Key West City officials gathered in front of the Custom House Tuesday to cut the ribbon on the newly refreshened Clinton Place.
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Vice Mayor Lissette Carey welcomed the community who turned out for the event. Commissioners Donie Lee, Monica Haskell, and Sam Kaufman all thanked the staff and Charley Toppino & Sons for seeing the project through.
County Historian Dr. Corey Malcolm provided an historic perspective of the Civil War monument, around which the park evolved.

“At the conclusion of the Civil War,” he said, “the Key West Navy Club decided to erect a monument dedicated to the servicemen who had died on the island.

“The 17-foot-tall monument was successfully delivered to Key West and installed in 1866,” said Dr. Malcolm, “making it the first Civil War monument in the state of Florida. Initially, the monument was closely surrounded by an octagonal wooden fence. Sometime around 1880, a three-foot-tall wooden picket fence and trees were installed to delineate a triangular perimeter around the monument and create the boundaries for a small park, which stood for the next 150 years.”

The monument bears this inscription: “Erected to the memory of the officers, soldiers and sailors of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps of the United States, who died at this military and naval station during the war of 1861-’65.”  

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:  In the interest of public safety, the outer 45 feet of Mallory Square are closed to all traffic, including foot traffic.

An assessment of this “wharf” area of the square shows that there is some deterioration. With the utmost caution and concern for public safety, the City of Key West is barricading off the area from the planters to the edge.
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Residents and visitors can still enjoy our beautiful sunset and the vendors that make up the celebration. However, it will be moved back from the water’s edge. 

The Key West Chamber of Commerce, during its December member luncheon, honored Key West Police Officer Christy Salter as Officer of the Year. The outstanding honor was sponsored by The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum.
Each year, the Greater Key West Chamber of Commerce names an Officer, a Firefighter, and an Employee of the Year from the City of Key West.

“On behalf of the men and women of the Key West Police Department,” said Chief Sean Brandenburg as he introduced Officer Salter. “I would like to once again thank you for taking the time to recognize one of our members as the Chamber of Commerce Officer of the Year.”

Officer Salter joined the Department as an academy recruit in 2021, easily passing the state exam and entering the field training program the following October.

“The Field Training Program is not easy,” he said. “You change shifts frequently, the workload consumes every part of you. All with the knowledge that when you complete the program, you will be a rookie officer on the night shift.”
With that in mind, Officer Salter opted to become a reserve officer so that she did not miss out on some important family milestones for her children.

“I don’t blame her,” said Chief Brandenburg. “There are no do-overs for the many family events that police officers miss every year.”
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However, in 2023, she was convinced to return to full duty as the School Resource Officer at Gerald Adams School.
“If you have seen any of the social media posts from Gerald Adams, whether it be Hero’s Day or Halloween,” noted Chief Brandenburg, “or any other occasion where the children can dress up, it is inspiring to see how many dress up as a police officer or specifically as Officer Salter. She does all this while ensuring that she maintains a work and family life balance, never missing out on any family events.”

The City of Key West is grateful to the Key West Chamber of Commerce for the extraordinary opportunity to recognize the City of Key West Employee of the Year, sponsored by the Keys Federal Credit Union. During the Chamber’s luncheon on December 11th, Floyd Jenkins, Executive Assistant to the Chief of Police, was recognized for his outstanding service to the community.

Interim City Manager Todd Stoughton introduced Jenkins, noting that he is charismatic, empathetic, and inspiring in his approach to serving the City of Key West both on and off the clock.

“Volunteering throughout the city,” said Stoughton, “he can be found plogging, fundraising for the Love Fund, participating in the Smart Ride, or volunteering for Florida Keys SPCA.”

Stoughton noted, though that “Pepa’s Books for Tots is Floyd’s personal yearly mission to make sure every student at Poinciana Elementary School receives a new book to read during the holiday break. Partnering with Keys to Be the Change, his mission empowers young people through education and literacy. 
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“By day, Floyd works to ensure timely responses to citizens, working with staff and making sure whomever walks into the office gets a smile. By night, he is leading the way and inspiring other City employees to be involved with the community and giving back to the younger generation.”

One-hundred-and-one festive entries delighted spectators during Saturday evening’s City of Key West Hometown Holiday Parade. The processional, which traveled up Truman Avenue and then along Duval Street, featured appearances by Santa Claus and the Grinch, electrifying marching groups, multiple canines and one tutu-adorned alpaca, splendid Keys themed creations, and popular culture tributes.
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The City’s parade is one of numerous events taking place during Key West Holiday Fest, an annual island-wide celebration presented in part by the Lodging Association of the Florida Keys and Key West and the Monroe Country Tourist Development Council that continues through December 31. Other Key West Holiday Fest highlights include night two of the Holiday Historic Inn Tours on Dec. 13, the annual Schooner Wharf Lighted Boat Parade on Dec. 14, and an abundance of uniquely Key West New Year’s Eve celebrations. For an extensive listing of upcoming events Visit KeyWestHolidayFest.com. (Photos: Carol Tedesco/KeyWestHolidayFest.com)

The City of Key West seeks proposals for the new Douglass Community Center that will celebrate the vibrant and distinguished history of the Bahamian culture and generations of families who have worked and lived in the Bahama Village neighborhood. The new Center will be home to a spacious main hall, classrooms, recording studio and practice rooms for music students of the Bahama Village Music Program and more. The site of the new building, along with a garden and performance space sits on the land of the original 1870 school house named for the great African-American orator and abolitionist, Frederick Douglass.

The mission for the commissioned public art in the City of Key West is to enhance the character and identity of our island community through the aesthetic of original, site-specific public artworks. Artwork will strive to educate, celebrate and preserve our cultural heritage and diversity to reflect Key West's population.
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 The total budget for this project is $75,000. For more information, and to apply, please visit www.keysarts.com homepage for a link to the PDF application. Please note that all proposals must be submitted on time. Application deadline for RFP is Wednesday, September 25, 2024 by 3:00 pm EST.

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.

The City of Key West and its consultants at Stantec are kicking off another public workshops regarding the Duval Street Revitalization and Resiliency project.

The public workshop will be held at the Historic Gato Building at 1100 Simonton Street on Thursday, April 4th.
The workshop will be broken into different sessions. From 9 a.m. until noon, the focus is on business and property owners along Duval Street. From 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. it will be more geared to the general public. Closing remarks will be from 6 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.

The City of Key West is committed to helping residents and businesses prepare for the changes brought on by climate change through resiliency and revitalization efforts. To that end, this Duval Street project is a top community and City priority. With community awareness and public engagement being critical components to the success of these efforts, the City of Key West has created a website --  Duval4All.com -- to increase the level of community involvement and keep the community informed at all stages of the official Duval Street Resiliency and Revitalization project.

In December, the Key West City Commission unanimously passed a resolution declaring December 25th as "Favorite Son of the Conch Republic Day" in memory of the late Jimmy Buffett. The proclamation, spearheaded by local enthusiast Paul Menta and endorsed by Mayor Teri Johnston, pays tribute to Buffett's profound influence on Key West's cultural fabric and economic prosperity. Recognizing Buffett's enduring legacy, which spans from his Island roots at Crazy Ophelia's, Howie's Lounge, the Chart Room, and Captain Tony's to his global impact through music and entrepreneurial ventures, the proclamation underscores his role in shaping Key West's laid-back lifestyle and promoting it to the world.

To commemorate Buffett's contributions as Key West's favorite son and pioneer of the Trop Rock movement, on Thursday the City Commission green-lighted a city-wide celebration of Jimmy's legacy to be held during Labor Day weekend. The events will take place  from August 29th to September 2nd, 2024 and will include themed events, dinners, sailing excursions, tours, contests, and performances at various venues across the island, many of which hold sentimental significance for Buffett and his fans.

The highlight of the week-end long extravaganza will be a lively walking 'second line' parade on Sunday, September 1 at 5pm, featuring a marching band procession along Duval Street. The parade will culminate at Truman Waterfront Park, where attendees will enjoy a free "friends of Jimmy" concert experience and festival activities.

In true Parrot Head fashion, community engagement lies at the heart of “It's 5 o'clock Key West” endeavors. For a $30 donation, supporters will receive a commemorative souvenir Parade Pass. The proceeds will be managed by the nonprofit Community Foundation of the Florida Keys and distributed to the Bahama Village Music Program to inspire local young musicians and Reef Relief, stewards of our ocean environment, a cause important to Jimmy. The Sunday event will take place both in person and virtually. With the purchase of a lanyard, guests anywhere in the world can be a part of the festivities tuning in to watch the action unfold online while celebrating alongside at home. For local guests, the donation will offer access to special perks and offers from valued local partners.

"We're thrilled to launch the inaugural It's 5 o'clock Key West celebration in honor of Jimmy Buffett, an icon beloved by locals and fans worldwide," expressed Menta. "We invite everyone to join us over Labor Day weekend for a memorable tribute to this extraordinary ambassador of the Conch Republic. Stay tuned for updates on the full lineup of events, charitable initiatives, and ways to get involved."

For more information and updates on the It's 5 o'clock Key West celebration, visit www.its5oclockkeywest.com and https://www.facebook.com/Its5oclockkeywest

November 21, 2023
 
Triangle landscaping project update:
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The contractor has been approved by FDOT to work from 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. beginning Monday, November 27th. The permit extends through December 8th.
Daytime traffic flows should not be affected.