IN PICTURES: SCENES FROM THE SECOND ANNUAL BEST OF UPPER KEYS

The Upper Keys Weekly's Best of Islamorada at Whale Harbor Saturday, November 11, 2023. Photo by Doug Finger

The lights were shining bright inside Whale Harbor Restaurants & Marina in Islamorada on Nov. 11, as 180-plus attendees got their pictures taken, enjoyed appetizers and awaited the winners of the second annual Best of Upper Keys.

Photos by DOUG FINGER/Keys Weekly

Jim McCarthy
Jim McCarthy is one of the many Western New Yorkers 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 he graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2014. In his 4-plus 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. As writers, we are the ones who paint the pictures in the readers minds of the emotions, the struggles and the triumphs.” Jim is past president of the Key Largo Sunset Rotary Club, which is composed of energetic members who serve the community’s youth and older populations. Jim is a sports fanatic who loves to watch football, hockey, mixed martial arts and golf. He also enjoys time with family and his new baby boy, Lucas, who arrived Oct. 4, 2022.