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Tourism; tourist behaving badly.
- Get real. Linda Cunningham warned us in Key West Island News that over the past three decades, we’ve moved from being a working town that welcomed visitors to a bucket-list visitor destination that’s undermining the working town that supports those visitors.
- Relentless promotion. The Citizen told us that TDC has launched a new version of its visitor website.
- Ohio Police Chief jailed. The chief of Boston Heights (OH) police was arrested early Friday in Key West after police say he assaulted a homeless man.
- Square grouper haul. Miami's Local 10 News reported that border patrol officials seized over $1 million worth of cocaine and hashish in the Florida Keys.
- Welcome. Keys Weekly told us how the replacement of Key West’s welcome sign prompted debate by the city commission.
Coral in hot water. Our hopper of links to include here is rife with stories about hot water and peril for our coral.
- A race to salvage imperiled corals. The Washington Post quoted Andrew Baker, of the Coral Reef Futures Lab at the University of Miami “This is definitely the worst bleaching event that Florida has ever seen.”
- '100% coral mortality' was found at Florida Keys reef due to rising temperatures, according to the Coral Restoration Foundation in USA Today.
- Iraqi News reported alarm as seawater heats up off Florida Keys. Yes, Iraqi News
- Death of an entire ecosystem? Maybe, but too soon to tell. Keys Weekly
- Hot tub experience. South Florida water temperature hits 101.1°F according to one meteorologist in Common Dreams.
Sudden closure. In Keys Weekly, Mandy Miles detailed the causes and consequences of the sudden closure of Sunbeam Christian School, "...due to staffing issues.”
- Police were called. On Facebook, Gwen Filosa spoke with parents affected by the closure, and learned that witnesses said that the Pastor told protestors to leave and that someone had called police.
COVID rising? The Orlando Sentinel warned that COVID is coming back. Although reported testing levels are low, the positivity rate has jumped to 17.4% from 11% a month ago, according to state health data.
Academics flee. The Guardian detailed how Florida universities are hit by brain drain as a result of DeSantis policies.
Want a Florida Keys job that pays $61,000 to $97,000? Florida Keys News told us how Monroe County Schools face steep challenges in recruiting teachers, and have turned to social media. Yes, the challenges are about affordable housing and other costs of living.
Officials deeply troubled. Funding issues now threaten to eliminate the 28 home ownership units in The Lofts proposal, along with 98 rental apartments, according to Keys Weekly.
New area code. WGCU advised its listeners of the new 'overlay' area code 645 in Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys beginning 4 August.
Politics a drag? Florida Politics said that a Key West drag show performer is challenging a two-term incumbent for his seat in the state House.
Life used to be simple. John Bartus remembered an earlier time in Keys Weekly.
Love and laundry. In Keys Weekly, Mandy Miles appreciated the group of volunteers from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church that helps people pay for their laundry.
House sparrows. Mark Hedden observed that sparrows have a thing for sans serif fonts in his Keys Weekly column.
Our Eyes
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Lynne Bently-Kemp
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Previously in Key West Voices
Hog's Breath sold. Keys Weekly confirmed the rumor that Hog's Breath Saloon was sold to giant timeshare operator Westgate Resorts, According to a press release, “Westgate Resorts recognizes the unique cultural significance of the venue and is committed to preserving its authentic spirit while enhancing the overall guest experience.”
Cruise ships Amerster-damned. The European capital will stop cruise ships from docking in the city center as part of a campaign to curb pollution and reduce the flow of tourists, according to the New York Times and the Washington Post. Apparently, Tallahassee's preemption reach isn't global.
Still hot. Keys Weekly also confirmed that it's never before been this hot in July. The New York Times reported on our hot water.
Hunting for a parking space. Chris Hamilton advocated for fewer free downtown parking spaces.
Too small to count. In Key West Island News, Linda Cunningham called our local entities an ill-fitting patchwork of grudges, laments and “not in my town” ideologies that need to work together.
Tallahassee went a-courtin'. Mandy Miles fretted in Keys Weekly that Monroe County could lose its local court system.
Likely unconstitutional. The Citizen reported that a federal judge said that his order blocking a Florida law targeting drag shows doesn’t just apply to the restaurant that brought the lawsuit challenging it but to other venues in the state.
Campaign troubles? The two GOP presidential candidates from Florida each had a bad week.
- National news outlets, including the New York Times reported that the ‘Leaner-Meaner’ DeSantis campaign faces a reboot and a reckoning.
- The Washington Post said that DeSantis came under widespread criticism for his defense of the state's latest curriculum contention that enslaved people were able to use slavery as some kind of training program.
- CNN reported that Trump's classified documents case will go to trial on 24 May next year, the federal judge he appointed decided. Trump wanted to postpone the trial indefinitely until after the election.
- NPR reported on Trump's receiving a letter saying he's a target of DOJ's separate January 6 investigation, a likely precursor to an indictment. Slate detailed the surprise that Trump and his co-conspirators could be charged with trying to deprive voters in the 2020 presidential election of their rights.
Tour de France. Mark Hedden wrote about birds, but mostly the riders at the Tour de France.
No August meeting. The next Key West City Commission meeting won't be until 14 September.
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