⢠Tropic Cinema
The Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton St., has reopened for members and movie fans, premiering films on a limited and socially distanced basis. For information on movie schedules and house rules, visit http://www.tropiccinema.com or call 305-396-4944.
⢠Legion post reopening
American Legion Post 168, 803 Emma St., will reopen on Friday, May 21, and will be open on Fridays and Saturdays in May with silent auctions, raffles and music. For information, call Nancy at 703-626-0600.
⢠Library Trivia Night
The Monroe County Public Libraries will present online Trivia Night at 7 p.m. Friday, May 21. Test your knowledge and compete for a chance to win prizes donated by local businesses. The event is free and open to the public. Visit http://www.keyslibraries.org/events or call your local library branch for information.
Among the Steve Millers living in the Florida Keys, most residents know or at least have heard on-air personality and pillar in the Lower Keys community Steve Miller, a self-proclaimed
⢠Royalty wanted
Participants are sought for the royal campaign of king and queen of Fantasy Fest 2021. A preliminary informational meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 24, at Barbary Beach House, 2001 South Roosevelt Blvd., and candidates meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 29, at Opal Key Resort, 245 Front St. For information, contact Chris Elwell at 305-481-1790 or email christopher@keysfurniture.com.
⢠Summer camp
Reef Relief has opened registration for its nine-week Coral Camp, with sessions from Monday, June 7, through Friday, Aug. 6. Campers from 6 to 12 years old will experience hands-on-learning, interactive games and outdoor activities, with marine science lessons and snorkeling in different local ecosystems. For registration forms, visit https://www.reefrelief.org/coral-camp-2021/. Email the form to reefrelief@gmail.com or fax to 305-293-9515.
Benchmarks: November 16, 1990: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is established
by Bethany Augliere Friday, October 12, 2018
Designated in November 1990, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary protects nearly 10,000 square kilometers of ocean surrounding the islands, including North America s only barrier reef. Credit: K. Cantner, AGI.
Off the tip of the Florida Peninsula lies the world’s third-largest living coral reef, the Great Florida Reef. The only barrier reef system in North America, it is composed of a system of individual reefs that together extend 270 kilometers south of Miami through the Florida Keys, a crescent-shaped chain of more than 1,500 islands, about 30 of which are inhabited. This ecological treasure is home to more than 6,000 species of marine life, including colorful fish and endangered sea turtles, as well as extensive seagrass beds, mangrove islands and about 1,000 shipwrecks.
The Monroe County Commission has authorized hiring a customer service representative to open a satellite permitting intake and issuance office on Big Pine Key.
The goal is to open the office in the next several months in a shared space in the Big Pine Key Branch Library at the Winn-Dixie shopping plaza, dependent on the hiring and training process. The commissioners also authorized hiring other positions to improve permitting services throughout the county.
âThe Lower Keys have needed a permitting office for a long time, and I am pleased to announce we are fulfilling that need by placing an office on Big Pine Key,â said Mayor Michelle Coldiron. âI am equally as excited my fellow board members agreed with the request.â