Fishing the Florida Keys Industry honors The snapper bite at the reef is really heating up, The ‘Keynoter’ wins four awards from Florida’s newspaper meaning plenty of dinner opportunities. trade group — including first place for general excellence. Captain’s column, 1B Story, 2A WWW.KEYSNET.COM WEDNESDAY,JULY 6,2011 VOLUME 58, NO. 54 ● 25 CENTS KEYS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOURTH OF JULY New dorm filling fast applicants are from outside Many applicants of Monroe County. are coming from “FKCC has become somewhat of a destination out of Florida college,” Ernst-Leonard said, “and most of these stu- By SEAN KINNEY dents are studying marine [email protected] science. It’s a waterfront dorm so it’s pretty cool.” Just in time for the kick- Rent, including utilities, off of the fall semester on is going to be around $800 Aug. 22, Florida Keys per month. The units are Community College staff is four- and five-bedroom two- gearing up for an Aug. 20 bath suites with common move-in day for students liv- living areas and bathrooms. ing in the new 100-bed dor- Plans for the 30,000-square- mitory. foot building also include an The building is still under exercise room, patio lounge construction, but college and common area. spokeswoman Amber Ernst- The Campus Foundation, Leonard said it’s scheduled an FKCC direct-support HAWKINS Reporter DAVID photo by to be finished on Aug. 15. organization that oversees As of Friday, “We have housing, voted in November 81 applications,” she said. to approve an $8.2 million “There’re only 100 beds so bond sale to BB&T bank to we’re looking pretty good.” fund the construction. The The annual Fourth of July college statutorily isn’t Of those applicants, 25 parade in Tavernier (above) have sent in their $250 allowed to encumber proper- deposits. Ernst-Leonard said ty or take a financial risk on presented by ‘The Reporter’ the applicants are “about the project, meaning the winds its way over U.S. 1 on half from in-state and half foundation, represented by Monday.The highway was out-of-state,” from as far bond firm Bergen Capital, lined with scores of people afield as Arizona, Texas, handled the financial end. celebrating the holiday. New Jersey, Illinois and Projections presented by Meanwhile in Marathon (left), Missouri-based developer Connecticut. Sombrero Beach filled up for She said only two current Student Suites, assuming students have applied for the Middle Keys fest, which lodging; most of the in-state ● See Dorm, 2A included a parade, music, fireworks and more. for dozens more photos, go to PILL MILLS www.KeysNet.com/photos. Pill-mill law Photo by LARRY BENVENUTI now in effect Big weekend for fraud, as well as cocaine-relat- It bans doctors ed charges. Thomas is also from dispensing charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. pain medication But they all relate to the business and fun couple’s use oxycodone and By SEAN KINNEY other pills, Police Chief By RYAN McCARTHY Scores of visitors hit the Keys, was behaving,” Florida Fish [email protected] Donie Lee says. He says the [email protected] and Wildlife Conservation couple admitted the need for keeping law enforcement on its toes Commission spokesman State agents and health those drugs led them to their Residents and tourists of Bobby Dube said. officials on Tuesday started crime spree. the Keys enjoyed a busy, and were full. It was a great week- full over the weekend. We were According to the Monroe confiscating leftover pills “We need to do all we can by all accounts safe, Fourth end and we got a lot of good finding a lot of people were County Sheriff’s Office, 17 from Florida pain clinics, to get these drugs off the of July holiday weekend. And reports from the beach festi- already sold out,” she said. people were arrested over showing the state appears street,” Lee said. “This case judging by the traffic on U.S. val about people seeing more There were more than a the weekend for DUI. One serious in trying to shut down is another example of the cor- 1 and in the stores, it looked visitors than locals,” he said. dozen drunk-driving arrests was also charged with mari- pill mills throughout Florida. relation between the illegal good for business, too. Likewise in the Upper up and down the Keys juana possession and another Under a new law that took use of prescription drugs and Greater Marathon Chamber Keys, where Gladys Cornell Friday through Monday, but with resisting arrest. effect last week, clinics and crime. And in this case, vio- of Commerce Executive of the Key Largo Chamber only one boating under the Islamorada resident doctors can only write pre- lent crime.” Director Daniel Samess said of Commerce said nearly influence arrest. William Walsh, 58, added scriptions for pain drugs, Police say the spree start- many of the city’s roughly 1,000 people came through “A couple minor fender four counts of misdemeanor which now must be filled at ed early June 16, when 1,300 hotel rooms were the visitor center Friday benders but no major boat- resisting arrest and one count pharmacies. Leftover pills Theresa Martin, 51, was booked. through Sunday. ing accident or injuries. can be returned to distribu- walking from Don’s Place on “Most of the properties “The hotels ... were pretty Everybody for the most part ● See Weekend, 3A tors or given to the state to be Truman Avenue down to destroyed. Duval Street to grab a bite to Authorities are targeting eat around 4 a.m. She told KEY WEST clinics and doctors that police that around the 800 ordered at least 2,000 pain block of Truman, Thomas pills a month this year or Hillman approached her ask- Keys Federal robbed in Key West have suspicious histories. ing for directions, then The law also authorized a grabbed her purse attempting had re-opened the shopping that he might have been ter fled the scene with the prescription-drug monitoring to flee in to a waiting Ford F- It’s second center, except for the bank, armed,” she said, adding that money in hand on a bicycle. database, for which the Key 150 driven by his wife. time branch after controlling ingress and “he kept one hand in his She now lives in Cape West Police Department is con- Martin clung to her purse egress while looking for the pocket the whole time.” Canaveral and is on felony tributing money to get started. but was dragged by the truck, has been hit suspect and talking with poten- July has not been a good probation through Sept. 15, A Key West couple left with “road rash and tial witnesses, police spokes- month for banks located in 2013. Rossi is being held in charged April 28 and 29 with bruises along her face, arms, Keynoter Staff woman Alyson Crean said. the Overseas Market. the Monroe County Detention four strong-armed robberies back and knees,” according She said police are look- On July 3, 2010, police Center on $150,000 bond. shows the damage prescrip- to a report prepared by Key West police on ing for a white man with a arrested two Key Westers for Charlain St. Charles, now tion drug abuse can cause, Detective Janet Calvert. Tuesday afternoon were close-cut beard, possibly robbing the First State Bank 34, is accused of robbing the authorities say. The next victim, Iris Mattal, looking for a man that robbed with blue eyes, who was last branch inside the Winn-Dixie Overseas Market branch of Thomas Hillman, 33, and a 28-year-old Estonian native, the Keys Federal Credit seen wearing a hat, white grocery store. Keys Federal on July 13, his wife Cheryl, 40, are was robbed on June 19 around Union branch in the Overseas shirt and tan shorts. Crean It didn’t take police long 2010; he’s awaiting trial and charged with three felony 2:30 a.m. as she walked to her Market on North Roosevelt said he had Band-Aids to take Carlos Rossi, now 41, being held in the county jail counts of robbery, multiple Boulevard around 1:30 p.m. wrapped around his fingers. and Jessica Pentacoff, now felony counts of credit-card ● See Pills, 2A By about 3:30 p.m., police “There was some belief 22, into custody after the lat- ● See Bank, 2A INDEX Printed on 100% Classifieds . .2B recycled Illegal newsprint Hopes alive Living . .3B CONTENTS © 2011 harvests Washington lawmakers Business . .5A KEYNOTER PUBLISHING CO. still can’t come up with a Obituaries . .2A Lobster season’s been closed for months, but budget deal, but in Opinion . .4A some still don’t get it — Marathon, city officials Sports/Outdoors . .1B and end up in jail. are confident for Boot Story, 2A Key money. Story, 6A Crossword . .4B 7786790 22222 2A Wednesday, July 6, 2011 KeysNet.com Keynoter NEWS BRIEFS CRIME FRONT MEDIA Parents hope to expand playground Three charged in ‘Keynoter’ wins A group of Marathon par- General Excellence ents hopes to expand the lobster poaching playground area at Trade group ● Reporter Kevin Sombrero Beach with bal- One suspect Mario Vazquez, 42, of rate violation. Wadlow won third place for ance beams, monkey bars, Miami was arrested Sunday Vazquez’s spearguns and also bestows Feature Story for “When slides and more — elements arrested two off Grassy Key after Mattson dive gear were seized as evi- water came, they drowned the playground had before saw the defendant snorkeling dence.