Key Weird

Key West's Naked Cyclist Writes a Guide to One-Upping the Police In Court

2012-04-17T16:22:00.000-04:00

"Half the people down here know me as the 'Hatman,'" Shahdaroba Rodd says. "The other half know me as the 'Naked Guy.'" Key West resident Rodd likes to bike around town wearing nothing but a G-string and a homemade stovepipe hat. He's something of a legend at Fantasy Fest, the weirdo town's annual convention of drunk-swinger debauchery. Predictably, Key West cops consistently ticket and

Cops had no problems catching up to this guy.

2012-04-16T20:19:00.000-04:00

A homeless man — covered in ketchup — was sprawled out on a busy Key West, Fla., street, screaming profanities at tourists. The human hot dog was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors. del.icio.us - Digg This

Key West Car 21 - Disappearing Car

2012-01-10T07:03:00.000-05:00

Be careful where, and for how long, you leave your car in Key West.del.icio.us - Digg This

Huge Goliath Grouper Haul

2012-01-05T07:25:00.000-05:00

Capt. Tommy Lones, of the fishing boat Gulfstream, brought in a catch of 19 Goliath grouper with a total weight in excess of 5,000 pounds.Fortunately, for Capt. Lones, this remarkable catch occured May 7, 1957, 55 Years ago.Goliath Groupers (then called Jewfish) were declared endangered and have been protected since 1990.del.icio.us - Digg This

Why Did Pirates Wear Eye Patches?

2011-06-10T18:26:00.000-04:00

This joke provides a humorous explaination.A journalist was interviewing a pirate with a wooden leg, a hook on his hand and a patch on his eye. The journalist asks him, how'd you lose your leg? The pirate replies: "ARG! I were fishin' in the sea an' a big ol' shark bit 'er clean off!" The journalist says, oh that's interesting, how'd you lose your hand? The pirate replies, "ARG! I were fightin'

Coast Guard Searching for Key West Jet Ski Thief

2010-04-15T18:20:00.009-04:00

Search continues for man, 36The Coast Guard is still looking for a Key West man who stole a Jet Ski-type craft Monday night after saying he had been drugged and the CIA was after him.Derek King, a mechanic at Island Watersports, fled in a personal watercraft about 7:15 p.m. without a life jacket or navigational equipment. The owner of the rental company said King was acting strangely before he

Key West Resorts Going Green

2007-08-26T16:36:00.000-04:00

The Banyan Resort and the Gardens Hotel are the Florida Keys' first certified members of the Green Lodging Program, created by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to recognize and reward environmentally conscious lodging facilities in the state.The two Old Town Key West properties were awarded "one-palm" certification for their environmental commitment in ceremonies attended by

Tattoos Return to Key West

2007-08-25T22:26:00.000-04:00

No longer will henna tattoos be the only available body art on Duval Street in Key West. As of Wednesday morning, any sober customer on the strip can get the real thing. Greg Eppy, owner of Paradise Tattoo, said his “first customer was a four-hour tattoo. Everything all day the first day was like that.”After lengthy negotiations among city officials and the owners of tattoo parlors Key West Ink,

Dr. Count Von Cosel Dies 55 Years Ago - The Legend Continues

2007-08-13T22:36:00.000-04:00

August 13, 1952 the body of Karl Tanzler, aka Dr. Count Von Cosel, was found in his home in Zephyrhills, Fla. He was 76 years old and died of natural causes. He gained notoriety when it was discovered he had lived with the body of Elena Hoyos for over eight years. He had met Elena when he treated her at the Marine Hospital in Key West and after her death had taken the body to his home in Key West

Bartender Helps Patron "Clean Up His Act"

2007-07-31T12:24:00.000-04:00

A bartender in Key West sprayed an unruly patron with soap after he complained about a rusty beer. The bartender said the man splashed beer at him.A man told police that he and a friend were maced by a bartender at the Smallest Bar in Town early Friday morning after a dispute about a rusty beer. According to reports, no arrests were made because the bartender argued that he sprayed the 24-

The New Coke in Key West is Dube-ious

2007-06-09T20:26:00.000-04:00

A motel manager, in Key West, found a surprise in his can of Coca-Cola Thursday. The man told police that he had put $1 in the motel's Coca-Cola machine. After he received the can of soda and opened it, he found a bag of marijuana inside.Officer David Kouri of the Key West police arrived at the motel, inspected the can and found marijuana in it. The marijuana weighed 10.1 grams, according to

May 30 in Key West History

2007-05-30T23:08:00.000-04:00

May 30, 1892Future movie star Stepin Fetchit was born in Key West as Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry. Stepin Fetchit was born May 30, 1892. A medicine show and vaudeville performer, he arrived in Hollywood in the 1920s. Perry claimed that he got the name Fetchit from a racehorse that won him money. However, he also told an interviewer that he came to Hollywood as a member of a comedy team

Old Key West Justice

2007-05-24T18:28:00.000-04:00

178 years ago today, May 24, 1829, Charles Hawkins shot William A. McRea, as he walked on Whitehead Street, in the back with both barrels of a shotgun. McRea died two hours later. The two men had fought a duel in February over Hawkins finding McRea leaving his wife's bedroom via the window. Both men were wounded in the duel.Hawkins was charged with murder but an impartial jury could not be found

Today in History, May 15th

2007-05-15T05:59:00.000-04:00

May 15,1854, John Simonton, the first American owner of the island of Key West, died in Washington, DC. May 15, 1957, Mayor C.B. Harvey cut the ribbon to open the new Food Fair supermarket at 2506 N. Roosevelt Blvd. del.icio.us - Digg This

County Donates Computers to Senior Center

2007-05-11T17:23:00.000-04:00

Two computers with free access to the Internet are available at the Key West Senior Center in Key West, which is at 1016 Georgia St.The technical services department of Monroe County has provided workstations with the computers. The computers can be used for such things as Web searches, word processing and making spreadsheets. All the equipment came from unused or obsolete computers and

Key West Legacy - Stuck in Time

2007-05-10T20:29:00.000-04:00

Palm Beach tycoon Peter Halmos has spent $1 million to gently free his mega-yacht from a federal marine sanctuary off Key West. But the effort has failed. With another hurricane season beginning June 1, he may have no choice but to drag the vessel out.The 158-foot Legacy, once one of the five largest sailing ketches in the world, is mired in sand and mud, in ankle-deep turquoise water 3 miles

Friends Kicked out of Southernmost Point Park

2007-05-05T22:10:00.000-04:00

The controversial bronze statues at the Southernmost Point were removed Friday. The removal of the seven figures depicting tourists — named New Friends by artist J. Seward Johnson — from the corner of Whitehead and South streets was confirmed by Mayor Morgan McPherson's office. City officials could not be reached for comment.The removal comes after a 60-day trial period during which officials

70 Years Ago Today in Key West

2007-05-04T18:01:00.000-04:00

70 years ago today, May 4th 1937, Jefferson B. Browne died at his apartment in Key West. He was born in Key West June 6, 1857. He was educated in Maryland and Virginia and graduated from the University of Iowa Law School. He returned to Key West in 1880 and served as attorney for both Key West and Monroe County. In 1886, he became postmaster of Key West and remained so until 1890, when he ran for

Home Alone in Key West

2007-05-02T18:25:00.000-04:00

Key West police arrested Clinton Todd Morris and his wife, Amy, early Tuesday morning on charges of child neglect after receiving a call from their 10-year-old son. A news release from the Key West police department said the child called 911 and was crying by the time police arrived at 1:30 a.m.According to police, the child told them his parents left the Key West hotel room around 9 p.m. saying

The Key West Twist on "The Rules are Different Here"

2007-04-04T21:47:00.000-04:00

The city of Key West cleared 41,630 square feet of mangroves off Donald Avenue and 14,800 square feet of mangroves by the Police Station, at Truman Avenue and Jose Marti Drive, to ease flooding during and after storms in those two areas. Roots choked stormwater flow and clogged pipes, Fernandez said, causing flooding in 2005.The city cleared the mangroves without obtaining the proper permits from

Mutant Freaks Escape, Roam Key West

2007-03-31T20:36:00.000-04:00

For those of you who have visited the Ernest Hemingway House on Key West, you know there are dozens of six-toed cats roaming the property. Legend has it that they are descendants of a single six-toed cat given to Ernest Hemingway by a ship captain sometime in the early 20th century.Now, according to the April 2007 issue of National Geographic, somewhere along the way, the U.S. Department of

Stuck in Key West - With a Twist

2007-03-25T13:25:00.000-04:00

A tower and twisting staircase proved too much for one Key West tourist, who had to be rescued toe hard way by Key West firefighters after he fainted atop a popular observation deck. Key West firefighters were forced to carry the tourist to safety down the side of the Martello Tower in a basket, after they couldn’t use the tower’s narrow spiral staircase to get him out."The only access to the

2007 Songwriters Festival

2007-03-16T21:12:00.000-04:00

More than 70 of the United States' top performing songwriters are to showcase their original music in intimate, audience-friendly tropical settings during the 12th annual Hog's Breath Key West Songwriters' Festival, scheduled Wednesday through Sunday, May 2-6. Event organizer Charlie Bauer of Hog's Breath Saloon works with international performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI, as well as

Key West for the Birds - Loggerhead Kingbird

2007-03-14T22:36:00.000-04:00

Key West is known for its uniqueness but now a truly unique and rare bird that has reportedly never been seen in the United States has bird watchers flocking to the Conch Republic after the animal was spotted in Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park.Bird watchers from several states have traveled to Key West to see the bird -- a Loggerhead Kingbird.The bird is believed to have flown from Cuba.

Visiting the land of Boog

2007-03-09T08:13:00.000-05:00

By Jim CrothersKey West isn't on the spring training circuit, but this crazy, end-of-the-road town is still a good place to start any baseball road trip. This town is as serious about high school baseball as it is about partying and fishing. Real Orioles fans will know that Boog Powell starred here for the Key West High Conchs, as did current San Diego Padres shortstop Khalil Greene."Boog Powell