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News Deadline
Tuesday Noon
Advertising Deadline Tuesday 2 p.m.
Snow accumulations in northern Florida from a storm system brought more than double the amount ever previously recorded in Florida. According to reports, 9.8 inches of snow fell in Milton. Meanwhile, South Florida temperatures were in the low 80s.
Already a lightning rod of debate, a homeless encampment on 20th Street in Marathon is the target of a new lawsuit filed last week. MORGAN GOTTI/Contributed
World-class acrobats and equestrians will make their way to the Keys next weekend as Cirque Ma’Ceo returns for a third annual weekend of performances at San Pablo Catholic Church from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. See page 30. STUNNING STEEDS/ Contributed
20TH STREET HOMELESS CAMP IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF RESIDENTS’ LAWSUIT
City
officials say the property doesn’t belong to Marathon
ALEX RICKERT
alex@keysweekly.com
Three months after the effective date of a new law that essentially banned homeless camping throughout Florida, dozens of Marathon residents are preparing to exercise their newly-bestowed right to sue the city over a heavilyscrutinzied homeless encampment on 20th Street.
Filed on Jan. 15 with the Monroe County Clerk of Court, the 55-page complaint and request for injunctive relief is signed by nearly 40 Marathon residents and businesses, headlined by commercial captain Morgan Gotti. The vast majority of the signed plaintiffs list addresses on 20th Street or at the neighboring Fisherman’s Pointe.
The complaint alleges violations by the city of HB-1365, effective Oct. 1, 2024, which “prohibits counties and municipalities from authorizing or otherwise allowing public camping or sleeping on public property.” Signed on March 20, 2024, the new law was further bolstered by a June 2024 Supreme Court decision that upheld a
similar ban on homeless camping in Grants Pass, Oregon.
According to the law, cities may designate a property as a homeless camp for a one-year period through a majority vote of the governing body – but only if the city satisfies a litany of conditions to provide basic services and certify the area through the Florida Department of Children and Families. And if a city fails to enforce the law, HB-1365 paves the way for affected citizens and businesses to sue their local governments.
The new complaint outlines what it describes as rampant drug and alcohol abuse throughout the camp, along with security camera screenshots appearing to show vulgar gestures made by residents and numerous alleged instances of trespassing and theft from nearby businesses. It describes several instances of uncontrolled fires and firework use – “the big expensive kind” – as recently as December 2024, posing a threat of damage to nearby fishing boats, buildings and equipment.
The complaint also alleges the camp typically contains “over a dozen” registered sex offenders, though a current search of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement database currently lists two convicted offenders with 20th Street addresses.
Press releases from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in 2024 and beyond have reported significant violent altercations in the camp,
including arrests in which residents attacked others with knives, 2x4s and rakes – as well as a 2022 incident in which a man was taken to jail after attempting to light other residents’ tents on fire.
“To allow (the encampment) to continue is only going to cause more devastation to our businesses and increased potential for harm to our persons and properties as the encampment grows larger and more aggressive,” the complaint states. “The city needs to … be held responsible, accountable and liable for the damages incurred by their actions in this placement and lack of provisions to ensure the safety of the surrounding businesses, commercial properties and community.”
As Marathon lacks an official homeless shelter, city officials for years have carefully skirted the topic of formal involvement on 20th Street in public meetings, but have discussed cleanups conducted by MCSO deputies and city employees as well as a Dumpster and portable restrooms placed at the site for use by camp residents – amenities the complaint says help “attract, encourage, enable, condone, keep and grow” the encampment.
In November 2023, City Manager George Garrett posed the idea of installing enhanced lighting, security cameras and fencing along the sides of the road, but these enhancements were later abandoned.
continued on page 11
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YOU NEED A LICENSE!
The City of Marathon requires that homes used as vacation rentals be licensed. License fees are based on the number of bedrooms: New licenses start at $1,100 and annual renewals start at $750. Vacation rental licenses are not transferable. If a property is sold, and the new owner wishes to rent the home, he or she must apply for a new vacation rental license. Licenses are valid for one year, and homeowners or agents must renew the license within 30 days of its expiration or it will be considered a new license and the new license fees will apply. A home without a license, or an expired license, cannot be advertised or rented. Violations of vacation rental law can be as high as $500 per day, per offense and can be up to $5,000 per occurrence.
Visit this link to search any address to confirm if a property has a vacation rental license, or to obtain local contact and/or owner information:
For other questions regarding vacation rental licensing please contact the City at 305-743-5266.
COUNTY COMMISSION SAYS ‘NO’ TO BUILDING MORATORIUM AGAIN
Uncertainty hangs over ROGO in 2025 legislative session
ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com
Amid conflicting messaging from state leaders, the Monroe County Commission again denied a proposed moratorium on new building rights at its Jan. 15 meeting.
The decision comes as representatives from each Keys municipality will head to Tallahassee for the 2025 Florida legislative session with significantly different degrees of urgency in their need for new units. Some, like Marathon, will look to immediately combat a rapidly-approaching reported threat of financial liability from takings cases, triggered as each jurisdiction exhausts the last of its few remaining building rights.
In the 3-2 split vote, commissioners Holly Raschein, Michelle Lincoln and David Rice said the proposed pause would fly in the face of direction given by state officials with Florida Commerce, who have reportedly instructed Keys municipalities to fully exhaust their existing supply of building allocations before requesting additional units.
But County Administrator Christine Hurley and Planning Director Emily Schemper told the commission that the moratorium would satisfy state officials’ second mandate: that existing units be used to prioritize workforce housing.
The pause, they said, would allow necessary comprehensive plan amendments to designate many of the county’s 92 remaining market-rate building rights as newly-christened “workforce market-rate” units, reserved exclusively for ownership by those who live and actively work in the Keys.
Continuing to distribute the county’s existing market-rate units while processing those amendments throughout 2025, Schemper said, would leave just 30 left to reclassify in 2026. The moratorium, both Schemper and Hurley said, would demonstrate a more complete commitment to workforce housing.
In October 2024, the commission unanimously elected to move forward with a request to FloridaCommerce for 220 additional building rights to be distributed Keyswide –the maximum number the island chain could theoretically absorb without exceeding its legally-required 24-hour hurricane evacuation time.
Two months later, a second resolution, approved 4-1, petitioned state lawmakers to change the hurricane evacuation clearance time from 24 to up to 26 hours, potentially paving the way for an additional 3,550 units.
However, in December, FloridaCommerce leaders reportedly said the department was unlikely to issue the additional 220 units until existing allocations had been exhausted, and in a Dec. 17 meeting with Keys leaders, state Rep. Jim Mooney said he would support a more limited ask of up to 500 new units for the Keys.
In a separate meeting with county officials, Mooney also expressed support for the moratorium as a mechanism to preserve the remaining units as workforce allocations, Hurley told the commission.
“The county and cities have both been told by the state, both (FloridaCommerce) and the governor’s office, ‘no’ to the 220 units,” Mooney told the Weekly by phone the day after the Dec. 19 session.
“(500 units) was palatable – it would have allowed myself and (state Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez) to go to our respective leadership teams and say, ‘Here’s where the governor is, here’s where (FloridaCommerce) is, and here’s what these guys want,” he continued. He said a push to increase development in the island chain while asking for budgeted funds to preserve its delicate ecosystem through the Florida Keys Stewardship Act could be seen as contradictory.
“We're trying to find a happy place, but what I don't want to do is jeopardize anything when it comes to appropriations,” he said. “If we could have just worked on the 220, it would have pushed everybody forward for a couple years, and they could have come back with such a clean slate.”
“It’s the chicken and the egg, but you’re not sure the egg will ever hatch,” Schemper told the commission. “You (could) use what you have and then ask for more, but if you don’t know if you’re getting more, you want to use what you have wisely, which in our world means stretching it out. That’s why it’s a really big conundrum.”
“Well, in my world, we call that a mixed message,” said commissioner David Rice. “They’re mutually exclusive actions.”
“We’re assuming we’re not going to get more, but I think the state understands they’ve got to figure this out alongside us,” said Raschein. “Would it be prudent for us to play our moratorium card now? Or if we get axed at the state level, say, ‘Fine. Then we’re just going to hit the pause button altogether.’”
In addition to creating the new workforce market-rate classification, Lincoln said the county could continue to demonstrate its
“The 3,500 (building rights) is roughly 1,500 more than there are vacant lots, so this isn’t about vacant lots and takings cases. I don’t see any movement in the governor’s office, and I don’t think that’s how this is going to work.”
— State Rep. Jim Mooney
commitment to workforce housing by eventually converting some of the county’s remaining 144 administrative relief building rights held in reserve.
With just 12 units held for administrative relief left to distribute, Marathon is the “canary in the coal mine” to test the reality of takings cases, Marathon City Attorney Steve Williams told the commission.
In a meeting with FloridaCommerce Secretary Alex Kelly on Jan. 13, Williams said state officials hadn’t mentioned a moratorium, but instead broached the idea of “sharing” the county’s remaining stock of units, an idea Hurley said could come with a hefty price tag if the state withheld additional units.
“We're not trying to be a thorn to the county, but our needs come up slightly before your needs come up,” Williams said. “In our conversation with the secretary, it was crystal clear that (sharing) is what Secretary Kelly expected of all of us.”
“Marathon hasn't put in a moratorium, and they just want more to spend,” said commissioner Craig Cates. “So how do we have to change our plans to cover that?”
Speaking with the Weekly by phone again on Jan. 21, Mooney confirmed that he had yet to file a bill in support of additional units.
“The 3,500 (building rights) is roughly 1,500 more than there are vacant lots, so this isn’t about vacant lots and takings cases,” he said. “I don’t see any movement in the governor’s office, and I don’t think that’s how this is going to work.”
In contrast, however, Rodriguez said the same day via text that her “inclination is to support lifting the evacuation time from its current form of 24 hours up to possibly 26 hours.”
“While it may sound like a large increase when translated into a number of permits, as a legislature we can set parameters on when these can be issued over the next 40 years,” she said. “I want to keep the dialogue open and continue listening to stakeholders so that we may pass the best possible legislation for our community.”
Greater clarity is expected later this month with the approaching deadline to submit bills to the House Drafting Service for the 2025 session. Due to winter storms, the deadline was extended from Jan. 24 to Jan. 31.
from page 4
20TH STREET HOMELESS CAMP IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF RESIDENTS’ LAWSUIT
A notarized affidavit and petition attached to the complaint state that 69 local residents and businesses submitted a request to the Marathon City Council for removal of the encampment in February 2024, later followed by another complaint and five-day notice to remove or relocate the street’s residents on Dec. 17.
But city officials have repeatedly said the street and its right-ofway belong to the Florida Department of Transportation, not the city of Marathon – a claim reflected in the records of the Monroe County Property Appraiser. That claim was repeated in a Dec. 20 email exchange between City Attorney Steve Williams and Gotti.
“The City of Marathon is not the property owner of the lands you describe,” Williams wrote, later calling Gotti’s suit a “frivolous” action that could potentially force the named plaintiffs to pay the costs of the city’s defense. “Please direct all future correspondence to the proper owner.”
Speaking to the Weekly by phone on Jan. 21, Williams declined to comment on the pending litigation, adding that the city had not yet been served with a copy of the complaint.
“The thought of (the city) putting a camp that’s entirely illegal on someone else’s property is disturbing,” Gotti told the Weekly by phone on Jan. 22, adding that her group was continually adding to its list of plaintiffs and seeking an attorney to take up the case.
Cudjoe Key resident Lorenzo Chiango is a longtime volunteer at 20th Street, and currently serves as the emergency contact when a camp resident is hospitalized. Addressing the city council in September 2024, he called 20th Street “one of the most dangerous places in the state of Florida,” but advocated for many residents in the camp who he said were unfairly characterized by the actions of a few.
There’s been an increase in drunken disorderly behavior and in people needing medical care because they go days on end drinking continuously.”
— Volunteer Lorenzo Chiango
Speaking with the Weekly by phone on Jan. 22, he credited the work of the city council and staff as well as MCSO throughout 2024 to increase police visibility and establish more frequent cleanups on the street. He agreed that the area has seen an uptick in substance abuse over the last two months – but said part of the problem was an unintended consequence of well-meaning individuals bringing donations and supplies to the camp.
Efforts to provide residents with blankets, tarps and other supplies to shield themselves from the elements were beneficial, Chiango said. But “constantly bringing down food and other services (to 20th Street) is hurting.”
“There’s no place to dispose of the food, it’s not getting cleaned up, and these people are not going to the public services that are well-funded for help,” he said. “In the past, residents would organize their day and show up at well-run, established services such as KAIR and Independence Cay to get food and well-prepared, balanced meals. Now half as many people are showing up at Independence Cay, and that impacts their funding.
“With individuals now duplicating these services, it has exacerbated some health issues and created a situation where there’s no reason for them to leave the street. As a result, there’s been an increase in drunken disorderly behavior and in people needing medical care because they go days on end drinking continuously. This has a negative impact on the camp residents and doesn’t provide an opportunity for them to be seen by professionals at the established services we have. It’s bringing back a sanitation problem that was coming under control.”
As the world watches the U.S. usher in the next era of Donald Trump and MAGA policies across the globe, one trending topic is the question of whether Trump will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico. The Keys Weekly has various sources that indicate Trump and his team will consult with local, Florida Keys leadership to solicit alternate names for the Gulf of Mexico. As we investigate this story, several of the proposed names have been leaked and are revealed here for the first time. Here are…
STATE WILDLIFE AGENCY ARRESTS MAN WHO ALLEGEDLY FED A KEY DEER
FWC/Contributed
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the arrest of an Englewood man after he was seen on video allegedly feeding a Key deer last October.
James Lewis Rowe, 25, is facing charges related to illegally feeding, harassing and attempting to capture and collect Key deer, FWC said in a press release on Jan. 17.
FWC investigator Chris Mattson received a tip through FWC’s Wildlife Alert Program of a man feeding and harassing Key deer and posting about it online. Mattson viewed videos posted on the internet of a man enticing a Key deer with food to enter a cottage at the Old Wooden Bridge Fishing Camp in Big Pine Key.
Mattson identified Rowe and contacted him by phone. Rowe admitted he was the man in the video but denied knowing it was
KEYS CAPTAIN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY BOATING UNDER THE INFLUENCE IN CRASH THAT INJURED SEVEN
A large SeaHunter crashed into a Lower Keys bridge off Big Pine Key on July 8, 2024, sending at least seven people to hospitals. TowBoatUS tows the damaged vehicle to shore. TOWBOATUS Big Pine/Cudjoe
Aillegal to feed the deer — even though the fishing camp requires all guests to sign waivers stating they will not feed the deer. Signs are also posted throughout Big Pine Key stating it is illegal to feed the Key deer.
Key deer are a federally designated endangered species found only in the Florida Keys. Feeding Key deer is harmful because it lessens the fear of humans and causes the deer population to concentrate, facilitating the spread of parasites and disease.
More information is at MyFWC.com/wildlifehabitats. Click on “Species Profiles” and then “Key deer.”
The public can report suspected wildlife violations by contacting FWC through the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922) or at myfwc.com/ wildlifealert. — Keys Weekly staff report
Florida Keys charter boat captain was arrested by state wildlife officers for allegedly operating a vessel under the influence at the time of a crash that injured seven in the Lower Keys last July.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission announced that Laurence Lee Lewis Jr., 42, of Big Pine Key, was arrested and charged with three felony counts of boating under the influence, one felony count of neglect of a child and seven additional misdemeanors. These charges are in relation to a July 8, 2024 crash that seriously injured seven people in Monroe County.
Investigation by FWC determined that Lewis was operating a 35-foot-long vessel with seven occupants on board as a captain for a fishing charter. The group was returning from their fishing trip when Lee collided with the South Pine Channel Bridge at high speed, throwing multiple passengers overboard.
Monroe County Fire Rescue made it to the crash scene before
Contributed
the vessel started sinking. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers and the TowboatUS Big Pine/Cudjoe Key boat towing service also responded to the scene not long after the crash.
All the passengers were injured and had to be rescued from the water. Two of the victims, a 28-year-old female and an 11-yearold male, had to be airlifted. The victims saw Lewis drinking alcohol throughout the day leading up to the crash; alcohol bottles and drug paraphernalia were found at the scene, according to FWC.
To report dangerous boating activity, the public can submit anonymous tips by texting 847411 (Tip411) with the keyword “FWC” followed by the location and any information about the violation or by calling 888-404-FWCC (3922).
— Keys Weekly staff report
Lawrence Lee Lewis Jr. MCSO/
January
January 25th - World Famous $5.00 Bag Sale is Back!
am - 12:00pm
February 1st 2:00 pm Episcopal Church Women Tea Party & Fashion ShowTickets on Sale Now @ The Nearly New Stores & St. Columba
St. Columba Episcopal Church
Join us Sunday @ 9:00 am or 11 am
451 West 52nd St, Marathon Fl
We would like to extend our thanks to all our sponsors, volunteers, patrons and everyone who helped to make our festival a success! We appreciate your support of our festival and of The Hammock House!
Emerald Sponsor
Isla Bella Beach Resort
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
Highlander Sponsors
R. Hendrick Construction
Fairfield Inn & Suites
Bagpipe Sponsors
Dockside @ Boot Key Harbor
D’Asign Source
Guinness
Destination Magazine
Sandra Lee Photography
Rainbow Sponsors
Advanced Dermatology
Steve Cole & Nancy Talbott
Florida Keys Electric Co-op
Roger & Stephanie Gill
Dan & Janet Griffin
Dr. Michelle Hear 4U
Ron & Mary Helms
Herbie’s Bar & Chowder House
Homestead Motor Speedway
J&J Flowers
Keys Audio
Keys Fisheries
Bill & Nancy Lorimer
Debra & Kirk Maconaughey
Magnum Broadcasting
Marathon Garbage
Marathon Electric Sign & Light
Greta Schneider
Peter Sehlinger
Sunbelt
Trash Patrol
The Walters
Shamrock Sponsors
Aquarium Encounters
George Calder
Celtic Conch
Public House
Coca-Cola
Suzy & Richard Cury
Dolphin Research Center
First State Bank
The Gilybergs
Robert& Tammi Hoback
Irish Kevin’s
Keys Animal Hospital
Key West Adventures
Million Air
St. Columba
Men’s Group
Sweet Savannah’s US1 Graphics
Winn Dixie
Thistle Sponsors
3rd Generation Plumbing
AM Electric
Phil & Grace Bailey
Celtic Bling
Centennial Bank
Dot Palm
Loyal & Bonnie Eldridge
Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce
The Greenhouse
Gary & Carol Kramer
Lindholm Roofing
Marathon Lumber
Regan Roth Insurance
Royal Furniture
Contributors & In Kind
Bayshore Clothing, LewAnn Cahill & Stan Kuzmech, Carl & Carroll Sheppard, Florida Keys Free Press, Florida Keys Outfitters, Food for Thought, Frank’s Grill, Island Restrooms, Island Town Events, St. Columba Knitters & Crocheters, Richard & Sylvia McKean, George & Sandy Mezinis, Midas Touch, Porky’s, Salon Blanco, Sea Level Spa, The Skin Institute,Time Out Magazine, Two Conch’s, UPS, West Marine, Robert & Sharon Young, US 1 Radio, TV88
Special Thanks to the Following
The City of Marathon, The Marathon Parks Department, The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Crossroads Dancers, The Wild Bird Center, St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, The Marathon Theatre, The United Way, The MHS Drama Club and The MHS Senior Class, U-Haul, Elizabeth Young, Shannon Wiley, Carl & Simone Stanton, Kate Koler and LeighAnne Card.
From
TAKING THEIR TALENTS TO ORLANDO
Marathon’s FIRST Lego League robotics team shoots for state hardware
ALEX RICKERT alex@keysweekly.com
The Middle Keys’ premier crew of competitive young robotics whizzes will have their shot at state glory on Feb. 7 and 8 at SeaWorld Orlando.
Combining the analytical mental skills of programmers with the design prowess of engineers, Marathon’s Ruckus Robotics team will travel upstate to take on all challengers in FIRST Lego League’s (FLL) state meet.
Centered around the beloved building system, the contest challenges kids to build tabletop bots capable of autonomously completing a designated set of challenges. Dubbed “Submerged,” the 2025 challenge takes teams on a mission to accomplish simulated operations on the high seas and fathoms below.
SCHOOL BOARD PLANS NATIONAL SEARCH FOR NEXT SUPERINTENDENT
Online survey & 3 public forums will collect input from community members
MANDY MILES mandy@keysweekly.com
Turmoil and turnover at the top levels of government have burdened Florida Keys officials for the past two years.
The county needed a new administrator following a drug scandal and indictments. Key West needed a new city manager following a contentious move by four commissioners to oust the one they had hired the previous year. Troubles plagued the Tourist Development Council, which last year replaced its director. And don’t get us started on Islamorada, where the village council changes managers the way most people change socks.
Aside from Islamorada, the storms have mostly subsided as agencies reclaim some semblance of stability.
Now it’s the school board’s turn to fill its top job, as Superintendent Theresa Axford, a 30-year veteran of Keys schools, retires July 31.
But don’t panic; they have a plan. And it doesn’t involve special meetings, last-minute votes, or legal concerns — well, at least not yet.
Once the public provides input, the consultants will finalize the job description and advertisement. The consultants will post the job opening for superintendent from March 3 through April 1.
The Florida School Boards Association is affiliated with its counterparts in each state, and will ensure the job opening is advertised nationally and in relevant forums, school board member Sue Woltanski told the Keys Weekly on Jan. 21.
Theresa Axford.
CONTRIBUTED
Woltanski then emphasized that the national search parameters should in no way discourage current and former school district employees to apply. The goal is to cast a wide net and find the best candidate. She pointed out that a small group of Keys residents, representing the conservative political group Moms for Liberty, had spoken at various board meetings and repeatedly insisted on a national search for a superintendent. School board members had never opposed a national search, nor did they oppose the possibility of promoting a qualified candidate from within the school district.
Ruckus’ team secured wins in the Robot Performance Award and Champion’s Award at a Jan. 11 qualifying meet, before eventually earning the state nod a week later on Jan. 18 at the Palm Beach Gardens South Florida Regionals.
“We are so proud of what these kids are doing, and their hard work has paid off,” said team coaches Sean and Catherine Snowden.
The team has established a GoFundMe page to support the costs of the Orlando trip. Those interested in donating may scan the QR code.
More information about Ruckus and the team’s FIRST Lego League competition is at ruckusrobotics. com and firstlegoleague.org.
The county’s five elected school board members next week will finalize a timeline for a national superintendent search that is expected to end with their selection of a superintendent on May 6.
The board has hired consultants from the Florida School Boards Association to guide them through the months-long process that began informally in August 2024.
At their meeting Jan. 28 in Marathon, the board will approve a timeline for the search and an online survey that will ask all community members, with and without children in the school district, to rank their top priorities for a superintendent. The online survey will be available in English, Spanish and Creole and accessible at keysschools.com from Feb. 3-28.
The search consultants also will host in-person community forums at 6 p.m. on Feb. 11, 12 and 13 at Coral Shores, Marathon and Key West high schools, respectively.
Finalists for the job will be brought to the Keys the week of April 28 for interviews and a public reception, where they can interact with community members. The board will select the next superintendent at the May 6 meeting in Marathon.
Contract negotiations will follow. The current superintendent’s salary is $175,000. The chosen candidate will start work July 1, allowing a monthlong transition before Axford’s July 31 retirement. More information is on the Jan. 28 school board agenda at keysschools.com.
Community forums will take place at the following locations. Residents with and without children are invited to share their thoughts and priorities for the next superintendent.
Tuesday, Feb. 11:
Coral Shores High School, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 12: Marathon High School, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 13: Key West High School, 6 p.m.
left, Jackson Snowden, Jazmine Zapata-Lebo, Skylor Willis and Everett Widney of Marathon-based Ruckus Robotics will head to Orlando for the FIRST Lego League’s state meet in early February. CONTRIBUTED
Ruckus Robotics FIRST Lego League team members confer with the referees. CONTRIBUTED
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Tropical Bayfront 6-bed, 6-bath, Estate nestled into almost 2 lushly landscaped private acres. Everything you could possibly need is right here! Main house, guest house, pool, pool apartment, storage building, dock, boat basin, boat ramp and unbelievable never-ending turquoise sea views! Well-appointed details found throughout the main home include soaring wood planked ceilings. The main house is CBS construction with a new metal roof in 2021.
SAYER IS SWITLIK’S VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
School honors a ‘pillar of support’ for students
ALEX RICKERT
alex@keysweekly.com
One of the masterminds behind the famed Jog-athon fundraiser that rakes in cash to benefit students at Stanley Switlik Elementary School is now the school’s Volunteer of the Year, principal Linda Diaz announced in a ceremony on Jan. 10.
“Since its inception, the Jog-a-thon has raised tens of thousands of dollars to benefit our students, contributing over $75,000 since 2021 alone,” the school said in a press release.
In an application sent to district officials, Switlik leaders touted Sayer’s contributions to student council activities and the school’s annual pancake breakfast and musical through more than 35 years of volunteer efforts and a 17-year teaching career.
“If it is an event that goes on at Stanley Switlik, Ginger is there to give every ounce of help she can,” the application states. “She is the reason local businesses, families and the entire community of Marathon grow closer together to support our school, all because of her outstanding quality of service with Stanley Switlik Elementary School. Her professionalism and quality of service go beyond our expectations when asked for a volunteer.”
“It was a total surprise, and very much appreciated,” Sayer told the Weekly. “Our little community has so many who have helped the schools year after year. Our three kids went through the schools here from kindergarten, and now it’s the grandkids, so it’s been easy to go the extra mile when it benefits family and neighbors. I’m incredibly honored to be recognized.”
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Stanley Switlik Elementary School principal Linda Diaz, right, announces Ginger Sayer as the school’s Volunteer of the Year. CONTRIBUTED
Open House Event
Named after the legendary angler, the Jose Wejebe Memorial Foundation makes fishing trips possible for individuals facing special circumstances. CONTRIBUTED
TUNES HELP MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE
Lower Keys’ Spanish Fly Music Festival set for Feb. 2
Attendees can rock to music by regional bands and entertainers while benefiting the José Wejebe Memorial Foundation at the Lower Keys’ seventh annual Spanish Fly Music Festival.
The event is set for Sunday, Feb. 2, from 1 to 6 p.m. at Boondocks Grille & Draft House at MM 27.5 on Ramrod Key.
Wejebe was a Florida Keys charter captain whose top-rated television fishing show, “Spanish Fly,” inspired a generation of viewers before his untimely death in a 2012 plane crash.
The foundation that bears his name was established to honor Wejebe’s legacy through marine conservation, supporting those facing life-affecting challenges and making fishing dreams come true.
The festival’s entertainment roster features musicians and bands that play a leading role in the Keys’ live music scene, including Circa 22, Michelle Dravis, Jesse and Jill, Adrienne Z and Gary Hempsey.
Festival attendees also can bid on a wide range of goods, services and experiential offerings at live and silent auctions. The event’s other attractions include local vendors offering their wares, raffles, miniature golf and a bounce house and face painting for children.
More information is at josewejebefoundation.org — Contributed
MAKING MOTHER’S DAY MAGIC
Blue Marlin jewelry design contest turns kids’ ideas into golden gifts for Mom
MANDY MILES
mandy@keysweekly.com
These are the stories I love to write, so don’t skim over the headline and glance at the photo just long enough to realize you don’t recognize anyone in it. Stick with me. (I promise it’ll be more interesting than a school board budget story.)
How many homemade Mother’s Day gifts have you given as a child and received if you’re a mom? Growing up, we all slathered together some glue and glitter on construction paper and came up with some super-clever adjectives that started with the letters M, O and M. We were not only artistic geniuses, but poets as well.
And if you’re a mom, the generational cycle has surely repeated itself once your own kids started gluing macaroni onto paper or shaping a block of brown clay into a lopsided little dish — because you clearly needed some place to store, well, paper clips.
I know. I know. Moms love every single thing their kids have ever glued, glittered, cut and colored for them.
But what if, on this Mother’s Day, you opened a suspiciously fancy-looking box and found an actual piece of jewelry — a ring, a pendant, maybe a bracelet? Yeah, yeah, you said not to spend any
money. You told the kids’ dad not to go shopping for them. Homemade gifts are the best because they come from the heart.
We’ve all heard all the platitudes. But now, let’s be honest.
What if your precious child DESIGNED that piece of jewelry, just for you? I’m serious. What if they drew their gold or silver vision on a piece of paper and wrote a really cute tribute describing the story behind their design and why it would matter to their mom? And what if your genius child entered that design and story into a local contest and won? Then what would happen?
Enter Armando Gonzalez, owner of Blue Marlin Jewelry, those stunning and sparkling shops in Key West and Islamorada.
For the past 10 Mother’s Days, Gonzalez and his team have sponsored the Saige Raiche Memorial Junior Jewelry Design Contest. He invites every kid in the Florida Keys to design a piece of jewelry for their mom, submit a drawing of it and include a short essay. Entries are divided into three age groups — kindergarten through third grade, fourth through seventh grade and eighth through 12th grade.
“Initially, we didn’t divide it into age groups, only because I hadn’t thought about it. But then an elementary school art teacher told me she had stopped having her students enter the contest because the older kids would, obviously, always win,” Gonzalez said.
He didn’t need to be told twice. The following year, he divided the entries by grade and then selected a panel of judges to choose a winning design from each group.
Now, here’s the best part: Blue Marlin’s expert jewelry designers actually create the three winning pieces — at absolutely no cost to the mom, dad or kid.
“The kids are fully the designers,” he said. “We just execute their vision. And then a few days before Mother’s Day, we contact the winning kids’ dad, if he’s in the picture, or their teacher or school principal, so they can help us plan the surprise. I also frame the kid’s original drawing for them as another keepsake.”
Past designs have been done in gold, silver and rose gold. Pendants, rings and bracelets have featured a cat, a palm tree, a rose, an infinity symbol and plenty of hearts.
In fact, it was a heart-shaped locket designed by the contest’s namesake, Saige Raiche, that launched the annual contest.
Raiche was 10 years old and living with her family in Tavernier when she entered Blue Marlin’s first-ever contest. She had designed a locket that opened to reveal three loving words that described her mom. Tragically, Saige died due to respiratory complications from a severe flu before the contest winners were announced. Following her death, Saige’s heartbroken parents found the drawing she had submitted.
Gonzalez didn’t think twice. He made the locket for Saige’s mom. And he’s kept the tradition for the past 10 years, helping three Keys kids create an unforgettable gift for their moms. He named the contest in Saige’s memory.
To participate in the contest, contact Blue Marlin Jewelry in Islamorada at 305-664-8004, in Key West at 305-517-6664 or via email at Director@BlueMarlinJewelry.com.
MIDDLE KEYS OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND
Helping Keys Residents since 2002. The Coldwell Banker Schmitt Charitable Foundation was created in April 2002, and is dedicated to helping Keys’ residents whose critical needs are not being met through other means. The funds are donated to the Foundation through the generous hearts of the Coldwell Banker Schmitt Real Estate agents, staff, associates, business partners, and the public. www.gooddeedsinthekeys.org
TURTLE HOSPITAL SAVES ‘JESUS’
A remarkable transformation reached its joyous conclusion on Jan. 19 at Sombrero Beach as a crowd cheered the release of ‘Jesus,’ a juvenile green turtle found struggling off the coast of Key West in May 2024. Beset by a heavy load of fibropapilloma tumors, Jesus’ journey to recovery included tumor removal surgeries, wound care, antibiotics, fluids and vitamins over an eight-month stint at the Turtle Hospital. LARRY BENVENUTI/Contributed
BRIDGE RUNNERS: LAST CHANCE FOR REGISTRATION IS JAN. 28
As this paper hit newsstands in the Middle Keys, dozens of local runners were waking to their alarms for localsonly registration in the 2025 7 Mile Bridge Run, set for Saturday, April 5. Always thought about doing the run, but missed the first shot to register? General registration for all runners will open at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28. The race is limited to 1,500 total entries and typically sells out within five minutes, so it is crucial that runners establish an account at runsignup.com and sign in prior to registration opening. The registration fee is $100, and runners must show a photo ID matching the name used during registration when picking up their bibs on Friday, April 4.
STEVE HURLEY/Contributed
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PYTHON VS. PRESERVATIONIST
What would Marjorie Stoneman Douglas think?
Marjory Stoneman Douglas, renowned for her advocacy for the Everglades and author of the influential book “The Everglades: River of Grass,” would likely view the presence of invasive Burmese pythons as a dire threat to the wetlands ecosystem she worked so hard to protect. Douglas dedicated her life to preserving the unique biodiversity and delicate balance of the Everglades, and the impact of pythons on native wildlife would likely alarm her. Here’s how she might have reacted and what her perspective might entail:
Douglas deeply understood the interdependence of species within the Everglades. She would likely view Burmese pythons as a catastrophic disruption to this balance. These invasive snakes, introduced through the exotic pet trade and accidental releases, have wreaked havoc on the ecosystem by preying on native mammals, birds and reptiles. Douglas would recognize how pythons, as apex predators, have upended the natural hierarchy, competing with native predators like alligators and panthers. Her advocacy would likely focus on educating the public about these threats and pushing for policies to mitigate the impact of pythons on native species.
John Bartus is a singer/ songwriter, city administrator for Key Colony Beach and the former mayor of Marathon.
native species to pythons as a tragedy not just for the Everglades, but for the world. Douglas believed in humanity’s moral obligation to protect the natural world. She would likely urge people to see the fight against pythons as part of a larger effort to preserve the integrity of the Everglades. Her words and actions would inspire others to value and protect the ecosystem she so passionately championed.
She would applaud initiatives like the Florida Python Challenge, which encourages hunters to remove pythons from the Everglades. Given her gift for communication, Douglas would likely use her platform to educate Floridians and visitors about the dangers of invasive species and the importance of protecting the Everglades. She would push for a collaborative approach involving scientists, policymakers and citizens to address the python crisis.
Douglas often emphasized the role of human activity in damaging the Everglades. She would likely view the python problem as another example of human negligence and shortsightedness. Douglas would connect the python issue to broader challenges facing the Everglades, such as habitat loss and water mismanagement, which have compounded the vulnerability of native species.
Douglas famously wrote that the Everglades was not just a swamp but a “vast, glittering, intricate and unique region.” She would see the loss of
Despite the challenges posed by pythons, Douglas was known for her unwavering optimism and persistence. She would likely approach the python crisis with the same resolve she brought to her fight to save the Everglades. She would emphasize the importance of long-term thinking and comprehensive solutions to ensure the Everglades remains a thriving ecosystem for generations to come. Douglas’ legacy as a defender of the Everglades would shine through in her commitment to addressing the python issue as part of her broader vision for a restored and resilient Everglades. Douglas would view the presence of Burmese pythons in the Everglades as a grave ecological threat, but she would not shy away from the challenge. With her deep understanding of the Everglades’ intricacies, her sharp critique of human recklessness and her tireless advocacy for conservation, Douglas would likely lead the charge against this invasive species. Her unwavering belief in the value of the Everglades would serve as a rallying cry, reminding us of our responsibility to protect this unique and vital ecosystem.
— Catch John live next Wednesday at Boardwalk in Big Pine, Thursdays at Sparky’s Landing, Saturday night at Brutus Seafood, and Sunday afternoons at Skipjack Tiki. Find his music anywhere you download or stream your music. www.johnbartus. com • johnbartus.hearnow.com
JOHN BARTUS
FLORIDA FLOYD 3PM
DOTTIE KELLY BAND 8PM
SATURDAY, JAN 25
MIKE ROONEY 3PM
GLENN HARMAN BAND 8PM
SUNDAY, JAN 26
TONY MANFREDI 3PM
DOCKSIDE
MONDAY, JAN 27
JOHNNY
TACO
Get your designs entered in your age group today! Kindergarten - 3rd grade | 4th - 8th grade | 9th - 12th grade Submit your designs by Saturday, Feb. 8th
showcase of equestrian arts, acrobatics and theater is coming back to Marathon under the big top as Cirque Ma’Ceo makes its third visit to San Pablo Catholic Church from Friday through Sunday, Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. For two decades under creative director Olissio Zoppe, the production has offered an extravaganza of exotic horses and breathtaking acrobatics in what has been dubbed the ‘Equine Cirque du Soleil.’ Shows run at 7 p.m. on Friday, 5 and 8 p.m. on Saturday and 1 and 4 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets prices start at $20 for children ages 3-12 and $35
prices start at $20 for children ages 3-12 and $35 for adults. More information is at cirquemaceo. com. CONTRIBUTED
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FLURRIES IN THE FORECAST
While the rest of the country was being pelted with snow, Crane Point Museum and Nature Center had some flurries of its own to welcome guests to the 2025 Winter Wonderland on Jan. 18. Fresh off his worldwide run to close the year, a “Vacation Mode” Santa Claus joined kids and their families for the annual celebration featuring winter crafts and games, treats and live entertainment. Photos by ROSS SMITH/Keys Weekly
Presbyterian women’s group hosts Valentine’s Day dinner
On Valentine's Day, Friday, Feb. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m., the Presbyterian Women's Association at Kirk of the Keys is offering a dinner where they will be serving spaghetti and meatballs, sausage and peppers, salads, bread and desserts. Tickets are $40 per couple and can be purchased at Kirk of the Keys, 8877 Overseas Highway, via phone at 305-743-4256, at kirkofthekeys.org, by emailing kirkofthekeys@gmail.com, or by texting 305-240-9776. Tickets and reservations are required by Feb. 10.
Sheriff’s office: Beware of more text scams
The sheriff’s office recently took a report of a text scam involving thieves pretending to be from the company Apple in which the victim lost $38,000. The text involved a false security claim about the victim’s alleged use of the online Apple Store. A giveaway that it was a scam was the name of the text sender: jichunwei-nalunzhi_1991@gmx.com, a convoluted address not likely used by an official Apple representative. If someone contacts you asking for money, purporting to be from a technology company, law enforcement agency, any government organization or utility company, a bank, a credit card company, or even an alleged family member, hang up and contact the organization/person yourself. Scammers often seek payment via gift cards or Bitcoin. They often use overly complex and puzzling email addresses. Save suspicious texts, emails, or other information and contact the Sheriff’s Office directly via www.keysso.net/ locations.
State-sponsored grants to aid in housing, utility cost struggles
The state of Florida, through the Department of Children and Families, has provided financial grants to several local social service agencies including Keys Area Interdenominational Resources (KAIR). These grants are potentially available through June 2025. If you are struggling with basic housing or utility needs, these agencies may be able to help. They also can help with medical costs, daycare, car costs or other basic needs on a case-by-case basis. Those in need of help may contact KAIR at 3010 Overseas Hwy. in Marathon or by calling 305-743-4582.
America’s Boating Club to offer marine safety course
Each month from February through May, America's Boating Club will offer a nationally-certified boating course, required to obtain the mandatory Florida State Boater ID card to operate a vessel in Florida waters. The card also qualifies the holder for rate reductions from many insurance companies. The 1-½ day course is offered on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month. Saturday's classes run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday classes are from 8 a.m. to noon. Course dates are Feb. 1-2, March 1-2, April 5-6 and May 3-4. The cost for the class is $70 per student, or $85 for two students sharing materials. The price includes lunch on Saturday and a guest speaker from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. February’s class will be held at 5205 College Road on Stock Island. More information is available via call or text to Dick Odgers at 305-509-0159 or email dickieo@duck.com.
Sponsors sought for Sombrero Beach Run
Keys Area Interdenominational Resources (KAIR) is calling on local businesses to sponsor the 18th annual Sombrero Beach Run, happening Saturday, Feb. 22 at Sombrero Beach. The 5K/10K/15K walk or run helps KAIR provide food and emergency services to local residents in need. Sponsors will have their business name featured on event T-shirts and the run’s website, Facebook page and more — and receive free race passes. The event includes a registration pizza party, plus breakfast and lunch on race day. More information is available from Marj at 305-3936621 or via email to mhroberts2@ gmail.com.
Come take a class at the Marathon library
The Marathon library has a wide variety of class offerings, ranging from photography to book clubs, robots, virtual reality and more. Scan the QR code here to see the schedule and get involved.
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... is a photographer, writer, and semi-professional birdwatcher. He has lived in Key West for more than 25 years and may no longer be employable in the real world. He is also executive director of the Florida Keys Audubon Society.
Amale sanderling in breeding plumage is something to see, a bird with a classic shorebird profile – horizontal torso, slim, longish bill, respectable set of black gams – wrapped in a complex serape of rufous feathers that range from coffee to deep bronze to wenge to almost black. Or so the field guides tell me. I’ve never seen one in breeding plumage.
Sanderlings are some of the most well-distributed birds in the world. The adjective most often used to describe them is cosmopolitan, which generally makes you think of urban avatars of couth, or at least Carrie Bradshaw’s favorite cocktail, but in reality means they are found on every continent but Antarctica.
Though found on every continent, they don’t breed on every continent. They breed in the high Arctic tundra – the northernmost parts of Alaska, Canada and Siberia, as well as, for some climatic reason, both middle and southerly parts of still-owned-by-Denmark Greenland.
The everywhere-but-Antarctica part of their range map is much broader in non-breeding season, which is the boreal winter. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s generally stodgy and linguistically restrained “Birds of the World” website says the species “may be found on almost any sandy beach, anywhere on the planet!” with the exclamation point seeming almost wanton compared to the rest of the site’s prose.
The females are a little less dramatically colored than the males, but there is still a little warmth in their hues.
When they are inhabiting the world’s beaches, i.e. when we get to see them, neither gender is imbued in the aforementioned 1970s autumnal color palette. Instead, both male and female are a minimalist gray above and white below. It’s a color palette I tend to think of as radically inoffensive, the kind of color schemes you see in Dwell magazine or the homes of people who hire other people to pick out their furniture, and still other people to clean it.
Despite the fact that they breed in the Arctic, you can find them in the Keys year-round. I don’t think I’ve gone a single month in the last two decades or so without seeing one or more sanderlings if I’m in town.
Why shorebirds that breed in other places can be readily found during their breeding months in a place they don’t breed is something of a mystery. Sanderlings don’t breed until their second year. So it’s possible some of the ones we see here in the summer are immatures that didn’t migrate back for the summer.
ENTER SANDERLING
It’s also possible they are birds of breeding age that just didn’t migrate for some reason, like illness or a general disinclination.
I’ve always wondered why the sanderlings we see here in the summer keep their gray and white non-breeding plumage. Maybe the hormonal change that was supposed to inspire them to fly north didn’t happen, and the same hormonal shortfall kept the breeding plumage from coming in. Maybe returning to their breeding territory is what triggers the plumage change in sanderlings. The only thing I do know is I haven’t seen a sanderling looking remotely rufescent down here.
The sanderling is one of those rare species in North America with a mononym – a single word name. It’s that cosmopolitan-ness again. There is no northern sanderling or southern sanderling. There is just sanderling.
The name is derived from Old English. Some sources say the etymology is simple – a diminutive moniker for a creature that lives on sandy beaches. Other sources say it comes from sand-yrðling or sand-yrthling, the yrðling or yrthling part meaning plowman, or more specifically, farmer, as in a creature that farms the sand. Still other sources say the word derives from sand and eel because, I don’t know, pulling tiny crustaceans out of the sand is somehow eel-like?
They are often described as feeding in small, conspecific flocks, meaning generally feeding only with other sanderlings. But when I first started birding it seemed I always saw them working the same patches of sand and seaweed as ruddy turnstones. They were the Abbott and Costello of the shorebird world, the peanut butter and jelly. You rarely saw one without the other.
Ruddy turnstones are also a rather cosmopolitan species, a little bigger than sanderlings, a little bulkier, with a stubbier bill, orange legs,
a somewhat more fiery rufescence in breeding season, and a striking black pattern in the face that is usually described at harlequin-esque.
In recent years sanderlings seem to have become more common and ruddy turnstones less so. I can’t remember the last time I saw a ruddy turnstone. Which doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Birds move around a lot. Whether you cross paths with them or not doesn’t always have a lot to do with whether they’re around or not.
But I got curious and went to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List page, which tracks the general population health of over 166,000 birds, mammals, reptiles, trees, corals, fish, and members of the plant and animal kingdoms.
According to the IUCN, the sanderling is a species of least concern, with a population decreasing in some parts of its range, but increasing in others. As of 2019 the ruddy turnstone was also considered a species of least concern. But in July of last year it was re-ranked as nearly threatened, with an estimated decrease in its population of 20%-26% over the last 18 years.
While that decrease in population is troubling, it would not account for me not seeing any in the last year or two. So I went to eBird to look for recent records, and yes, they are still seen pretty commonly at places like Higgs Beach, White Street Pier and Fort Zach. (If you ever want a nearly sure way to see a ruddy turnstone, have lunch at Keys Fisheries in Marathon. But don’t give them any French fries. It is really unhealthy for them.)
So I’m going to keep my eyes a little wider, and hopefully catch sight of a ruddy sometime soon.
I’m also considering heading to the far north one of these days, if only to see sanderlings in their seasonal finery.
MARK HEDDEN
MARATHON CINEMA A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
TO MEMBERS OF FLORIDA KEYS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ASSOC., INC.
NOTICE OF ELECTION OF THREE DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors of Florida Keys Electric Cooperative Association, Inc. (FKEC) has set the following dates for the District Elections for three positions on the Board of Directors:
District 1
March 27, 2025
District 3
March 27, 2025
District 4
March 27, 2025
OPEN MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2025 AT 1:00 P.M.
Key Largo area northeast of the section line common to Sections 6 and 7, TWP- 62S, R. 39E, southerly of Mandalay Subdivision - Dade/ Monroe County Line on U.S. 1 (including Ocean Reef) to Mile Marker 97.7
Islamorada area southwest of Snake Creek and northeast of the north end of the Long Key Bridge
Marathon area southwest of the north end of the Long Key Bridge
The incumbent directors of the three districts have decided to stand for re-election. In the event only one qualified member from a district for each position is so nominated, that member shall be declared elected. Elections may be conducted on the designated election date, by mail ballot and/or by electronic means. The notice of election and the election ballot and informational materials shall be mailed to each and every member residing or doing business in the district not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the election date. All ballots returned by mail must be received by the Cooperative or the Cooperative’s contracted third-party election management provider no later than one day prior to the official election date.
Directors elected at the district elections shall serve for a period of three years and will take office at the first regular or special meeting to be held on or after Saturday, April 26, 2025.
Members interested in becoming candidates and placing their names in nomination for membership on the Board of Directors are hereby notified of the qualifications and election procedures prescribed by the Bylaws of Florida Keys Electric Cooperative Association, Inc.
A candidate for director must be a member of FKEC and a bona fide resident of the district he/she represents and have 12 months of residency in the area served by the Cooperative. The candidate must not be a minor. No candidate may in any way be employed by or have a substantial financial interest in a competing enterprise or a business selling electric energy or supplies to FKEC or be the incumbent for an elective public office in connection with which a salary or compensation is paid.
Candidates must submit a nominating petition with fifteen (15) or more signatures of members residing in the voting district no less than forty-five (45) days prior to the date of the district election specified above. Nominating petitions for District 1 must be received by FKEC by Noon on Monday, February 10, 2025, petitions for District 3 must be received by FKEC by Noon on Monday, February 10, 2025, and petitions for District 4 must be received by FKEC by Noon on Monday, February 10, 2025. (Please allow time for verification of signatures).
Nomination petition forms may be obtained from the FKEC Tavernier Headquarters. A copy of the FKEC bylaws may be obtained from FKEC offices.
The election will be given widespread publicity prior to the election date.
By Order of the Board of Directors Florida Keys Electric Cooperative Association, Inc.
THE GREAT FLORIDA KEYS
Bridge construction connected a series of islands
When the first version of the Overseas Highway opened in 1928, it stopped at the end of Lower Matecumbe Key. It didn’t stop for good but for 40 miles or so.
It picked up again at No Name Key and, from there, traveled the rest of the way to Key West – though not along the same path as it does today.
Automobile ferries were used to bridge the gap between the Upper and Lower Keys. Two ferries were in operation and departed the terminals daily at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. However, the ferry system was not the most reliable mode of transportation as it was challenging to stick to a business schedule while navigating the ebb and flow of the tides, weather and all the things that go wrong with boats.
The plan to eliminate the ferry system was to build a series of automobile bridges between Lower Matecumbe Key and Big Pine Key that would have roughly paralleled Flagler’s railroad bridges. The first workers for the bridge projects began arriving in November 1934. Most of them were World War I veterans who were brought in and housed in three work camps, one on Windley Key and two on Lower Matecumbe Key.
The first task at hand was to build a bridge connecting Lower Matecumbe to the next island in the chain, Jewfish Bush Key. Today, that island is called Fiesta Key. The work halted on Sept. 2, 1935, when a Category 5 hurricane devastated the area and took hundreds of lives, many of them those veterans. Remembered as the Labor Day Hurricane, it still registers as the most powerful storm to make a North American landfall.
Driving away from Lower Matecumbe in the direction of Key West, the remains of two of the veteran’s projects are still visible. One is more concrete than the other.
Back in 1935, before the storm, there were dredges out in the water scooping the bottom from one area and dumping it into another until a stretch of land began to appear. On that land, a causeway was to be built that reached out from the edge of Lower Matecumbe to what would have been the first new automobile
bridge in the chain. (Today, driving from Lower Matecumbe Key to the Channel 2 Bridge is across the fill, too.)
The remnants of the 1935 causeway have since become hidden in plain sight. Left to its own devices, the fill was slowly taken over by trees until it became disguised as an island. Driving between Lower Matecumbe and the bridge, it is there on the right. The manufactured island was named Veterans Key to honor the men who worked to build it, many of whom perished in that horrible hurricane.
Between Veterans Key and the modern Channel 2 Bridge, out in the shallows of Florida Bay, are eight bridge piers that have been haunting the shallows ever since. Had the hurricane not struck and the job been completed, the piers would have supported the bridge linking Lower Matecumbe to Fiesta Key. Once or twice, people have asked if some of the veterans were buried in them because that is a story that is occasionally passed around. Of course they weren’t, though locals often refer to them as the Coffins, which they represent in a metaphorical sense.
The first bridge after Lower Matecumbe is the Channel 2 Bridge. There are two Channel 2 bridges. The modern one was built in 1981. The former bridge, originally a railroad bridge, can be seen on the bayside. Usually, there are people standing on it and fishing.
When Henry Flagler traveled in his private railcar between the mainland and Key West on Jan. 22, 1912, the Channel 2 Bridge wasn’t finished. Because of Flagler’s failing health, there was a push to finish enough of the railroad for the train to make the trip. In 1912, at Channel 2, Flagler crossed a temporary wooden trestle bridge. The railroad viaduct from which people fish today was not operational until 1913. The entire railroad project wasn’t officially completed until 1916. Henry Flagler passed away at the age of 83, on May 20, 1913.
After driving over the Channel 2 Bridge, the highway crosses more railroad fill that has since become known as Craig Key. In the early 1930s, Roland Craig, a Miami-based charter fishing
captain, leased the stretch of roughly J-shaped railroad fill from the Florida East Coast Railway and established Camp Panama. That camp grew into the town site of Craig, named for Roland. In addition to a hotel, gas station and docks, a post office was established. Craig survived the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane by clinging for dear life to the railroad tracks.
The small town of Craig moved on after Hurricane Donna, a destructive Category 4 hurricane, blew through the Keys in 1960. It was the most powerful storm to strike the Keys since 1935. The post office was moved to Layton, a small community on nearby Long Key. Before arriving at Long Key and passing through Layton, there is the modern, high-arching Channel 5 Bridge that was built in 1982. Like the Channel 2 Bridge, when Flagler rocked and rolled across Channel 5, the railroad tracks traveled over a temporary wooden trestle bridge.
Brad is a local historian, author, speaker and Honorary Conch who loves sharing the history of the
People like to ask about Channels 1, 3, and 4. Because there are Channels 2 and 5, the others should be around, too, right? I have never come across an answer to the question. A similar question arises when talking about the work camps created to house the World War I veterans. Three of them were created, one on Windley Key and two on Lower Matecumbe Key. Camp 1 was on Windley Key. Camps 3 and 5 were on Lower Matecumbe. For whatever reason, Camps 2 and 4 were located in Florida, but in St. Petersburg and Clearwater.
As for the highway, before we get to Long Key, there is still more railroad fill to cross.
In 2025, I’ll be exploring the Overseas Highway, its history, attractions, and points I find interesting.
Channel 5 Bridge after it was transformed into an automobile bridge. SCOTT DeWOLFE COLLECTION, FLORIDA KEYS HISTORY CENTER/Monroe County Library
Florida Keys.
FLORIDA KEYS HISTORY WITH BRAD BERTELLI
FUNCTIONALLY CAFFEINATED WELLNESS
SUPPLEMENTS AND THIRDPARTY TESTING: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
In the United States, the dietary supplement industry is booming. More than 30,000 supplement companies manufacture a vast array of products aimed at improving health, fitness and overall well-being – all the while grossing some $71.6 billion in 2024, and on pace to eclipse $78 billion in 2025. Billion. With a B. (Just in case your eyes, like mine, automatically read “million.”) Despite its growth, the industry is often clouded by uncertainty due to a key detail that many consumers overlook: dietary supplements are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Unlike prescription and over-the-counter medications, which must undergo rigorous testing and approval by the FDA, supplements fall under a different regulatory category. The FDA does not evaluate dietary supplements for safety, efficacy or quality before they are marketed. Instead, the responsibility falls on the companies themselves to ensure their products meet certain standards.
This lack of pre-market oversight means supplement companies have considerable wiggle room in what they claim and what their products actually contain. For example, the FDA allows for a margin of error of up to 20% in the labeled quantity of an ingredient. This means a supplement claiming to contain 500 mg of an active ingredient could legally contain anywhere from 400 mg to 600 mg. Anyone else think that is extremely dangerous?! I know I do.
Additionally, contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides, or harmful microbes may go undetected if proper testing isn’t conducted.
Amid these uncertainties, third-party testing has emerged as a gold standard for ensuring supplement quality. Third-party testing involves independent laboratories that evaluate supplements for purity, potency and compliance with label claims. Unlike inhouse testing by manufacturers, third-party labs are not affiliated with the company and are less likely to produce biased results.
Testing typically verifies that the product contains the ingredients and dosages listed on the label; that the supplement is free of harmful contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides and bacteria; and that the product meets industry standards for quality and safety.
Only about 1,000 of the 30,000 supplement companies in the U.S. subject their products to third-party testing. This startling statistic leaves consumers with the burden of identifying trustworthy brands amid a sea of unverified options.
Recommended third-party tested brands
For those looking to ensure they’re getting high-quality supplements, the following companies are known for adhering to third-party testing standards:
Thorne Research: Renowned for its comprehensive testing practices, Thorne works with organizations like NSF International
...is a Marathonbased ACSMcertified personal trainer and precision nutrition coach who owns and operates Highly Motivated Functionally Caffeinated LLC. Hello@highlymotivatedfc.com
and ConsumerLab to verify its products. It is a trusted brand among athletes and healthcare professionals alike.
Pure Encapsulations: This company is committed to hypoallergenic, third-party-tested supplements that are free from unnecessary fillers, gluten and artificial additives.
NOW Foods: As a pioneer in the industry, NOW Foods uses third-party labs to test its products for purity and potency. It also offers transparent access to test results for many of its supplements.
Nordic Naturals: Specializing in fish oil and omega-3 supplements, Nordic Naturals ensures its products are sustainably sourced and rigorously tested for contaminants such as mercury and lead.
Why it matters
The lack of strict oversight in the supplement industry means consumers need to be vigilant about the products they choose. Thirdparty testing offers an added layer of confidence, ensuring that supplements meet the highest standards for quality and safety. While not every supplement on the market undergoes such scrutiny, those that do provide peace of mind for consumers seeking effective and reliable products.
As the supplement industry continues to expand, the importance of transparency and accountability cannot be overstated. Choosing third-party-tested brands not only supports ethical companies but also protects your health. When navigating the supplement aisle, prioritize brands that invest in third-party verification — it’s a small step that makes a big difference.
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JENNIFER BOLTZ HARVEY
SCOOBY
9-month-old mixed breed. Looking for: Someone to look longingly into my big blue eyes.
Turnoffs: I’m the new guy. So far I’m just nervous.
SWIPE RIGHT
Adorable furry faces are waiting for families at the Florida Keys SPCA
Keys Weekly is thrilled each week to showcase some “furever” friends that are ready, waiting and available for their perfect adoption “match” at the Florida Keys SPCA’s Marathon campus – complete with their best qualities, preferences and turnoffs to ensure the best fit.
From cats and dogs to Guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, reptiles and birds, the perfect addition to your family is waiting for you at one of the SPCA’s two campuses, in Key West and Marathon. The SPCA’s knowledgeable staff will help with advice and care tips while working to ensure a good fit between each pet and its people.
See all the animals waiting for a home at fkspca.org. To contact the Marathon campus, call 305-743-4800 or visit 10550 Aviation Blvd.
DEMI
7-year-old female English bulldog.
Looking for: I love families. Kids are a must.
Turnoffs: People say I scream like a banshee. I dunno what they’re talking about.
MS. TERI
9.5-year-old female terrier.
Looking for: People. I love people.
Turnoffs: It’s going to be one year next month that I’ve been in foster care.
CHRIS M cNULTY
is an astrologer, wanderer, bartender and advocate for queer justice. He is a loquacious Gemini with a cozy Cancer rising. Find him at hearthandherald-astrology. com
As the sun enters Aquarius this week, its alignment with Pluto sharpens our awareness of the quiet shifts that have been unfolding since Pluto entered Aquarius in November. A new era is emerging — one that decentralizes power and emphasizes collaboration, innovation and shared ideals. But as the familiar crumbles, the uncertainty of change is both exciting and unsettling. Mars retrograde in Cancer urges us to consider the alignment of our emotional needs with our relationships, while we reconsider our attachment to security and the ways we nurture ourselves and others. Venus in Pisces encourages compassion and connection. This week, small but meaningful transformations are possible, helping us balance self-preservation with deeper emotional bonds. Here are your horoscopes for the sun conjunct Pluto and Mars retrograde trine Venus. Read for your rising and sun signs.
AQUARIUS
Jan. 20 - Feb. 18
Happy birthday season, Aquarians. This week feels like a moment of deep recognition — you’re standing in the spotlight, but it’s not just about being seen. It’s about acknowledging the power you hold and the way your choices shape your world. Old habits or routines might feel out of sync with the person you’re becoming. Trust yourself to let go of what no longer aligns, even if it feels unsettling at first. Change begins with you.
PISCES
Feb. 19 - March 20
Dreams, whispers and quiet truths swirl around you, asking for your attention. The space between action and reflection holds the most power now. As you listen to your inner voice, you might find the courage to step away from situations or dynamics that dim your light. You’re magnetic to others, but remember, your radiance begins with how you care for yourself.
ARIES
March 21 - April 19
What does belonging mean to you? This week might bring unexpected clarity about the groups or communities you’re part of. Some connections fuel your spirit, while others may no longer fit. At the same time, memories from home or family could resurface, helping you approach the future with a stronger sense of who you are. The world is wide. Don’t be afraid to claim your place in it.
TAURUS
April 20 - May 20
Your ambitions are shifting, and with them, your vision for the future. A moment of deep reflection might reveal just how much you’ve grown, especially in areas of work or personal achievement. A conversation with a friend or colleague could provide insight you didn’t know you needed. The answers you’re seeking aren’t far. They’re waiting within the connections you’ve already made.
GEMINI
May 21 - June 20
A thirst for knowledge or exploration propels you forward this week. It’s not just about learning something new. It’s about connecting the dots between what you’ve experienced and what’s possible. At the same time, something about your career or long-term goals might demand a practical, grounded approach. Keep your eyes on the horizon, but don’t overlook the opportunities already at your feet.
CANCER
June 21 - July 22
Deep waters stir this week, bringing with them emotions you might have tucked away. Whether it’s through journaling, talking to someone you trust, or simply sitting with your feelings, now is the time to process and release. On the horizon, there’s a spark of adventure or inspiration waiting to guide you toward new opportunities. It’s okay to feel deeply, Cancer. It’s what makes your heart so strong.
LEO
July 23 - Aug. 22
Relationships are a mirror right now, reflecting back your needs, desires and the parts of yourself you’re still learning to love. Pay attention to how you show up for others –and how they show up for you. If you’ve been craving a little solitude, don’t hesitate to carve out space to breathe. Sometimes the most profound realizations come when you’re standing still.
VIRGO
Aug. 23 - Sept. 22
The rhythms of your daily life are shifting, and with them, the way you care for yourself. Something as simple as reorganizing your workspace or revisiting an old habit could open up unexpected energy. Meanwhile, someone close to you might offer a perspective that changes how you approach a lingering question. Small steps toward balance will have a ripple effect. Don’t underestimate their power.
LIBRA
Sept. 23 - Oct. 23
Your creativity is flowing, but it’s coming from a place that feels deeper and more intentional than usual. This week might feel like a call to create, not for an audience, but for yourself. Let the process, not the product, be your focus. Meanwhile, practical matters could demand your attention. Look for ways to bring your creative insights into the tasks of daily life.
A GLIMPSE OF CHANGE
SCORPIO
Oct. 23 - Nov. 21
A sense of home, whether it’s your physical space or the people who make you feel safe, is in the spotlight this week. If you’ve been meaning to make changes in your living situation, now might be the time to take the first step. At the same time, your passions are calling for your attention. Dive into what excites you, and you might find that it feeds your sense of stability in surprising ways.
SAGITTARIUS
Nov. 22 - Dec. 21
The conversations you have this week could take you in unexpected directions. Whether it’s a casual chat or a deep heart-to-heart, there’s something powerful about the words exchanged. At the same time, nostalgia might creep in, reminding you of people or places that shaped who you are. Use the wisdom of your past to chart a course for your future. You’re still writing your story.
CAPRICORN
Dec. 22 - Jan. 19
This week invites you to reimagine your relationship with stability and security. You might feel a pull to invest in something, whether it’s time, energy or resources, that aligns more closely with your values. A heartfelt conversation or creative project could provide the perspective you need to make that leap. Trust in the process, Capricorn. You’re building something lasting and meaningful.
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SHELF HELP
Staff from your Monroe County Public Library recommend some of their favorites from the collection.
What: “Terminal Boredom” by Izumi Suzuki
Why: This is a stunning collection of short stories by a woman who was a model, an actress and the muse/spouse of both avant-garde jazz saxophonist Kaoru Abe and photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, but best known for her trenchant and prescient science fiction. Despite the fact that she died, tragically, by suicide in 1986, her preoccupations with gender, elements of social engineering, and media are more startlingly relevant than ever.
In “Women and Women,” a kind of reverse “Handmaid’s Tale,” men are relegated to internment camps, and sex between men and women is a closely guarded artifact of the past – until a schoolgirl starts experiencing visits from a mysterious figure. In “You May Dream,” a government program to transfer dreams from one person to another raises questions about the nature of consciousness and the knowability of other minds. In “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” humans colonize a sensitive and perceptive alien people. A couple – one human, one alien –experience the intersocietal conflict as a lover’s quarrel. In the titular piece, teenagers seek to numb themselves in a futuristic Tokyo through televised violence.
Where: You can borrow this as a print book from the Monroe County Public Library.
How: You can request books, including e-books and e-audiobooks, by logging in to your account at keyslibraries.org. If you don’t have a card, you can visit your local branch or register online to get one. Questions? info@keyslibraries.org
Recommended by: Laura Bernazzoli, library associate, Key West library
Staff from your Monroe County Public Library recommend some of their favorites from the collection.
What: “Funny Girl” (1968)
Why: This is the film that launched Barbra Streisand’s Hollywood career and earned her a Best Actress Oscar right out of the gate. Loosely based on the life of vaudeville star Fanny Brice, this features some of the greatest songs ever written for Broadway courtesy of Jule Styne (“Gypsy”) and Bob Merrill (“Breakfast at Tiffany’s”). Director William Wyler (“Ben-Hur”) famously led a whopping 13 other actors to Oscar glory, and it’s his careful hand at remembering the grounded humanity amid the outlandish moments that gives the film its heart and has you rooting for Fanny. Both heartbreaking and hilarious, this is a prime example of an exuberant movie musical with real weight.
Where: You can watch this film on Kanopy, the library’s streaming app.
How: You can browse and request DVDs online by logging in to your account at keyslibraries.org. To view our collection of streaming movies and TV, go to kanopy.com/keyslibraries and set up an account with your library card. If you don’t have a card, you can visit your local branch or register online to get one. Questions? info@keyslibraries.org. Recommended by: Kelvin Cedeño, library assistant, Islamorada library.
See previous Reel Recs at keyslibraries.org/reel-recs.
Having Fun in the Middle Keys
Founded by Betty Debnam
The Natural State
Arkansas (AR-kensaw) is a Southern state that is landlocked, sharing borders with six other states. It became our 25th state in 1836.
HISTORY
When Europeans arrived, they found Indigenous peoples of the Caddo, Osage and Quapaw, who had been in the area for thousands of years. In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase included all of what is now Arkansas.
Although Arkansas was admitted to the Union as a slave state, the people there were divided about the Civil War. However, when President Abraham Lincoln ordered Arkansas troops to South Carolina to fight, the state seceded, or separated from the Union.
NATURAL BEAUTY
Arkansas, nicknamed “The Natural State,” is known for its scenic mountains, valleys, forests, rivers, natural springs and farmland.
The Buffalo National River runs through the Ozark Mountains in the north of the state.
Based on its purity, size, scenic views and natural resources, the U. S. Congress declared it America’s first national river in 1972.
Water from springs is a popular and plentiful resource for the state. Some people believe the water has healing powers. Mammoth Spring is one of the largest springs in the country.
Agriculture is important to the state’s economy. People there raise rice, chickens, turkeys, cotton and catfish, among other products. Arkansas is also home to several large companies, including Walmart and Tyson Foods. In the forested areas of Arkansas, lumber production is important.
PLACES TO SEE
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville houses hundreds of works covering five centuries of American art. There are also outdoor walking trails and interactive exhibits.
The William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock is the largest presidential library. It includes items from Bill Clinton’s two terms as president and replicas of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room.
SPORTS
Arkansans are enthusiastic fans of college football, rooting for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks and Arkansas State Red Wolves. Baseball, fishing and hunting are other popular sports.
Words that remind us of Arkansas are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:
FAMOUS ARKANSANS
• Our 42nd president, Bill Clinton, was born on Aug. 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas, and grew up in Hot Springs. As a boy, he loved music and playing the saxophone. He wanted to become a musician.
As a teenager, he became interested in politics when he met then-President John Kennedy at the White House.
Clinton was elected attorney general of Arkansas in 1976 and governor of Arkansas in 1978. He served two terms as U.S. president, starting in 1993.
His wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, ran for president in 2016.
• Author John Grisham was born on Feb. 8, 1955, in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He wanted to become a professional baseball player but did not think he had the talent. He decided to become a lawyer. While he was practicing law, he got the idea for his first novel.
Grisham has written more than 50 books, including the Theodore Boone series for kids. Many of his books have been adapted for movies.
RESOURCES
On the Web:
• bit.ly/MPArkansas
At the library:
• “Arkansas” by Ib Larsen
• “Cracking the Wall: The Struggles of the Little Rock Nine” by Eileen Lucas
ECO NOTE
Human activities such as overfishing and trophy hunting are affecting Earth’s oldest and most experienced animals, which play key roles in maintaining ecological balance. In a study published in Science, lead researcher R. Keller Kopf from Charles Darwin University explains how older animals often share their knowledge, enhancing survival within their species. For instance, in elephant herds, older females guide group movements and decision-making based on decades of experience. Similarly, older fish and sea turtles produce significantly more offspring, contributing to population stability.
Mini Fact: Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains in the northwest include the White River.
photo by Jeff Sharp
The Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas.
President Bill Clinton
Author John Grisham
photo by
Gage
Skidmore
MAD HATTER
6 goals in 2 games for Carroll | P.10
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Team Sport Opponent Date Result
Key West Boys Soccer American Heritage 1/13 T, 2-2
Marathon Girls Basketball True North 1/14 W, 64-56
Key West Girls Basketball Mater Lakes 1/14 L, 77-50
Marathon Boys Basketball Ransom 1/15 L, 58-39
Coral Shores Boys Soccer St. Brendan 1/15 L, 6-1
Key West Girls Basketball Coral Shores 1/15 W, 48-36
Marathon Girls Basketball Ransom 1/15 L, 49-46
Coral Shores Boys Basketball Mater Bay Academy 1/16 W, 52-49
Key West Girls Soccer Marathon 1/16 W, 4-0
Key West Boys Soccer Marathon 1/16 W, 8-0
Basilica Boys Basketball Horeb Christian 1/17 L, 62-50
Key West Boys Basketball Westminster Christian 1/17 L, 65-38
Coral Shores Girls Soccer Marathon 1/17 W, 5-1
Coral Shores Boys Soccer Marathon 1/17 W, 6-3
Key West Girls Soccer Lemon Bay 1/18 L, 4-2
Key West Girls Basketball Archbishop McCarthy 1/18 L, 71-42 Key West Boys Basketball IMG
THIS WEEK IN KEYS SPORTS
ON THE COVER THE SCOREBOARD
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
BOWDEN
He has a great work ethic and willingness to learn, and is still only a sophomore.” — Nic Farrar, Conchs head coach
As Key West prepares to make a run into the postseason, Sonny Bowden has been doing all the little things to help boost his team. Last week, Bowden had a hat trick against Marathon. He is a steady contributor to the team’s scoring this season. According to coach Nic Farrar, the hard-working sophomore “puts in 100% effort into every game and is improving day to day.” For his talent and relentless willingness to improve, Key West’s Sonny Bowden is the Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week.
Sophomore Key West, Soccer
Photo by: MAICEY MALGRAT/Keys
Goals vs. Marathon
Coral Shores’ Preston Carroll, left, had the offensive dials turned up to 10 last week, leading his team with hat tricks against Keys Gate and Marathon. See page 10. RACHEL RUSCH/Keys Weekly
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.
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.
Marathon - Alex Rickert alex@keysweekly.com
Upper Keys - Jim McCarthy jim@keysweekly.com
Key West - Mandy Miles mandy@keysweekly.com
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.
THE MARATHON WEEKLY (ISSN 1944-0812) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY FOR $125 PER YEAR BY WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS, INC., 9709 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, MARATHON FL 33050. APPLICATION TO MAIL AT PERIODICALS POSTAGE RATES IS PENDING AT FORT LAUDERDALE FL AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES.
All stories, photos, and graphics are copyrighted materials.
Senior RJ Brown slams his opponent at the regional duals championships held in Key West last week. Brown was 1-1 in the tournament, helping Key West to win its first regional title and advance to the state’s elite eight Jan. 24. MAICEY MALGRAT/Keys Weekly
CONCHS BREAK THROUGH TO ELITE EIGHT Lady Conchs make statement in Immokalee
Key West made history last week, earning its first bid to the State Duals Elite Eight on Friday, Jan 24. The Conchs battled their way through Region 4 1A to become a contender at the FHSAA State Duals for the first time in program history. The Conchs join seven other teams hoping to grapple their way into the final four teams in 1A.
Coral Shores, also a regional duals qualifier, did not advance to states, but the Hurricanes made school history as well by earning a bid to the regional quarterfinals.
While the boys were making history, the Lady Conchs were laying the groundwork for some history of their own. Six athletes found their way to the podium Jan. 18 at the Lady Indian Tournament at Immokalee High School. The team was led by Sheyla Figueira, a state-qualifier last season, who took second place at the tournament in the 105-pound class. Maria Halushka (125) was third while Wenxin Yu (110), Sunisa Kuhn (155) and Yarnesie Corrales (170) were fourth. Isabella Cosme took fifth place at 145 pounds to help the team secure sixth place out of the 28 teams who entered.
tracy mcdonald
sean mcdonald
MIXED RESULTS AT THE HOOP
Four Keys teams saw action last week as district play looms
In its first year of varsity action, Basilica School played the second of three games scheduled this season on Jan. 17.
2.
3. Key West senior Kameron Roberts helped Key West return to the win column last week with 17 points against IMG Gray.
4.
The Mariners hosted the Mustangs of Horeb Christian back in November and paid them a visit in Miami last week. The Mariners were down by 17 in quarter two, but rallied to come within four by the final quarter. Horeb pulled away late in the fourth to beat Basilica 60-52.
Noah Wright registered a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Miguel Ontiveros scored 12 while Blade Hanousek and Alex Bouttier added nine and seven, respectively. Basilica is without a single senior this season, and Hanousek, a junior, is the lone upperclassman, making for an exciting future for the young team. The Mariners close out their inaugural season Saturday, Feb. 1 in a home matchup against Abundant Life Christian Academy.
Coral Shores made the most of its single game last week, beating the Rays of Mater Bay 52-49 on Jan. 16. The ’Canes, celebrating Senior Night, had the energy of the crowd behind them as they went to work against the Rays. Mater Bay focused on junior Donovan Thiery, freeing up senior Ayden Lane to score a game-high 28.
“It was a great back-and-forth game the whole way,” said assistant coach Andy Thiery. “Lane carried the team through the first three quarters on the scoreboard.”
three from Thiery tied the game at 47, breaking the Rays’ spirits
In quarter four, it was anybody’s game, but a dunk by Thiery electrified the crowd and gave Coral Shores some momentum. A three from Thiery tied the game at 47, breaking the Rays’ spirits late in the game and giving the ’Canes the boost they needed to seal the deal. Thiery ended the night with 13 points and fellow junior Austin Vogt added eight in the win.
the recipe they needed against a visiting IMG Academy Gray team. Kameron Roberts had the hot hand with 17 points and seven rebounds. David Aviles added 16 while Josue Thanus and Zach Levering were good for six each. Tramane Scott pulled down 10 rebounds to help feed Roberts under the basket and secure the 54-49 win for the Conchs.
The Conchs suffered a series of losses last week, but ended on a positive note. The team’s greatest loss was their scoring leader, junior James Osborne, who had just returned from a wrist injury. Osborne is likely now out for the season with an ankle injury, forcing the Conchs to shore up their game plan and figure out how to win without the 21 points per game he was averaging.
Key West lost Jan. 14 at South Dade, then again on Jan. 17 at home against Westminster Christian, but by the 18th, they found
Marathon lost a pair of games last week, but it wasn’t without a good fight, particularly from junior Daeshawn Holmes. Holmes registered a pair of double-doubles, the first occurring during the Dolphins’ Jan. 13 loss to Palmer Trinity School. Holmes sank 15 points and pulled down 13 rebounds while fellow junior Briggs Roberts scored 14. Freshman Jack Chapman had 10 points for the Fins, but it would not be enough to overcome the Falcons, who ultimately won 84-50. Two nights later, Holmes scored 11 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 58-39 loss to Ransom Everglades. Chapman added 11 to his stats and Roberts added 10.
date teams can play to deter-
for regular-season games. This
school in the Keys, is classified
Jan. 25 marks the final date teams can play to determine their district seedings, with Feb. 1 being the final date for regular-season games. This year, each of Monroe County’s teams faces a different postseason path. Key West, the largest school in the Keys, is classified as 4A. Coral Shores falls into the 3A class and Marathon, the Keys’ smallest public school, qualifies for the rural classification. Basilica, not part of the FHSAA yet, is not eligible for postseason play. Holmes. Holmes registered a
1. Coral Shores’ Ayden Lane drives between defenders.
Jaxen Cabrera soars in the paint.
Marathon’s Daeshawn Holmes registered two double-doubles last week for the Fins.
Photos by Rachel Rusch, Barry Gaukel and Maicey Malgrat.
BREAKING THROUGH
From left: Marathon’s Marti Kilbourne, who led her team with a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double on Jan. 14;
Photos by Barry Gaukel and Maicey Malgrat
BREAKING THROUGH
Lady Conchs’ 50 rebounds make the difference in first win since 2023
The Lady Conchs ended a two-year dry spell on Jan. 15, earning a win over the Coral Shores Lady Hurricanes. Their last win was also over the Hurricanes back in January 2023, when a very young Key West team pulled off the upset at home.
Last week’s 48-36 victory was on the road, and a determined Conchs squad worked hard to bring home the win. The game-changer for Key West was their physical play, which included 50 rebounds for the team.
Their hustle and drive was led by Jaylin Greene, who scored 14 points, and Damarla Thompson, who earned a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds. Lilee Gage pulled down 15 rebounds and scored six while also collecting four blocks in the big win.
Coral Shores’ Grace Leffler had a game-high 17 points plus eight rebounds in the Hurricanes’ loss. Melanie Estevez scored nine and Alex Burson added six plus five steals for Coral Shores, but it was not enough to overcome a hungry Key West squad.
Marathon had one win and one loss last week, with the win coming Jan. 14 at True North Academy. Marti’yana Kilbourne had a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds plus six steals. Elena Eubank and Daysi Williams added 19 each in the 64-56 victory. The following night, the Fins came up just a little short, falling 49-46 to Ransom. Eubank had the top score for the team with 15. Williams scored 13 and Kilbourne added 11 in the road loss.
Lilee Gage, Damarla Thompson and Jaylin Greene paved the way for Key West.
COUNTY
From left, Maicee Gage, Maddie Kilduff and Kaitlyn Franco worked together to manufacture the lone goal against Coral Shores for a Conchs win. MAICEY MALGRAT/Keys Weekly
QUEENS
Conchs beat Keys competitors in final week of regular season
ey West hosted Coral Shores on Jan. 14 with their sights set on avenging an early-season loss to the Lady ’Canes. The Conchs were able to capitalize on a corner kick by senior Kaitlyn Franco. Franco’s kick was right where Maddie Kilduff wanted it, and Kilduff headed it toward the goal. Coral Shores’ goalkeeper was able to make the stop, but the deflection led to a scrum in front of the cage. That’s when sophomore striker Maicee Gage sent it into the back of the net for the lone goal of the match.
“After losing 5-0 to Coral Shores early in the season, it was a very satisfying result,” said Conchs head coach Scott Paul, adding that play against their Upper Keys foe is “always a tough, physical match with a great rival. This match was no exception to that
is proving to be an asset on that front line.”
Senior keeper Courtney Grabus notched her fourth shutout of the season against the ’Canes, then added number five in a 4-0 romp over Marathon on Jan. 16. In their final game of the regular season, Key West fell to Lemon Bay, putting them at 8-9 on the season with a good chance of evening their record in district playoff action this week against St. Brendan School.
Key West skips the play-in round of districts, heading directly for the semis against the Sabres on Jan. 24. Should they win that one, it is a quick trip to the district championship match four days
that history.” at one, it is a quick trip to the district championship match four days later.
Marathon traveled to Archbishop Carroll Jan. 13 to take on the Bulldogs. Despite being down several key players, the Fins came home with a 4-1 win. Jordan MacDonald scored twice while Ashley Strama and Shilo Yeider added one goal each in the victory.
“The team is bouncing back after some tough injuries,” said coach Cathy Warner. “We are still down a starter with a torn ACL, and some of our starters are nursing some injuries, but we are fighting till the end.”
The Fins called up the reserves to field a full team, adding members of the middle school team to the varsity roster.
“They are hungry to play and get on the varsity field, and it is encouraging others to step up as well,” said Warner. “Ashley (Strama) has proven to be a powerhouse as a seventh grader and
fourth-ranked Somerset South
The Lady Fins dropped their final two games against Key West and Coral Shores, finishing with a 4-10-1 record that placed them in the middle of their district’s rankings. Their strength of schedule helped boost them past several teams in the rankings, but despite moving down into the 2A classification, their district bracket is actually more formidable this season. The Fins, ranked number five in their district, are scheduled to play fourth-ranked Somerset South Homestead on Jan. 22 for their quarterfinal match.
After a pair of losses to Gulliver Prep and Key West, the Lady ’Canes came out kicking Jan. 17 when they hosted the Dolphins. Coral Shores was celebrating Senior Night, and Sofia Jans and Ali Beth Wilson both scored in their final home games for Coral Shores. Bayley Catarineau, Jenna Mandozzi and Lela Goodrich also added goals to make the score 5-1.
others of their district’s rankings. Their rankings,
some stiff competition in their 3A District 16 pool, including son, blanking them both times.
The 9-4 Hurricanes have some stiff competition in their 3A District 16 pool, including Gulliver Prep in the semis if they win on Jan. 23 against Keys Gate. The ’Canes had no problems with the Knights in their first two matches this season, blanking them both times.
Ali Beth Wilson found the back of the net in a Senior Night romp over Marathon. JIM McCARTHY/ Keys Weekly
TWO HAT TRICKS FOR CARROLL
Bowden blasts Marathon with three goals
The regular season is officially closed for prep soccer, and two Keys teams are proving to be red-hot when it comes to scoring.
The Keys’ southernmost squad hasn’t lost a match since Dec. 20, and the 9-3-3 Conchs added a win and a tie last week as they await the district brackets. Their first opponent was American Heritage on Jan. 13. The Conchs tied the Patriots, a team they could face again if they make it past districts, 2-2. Emmanuel Innocent and Loubins Fleuridor scored one each in the win.
Key West then ended their regular season with a statement, defeating Marathon 8-0 in a decisive mercy-rule win. Sophomore Sonny Bowden had a hat trick, scoring two of his three goals off of penalty kicks. Innocent, Sebastian Camargo, Niko Sulak and Chase Hoffman scored one apiece while Camargo and Kieran Smith each had an assist. The eighth goal came from a cross deflected off a Marathon player. The Conchs’ small district and their solid record punched their playoff card for a direct trip to semifinals, where they will play Terra Environmental on Jan. 24.
Monroe County’s most prolific scorer last week was Coral Shores’ Preston Carroll, whose dual hat tricks led the Hurricanes in scoring for the week. Carroll scored his first three plus an assist in a 6-4 loss to Keys Gate on Jan. 13. Xol Placencia scored the Hurricanes’ fourth goal.
returned to the win column Jan. 17 when they hosted Marathon.
accounted for the other two goals in the 6-3 victory over their the of on Jan. 22. The sixth-seeded Hurricanes lost to the third-seeded Stallions twice in the regular season but showed improvement in
The Hurricanes lost again at St. Brendan School Jan. 15 but returned to the win column Jan. 17 when they hosted Marathon. Carroll added three more while Placencia also found the back of the net against the Fins. Tony Khioni and Armando Picado accounted for the other two goals in the 6-3 victory over their nearest neighbor. Coral Shores, 8-13 in the regular season, will participate in the 3A bracket of district 16 play this week. Up first for the Hurricanes was Somerset Silver Palms in the quarterfinals on Jan. 22. The sixth-seeded Hurricanes lost to the third-seeded Stallions twice in the regular season but showed improvement in their second pairing.
Marathon’s losses last week put them at 2-11-1 as they prepare for combat in the 2A division of FHSAA’s Region 4 District 16 competition this week. The Fins, seeded eighth, drew the No. 2 seed, Archbishop Carroll, for their quarterfinal match, to be played in Miami on Thursday, Jan. 23.
Top: Preston Carroll. RACHEL RUSCH/ Keys Weekly
Left: Key West’s Niko Sulak and the Conchs are primed and ready for districts. MAICEY MALGRAT/Keys Weekly
NEXT STOP: DISTRICTS
Girls weightlifting enters the postseason
Marathon’s lady lifters bested their Keys competitors again Jan. 15 at Coral Shores in a final meet before the postseason. The Dolphins won both the Olympic and traditional events with Coral Shores coming in a close second and Key West taking third.
Key West’s weight class winners were Shylo Sanchez at 139 pounds and Alexa Condella at 154. Both athletes won the Olympic event in their classes.
Coral Shores’ Jennille Arias swept both events in the 169-pound class and Sydney Eysenbach did the same in unlimited. Rachel Rusch was first at 110 pounds in the traditional event.
The Fins’ Ella Dunn and Ayme Maradiaga split the 101-pound weight class, with Dunn winning the Olympic competition and Maradiaga earning the top score in traditional. Katriya Wright was first in Olympic lifts at 110 pounds while Ava Merryman and Brizni Vargas were first in traditional at 139 and 154 pounds, respectively. Rilynn Richards (119), Ella Evans (129), Justice Lee (183) and Sabrina Schofield (199) were double winners, registering top lifts in both events.
The Lady Conchs travel to their district event Thursday, Jan. 23 while the Lady ’Canes and Fins have their competition on Saturday, Jan. 25. As the girls vie for a shot at district, regional and state hardware, the boys weightlifting season, the harbinger of spring sports, gets underway Wednesday, Jan. 29 at Coral Shores.
Marathon’s Ella Dunn, left, Ayme Maradiaga, Sabrina Schofield and Justice Lee were all winners at the final regular season meet held Jan. 25. BARRY GAUKEL/Keys Weekly
From left, Coral Shores lifters Rachel Rusch, Sydney Esenbach and Vanessa Gabriel. DOUG FINGER/Keys Weekly
• CLASSIFIEDS, PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES •
NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE
U-HAUL COMPANY OF MIAMI
Notice is hereby given that on February 10th, 2025, Leonard Richford Jr. Storage Auctioneer, Executive Administrator for U-Haul Company of Miami, Will be offering for sale under the Judicial Lien Process, By Public Auction, the following storage units. The Terms of the sale will be cash only. U-Haul Company does reserve the right to refuse any bids. The sales will Begin at 8:00 a.m. and continue day by day until all units are sold. The names of whose units will be sold are as follows:
LOCATION: 103530 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037 Knight, John 0016 Robertson, Jeremy 1162 Bangert, Philip 1670
Cafarella, Deborah 1191
Murgas, Alex 1580 Cox, Michael 1426 Fellhauer, Amy 1023 Trent, Cheryl 1180, 1203 Adkins, Taylor 1561 Chamberlain, Sheila 1167
Publish: January 23 & 30, 2025
The Weekly Newspapers
NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE
Please take notice that in accordance with Florida Statute 328.17, Silent Hunter Boat Yard, LLC dba-Marathon Boat Yard claims a possessory lien on the following described vessel:
Owned by Darryl Wayne Hansen, deceased, for unpaid storage fees: a 1981 Formosa 51’ 6” vessel by Formosa Boat Bldg Co., “Dragonfly”, Florida Registration # FL4642RH and HIN #FBB510330481.
Sealed bids will be accepted on February 3, 2025 at Marathon Boat Yard, 2055 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050. Silent Hunter Boat Yard, LLC dba Marathon Boat Yard, reserves the right to reject any and all bids.
Publish: January 23 & 30, 2025
The Weekly Newspapers
NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE
Notice of Seizure that in accordance with Florida Statutes 83.805/83.506, Upper Keys Commerce Center, 97300 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037 will sell or otherwise dispose of the personal contents of the following unit to satisfy the delinquent storage lien.
All contents in:
Unit 73 – Margaret Edwards
Sale of all goods will be 2/10/25 at 10:00 am at 97300 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo Florida 33037. Upper Keys Commerce Center reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids.
Publish: January 23 & 30, 2025
The Weekly Newspapers
NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE
Notice of Seizure that in accordance with Florida Statues 83.805 / 83.506, Tavernier Mini Storage, 135 Hood Ave., Tavernier, Florida 33070 will sell or otherwise will dispose of the personal contents of the following unit to satisfy the delinquent storage lien.
All Contents in:
Unit D-56 –Robert Entwistle
WOLFSON FAMILY FOUNDATION, INC required to be filed under section 6033 Internal Revenue Code, is available for public inspection at its principal office 56283 Ocean Drive, Marathon, FL 33050 305-743-5060 for inspection during regular business hours by any citizen upon request, within 180 days after the date of this publication.
Cheryl Wilcox
Principal Manager
Dated: January 17, 2025
Publish: January 23, 2025
The Weekly Newspapers
NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN
that on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at 9:00 A.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: FY 2026 Capital Projects
Funding Application
Monroe County, Florida
Pursuant to F.S. § 50.0211(3)(a), all published competitive solicitation notices can be viewed at: www.floridapublicnotices. com, a searchable Statewide repository for all published legal notices. Requirements for submission and the selection criteria may be requested from the County’s electronic bidding platform at https://monroecounty-fl. bonfirehub.com OR www. monroecounty-fl.gov/ BonfireBids. The Public Record is available upon request.
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January 23, 2025
The Weekly Newspapers
NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SOLICITATIONS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at 9:00 A.M., the Monroe County Purchasing Office will receive and open sealed responses for the following: FY 2026 Destination/ Turnkey Event Funding Application Monroe County, Florida
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION CASE NUMBER: 24-CP00079-M FLORIDA BAR #980810 IN RE: THE ESTATE OF MURIEL BEAUMONT Deceased.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The administration of the estate of MURIEL BEAUMONT, deceased, whose date of death was July 23, 2023, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 3117 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.
LEGAL NOTICES
AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.
Sale of all goods will be 2/10/25 at 10:00 am at 135 Hood Ave., Tavernier, Florida 33070. Tavernier Mini Storage reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids.
Publish: January 23 & 30, 2025
The Weekly Newspapers
The
Monroe County Purchasing Department receives bids via the Bonfire electronic bidding platform. Please do not email, mail or attempt to deliver in person any sealed bids. Emailed/mailed/ physically delivered bids/ proposals/responses WILL NOT be accepted. The Monroe County Purchasing Department hereby directs that bids be submitted via the Bonfire electronic bidding platform at https://monroecounty-fl. bonfirehub.com, no later than 5:00P.M. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. There is no cost to the bidder to use the Bonfire platform. Please do not submit your confidential financial information as part of your proposal. There are separate uploads for each set of documents, including confidential financial information. All proposals will be made public on the platform after an intended decision or 30 days, whichever is earlier, unless the bids/proposals are rejected in accordance with F.S. 119.071. If your proposal document includes financial information, that information will not be considered confidential and will be available and viewable to the public in accordance with public records law.
The bid opening for this solicitation will be held virtually, via the internet, at 9:00 A.M., on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. You may call in by phone or internet using the following: Join Zoom Meeting https://mcbocc.zoom. us/j/4509326156
Meeting ID: 4509326156
One tap mobile: +16465189805,,
Pursuant to F.S. § 50.0211(3) (a), all published competitive solicitation notices can be viewed at: www. floridapublicnotices.com, a searchable Statewide repository for all published legal notices. Requirements for submission and the selection criteria may be requested from the County’s electronic bidding platform at https://monroecounty-fl. bonfirehub.com OR www. monroecounty-fl.gov/BonfireBids. The Public Record is available upon request. Monroe County Purchasing Department receives bids via the Bonfire electronic bidding platform. Please do not email, mail or attempt to deliver in person any sealed bids. Emailed/mailed/physically delivered bids/proposals/responses WILL NOT be accepted.
The Monroe County Purchasing Department hereby directs that bids be submitted via the Bonfire electronic bidding platform at https://monroecounty-fl. bonfirehub.com, no later than 5:00P.M. on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. There is no cost to the bidder to use the Bonfire platform. Please do not submit your confidential financial information as part of your proposal. There are separate uploads for each set of documents, including confidential financial information. All proposals will be made public on the platform after an intended decision or 30 days, whichever is earlier, unless the bids/proposals are rejected in accordance with F.S. 119.071. If your proposal document includes financial information, that information will not be considered confidential and will be available and viewable to the public in accordance with public records law.
The bid opening for this solicitation will be held virtually, via the internet, at 9:00 A.M., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. You may call in by phone or internet using the following: Join Zoom Meeting https://mcbocc.zoom. us/j/4509326156
Meeting ID: 4509326156
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Publish: January 23, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers
All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.
All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.
The date of first publication of this notice is: January 23, 2025.
Persons Giving Notice: Stephan Beaumont 311 2nd Street Key Colony Beach, Florida 33051
Attorney for Persons Giving Notice: Christopher B. Waldera, P.A. Christopher B. Waldera, Esq. Florida Bar No: 980810
Attorney for Personal Representative 5800 Overseas Highway, Suite 7 Marathon, Florida 33050
PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 24-CP-593-P DIVISION: PLANTATION KEY IN RE: ESTATE OF ANNE ELIZABETH BAGAN Deceased.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The administration of the estate of Anne Elizabeth Bagan, deceased, whose date of death was October 20, 2024, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 88770 Overseas Highway, Suite 2, Plantation Key, FL 33070. The names and addresses of the personal representative and 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
The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent's death by the decedent or the decedent's surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216-732.228, Florida Statutes, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.
The date of first publication of this notice is: January 16, 2025.
Personal Representative: Sean P. Bagan 635 South Orange Avenue, Unit 301 Sarasota, Florida 34236
Attorney for Personal Representative: Robert K. Miller, Esq.
Attorney Florida Bar Number: 359173 Cunningham Miller Rhyne PA 10075 Overseas Hwy PO Box 500938 Marathon, FL 33050 Telephone: (305) 743-9428
Fax: (305) 743-8800
E-Mail: service@ floridakeyslaw.com
Secondary E-Mail: rmiller@ floridakeyslaw.com
Publish: January 16 & 23, 2025
The Weekly Newspapers
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA
PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 24-CP-541-M DIVISION: MARATHON IN RE: ESTATE OF ERICH BLEY
Deceased. NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The administration of the estate of Erich Bley, deceased, whose date of death was September 12, 2024, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 3117 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.
The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent's death by the decedent or the decedent's surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216-732.228, Florida Statutes, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211,
Florida Statutes. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.
The date of first publication of this notice is: January 16, 2025.
Personal Representative: Peter Rosasco 8085 Overseas Hwy Marathon, Florida 33050
Attorney for Personal Representative: Robert K. Miller, Esq.
Attorney Florida Bar Number: 359173
Cunningham Miller Rhyne PA 10075 Overseas Hwy PO Box 500938 Marathon, FL 33050
Telephone: (305) 743-9428
Fax: (305) 743-8800
E-Mail: service@ floridakeyslaw.com
Secondary E-Mail: rmiller@ floridakeyslaw.com
Publish: January 16 & 23, 2025
The Weekly Newspapers
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA
PROBATE DIVISION FILE NO.: 24-CP-561-K IN RE: ESTATE OF KERRY EDWARD KERWIN Deceased.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The administration of the estate of Kerry Edward Kerwin, deceased, whose date of death was October 12, 2024, is pending in the Circuit Court for Monroe County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 500 Whitehead Street, Key West, Florida 33040. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.
The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent's death by the decedent or the decedent's surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216-732.228, Florida Statutes, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH
IS BARRED.
The date of first publication of this notice is: January 16, 2025.
Personal Representative: Rainy Kerwin 10676 Colonial Blvd. 30-200 Fort Myers, Florida 33913
Attorney for Personal Representative: Gregory D. Davila, Esq.
Florida Bar Number: 886998
Law Office of Gregory D. Davila, P.A. 1111 12th Street, Suite 411 Key West, Florida 33040 Telephone: (305) 293-8554
Fax: (305) 294-9913
E-Mail: E-Filing@ keywestlawoffice.com
Secondary E-Mail: gdavila@ keywestlawoffice.com
Publish: January 16 & 23, 2025 The Weekly Newspapers I
AUTOS ALL YEARS! Junk or Used Cars, Vans, Trucks. Runs or Not.$CASH 305-332-0483
AUTOS FOR SALE
1964 Ford Galaxy, 427 Big Block, 5-speed, located in Key Largo. $49,000 954-445-6647
BOATS FOR SALE
2000 21' Hydra Sport Center Console w/200hp Johnson, trailer, cover, jackets +. Located in Big Pine. Runs well. $7,400. 919-621-0544
14' Aluminum boat, 9.9 Mercury Outboard, Elec. start, Trolling motor in bow, NEW gas tank, battery, Depth Finder & trailer tires. Located in Marathon. $3000 305-395-1015
GREAT DEAL: Key Largo 21' Deep V Center Console w/trailer. New 150hp motor & electronics. Ready to fish. PRICE REDUCED TO $20,000. Located in Marathon. 201-696-8906
PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED AD FOR ONLY $25/WEEK FOR UP TO 5 LINES OF COPY. CALL 305-7430844 TODAY!
EMPLOYMENT
Hiring: Lead Gutter Installer - EXPERIENCE REQUIRED – valid Driver’s License - must be comfortable with heights - located in Tavernier. To apply, please call or text Jay 305-587-1581.
Specialty Hardware of Marathon is looking for a full time person, hardware knowledge a must. Apply in person at 10730 Overseas Hwy Marathon. 305-743-3382
Night Monitor –FREE Private Room in exchange for overnight availability at our Assisted Living Facility. 5 nights on, 5 nights off 10pm-8am plus weekly stipend, Drug & background screen required. www.westcare. com/join-our-team/
Marathon Yacht Club is hiring a part-time line cook. Private club, friendly atmosphere. Flexible lunch/dinner shifts available Tuesday – Sunday. Must provide photo ID, social security card or passport, and checking account. Call 305-743-6739 to schedule an interview or email office@ marathonyachtclub.com.
Marathon Yacht Club is hiring part-time servers and bartenders. Private club, friendly atmosphere, guaranteed gratuities. Flexible lunch/ dinner shifts available Tuesday – Sunday. Must provide photo ID, social security card or passport, and checking account. Call 305-7436739 to schedule an interview or email office@ marathonyachtclub.com.
Serve/Bartend on the ocean! The Cabana Club, an ocean front private swim club is seeking a customer service-oriented Server/ Bartender. Serve on pool deck, beach and/ or bar lounge. Open year round, 9:30am7pm daily. Full time/ Part time. Small friendly staff. Above average hourly wage plus tips. Apply in person at 425 E. Ocean Dr. Key Colony Beach or call 404-2193359 and ask for Dave.
The Housing Authority of the City of Key West now hiring the following positions: Resident Care Supervisor with min. 3 yrs. experience of an LPN, Med Tech, Maintenance Mechanic (Maintenance Worker. To apply, please contact Human Resources at: martinezm@kwha.org or 305-296-5621. 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
Office Assistant needed in the Upper Keys, MM 80. Mon-Sat $20/hour. Must have own transportation. Call Patti 305-393-4433 HIRED!!!
PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED AD FOR ONLY $25/ WEEK FOR UP TO 5 LINES OF COPY. CALL 305-743-0844 TODAY
HOBBIES/COLLECT
PRIVATE COLLECTOR
WANTS Rolex, Dive Watches and Pilot Watches. Old Model Military Clocks & Watches. Call 305-743-4578
HOUSING FOR RENT
2 BR / 1 BA unfurnished apartment for rent in Key Largo. $1,500/month includes utilities. F/L/S Text: 786-559-5494 Email: apmz57@yahoo.com RENTED IN LESS THAN ONE MONTH!!
PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED AD FOR ONLY $25/ WEEK FOR UP TO 5 LINES OF COPY. CALL 305-743-0844 TODAY
RV FOR SALE
PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED AD FOR ONLY $25/ WEEK FOR UP TO 5 LINES OF COPY. CALL 305-743-0844 TODAY
2018 40’ Phaeton X5H, Factory ordered, 450hp Cummins, Diesel Pusher 10kw w/Onan Generator, 39k miles, 4 Slides, 4 TVs. Loaded with extras. Can be seen by appointment in Marathon, FL. Asking $225,000. Call or text Jerry at 305-664-1286 Email: LC1082@comcast.net SOLD!!!
VACATION RENTAL
Key West House For Rent - 28 day minimum. Recently renovated. 2 Units: 3BR/3BA or 2BR/2.5BA. 1 block to Schooner Wharf @ Historic Seaport. Starting $214/night. Sweet CarolineSeaport.com
YARD SALES
PLACE YOUR YARD SALE AD FOR ONLY $25/WEEK FOR UP TO 5 LINES OF COPY. CALL 305-743-0844 TODAY!
WE ARE HIRING!
STAFF MANAGER – ADULT DAY TRAINING PROGRAM
FT administrative, salaried position. The ADT Manager will be responsible for all phases of the operation of the Adult Day Training Program in accordance with APD and Medicaid Waiver minimum standards. This includes the worksites and contracts, personnel, and training programs. Maintain a close liaison with the Group Home Managers and Medical Staff to maintain program consistency. Must have current, valid FL driver’s license with clean record. Bachelor’s degree required or year-for-year experience in field or supervisory/management required. *
IN HOME SUPPORT (FT) – Key West
FT split-shift, In-Home Support Coach/Trainer to provide companionship and assist clients with training/support. HSD/GED & 1 yr. exp in a related field. 1 year of college can substitute for experience. Must be able to use a tablet for documentation purposes. The shift for this job is split shift 7-9 am then 3-9 pm. We can be flexible. This is a rewarding position for the right person. *
DIRECT CARE STAFF – NIGHTS/WEEKENDS - GROUP HOMES 24/7 (FT)
This position is available at our Windsor Group Home. Providing direct-care services and support to our clients in their home. Must be willing to work flexible shifts including days, overnights on Thursday. Requires a minimum of high school completion or GED and 1 year of experience with care giving or 30 hours or college coursework. *
SUPPORTED LIVING COACH (FT)
Responsibilities include management of developmentally disabled clients in independent living environments, management of office and in-home support staff. Must be available for some evenings and weekends. Bachelor’s degree in related field or experience working with developmentally disabled clients in lieu of degree. Must have a valid FL driver’s license. Salary commensurate with experience.
GROUP HOME MANAGER – (FT) – Key West
FT administrative, salaried position. Responsible for operations of Group Homes in accordance with State and Fed regulations. Oversight of staff and clients. Bachelor’s degree and Florida DL w/clean driving record req. At least 2 yrs of mgmt and admin experience req, and direct or comparable experience w/same or similar population preferred. Computer skills: moderate to advanced.
*ALSO REQUIRED FOR ALL POSTIONS
Fluent in English language, speaking and writing, proficiency is a must.
Level 2 background screening and valid Florida driver’s license. EOE
Come join our family!
Apply at the MARC office, 1401 Seminary St., Key West. Or online at www.marchouse.org. For more information, please contact hr@marchouse.org Phone: 305-294-9526 *32
LIVE IN PARADISE AND SEE DOLPHINS PLAY EVERYDAY!
DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER is a fun, environmentally friendly non-profit 501(c)(3) Corporation specializing in education, research, and rescue of marine mammals.
We have the following openings available. Scan the QR code to visit the careers page on our website.
DRC seeks to provide for the well-being of its employees by offering a competitive total package. DRC currently offers a 401k retirement plan, medical benefits, HSA account, paid holidays, vacation, sick and an employee assistance program. DRC also provides life and disability insurance at no cost to the employee.
COME JOIN THE FAMILY!
Email your resume and a DRC application to drc-hr@dolphins.org. EOE
DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER 58901 O/S Hwy - Grassy Key, FL Teaching... Learning... Caring
e Turtle Hospital in Marathon
Join our team! Full and part-time Educational Program Guides/ Gift Shop Sales. Public speaking & retail sales experience helpful.
$18/hour to start. Send resume to: turtlehospital@turtlehospital.org
DUI EVALUATOR/ INSTRUCTOR
The Advocate DUI Program is hiring for part time positions. DUI instructors and evaluators - 2 days a week, Bachelors or Masters degree in substance abuse eld required. Bilingual preferred, not required. Of ce located in Marathon. Contact Marcia at 305-704-0117.
PLACE TO WORK, WE TREAT OUR EMPLOYEES GREAT. COME JOIN OUR TEAM!
THE GUIDANCE/CARE CENTER, Inc. IS HIRING!
JOIN A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE NONPROFIT HELPING PEOPLE COPE AND CHANGE FOR 52 YEARS!
We provide Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment Programs to the Florida Keys community while valuing and rewarding our employees.
KEY LARGO
Lead Certified Recovery Peer Support Specialist Peer Support Specialist Advocate (PT, FT)
KEY WEST
Case Manager (Adult, Child) Prevention Specialist (HIV & Children)
