Music On the Rock
Transcription
Music On the Rock
Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page www.kwtn.com KEY WEST THE NEWSPAPER • JUNE 11, 2010 PAGE ONE COMMENTARY Selling City Property Could Help Solve City’s Financial Woes CITY OFFICIALS SHOULD GET OUT OF THE REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT BUSINESS. THEY ARE SIMPLY NOT VERY GOOD AT IT CITY COMMISSION LIKELY TO GIVE VOTERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO APPROVE THE SALE OF AT LEAST ONE PIECE OF CITY PROPERTY IN NOVEMBER by Dennis Reeves Cooper At the City Commission meeting next Tuesday, it is likely that the mayor and commissioners will approve placing a referendum on the November ballot to give city officials the authority to sell a piece of city property that is not being used for city business. We hope that the commission does approve the referendum and we also hope that, subsequently, Key West voters will vote “yes” in November. If you are a long-time reader of Key West The Newspaper, you know that we have asked the following question many times: Why is the city in the real estate business anyway?! Historically, city management has simply not been very good at it. Did you know that the City of Key West, for some reason, owns something like 75 pieces of real estate that are not used for city offices or other city operations? Like a commercial real estate management company, the city rents out most of these properties. But unlike a commercial real estate management company, city management does not have to worry about “highest and best use” or making a profit. Sweetheart deals abound. In fact, at least 10 of the renters of city-owned property reportedly pay less than $10 a year! One of the best examples of a sweetheart deal may be the Key West Yacht Club. Beautiful waterfront property. Private club for some of the city’s most affluent citizens. But, unless you are a member, you would not be allowed to go out there and eat and drink— even though this is city-owned property. And even if you have enough money to join, you may not be allowed to join. Members can blackball potential members for any reason. One of the former publishers of the Key West Citizen was blackballed because he had fired the husband of former Judge Sandy Taylor, the club’s former commodore. “Commodore” is what they call the president of the club. You may already know that the Yacht Club leases that property from the city for $1 a year. We don’t make this stuff up. A couple of years ago, we told you about another little scandal that grew out of city officials’ incompetent property management. Back in 1999, the city leased the Cable Hut, a little building on Mallory Square, to Larry and Barbara See PROPERTY, page 5 Just in Case . . . College Offering “Oiled Wildlife Response” Course TWO ONE-DAY COURSES SET FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY Florida Keys Community College will offer two “Oiled Wildlife Response” training sessions this Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13, as part of the college’s ongoing efforts to prepare community members to respond to pending impact from Deepwater Horizon oil looming in the Gulf. The day-long course, facilitated by Sarasota-based Save Our Seabirds, Inc., will be held from 9:00a.m. to 6:00p.m. both days at the college’s Key West campus. The cost is $50 per person. This course provides the necessary training, as permitted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, for the treatment of oiled wildlife and the safety and health of responders. The first half of the course consists of a lecture on protocols and methods used to stabilize injured wildlife and clean oiled wildlife. The second part of the course focuses on demonstration and hands-on training in cleaning oiled wildlife. In addition, participants are required to take the OSHA “Four-Hour Marine Oil Post-Emergency Response for Clean-up Workers” course. The Oiled Wildlife Response course is co-sponsored by Florida Keys Wildlife Rescue and accommodations have been provided by Comfort Inn. Info: Visit FKCC’s website at www.fkcc.edu for the latest schedule of training sessions. For more information or to register for the course, call FKCC Director of Continuing Education Cathy Torres at (305) 809-3250. Music On the Rock LISTINGS AND INFO PAGES 11-19 THE ISLAND’S OLDEST INDEPENDENT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page BITCHIN’ PARADISE Bad Hair Day by Kimberley Denney If there was just one rule of the hair salon, it should be this: never go with a GBF (gay boyfriend). I know, I know, you’d think this would be a perfect pairing, but in reality it’s a perfect storm. Trust me on this one. I should have known better after the disaster with Glenn. But then again, I hadn’t even realized what a train wreck that was until after the fact. Obviously, that memory had started to fade. Because here I was on a Saturday morning, almost a year after the Glenncident, meeting Scott for a burger and a beer a few hours before my cut and color at a new salon. We texted each other ahead of time, agreeing that we would both be good. Bellied up to the Strip House bar, our resolve crumbled when Abby pulled out the Zing Zang. One Bloody Mary won’t hurt. Just one. It was noon on Saturday after all. Well okay, just one more. We barely had time for food before I had to head out to the salon. Scott decided he could use a pedicure for his trip to Gay Days Orlando, so off we biked, from one end of Simonton to another. A sense of deja vu was creeping up on me. I never expected to be off to the salon with a GBF again. This time it would be different. I’d stay in control. Yeah. I was armed with an arsenal of knowledge. I knew how a fun afternoon could turn into a disaster at the salon. Last year, the morning of the Glenncident started out on a similar note. Glenn and I had flexible work schedules, and would meet for breakfast some Fridays. This became more frequent when it was clear he would be forced to take an unexpected temporary, yet still painfully long trip back to England. Who needed Sunday Funday? We rocked Friday well into sunset. That Friday morning I warned him I had a hair date that couldn’t be missed under any circumstances. That was the only obligation on my plate. We started at Schooner Wharf, but breakfast was over. We had a Bloody Mary (okay, maybe two) while we decided where to go next. Let’s just say that first Bloody Mary was the beginning of the end. I can’t remember all the details of the day, until we ended up back at Glenn’s pool, swimming and drinking champagne until my date rolled around. I hate cancelling appointments, but especially hair because stylists take their sweet time rescheduling you and my roots couldn’t afford to wait another day. All I needed to do was sit it a chair for two hours. Easy enough. The hardest part would be getting there. Glenn decided he’d keep me company, so hand in hand, we stumbled off to the salon. Seriously, how See KIMBERLEY, page 4 www.kwtn.com news briefs Free Navy Band Concerts Friday The U.S. Navy Band Southeast’s Ceremonial Band will conduct free public performances Friday in Key West at the San Carlos Theatre and Mallory Square. Navy Band Southeast’s Ceremonial Band is in town for Naval Air Station Key West’s change of command ceremony Friday. The band’s VIP Jazz Combo will perform at the San Carlos Theatre on Duval Street today, Friday at 6 p.m. The Dixieland band TGIF and popular music band Pride will both perform at Mallory Square this evening, Friday at 7 p.m. The Ceremonial Band performs for military functions including change of command and retirement ceremonies and commissioning and decommissioning of ships and military units. Highly versatile, the band or any of its various sub-groups are perfect for the widest variety of musical settings including military ceremonies, public concerts, parades and much more. Inspiring pride and patriotism through music, this incredibly popular unit performs more than 500 engagements annually throughout the Southeastern United States. Traffic Flow Change on Angela Beginning Monday, the one-way traffic flow on several blocks of Angela Street will be reversed. From Margaret Street to Frances Street, along the edge of the Key West Cemetery, the traffic flow run east to west. It currently runs west to east. The change affects only those blocks of Angela between Margaret and Frances streets. That portion of Angela will remain one-way, just the direction of traffic flow will change. Fast Buck’s Windows Feature Street Work Anyone walking past Fast Buck Freddie’s on Duval Street will get a primer about Key West’s storm water gravity well construction, thanks to the window artists at the store. Owner Anthony Falcone and designers Ann Lorraine, Larry Roybal and Tim Mills have created another of their renowned window displays, this time focusing on the construction that has affected much of Old Town. Mannequins wearing the faces of the city’s commissioners, the city manager and the mayor are arrayed among orange construction cones and barricades. Signs explain that federal stimulus funding is paying the lion’s share of the cost. Explained, too, is the importance of the wells in maintaining the pristine quality of the island’s nearshore waters. The city is in the process of installing 27 gravity wells and five outfall pollution control devices with the help of federal stimulus grant funding. Because of federal deadlines, many of the projects were undertaken at once. That means that most of the construction will be wrapping up in the next few weeks. Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page Kimberley FROM page 2 gay is that? My stylist was running late, and we were offered a glass of wine. Which of course we accepted. You just don’t turn down free salon wine. Raise the curtain on the final act. We were the only ones in the waiting area. Glenn’s elderly mum called and he chatted with her on the phone. He said he was at the salon with a hooker. Being in the state of mind I was in, I didn’t pick up on the slang, and worried what this proper British lady I never met was thinking of me. So I took the phone and reassured her that I was not, in fact, a hooker. Again and again, apparently. My name was called; Glenn sat in the chair next to me, laughing at the foil antennas being formed on my head. Overcome by chemicals, he went outside to smoke a cigarette. I didn’t hear from him again for two days. Surely I’m not the only person who’s ever shown up or gotten tipsy at the salon, right? I figured after six weeks all would be forgotten. But the next time I climbed into the chair my stylist said, “You and your friend...you were really having fun the last time you were here.” Hee hee. Yep. Then another stylist chimes in, “yeah, you were yelling to someone on the phone about not being a hooker.” Wah? Yelling? I’m not one of those jackasses who yells on a cell phone indoors. But oh my god, I was. And that’s when I realized that no matter how much time goes by, every time I would walk into that salon I’d always be the hooker. I’d always be the drunk girl. I never went back. Finally I found another stylist I liked, at a salon that did not serve wine. After my third appointment she told me she was moving to my hooker salon. So not only did I not want to face the stylist whose client list I disappeared from, I couldn’t risk going back and being the drunk girl. Now here I was with Scott, entering a new salon and vowing to myself that I would not be the hooker here. I mentally willed Scott not to make me the drunk girl. Please. Have strength for the both of us. Because I’m just a girl who can’t say no. Unfortunately, so is he. Naturally, as soon as I checked in the receptionist graciously asked if we’d like mimosas while we waited. Three, two one...why yes, yes we would. They had to call in a specialist for Scott’s toes, so he went to a bar around the corner and thoughtfully picked up a couple of Coronas and brought them back to the salon. At this point I let him...no, maybe even encouraged his taking photos of me with foils on my head and posting them to Facebook. As if on cue, Glenn immediately posted a comment: ‘Is this the same hairdressers which we both turned up twisted?’ Ah, those Brits can make anything sound civilized. Cut, colored and coiffed, I was out of the chair, the pedicure was underway, and the salon was dry. Scott implored—no, begged—me to go on a Corona run. Now that I was in control you’d think I could have gotten just one beer. Just the one, for Scott, but I was past the point of no return. The bartender offered plastic cups for the beer in case I was walking to Duval and I said no, I’m just going back to the salon around the corner. She said “Oh right, your husband was just in here.” I just nodded my head in agreement and laughed to myself as I thought of my “husband,” who at that moment was having all the colors of the Gay Pride flag painted on his big toes. Then it hit me: my most fun, most memorably unmemorable salon days are the ones with GBFs. And from now on, I won’t have it any other way. [email protected] Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page www.kwtn.com There Is a Reason That City Officials Are Not Allowed to Sell City Property without Voter Approval FROM page 1 Griffiths for $1900 per month. That was well below market rate. But that sweetheart deal was part of a legal settlement with the Griffiths after corrupt city officials illegally breached a previous contract with the Griffiths that would have allowed them the exclusive right to establish a duty-free shop on Mallory Square. Unknown to the Griffiths, however, city officials were secretly negotiating the same deal with a well-connected business group, headed by a former Monroe County mayor. Guess who got the contract? The Griffiths sued and won. And part of the settlement was the sweetheart lease on the Cable Hut. And because their $1900 deal was so sweet, they were able to quickly sub-let the property to a businessman for $5000 per month for a pizza shop. Do the math. The Griffiths were making a profit of $3100 a month! But remember, this was in lieu of the taxpayers having to pay them a ton of money in damages for screwing them out of the Cable Hut lease. But here’s the rest of the story. Before the Griffiths signed the lease with the city in 1999, the city’s Port Authority offices were located in the Cable Hut— so the city was paying the utility bills. Eight years after the Griffiths had assumed the lease and had sublet the property to the pizza shop, somebody in city government suddenly realized that the city was still paying the electric and water bills! The owner of the pizza shop had never changed the utilities over to his name, and nobody in city government had noticed. City officials immediately asked the owner of the pizza shop, as well as the Griffiths, the master tenants, to cough up $130,000 to reimburse the city. So, of course, everybody sued everybody else and, as far as we know, those lawsuits are still slogging through the court system. Any questions about why the City of Key West should not be in the real estate business? The property that the city will be asking the voters for permission to sell is 529 Front Street— the spa building at the Pier House Resort. In addition to the spa, the building also houses 22 hotel rooms and several meeting rooms. The Pier House leases that building from the city for $300 per month. That’s not a typo. The Pier House pays the city $300 a month rent for that building. Although the lease does not expire until May 2020, Pier House management has reportedly offered to bid on the purchase of the property at market value— if the city can get permission from the voters to sell it. This could not only produce big bucks for the city from the sale, it would also put the property back on the tax roll. Of course, if and when the city asks for bids, there could be other bidders than the Pier House. Some have questioned the wisdom of trying to sell the property at the bottom of the CONTINUED on next page www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page Property ber. It was defeated, but not by much— 225 votes. After the election, we FROM page 5 opined that there were several market. But the way this process reasons why the majority of works is that, if none of the bids voters voted “no:” are high enough, city officials Most voters simply did can just take the property off not understand it. And because the market and wait for the they didn’t understand it and economy to turn around. because they have mistrusted Are you wondering why city management for years, they the Pier House is paying only just assumed that “something $300 a month for that property? funny” was going on. Mistrust Back in 1965, city officials want- of city management is why, back ed to do a favor for the owners of in history, the people voted to the Key West Handprint Fabrics amend the City Charter to procompany. So they agreed to a hibit city officials from selling $300 sweetheart lease. any city property without voter But in 1987, Key West approval. Handprint went into bankruptWe also opined that the cy and Pier House management voters did not recognize that was acquire the lease— and the the significance of a “yes” vote sweetheart deal. goes far beyond the potential If this pending referen- sale of this one piece of property. dum question sounds familiar, The city simply owns too much it’s because the same question property that has nothing to was on the ballot last Novem- do with city business! And if the voters approve the sale of the Front Street property, they certainly might approve the sale properties. www.kwtn.comof other There is simply no reason for the city to be in the real estate business! And selling much of the property not needed for city business could generate millions of dollars for a city management crying every day about budget shortfalls. letters Nerds Win One EDITOR’S NOTE: The headline was Mr. Barroso’s idea. We here at KWTN would never call Mr. Barroso a nerd without his permission. Three months a conversation was started regarding the tradition of recognizing the top academic achievers in each graduating class, by bestowing on them the titles of Valedictorian and Salutatorian. It was a conversation with origins dating back to the spring of 2008, when those academic titles were voted by the School Board to sunset in 2012 after claims that: competition was getting too fierce, the system for calculating the winners was flawed, and that not enough high academic achievers were being recognized. After a groundswell of community support in favor of saving this long standing and worthy tradition, and a Board willing to right a wrong, it appears that the honors of Valedictorian and Salutatorian have been saved. Going forward, school administrators will revise and update calculation systems to ensure a fair and level playing field. Additionally, they will look into ways to further honor high academic achievers so they all receive the recognition they truly deserve. I understand the devil will be in the details, however, with a community and Board firmly on the same page, I know a mutually-agreed upon honors system can be reached. While our society all too often recognizes success on the playing field, it’s high time we treat students who have reached the pinnacle of academic achievement just as we would our beloved baseball team when they win a state championship. Throughout See HONORS, next page www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page letters Therapist Recommends Stress Management Are you worried about the oil spill we keep hearing is coming our way? I had a friend say to me the other day that we should go to the beach this weekend because “it might be the last chance we get to in our lifetimes.” That freaked me out! I didn’t have all the information. The facts are not as black and white as my friend made them seem to be. I also realized I have a choice about how to deal with this situation, which may or may not even change my life drastically. Since I don’t know how to predict the future (yet), I decided to use some stress Honors FROM page 5 their tenure as students from kindergarten through high school, academic standouts are usually the students that require the least amount of attention or work from school staff. They follow the rules, rarely cause issues for teachers or staff, and are seldom recognized for their achievements. After years spent taking the back seat to everyone else, graduation should be a time when the best of the best are recognized and praised for having hit the academic ball out of the park. Some will be named Valedictorian and Salutatorian, and some will not, but success will be measured by the journey that took them there and a School Board that has righted a wrong and continued a most worthy tradition. Julio J. Barroso Co-Valedictorian, KWHS, 1999 management techniques to get through this troubling time. It’s a good time for a refresher in these tried and true practices, considering the upcoming months tend to put many of us on high alert anyway. There’s a phrase I learned in 10th grade biology to describe how animals deal with stress and change. Adapt, migrate, or perish. It may seem ridiculous, but I believe our animal friends may have something here. I can either adapt - i.e. learn to manage my stress, adapt to any potential change as it comes, and learn better ways of dealing with these things, such as find out the facts first before reacting to media and comments from my friends. One way to start doing this is to find a ritual of dealing with the stress each day. For example, take a short walk on the beach each morning. Then you’ll not only reduce your stress and improve your mood when you don’t see any oil on the beach, but you’ll also improve your health! I can migrate - move somewhere else to relieve my life of the stress or potential stress of the oil spill. To do this I need to make a plan. Where can I go? What are the best options for me? Even a simple pros and cons list can often make us feel more in control. List the top 3 places you’ve always wanted to move to or where you think you’ll have new opportunities. Starting this conversation with yourself might help you make a leap you’ve been avoiding! I can perish. Yes that sounds a little dramatic. The stress, or the impending oil spill (that may or may not be heading our way) will not kill you today. But we all know that living with stress is no way to live and will ultimately have long term negative effects. The strategy for not perishing is to live each day to the fullest, one day at a time. If you have other idea on how to manage the situation, I’m happy to let the world know. Send me an email: BethMoyes@ Yahoo.com. Together we’ll get through this! Beth Moyes Clinical Therapist Key West www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page letters Scholarships Honor Loved Ones I am so happy that you are reading my letter. My name is Sarah Vitale, a 2010 Key West High School graduate. During graduation week I was offered a couple of scholarships. I am very grateful for the generosity offered to me. Two of the scholarships were in memory of very loved and missed members of our community. Because families offer these scholarships as a way to forever remember and honor their loved ones, I want to ask you to also take a moment to remember these special Key West people. I received the Brian Samson Key West High School Band Scholarship from his family. Brian was a class of 2005 Key West High School graduate who greatly contributed to the school and our community with his performance as a saxophonist in the KWHS Band. Brian absolutely loved music and marching for the Conchs, just like I did. I guess you could say we were both band geeks at KWHS. Brian was very talented, popular, friendly, so good looking, happily enthusiastic and seriously involved in sports. Brian left us too soon as a result of an accident at college involving a skateboard. His family reminds us of the importance of using a helmet. Brian has a facebook and I urge you to visit it to see his beautiful smile. I thank his family for honoring me in his remembrance. We will always remember Brian. I also received the Franko Richmond Music Scholarship in remembrance of world-class pianist and composer, Franko Richmond, who left us too soon on January 9 th , 2009. Franko had an immense impact to my life as he taught me so much about music and even more about love of mankind and the earth. Everyone who knew Franko, greatly loved him because he was a very special person. He brought much joy to us through his breathtaking piano playing. Please visit his website at www.frankorichmond.com. Thank you to his lovely wife, Gail Lima, for honoring me in his remembrance. We will never forget Franko. I would like to also take this opportunity to thank the Key West Sons of Italy Lodge and SOI President Carrie Trumbo for offering me a generous scholarship on their behalf. The Sons of Italy does so much for our community and I greatly appreciate their recognition and monetary support as I head to Florida State University. Please keep the people that were honored during the KWHS graduation scholarship evening forever in your hearts. They include Brooke Pazo, Marques Butler, Kendyll Bliss, Steven Jones, Glynn Archer Jr., Bobby Menendez, Franko Richmond, Brian Samson and many, many more. Sarah Vitale KWHS Class of 2010 www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 10 RICK BOETtGER RHONDA Liberal Media Bail Out BP The Romaniacs by Rhonda Linseman-Saunders My mom is visiting, which is why I’ve been extra chipper lately. Don’t act so shocked. I’ve been chipper at least half a dozen times since this column began three years ago. I don’t want my mom to work while she’s here, and I have told her as much. But she either knows I’m lying, or, like most strong women who have raised successful families and have learned a few things along the way, she does what she wants. And since she apparently wants to do my laundry and babysit my children while I escape with my laptop to write, I’m okay with it. What’s even more excellent is that she was here for my son’s second birthday. If you’re a transplant like me, trying to raise your own family away from most of your extended family, it means a lot when special people are around for special occasions. My sister, Jill, even drove down from the mainland for the party. She could not afford the time, but she did it anyway by making it a work trip. This means she had a group of Romanian businessmen in tow. “The Romaniacs” as we called them behind their backs, and also to their faces after a couple drinks, came to the U.S. to learn how the pizza industry operates, with my sister’s guidance. And then they’ll go back and introduce Domino’s Pizza to Romania. And to think I thought her food marketing degree would be even more useless than my degrees. Jill called me first, to make sure it was okay to bring the Romaniacs. At least that’s why she said she was calling. But I know her better than that. She was really calling to make sure my mom and I wouldn’t act like idiots in a botched effort to be gracious to her trainees. She won’t admit it, but she was afraid we would shout at them, very slowly, things like, “DO. YOU. MISS. YOUR. MOTHERLAND?” To which she’d have to say, “Mom, it’s okay. Their hearing’s good and so is their English. They speak five languages, in fact.” So I read between the lines and instructed my family to act completely normally and not to act like we are afraid they’re actually some kind of leftover Cold War spies. Even though that was a different country. Well, Oops. I suppose I ought to have asked them to act like “a normal family” instead of asking them to act “normally.” At some point during the beginning of their birthday party visit, my husband made some coffee and sang, “My coffee brings all the boys to the yard, cause my beans (hold a beat) are better than yours.” He did not sound at all like R & B singer Kelis, whose “Milkshake” he was mimicking. “Hoes, honey. Hoes to the yard, please? Instead of boys?” I asked my husband. He nodded and changed it up. After our boys and hoes interlude I immediately shifted my attention to our international guests. “So gentlemen, is there still a lot of political unrest in your area?” “Um, no. No. Is all very good now,” the most tolerant of the Romaniacs said. “Is been good for something like, say, many years now. Okay?” “Oh, well that’s great news,” I said. “Because I used to work with a woman who barely escaped your, um, your area. Her husband, a PhD scientist, escaped your, uh, homeland at least a year before my friend, and she was left with their baby to try to get out and join him in the United States.” The Romaniacs were not aware that I am also fluent in body language, so I saw them as each other, “Is it just me or is this lady’s a complete fruitcake?” I tried hard to recover. “But I guess that was a long time ago,” I said. “I guess it sure was, yes.” he said. He used a patient tone that I did not deserve. We also forgot to warn the Romaniacs that our son would be opening a pink dollhouse for his birthday. What? The dude wanted a doll house. So what? But what’s worse than the impression of American family life we gave them down here is that they had to spend the rest of their time in Miami. Need I say more? Remarkably, despite my family’s best accidental attempt to start an international incident based on cultural ignorance (ours), the Romaniacs reported having a great time, learning a lot, and loving our island. [email protected] WHAT’S YOUR OPINION? Send a Letter to the Editor: [email protected] WHAT’S YOUR OPIN- Let us be crystal clear about the twin oil crimes in the Gulf: it’s all BP’s fault. Their first crime was cutting corners so drastically their rig blew up, killing eleven and spewing at least 20,000 barrels of oil per day into our waters. The second crime is ongoing, as BP refuses to retrieve the vast bulk of their lost oil from, choosing instead to let it keep poisoning our Gulf. Yes, BP is coldly, profitably, choosing NOT to take hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil out of the water, which they could do easily. How? The simplest and most obvious technology, one tested and used over and over again: simply pump the oil out of the ocean into tankers. When the tanker is full, bring the tanker to shore, unload the oil to refineries, and go back out for more. It can’t be that easy, you say, for if it were, we surely would have heard of it, and of course it would be done. Well, to me, the most sickening aspect of this whole tragedy is that the simple suck-up-the-oil plan has been reported widely, starting on the internet, then a long magazine article, next the cable news, and, just last weekend, the major network news. The story is short and simple: do what Saudi Aramco did with a similarly immense disaster in 1993: spend months See BOETTGER, page 23 Key West Key T H E N E W S P A P E R Key West The Newspaper is published every Friday, all year 'round, 52 weeks a year. Free distribution weekly: 9,000 News tips and letters to the editor are welcome. Editorial and advertising office: 422 Fleming Street Mail: P.O. Box 567, Key West FL 33041 Phone: (305) 292-2108. Fax: (305) 292-1882. E-mail: [email protected] Website: kwtn.com Subscriptions: $40 for six months Editor/Publisher Dennis Reeves Cooper, Ph.D. Associate Editor Rhonda Linseman-Saunders Photography Richard Watherwax Art Director Art Winstanley Contributors Michael Barnes, Hal O’Boyle, Kimberley Denney, Harry Skevington, Rick Boettger, Ken Davis Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 11 www.kwtn.com ENTERTAINMENT • EATING & DRINKING • NIGHTLIFE • EVENTS • ARTS Weekend Music at Turtle Kraals Caffeine Carl & Raven at Schooner Wharf THE CAFFEINE & RAVEN BAND— featuring Caffeine Carl and Raven Cooper— will be at Schooner Wharf Bar tonight and tomorrow night, Friday and Saturday, June 1112, 7 ‘til midnight. Chas Blakemore & Band at Cowboy Bill’s CHRIS CASE (left above) and KEITH RICKS will be on stage at the Turtle Kraals tonight, Friday, June 11. JEFF CLARK takes over on Saturday night Showtime both nights 8 ‘til 11. CHAS BLAKEMORE & THE MOONSHINE OUTLAWS will be headlining a huge array of live music at Cowboy Bill’s this weekend. They’ll be on the main stage Friday, Saturday and Sunday, starting at 10. Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 12 www.kwtn.com more entertainment MUSIC ON THE ROCK Larry Smith and Guests at the Pier House Wine Galley PIANIST LARRY SMITH (above, right) performs with guests Friday through Monday in the Wine Galley at the Pier House Resort. This week, guests are singer-songwriter Adrienne tonight, Friday, June 11. On Saturday night, drummer Roger Van Zant joins Larry. The Sunday Showcase stars singersinger-songwriter Gregory James(above left). Larry begins at 7. His guests join him at 9. Monday is jazz jam night, starting at 9. www.kwtn.com MUSIC ON THE ROCK 3 Peace at Lazy Gecko 3 PEACE— Sparky, Shane and Redawg are rocking the Lazy Gecko (next door to Sloppy Joes’s on Duval Street) every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 7 ‘til 11. Douglas and Colt at Hogfish Bar & Grill ROBERT DOUGLAS (right) will be entertaining at the Hogfish Bar & Grill on Stock Island , Friday, June 11. CW COLT takes over on Saturday night. showtime both nights: 6 ‘til 10. Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 13 Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 14 www.kwtn.com MUSIC ON THE ROCK Yankee Jack at the Bull YANKEE JACK has been entertaining at the famous Bull Bar almost forever. Catch him this weekend from 1 ‘til 5pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday. He is also on stage during the week, every day except Wednesday. Lenore Troia: Jazz at the Gardens LENORE TROIA & Friends will be entertaining at the Gardens Hotel this Sunday afternoon, June 13, 5 ‘til 7:30 Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 15 www.kwtn.com MUSIC ON THE ROCK At the Parrot: Paul Cebar’s Tomorrow Sound all Weekend PAUL CEBAR’S TOMORROW SOUND (formerly Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans) will be at the Green Parrot Bar all weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 11-13. “Sound checks” every afternoon at 5:30, plus 10 o’clock gigs on Friday and Saturday nights. Raven Owns Thursday Nights at the Groove Lounge RAVEN’S regular Thursday night gig at the Groove Lounge at the BottleCap, is continuing to pull in her fans. Showtime is 10 o’clock. www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 16 MUSIC on the rock Live Music on the Island KEY WEST IS FAMOUS FOR ITS LIVE MUSIC. HERE’S A LISTING OF SOME OF THE TOP MUSIC VENUES IN THE SOUTHERNMOST CITY EDITOR’S NOTE: Music schedules are subject to change without notice. To be included in this listing, venues may email music schedules to [email protected] by end of day Monday. The Bull One of Duval Street’s last open-air bars— actually three bars: The Bull on the first floor, the Whistle on the second floor and the clothing-optional Garden of Eden on the roof. Live music all day and late into the night. Capt. Tony’s Saloon A Key West landmark at 428 Greene Street, just off Duval. Since the 1850s, the building has been an ice house, a telegraph station, a cigar factory, a bordello and a series of THE BULL CAPT. TONY’S SALOON bars, including the original Sloppy Joe’s. This is where Hemingway drank 1933-37. The legendary Capt. Tony Tarrecino, a charterboat captain and a former gunrunner, bought the place in 1958. Tony was the Mayor of Key West 19891991. Live music every day from noon. The Carl Peachey Band is the house band. Cowboy Bill’s Honky Tonk Saloon Duval Street’s only Country Bar. 610 Duval Street. Live music every day. Two stages. Ladies drink free Wednesdays 9-11. Sports venue, too. Come ride the bull. Music this weekend: Chas Blakemore & the Moonshine Outlaws will headline a huge array of live music over the weekend. They will be on the main stage Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, starting at 10. El Alamo is the newest live music venue on the island. Located on Charles Street, just across Duval from Sloppy Joe’s. Live music nightly. CONTINUED on next page Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 17 www.kwtn.com Behind Bars RICHARD WATHERWAX BARTENDER OF THE WEEK MICHELLE tends bar at Don’s Place. Her specialty drink is a Raspberry Kamikaze Tell us who your favorite drink server is: [email protected] music on the rock FROM previous page Finnegan’s Wake An authenic Irish Pub, off the beaten path at 320 Grinnell Street. Finbar B. Dingle will be on stage tonight, Friday, June 11. Samuel Smedley and his Silly String Band entertain Saturday. Showtime both nights 8pm. FINNEGAN’S WAKE Gardens Hotel Jazz on Sunday. This week, Lenore Troia and friends will be playing 5 ‘til 7:30. Green Parrot Bar A Key West landmark since 1890. A favorite of locals and visitors alike. But even regulars were mystified when, in May 2000, Playboy magazine named the Parrot one of the 24 Best Bars in America. We don’t make this in the world! Live music this weekend: Robert Douglas will be on stage tonight, Friday, June 11. CW Colt will take over Saturday night. Showtime both nights is 6 ‘til 10. Pier House Resort Larry Smith and special guests Thursday through Monday nights. Larry begins at 7pm; guests join him at 9. GREEN PARROT Rick’s and Durty Harry’s stuff up. Located on Whitehead at 208 Duval Street. Live music every Southard, just a block off Duval, night. this is the home of great drinks and Rum Barrel A popular resbad art— and one of the top venues taurant, bar and music venue at the for live music on the island. This corner of Front and Simonton. weekend: Paul Cebar’s Tomorrow Schooner Wharf Bar Sound will be in the house Friday, Another top music venue. Famous Saturday and Sunday, June 11-13. mostly-outdoor bar located right “Sound checks” every afternoon at on the water at Key West’s His5:30, plus 10 o’clock gigs on Friday toric Seaport at the foot of William and Saturday nights. Street. “This must be the center Groove Lounge at the of the universe,” wrote newsman BottleCap One of the oldest and Charles Kurault. Voted Best Locals most famous watering holes on the Bar six years in a row. The irreverisland. A block off Duval Street ent Michael McCloud is on stage at 1128 Simonton Street. Raven every afternoon except Tuesday, Cooper continues to entertain at noon ‘til 5. The Caffeine & Raven the BottleCap on Thursday nights, Band will be on stage both Friday starting at 10. and Saturday nights, June 11-12, 7 Hogfish Bar & Grill Funky ‘til midnight. waterfront venue on Stock Island. Maybe the best hogfish sandwich CONTINUED on next page www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 18 music on the rock FROM previous page SCHOONER WHARF BAR NOW HIRING Sloppy Joe’s One of the most famous bars in the world. This was Hemingway’s favorite bar in the 1930s. Right in the heart of the Duval Street action. Live music every day from noon ‘til late. Sunset Pier at the Ocean Key House, Zero Duval. Talk about a waterfront venue! The pier sticks right out into the harbor. The Keys Popular piano bar at 1114 Duval Street. Live mu- sic 7 ‘til late. Closed Monday and Tuesday during the summer. Turtle Kraals Ricks & Case will entertain tonight, Friday, June 11. Jeff Clark takes over the stage Saturday night. Showtime both nights: 8 ‘til 11. Virgilio’s Live music every night. www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 19 www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 20 film What’s on at the Tropic by Phil Mann The Tropic has been busy this week with a couple of wide-release movies --KILLERS and SPLICE--that are a bit of a change of pace from the usual fare. Both are getting raves from locals. SPLICE, in particular, seems destined for cult movie fame. These two are being held over, now joined by two other popular films, assuring that there will be plenty of cool entertainment for the hot weather. LETTERS TO JULIET stars Amanda Seyfried (Chloe, Mamma Mia!) as a young American romantic bent on helping an older British woman (Vanessa Redgrave) find her long-lost Italian love. The terrain is Tuscany, the search is exciting, and even if we know how it’s going to turn out, who doesn’t enjoy another trip to Italy? On the other hand, if you’d prefer to travel all over the world encased in a metal suit, IRONMAN 2 is the movie for you. (Can someone tell me why it isn’t IRONMAN II? If ever a movie called for the selfimportant escalation of Roman numbers, this would seem to be it.) Anyhow, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, II) is back in his XXI Century armor, doing battle with adversaries that include the Russian scientist Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke). It’s all a CGI festival, but with the human enhancement of these great actors. Just plain fun. But there’s also plenty for serious Tropic habitués. In the face of government censorship and repression, an underground arts movement persists in Iran. Several film directors have been jailed, and others have chosen to continue to work in exile. Director Bahman Ghobadi shot his film in secret over 17 days inside LETTERS TO JULIET the country, knowing that the subject matter would never be approved. NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS is the story of a group of young Iranian musicians trying to get passports and visas to perform at a concert in London. They have to rehearse in basement rooms, insulated with walls covered in egg cartons. The only source of travel documents is a black market forger who promises he can produce anything from an Iranian passport to an American green card. The movie takes us inside Tehran, into the cellars, and through the streets on motor bikes. It weaves the music throughout--Iranian indie rock, Iranian rap, and even traditional Iranian music, all with a political message. I guess they’re all “Persian cats.” Ghobadi got out of Iran and was able to premier his film at Cannes last year. He can’t go back. But his film will get you as close as you’re likely to get. EVERYONE ELSE also takes us to Italy, but to the island of Sardinia, much wilder and more remote than the Tuscan mainland. A pair of German vacationers, Chris and Gitti, are given the opportunity to explore the extent of their love while alone at Chris’ parents’ vacation villa. But a couple of dinners with a more established neighboring couple confuse the situation. It “might not be perfect, but so much is right and true in this lovely, delicate work that it comes breathtakingly close,” says Manhola Dargis in the New York Times. Or listen to Kevin Lee in Slant Magazine, a publication that loves to be contrary: “Not only is Everyone Else an instant contender for the pantheon of breakup movies, its manifold splendors evoke entire periods of great cinema.” It’s not usual to get these critics on the same page. On the Special Events calendar, the Tropic is joining with The Studios of Key West and the Coffee Mill in a Modern Dance Festival revolving around a visit to Key West by Mauricio Nadal and Daniel Fetecua Soto, principal dancers of the Martha Graham and Jose Limon Dance Companies. They’ll be teaching a course at the Mill and giving a talk at the Studio... and screening a couple of documentary films at the Tropic. A unique opportunity. Full info and schedules at TropicCinema.com. Comments, please, to [email protected] Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 21 www.kwtn.com EATING & DRINKING Finnegan’s Wake: More Than Irish by Kerrie Mortimer Finnegan’s Wake is located at 320 Grinnell street in Old Town and has been known by locals for their stick-to-your-ribs traditional Irish entrees. Their cheery and friendly atmosphere and impressive selection of over 85 different varieties of beer— with 25 of them on draft— has kept locals and visitors coming back for years. And while there’s no doubt they show their “true Irish style,” this pleasant pub offers many tasty alternatives to the typical Irish pub menu. Owner/Manager Wayne Keller, who has worked diligently to perfect his recipes to please just about everyone. Finnegan’s Wake now offers an expanded menu. New choices include a fresh “Fun with Veggies” option and “Chef’s Features” menu, which changes monthly. Wayne also knows that every successful restaurant needs a few family favorites for the kids, so he offers gooey grilled cheese with fresh apple sauce and fun finger foods including pigs in a blanket with fried baby corn. A special vegatarian menu is also available. My husband and I were lucky enough to be invited to dine at Finnegan’s Wake last week. We anticipated a great culinary experience and Wayne definitely didn’t let us down! The refreshing AC welcomed us into Finnegan’s where Robin, our enthusiastic server, escorted us to our spacious booth in the dining room, adjacent to the bar. We each ordered a frothy Guinness draft to start. While we read over the huge menu, the hum of customers enjoying the bar filtered gently through the room, help- RICHARD WATHERWAX ROBIN AND WAYNE AT FINNEGAN’S WAKE ing to create a relaxing serenity, perfect after a long, hot day. Wayne soon appeared to discuss our dinner options. We decided to let it be chef’s choice and placed our fate in his hands. My husband and I had not even half-finished our beers before Robin served our first course. Wayne chose one of his “Appeteasers” from the Fun With Veggies menu that consisted of a sample of the Colcannon’s— a kind of fritter made with mashed potatoes, scallions and cabbage, served with a melted cheddar cheese sauce. He paired it with Plantin Eggs— spicy fried eggplant served with a chipotle ranch dipping sauce. He also introduced us to his Gringo Banditos— miniature ground beef tacos with black beans, cheddar cheese, fresh salsa and sour cream. They were a perfect start to our meal. Wayne then chose one of his “Chef’s Features,” which change every month— a delightful salad called Mommy’s Edam. It starts with the rich flavors of baked Edam in a light soy sauce over fresh spin- ach, shredded cabbage, smoky roasted red peppers, dressed in a wasabi ginger vinaigrette. It was fantastic and we shared it with delight. Our entree was next and Wayne chose the No Bones About Them, also from this month’s “Chef ’s Features” menu. Robin served our large certified Angus boneless beef ribs with perfectly herbed mashed potatoes and decadent french green beans tossed in olive oil with pecans and blue cheese! When you meet Wayne and the staff, you can’t help but be in a good mood. But when you go to Finnegan’s Wake to enjoy the “good food, good drinks, good laughs and good friends,” don’t be surprised to find they offer much more than traditional Irish fare! Finnegan’s Wake is open seven days, 11am ‘til 4am. Full menu available ‘til 1am. All major credit cards accepted. Finnegan’s now delivers ‘til midnight— 293-0222. Also, Finnegan’s has a backup generator— so when the power goes out, Finnegan’s is open. www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 22 art 23 Keys Artists Get McKee Grants Each year local artists submit proposals to the Anne McKee Artist Fund for consideration of funds to help produce their creative visions. This year’s grant awards ceremony was held at Kate Miano’s Gardens Hotel, where the Fund’s board presented awards to 23 artists for work in a diversity of mediums, including photography, literature, music, performance, painting, print-making, sculpture, and sequential art. Award recipients for 2010 are: Steve Allerton, Claire Perrault, Katharine Doughty, Nancy Henning, Alisa Mealor, Tim Marshall Curtis, Jonathan Schork, Tayler Bryan, Richard Watherwax, Capt. Jack Hackett, Valerie Carr, Rosanne Potter, Lucy Paige, Kelsey Morris, Durf, Marlene Koenig-Cantrell, Anja Marais, Diana Reif, Vivien Segel, Nancy Henning, Jane Newhagen, Shari Schemmel, and Jane Gilbert. The Anne McKee Artists Fund of the Florida Keys is unique in that the grant monies awarded each year are raised by artists, for artists, through an annual fine art auction. The next Anne McKee Fine Art Auction is scheduled for Saturday, January 29, 2011, at Fort East Martello Museum. Those artists interested in contributing to the auction or applying for the 2011 grant awards may visit the organizations web site, mckeefund. org for more information. Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 23 www.kwtn.com Boettger FROM page 10 having supertankers pump the oil out of the Arabian Gulf and into their holds. The man in charge then, Nick Pozzi, has been doing everything he can to get a venal BP and our government Idiot-in-Chief, Admiral Thad Allen, to start work on sucking up the oil. He has been powerfully joined by the retired CEO of Shell oil, who is telling the same story, helpfully offering to coordinate the marshaling of tankers. BP just refuses to listen. Their reason? Money. Serious money, as in tens of billions of dollars. The tragic catch-22 is that BP will be fined $4,300 for every barrel of oil that can be proven to have polluted the ocean. Thus, if they were to suck up the oil, it is easy to measure exactly how much money they owe. So their plan is instead to, first, concentrate on the well head, as they have been doing through a month of “top hats” and the like. They have by their standards greatly succeeded in sucking perhaps half of the spurting discharge into their pipe, which goes into their tankers as “production.” Second, they “disperse” the oil, converting a $4,300 finable barrel of oil into five barrels of messy, poisoned water that warrants NO fine, because it’s not oil anymore. Get it? Also, the longer the oil circulates in the water table, the more of it naturally degrades, still poisoning the water, but not as badly as with the dispersants. Much of it eventually shrinks in size to tar balls, and sinks or otherwise gets lost. Hooray for BP! Buried in the bottom mud, the oil residues can’t be found and can’t be fined. So, they could do the right thing, and get the damn oil out of the water with proven 20-year-old technology: supertankers with pumps. But that hurts their immediate bottom line. Hiring the tank- ers would cost around half a billion dollars, right now. Also, every barrel sucked up is a sure $4,300 off their immense profits. But if they compound their criminality, adding a second monstrosity to their irresponsible blow-out failure, they pay relative peanuts now and who-knows-how much in the future. Understand that for all the talk of “making BP pay,” BP won’t be paying much now and possibly far into the future. They will fight in court for decades, as in the Exxon Valdez case. Note their refusal to stipulate any reasonable estimate for the amount spewing up out of the hole. It will be their billion-dollar legal team against the government’s million-dollar legal team, and Big Business wins most of those. And even if they take a $10 billion hit 20 years down the road, heck, their profits last year were $17 billion, and current cash flow is what pays the bonuses of their rapacious senior executives The callous decisions they made in the past led to the Texas refinery explosion that killed 13 and injured 170 last year, earned them hundreds of safety violations, and made them rush the Horizon rig when everyone working there knew the blowout preventer was broken and dangerous. But these executives have made themselves obscenely rich by buying off politicians, corrupting their supposed oversight agencies, and breaking every safety and common-good rule they need to in pursuit of even more exorbitant profits. And that’s just what they’re doing again, by refusing to pump out their mess. Now I want you to hear their side of this story. Understandably, they wouldn’t be comfortable selling the “Screw the environment and our workers, we top dogs need to get even richer” true explanation. But their public defenses are so lame I have to give them to you word-for-word for you to trust me not to be slanting their story to make them sound ridiculous. The dumb but coherent answer to the question asked on The Week last Sunday, “What about using supertankers to vacuum up the oil?” was given by Chief Toady Thad Allen: “The supertankers would have to be modified. And we already have 20 to 30 boats in the one-squaremile area above the leak, and it would not be safe to have other craft working the area.” My jaw fell. First, the modifications are trivial. We’d have had all the tankers fully modified weeks ago if they’d undertaken this plan when it was first presented to them. Second, the tankers don’t need to be near the leak. They need to be where the giant, twentyCONTINUED on next page www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 24 Boettger FROM page 23 square-mile plumes of oil have coagulated. The answer made no sense. But at least it was in English. Below is the exact incoherent quote from the BP guy who is usually their smoothest silver-tongued devil on the tube, Managing Director Bob Dudley. He was asked, “There’s been some talk about bringing supertankers in to help with the cleanup effort. Is that something BP is considering to vacuum off the oil?” He answered, “We have looked at that. It’s a — we have looked at that. It’s an interesting, interesting idea. Those have you — been used in the — in the Arabian Sea in the Gulf over there for spills. What we’re finding with this oil, it’s — it’s light, it’s relatively volatile. And with the use of dispersants, it tends to string out a number of miles long but very narrow. And so, as we look at this, it’s — it’s not the same concept to be able to work. And — and our spill responses at the surface now are being very, very effective.” These are irrational, evasive, guilty answers. The real reasons were explained above: money. Tons of it. For BP, and for the executives making the criminal decisions. Why is our government going along with this? Where is the “boot on their neck”? The problem, sadly, is incompetence. Admiral Thad was not an absurd choice. He was in charge of the Katrina response after Michael “Way to go, Brownie!” got fired, so superficially he had relevant experience in Gulf disasters. But I’ve looked him up, and he’s out of his depth. He’s a manager, not an engineer or scientist, and not especially gifted. His tenure in the Coast Guard was undistinguished. Worse, he has chosen to align himself with BP instead of controlling them. Early on, the Coast Guard rode on BP boats chasing media away from filming oily marshlands. Thad mouths their talking points, as in the bone-headed “modifications” and “too many boats” arguments above. Tellingly, he now uses corporate-profitsjargon to describe the oil being collected from the collared well: “production.” As in “a producing well.” While ignoring the millions of gallons of oil already poisoning our Gulf, BP, aided and abetted by Thad Allen, has focused their attention on making as much money as it can out of their ongoing ecological catastrophe. So who is the liberal left blaming this week? Obama! For NOT GETTING VISIBLY ANGRY ENOUGH. Over a dozen twits in the NYT, Washington Post, MSNBC, and the major networks had not a word to say about this well-publicized possibility of sucking up the oil plumes into supertankers, but instead decided the way to save our waters is to have our President pump up his method acting skills. In effect, their diversion bails BP out of their responsibility to save our ocean—NOW. Of course, the Right blames Obama for not having already fixed their 8-year demolition of oversight agencies, like the now-disbanded MSS that drunkenly enabled BP in its crimes. Instead of health care, the Great Recession, education, infrastructure, jobs, Supreme Court nominations, our auto industry, Iraq/Afghanistan, nuclear arms safety, etc., he should have instead been restaffing all of the federal agencies gutted in 8 years of “Set business FREE” conservative rule. If the Hoover Dam springs a leak, or a nuclear generator anywhere leaks radiation, that too will somehow be Big Bad Daddy Obama’s fault as well. With the liberal media joining in, to righteously pull his beard. My thanks to Joel Biddle for his insights, research, and relentless passion to protect our oceans. [email protected] Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 25 www.kwtn.com IT’S THE LAW What do I Need to Know About Renting a Home or Apartment— Part 2 by S. Brandon Dimando & Michael R. Barnes What’s In Your Lease? Know that there are no hard and fast rules for how a residential lease agreement is supposed to be laid out - even though most residential lease agreements do resemble each other a majority of the time. The first thing listed in a residential lease agreement that is listed is the landlord’s information. This will include their address and contact information. The second thing listed is usually referred to as “Terms of Use”. These terms include: whether or not the landlord allows sub-letters, information about parking and whether it is permissible for the tenant to run a home based business out of the address. The third thing listed is the tenant’s information. This will include their new address (the address of the rental) and any other relevant contact information. Sometimes, if a co-signer is needed to close the deal on the residential lease agreement, the information of the co-signers may also be included here. The fourth thing is the term of the lease. Options for this include fixed terms: such as one year or two years or stating if this residential lease agreement is on a month to month basis. Things like whether or not the lease will terminate at the end of the fixed term or automatically renew will also be included in this section of the residential lease agreement. The fifth thing listed is the amount of rent, when it is due and where to send the rent payment. Other information here may include information about your security deposit (amount, whether it is refundable or not and how long the landlord has to return it upon move-out). This is usually where information about pets and whether or not a pet deposit is required. The sixth thing is a list of applicable fees: late fees, returned payment fees (i.e. bounced checks). The seventh thing is an explanation of the maintenance and repair, namely who will take care of what. If a residential lease agreement is modern and not a form template found at an office store, you will also find a list of appliances that are offered with the apartment as well as who to contact in case any of them malfunction. The eighth thing is all the pertinent information regarding the unit’s utilities and who S. BRANDON DIMANDO MICHAEL BARNES is to pay what. The next thing in any good residential lease agreement contains addendums, disclosures and any other information a landlord feels is important enough to give out. Some examples of addendums are: pet agreement, military clauses about early termination of the lease and HUD arrangements. Some examples of disclosures: lead-based paint, mold and asbestos. Information documents include: what to do in case of an emergency, a welcome letter and neighborhood maps. Lastly, there will be several other areas that should be included. These areas include: right of entry (giving the landlord certain rights to enter your apartment in emergency situations or with proper notice.), whether or not renter’s insurance is needed to rent the apartment, as well as landlord remedies in case there is a breach of any terms of the lease by the tenant. You want to make sure you are using a legal residential lease agreement. There are many forms you can find online that are not specific to Florida and Monroe County. S. Brandon Dimando and Michael R. Barnes are attorneys licensed to practice law in the State of Florida. These com- ments are provided as a pro bono community service and are not offered as legal advice for a particular set of circumstances. The law is continually changing. If you are concerned that you may need a lawyer, you are encouraged to contact one about your legal rights and responsibilities and follow his or her advice for your individual situation. www.kwtn.com Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 26 If your club or organization has something special happening, let us know: • [email protected] • PO box 567, Key West FL 33041 • Fax 305-292-1882 To help us help you, try to get the information to us by noon on Tuesday before Friday publication. the community FKCC OFFERS OILED WILDLIFE RESPONSE COURSE--Florida Keys Community College will offer two training sessions this Sat., June 12 and Sun., June 13, as part of the college’s ongoing efforts to prepare community members to respond to pending impact from Deepwater Horizon oil looming in the Gulf. The day-long course, facilitated by Sarasota-based Save Our Seabirds, Inc., will be held from 9am to 6pm both days. $50 per person. More info: www.fkcc. edu. To register, call Cathy Torres at (305) 809-3250. FUNDRAISING WATCH PARTY, USA VS. ENGLAND-Grim’s Grill will host the Key West Soccer Club fundraising watch party the day of the USA’s first World Cup match against England on June 12. Grim’s Grill wil actually open at 10am that day to accommodate the Nigeria vs. Argentina match and the party will continue ALL DAY! Tickets: $40 for adults and $15 for kids under 18. Ticket holders will be entitled to free continental breakfast starting at 10am, a lunch buffet starting at 2pm and unlimited draft beer during the USA vs. England game. Tickets will also double as raffle entries for plenty of giveaways over the course of the day. Ticket info: (305) 304-1080 or (305) 923-0297. MANA PROJECT FUNDRAISER AT THE BOTTLECAP-The Bottlecap at 1128 Simonton Street is hosting a Happy Hour Tips Benefit for Mana Project from 5 to 8pm, Fri., June 11. Celebrity bartender Susan Sullivan and others will host the bar, 50/50 raffle, delicious food, and Pete Whelan on the piano playing blues and jazz. Mana Project, located in Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden is dedicated to the earth, the arts and environmental artists. SOUTHERNMOST REPUBLICAN CLUB MONTHLY MEETING--At the Key West Yacht Club on Tues., June 15 at 6pm. Dinner, offered for $17, includes chicken, salad, and a beverage. Tea or coffee or soft drink. More info: (305) 766-9919. This month’s speaker will be Morgan McPherson current candidate for State Representative. Please bring a friend. www.southernmostrepublicanclub.com. INGHAM & USS MOHAWK CGC NEEDS VOLUNTEERS!--Located on the Truman Waterfront at the foot of Southard St. Two WWII era US Coast Guard ships open 7 days a week from 10am-4:30pm for self-guided tours. Welcome guests from around the world. Voted a top tourist attraction in Key West. Morning and afternoon 3 hour shifts available, very flexible. For more info call Nick at (978) 479-3864. SANCTUARY ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING-Agenda to include presentations on OIL SPILL RESPONSE PREPAREDNESS. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council will meet June 15 in the Board of County Commissioners Room at Harvey Government Center (1200 Truman Ave., Key West) from 9am to 4pm. PET FOOD PANTRY NEEDS HELP--Pet food donation boxes are set up at Albertsons, Pampered Pet, and Fausto’s Fleming Street location. Pet food can also be taken directly to The Salvation Army where the Pet Food Pantry is housed (1920 Flagler Ave.) or to the FKSPCA’s shelter at 5230 College Road on Stock Island. To make a monetary contribution, checks can be made payable to the FKSPCA Pet Food Pantry and sent to 5230 College Road, Key West, FL 33040. Credit card payments can be made by calling (305) 294-4857. The Pet Food Pantry is open during the normal working hours of The Salvation Army. Call them at (305) 797.3110 for details. REEF RELIEF CORAL CAMP--Slots for Coral Camp 2010 are now open and filling fast. Weekly sessions run from June 21 – August 13. Coral Camp provides a unique and fun summer learning experience for 6-12 year old students. Campers learn all about our living coral reef ecosystem through interactive field trips, film and activities at the Reef Relief Environmental Center. More info: (305) 294-3100 LOCAL OIL SPILL WEBSITE IS UP--www.KeysSpill. com is now live! In an effort to be proactive in protecting our Florida Keys environment, this website has been created to help link all partner projects with volunteers, including boat captains, businesses, organizations and individuals. The primary purpose is to collect volunteer info, provide a calendar of local oil spill related info/events, and provide links to updates. Coming soon will be protocols on pre-assessment and pre-clean ups. HEALTHY AGING CLASSES OFFERED BY KEYS AHEC-Enhance Fitness Class- New class at Keys Senior Plaza in Key West and runs Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 2-3pm. Living Healthy Workshops- New class at Keys Senior Plaza from 1-3:30pm. Also, the Living Healthy program The classes are for adults 55 and greater. Info: (305) 743-7111x206. Free. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT KEY WEST TROPICAL FOREST & BOTANICAL GARDEN’S VISITOR CENTER--Become a greeter and use your talents to help the garden grow. Two 3-hour shifts per day available to do your part to help Key West’s original “green CONTINUED on next page Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 27 www.kwtn.com the community FROM previous page team.” If you can’t commit to a regular schedule but are interested in helping as a fill-in, that would also be appreciated. Training provided. More info: (305) 296-1504. GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE-To find out when the bloodmobile will be at a location near you, call your Community Blood Center at (305) 294-7668. REEF RELIEF--Join Reef Relief for only $15 and get many membership perks in addition to helping helping raise awareness about protecting coral reefs. www. reefrelief.org or (305) 294-3100. WANT TO BE A LITERACY VOLUNTEER? More than 100 students waiting to be tutored. You do not have to speak another language to be a tutor. Info: Mary at (305) 294-4352. GRANTS AVAILABLE TO WRITERS, MUSICIANS, ACTORS, ARTISTS--Contact the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, (305) 295-4369. BOATING COURSES--The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary conducts boating courses throughout the year. Info: 1-888-470-5566 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED-AIDS HELP, INC. needs volunteers to help with transportation, office work, special events, etc. Call (305) 296-6196. LA LECHE LEAGUE— Free monthly meeting for pregnant and breastfeeding moms; mother to mother support and current info. Non-denominational, non-profit. Held 4:30-5:30pm on the second Thurs. of each month at the Key West Library, 700 Fleming St. Info: Eva (305) 295-8597. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED-The local unit of the American Cancer Society seeks volunteer drivers to provide transportation for cancer patients to treatments and licensed cosmetologists, or hairdressers, to help cancer patients feel good about their appearance while undergoing cancer treatment. Info: 292-2333 x 112. OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS--on Tuesdays at 6pm ‘til 7 and Saturdays 10-11am, at United Methodist Church (Old Stone). 600 Eaton Street. Info: Mary at (305) 294-6931. USS MOHAWK NEEDS VOLUNTEERS--The most interesting volunteer work in Key West is at the USS Mohawk Memorial Museum on the water at the foot of Southard St. at the Truman Waterfront. Very flexible, 3-hour or more schedules. Many jobs available. Meet interesting people from all over the world. More info: (305) 896-3600. USSMohawk@ bellsouth.net. DONATIONS NEEDED AT ST. MARY’S STAR OF THE SEA OUTREACH MISSION-Please deliver any unused food and other basic survival items to the mission location at 5640 MacDonald Avenue on Stock Island, Monday through Friday. 10am-5pm. The mission serves needy families in the Key West area Undressing and assists over 1,000 people per month. Info: (305) 292-3013. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT TROPIC CINEMA—All areas of operation. Flexible schedules, free passes, popcorn, and t-shirts. Info: Lori Reid, (305) 433-4183 or volunteer@keywestfilm. org. CITIZENSHIP CLASSES-Literacy Volunteers offers free Citizenship classes for intermediate English as a Second Language students. Info: (305) 294-4352. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT WILDLIFE CENTER--Key West Wildlife Center has reopened to accept injured animals. Volunteers and donations are needed. Questions and info: (305) 292-1008. Key West THE NEWSPAPER June 11, 2010 Page 28 www.kwtn.com