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August 17, 2015 Vol. 139 No. 229 14 pages

Experts study parrotfish and corals

WEATHER

BY TIMOTHY OHARA
Key West Citizen

Kaylee Perez, fifth grade,

Poinciana Elementary School
See forecast on Page 2A
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Stoplight parrotfish

Jacksonville
University
researchers have embarked
on a study of critical importance to scientists rearing
and out-planting coral on the
Florida Keys reef.
Mote Marine Laboratory, the

Coral Restoration Foundation,

The Nature Conservancy and
the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission
have spent millions of dollars
rearing and out-planting coral
on the Keys reef for nearly a
decade.
Jacksonville
University
marine science professor

Dan McCarthy and two of his

graduate students are examining whether coral reefs flourish when more parrotfish are
around to eat the algae that
battle for space on the reef with
coral or whether certain species
of parrotfish feeding on the live
See PARROTFISH, Page 7A

MONROE COUNTY

Rental to be or not to be Top cops

Stanley Switlik ES
waiting its turn
As the Monroe
County School District
builds a new Plantation
Key School, another
local school is waiting in
the wings for its update
to arrive. Stanley Switlik
Elementary School was
built in 1971 and stands
as the oldest school in
Monroe County. The
outdated areas are only
outnumbered by the
amount of students as
the school is absolutely
full, according to principal Brett Unke, who
said every classroom
and closet in the school
is currently being used.
Page 3A

warn of
court
scam
BY ADAM LINHARDT
Key West Citizen

start at $1.5 million, unless they can

have the option to acquire a transient
rental license.
Theyre saying they dont want to
buy a unit unless they can go find a

Monroe County State

Attorney Catherine Vogel
and Sheriff Rick Ramsay are
warning residents of a new
phone scam in which residents are told they are in
trouble for missing jury duty
and urged to pay the caller
using cash cards.
Its the latest in a string of
cash card scams that have
long plagued the Florida
Keys. Most recently, the
scams involved people posing as Keys Energy or Florida
Keys Electric Cooperative
representatives stating residents bills were overdue. All
the scams involve the urging of payment using cash
cards or prepaid debit cards
commonly found at grocery
stores and gas stations.
In the latest scam, a caller
claims to be with the Monroe
County Sheriffs Office and
says the resident has an outstanding warrant for failure
to appear for a grand jury
session. The caller threatens the resident, instructing
them to pay or face arrest,
Vogel said.
A Key West resident who
received such a call recently
informed the State Attorneys
Office and didnt send any
money to the caller.
If you are ever called
by anyone seeking such
payment, please call the
office of the State Attorney
Investigations Department

See CONDO, Page 7A

See SCAM, Page 7A

NATION

Pro-Bush PAC
spending $10M-plus

MIKE HENTZ/The Citizen

The construction site of the future Old Town Villas condominiums is shown above in the 100 block of Simonton Street. The
City of Key West is to discuss whether to allow property owners to get transient licenses for short-term rentals.

The heavily funded

super PAC backing
Republican Jeb Bush
will spend at least $10
million on television
time in the earliest voting presidential primary
states, the first salvo in a
massive TV ad campaign
to support the former
Florida governors bid
for the Republican
nomination. Officials
with Right to Rise USA
say they will buy time in
Iowa, New Hampshire
and South Carolina TV
markets and on cable
television in the three
states. Ads are scheduled to begin in Iowa
and New Hampshire
on Sept. 15, in South
Carolina a week later
and then run continuously through the end of
the year. Page 3A

City commission
to decide whether
the planned condos
could become rentals
BY GWEN FILOSA
Key West Citizen

Whether the 20 luxury condominiums planned for the 100 block of

Simonton Street can become transient rentals is up to the Key West city
commission.
On the agenda for Tuesday, commissioners have a request by the
property owners to remove the condition placed on the project in 2008
that the gated community could not
become short-term rentals.
Steps from the Key West Historic
Seaport and stumbling distance to
Duval Street, the condos location is
better suited for short-term rentals,
say the private planners working for
the developers, Brytrex, Inc., which

ON THE RADIO

bought the property for $6.8 million

in January.
In 2007, the builder who remains a
part of the deal, paid $10 million for it.
Along with the decreased value,
prospective buyers arent interested
in the two-bedroom condos, which

New neighborhood
takes shape on Flagler

Congressman Carlos
Curbelo talks about
US-Cuba relations and the
proposed re-districting of
District 26 which includes
the Florida Keys.

BY MANDY MILES
Key West Citizen

A new housing development is taking shape on

Flagler Avenue, where heavy
machinery has recently
replaced the cluster of boats
and trailers that have been
parking for years on the
empty parcel.
The long-vacant lot at
2800 Flagler Ave. is slated
to become the Enclave on
Riviera, a small gated community of 10 single-family,
stilt homes, each with three
bedrooms and two and a
half baths.

Also on todays show:

Mary Turner Health
Department
Mike Davila KWFD
Dean Walters FDOT
Capt. Jeff Janszen Coast
Guard
Mike Puto Marathon
Bobby Dube FWC
NEWS: 7:30, 8:30 a.m., noon,
5 & 6 p.m.
Evening Edition 5-5:30 p.m.

INDEX

MIKE HENTZ/The Citizen

Large poster-size renderings are on the fence surrounding the construction site for
the Old Town Villas.

CLASSIFIED ADS 4-6 B

The 1800-square-foot
modular homes likely
will start at $799,000, said
Realtor Bascom Grooms,
who is co-listing the homes
with Realtor Gary Smith.
The development at the
corner of Flagler Avenue
and 11th Street will include
a community pool and
cabana, an electronic security gate, environmentally friendly construction,
stainless steel appliances,
covered porches, lush landscaping and a decorative
wall encircling the new
neighborhood.
Grooms said two model

COMICS 6 A

CRIME REPORT 2A

KEYSWIDE CLASSIFIEDS keysnews.com/classifieds

Provided rendering

A birds-eye view of the Enclave on Riviera in this rendering.

homes that will be the first
ones placed on the property
are already under construction at the manufacturer,
and will be placed on the
CROSSWORD 5 B

Flagler Avenue parcel some- disturbed, a restriction that

stymied the previous owntime this fall.
The 4.2-acre parcel ers plans for the property.
includes 2.4 acres of protected wetlands that cannot be
See ENCLAVE, Page 7A

KEYS CALENDAR 2A

OPINION 4A

SPORTS 1B

FOR CLASSIFIEDS 305-292-7777, Option 3