MONROE COUNTY, FL— After 30 years of serving the Florida Keys community as a Firefighter/Paramedic and certified training instructor, long-standing Monroe County employee Captain David Sebben will retire from Monroe County Fire Rescue at the end of June. 
​

“My career was inspired by friendship and has been full of many firsts,” he said. “I was in one of the department’s first fire academies, completed the flight medic programs, was one of the first paid flight medics on Trauma Star, and in the first group of promotions to Lieutenant.”

A career memory of his includes being part of the crew that fought the fire at Melons Restaurant, a small strip mall on Plantation Key in 1993. While on the roof, the tins beneath his feet began to crumble, and as he started down the ladder, the roof collapsed.

After Sept. 11, 2001, he also served on the County’s first Urban Search and Rescue team and the Light Technical Rescue team to help victims in more complex situations.

Sebben plans to remain local and spend more time with his wife, Crystal, and children, Kaitlyn, Abby, and Alex. Alex is following in his father’s footsteps by attending Florida State Fire College.

“We are proud of David’s accomplishments with Monroe County Fire Rescue. He was the impromptu leader at the station where I worked when I first started here,” said Fire Chief Jim Callahan. “I am honored to have worked with him during his tenure and wish him great success in his retirement.”

Key West, FL – Summer heats up on Saturday, July 13 as the much-beloved One Night Stand makes its exciting return to The Studios of Key West. This renowned 24-hour theater project promises two electrifying performances at 7pm and 9pm, showcasing the boundless creativity and camaraderie of local theater artists.
 
The excitement begins the night before, as playwrights and directors gather to kick off the creative frenzy. Drawing casts randomly, they embark on a race against the clock to craft four new 10-minute plays overnight.
 
"From the moment the writers draw casts from a hat until curtain call, it's a whirlwind of collaboration," said organizer Elena Devers. "Over fifty talented individuals come together, sharing ideas, props, costumes, and stories to magically bring these plays to life."
 
As the sun rises Saturday morning, playwrights rush to deliver freshly inked scripts to The Studios, where actors, directors, and artists eagerly take up the challenge. Throughout the day, actors immerse themselves in their roles, directors guide rehearsals with precision, and artists create vibrant backdrops, while dozens of volunteers assemble props, refine costumes and construct set pieces, culminating in two dynamic performances.
 
With nerves tingling and adrenaline coursing through their veins, performers take the stage in front of a live audience at 7pm and 9pm. As the icing on the cake, local celebrity Stephen Crane emcees, presiding over the unveiling of the island's newest original theater.
 
Don't miss your chance to experience this exhilarating night of theater! Tickets for One Night Stand are available for $40 ($35 for members) at tskw.org or by calling 305-296-0458. For more information and updates, visit tskw.org.
 
In just 24 short hours, participants produce short plays, design stunning costumes, and craft gorgeous backdrops for One Night Stand.

 KEY WEST, FL – Last week, the newly renovated restrooms at Clarence S. Higgs Memorial Beach in Key West opened to the public, one week ahead of schedule.
 
Overseen by Monroe County Project Management, the project was fully funded by the Tourist Development Council. Through Monroe County’s bidding process, the restrooms were constructed by Barracuda Builders of Key West and designed by Bender and Associates.
 
These new restrooms are structurally sound concrete buildings with stucco and beautiful coral stone cladding designed to withstand hurricane wind and surge. The facility also includes:
 

• Four foot washes and two tower showers.

• Flood panels to protect the structure during storms.
• Exterior “red” turtle lights for turtle nesting season.
• Water fountains with bottle filler to promote reusable bottles and hydration.

When: June 25, 2024 at 10am - 10:30am
 
Where: 513 Fleming St, Key West, FL 33040
 
FREE and for all ages. Books may be purchased separately but signings, autographs and photos are FREE!
​
Thank you for supporting your local business and entrepreneurs!

Fort Myers, Fla (June 17, 2024) – Steve Colgate, founder and Chairman of Offshore Sailing School, is pleased to announce that, after a long search for a new builder for the popular Colgate 26 keelboat, Tartan Yachts of Painesville, Ohio has been selected.

Known as “A Boat for All Reasons,” the Colgate 26 is designed by renowned naval architect Jim Taylor and Olympic and America’s Cup sailor Steve Colgate who mandated that it be fast, fun, safe and unsinkable with big boat characteristics that make it easy to transition to larger boats.

The Colgate 26 was awarded Boat of the Year in the Pocket Cruiser Division by Cruising World magazine the year it debuted. A great boat for round the buoy racing, the Colgate 26 is also popular for individual and family daysailing and is used for teaching sailing fundamentals and racing techniques at many sailing schools including Offshore Sailing School. The US Naval Academy has 42 Colgate 26s, which they call the Navy 26, in its fleet.

“Owners rave about how easy it is to care for this boat and how much fun it is to sail,” says Steve Colgate. “It’s unusual for a customer to tell a vendor his advertising is absolutely true,” wrote Joe Silverberg of Madison, Wisconsin. “The Colgate 26 is a joy to sail! It handles well in all wind and wave conditions, and all points of sail. It’s a comfortable, stable, easy to sail daysailer and a fast sophisticated racer,” Silverberg continued.

A new Colgate 26 built by Tartan Yachts can be delivered four months after order is placed, with an introductory ready-to-sail price of $87,500, including main, jib and spinnaker.  There are also optional extras available including a new asymmetrical sail kit.

Offshore Sailing School, headquartered in Ft. Myers, FL, was founded in 1964 by Olympian, America’s Cup Sailor and National Sailing Hall of Fame Inductee, Steve Colgate. The school sells the Colgate 26 and provides a full range of sailing and boating instruction with US Sailing certification – from beginning sailing and cruising to racing, advanced cruising, and passage making – at six locations in Florida and the British Virgin Islands.
​
For hi-res images and more information visit Colgate26.com and contact Steve Colgate at 239-218-0471, [email protected].

​On Thurs. July 4, competitors and spectators will converge on the beach of the Southernmost Beach Café, 1405 Duval Street, for the 2024 World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship, Key West, Florida’s wildly popular tropical spin-off on New York City’s traditional Fourth of July hotdog-eating contest.

Founded in 2013, up to 25 contestants compete in a timed race to consume a 9-inch Key Lime pie, topped with whipped cream, without using their hands. Winners claim a trophy and championship belt, along with sweet fame and glory.

Last year, Joshua Mogle of Altoona, IA, triumphed with a winning time of 3 minutes, 35 seconds. To date the fastest recorded winning time is a blistering 40:57 seconds, achieved in 2018 by attorney Trey Bergman of Houston, TX. Berman also triumphed in 2017 with a time of 51:92 seconds. Five Key West-based residents have won in past years: Chris Shultz in 2022: 74 sec; David Johnson in 2019: 58.2 sec; and Steve Carr in 2015: 78 sec. There are no recorded times for 2013 winner Gary Delos Santos or 2014 winner Tony Mantia, though Delos Santos, now “Father Gary,” a Miami-based Catholic priest, has announced his intention to return this year and reclaim his title.

“While there’s any number of eating competitions that occur across the U.S. throughout the year, we believe ours takes the cake (so to speak) not only as the Southernmost, but as the most spectacularly sloppy,” said Nadene Grossman Orr, Key Lime Festival Director and President/CEO of We’ve Got the Keys.

Key lime pies are traditionally made with condensed milk, egg yolks and the juice of Key limes within a graham cracker crust and topped with whipped cream or meringue. Competition pies will measure 9 inches (23-centimeters); competitors may not use utensils or their hands, though goggles and dive masks are permitted.

The World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship at the Southernmost Beach Café kicks off at 1:30pm but its Key Lime vendor village opens to the public at 10:00am; other festivities, games and attractions at 11am.
​
The World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship is a highlight of Key West’s five-day long Key Lime Festival which runs from July 3-July 7 and is presented in part by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and We’ve Got the Keys. Admission to the competition is free, cost to compete is $25 and is open to those aged 18 and up. For registration links and a full calendar of events, visit http://www.keylimefestival.com.

In 2013, Edgardo “Gary” Delos Santos, a seminarian assigned at the Basilica of Saint Mary Star of the Sea in Key West, FL, triumphed in meringue-faced glory over a field of fierce competitors at the island’s inaugural World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship.

Now an ordained Archdiocese of Miami Catholic priest, Father Gary has announced his intention to return and reclaim his title at the 2024 event, set to take place at the Southernmost Beach Café on Thurs., July 4.
​
Father Gary’s 2013 victory was not an anomaly; born the youngest of six children in Zamboanga City, Philippines, he is known to revel in spirited competition and adventure. We caught up with the intrepid soul-man for a pre-competition Q&A ahead of this year’s event:

Q: How did winning the 2013 championship impact your life?
I was a seminarian studying for the priesthood in Key West when I won the Key Lime Pie Eating Championship in 2013, and it impacted my life joyously! What an experience, to win the very first competition and to have this story to tell!
 
Q: Have you competed in any other extreme eating competitions?
This is definitely not a regular occurrence for me. Other than one eating contest at a family gathering in the Philippines when I was young, there’s only been the 2013 Championship competition.
 
Q: Are you currently in training, and if yes, what does training consist of?
Yes! I am training using Publix Key Lime pies, though I can’t reveal how many or how often. For the next stage of training I will add an overloaded cream on top.
 
Q: Will you have a cheering section of supporters?
I have friends joining me at the event, and invite and welcome my Saint Mary Star of the Sea Basilica brethren priests to come and cheer me on! And I hope that Father Christopher Marino, the new Rector (and once a Miami Herald food critic!) will come.  
 
Q: Do you feel your relationship with the Creator could give you an edge?
My prayers will surely help and give me the “positive vibes!”
 
Q: During the competition – collar or no collar?
Uhmmmm….let me surprise everyone!
 
 Q: Will you bless your pie before beginning? (And if yes, how about your competitor’s pies?)
I will say a prayer for myself, my competitors, and for all of us to have fun! To have an excellent fraternal time with one another, and enjoy celebrating our Independence Day! God Bless us all; God Bless America!
 
The World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship is a highlight of Key West’s annual Key Lime Festival, set to run from July 3 – July 7. Other facets include culinary events, a Key Lime Pie Hop, Key Lime rum tasting experiences, a Key Lime cocktail “Sip & Stroll,” a gravity-defying Key Lime pie drop from the top of the Key West Lighthouse, a Key Lime Passport game, and much more.

The Key Lime Festival is presented in part by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and We’ve Got the Keys. The World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship event will take place July 4 at the Southernmost Beach Café, 1405 Duval St., 10am-2pm, contest at 1:30pm. Admission is free for spectators, $25 for competitors, and is open to those aged 18 and up. Prospective competitors can fill out an entry form and pay the entry fee at http://www.keylimefestival.com, where a full Festival event schedule can also be found.

Mayor Teri Johnston and the City Commission teamed up with the Florida Small Business Development Center at FIU to recognize the Truist Monroe Commercial Team as the winner of the 2024 Community Partner of the Year for Monroe County.

BB&T first opened in the City of Key West in 2004 and became Truist Bank in 2019.

“Truist’s purpose is to inspire and build better lives and communities,” reads the proclamation, “with a focus on meeting client needs, empowering teammates, and lifting up communities.”

The Truist Monroe Commercial Team emphasizes support and services small businesses in the City of Key West and Monroe County. Since 2021, Truist has partnered with the Florida Small Business Development Center at FIU on 18 financial and growth trainings for 206 small business owners in the City of Key West, providing them with coaching, information and resources to start and grow their businesses.

​​KEY LARGO, FL--Monroe County has issued a July 8, 2024, notice to proceed to the contractor for the Key Largo III Roadway and Drainage project. The project area includes certain roads in the Harris Ocean Park Estates, Ocean Park Village, Palma Sola, and Burton’s Yacht Basin subdivisions and includes drainage improvements, milling and resurfacing, establishing roadway crowns, with minor widening on Burton, Planter, and First Street in order to create compliant bicycle lanes.
 
The County obtained two Florida Department of Transportation Small County Outreach grants to fund 75 percent of the project cost. Project completion is scheduled for July 2025.
 
Information on County road projects can be found at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/roadprojects.