A vehicle approached the checkpoint in Key Largo on Saturday, waiting for entry through with its yellow, Upper Keys re-entry sticker. On first glance, a sheriff’s deputy manning the post noticed that it didn’t look right.
Upon being flagged down, the car was inspected and deputies determined the re-entry sticker was a counterfeit.
It’s the latest growing problem witnessed at checkpoints at MM 112.5 and Card Sound Road in Key Largo. On March 22, the county closed the island chain off to visitors and those who have no residency or business. It subsequently followed with the establishment of two checkpoints on March 27.
Now, residents coming through the checkpoint won’t be able to get through with just a re-entry sticker. They must also show local ID, a utility bill, a deed, a lease or tax bill in order to get through.
This past weekend alone, Sheriff Rick Ramsay said hundreds of fake stickers were ripped from cars that were then forced to turn back around. Ramsay, who requested the county stop issuing hurricane re-entry stickers on Monday morning, says he was shocked to see the number pulled from cars “who had nothing to do with the Keys.”
“Once we found that one Saturday, we found about 10 that day that were fake and had been made on printers,” he said. “We spoke to some people, and a couple people told us they were making them out of Miami and selling them.”
“Some stickers looked better than other ones,” he continued. “Some you could see they were made on a bad printer. They had white lines going through. Some you could see the 3, which is for the Upper Keys, it was varied in design.”
Stickers for residents to re-enter following a storm are generally stuck inside the car. But Ramsay said some stickers were placed on the outside of the window.
With the anomaly witnessed Saturday, Ramsay instructed checkpoint staff to flag every hurricane re-entry sticker from the Upper Keys. It led to many cars flagged and counterfeit stickers ripped. There’s also motorists who have legitimate re-entry stickers, but have no residency or business in the Keys.
“They did not reside in the Keys, didn’t own property and had no business with the sticker,” he said. “They had a variety of answers from ‘I don’t know where I got it,’ to somebody gave it to them to someone had a bunch. All the ones we took were fake or they were not a resident and not entitled to one. Some said they worked in the Keys but couldn’t prove it.”
Those who don’t have a legitimate reason in the Keys, whether it be residency or employment, and are leaving their counties are committing a second-degree misdemeanor for violating the governor’s executive order to stay at home. Ramsay says the ones they were stopping who wanted to come down for the day are blatantly disrespecting and disobeying orders.
“If you don’t live here, don’t own property and don’t have lawful business here, why are you coming into this county?” he questioned. “The checkpoint is designed as part of public health to try to limit those who come. All they’re doing is creating a public health emergency for Monroe County and our citizens.”
Of the notable hot spots for coronavirus are two counties just to the north. Broward County is reporting 1,886 positive cases, while Miami-Dade is dealing with just over 4,100 cases.
To date, checkpoints have turned away more than 2,000 cars since its establishment. Traffic flow numbers showed traffic at 25 percent of its normal volume on Saturday. On Sunday, it was at 21 percent of its normal volume.
Overall, Ramsay estimates that 20,000 people a week aren’t coming into the Keys as a direct and indirect result of the checkpoint.
“That continues to make this county safer as an overall aggregate,” he said.
As of now, Ramsay said checkpoint staff are only seeing issues with the yellow Upper Keys re-entry stickers. But counterfeit stickers in areas further down in the Keys could be coming next.
“We’re going to have to do a full remake of what our plan is overall to avoid this occurring in other geographic areas. We are going to be working to have a plan to curb this the best we can,” he said.
All residential reentry sticker distribution has been suspended in Monroe County, including at Monroe County Fire Rescue stations and the Monroe County Tax Collector’s offices.
