Arrested developments - Weekly briefing - 15 August 2023

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Arrested developments.

• FBI arrest. A Marathon couple was arrested for alleged participation in the 6 January 2021 riot at the U.S. Capital. (Keys Weekly). The couple was released on $100,000 bonds after appearing before a federal judge in Key West. (Miami Herald, via Seattle Spokesman-Review)
• Road rage. A woman is facing an attempted murder charge and her husband faces a charge of battery following a road rage incident early Saturday. (Citizen)

Pilot rescue on video. Monroe County Sheriff deputies rescued a pilot after his small plane crashed in the water off Sawyer Key near the Lower Keys on Sunday morning. The rescue was captured on video.  (NBC Miami)

Air and water. 

• Dead whale. Bystanders saw the animal struggling in about two to three feet of water around Harry Harris Park, a small oceanfront park in Tavernier. (Florida Keys News) Officials began a necropsy of the whale, the second marine mammal found dead off the Keys in a week. (Citizen) 
• Even more storms? Scientists at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center upped their prediction for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season to an above-normal level of activity. (Keys Weekly)
• Records falling. Many Florida locations experienced a record-hot July, and August is off to a sweltering start. Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Daytona Beach and Tallahassee are all experiencing their hottest August on record so far. (Washington Post)
• Artificial reefs. Monroe County and FWC officials met to discuss the next steps after being awarded $10 million from the state to start an artificial reef program in the Florida Keys. (Keys Weekly)
• 'Gnathia jimmybuffetti' A team of scientists, including a group from the University of Miami, named a newly discovered species of isopod after Jimmy Buffet. The article included a brief interview with Buffet about his time in Key West. (Florida Keys News). 

School daze

• Psych out? Psych in? After a reversal from state officials over gender and sexual orientation modules, the AP Psychology course can be taught in Florida public high schools. Monroe County will offer an adapted version of the course. (WUSF) 
• Time out for prep sports. Dwindling numbers of qualified officials and few new recruits resulted in cancellation of some high school games. (Keys Weekly) 
• Anti-woke indoctrination. The state approved videos comparing climate activists to Nazis and portraying solar and wind energy as environmentally ruinous for use in the public school curriculum. (The Guardian) 
• Teacher deficit. The Florida Education Association claimed a significant teacher shortage, with approximately 7,000 teaching vacancies and over 5,000 openings for school support staff statewide. Monroe County Schools is introducing virtual teachers for some high school science courses. (The Capitolist)
• Teacher housing. Monroe Schools' superintendent explained the challenges of housing teachers. (Keys Weekly)
• New paperwork. Parents of Florida school students faced new bureaucracy resulting from DeSantis’s push for “parental rights” in education. There were new laws and regulations restricting classroom instruction on gender and sexuality, and preventing transgender students and staff members from using group bathrooms that match their gender identity. (New York Times)
• Slavery better than being killled, no? The Florida Department of Education approved the use of PragerU Kids’ cartoon videos for children as young as kindergarten age that not only soft-pedal the history of slavery, racism, colonialism and police brutality – they show sympathy for them. In one cartoon video, Columbus asserts that “Slavery is as old as time and has taken place in every corner of the world … Being taken as a slave is better than being killed, no?” (The Guardian)

Law, and order in the court?

• Another suspension. DeSantis suspended the top prosecutor in Orlando, claiming “dereliction of duty” on crime. (The Guardian)
• Florida judicial court consolidation. WFTV Orlando broadcast an overview of proposed consolidation that will be the topic of public comment on 25 August. There is already substantial opposition. (WFTV)
• Labor racketeers sentenced. Operators of several Key West staffing companies were sentenced to prison for tax and immigration-related crimes. (Florida Keys Free Press)
• Square grouper haul. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said she and her family hauled in 70 pounds of cocaine worth over $1.1 million while fishing in the Florida Keys in July. (CBS News)

Conch Town closed. Citing a downturn in business related to the shooting death of 21-year-old Garrett Hughes, owner Nicole Cates said that her business suffered exponentially following the crime. (Citizen)

Workforce housing. Construction of 24 apartments for local law enforcement workers is underway on a once-vacant lot  between the luxury Steam Plant condominiums and the school district’s headquarters. (Keys Weekly)

Barbie World located. Celebrity scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson figured out that Barbie World is actually in the Florida Keys, and the story was picked up in many venues. (Facebook)

• Delighted. Mayor Teri Johnston was delighted with the scientist’s theory. “I think that’s terrific,” Johnston said. “It’s just such a wonderful time to have something quirky and positive and you know, so energetic, out in the world today.” (Florida Keys News)
• Debunked. Our own Ray Warren was amused, but didn't buy it. (Facebook)

Smells like Key West. Linda Cunningham asserted that you’ll never get rid of Eau de Key West, and used AI to illustrate her column. (Key West Island News)

Subtle moves. Mark Hedden tried not to get too riled up about the swallow-tailed kite. (Keys Weekly)

Our Eyes

Vincent plays in the clouds at sunset. Lynne Bentley-Kemp

Previously in Key West Voices

(Dis) serving the community. Despite its mission to serve the community Sunbeam Christian School was closed by its pastor with little notice. He fired nine teachers for their refusal to commit to living a "Biblical lifestyle." (Keys Weekly)

• Families panicked. Parents of more than 50 children, from infants to 4-year-olds are scrambling. One parent said, “The new pastor came from Jacksonville a few years ago and has been changing everything, including making the Sunbeam staff tithe." (Keys Weekly)

Labor market trouble in schools and elsewhere

• Wanna work in paradise? Monroe schools want to pay up to $98K to teachers and staff. (Fox 13 News - Tampa)
• Unreal. Monroe schools want to hire 'virtual teachers' to address staffing shortages. Superintendent says it’s a constant struggle to hire staff because of the affordable housing crisis in the Keys. (WLRN)
• School daze. Keys kids head back to school 10 August.
• Guilty plea. Illegal immigrant labor in Florida Keys hotels, restaurants led to an $8.4 million fraud in which labor 'brokers' sent illegal workers to Florida Keys hospitality businesses. (Florida Keys News)
• Losing workers because of new law. Immigration rules start to strain some businesses. (New York Times)

Lofts project in trouble. A significant gap in affordability would make the Lofts project home ownership units out of reach for most income levels. (Keys Weekly)  

Psych out? Maybe. College Board announced that Florida schools should no longer offer AP Psychology. The latest tussle came over a section in the course that addresses gender and sexual orientation. (New York Times)

• Reversal. But the College Board later said that AP Psychology may be allowed after all. (New York Times)

Tax increase sustained. Finance Director asked city commissioners to keep the increased rate the same to help combat increases in personnel costs for the city. (Citizen)

Bike lanes on South Roosevelt? Chris Hamilton argues that it's not too late to add the protected bike lanes that City Commissioners voted for. But City’s Engineering said it would cost the City some money and was too risky because of FDOT deadlines. (Car Free Cities)

Air safety rules waived. Ron DeSantis’ Key West anti-migrant missions raised pilot safety concerns. (NBC News)

Hot water. Florida corals are in hotter water than first thought. (Florida Keys News)

• Coral restoration. Keys marine lab and coral practitioners collaborate to beat the heat. (Keys Weekly)
• Moved further offshore. Given the urgency of the situation, non-profit Reef Renewal received an Army Corps Permit in record time to move the corals to much deeper and cooler water. (Citizen)
• Artificial reefs. Monroe County and the state moved forward with plans to spend an unprecedented $10 million state allocation for artificial reef projects. (Citizen)

Hot air. More scorching heat was forecast for the Keys. The weather service issued a heat advisory Sunday, saying it could feel as hot as 112 degrees. (Florida Keys News)

Two months ahead of schedule. FKAA crews reached the halfway mark on its Islamorada water main replacement project, but traffic impacts aren't expected to lessen until March 2024. (Keys Weekly)

Surviving the Overseas Highway. Linda Cunningham said to stick to the speed limit or the flow of traffic along with other practical advice. (Key West Island News)

She likes them. Nancy Klingener recommended podcasts, video, and most importantly, books. 

It's hard out there. Mark Hedden enlightened us about short-tailed hawks. (Keys Weekly)