Jim McCarthy
Jim McCarthy is a northerner who escaped the snow and frigid temperatures for warm living by the water. A former crime & court reporter and city editor for two Western New York newspapers, Jim has been honing his craft since his graduation from St. Bonaventure University in 2014. In his 3 years in the Keys, Jim has enjoyed connecting with the community. “One of my college professors would always preach to be curious,” he said. “Behind every person is a story that’s unique to them, and one worth telling. Behind every community is resiliency and resolve in difficult times. As writers, we are the ones who paint the pictures in the readers minds of the emotions, the struggles and the triumphs.” Jim serves as President of the Key Largo Sunset Rotary Club, which is composed of energetic members who serve the community’s youth and older populations. “It’s a group that lives by the motto ‘Service Above Self,’” he says. “We’ve done service projects at the Tavernier nursing home, sitting down and socializing with residents. “We’ve also supplied cameras to young students exploring the Keys ecosystem.” Jim loves sports, family and time exploring underneath the water depths.
U.S. COAST GUARD & FWC RESPOND TO A BOAT CRASH INTO MANGROVES IN NORTH KEY LARGO
A 21-foot boat with two people aboard ran aground on Saturday afternoon in North Key Largo, according to the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast.
The two people on the boat were rescued by a crew from the U.S. Coast Guard Station Islamorada. No injuries were reported at the time.
Florida Fish &...
TOLLS RISING ON NORTH KEY LARGO’S CARD SOUND ROAD
Tolls are increasing for motorists driving in and out of the Florida Keys via Card Sound Road, an alternate route to the 18-Mile Stretch,.
County officials are revising an ordinance to increase toll rates at the Card Sound Road Bridge heading into Monroe County by the consumer price index of...
ISLAMORADA GIVES $50,000 TO HELP COVER KEYS AHEC’S BUDGET SHORTFALL FROM NO STATE FUNDING
During a June 23 meeting, Islamorada Village Council members unanimously approved a $50,000 request by Keys AHEC for health and dental services to medically vulnerable and underserved children. It comes after a $650,000 request to the state legislature was left out of the approved budget, leaving the organization with...
THESE PROGRAMS MAKE VOLUNTEERS A SOLUTION DURING EMERGENCIES – OFFICIAL FLORIDA KEYS HURRICANE GUIDE
Florida Keys residents remember the post-Hurricane Irma feud between anxious officials and evacuees who were desperate to re-enter the island chain and survey the damage their homes took.
In a bid to strengthen the Florida Keys community, Monroe County Emergency Management realized the unique abilities of Keys residents to get...
HIALEAH MAN CHARGED FOR ALLEGEDLY CATCHING LOBSTERS OUT OF SEASON IN THE FLORIDA KEYS
A Hialeah man was arrested after he was reportedly found with out-of-season spiny lobsters.
According to Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation, Lt. Paul Hein and Officer Courtney Carrol were attempting a resource inspection around 6 p.m. on June 25 at the south end of Whale Harbor Channel bridge when the...
BASEBALL PROGRAM IN THE UPPER KEYS BUILDS SKILLS & HELPS MAINTAIN A HEALTHY MIND
A banner with the words “Outwork ’Em” hangs from the dugout at the Coral Shores baseball field at Founders Park in Islamorada. The diamond, home to the Hurricanes baseball team, is also a place where baseball players, from Little League to high school, come during the summer to sharpen...
UPDATED RESTORATION BLUEPRINT SET FOR RELEASE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT NEXT MONTH
An updated set of proposed rules and regulations to counteract a decline in resources within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) will go out to the public for review and input next month.
The next step in the Restoration Blueprint process, a draft rule, will be released to the...
VICE MAYOR ROSENTHAL GRILLS LOBBYISTS’ EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF ISLAMORADA
An agreement between Islamorada and a lobbying firm advocating on behalf of the village for more than a decade was pulled off the June 23 meeting agenda.
The agenda item, which detailed a 14-month, $126,000-agreement for the firm GrayRobinson, was yanked at the start of the meeting. In the past,...
ISLAMORADA PLANNING DIRECTOR OUTLINES POSSIBLE ACTIONS AS BUILDING PERMITS DWINDLE
A room full of concerned village residents awaiting a building permit packed the Founders Park Community Center during a June 16 special meeting of the Islamorada Village Council. The discussion delved into the village’s Building Permit Allocation System, or BPAS, a point-based competitive system for issuing building permits.
Seventy-nine applications...
SHERIFF RICK RAMSAY PROMOTES SPENSER BRYAN TO CAPTAIN OF THE KEY LARGO DISTRICT
A lieutenant recently promoted to captain within the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is back in the Upper Keys community where he grew up. And two lieutenants prepare to deal with unique challenges as they enter new districts.
Sheriff Rick Ramsay recently promoted Key Largo native and current Marathon resident Spenser...
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS REQUEST FEDERAL FUNDING FOR BRIDGE PROJECT & STORM RISK STUDY
Monroe County commissioners unanimously approved a list of federal legislative priorities, which include U.S. 1 revetments and shoreline stabilization and Card Sound Bridge replacement planning, during a June 15 meeting at the Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo.
Keeping flood insurance premiums affordable, federal disaster-related funding and coral reef...
HARRY HARRIS PARK FULLY REOPENED AFTER IRMA
A group of county officials and Harry Harris neighborhood residents walked out onto a revamped Wilkinson Point during a sunny, hot early evening on June 14. A celebration of a reinvigorated county park in Tavernier culminated in a ribbon-cutting with county commissioners and a walk around the park to...
