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Ballots in the mail. Monroe County's Supervisor of Elections mailed ballots on July 12th to those with current requests on file.
- Standing requests were voided. As pointed out in an email from Safer Cleaner Ships, under new Florida law, many people who have voted by mail in the past will not receive an absentee ballot this year unless a new request is made.
- Check your status. You should check your vote by mail status with the Supervisor of Elections and / or request an absentee ballot at https://www.keyselections.org/Voters/My-Vote-by-Mail-Status or by calling 305-292-3416.
Budget workshops and bond issue. The Key West City Commission meets Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, July 16 through 18, for its annual budget workshops, and for the second reading (on Thursday) of its proposed referenda asking voters to approve up to $300 million in general obligation bonds in the November elections.
Not playing by the rules. A voter in Key West District VI reported receiving a paper letter from candidate Aaron Castillo missing the disclaimer language required on official campaign literature. Inattention to detail, or scofflaw?
Candidate forum. The Key West Chamber of Commerce held a candidate meet and greet at the College of the Florida Keys.
- Two election days. Although the general election happens on November 5, some local races could be decided on August 20th, if one candidate secures more than 50% of the vote.
"Testicular fortitude." In a rare opinion about local politics, The Citizen took aim at the four City Commissioners who 'found the intestinal and testicular fortitude to fire the city manager.'
New on-demand transit service. Transportation guru Chris Hamilton detailed Monroe County's rollout of its new on-demand micro-transit service called “Conch Connect” in Key West and Stock Island.
- $2.00 rides. It could take up to 15-20 minutes for your ride to arrive. You also may be paired up with one or more passengers traveling in the same direction, which means you might be taking some detours. Then again, you are only paying two dollars per ride.
Barcelona locals protest tourism impacts. Locals in Barcelona (Spain), expressed their anger over housing shortages, overcrowding and the cost of living with protests and squirt guns aimed at tourists.
- Organized resistance. About 2,800 people demonstrated, the police said, a figure that some organizers said was an undercount. Some carried signs with messages like “tourists go home” and “you are not welcome,” and doused families at restaurants.
Civil war? Well before Saturday's attempted assassination of Donald Trump (and headlines like this), Linda Cunningham contemplated the possibility of a second U.S. civil war with a look back to the first one, and how Ft. Zach remained a Union stronghold. Includes a link to this video from the late, beloved Key West historian Tom Hambright.
Photos of birds. Mark Hedden shared his approach to what he does so well; photographing birds, in anticipation of his show (with Erika Heffernan) that opened at Jag Gallery.
Our Eyes
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| Mark Hedden / Jag Gallery |
Previously in Key West Voices
Sparks at candidate forum. Candidates for the Monroe County Commission District 5 seat wasted no time mixing it up, when challenger Melissa Ptomey accused incumbent and county Mayor Holly Raschein of 'betraying her community' by working behind the scenes to have the state Department of Commerce reverse its earlier denial of a zoning change. The re-zoning in Tavernier would enable to construction of a new Publix store at the site of the former Cemex plant. Raschein denied the accusations (video).
Mayor Teri snubbed for TDC job. Despite Teri Johnston's unique qualifications as outgoing Key West mayor and former city commissioner of the largest single driver of tourism in the Keys, a county-appointed search committee snubbed Johnston when it narrowed the pool of 24 candidates to six non-residents for the top job at the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. Johnston has a record of striking a balance between tourism growth and quality of life issues for Key West residents. Go figure.
Candidate pledged to rehire Childress. Marci Rose, one of three candidates for Key West City Commission District 6, pledged in an email to voters that if elected, she would vote to restore the City Manager to office. Last month, four Commissioners voted to fire City Manager Al Childress without cause, despite public comment from nearly 100 residents supporting Mr. Childress and not one comment against him. In response to an email inquiry, candidate Thaddeus Cohen declined to make the same pledge; the third candidate, Aaron Castillo has not yet responded to the same inquiry. .
Rapid intensification reality check. Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 storm on record ever, caused deaths and widespread damage in the Caribbean and Mexico, and strengthened again for its Monday landfall in Texas. While not a threat to the Keys, a storm intensifying as rapidly as Beryl could narrow the window for safe evacuation of the Keys following an evac order.
Costly veto. Governor Ron DeSantis' unexpected veto of $32 million in state arts funding will have a roughly $790,000 impact on 13 local museums, theaters and music programs, including ones that work with children.
Common sense on Dengue. WLRN shared useful tips in the wake of confirmed cases of Dengue fever in the Keys.
Summer in Key West. Linda Cunningham paid homage to the view from her porch, construction noise, and perhaps an excess of mangos.
Work force express. Chris Hamilton is concerned that changes to a year-old bus route designed for workers could make it worse.
