In the Florida Keys, county leaders took business casual to a whole new level. With suits … without shoes … and with one essential piece of island gear — paddleboards.
More than 100 people gathered at Old Wooden Bridge Marina on Big Pine Key on May 4 to watch the splashy scene unfold. The occasion? The official kickoff to National Travel and Tourism Week and America’s 250th anniversary.
Monroe County Mayor Michelle Lincoln led the way, taking official business offshore by signing a proclamation while standing on a paddleboard in the middle of the water. Which, she says, is similar to her everyday role as an elected official.
“Any county commissioner and elected government from anywhere can do a Travel and Tourism Week proclamation, but not all of them could do it on a paddleboard in the middle of the ocean in the fabulous Florida Keys. So why not?” said Lincoln.
Paddling beside her were local officials and tourism leaders, including Kara Franker, Visit Florida Keys president and CEO, who came up with the plan to turn the ocean into a floating stage for one of the region’s most important industries.
“Tourism is the largest economic driver for the Florida Keys,” said Franker. “It keeps everything running. We all depend on it, and it couldn’t be more important to our community.” It supports more than 24,000 jobs in Monroe County, according to a 2025 economic impact study.
In true Keys fashion, the event began with an iconic conch shell call and was followed by more than a dozen leaders, dressed in business suits, paddling offshore to witness the proclamation signing.
For Lincoln, the setting was an analogy for leadership. “To be an elected official in the Florida Keys, you better be bold, and you better have balance, because you never know what the day is going to have in store for you.”
Franker said there was a special training session ahead of time to make sure everyone, especially the mayor, was ready to balance and sign.
“We did a special session just for her because she had the clipboard on. That takes a lot of core work. She’s been going to Pilates so she could whip it around, get out the pen and sign it,” said Franker. “She was phenomenal – such a pro.”
More information on America 250 events planned across the Keys is at visitfloridakeys.com.
Photos by NATALIE DANKO/Keys Weekly
