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS ADVERTISMENT FOR BIDS BID NO: FWC 25/26-34C BID NAME: Sandy Sprunt Day Use Area Project PROJECT LOCATION: Monroe, FLORIDA The intent of this Invitation to Bid (ITB) is to obtain competitive pricing the construction of five crushed rock parking spaces and one ADA compliant parking space. A day use pavilion, information kiosk, asphalt driveway connection, and concrete sidewalk per plans and specifications in accordance with the documents and Chapter 255 of the Florida Statutes.

To review the bid details for FWC 25/26-34C Visit https://vendor. myfloridamarketplace.com/ search/bids to view a list of FWC’s formal solicitations and agency decisions.

Choose the FWC 25/26-34C solicitation link to view the advertisement details.

From the Advertisement Details page, you can download the PDF bid file for your reference.

NOTE: The Vendor Information Portal (link provided above) is the posting location for all new and changing information regarding this solicitation. Interested bidders should continue to monitor this site for the entirety of the solicitation process.

DIRECT ALL QUESTIONS TO THE PROCUREMENT MANAGER: Elbert Orellana, Procurement Manager Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Tallahassee Purchasing Office 1875 Orange Avenue East Tallahassee, Florida 323116160 Phone: (850) 617-9658 Email: Elbert.Orellana@myfwc. com Publish: January 1, 2026 The Weekly Newspapers

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. 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 25, 2025.

Personal Representative: David Christian Rasmussen 116 Thurston Place Crestview, Florida 32536 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 25, 2025 and January 1, 2026 The Weekly Newspapers

PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES, ADMINISTRATORS OR AS OTHER CLAIMANTS, BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST DIANE CHRISTINE FAY, DECEASED; AND ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES WHO CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSE, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES, PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES, ADMINISTRATORS OR AS OTHER CLAIMANTS, BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST CATHERINE BARRY, DECEASED: AND THERESA KASLING, AS POTENTIAL HEIR TO CATHERINE BARRY Defendant And the Docket Number of which is Number 2024-CA61-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 25TH 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: January 1 & 8, 2026 The Weekly Newspapers

And the Docket Number of which is Number 2024-CA61-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 25TH 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: January 1 & 8, 2026 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 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

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION CASE NO.: 25-CP-538-K IN RE: THE ESTATE OF ALTHEA L. MAUST, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of ALTHEA L. MAUST, deceased, whose date of death was July 22, 2025, Case: 25-CP-538-K, is pending in the Circuit Court, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, on whom a copy of this notice is served must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate, including unmatured, contingent or unliquidated claims, must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. The date of first publication of this Notice is: December 25, 2025.

Personal Representative: BRANDIE JEAN ADAMSON c/o Samuel J. Kaufman, Esq. Law Offices of Samuel J. Kaufman, P.A. 3130 Northside Drive Key West, Florida 33040 Attorney for Personal Representative: Samuel J. Kaufman, Esq. Florida Bar No. 0144304 Law Offices of Samuel J. Kaufman, P.A. 3130 Northside Drive Key West, Florida 33040 Email designation for service: Service.Probate@ samkaufmanlaw.com Telephone: (305) 292-3926 Fax: (305) 295-7947 Publish: December 25, 2025 and January 1, 2026 The Weekly Newspapers

The following is an upcoming GMX procurement opportunity:

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) GMX PROCUREMENT/CONTRACT NO.: RFQ2603 GMX WORK PROGRAM NO.: 83635000.011

GMX PROJECT/SERVICE TITLE: PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT (PD&E) STUDY FOR SR 836/DOLPHIN EXPRESSWAY FROM WEST OF SR 826/PALMETTO EXPRESSWAY TO EAST OF SR 953/ LE JEUNE ROAD For detailed information please visit the Procurement Department website at http://www.gmx-way.com/business/solicitations, or call the Procurement Department at 305-637-3277 for assistance.

Publish: January 1, 2026. The Weekly Newspapers

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 25-CP-560-K DIVISION: LOWER KEYS IN RE: ESTATE OF CARLTON COLEMAN SPAIN Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of Carlton Coleman Spain, deceased, whose date of death was November 11, 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.

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

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 20TH 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 E24, Week 40, Beach House, a Condominium according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1510, Page 225, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits attached thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”).

Pursuant to IN REM SUMMARY FINAL JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AS TO COUNT(S) I entered in a case pending in said Court, the 14TH day of November 2025 Style of which is: BEACH HOUSE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION OF KEY WEST, INC., A NONPROFIT CORPORATION UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA Plaintiff vs.

ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES WHO CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSE, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES,

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

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 20TH 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 A13, Week 12, Beach House, a Condominium according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1510, Page 225, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits attached thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”).

Pursuant to IN REM SUMMARY FINAL JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AS TO COUNT(S) VII entered in a case pending in said Court, the 14TH day of November 2025 Style of which is: BEACH HOUSE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION OF KEY WEST, INC., A NONPROFIT CORPORATION UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA Plaintiff vs.

ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES WHO CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSE, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES, PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES, ADMINISTRATORS OR AS OTHER CLAIMANTS, BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST JAMES DARREL FOSDICK, DECEASED; CARRIE FOSDICK, AS POTENTIAL HEIR TO JAMES DARREL FOSDICK; ROBERT FOSDICK, AS POTENTIAL HEIR TO JAMES DARREL FOSDICK; KRISTIN FOSDICK, AS POTENTIAL HEIR TO JAMES DARREL FOSDICK; ANGELA FOSDICK, AS POTENTIAL HEIR TO JAMES DARREL FOSDICK; AND JANICE WAGY FOSDICK, AS POTENTIAL HEIR TO JAMES DARREL FOSDICK Defendant

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

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 20TH 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 E21, Week 4, Beach House, a Condominium according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1510, Page 225, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits attached thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”).

Pursuant to IN REM SUMMARY FINAL JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AS TO COUNT(S) III entered in a case pending in said Court, the 14TH day of November 2025 Style of which is: BEACH HOUSE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION OF KEY WEST, INC., A NONPROFIT CORPORATION UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA Plaintiff vs.

ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES WHO CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSE, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES, PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES, ADMINISTRATORS OR AS OTHER CLAIMANTS, BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST MELBA TROUTMAN MC GUIRE, DECEASED; AND MICHAEL POOL, AS POTENTIAL HEIR TO MELBA TROUTMAN MC GUIRE Defendant And the Docket Number of which is Number 2024-CA61-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 25TH 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: January 1 & 8, 2026 The Weekly Newspapers

13

JANUARY 1, 2026 / KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS

• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •

305.743.0844

LEGAL NOTICES

BOAT SLIP FOR RENT

EMPLOYMENT

HOUSING FOR RENT

VACATION RENTAL

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

BY CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT Notice is hereby given that the undersigned, Kevin Madok, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, Florida, will, on the 20TH 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 E21, Week 3, Beach House, a Condominium according to the Declaration of Condominium thereof recorded in Official Records Book 1510, Page 225, Public Records of Monroe County, Florida, and all exhibits attached thereto, and any amendments thereof (the “Declaration”).

Pursuant to IN REM SUMMARY FINAL JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AS TO COUNT(S) II entered in a case pending in said Court, the 14TH day of November 2025 Style of which is: BEACH HOUSE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION OF KEY WEST, INC., A NONPROFIT CORPORATION UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA Plaintiff vs.

ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES WHO CLAIM AN INTEREST AS SPOUSE, HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES, PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES, ADMINISTRATORS OR AS OTHER CLAIMANTS, BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST MELBA TROUTMAN MC GUIRE, DECEASED AND MICHAEL POOL, AS POTENTIAL HEIR TO MELBA TROUTMAN MC GUIRE Defendant And the Docket Number of which is Number 2024-CA61-K WITNESS my hand and the Official Seal of Said Court, this 25TH 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: January 1 & 8, 2026 The Weekly Newspapers

Dockage up to 60’ Islamorada - Bayside, 50 amp service.

Call 860-982-4517

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.

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

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

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 305-747-4227

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.

305-610-8002 Boat Slip For Rent in Key Largo Oceanfront Marina - Up to 46’ x 11.5’ $20/ft/month.

No Liveaboards.

330-219-5313 RENTED IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!!

PLACE YOUR BOAT SLIP FOR RENT AD HERE. $25/week for up to 5 lines of copy!

Call 305-743-0844 or Email Anneke@ keysweek ly.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.Rollins-Simms@ vacationclub.com for more information!

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/ POSITION FILLED!

YARD SALES

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

Call 305-743-0844 or Email Anneke@ keysweek ly.com

RV LOT FOR SALE

Experienced Fulltime 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 404-219-3359 and ask for Dave.

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

Full time/Part time.

Small friendly staff.

Above average hourly wage plus tips.

Apply in person at 425 E. Ocean Dr. Key Colony Beach or call 404-219-3359 and ask for Dave.

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

Call 305-743-0844 or Email Anneke@ keysweek ly.com HOBBIES/COLLECT.

P R I V A T E C O L L E C T O R WANTS Rolex, Dive Watches and Pilot Watches. Old Model Military Clocks & Watches.

Call 305-743-4578

Vacation Inn Resort, WPB. Gated, 5-Star, Luxury RV Resort in prestigious Palm Beach County on the Gold Coast of S. Florida! $129.5k Call 561844-8974 for photos & information!

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).

Apply by email Jennifer.Roth@ReganRoth.com Regan Roth Insurance, 90144 Overseas Highway, Tavernier.

Family-owned business that will treat you like family!

DUI FRONT DESK CLERK & EVALUATOR/INSTRUCTOR

CROSSWORD SOLUTION

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.

SUDOKU SOLUTION

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

14

KEYS WEEKLY SPORTS WRAP/LEGALS & CLASSIFIEDS / JANUARY 1, 2026

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

We’re HIRING!

Apply Online at KeysBank.com/Careers

KEY WEST Controller Full Time Teller Customer Service Representative

WE ARE HIRING FULL-TIME & PART-TIME

BARTENDERS, SERVERS COOKS & BUSSERS Open call, walk in interviews, Monday, Jan 5th, 10AM-3PM Apply in person at: BAR VICTOR 97630 Overseas Highway (mm97 at Vicky Bakery) Key Largo, FL 33037 Or email Mark@vickybakery.com to schedule interview

IS HIRING IN THE UPPER KEYS

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

NOW HIRING IN KEY WEST

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

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

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!

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.

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

OPERATOR/MAINTAINER Starting pay rate for this position, depending on qualifications and experience: $40.15/hr - $44.97/hr For more information, including job duties and required qualifications, and to apply for the job, please visit their website at www.KeysEnergy.com.

KEYS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. KEYS promotes a Drug-Free Workplace.

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

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

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

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

JANUARY 1, 2026 / 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) *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

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

THEME: YEAR-IN-REVIEW ACROSS 1. W.E.B Du Bois’ org.

6. Rascal 9. Ho-hum 13. “Pomp and Circumstance” composer 14. Tropical constrictor 15. Forgo 16. Tequila source 17. + or - atom 18. Reason by deduction 19. *Trade war “weapon,” pl.

21. *2025 MLB World Series winners 23. ____-tzu 24. C&H crop 25. Dunce 28. Western necktie 30. Catch in a snare 35. Ginger cookie 37. Master of his castle 39. Use a razor 40. British slang for donkey 41. Arch and ball locations 43. Winglike 44. March celebrants 46. *Arthur Sze, 2025 ____ Laureate 47. Dam-like structure 48. *BeyoncÈ’s “Cowboy ____,” 2025 Grammy winner 50. King Kong and Curious George, e.g.

52. Like a fox 53. What Pinocchio did 55. *Florida Panthers won this org.’s ‘25 championship 57. *”Wicked: ____ ____” 61. *Late environmentalist and chimpanzee expert 65. German submarine destroyer 66. *2025 Ryder Cup loser 68. Manuscript sheet 69. Brazilian coins 70. Roll-your-own one, for short 71. To the left, on a boat 72. Orpheus’ instrument 73. Geological time period 74. They are cut by Federal Reserve

DOWN 1. At room temperature, bar order 2. Algae, sing.

3. Petri dish filler 4. Raise trivial objections 5. Ready to be assembled 6. Avian wader 7. Farm sound 8. China’s goodwill “____ diplomacy” 9. Collision, onomatopoeically speaking 10. *Taylor Swift’s “The ____ of a Showgirl” 11. Affirm solemnly 12. Third-person possessive pronoun 15. Makes broader 20. Why do they fall in love?

22. *Aryna Sabalenka’s seed 24. Auto contents 25. Pertaining to osmium 26. *2025 Academy Awards Best Picture winner 27. Faquir, alt.spelling 29. Pilot’s stunt 31. Spring event 32. Pneumonia symptom, pl.

33. Be of use 34. *Blue Origin’s 2025 singing passenger 36. Boll weevil, e.g.

38. *____Seek 42. Shorthand typist, for short 45. Serfs 49. 2016 Olympics host, for short 51. Ram’s horn at a synagogue 54. Draw a conclusion 56. Parkinson’s disease drug 57. Roll up 58. Heed 59. Lion sound 60. Dorothy’s last name 61. *Lady of “The Mayhem Ball” 62. Tons (2 words) 63. Lira, pl.

64. Land parcels 67. *Gary Oldman received this honorific in 2025

CONCRETE CONCRETE MADE TO LAST

MADE TO LAST Proudly serving Key West to Islamorada as the ONLY locally owned and operated concrete company in the Florida Keys.

GET IN TOUCH

Whether you’re building a large commercial building, FDOT bridge, or a customdesigned home, we have concrete mix designs for every project. Thanks to decades of experience, our team can create custom mixes with high-quality additives for specific project needs. We offer the largest variety of materials and operate the only FDOT-certified ready-mix plants in the Florida Keys.

Key West

Call us for all ready-mix concrete, block, aggregate, rebar and bagged good needs.

Monroe Concrete 155 Toppino Industrial Drive Key West, 305-296-9934 Monroe Concrete Marathon 1500 107th Street Gulf Marathon, 305-743-5800