WEATHER ALERT
WATCH: Waves from Helene slam Southernmost Point Buoy despite storm’s distance from Florida
Read full article: WATCH: Waves from Helene slam Southernmost Point Buoy despite storm’s distance from FloridaHurricane Helene sent waves crashing into Key West’s Southernmost Point Buoy early Thursday while the storm itself was still hundreds of miles away.
Jimmy Buffett titled an album ‘A1A.’ Now the Florida road bears his name
Read full article: Jimmy Buffett titled an album ‘A1A.’ Now the Florida road bears his nameOn Friday, the city of Key West formally rededicated A1A in Buffett’s name and unveiled the new sign for the A1A Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway.
Are ‘cocaine sharks’ swimming along Florida’s coast? Here’s what we know
Read full article: Are ‘cocaine sharks’ swimming along Florida’s coast? Here’s what we knowLarge amounts of cocaine have been washing up ashore in Florida thanks to drug traffickers. But could these drugs be impacting sharks off the coast?
Ernest Hemingway fans celebrate the author's 125th birthday in his beloved Key West
Read full article: Ernest Hemingway fans celebrate the author's 125th birthday in his beloved Key WestErnest Hemingway spent the 1930s in Key West, Florida, and more than six decades after his death, fans, scholars and relatives continue to congregate on the island city to celebrate the author’s award-winning novels and adventure-filled life.
Here are 8 of the best downtown areas in Florida. See if your favorite made the list
Read full article: Here are 8 of the best downtown areas in Florida. See if your favorite made the listThe World Atlas released a listing of eight of the best downtown areas in Florida, with several Central Florida cities making the cut.
This unique animal farm operates below a Florida jail. Here’s where to find it
Read full article: This unique animal farm operates below a Florida jail. Here’s where to find itEarlier this year, one animal farm in Florida made headlines for its rather unique location: it was created beneath a local detention center.
NFL player accused of DUI after SUV slams into Florida restaurant
Read full article: NFL player accused of DUI after SUV slams into Florida restaurantCleveland Browns defensive end Lonnie Phelps is facing a drunken driving charge in South Florida after police said he slammed an SUV into a Key West restaurant Wednesday night.
‘Story of adventure:’ Buoy from Florida Keys ends up in France
Read full article: ‘Story of adventure:’ Buoy from Florida Keys ends up in FranceA buoy recently went missing from the Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida and was discovered all the way across the ocean in a small, seaside community in France.
These are the 10 best national parks for ‘peace and quiet.’ 1 is in Florida
Read full article: These are the 10 best national parks for ‘peace and quiet.’ 1 is in FloridaOf the 63 total national parks in the country, the list examines the ones where visitors are least likely to bump into other tourists.
Orlando firefighter threatened Key West officer, damaged hotel room, police say
Read full article: Orlando firefighter threatened Key West officer, damaged hotel room, police sayAn Orlando firefighter is facing multiple felony charges in the Florida Keys after police arrested him Thursday morning, having accused him of causing significant damage to a Key West hotel room and threatening officers following a domestic dispute.
Diana Nyad marks anniversary of epic Cuba-Florida swim, freeing rehabilitated sea turtle in the Keys
Read full article: Diana Nyad marks anniversary of epic Cuba-Florida swim, freeing rehabilitated sea turtle in the KeysA decade after swimming nonstop for more than two straight days from Cuba to Florida, Diana Nyad has returned to the Key West beach where she completed her epic journey.
For at least a day, all the world is ‘Margaritaville’ in homage to Jimmy Buffett
Read full article: For at least a day, all the world is ‘Margaritaville’ in homage to Jimmy BuffettFrom Key West, Florida, and beyond, the world became an extension of Jimmy Buffett's musical kingdom of “Margaritaville.”.
Flavors of Florida returns to Disney Springs with new food and drinks, culinary series
Read full article: Flavors of Florida returns to Disney Springs with new food and drinks, culinary seriesThis year’s annual Disney Springs Flavors of Florida runs July 1 through August 13, and once again brings to life the tastes, techniques, ingredients and culture of the Sunshine State through deliciously curated menu items at many of the most popular restaurants at Disney Springs.
Atlantic hurricane season ends with 14 named storms
Read full article: Atlantic hurricane season ends with 14 named stormsAn Atlantic hurricane season with 14 named storms has ended, leaving residents in the Florida Keys to celebrate even as others around Florida and Puerto Rico continue to deal with the damage caused by Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Fiona.
Ocala man accused of fleeing from deputies on stand-up scooter in Florida Keys
Read full article: Ocala man accused of fleeing from deputies on stand-up scooter in Florida KeysA 38-year-old man from Ocala was arrested Wednesday morning after fleeing from deputies on a stand-up electric scooter and then jumping into water, authorities said.
Key West honors Queen Elizabeth at Southernmost Point marker
Read full article: Key West honors Queen Elizabeth at Southernmost Point markerThe Southernmost Point marker in Key West, Florida, a landmark delineating the continental United States’ southernmost spot of land, became a memorial to Queen Elizabeth II when city workers installed a British flag and royal purple banner at the much-photographed site beside the Atlantic Ocean.
2 dead, 5 missing after migrant boat capsizes off Florida Keys, Coast Guard says
Read full article: 2 dead, 5 missing after migrant boat capsizes off Florida Keys, Coast Guard saysTwo people died and five were missing after a boat believed to be carrying migrants capsized off the coast of the Florida Keys.
Leesburg man turns himself in; repairs complete on famous Key West buoy after fire
Read full article: Leesburg man turns himself in; repairs complete on famous Key West buoy after fireRestoration has been completed on Key West’s Southernmost Point marker, one of the most photographed landmarks in the Florida Keys, following damage from a fire intentionally set early New Year’s Day.
Leesburg man accused of damaging Southernmost Point Buoy, Key West police say
Read full article: Leesburg man accused of damaging Southernmost Point Buoy, Key West police sayPolice say they have identified a Leesburg man as one of the two men responsible for starting a fire that damaged the Southernmost Point Buoy, a landmark and tourist attraction in Key West.
Southernmost Point Buoy damaged by flaming Christmas tree, Key West police say
Read full article: Southernmost Point Buoy damaged by flaming Christmas tree, Key West police sayTwo men are sought by Key West police for allegedly setting fire to a Christmas tree in front of the Southernmost Point Buoy early Saturday morning.
New Year’s celebrations in Florida adjust to omicron
Read full article: New Year’s celebrations in Florida adjust to omicronThe Big Orange isn’t rising up the side of the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami this year, and a festival with food trucks and performers in a northeast Florida beach town has been canceled.
FAA fines passenger on flight from Florida $17K for vaping, drinking, refusing to wear mask
Read full article: FAA fines passenger on flight from Florida $17K for vaping, drinking, refusing to wear maskFederal aviation officials fined a woman $17,000 for drinking alcohol not served by the airline, vaping and refusing to wear a mask on a flight from Florida to North Carolina.
Relatives anxious to find out whether loved ones survived after boat capsizes off Florida Coast
Read full article: Relatives anxious to find out whether loved ones survived after boat capsizes off Florida CoastAs the search continues for 10 more missing people after a boat that sailed out of Cuba capsized Wednesday night, relatives say they are just hopeful that their loved ones were among the eight people who were rescued Thursday by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Body of missing Texas woman found off Florida coast
Read full article: Body of missing Texas woman found off Florida coastKEY WEST, Fla. – The body of a Texas woman who went missing while scuba diving in the Florida Keys was found Wednesday near the wreck she was exploring, officials said. Divers found Jordan Jay Fisher of Rockport, Texas, on the bottom of the sea floor near the Vandenberg wreckage off of Key West around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. She had gone missing on Tuesday as she was diving with her husband and several other people, Monroe County Sheriff's officials said. Sheriff's officials say foul play is not suspected. The dive master told investigators he made several searches around the wreck until he was short on air.
Tourist dies during Florida snorkeling trip
Read full article: Tourist dies during Florida snorkeling tripKEY WEST, Fla. – A tourist from North Carolina died following a snorkeling trip off the Florida Keys, sheriff’s officials said. Erica Michelle Brown, 42, had been snorkeling with family and friends on a Fury Watersports boat on Sunday afternoon when she began signaling for help, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Someone on the boat began CPR and it was continued when she was transferred to a U.S. Coast Guard boat, which took Brown to shore. Paramedics then took her to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the sheriff's office said. The sheriff's office did not list a city in North Carolina where Brown lived.
Key West wants to ban people from feeding roaming chickens
Read full article: Key West wants to ban people from feeding roaming chickensThis Sept. 13, 2017 photo shows chickens in Key West, Fla. Key West is considering a law that would make it illegal to feed the chickens that freely roam the Southernmost City. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)Feral chickens run free in Key West, just one of those things that keep the Southernmost City charmingly weird. It’s a heated thing on both sides.”The city's wild chickens don’t need help finding food, Tom Sweets, executive director of the Key West Wildlife Center, told the newspaper. “I’ve never seen a skinny chicken in Key West unless it’s sick or injured. They’re quite capable of taking care of themselves.”The wildlife center says it doesn't remove healthy Key West Chickens, but it did take in about 1,500 injured, sick, and orphaned chickens last year.
Hemingway look-alikes urge mask-wearing in Florida Keys
Read full article: Hemingway look-alikes urge mask-wearing in Florida KeysPast winners of the "Papa" Hemingway Look-Alike contest in Key West. KEY WEST, Fla. – Ernest Hemingway look-alikes are being used by the Florida Keys tourism council to encourage visitors and residents to wear masks to protect against COVID-19. Play It Safe in the Florida Keys What would Ernest "Papa" Hemingway say? Posted by The Florida Keys & Key West on Monday, January 11, 2021The video is part of the Keys tourism council’s ongoing “Play It Safe” video series promoting personal responsibility and health protective measures to combat the global pandemic. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the 40th annual “Papa” Hemingway Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe’s last July.
75 pounds of cocaine found floating off Florida Keys
Read full article: 75 pounds of cocaine found floating off Florida KeysIn this drone aerial photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, traffic flows on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway in Islamorada, Fla., towards Key West Monday, June 1, 2020. After being closed to visitors since March 22, 2020, to help curtail the spread of COVID-19, the Florida Keys reopened to tourists Monday. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)KEY WEST, Fla. – Almost 75 pounds of cocaine were found this week floating off the Florida Keys. Drugs floating off the Florida Keys are nothing new, according to the Miami Herald. In October, more than 30 pounds of marijuana washed up in the Keys.
12-year-old Florida girl missing for weeks found safe
Read full article: 12-year-old Florida girl missing for weeks found safeKEY WEST, Fla. – UPDATE: A missing 12-year-old Florida girl has been found safe, authorities announced Friday. ORIGINAL STORY: A Florida missing child alert was issued Wednesday for a 12-year-old girl who was been missing for weeks, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Jaselle Diaz has been missing since Nov. 16, when she was last seen in the area of the 2900 block of Seidenberg Avenue in Key West. She is 5 feet, 5 inches tall, 130 pounds and has red hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information concerning her whereabouts is asked to call the Key West Police Department at 305-809-1000 or 911.
Port Orange woman, 63, dies on snorkeling trip in Florida Keys
Read full article: Port Orange woman, 63, dies on snorkeling trip in Florida KeysKEY WEST, Fla. – A Florida woman died after snorkeling in the Keys over the weekend, officials said. Kim Ellen Schwinge, 63, of Port Orange, was on a snorkeling trip Sunday morning near Key West, according to a Monroe County Sheriff's Office news release. A family member noticed that Schwinge was having difficulties breathing in the water, officials said. She was taken to a commercial catamaran, where crew members began CPR. She was taken to a nearby U.S. Coast Guard station and then to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Fantasy Fest in Florida Keys canceled because of coronavirus
Read full article: Fantasy Fest in Florida Keys canceled because of coronavirusKEY WEST, Fla. The risk of coronavirus transmission has prompted organizers in the Florida Keys to cancel this year's Fantasy Fest. It grew to generate some $30 million in annual revenues for the Florida Keys island chain. Since there will not be a Fantasy Fest 2020, we are concerned about how the islands workers will be affected, Grossman Orr said. About half of the Florida Keys workforce is employed in tourism-related jobs, Keys tourism officials said. Grossman Orr said that festival officials will work with other community-based organizations to raise donations and disperse them to those most in need in Key West.
Florida takes step to protect coast from rising sea levels
Read full article: Florida takes step to protect coast from rising sea levelsTALLAHASSEE, Fla. Further acknowledging that climate change is a growing concern in his state, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed into law a measure requiring public coastal construction projects to first be reviewed for impacts on the state's fragile seashore because of rising sea levels. But environmentalists have been pushing the governor to act more aggressively in the arena of climate change by supporting alternative energy and reducing the state's reliance on carbon fuels that contribute to climate change. The bipartisan bill DeSantis signed on coastal construction is limited to public projects that rely on state money. Rodriguez has said the measure is another baby step in a political climate that has made it challenging to take quick action on climate change.
Rainbow crosswalks return to Key West permanently
Read full article: Rainbow crosswalks return to Key West permanentlyKEY WEST, Fla. Key West workers have installed permanent rainbow crosswalks on the Florida island citys main thoroughfare. The rainbow crosswalks mean that everybody is welcome, everybody is equal, everybody is recognized and that we do really abide by the One Human Family spirit, Key West Mayor Teri Johnston said. The crosswalks installation was the final step in a project to repave most of Key Wests historic Duval Street. Rainbow crosswalks were originally installed in 2015, quickly becoming a city landmark and popular photo stop. Their replacement, necessitated by the repaving project, also allowed for a redesign that makes the rainbow colors stand out more vividly against the asphalt.
Irma recovery: Florida Keys will open to visitors Oct. 1
Read full article: Irma recovery: Florida Keys will open to visitors Oct. 1KEY WEST, Fla. – Florida Keys officials say the island chain hit hard by Hurricane Irma will reopen to tourists Oct. 1. Officials made their announcement Monday, more than two weeks after the Category 4 storm made landfall in the Florida Keys. Florida Keys officials asked visitors to postpone their trips after the storm damaged power and water supplies. Florida Keys spokesman Andy Newman said power and water service is now restored to customers that can receive them and a boil water notice has been lifted. The Key West and Marathon airports have reopened, but debris removal continues and some hotels and tourist facilities are still recovering.
Getting immediate cash for Irma victims possible, but challenging
Read full article: Getting immediate cash for Irma victims possible, but challengingCENTRAL FLORIDA – Today is Eric Wright's eighth day as an evacuee from the Florida Keys. So he stopped by the America Red Cross (407 894-4141) at 5 N. Bumby Ave. in Orlando looking for a little financial help. You may also want to turn to Catholic Charities of Central Florida (407-658-1818) at North Semoran Boulevard in Orlando. Starting Monday, it's working to help Irma victims with bills, including rent. Hurricane victims can request that and other services, including the location of a local food pantry or a place offering hot meals, just by dialing 211.