HOUSING CRISIS, PART 2: HOW DID THE FLORIDA KEYS GET HERE?
Housing is the largest single challenge facing Florida Keys residents and has been for decades. With scarce buildable land, strict height restrictions, sky-high property values, second homes that sit empty most of the year and a proliferation of vacation rentals, many full-time workers no longer can afford to live or rent in the island chain, much less buy a home.
Last week, Keys Weekly defined the housing problem. This week, we examine what caused it, and how we got here. A complex blend of contributing factors has turned the Florida Keys’ longtime housing concerns into an undeniable crisis.
MONROE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT’S RATING DROPS TO ‘B’ BY THE STATE
Florida Department of Education’s school ratings released on July 7 gave the Monroe County School District a “B” rating for the 2021-22 school year.
It’s the first time...
#Events: Amateur eaters to pause for the claws
Jumpstarting the annual seven-month stone crab season is a much-anticipated munch-a-thon, the fourth annual Stone Crab Claw Eating Contest for amateur eaters, set for Saturday, Oct. 18.
Staged...
Marathon Council reprimands Planning Commissioner over advertisement
Marathon Mayor Mark Senmartin called on Councilwoman Michelle Coldiron to remove Planning Commissioner Lott Pansky on Tuesday. Pansky paid for a full-page advertisement published in the Marathon...
‘The Last Five Years’
After Hurricane Irma re-organized Marathon Community Theatre’s 2017-18 season, the first stage piece is ready for this weekend.
Kara Pascucci and Devin Clarke will star in “The Last...
Under the Seafood Festival arch
It’s the first thing you see – or is it? Ask most people about the entrance to the Original Marathon Seafood Festival (set for this weekend) and...
MHS Culinary Team headed to LIV event
Three lucky MHS students will be so close to the Super Bowl, they will almost taste it. Okay, they will taste it. Chase Taylor, Jordan Wilson and...
RENTABOARD: COMPANY ADOPTS BIKE-SHARING MODEL FOR PADDLEBOARDS
It’s like bike sharing, but with stand-up paddleboards. PADL has opened its seventh station in the Florida Keys at the Fiesta Key RV Resort and Marina.
“In fact,...
OLD SEVEN MILE BRIDGE REOPENS AFTER $41M RESTORATION
In arguably the most highly anticipated opening in recent memory, officials from Monroe County, the City of Marathon, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and other community...
6 MIGRANT GROUPS INTERCEPTED IN THE FLORIDA KEYS
A small wooden boat containing a large sail washed ashore in Islamorada on May 2. Onboard the homemade vessel was a group of Cuban migrants who sailed...
