Key Largo, FL — July 25, 2024 — After much anticipation, The Turtle Club, a hidden gem that sits on top of the ocean behind Snappers Key Largo, is thrilled to announce its soft reopening to the public today. Nestled in the heart of Key Largo, The Turtle Club has been a beloved destination for locals and visitors alike for decades, renowned for its breathtaking ocean views, unparalleled hospitality, great food, drinks and its overall laid back vibe. The Turtle Club returns in a limited capacity beginning today, Thursday, July 25th, serving as a preview for locals to return to the illustrious location and enjoy a taste of what’s to come once the Turtle Club fully reopens later this year.
Founded in 1982, Snappers Key Largo and The Turtle Club have deep roots in the local community, when food, drinks, and good times were first served at this iconic restaurant and bar. Known for attracting rebels and renegades from all corners, The Turtle Club at Snappers embraces the unique spirit of the Keys and is committed to keeping it "Keysy" around here. Originally established as a sanctuary for seafood aficionados and Key Largo residents, The Turtle Club has undergone renovations aimed at enhancing the overall experience while preserving its distinctive Key Largo charm. With a renewed commitment to hospitality and having a good time, the restaurant promises to deliver unforgettable moments against the backdrop of Key Largo’s picturesque coastline. "We are delighted to welcome guests back to The Turtle Club," said Alexandro del Bosque, General Manager of Snappers and The Turtle Club. "Our team has worked tirelessly to create an experience that celebrates both our rich history in Key Largo and the natural beauty that surrounds us. Whether you join us for afternoon cocktails or a late dinner, every visit promises to be a celebration of flavors and hospitality with unparalleled views of the ocean." The Turtle Club features a selection of bites, cocktails and drinks from the Snappers crew. The food & drinks menu showcases local ingredients and new creations that reflect the vibrant flavors of the Keys, such as Bluefin Tuna Tartare, paired with a refreshing Mermaid Spritz or Cucumber Collins. In addition to its culinary offerings, The Turtle Club and Snappers remain committed to supporting the local community and preserving the essence of the Florida Keys. Later this year, memberships for The Turtle Club will reopen with special offers and events designed only for Monroe County residents. The Turtle Club is located at 139 Seaside Ave in Key Largo, FL 33037, at Mile Marker 94.5, and is open Thursday – Sunday, from 4pm to close. For more information about Snappers and The Turtle Club, visit snapperskeylargo.com and snapperskeylargo.com/pages/turtle-club. Phone: 305.852.5956.
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Homestead, Fla – The National Park Service (NPS) today announced the selection of Sarah Hopson as superintendent of Biscayne National Park, effective July 28. Hopson served as the park’s acting superintendent for four months this year.
“Sarah is a seasoned NPS veteran who values the NPS workforce and the importance of community engagement,” said Pedro Ramos, superintendent of Everglades and Dry Tortugas national parks, who also oversees Biscayne National Park. “I am certain that her expert organizational experience will prove beneficial as Biscayne works to advance its highest priorities.” Prior to Biscayne, Hopson served as Chief of Staff for the Southeast Region since 2021. In this role, she collaborated with regional leadership to provide strategic vision and facilitate the success of key management objectives for the 75 park units in the region. Some of her accomplishments include supporting completion of the land exchange at Virgin Islands National Park, the acquisition and rehabilitation of the Selma Interpretive Center at Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail and the A.G. Gaston Motel at Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. Sarah was also instrumental in the coordination of financial plans and management structure for six newly established park units. Hopson also helped guide regional responses to many critical issues affecting the National Park Service to include coral reef health, shoreline stabilization, disaster recovery, and numerous other park planning efforts. “Biscayne's employees, volunteers, and interns demonstrate their passion and dedication to the NPS mission every day and I am honored to become a permanent member of their team,” Hopson said. “I look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with the community and stakeholders to navigate the unique and complex challenges that face one of the largest marine parks in the NPS.” Hopson began her NPS career 18 years ago as a program assistant for the NPS Cultural Resources Stewardship, Partnerships, and Science Directorate in Washington, DC. She also worked for the Office of the NPS Liaison to the White House, served as acting superintendent for Guilford Courthouse National Military Park and as the management analyst to the NPS Southeast regional director. Prior to joining NPS in 2006, she worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation where she fostered state and local partnerships. Hopson holds a bachelor's degree in history earned at Covenant College in Georgia. She calls Salt Lake City, Utah home but has deep roots in the southeast with family located throughout the region. Outside of work, Hopson enjoys baking, traveling (often to NPS sites), hiking and reading. www.nps.gov About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 430 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. The verdicts are in for Jag Gallery’s Fourth Annual POOLSIDE juried show. With entries from artists nationwide, POOLSIDE 2024 promises to be our biggest ever featuring work from over 80 finalists from this year’s fiercely competitive field of a record breaking number of submissions in a variety of “pool-centric” disciplines including painting, photography, drawing, sculpture and more.
So grab some sunscreen and see this year’s best with selected entries of artists from coast to coast along with work from such Key West and gallery favorites as Rebecca Bennett, Fran Decker, Margo Ellis, Kathy Corey, John Martini, Billy Kearins, Kaline Carter and many more at an opening reception, Saturday August 3rd from 5:30-7:30. Considered a top destination offering distinctive, carefully curated exhibits showcasing work of prominent artists from Key west and beyond, Jag Gallery is located at the Simonton Street entrance to Duval Square, 1075 Duval Street with ample, free parking. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Sunday noon to 5, and always by appointment. For additional information call 305.407.6202 or email [email protected] and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We are excited to unveil a new logo for the Hellings Curry Museum, home of the Key West Woman's Club.
As we approach our 110th year anniversary of the Key West Woman’s Club, our new logo captures the rich history and vibrant spirit of our beloved museum and historic clubhouse located at 319 Duval Street. The redesign symbolizes our commitment to preserving the legacy of our historic home while also embracing the future of our organization. We invite everyone to visit the Hellings Curry Museum, home of the Key West Woman’s Club to explore the unique history of the Hellings Curry family and learn about the incredible women of the Key West Woman’s Club who continue to be dedicated to the betterment of Key West and our island community. In Conversation With…Erika Heffernan & Mark Hedden Jag Gallery announces another in its series of gallery talks welcoming award winning Key West photographers Erika Heffernan and Mark Hedden currently on view in LOOKING OUT AND UP on Wednesday July 24th at 5:30 pm.
Join us on the 24th for wine and artistic wisdom as the artists discuss their collections on view through July 31st. Gallery events are free and all are welcome. Considered a top destination featuring fine, contemporary art showcasing work of prominent artists from Key west and beyond, Jag Gallery is located at the Simonton Street entrance to Duval Square, 1075 Duval Street with ample, free parking. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday noon - 5 and always by appointment. For additional information call 305.407.6202 or email [email protected] and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at jaggallery.art. ![]() MONROE COUNTY, FL – Monroe County has focused on informing the public about the Rate of Growth Ordinance, or ROGO, also known as BPAS in some municipalities, for the last few months. Strategic Planning is on track to give a total of 28 presentations in addition to hosting several public town hall meetings to be scheduled at the end of August throughout the Florida Keys and on Monroe County TV to allow everyone to participate in this process. Two public ROGO surveys have also been distributed so far. Survey #1 focused on determining where our community receives its information and received over 1850 responses. Survey #2 is currently live, and as of the July 17 BOCC meeting, it has received 1577 responses and will be available until Sunday, July 28 at 5 p.m. “These results signal an uptick in public interest, which is important,” says Senior Director of Strategic Planning Kimberly Matthews. “We want to ensure we have a kaleidoscope of information from our community to address the nuances of these decisions and how they will affect the Florida Keys.” Survey #2 focuses on housing, commuting, livability, and getting a multidimensional view of citizen life. All residents are encouraged to participate in the surveys. The survey can be found directly at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MCROGOSurvey2 or at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/rogo2024. Additional surveys will be made available throughout the process to focus on other concerns regarding the hurricane evacuation modeling. The Dept. of Commerce’s hurricane evacuation modeling is based on a Florida Statute requiring that Monroe County residents be able to evacuate the Florida Keys within 24 hours before a storm. Any ROGO/BPAS allocations awarded could be issued over the next 10 to 30 years or at a rate that does not lead to unbalanced growth or additional takings liability. To learn more about these terms, why they are important, to view the process, or to see upcoming meetings, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/rogo2024. The results of Survey #1 are also available on the website. MONROE COUNTY, FL – Today, the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners discussed potential grant applications for road adaptation projects and other projects to be submitted for funding under year four of the Resilient Florida program, which was signed into law by the State of Florida in 2021 (Section 380.093, F.S.).
The goal of the Resilient Florida program focuses on evaluating local assets, assessing their vulnerability, and providing grants to support long-term resilience needs. This year, County staff proposed three project applications to be submitted by the Sept. 1, 2024 deadline:
Since the start of the Resilient Florida program, Monroe County has been awarded $45.2 million for projects like the Stillwright Point road elevation design, Twin Lakes road elevation and stormwater, Harry Harris Park resilience redesign, road elevation projects in Winston Waterways, Conch Key, and Big Coppitt, and living shoreline adaptations on Long Key and Duck Key. An additional $12.2 million award for Sands neighborhood road elevation may be pending. “These grant awards represent the culmination of a decade of planning work by County staff,” said Monroe County Chief Resilience Officer Rhonda Haag. “Additional awards may be more challenging due to limited funding and increased competition.” Monroe County staff have obtained more than $200 million in federal and state awards for Florida Keys resilience projects. MONROE COUNTY, FL—The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners proudly helped Fire Chief Jim Callahan sware in four new firefighters to Monroe County Fire Rescue (MCFR). The newly sworn-in firefighters gave their oaths to support and uphold MCFR’s mission and were given their official badges by members of their families. Three are Hotshot graduates.
Please welcome: Evan Hernandez, Firefighter/EMT, from Miami. He received the Fire and EMT certifications at Miami Dade College. He enjoys spending time with his family and fishing. Growing up, he spent most of his weekends in the Keys with his family. His passion for helping people and wanting to be more involved in the community has led him to this position. He said, “There’s a lot that I am excited for now that I am with MCFR. One of them is being part of the fire service brotherhood.” Victor Pugliese, Firefighter/EMT, from Miami. He is a graduate of the Hotshots program. He received the EMT certification from the American Medical Academy. In his spare time, he enjoys working out and riding his Harley Davidson. He said, “It wasn’t a second thought to come and work for Monroe County; I have heard nothing but great things about this department. I am most excited about broadening my skillset and expanding my horizons with the professionals at MCFR.” Jesus Acosta, Firefighter/PM, from Miami. He is a graduate of the Hotshots program. He received the EMT certification from the American Medical Academy. He is expecting his first child on Nov. 5 and, in his spare time, loves to fish and work out. He said, “I truly couldn’t be happier accomplishing my dream to become a firefighter. I hope to move up the ranks and join the Trauma Star Program one day.” Chad Rodriguez, Firefighter/EMT, from Key West. He received the EMT certification from the College of the Florida Keys and is a graduate of the Hotshots program. In his spare time, he enjoys coaching varsity softball at Key West High School, is a referee and umpire for high school football, baseball, and softball, and is the Monroe County Officials Association president. He comes from a long line of firefighters and is continuing the legacy. He said, “I am most excited to begin my career and learn and grow as much as possible with MCFR.” The Hotshots program is a free firefighting and first responder training for qualified Monroe County residents in exchange for a commitment to volunteer for three years or work as a firefighter anywhere in the Florida Keys. To learn more about the Hotshots program, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/hotshots. COMMISSIONERS DISCUSS FISCAL YEAR 2025 AT BUDGET WORKSHOP; APPROVE FY25 PROPOSED MILLAGE RATE7/16/2024 ![]() MONROE COUNTY, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners met today to discuss the proposed $715.7 million Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget. The budget includes the Board of County Commissioners, the constitutional officers, which include the Sheriff, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, and Clerk of Court, and other appropriations for the Tourist Development Council, capital projects, and reserves. Each entity has its own independent budget within the total budget. Monroe County Acting Administrator Kevin Wilson and Budget and Finance Director Tina Boan presented the tentative budget with FY25 estimates of residential real estate trends, taxable property values, sales taxes, and state shared revenues, along with fund balance, reserves, and general fund. “While there is an increase of $48.4 million in this year’s budget, it is important to point out that the Board of County Commissioners operating budget increase supported by property taxes is less than 5 percent,” said Wilson. “The majority of the other budget increases are paid primarily by other funding sources and not out of your property taxes.” With the proposed budget and countywide average property values, a homesteaded residential property owner with an average appraised taxable value of $500,777.90 will see a $2.54 monthly increase in their property tax for the FY25 year with the tentative budget. Of the total taxable value in Monroe County, 20 percent is from homesteaded properties. Non-homesteaded residential properties (with an average taxable value of $922,891.20) comprise 59 percent of the taxable value. Non-homesteaded properties would see a $17 per month increase. Commercial property and vacant land represent 17 percent and 4 percent of taxable value, respectively. Of the total budget, $156 million is ad valorem (or from property taxes), 70.8 percent of the ad valorem funds public safety (like law enforcement, fire rescue, detention centers, medical examiner, and the health department), and 22.2 percent funds the constitutional officers’ operating costs. “The total $1,348.54 per year a homesteaded property owner would pay in property taxes with a house that has an average taxable value of $500,000 funds everything it takes to run this county from personnel, police, fire rescue, electric in county buildings, parks and beach improvements, children, senior and Veterans services, trash collection, and more,” said Wilson. “The rest of the budget is funded by sales tax, state shared revenues, license and permit fees, fines and forfeitures, and service charges.” Additional FY25 Budget Key Points:
FY25 Budget Timeline:
The Monroe County Office of Budget and Finance coordinates and develops the budget. The award-winning office continues to work with inflation issues and Hurricane Irma and Ian impacts while providing for the department’s daily operations, program enhancements, capital projects, and infrastructure improvements. For more information about the budgeting process, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/budget. |
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