24 minute read
Key deer shooting raises response questions
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The U.S. men’s national soccer team advanced to the knockout stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup after beating Iran 1-0 in Doha, Qatar on Nov. 29. The national team is the second youngest behind Ghana, with an average age of 25 years and two months. The U.S. will face the Netherlands on Saturday, Dec. 3. The Keys Weekly Newspapers are proud to honor Monroe County’s gridiron standouts with our inaugural All-Keys Football Team. See page 19. Photo by Barry Gaukel.
KEY DEER SHOOTING RAISES RESPONSE QUESTIONS
ILLEGAL ACT WAS REPORTEDLY INTENDED AS MERCY KILLING
ALEX RICKERT
alex@keysweekly.com Images reportedly taken on Nov. 9 show the buck with its antlers tangled and abrasions on its side.
An image reportedly taken on Nov. 16 shows concerned residents attempting to deliver water to the injured buck. SAVE OUR KEY DEER/Contributed
The widely publicized shooting of an endangered Key deer on Big Pine Key remains under investigation by federal authorities. But for locals, the death of another protected animal has prompted a renewed outcry from those concerned with officers’ ability to respond in a timely fashion to such events.
“On Wednesday, November 16, the Service’s Office of Law Enforcement was informed that a Key deer was shot and killed on a residential lot on Big Pine Key,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) public affairs specialist Jennifer Koches in a statement on Nov. 18. “The Service is working with the State of Florida, and our agents are currently gathering facts as part of an ongoing investigation.”
The FWS oversees the National Key Deer Refuge in the Lower Keys, established in 1957 to protect the small endangered subspecies of white-tailed deer found exclusively in the island chain.
Though this is the second widelypublicized Key deer shooting in 2022, a press release submitted by the non-profit Save Our Key Deer Inc. (SOKD) alleges that though still illegal, the shooting was intended as a mercy killing when it became apparent the distressed animal would not receive immediate medical attention.
According to the release, the case began a week earlier when a Big Pine resident found the large buck stuck between two sections of fencing with rope entangled in his antlers on Nov. 9, causing him to sustain cuts and abrasions on both sides of his body.
The release states that residents contacted the wildlife hotline maintained by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) as well as several FWS and FWC officials and volunteers, but the buck rushed off into the woods with his antlers still entangled when he was eventually freed from the fence.
Volunteers and officials attempted to locate the deer over the next week, but were unsuccessful until the buck was found lying in “extreme distress” near Independence Avenue on Nov. 16. Though not yet confirmed, the release states the buck “was likely suffering from organ failure due to ‘capture myopathy’ induced by severe stress.” The release further states that an individual “took it upon themselves to put the agonized buck out of his misery” after more than two and a half hours had elapsed since residents again called the FWC hotline.
“I’m hoping that (officials) can use this unfortunate case to help them get whatever they need to do to to get better staffing,” SOKD president Valerie Preziosi told Keys Weekly. “This was illegal and unsafe for anybody to do that, and we frown on that completely. However, there was a motive. … I wish (officials) were better educated to the level of understanding what that animal might be going through in a situation like that.”
With FWC’s hotline dispatch number routed to the mainland and unclear divisions of jurisdiction among multiple potential responding agencies, the release claims residents are increasingly less likely to wait for officials to respond to incidents.
“The lack of response or lack of appropriate medical action following a call to ‘the Hotline’ has made many residents convinced that such a call is useless, and that the only option is to deal with the situation on their own, ultimately leading to last week’s shooting incident,” it concludes.
“Given the number of positions that we have, FWC is trying to cover the entire Florida Keys and the entire National Marine Sanctuary,” FWC Capt. David Dipre told the Weekly, similarly pointing to staffing concerns and a need for clear communication as the main drivers behind extended response times.
“It’s just not possible for us to always be where people want us to be,” he said.
Keys Weekly contacted FWS for an update on the investigation and further clarification of each agency’s responsibility when hotline calls are received for incidents such as these. Per its policy, the service declined to comment on an ongoing investigation, and clarification regarding the handling of calls was not yet available as of press time.
A Key deer shot in January on Sugarloaf Key was euthanized and transported to USFWS’ forensic laboratory in Ashland, Oregon for further analysis. It is unclear whether this deer will receive the same analysis.
With a remaining population of fewer than 1,000 individuals, Key deer are protected by both the federal Endangered Species Act and Florida law. Intentionally killing an animal carries a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison and a maximum fine of $100,000. Witnesses are urged to call 888-404-FWCC (3922), option 1 for Monroe County, to report a dead or seriously injured Key deer.
The 2022 Monroe County School Board. From left: board member John Dick, vice chair Sue Woltanski, board member Darren Horan, board chair Andy Griffiths, board member Mindy Conn. MONROE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT/Contributed
NEW-LOOK SCHOOL BOARD TACKLES TRUMBO HOUSING DETAILS
Griffiths, Woltanski to serve as chair, vice chair
ALEX RICKERT
alex@keysweekly.com
The Monroe County School Board welcomed one new face and two familiar ones as newly-elected District 1 board member Darren Horan and re-elected District 4 and 5 board members John Dick and Dr. Sue Woltanski were sworn in at the board’s annual organizational meeting on Nov. 22.
Horan, a Key West-based attorney, secured a victory over Gabrielle Brown with 58% of the vote in August’s primary election. Woltanski will enter her second term on the board after earning a win with just shy of 54% of the vote in a hotly-contested campaign against Alexandria Suarez. Unopposed in August’s primary, former chair Dick will enter his fifth term with the board.
Andy Griffiths will serve as the board’s new chair, with Woltanski chosen as vice chair.
The evening’s largest agenda item revolved around proposed divisions of units and rental rates for the upcoming housing development at the district’s Trumbo Road property in Key West, slated for construction through SPGL LLC. Designated as affordable housing, an initial draft from SPGL proposed to rent 25% of the development’s units at rental rates calculated from 80% of the area median income (AMI), 45% at rates calculated from 100% AMI, and 30% calculated from 120% of AMI.
In the 80% AMI category, a onebedroom unit would rent for roughly $1,350 per month, with two-bedroom units at $1,500 for households earning a maximum of $57,400 for a single family or $65,600 for a two-person family. 100% AMI units would rent for $1,700 and $1,900 for one- and twobedroom units, with income limits of $71,500 and $82,000 for one- and twoperson families. One- and two-bedroom 120% AMI units would rent for $2,000 and $2,300, respectively, with income limits of $86,000 and $98,000 for one- and two-person families.
Board member Mindy Conn said she was concerned that while the proposed rates may be suitable for some teachers, other critical district personnel would still find the units unaffordable.
“I would like to see rent reflect housing that we can have bus drivers and maintenance workers and paraprofessionals live in, not just teachers,” she said. “Some of those rents might still be too high for brand-new teachers … or filling those other positions that are hourly pay.”
Superintendent Theresa Axford defended the proposed rents, saying the units were “better than anything anybody can get right now” in Key West.
“I understand how amazing they are,” Conn continued. “But if people can’t afford them, it doesn’t matter. I want to figure out … which people would still be able to afford to live there, and if we’re missing some section of our employees that still can’t afford to live there, even at those great Key West rates.”
With no official vote taken, the board asked attorney Gaelan Jones to work with SPGL on several proposals for several splits in unit sizes and rental rates in the upcoming complex. As currently proposed, the development’s 80 units would consist of 16 one-bedroom units, 40 two-bedroom units and 24 three-bedroom units.
“I think everybody, myself included, that are involved in these negotiations believe that the three-bedrooms are going to be the hardest to fill,” he said.
Jones also cautioned that addition of more 80% AMI units would likely be met with a compensatory addition of 120% units to recoup the lost rental income, decreasing the pool of 100% AMI units.
The board will work to potentially approve a final agreement at its Dec. 13 meeting, with Axford and Jones offering to bring an analysis of district salaries to the meeting to inform the final decision.
‘UNSAFE’ SHIP THAT CARRIED HAITIANS REMAINS GROUNDED OFF ISLAMORADA
Migrants aboard the wooden vessel transported back to home country
JIM McCARTHY
jim@keysweekly.com
An American flag waves to the Atlantic Ocean breeze at one of the more popular Florida Keys sandbars. Located at Whale Harbor in Islamorada, hundreds of boats usually line the shallow, sandy bottoms during holidays and busy weekends for a day of sunshine, drinks and lounging.
For the past week, sandbar visitors haven’t only captured breathtaking views of the ocean on a picturesque Keys day. Not far from where boats anchor, a roughly 50-foot wooden sailboat that carried almost 200 Haitian migrants from turmoil to hopes for a new life remains grounded.
While chugs hauling Cuban migrants continue to arrive at record levels, the island chain hasn’t witnessed a large vessel carrying Haitian migrants to American soil in several months. That all changed during the early morning hours of Nov. 21, when a good Samaritan alerted the Coast Guard that an overloaded boat carrying well over 100 people was crashing into 6- to 10-foot waves and being whipped by 25 mph winds not far from Rodriguez Key in Key Largo. Rescue efforts throughout the day by the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection proved challenging due to the conditions, according to Matt James, Coast Guard Station Islamorada commander.
By evening, the sailboat traveled south to Islamorada, where it grounded at a sandbar south of Whale Harbor. Rescue attempts intensified as 18 people hopped off the boat and into the treacherous waters. With help from other agencies, which included Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation and Islamorada Fire Rescue, CBP was able to rescue all the people in the water. "These people were packed into an overloaded, unsafe vessel without safety equipment," said Lt. C. Box, of Coast Guard District Seven. "The weather was so bad, these people are lucky we got to them when we did."
Of the 190 on the sailboat, 89 were men, 55 were women and 46 were children. A total of 180
A roughly 50-foot sailboat used to transport more than 180 Haitian migrants to the Florida Keys remains grounded on a sandbar not far from Whale Harbor in Islamorada. DAVID GROSS/Keys Weekly
migrants were put on a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, given food, water and medical attention and repatriated to Haiti on Nov. 26. Ten people onboard the vessel were going through a joint interagency process. On Nov. 29, the Coast Guard said seven people were repatriated and three were transferred back to U.S. officials.
A record-breaking 2022 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, saw the Coast Guard interdicting 7,175 Haitian migrants. Since the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1, 2022, crews have intercepted vessels that contained 585 Haitians.
Not far from the famous sandbar, the grounded vessel remains a topic of conversation as boaters pass by and view it from afar. Buckets, netting, bags and other items remain onboard, and so does the story of a dangerous journey to escape a country in Haiti inflicted with violence, economic despair and major uncertainty as to its future.
The sailboat is the latest addition to the Florida Keys’ derelict vessel problem, which has grown with more Cuban chugs arriving by the day. Between 60 and 80 derelict vessels are taken out of the water each year, costing a little more than $200,000. Grant funding from Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and Monroe County Boating Improvement Funds are used to remove derelict vessels.
Removal of the wooden vessel that carried the Haitians now falls into the hands of Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“It’ll go onto our (derelict vessel) list and it’ll be treated as such,” said Jason Rafter, public information officer with FWC.
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1. Pictured from left, David Rice, county commissioner; Bob Shillinger, county attorney; Sylvia Murphy; and Lisa Tennyson, legislative affairs director, at Keys Day in 2014. KEYS WEEKLY FILE PHOTO
2. Monroe County Commissioner Sylvia Murphy sits at her desk. She represented portions of the Upper Keys, from North Key Largo to Tavernier, from 2006 to 2020. CONTRIBUTED
3. Then-Monroe County Mayor Sylvia Murphy presents Jeanette Nuñez with an Honorary Conch certificate during a gathering in Marathon in 2019. CONTRIBUTED
4. Sylvia Murphy is recognized as mayor emeritus during a Dec. 8, 2021 meeting of the Monroe County Commission. MONROE COUNTY BOCC/ Contributed
JIM McCARTHY
jim@keysweekly.com
FORMER KEYS COMMISSIONER SYLVIA MURPHY PASSES AWAY AT 86 ‘ULTIMATE PUBLIC SERVANT’
Former Monroe County Commissioner Sylvia Murphy was instrumental in brokering a deal for Rowell’s Park in Key Largo. She also played a pivotal role in saving lives during her career as an EMT. A Keys resident dating back to her late teenage years, Murphy passed away during the morning hours of Nov. 26. She was 86. Feisty, a walking history book and a true public servant, Murphy served 14 years as a county commissioner. But she was also a contributor to the community in ways many people didn’t see. A few weeks before the 13th annual Light Up Key Largo on Nov. 19, Murphy called Nola Acker, one of the event organizers. The two have known each other for many years. Murphy appointed Acker to serve on the Tourist Development Council’s District Advisory Committee in 2017.
Murphy was a regular contributor to Key Largo’s holiday event and donated funds so every kid could enjoy a hot dog and a drink. Acker told Murphy they were having some difficulties obtaining everything they needed for the event. Murphy stepped up to help fill the holes.
“It was a two-hour conversation that night,” Acker said. “She was so excited when I talked to her three weeks ago. She’s like, ‘Nola I’ll give you $1,000; $250 to the kids and take the difference and put it where you need to put it.’”
Murphy spent much of her life serving the public, including her years as an EMT with Monroe County Emergency Medical Services, from which she retired in 1996, and two decades with the Tavernier Volunteer Fire Department. She was elected to Monroe County Commission’s District 5, which serves North Key Largo and portions of Tavernier, in 2006. She kept serving and running for reelection until she decided to retire in November 2020.
“At 86, was I going to be a county commissioner at 90? Come on,” Murphy said during a sitdown interview with the Keys Weekly in December 2021.
County Commissioner Michelle Lincoln served two years with Murphy. But her time getting to know Murphy dates back to Lincoln’s days on the Marathon City Council.
“The first time I met her professionally, she said, ‘I’m going to give you some advice. You’re going to make some votes that won’t always make you popular. But do your homework, make your vote and move on to the next one.’ I loved that advice she had for me,” Lincoln said.
Murphy’s commitment to the job and Florida Keys residents was recognized by fellow commissioners, as she was named mayor emeritus on Dec. 8, 2021. She joined Wilhelmina Harvey as the only two to have the title.
“Sylvia is very active out in the community,” County Commissioner David Rice said in a 2021 interview on Murphy’s recognition. “She truly seemed to enjoy her job. As a county commissioner, she ran up and down the Keys, going to everything. And you never have to question where Sylvia’s thoughts are, because they are at the tip of her tongue. And she would agree with that. I love Sylvia, and I think that she would appreciate the honor. It hasn’t been done that many times, so why not?”
Murphy told the Keys Weekly one of her proudest accomplishments was Key Largo’s Rowell’s Park at MM 104, bayside. She knew the owner of that land and was instrumental in brokering the deal.
“It doesn’t matter if the park sits vacant, it belongs to the county,” she said. “One day, after hurricanes pass and roads are raised, it will be a beautiful park. I arranged for Roman (county administrator Roman Gastesi) to meet with the owners of the marina with the price he quoted me. Roman met them for lunch and finalized it.”
State Attorney Dennis Ward was a close friend to Murphy. Describing her as frank, candid and a supporter of the county and its natural resources, Ward said Murphy was the ultimate public servant. He also said she was a walking history book.
“We used to travel together a lot to Key West for events. Every time you get into an area she’d tell a story when she was an EMT and the different calls she went on,” Ward said. “The history and knowledge of the community that she had was incredible. Things would come up and she would know what people were around at that period of time and the events.”
Acker will remember Murphy’s passion and feistiness.
“All I had to do was say ‘I have a problem,’ and she’d say, ‘Let me send an email,’” Acker said. “Every time I asked her for anything she helped. She even got into a dunk tank for me during a 4th of July picnic.”
An outpouring of social media posts followed Murphy’s passing. Steve Torrence worked with Murphy on the county Health and Services Advisory Board. In a post, Torrence said Murphy was a tenacious spirit and had a wicked sense of humor.
“She said what she thought and thought what she said,” he wrote.
State Rep. Jim Mooney said Murphy was a lifelong public servant and truly loved the island chain.
“The Keys lost a fruitful part of the community,” he said.
A celebration of life for Murphy will be held Monday, Dec. 19 at 3 p.m. at the Murray Nelson Government Center.
NEW VESSEL TURN-IN PROGRAM
FWC NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Derelict vessels, like this one in Boot Key Harbor in late 2021, aren’t just eyesores – they pose a significant threat to marine life, seagrass beds and human safety. ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is accepting applications for a recently approved and newly created Vessel Turn-In Program (VTIP), a key component of Florida’s derelict vessel prevention program.
VTIP is a voluntary program designed to help owners dispose of their unwanted at-risk vessels before they become derelict. Upon approval of an application, VTIP will take a surrendered vessel and dispose of it at no cost to the boat owner. Removing the vessel before it deteriorates into a derelict condition will prevent legal ramifications for the vessel owner and will protect Florida’s valuable seagrass resources, marine life, and human life, safety and property.
A derelict vessel upon waters of the state is a criminal offense and can carry serious penalties and fines or possible jail time.
“Acting now is the best way to prevent legal action from occurring if the vessel becomes derelict,” said Phil Horning, VTIP administrator.
To qualify for VTIP, a vessel must be floating on waters of the state of Florida and cannot be already determined derelict by law enforcement. The owner must have at least one written at-risk warning or citation and possess a clear title to the vessel.
To apply for or view program guidelines, visit MyFWC.com/VTIP or call the FWC Boating and Waterways Division at 850-488-5600 for more information. — Contributed
HOLIDAY ELECTRICAL SAFETY TIPS
KEYS ENERGY SERVICES OFFERS DOS & DON’TS
What is typically known as the most joyous season of the year can also be one of the most hazardous. Around the country, millions of people are decorating for the holidays, but unfortunately, many will unknowingly create numerous electrical hazards in and around their home.
Each year thousands of fires start as the result of overloaded outlets, faulty or worn electrical wires, and decorations used improperly. As part of an effort to reduce holiday accidents and to keep the holidays merry, Keys Energy Services (KEYS) has compiled these tips for holiday electrical safety: 1. Never use nails or staples to secure light strings or electrical cords. 2. Do not overload extension cords and electrical outlets or connect more than three light strings together. 3. Inspect decorations before plugging them in, checking for frayed or loose wires and loose connections.
4. Turn off holiday lights while you are away from home or before going to bed at night. 5. Unplug strings of lights before replacing bulbs, and replace burned-out bulbs promptly with ones of the same wattage. 6. When placing lights or decorations outdoors, use only decorations and extension cords certified for outdoor use. 7. Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits with ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) to avoid potential shocks. 8. Do not string outdoor lights on trees that are near or touching power lines. 9. On outside lights, point sockets down to avoid moisture build-up, wrap a plastic bag around connections and tie ends with electrical tape. 10. Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. Faulty bulbs could make the tree become charged with electricity.
WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH, JUST START S.M.A.R.T
Ithought for the first article of this new health column, I would start by encouraging readers who want to improve their health – whether that be physical, mental or emotional – to “just start.” Start somewhere, anywhere. Start with something you feel needs some tending to. Maybe you’ve been thinking you need to start exercising, or you’ve noticed your sleep habits aren’t very good, or maybe you’ve been told by a physician you must start eating better (I will get more into these topics in future columns).
I have found over my 11 years as a personal trainer and nutrition coach that many people get easily overwhelmed when starting a new health habit. The idea of changing can create anxiety and before the person even starts, they’ve talked themselves out of it altogether. Have you been there? I know I have. Which is why I think it important to take things little by little. Below is an outline I use when starting a new habit or helping a client to make a change. Having a guide to help you define your new habit and defining why you are doing it will make your goals less overwhelming and much easier to adhere to.
Start by choosing the habit you’d like to achieve, along with why you want to achieve it and three things you need to accomplish to help you achieve it. Then, think about what will change when you achieve the habit. How will you feel when you achieve it? And finally, when would you like to achieve this habit?
Once you’ve filled out the guide, start the next step: breaking the goals down to make the habit happen. Break each goal
into smaller steps until you have a clear vision of what needs to be done. If that seems like too big a challenge, start by using the acronym S.M.A.R.T. to help you set a goal. Specific: Clearly defined, not ambiguous.JENNIFER BOLTZ HARVEY Measurable: What criteria are you measuring and how will you measure your progress? ...is a Marathonbased ACSMcertified personal trainer and Achievable: Is the goal attainable? Realistic: Is this goal reasonprecision nutrition able and within reach? coach who owns Timely: Create a specific start and operates Highly Motivated Functionally Caffeinated LLC. and target end date. For example: Perhaps a habit you’d like to start is to get 8 hours of sleep each night. One of your goals to achieve this habit may be to start going to bed earlier. By using the S.M.A.R.T. method, the breakdown of that goal would look like this: Specific – Start by going to bed by 9:30 p.m. Measurable – Keep a calendar next to my bed and check off each day I make it into bed by 9:30 each night. Achievable – Yes, I don’t need to watch TV past 9:30 p.m. Realistic – Yes, I am the only one responsible for making this happen. Nothing else is in my way. Timely – I am going to start my new bedtime routine today, and in three weeks I want to be consistently going to bed by 9:30 p.m. There are other methods you can use when goal setting, but I find this one to be the most effective. The method you choose is up to you, but no matter what, if you want to live a healthy and happy life, you must actively commit to pursuing it. Healthy and happy looks different for everyone, but the challenge of getting there is the same. Consistent small changes over time become habits. Consistent habits over time become a way of life. Consistency is the common denominator in the equation of achievement. If you wait for motivation to strike to make a change, you may be waiting for a very long time. So start now – you are worth it! If you invested in crypto, you’re likely coming to the realization that the money could have been better spent on scratch-off tickets and slot machines. Billionaires have been reduced to rags overnight, as the crypto craze crashed and came tumbling down this past week. The biggest loser was possibly FTX, the cryptocurrency exchange that lost billions for investors in a matter of hours.
But with every loss comes an opportunity. The FTX Arena, home of the Miami Heat pro basketball team, is seeking a new namesake sponsor for the arena, and the online porn mogul Bang Bros has reemerged as a potential suitor. Seriously.
Bang Bros first offered $10 million to name the venue in 2019, suggesting Bang Bros Center and a more appropriate abbreviation, the BBC.
Yes, this opens the door for a flood of jokes and innuendo. And while we hope the Miami Heat avoids this partnership, we couldn’t help but capitalize on the juvenile appeal of this story.
So we apologize in advance and present our…
