Your Morning Bucci — Sat., Aug. 1, 2026
Key West elections by the numbers, Key deer crisis, recent MCSAO convictions and more!
Key West elections by the numbers, Key deer crisis, recent MCSAO convictions and more!
Tourism Money, Cruise Ships, City Vendors and One Family’s 13 Checks: Who Is Bankrolling the Key West Mayor’s Race
Ed. Note: The information in this report is sourced entirely from public records available through the Key West City Clerk’s Campaign Finance Portal and the Florida Department of Elections. Those resources are available at the end of the story. Analysis of down-ballot races is ongoing, and this story will be updated as new data becomes available.
Monroe County Elections Office Corrects Printing Error on Spanish Sample Ballots
KEY WEST, Fla. — The Monroe County Supervisor of Elections Office is notifying voters of a printing error that caused an incorrect election date to appear on Spanish-language sample ballots for the upcoming primary election.
CFK Trustees Reject Key Deer ‘Freedom Gate’ proposal after Committing Second Possible Violation in a Year
BIG PINE KEY, Fla. — The College of the Florida Keys Board of Trustees declined Tuesday to authorize a proposed wildlife passage for endangered Key deer after discussing the issue, entertaining a motion and disposing of it before opening the floor to public comment, a sequence that critics say raises serious questions about compliance with Florida’s open government requirements for the second time this year.
Who Is Green Point Group?
KEY WEST, Fla. — The most expensive mayoral race in Key West history is being shaped by a Miami political firm almost nobody on the island has heard of — a company with no listed phone number, a one-page website with dead links, no contact info and no about information but a client list that includes two convicted politicians and the campaign arm of Florida’s Senate Republicans.
2026 Bubbas Bring Back Bragging Rights
KEYS WEEKLY — Key West did what it does best on July 25, when nearly 300 people packed the Key West Theater for the 13th annual Bubbas: Key West People’s Choice Awards.
Political divides were pushed aside for a few hours at the awards show that combined comedy, satire, friendly roasts and, of course, nearly 100 Bubba Awards given out to honor the people, programs and places that make Key West special.
MCSAO ROUND UP
Defendant Sentenced to life long sexual offender designation and to State Prison in Sexual Battery Case
Monte Chitty, 64, entered a plea of no contest before County Judge Derek Lewis to one count of sexual battery and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Judge Lewis sentenced Chitty to six years in the Florida Department of Corrections, followed by 10 years of sexual offender probation.
Defendant Sentenced for Felony Battery and Disorderly Conduct
Defendant Sentenced in Felony Battery Case
Judge Morgan sentenced Cole to 12 months of probation with several special conditions, including completion of an anger management program, random urinalysis testing, a substance abuse evaluation with any recommended treatment, and no contact with the victim. The court also ordered Cole to pay $1,030.00 in fines, court costs, and fees, along with $1,800.00 in restitution.
Defendant Sentenced for Filing Fraudulent Property Documents in Attempt to Claim Former Key West Property
Eliahu Abukasis pleaded guilty before County Judge Mark Wilson to making a false statement to obtain property. Judge Wilson adjudicated him guilty and sentenced him for filing a fraudulent property document in an attempt to claim ownership of a Key West property he had previously sold.
MARATHON
Grand reopening of soccer fields rescheduled
The City of Marathon will hold a grand reopening of the Soccer Fields at Marathon Community Park on Saturday, Aug. 1, at 5:30 p.m. The event was originally set for 3 p.m.
Mayor Lynny Del Gaizo will be on hand at the fields, which were completely resodded with Tifway 419 Bermuda grass in preparation for the upcoming soccer season. The grand reopening event will take place prior to the city’s free America-Fest celebration, which is scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m. at Marathon Community Park, featuring a treasure hunt and screening of the film “National Treasure.”
Registration for the City of Marathon’s America-fest Treasure Hunt is open!
The event, at Marathon Community Park, is Saturday, Aug. 1, starting at 6 p.m. You may register at the event, although pre-registeration is preferred. Registration closes the night of the event at 7 p.m.
Registering online now means less time in line and more time on the hunt.
After the hunt, grab a free hot dog, some snacks, a drink, and join us for a showing of the movie “National Treasure.”
City to Increase Wastewater Rates on Oct. 1
Effective Oct. 1, 2026, customers receiving wastewater service from the Cit
of Marathon will see a 7% increase in the city sewer’s base facility, customer and flow charges.
The increase was approved by Resolution 2024-65, which allowed for a 7% increase in fiscal years 2025-27 and a 1% increase in FY 2028.
Click here for more information on FKAA’s water rates.
ISLAMORADA
Islamorada Foundation Transforms Former Tennis Center Property
KEYS WEEKLY — When the Islamorada Foundation completes the project at the recently acquired property in Lower Matecumbe Key at 76800 Overseas Highway, residents and visitors to the space will find expansive green space and shaded structures; tennis, pickleball and bocce ball courts; a golf practice center and half-court basketball court; and ample parking.
$3.8M in Upgrades to Founders Baseball Field Approved
KEYS WEEKLY — An agreement to build a new artificial-turf field at the home of Coral Shores baseball rounded third and headed toward home at a July 27 meeting of the Islamorada Village Council.
KEY LARGO
Residents invited to National Night Out events across Florida Keys
The sheriff’s office says the free event will take place on Aug. 4 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and will bring together enforcement, first responders, military personnel and community members.
Bertie Higgins of ‘Key Largo’ Fame Returns to Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart
BILLBOARD — Bertie Higgins was panicking the week of Nov. 21, 1981.
He had every reason to celebrate: He was in his second week on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Key Largo,” which had debuted the week before at No. 86.
Despite then rising to No. 82, it “lost the bullet,” Higgins remembers, chatting with Billboard from his home in Florida, around 30 miles north of Tampa.
By week three, the song regained its bullet, reflecting its more significant gain, and the song was off and running (or, sailing) to a No. 8 peak for two weeks in April 1982.