A Tip of the Hat to Peter Schorsch and FloridaPolitics.com
Above the Fold’s Key West and Florida Keys coverage has been picked up seven times by the state’s most widely read political news site — thanks to you, our subscribers.
If you cover Florida and you are not reading Sunburn, the daily newsletter from Peter Schorsch and the team at FloridaPolitics.com, you are missing the single best morning briefing on politics and policy in the Sunshine State.
Sunburn is the daily dispatch that lobbyists, legislators, journalists and operatives across Florida open before they open anything else. It is a curated, comprehensive read of every story that matters — from Tallahassee to Miami-Dade to the Keys — and it lands in your inbox every morning.
Above the Fold is grateful and honored that Schorsch and his team have been paying attention to what we are doing down here at Mile Zero.
This week, Sunburn picked up our piece on the pending $190 million sale of the iconic Pier House Resort & Spa in Key West, where Above the Fold traced the mystery buyer — Last Mango Owner LLC — through Delaware corporate records, SEC filings and Florida Sunbiz registrations to Sixth Street Partners’ $30 billion TAO fund. That story also traced the resort’s history from David Wolkowsky’s mud-flat vision in 1967 to the Chart Room bar where Jimmy Buffett launched his career. The LLC’s name, we reported, is a deliberate nod to Buffett’s 1985 album “Last Mango in Paris.”
BREAKING: Iconic Pier House Resort Under Contract for $190 Million; Records Link Buyer to Sixth Street Partners
KEY WEST — The Pier House Resort & Spa, the 142-key oceanfront hotel that anchors the foot of Duval Street, is under contract to sell for $190 million — and corporate records reviewed by Above the Fold reveal the mystery buyer is tied to Sixth Street Partners
But the Pier House story is not the first time FloridaPolitics.com has amplified Above the Fold’s coverage of Key West and the Florida Keys. Sunburn has picked up our reporting at least seven times since late 2025:
Dec. 3, 2025: “Harry Russell withdraws from District V Key West Commission race” — Russell’s exit from the race, citing his role as executive director of a local organization.
Feb. 18, 2026: “Increased federal immigration activity reported across Key West neighborhoods” — Community advocates urging caution after reports of heightened ICE presence in Key West.
May 7, 2026: “Navy terminates Key West Mole Pier lease after months of growing tension over a lack of cruise revenue repairs” — The U.S. Navy formally ending the city’s lease on the Outer Mole Pier at Naval Air Station Key West.
May 12, 2026: “Second federal lawsuit in a week filed against City of Key West” The city getting served with its second federal lawsuit in less than a week.
May 15, 2026: “Navy moves to redefine the future of Key West’s Outer Mole” — The Navy’s Request for Interest seeking future operational concepts for the strategically located deepwater berth.
July 10, 2026: “PAC attacks Sam Kaufman as shady money enters Key West race” — A political text campaign targeting Kaufman as outside money moved into the Key West municipal election.
For a small, independent Substack covering Key West and the Florida Keys, having your work recognized by the most widely read political news site in the state is meaningful. FloridaPolitics.com is where the people who run Florida go to find out what is happening in Florida. To be part of that conversation is an honor.
Thank you, Peter. Thank you to your entire team.
And thank you, Above the Fold subscribers, both paid and free. We could not be doing this without you.
And we will keep digging.
To subscribe to Sunburn and FloridaPolitics.com — and you should — visit FloridaPolitics.com.