Native Plant Sale - Composting Workshop – Children’s Art Workshop

KEY WEST, Fla. – May 30, 2025 – As hurricane season begins, Lower Keys Medical Center encourages residents to review your preparedness for the months ahead. Taking action to stock your home and car with emergency supplies and think through your family’s disaster response plan now can provide peace of mind when the storm warnings begin.
 
“Our hospital, our community first responders and our military and emergency management partners regularly conduct drills to prepare for disasters, and individuals and families can benefit from the same concept,” said Drew Bigby, chief executive officer at Lower Keys Medical Center. “It’s much easier to think through the necessary details while the weather is calm so we’re well-prepared long before a storm. Those preparations allowed the hospital and our partner organizations to evacuate inpatients prior to the impact of Hurricane Irma in 2017 and to continue to deliver care during subsequent storms.”
 
Communications can be challenging during a weather crisis, so it’s important to think ahead. Write down emergency phone numbers and keep them accessible, program them into your cell phone and have every family member keep a printed copy in their wallet. Establish an emergency point of contact in a different town such as a friend or relative in case phone lines are busy during an emergency. Because cellular, internet and landline phones can be impacted, investing in a battery-powered radio is recommended.
 
Know your community so you’re prepared to take action – find out where the nearest shelter is and the different routes you can take to get there. For online materials such as contact lists or maps, take time to print them now. Power outages around a storm can make accessing data online difficult.
 
Home emergency supplies can help keep you and your family safe and healthy. While store inventories are high and it’s easy to get to and from the store, make sure you have the following basics on hand:
 
Food and Medicine

• Water – at least 5 gallons per person
• Food supply for at least 7 days (like granola bars and canned foods)
• Baby food or formula
• Prescription medicines

Safety Items

• First aid kit and instructions
• Fire extinguisher
• Battery-powered radio
• Flashlights
• Extra batteries
• Sleeping bags or extra blankets
• Supplies to make drinking water safe (like iodine tablets or chlorine bleach)

Personal Care Products

• Hand sanitizer
• Wet cleaning cloths (like baby wipes)
• Soap
• Toothpaste
• Diapers

Your car’s emergency kit should include:

• Food that doesn’t go bad (like canned food)
• Flares
• Jumper cables
• Maps and/or GPS in your car or on your smartphone
• Roadside emergency kit
• First aid kit
• Fire extinguisher
• Blankets or sleeping bags
• Flashlight and extra batteries

 
To learn more about hurricane preparations, visit www.monroecountyem.com.

About Lower Keys Medical Center
Lower Keys Medical Center is an acute care community hospital offering 24 hour emergency department services. Accreditations include The Joint Commission Acute Care Hospital Program and Primary Stroke Center, and American College of Cardiology Chest Pain Center.

MONROE COUNTY, FL – Monroe County continues its commitment to address long-term transportation challenges through data-driven planning and local collaborations with its strategic partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). All improvements to US 1, the main road that runs throughout the Florida Keys, are approved by and constructed by FDOT because it is a state-owned and maintained road.

After the county spent a year developing a comprehensive strategic plan, where traffic was one of three major community concerns in 2019, the BOCC established the Florida Keys Transportation Coordination Committee (FKTCC), based on the framework requested by Commissioner David Rice, which links officials from the five cities and the county in discussions to identify important priority projects to improve safety, efficiency, and resilience on US 1 throughout the island chain. The committee ranks projects and makes recommendations to the county commission, to submit to the FDOT for its 5-Year Workplan, which the FDOT uses to study, design, and budget for the projects if it decides they can move forward with them.

“The formation of the FKTCC is about action,” said Rice. “And we’re seeing real projects and real progress.”

The Monroe County Transportation Master Plan, adopted in 2021 following a process of public engagement, technical analysis, and discussions with the municipalities and the FDOT, resulted in a list of 183 potential solutions to address existing and future transportation concerns along US 1 through the Florida Keys. The FKTCC recommended an initial list of 36 of these projects in 2022 as priority projects for the BOCC to transmit to FDOT for inclusion in the 5-Year Workplan. The FKTCC continues to evaluate projects from the master plan, as well as new ideas to improve traffic conditions in the Florida Keys, and will provide recommendations on updated priorities as projects are completed.

Since its adoption in 2021, the FDOT has addressed 75 of the projects from the master plan. A list can be found at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/transportation.

The prioritized list helps initiate high-impact projects like:

• The Connected Vehicle Corridor MM 0 to MM 112.5: deploys vehicle communication technology, upgraded traffic signals, and real-time roadway alerts.
• Traffic signal synchronization and bus stop enhancement projects in Islamorada, Stock Island, and Marathon.
• Changed signage and pavement markings at MM 99.6/Atlantic Blvd to MM 103.2/Hialeah Lane in Key Largo perceived as clutter to minimize the number of signs installed along US 1.

In May 2024, the FKTCC started the reprioritization process again to bring a new priority list to FDOT for the next Tentative 5-Year Work Program. The draft working list can also be found at the website and is also currently being circulated through each city government to be brought back to the FKTCC to finalize for the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners to submit to the FDOT formally in August 2025. The process is and has been open to the public.

Some of the projects being considered in the upcoming priority list include evaluating the feasibility of implementing a weigh-in-motion technology upgrade instead of weigh station relocation at Snake Creek Bridge, bus stop upgrades countywide, traffic flow assessments and timing modifications to stop lights, right-turn-only studies, and a water ferry service feasibility study. To see the full list, visit the website.

“This process is designed to reflect the needs of every part of Monroe County,” said Monroe County Transit Director Richard Clark. “We appreciate the hard work of our commissioners and city partners in ensuring we’re not just talking about traffic, but we are doing something about it.”

Each city government is approving its priorities throughout May and June. Please visit their websites for the details, their meetings are tentatively scheduled:

Key Colony Beach – Completed
Key West – June 4
Layton – June 5
Marathon – June 10
Islamorada – June 10

The next FKTCC meeting will be Wednesday, June 11 at 1:30 p.m. at the Marathon Government Center and can be attended via Zoom. Zoom details and the agenda can be found on the county calendar or at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/transportation.

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Visitors are invited to celebrate the history and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community in Key West and beyond during Key West Pride, scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday, June 22-29, 2025. This year's event is proudly sponsored, in part, by Smirnoff, Hear 4 U Audiology, and DG Interiors, among many other supporters.

Presented by the Key West Business Guild, this year’s theme, “STILL RISING,” honors the rich history of the LGBTQ+ community within the welcoming “One Human Family” ethos of this subtropical island, renowned as a premier LGBTQ vacation destination.

Attractions will include late-night dance parties, daytime and sunset sailing excursions, film screenings, and drag performances, as well as a STILL RISING bar crawl for costumed participants and Pride’s traditional street fair, which promises a vibrant new twist.

The festivities will commence on Wednesday, June 22, with a kick-off party hosted by AquaPlex Key West, located at 711 Duval Street. This two-hour event will set the tone for an exciting week ahead.

Highlights for Wednesday, June 25, include a Gay Key West History Trolley Tour, followed by a pool party at the newly remodeled La Concha Hotel. Attendees can anticipate an unforgettable evening featuring “An Evening of Queer Crooning and Comedy,” showcasing former American Idol contestant Beane and the dynamic queer comedian Quin Lamar, and hosted by local favorites, Puddin Tain” and Gwen Filosa. Thursday, June 26, will feature a “Tea on the Sea” sunset sail and a floating tea dance aboard the Fury Catamaran. Later that evening, guests can support their favorite mixologists during the “Key West Local Bartender Competition,” commencing at 9 p.m. at the Bourbon St. Pub, 724 Duval St.

Other enticing activities will include a lavish brunch sail on the luxurious Argo Navis, the “We Love Our Allies Pride Party” at 22&Co, 504 Angela St., and a “Slay Under the Sea” dance party hosted by Tike House (203 Duval St). Our LGBTQ+ partners, including Aqua, 801 Bar, Bobby’s Monkey Bar, Island House, and Bourbon St. Pub, will offer a full slate of events throughout the week.

Among Saturday's many attractions is the Pride Street Fair and party, scheduled from 4-8 p.m. along the 700 to 900 blocks of Key West's famous Duval Street. This event will feature live entertainment, a diverse array of vendors, and music by DJ Mr. Enjoy.
​
The final day's schedule on Sunday, June 29, will culminate in an inclusive Pride Parade, showcasing a 100-foot segment of Key West’s iconic 1.25-mile-long rainbow flag, originally created in 2003 by the late Gilbert Baker. Slated to begin at 7 p.m., the parade will traverse a route that includes most of Duval Street, allowing participants and spectators alike to conclude their Pride celebrations at La Te Da’s traditional Tea Dance.​

MONROE COUNTY, FL – Monroe County Fire Rescue (MCFR) will host five “Beat the Heat” events this summer at different locations throughout the Florida Keys. MCFR will be providing a gentle stream of misting water for children of all ages to enjoy in a safe and fun environment. It is a great way to meet your neighborhood firefighters, learn about fire prevention, and cool off from the summer heat. Children are encouraged to wear a bathing suit and water shoes, and bring a bottle of water and a towel. The events take place on Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m.

• May 31 - Tavernier, Harry Harris Park
• June 7 - Layton Community Baptist Church
• June 14 - Big Pine Key Community Park
• June 21 - Sugarloaf School
• June 28 - Stock Island, Bernstein Park

 
“These events are some of our favorite community outreach programs for kids where they get to come out and meet our firefighters and play in the water,” said Fire Marshal Craig Marston. “It’s a great way for the children to learn summer safety tips and have fun at the same time.”
 
For more information, please call Monroe County Fire Rescue at 305-289-6005. These events are subject to cancellation due to inclement or threatening weather.