The 2019 Key West
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JUNE 27 - JULY 3, 2019 The of Key West 2019 The Winners are Announced on Pages 6 &7! Florida Keys 3-11 • Upper Keys 12-13 • What's Happening 14 • Cover Story 6-7 • Real Estate 26 FLORIDA KEYS Breast cancer patients get a retreat in Key West BY SUSAN MITCHELL ittle Pink Houses of Hope came to LKey West this week to give ten fam- ilies a break from doctor appointments, chemotherapy, radiation and medi- cal bills. Ten families who are in the throws of battling breast cancer took to the waves, paddle boarding, picnicking, makes it all worth while. Cooper has and many other activities and attrac- been giving the families a paddle board tions Key West has to offer. The organi- adventure for the last seven years when zational mission is to empower breast the program began in Key West. cancer patients and families to live each “We all come down here thinking Sue Copper of Lazy Dog has been launching Little Pink Houses of Hope we’re helping the families and we leave day to the fullest, with direction, pur- families for seven years. pose and hope for the cancer journey. getting much more than we gave,” said Key West resident Jerry Stefan lost wants to give back because he knows balance on paddle boards. Amy Humphrey, of Burlington, NC, what these families are going through Sue Cooper, owner of Lazy Dog, his wife to breast cancer and volun- X Continued on page 25 teers in her memory. Stefan said he as he helped moms, dads and children said seeing the smiles on their faces End of Season CLEARANCE SALE UP TO Going on Now! % OFF 75 SUGGESTED RETAIL EVERY DEPARTMENT KEY LARGO MARATHON KEY WEST 305-451-5700 305-743-4397 305-295-6400 MM 99 Median MM 50 Oceanside Searstown by Publix www.RoyalFurnitureAndDesign.com 2 www.konklife.com • JUNE 27-JULY 3, 2019 K E Y N E W S Mallory Square restaurant gets go-ahead over objections BY PRU SOWERS missioners are now expected to ap- their lease,” Johnston said. “The whole for a full-service restaurant. And on KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER prove Walsh’s major development plan process stinks to high heaven.” May 7, literally minutes before the start that includes a 156-seat restaurant, Johnston was referring to last-min- of the commission meeting where the utting an end to restores the historic cable huts at the ute decision reversals by city Planning plan was going to be voted on, Wright Pover nine years of location and builds a small historical Director Patrick Wright and City Man- withdrew his approval recommenda- legal wrangling, ex- museum at their next meeting in July. ager Jim Scholl. In April of this year, tion and, instead, asked that the plan cuses and surprising If granted, the approval will have been Wright had submitted a recommen- be sent back to the planning board for last-minute reversals, a long time coming, something that both dation to commissioners that Walsh’s consideration. Key West City Commissioners beat Mayor Teri Johnston and Commission- major development plan be approved. Scholl and Wright said they were back the latest attempt to stop con- er Sam Kaufman said was grossly unfair Scholl listed the resolution on the May unaware of the small kitchen design, struction of a proposed new restau- to Walsh, who made multiple changes to 7 commission meeting agenda and had despite the kitchen being downsized rant in Mallory Square. the restaurant design to appease the city previously signed off on Walsh’s appli- in 2017 after both the planning board Commissioners voted 6-2 at their planning board, the Historic Architec- cation to HARC in March 2017. But and HARC said no demolition of the June 17 meeting to reject a resolution tural Review Commission (HARC) and on May 3, attorneys for next-door Mar- historic cable huts would be allowed. brought by Commissioner Jimmy even the hotel next door, which currently garitaville Key West Resort, which op- Since Walsh’s plan proposed to build a Weekley that would have thrown out has a monopoly on waterfront dining on erates Bistro 245, the only waterfront kitchen in one of those two huts, he the restaurant plan proposed by Joe Mallory Square. restaurant on Mallory Square, sent a had to reduce the size of the kitch- Walsh, president of Tropical Soup, “This is just nonsense. This appli- letter outlining several objections to the en and move it to the bar area. Food which operates five restaurants in Key cant [Walsh] has jumped through ev- development plan, including the design West, and look for new bidders. Com- ery hoop. It’s the city that has withheld for a 300-square foot kitchen, too small X Continued on page 8 HAND-ROLLED CUBAN LEAF CIGARS POINT BREAK CIGAR FACTORY 3 LOCATIONS: • COHIBA • ROMEO Y JULIETA • MONTECRISTO 600 Duval • 921 Duval • 403 Greene • ROCKY PATEL • ARTURO FUENTE 305.295.6110 ~ All Brand Name Cigars ~ PointBreakCigars.com Hookas, Hookah Tobaccos, & Tobacco Accessories 3 www.konklife.com • JUNE 27-JULY 3, 2019 j u n e 27 - j u l y 3, 2 0 1 9 FLORIDA KEYS Published Weekly Vol. 9 No. 78 Reef Relief’s Coral Camp PUBLISHER/EDITOR Guy deBoer By Emily Bracher NEWS WRITERS eef Relief’s Coral Camp is a summer program Pru Sowers that has brought ocean education to the youth Terry Schmida R of the Florida Keys. Coral Camp spans a nine week PHOTOGRAPHERS period with around 260 kids attending over the Ralph DePalma, Bill Klipp, Guy deBoer course of a summer, which is around 25 kids week. At the camp, kids ages 6-12 learn about subjects DESIGN like oceanography, coral reefs, fish identification/ Nand K. Pandey, [email protected] anatomy, and marine ecosystems. From Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm, they participate in PIXEL WRANGLER Campers and interns pose with excitement JT Thompson different activities, teaching them about the ocean. while on one of their many boat excursions. Executive Program Director, Mill McCleary and Through this program, these young individu- CONTRIBUTORS Assistant Program Director, Alex Risius lead these als were given the opportunity to explore Flor- ida’s marine ecosystem. Jeff Johnson & young minds in their excursion throughout the Paula Forman Short Answers week. McCleary has been in the Keys with Reef Ian Brockway Relief for 11 years, his background being in water Tropic Sprockets quality for almost 30 years. Coral camp was the first Tammy Fox-Royer program he designed when he started. “It started off Florida Keys SPCA Sylvia Bogart as 40 kids and it has expanded,” he explains. Astrologically Yours Four out of the five days are spent out on the wa- Joanna Brady ter. Three of the four are out on a boat, exploring Reviewer either spongebeds or our local reefs. If the campers INTERN are not out on the boat, they are snorkeling at the Divya Navani beach, enjoying a scavenger hunt at the Key West Aquarium, or hearing stories and learning new facts Campers and interns smile in front of the Reef ADVERTISING back at Reef Relief. Slogans like ‘protect the reefs’ Relief building in Key West. Here, they enjoy Jose DeLaRosa – 585.203.5156 are displayed through posters made throughout the fun activities like fish dissections and stories Ashley Williamson – 410.999.4917 week and quizzes are taken to test their knowledge told by director, Mill McCleary. 305.296.1630 on what they’ve learned with their time at camp. at the camp. “My favorite thing is that Reef RElief is Advertising Deadline Every Friday Jack Salce, 11, is one of the many campers. “My fa- always there to provide great and interesting informa- PRINT-READY advertising materials due by vorite thing about camp is just that we get to explore tion for tourists and the local community.”, she says. Friday every week for next issue of KONK Life. and see the reef. It’s such a privilege and that other “It’s almost like the middle school program we Ad Dimensions Horizontal and Vertical: kids don’t get to have it. I feel that the reef here is a do now is an expansion of what coral camp is, more Full, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/8 page, bizcard lot more healthy than the ones in other places. I re- or less,” McCleary states when talking about how Ad Submissions cently went to Puerto Rico and the reef was really suf- the program has become so much more. Along JPG, TIFF, PDF — digital formats only fering from hurricane Maria. I just that I love to see with the summer camp, Reef Relief reaches out Send to [email protected] the reef, it’s so cool and so amazing to see in front of to schools all over the county. Dora DiMaria, the CIRCULATION your eyes,” he explains. He is just one out of the many education manager at Reef Relief, has reached out Kavon Desilus ASSISTANT campers that have been inspired to, “get out and do to over 7,000 students with information similar to Ben Neff ASSISTANT more things that teach us to save the environment what consists of Coral Camp. “You feel a bit more KONK Life is published weekly by KONK more and how bad plastic is for the environment.” responsibility when you’re with kids because you Communications Network in Key West, Fla. One unique thing about Coral Camp is that it has really are the ones that can make or break or really Editorial materials may not be reproduced many local high school students volunteering their affect their future.”, DiMaria states.