​ Mayor Teri Johnston and the Key West City Commission have proclaimed July as Recreation and Parks Month.
The declaration dovetails with recognition countrywide by the National Recreation and Park Association as well as the Florida Recreation and Park Association.

“Parks and recreation programs enhance our quality of life by contributing to healthy lifestyles, building community, creating economic development, and encouraging environmental stewardship,” reads the proclamation. In addition, they “boost the economy, enhance property values, attract new business, increase tourism, and reduce crime.”
Recreation helps build “family unity, strengthens neighborhood involvement, offers opportunity for social interaction, enhances education, develops creativity, and promotes cultural diversity.”
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The honor was accepted by Tiffany Pellicier, Chairperson of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, and Roger McVeigh, Vice Chair.

Mayor Teri Johnston and the City Commission, during the July meeting, proclaimed July 19th as Patti McLauchlin Day in honor of the retiring City Manager’s last day. July 19th concludes a 47-year career of public service to the City of Key West by McLauchlin.

She began in 1976 as a dispatcher for the Key West Police Department. She built her skills and knowledge, raised her son, and acquired degrees from the College of the Florida Keys and Barry University.
In 1987 she moved into information technology, working her way through the ranks to the department director and moving the City into the 21st Century.

“There was no email, no network, no website,” she told the commission. “At that time there was no enterprise software or the capability of broadcasting meetings. We have made many strides in the last 20 years.”
In 2019, McLauchlin was promoted to Assistant City Manager, and in 2021 she was selected to serve as City Manager. She is the first woman in the city’s history to serve in each of those roles.

The proclamation makes note of McLauchlin’s “‘we can do that positive’ attitude. Through volunteer and professional affiliations Patti continues to share her wealth of knowledge and experience and serves as a role model for the Key West community and government peers.”

McLauchlin thanked so many of the people she’s worked with through the years and noted some of the highlights as well as some of the struggles of her watch.

“As City Manager I was part of Key West being honored as a Coast Guard City,” she said. “I witnessed Capt. Beth Regoli take command of the Naval Air Station and most recently the commissioning of the USS Lenah Higbee.”
On the other hand, she noted, “What a roller coaster ride it’s been. Covid, cruise ships, roads under construction, housing issues, employee shortages. You name it, we were all part of it together.”
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In addition to the special day, McLauchlin was presented a plaque for her years of service and one for her retirement. Finally, she was honored by the packed commission chambers with a well-earned standing ovation.

MIAMI, Fla. – Beginning July 16 at 10 p.m., northbound and southbound travel lanes of SR A1A/South Roosevelt Boulevard, and the pedestrian pathway, will be closed nightly Sunday through Thursday from 10 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. from just east of Key West by the Sea to the east end of Smathers Beach. This closure allows workers to install stormwater drainage pipes across the roadway. The work is expected to be complete by late July. Motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians should plan an alternate route during these nightly closures.
 
During the road closure, access to the Key West International Airport, and businesses and residences east of the airport, will be from the east side of SR A1A/South Roosevelt Boulevard, via Flagler Avenue or SR US1/North Roosevelt Boulevard.
 
La Brisa Condominiums, Margaritaville Beach Resort and Key West by the Sea will be accessible from the west end of SR A1A/South Roosevelt Boulevard via Bertha Street.
 
Detour signage will be in place at Flagler Avenue, Bertha Street, First Street, the Key West International Airport and SR US1/North Roosevelt Boulevard.
 
The construction schedule may change due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
 
This work is part of the ongoing roadway project along SR A1A/South Roosevelt Boulevard from Bertha Street to the end of Smathers Beach. For more information, please contact FDOT’s Public Information Office at (305) 470-5349 or Community Outreach Specialist, Julie Brown, at (305) 927-1479 or [email protected]. For additional information about this and other FDOT projects, please visit southflroads.com.

July 10, 2023 - The City of Key West was pleased to welcome Ms. Shamele Jenkins of the Miami Foster and Adoptive Parent Association and her group to Key West last week.

They were greeted at the port by the City’s Special Projects Coordinator Dorian Patton brought them to City Hall where they were welcomed by Mayor Teri Johnston, Commissioner Clayton Lopez, City Manager Albert Childress, and Administrative Assistant Portia Navarro.

They were treated to a discussion of the Bahama Village Community Quilt by local artist Sally Binard and Michael Ross of the Studios of Key West. The quilt was made possible by The Studios of Key West and artist William Rhodes, Keys Arts Counsel, CFFK, and the Bahama Village Music program.
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Poet Arita Wright treated them to a reading, and Commissioner Lopez talked about Key West history. They then visited the Key West African Cemetery and met Monroe County Historian Corey Malcom for a discussion of the history of the cemetery.

The Key West Fire Marshal’s Office would like to remind the community to stay safe this 4th of July.
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Public fireworks displays are not allowed within the boundaries of the City of Key West unless permitted by the Key West Fire Department.

The City Code of Ordinances stipulates that permitted fireworks shall be handled by a state-licensed pyrotechnician.
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Key West has a large number of old wooden structures, and illegal fireworks pose a threat of fire as well as injury.
Fire Marshal Jason Barroso says the main concern “is that everyone remains safe while celebrating this year’s 4th of July holiday.”
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The Rotary Club of Key West will have its annual approved and permitted fireworks display on the 4th of July at the Edward B. Knight Pier, sponsored in part by the City of Key West.

The City of Key West wants to remind the community to be sure your coconut trees are free of coconuts.
Though the track of Tropical Storm Brett is uncertain this early in its formation, it’s a strong reminder to have hurricane chores done. Coconuts and even mangoes can become dangerous projectiles in even a mild storm.
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The City wants to remind property owners that trimming coconuts is your responsibility. The City’s Community Services Department is working to ensure that all coconuts on public property are properly trimmed for the safety of the community.

​Long-serving City Clerk Cheri Smith was lauded by friends, family, and colleagues at the June City Commission meeting. Smith is retiring after 30 years with the City of Key West, and this was her final meeting to preside over as Clerk.

Mayor Teri Johnston and the City Commission started the recognitions by proclaiming July 5th as Cheri Smith Day.

The proclamation recognizes her professionalism, humor, and patience during three decades in which she “brought the City Clerk’s office into the 21st Century – digitizing documents, presiding over domestic partnerships, recording legislative actions, retaining millions of public records, and reading more ‘Whereas’ statements aloud for benefit of the public and the City Commission than anyone in recent memory.”

“It’s difficult to put into words just how much this moment means to me,” said Smith. “After 30 years of dedicated service, I am finally ready to take on my next journey.”

She gave a special thank you to the members of the commission who were seated in 1999, and thanked Commissioner Jimmy Weekley for recommending her to the commission to fill the seat when Miss Josephine Parker passed away.

“I am the luckiest girl in the room,” she said, “as I have had a front row seat watching our elected officials make the legislative decisions that have shaped Key West as it is today. I want to thank the late City Manager Julio Avael for encouraging me to apply for the City Clerk position. Also, my mentor [retiring City Manager] Patti McLaughlin.”

Mayor Johnston then presented Smith with a plaque in honor of her 30 years of service.
Finally, the honors were topped off with a resolution naming Smith City Clerk Emeritus.
The resolution states “That it shall be the duty of the City Clerk Emeritus to serve as an advocate and ambassador for the City of Key West in perpetuity.”
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In fact, Smith has served as a fine ambassador to the City throughout her tenure. She volunteers in the community -- behind the scenes and on the front line -- at events such as the Holiday Parade, Children’s Day, City picnics, and Fantasy Fest. 

​Mayor Teri Johnston and the Key West City Commission honored Dr. Jonathan C. Carey, who recently received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his 5,000 hours of service to the United States of America through community development and emergency services.

Dr. Carey is a minister, author, certified life coach, an Assemblies of God USA commissioned chaplain, and the lead pastor of Glad Tidings Tabernacle in Key West. He has served as chair for the faith based juvenile justice program for Monroe County, served as disaster response chaplain throughout the country on a volunteer basis, and served as a volunteer counselor during the aftermath of the George Floyd killing.

Dr. Carey taught crisis and trauma care for debriefing purposes. He has volunteered as a worker during rebuilds after storms, developed a food assistance program and served in it, and served as a counselor on Native American reservations.

He has also served as a member of Key West Cares, and as a junior league baseball, football, and soccer coach.

The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award was initially established by President George W. Bush as the President’s Volunteer Service Award. It has become the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award and is the most prestigious national recognition of extraordinary service.
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“It an honor to live in the greatest city in the greatest nation and to add value to the greatest people on the earth,” he told the commission as he accepted the award with his wife Shena.

Mayor Teri Johnston and the City Commission, in recognition of his 100th birthday, have proclaimed June 15th Frank Toppino Day.

Mr. Frank, as many of his friends call him, was born on June 15, 1923 in Winter Park, Florida to Charley and Orsolina Toppino.

Charley Toppino and Sons was established in the 1920s and moved to Homestead in 1933. As a teenager, Frank worked his first job driving trucks from Homestead down to Marathon, delivering potable water to contractors building bridges over the overseas railroad via ducts after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 washed away the tracks. By the 1940s, the family and business relocated to Key West.

Mr. Frank enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1941 and spent 15 months in China. He was honorably discharged as Staff Sergeant in 1945. Back in Key West he married Betty Rose in 1947 and they had three children, Daniel, Ramona and Richard.

Mr. Frank has been an active and generous member of the community. He has as a member of the Florida Keys Educational Foundation, Mel Fisher Museum, Military Affairs Committee, Monroe County Contractors Association, and the Sunrise Rotary. He served on the Board of Trustees of the Florida Keys Community College, served as President of the Key West Chamber of Commerce, and was appointed to the Key West Housing Authority Board of Commissioners in 1991 by former Mayor Dennis Wardlow and has served continuously for 32 years.

His service and generosity have been acknowledged by many awards and recognitions. Mr. Frank was the 1993 Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame Award recipient and he won the Florence Spottswood Humanitarian of the Year Award. The Frank P. Toppino Poinciana Gardens Senior Living Complex was dedicated in honor of him in recognition of his outstanding dedicated service providing for the housing needs of the community.
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This 100th milestone was celebrated during the June 8th City Commission meeting where he was greeted with a standing ovation and a chocolate cake.

The community will see some changes in the way the City of Key West conducts City Commission meetings. Beginning with the June 8th meeting, there will be a morning session to address the consent agenda, presentations, discussion items, and proclamations. This session begins at 9 a.m. at City Hall.

The evening session, which begins at 5 p.m. the same day, will include ordinances and other public hearing items. The Mayor and City Commission will have the ability to move any item from the morning session to the evening session for discussion.

Public comment will be part of the morning session. However, evening commenting can be requested of the commission. In addition, the commission will continue to accept and take into consideration the e-comments submitted by the public on the City’s website.
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By resolution, the Commission voted to approve the change in procedure. Instead of meeting twice a month, they will meet on the second Thursday of the month. There will be no commission meeting in the month of August.