KEY LARGO 305.451.5700 make. MARATHON 305.743.4397 home. KEY WEST comfortable. 305.295.6400 keysfurniture.com WWW.KEYSINFONET.COM SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014 VOLUME 61, NO. 38 G 25 CENTS DEEPWATER HORIZON DISASTER BP: Millions in claims fraudulent By KEVIN WADLOW “We know of millions of But Keys attorney counterclaims tlement system was being correspondent Scott Pelley in Senior Staff Writer dollars sitting there,” said drained by fraudulent claims. the “60 Minutes” segment [email protected] Bernadette Restivo, managing that money is still being held back “There are more than a called “Over the Barrel.” partner of the Restivo, Reilly thousand claims ... that had Attorneys for the businesses and Vigil-Farinas firm in Key waiting for was the wire trans- businesses that filed claims glaring red flags associated contend BP lawyers now want A “60 Minutes” report last Largo. “We represent six fer to their accounts. Then it against BP for economic losses with them that should have to rewrite the settlement agree- Sunday on stalled BP claimants that actually were stopped,” she said. stemming from the April 2000 been picked out by the claims ment that the international Deepwater Horizon settle- given an award, executed the In October, federal judges oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. administrator and instead were company willingly accepted in ments hit home for many settlement agreement and sur- in the eastern district of No payments to businesses ultimately awarded more than the wake of the 200-million- Florida Keys business owners, vived an appellate action.” Louisiana approved a tempo- have been made since BP $500 million,” BP Vice says a local plaintiffs’ attorney. “The only thing we were rary halt of to payments to lawyers protested that the set- President Geoff Morell told See BP, 6A NATIONAL DISPLAY WATER ACCESS More Card Sound Road areas closed property, which is owned by Murphy says the Florida Department of blame Miami Transportation and main- tained by Monroe County, residents for it was also used as a boat ramp before the county blocked it By DAVID GOODHUE with barriers and boulders. [email protected] The county this week closed vehicle access under- More areas on the Monroe neath the Steam Boat Creek County side of Card Sound Bridge, which is the second Road in North Key Largo are small bridge after the turnoff being closed to vehicles from State Road 905 onto because of traffic safety con- Card Sound Road. cerns, fights and trash that is The area, like the other left over after weekend par- four small bridges on the ties. Monroe side of Card Sound Monroe County officials Road, is a popular fishing closed the popular “Jet Ski spot. None of the bridges will beach” last month, which be closed to anglers, but birthed mixed reaction from more areas on the road are Keys residents. On one hand, soon expected to be off limits people were happy to see to cars, which will limit park- efforts being made to stop ing and, hopefully, partiers, weekend revelers from trash- Monroe County Mayor ing the water and mangroves. Sylvia Murphy said. But there is also concern that As for boat ramp access, “Jet Ski beach,” which is just the ramp at Harry Harris Park This painting of a tarpon by Island Christian School 11th-grader Bailee Egan will hang in the Capitol Gallery in south of the Card Sound in Tavernier is free Monday Washington, D.C., for the next year. Egan won what’s called the Congressional Art Challenge for U.S. House District Bridge, is one of the few through Friday, and there is 26, represented by Joe Garcia, congressman for the Keys and part of Miami-Dade County. Teachers from District 26 places left where people can were among judges of the competition. Garcia plans to visit Egan’s home this weekend to offer his congratulations. access the water for free. The See Closures, 4A CRIME FRONT MARATHON Turtle remains found Board OKs new housing complex Eastwind Apartments on in cooler near bridge Proposal for Sombrero Beach Road. 106 units now Of the 106 units, 62 (31 Keynoter Staff loaded the duplexes) would be desig- cooler into goes to council nated moderate affordable- Possessing a butchered sea the car trunk. income housing while the turtle and 212 illegally taken The deputy remaining 44 units (22 followed the By RYAN McCARTHY lobster put a Marathon man in [email protected] duplexes) would be market- jail Thursday. car across the rate. Serguei Perez Perdomo, Seven Mile The Marathon Planning Eastwind President Jack 37, remained in the Monroe Bridge and Commission gave the go Weir told the planning com- radioed for a County jail at press time PERDOMO ahead on Monday for a 106- missioners that target house- Friday, charged with a felony patrol car to unit rental-only development hold incomes for the afford- count of possessing slaugh- stop the Camry in Marathon. aimed at moderate-income able units would be roughly tered remains of a protected “Deputy Guerra confront- Middle Keys residents. $60,000 per year to just more species, along with several ed Perez Perdomo about the After a lengthy hearing, than $100,000. major conservation violations. cooler he’d placed in his the panel voted 5-0 in favor Pressed by commission- Deputy Wilfredo Guerra of trunk,” Sheriff’s Office infor- of a conditional-use permit ers on the rent, Weir said the the Monroe County Sheriff’s mation officer Becky Herrin and development agreement expectation would be $2,000 Office received information said. “Perez Perdomo admit- for Tarpon Harbour, as the per month for two-bedroom Keynoter photo by RYAN McCARTHY that a man unloaded a white ted it was his, along with the project is known. It would be units. cooler from his skiff at the contents.” at the former Aloha Trailer Realtor Josh Mothner, a The Planning Commission has OK’d a 106-unit housing south end of the Ohio- Of the 212 lobster tails, all Park on the oceanside of Tarpon Harbour consultant, complex for this 12.86-acre U.S. 1 property around mile Missouri Bridge around 8:45 out of season, 145 were under- U.S. 1 near mile marker said the $2,000 would be on sized. The cooler also held 12 marker 50.5. It would feature 53 two- and three-bed- p.m., then hid the cooler in 50.5. The 12.86-acre proper- the high end for the afford- room, 2.5-bath duplexes. mangroves. crab claws, two of which were ty would consist of 53 two- able units. He said the 22 Guerra found and opened undersized. and three-bedroom, 2.5-bath market-rate units could be cash flow work,” Mothner Tarpon Harbour would be the cooler to find “a large Guerra reported that Perez duplexes. rented for whatever the mar- said. unique in that it targets mid- amount of spiny lobster tails, Perdomo asked for “a break,” Tarpon Harbour was pro- ket will bear. Mothner called the proj- dle-income earners and stone-crab claws and a muti- citing family problems. posed by Marathon Ocean “They need to build the ect ideal for “professional or would require no federal, lated turtle,” he reported. “I explained to [him] that Housing LLC, a division of market-rate to offset the para-professional” residents. state or county funding. The Guerra stayed to watch to he had some serious charges Palm Beach Gardens-based affordable units. The fact He said there’s a lack of homes would feature higher- the area. More than an hour and I could not make them go Eastwind Development. that there’s a limit, [Weir] affordable two- and three- end amenities and the devel- later, a Toyota Camry stopped away,” Guerra reported. Eastwind Development is needs the market-rate for the bedroom houses in at the site and the driver unrelated to the low-income balance so they can make the Marathon. See Duplexes, 2A INDEX Printed on 100% Classifieds . .7B recycled newsprint Living . .2B CONTENTS © 2014 Owe taxes? In L’attitudes Business . .5A KEYNOTER PUBLISHING CO. Monroe County’s The music’s nonstop for Obituaries . .2A delinquent tax rolls are in four days at the Key Largo Opinion . .4A the Keynoter today and Original Music Festival. May 14 and 21. Story and schedule, 4B Sports/Outdoors . .1B Crossword . .6B 7786790 22222 2A Saturday, May 10, 2014 KeysInfoNet.com Keynoter NEWS BRIEFS MARATHON MONROE COUNTY SCHOOLS Judge: No drug test for job applicants Marathon Gracy stepping down U.S. District Court Judge He’s been the “Iffor the students.” Lawrence King on Friday ruled another AVID stands for that the city of Key West’s getting dirty principal at opportunity Advancement Via Individual drug-testing policy for prospec- arises, I’d Determination, a program tive employees is illegal. City to buy getting it done for maybe Marathon High make an started in California in 1980. The American Civil $90,000 to $100,000,” arrange- “It provides additional Liberties Union of Florida discounted fill Solis said. By RYAN McCARTHY ment with time and support to kids so represents Karen Cabanas At an April 29 meeting, [email protected] the district. they can move toward the City Council opted to Voss. She sued the city last for city hall GRACY Depending advanced coursework. It’s a May after being told, when build a roughly $4.86 mil- Hammond Gracy is step- on what I nonprofit corporation and applying to be the city’s recy- By RYAN McCARTHY lion city hall that would ping down next month after do, there’s a possibility we they put together a system,” cling coordinator, that she had [email protected] provide a 150-seat meet- four years as principal at stay in the Marathon area,” Gracy said.