Sara Matthis

The newest face at Baptist Health Medical Group in Marathon is Dr. Karisa Falden, a family medicine practitioner. This is her first job, post-residency.  “I love being outside,” said Falden of her move to the Florida Keys, adding that it’s a huge change from Chicago where she spent the last...

Back in 2012, I wrote my first story for the Keys Weekly that put me on the map, so to speak. Never mind that I had already written tons of informative articles about complicated planning matters, the environment, education, etc. My “big story” was about … bugs. Yep, the...

There are currently 105 students infected with COVID-19 in the first three weeks of school. Students are being exposed, however. There are reports of up to 50 kids being sent home from a Keys elementary school on a single day after being exposed.  Yet, the Monroe County School District can’t...

It was one of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign promises when he was running for office in 2018. In 2019, the Florida legislature passed into state law a requirement for local governments and some private employers to use E-Verify starting on July 1, 2020. E-Verify is a U.S. Department...

As of presstime, only tickets for the dinner theater matinee are available. But don’t worry, Marathon Community Theatre is bringing back the second round of mystery dinner theater in September.  The evenings of laughter, intrigue and good food are the brainchild of Charla Garrison, an MCT member, actress and author....

On Aug. 16, the Marathon Planning Commission put its stamp of approval on two projects in Marathon — 21 new units on Coco Plum on Pescayo Avenue and a 24,000-square-foot marine educational facility at Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters. Both were granted conditional use permits.  The Pescayo Avenue project consists of...

A funny thing happened on the way to the boat ramp. As City of Marathon staff and volunteers approached the drivers lining up to launch at the Quay boat ramp to distribute educational materials the Saturday before lobster mini season, drivers were reaching for their wallets … at the...

It’s climate-controlled. That’s a huge selling point for the current and future clients of Marathon’s improved storage facility, Bonefish Storage. Located just east of Vaca Cut, the facility is an expansion of existing self-storage which now totals about 350 units, more than half of which are the new climate-controlled...

Picture this: a shady oasis of palm trees and tropical natives sheltering a grass-and-coral slab dining area interspersed with mismatched tables, swing chairs and little shade structures. Dead ahead is a bar backed with 20 taps (mostly craft beer, but also some wine and other fun stuff) on a...

I like an open water paddle as much as the next person. But I love, love, love exploring mangrove trails. It’s sort of the Keys version of hiking.  Mangrove trails are literally paths through stands or swamps of mangrove trees. Usually, the greenery meets overhead, forming a little tunnel. Sometimes...

When Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill preempting the requirement of local occupational licensing in Florida, he set off a firestorm among Keys contractors and tradesmen. The bill deals with specialty licenses for people who paint buildings, or put down pavers and even landscapers — not general contractors or...

On July 13, Marathon City Council set the preliminary tax rate and, for the first time in four years, proposed to raise the ad valorem taxes on homes. The tax rate is going to 2.77 mills. Previously, homeowners and property owners in Marathon paid $11.88 per $100,000 value of...