​KEY WEST, FL, June 30, 2025— Four diving students at The College of the Florida Keys have advanced from the role of student to instructor. Each successfully passed the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI) Instructor Examination (IE) on June 25, certifying them as open water scuba instructors. The PADI IE is a two-day evaluative program conducted by a visiting PADI employee who tests an instructor candidate’s teaching ability, dive theory knowledge, skill level, understanding of the PADI System, and attitude and professionalism. With PADI certification, widely considered the gold standard in the diving industry, these diving instructors will be qualified for attractive diving professional jobs around the world—teaching individuals how to scuba dive.
 
In addition to earning the respected industry certification, the students are also earning an Associate in Applied Science in Diving Business and Technology and/or certificates in the field of diving at CFK.

MARATHON, FL – Year after year, the flat, gravel rooftop of the Monroe County Government Center in Marathon is an important seasonal nesting site for Least Terns, a state-designated threatened species, and occasionally Roseate Terns, which are a state and federally listed threatened bird. 
 
The roof is actively managed to support nesting birds and is inspected before each nesting season to help ensure safe conditions for chicks. County staff also regularly conduct ground-based monitoring without disturbing the birds, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists conduct rooftop visits for detailed nest counts.
 
This season, 36 Least Tern nests were identified on the rooftop.
 
"Rooftops offer some clear advantages for the birds,” said Environmental Resources Assistant Director Michael Roberts. “They’re typically free of beachgoers, dogs, and other ground-based disturbances and predators.”
 
In a recent visit, FWC and Monroe County Special Projects Manager Julie Cheon banded five Roseate Tern chicks to monitor survival rates, migratory patterns, and habitat use, which will generate vital data to support the long-term management and protection of these sensitive species.
 
Aside from one chick that required assistance recently, no chick rescues have been needed this season. There is a note on the front door to contact Roberts or FWC should you come across a chick in the parking lot while they are learning to fly.
 
FWC established the Qualified Rooftop Monitor Program to train volunteers to safely observe, document, and respond to rooftop-nesting birds. To learn more about how to support rooftop-nesting birds or become a Qualified Rooftop Monitor, visit

• FWC: https://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/shorebirds/rooftop/
• Florida Shorebird Alliance: https://flshorebirdalliance.org/get-involved/rooftop-nests/.

MONROE COUNTY – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners recognizes its long-term employees for their contributions to the county's citizens. See below those celebrating milestones this month.
 
15 Years

• Chris Hawks, Key West Airport Facilities & Construction

 
10 Years

• Lindsey Ballard, Executive Aide to County Administrator
• Dan Bensley, Preventive Maintenance System Operator
• Frank Gonzalez, Monroe County Fire Rescue
• Lee Placido, Monroe County Fire Rescue
• Devin Rains, Planning

KEY WEST, Fla. – JUNE 27, 2025 – Lower Keys Medical Center thanks active participants in the annual hurricane evacuation drill held June 26, 2025, including North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, and Mississippi Air National Guard, NAS Key West, Monroe County Emergency Management, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Key West Fire Department and EMS, Monroe County Fire Rescue, E-Care Ambulance, Southernmost Medical Transport, Keys Health Ready Coalition, and Florida Health – Monroe County. 

​MONROE COUNTY, FL – Monroe County Mayor Pro Tem Michelle Lincoln, as part of her induction as president of the Florida Association of Counties (FAC), will be bringing to the Florida Keys from the annual conference in Orlando 350 tote bags filled with kid-friendly foods for local students.
 
Out of the almost 100 years the Florida Association of Counties has been serving the 67 counties of Florida, this is the first time Monroe County will be represented at this executive level. One of the perks of the presidency is a “stuff the bus” like campaign for the president-elect’s county.
 
Lincoln reached out to United Way of Collier and the Florida Keys earlier this year to assess the needs of students. While pencils and paper can be in high demand, she was told about the food insecurities many students face after school and on the weekends. Instead of “stuffing the bus” with school supplies this year, Lincoln requested the help of Comcast, the event sponsor, and the conference vendors to help her stuff bags with non-perishable, kid-friendly foods that local Monroe County food pantries could help distribute to children over the summer.
 
And, did the vendors deliver!
 
More than 350 bags were stuffed by event attendees in Orlando to be brought back to the Florida Keys in under an hour. The bags are filled to the top with juices, crackers, peanut butter, rice snacks, and other healthy and fun snacks.
 
Lincoln, along with other Monroe County commissioners, will be at KAIR in Marathon on Monday, June 30 at 10 a.m. to hand the bags over to the local food pantries across Monroe County. 

​Key West’s annual Key Lime Festival returns July 2-6, serving up a zesty celebration of the world’s most sensational citrus. From mouthwatering culinary events and tours to spectacular competitions, this multi-day festival is set to unfold across the legendary island where Key Lime pie was born.

Festivities launch Wednesday, July 2 with an all-new kick-off event held on the sweeping veranda of the Avalon Bed & Breakfast inn. Festival co-founder David Sloan will welcome festivalgoers and autograph copies of his famous “Key West Key Lime Pie Cookbook,” followed by a party featuring kick-up-your-heels Americana jams delivered by a live band on Duval St.

July 3 features a Key Lime Pie Hop that takes aficionados on a downtown tasting tour to sample assorted variations of the treat. Other offerings include a “Wheeling & Dealing Hot Wheels Race” at Mary Ellen’s Bar and “Sloppy Joe’s Ultimate Key Lime Smash Party,” which raises funds for charity while delivering whipped cream wallops to some local celebrity faces.

Adding a burst of patriotic pride to the festivities and in celebration of Key West as an official U.S. Coast Guard city, members of the U.S. Coast Guard will be on hand at multiple events. July 3, 6:00pm at the Key West Truman Waterfront, the USCG plans (real-life emergencies permitting) to stage a dramatic search and rescue demonstration on the water, complete with a helicopter and go-fast boats. From 7:00-9:00pm, attendees can step off the sea-side promenade and onto the deck of the USCGC Ingham – the most decorated ship in Coast Guard history – for a sunset reception featuring a performance by the Coast Guard Band and members of the USCG culinary team dishing up Key Lime deserts. A cash bar will be available.

Independence Day events start bright and early with the annual “Rotary Club of Key West 4th of July 5K.” From there, head over to the Southernmost Beach Café for an array of activities leading up to the 2025 World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship, including beach games and a lavish Key Lime Vendor Village that opens at 10:00am.

The annual World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship—the festival’s centerpiece event—commences at 1:30pm. An outrageously messy twist on New York’s traditional Independence Day hot dog eating contest, twenty-five competitors each attempt to consume a 9-inch pie in the fastest time, without using their hands. Contestants can advance register on the festival website for a chance to score a trophy, championship belt, and a heaping helping of glory.

Other Fourth of July events include a pool party at Dante’s Key West Pool Bar & Restaurant and the Rotary Club of Key West’s “Patriotic Grill Out Under the Fireworks.”

On July 5, those who relish heat can take a hot lap to the “5-Alarm Pie Challenge,” at the Alex Vega Key West Firehouse Museum. Think Key Lime pie taken to incendiary heights via creative culinary twists. There’s also the sweet and salty Key Lime Sip & Stroll, where participants can vote on the best Key Lime cocktails and margaritas served up by multiple participating bars. Topping off the day in the spirit of Independence weekend: “Miss Americana – A Tribute to Taylor Swift,” a free concert for lime lovers of all ages, paired with an iconic Key West sunset at the renowned Sunset Pier located at Zero Duval St.

On July 6, the annual gravity defying Key Lime Pie Drop invites contestants to advance-create a device or container to protect a 5-inch diameter pie and keep it from exploding on impact when dropped from the approximately 88-foot observation deck of the historic Key West Lighthouse. The winner scores a cash prize along with some very unique bragging rights; competitors can visit the festival website to advance register for free.

Wrapping up the Festival on Sunday night, Hush Hush Theatre and the Key Lime Festival present “LIMELIGHT - An ode to Island Wonders,” a ticketed, immersive cabaret event held at the La Concha Hotel’s rooftop pool.
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Other Festival highlights include a “Living the Key Lime Life” four-course dinner prepared by Chef Scott Taylor and the Kaya Island Eats culinary team, a Key West Artisan Market: Red, White & Blue Edition at Higgs Beach, and daily Key Lime Bike Tours and mini Key Lime pie making classes.

The Florida Legislature declared Key Lime pie the official state pie in 2006. Launched in 2013, the family-friendly Key Lime Festival was concocted by author, ghost hunter, historian, and cuisinier David Sloan, and artist, production designer, and Wonderdog Studios founder Marky Pierson. The 2025 Festival is presented in part by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and We’ve Got the Keys. For a full events calendar along with registration and reservation links, visit http://www.keylimefestival.com.

KEY WEST, Fla. – JUNE 20, 2025 – In collaboration with multiple national and local emergency preparedness organizations, Lower Keys Medical Center is coordinating an inpatient hurricane evacuation simulation which will be held on June 26, 2025, at multiple locations. 
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Each year, Lower Keys Medical Center sponsors a hurricane evacuation drill to test preparedness in the event of a major hurricane which would require hospitalized patients to be evacuated to a safer area of the mainland until the storm has passed. This choreographed exercise involves hospital staff, emergency management, ground and air transportation, fire rescue, law enforcement, multiple military branches, meteorologists, and community health organizations. To ensure the safety and efficiency of all participants, the drill is not open to the public. 
 
The drill begins with modeling of a fictional scenario of a developing system, identifying the steps in the week and days leading up to the storm, including tracking the progression from a tropical depression, to a tropical storm, to a major hurricane, and the communications and preparations involved through those steps. Community partners and military resources are requested following established protocols.
 
The physical aspects of the drill include training by the Air National Guard to transfer volunteers portraying patients on special litters from the hospital setting into ground transport and onto the Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron aircraft, staged at NAS Key West. Hypothetically, the “patients” would then be flown to a receiving hospital out of the range of impact. The drill concludes with a meeting of all organizations to evaluate and critique interagency communications and collaboration.
 
Tadd Mallard, RN, LKMC Director of Emergency Services and Emergency Management Chair, said, “The annual drill not only gets all of our partners together – and each organization has a crucial role in a successful evacuation – it also continues to strengthen our relationships and hardwire our interactions. I recall our last evacuation of patients during Hurricane Irma in 2017, which was successful because everyone knew their roles and executed them with familiarity and experience.”
 
“We can’t thank our evacuation drill collaborators enough,” said Drew Bigby, chief executive officer at Lower Keys Medical Center. “Being prepared is part of our commitment to the safety of our patients, community, and staff, which is our highest priority."
 
Active participants in the annual hurricane evacuation drill include the Air National Guard, NAS Boca Chica, US Coast Guard, Monroe County Emergency Management, Coast Guard Emergency Management, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Trauma Star, Key West Police and Fire Departments, Monroe County Fire Rescue, National Weather Service/NOAA, E-Care Ambulance, Southernmost Medical Transport, Keys Healthy Ready Coalition, and Florida Health – Monroe County. 

MONROE COUNTY, FL – Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30. Monroe County reminds residents that storm prep isn’t just about stocking up on supplies; it’s also about making sure your trees are healthy, storm-tough, and not a hazard waiting to happen, and it starts with pruning smart.
 
To help residents and landscapers avoid common mistakes that can make trees dangerous during storms, the county is re-releasing its “Prune with Purpose” brochure, a quick, practical guide to proper pruning that promotes tree health, public safety, and compliance with Monroe County Code. The brochure is available in both English and Spanish at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/prune.
 
“Proper pruning can literally make or break a tree in a hurricane,” said Assistant Director of Environmental Resources Michael Roberts. “When trees are pruned correctly, they’re stronger, safer, and better able to withstand high winds.”
 
What to avoid:

• Hat-racking (a.k.a. topping)
• Lion’s tailing (removing too many lower branches)
• Cutting into the branch collar
• Taking off more than 25% of a mature canopy in one season
• Over-pruning palms (especially green fronds above horizontal)

 
The county’s code requires that major pruning follow the 2017 ANSI Tree Care Standards, and a permit is required to remove or perform major pruning of trees over six inches in diameter at breast height (some exceptions apply). Improper pruning, no matter how well-intended, can weaken a tree’s structure, expose it to pests and disease, and violate the county code. Residents are encouraged to consult with certified arborists familiar with the ANSI A300 standards when planning tree work.
  
Call 305-289-2500 to speak with a Monroe County biologist about what pruning requires a permit and what best practices should be followed.

Key West, FL — JT Thompson, the visionary behind the "One Human Family" movement, has been selected to serve as the Grand Marshal for the Key West Pride 2025 parade. Known for his powerful message of unity, love, and inclusion, Thompson's work has had a profound impact on both the local community and the broader LGBTQ+ movement.

"One Human Family," which began as a simple but deeply resonant philosophy, has grown into a global symbol of equality, welcoming individuals of all backgrounds, orientations, and identities. The phrase has become synonymous with Key West itself, where it embodies the island’s commitment to diversity and acceptance."

Thompson will lead the parade on Sunday, June 29th, 2025, in a vibrant celebration of love, individuality, and acceptance that kicks off at 7:00 PM. The event promises to be a powerful demonstration of the spirit of Pride, marking another milestone in the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights and recognition.

Key West Pride organizers have expressed their excitement about Thompson's role in the upcoming festivities. “JT’s impact has been nothing short of transformative—not only here in Key West, but around the world,” said Rob Dougherty, Executive Director of the Key West Business Guild. “JT embraces the spirit of Pride: unity, authenticity, and a joyful celebration of our individuality and community."
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With the 2025 parade just around the corner, anticipation is building for an unforgettable event, and Thompson’s leadership will surely make it a day to remember.