Local News in Monroe County

Commissioners Finalize FY27 Budget; Prioritize Public Safety

Village Offices will close Thursday, September 17, at 11:30 AM for an employee wellness event.

We appreciate your patience as our team takes part in this wellness event. Village Offices will reopen with regular hours Friday, September 18.

Islamorada's Second Budget Hearing Rescheduled

Islamorada's Second Budget Hearing has been rescheduled to Monday, September 28, 2026 at 5:30PM

Key West City Commission Unanimously Advances FY2027 Budget

Exclusive: Fantasy Fest Feature — Who came up with this year’s popular theme?

Editor’s Note: T-minus 40 days until the 2026 Fantasy Fest parade. Join the Keys Weekly each week for exclusive Fantasy Fest features highlighting the people and projects behind the island’s biggest annual party. Fantasy Fest is an endless showcase of local creativity — a…

Key West Back in the Day: The Island of Lost Laundry

Jimmy Buffett dreamed up the Island of Lost Laundry, and it was a perfect example of his extraordinary creativity. He mentioned the mythical island in a 1985 article in the Coconut Telegraph, the combination fan newsletter and mail-order catalog for his brand-new Margaritaville…

Aquarium Encounters donates $200K for Habitat full-home build

Habitat for Humanity of the Middle Keys thanked Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters for the company’s support in the Middle Keys. ‘Aquarium Encounters’ donation of $200,000 as a full-home sponsor of Habitat’s most recent build at 105th Street in Marathon is monumental to the success…

Read-a-thon proceeds support new playground at Islamorada’s St. James Children’s Center

School staff, students, parents, alumni and local officials gathered for a recent ribbon-cutting to introduce a colorful and inviting new outdoor play space at St. James Children’s Center in Islamorada. The new space in the rear of the school building includes a playhouse, tree…

Just a Few Friends festival fills Key West with music & memories

Before his death on Sept. 1, 2023, Jimmy Buffett reportedly told friends and family to “keep the party going. Play the music.” And Key West has done exactly that in the three years since the singer/songwriter succumbed to a rare form of skin cancer known as Merkel cell carcinoma…

Southernmost Point Roadway Project

ACLU files second lawsuit against city of Key West over code complaints

It’s not sunshine and rainbows at city hall. The ACLU of Florida on Sept. 9 filed a second lawsuit against the city of Key West, alleging that city officials retaliated against two local residents who filed the first lawsuit pertaining to rainbow-painted fence pickets in Old…

In pictures: School board salutes 20 years for retiring chair John Dick

A pre-meeting reception on Sept. 8 heralded the Sept. 9 retirement of the Monroe County School Board’s longest-tenured member, as staff, friends and board members past and present gathered at Marathon High School to celebrate John Dick. The outgoing chair has been a mainstay on…