Hardening the Florida Keys against climate change will carry a price tag of nearly $900 million for Monroe County, according to a study currently in the works by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
But the Florida Keys Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study no longer includes acquiring vulnerable private properties through eminent domain, as an earlier version of the plan did.
The total cost of the proposed project would be about $2.5 billion as of now, 65% of which would be covered by the federal government, leaving the remainder to be split between the county and municipalities. Rhonda Haag, the countyâs chief resilience officer, said the funding source for the remaining 35% could come from any source other than the federal government. Resiliency projects within municipalities would be paid for by the cities, while projects in unincorporated areas will be covered by the county.
As spiny lobster season comes to a close, a Monroe County Sheriffâs Office deputy cited two men in separate lobster cases in the past week.
A 35-year-old Sunrise, Florida man, Eliecer Veloz Martinez, was given a mandatory notice to appear in court citation Sunday on several lobster violation charges, according to Monroe County Sheriffâs Office spokesman Adam Linhardt.
Middle Keys Marine Deputy Willie Guerra spotted Martinez diving without a dive flag near Fiesta Key around noon on Sunday. A 13-year-old boy was with him. Guerra found the several wrung lobster tails in Martinezâs pockets and more lobster were found hidden in the mangroves, Linhardt said. All total, Martinez was found in possession of 36 undersized, wrung lobster tails.
Fly fishing shop focuses on conservation, community keysnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from keysnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Back in the 1990s, âThe Walker Cay Chroniclesâ introduced a generation of deep-sea fisherman to the saltwater flats â among them, Travis Katski, who as a kid fished tournaments with his grandfather in a Hatteras 53 off of Ocean City, Maryland.
âThat show really sucked me in,â says Katski, who watched with his best friend, Michael McGivern, turning Saturday mornings with ESPN into a religion. The duo bought fly rods, began tying flies and fitted McGivernâs 16-foot aluminum jon boat with a plywood platform.
âAt 19 years old we drove straight down to Fiesta Key, pitched our tent and started to fish the flats,â Katski remembers. Repurposing a wooden dowel into a push pole, they glided silently across the water in pursuit of bonefish, permit and tarpon.