Key West Live Cam

Key West is one of the country's most unique, eclectic, and eccentric cities. It is hard to truly describe what the typical Key West local (nicknamed Conchs) is like, but the one common thread locals have is their laid-back and positive outlook on life. This is the common thread in the history of Key West. There is much to learn about the people, the culture, the entertainment, and the history of Key West Florida. In our blog entries, we will be taking a closer look at the many things that make Key West what it is.

Our city has much to offer - great weather, a beautiful coral reef, historic buildings and national landmarks, wonderful architecture, a multitude of boating and fishing activities, superlative arts, theatre and museum offerings, our own symphony, and limitless choices for fine dining and nighttime entertainment.

As a city, our goal is to provide our citizens with the best and most affordable services possible and be a vacation destination for visitors that is second to none. We strive to treat both residents and visitors as a part of our family here in paradise. Our city government and the business community work in partnership to maintain our unique sense of community and to provide a quality of life that many cities envy. We also pride ourselves on our efforts to protect our precious environment. We hope you will consider Key West as your home - or at least your home away from home. Come down to paradise!

A City ordinance now requires all rental and personal bicycles on the streets of Key West to be registered with the Police Department. Key West bicyclists may register their bikes at the Police Station, 525 Angela Street, from 2 pm to 5 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Key West Police Department's new Bicycle Safety Coordinator, Cathy Torres, said she plans to attend as many community events as possible to promote bicycle registration and to make it convenient for residents to register bikes.

On February 24, 2000 The City’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator along with members of the Community Traffic Safety Program, The Pedestrian Action Committee and the Bicycle Action Committee, did a traffic survey of Palm Avenue. Traffic was counted for the eleven (11) hour period from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM with figures broken down to East bound and West bound direction and six (6) categories of transportation. The categories were Motor Vehicles, Buses, Semi-trucks, Motorcycle and Scooters, Bicycles, and Pedestrians. Buses included City buses, Shuttles, tour buses, trains and trolleys. Semi-trucks were defined as anything with more than six wheels. The count was done to provide a base count so that results can be measured when improvements are made to the roadway next year. In the mean time, the counts provide an example of a “typical traffic day” in Key West.

In November 8, 2000 - Mayor Jimmy Weekley announced today that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has approved a $100,000 grant for dinghy dock construction at Barracuda Pier. The grant funds will be used to build 110 new dinghy dock slips to complement the mooring field development being established in the Garrison Bight area. City engineering technical services will be provided to complete the $102,500 total cost of the project.

“This grant funding will meet an important need,” Mayor Weekley said, “as well as contributing to a safer and more environmentally friendly area for small dinghies to dock.” The mayor noted that the additional slips would also make the city’s many cultural, historical, entertainment and dining opportunities more accessible to visiting boaters. This is the third grant the city has received from the Commission this year. Earlier, funding was received for boat ramp construction at 11th Street and for a boat dock and ramp extension at City Marina.

October 24, 2000 - The City of Key West Art in Public Places Board is seeking proposals from artists in response to a grant opportunity. The objective of the grant is as follows:

For many countries, tourism has become the fastest growing and most important sector of the economy. As tourists, we consume places, people and sights, often making that consumption material and memorable on a piece of film or through the purchase of a doodad. It’s a quick in and out phenomena. The tourist seldom learns much about the local environment, community, economy, politics, or history. They’ll walk away with a sense of personal experience, but with little substantial understanding of the complex relationships that they are actively participating in.

Tourist sites are particularly well-suited to art production given that the audience comes prepared to soak up ideas, experiences, and objects. The Gunk Tourist Project seeks to encourage works that are site-specific and that engage the many facets of tourism––from its production, consumption and byproducts to its effects on social interactions and our relationship to environments. We are particularly interested in art works that draw attention to the components of tourism that are often invisible, and that take a critical look at both the experience of tourism (from both sides of the fence) and the system as a whole. We are also interested in projects that use humor or irony as a methodological tool, or projects that result in a new tourist “product”.

In September 28, 2000 - Mayor Jimmy Weekley announced today that work is underway on a state-of-the-art boat ramp on the Riviera Canal at Eleventh Street.

The project is jointly funded by Monroe County and the state of Florida in a grant sought by the city. The Beach Advisory Board, comprised of Emma Cates, chairman; County Commissioner Wilhelmina Harvey; City Commissioner Merili McCoy; Virginia Panico, Chamber of Commerce; and businessman Tom Sawyer sought $44,000 from the county share of boating fees to fund half the project. The city secured the other $44,000 needed to complete the project from the Boating Improvement Grant Program of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“The Beach Advisory Board is to be commended for its initial attention to this need for a safe boat ramp in this much-utilized access point to the Canal,” Mayor Weekley said, “as is City Commissioner Percy Curry in whose district the project is located.”

Work on the project is expected to be completed by November 15, according to Annalise Mannix-Lachner, director of Engineering Services. “The ramp will be closed for the duration of the project.”

In September 26, 2000 - Mayor Jimmy Weekley announced today that the Florida Department of Community Affairs has approved the city’s grant request for $80,000 for additional testing of our nearshore waters.

DCA approved the funding for a staff person dedicated to full-time sampling and testing of nearshore waters and inland wells and storm drain systems, additional education initiatives in the community about what can be done to minimize threats to water quality, a contract with the Monroe County Health Department to conduct additional testing for fecal coliform, and a separate seagrass survey and water quality sampling for heavy metals.

The city will match the grant funding with $80,000 already dedicated for testing of sewer laterals.

In November 5, 2000 - The City of Key West will be performing beach-tilling operations Friday and Saturday, May 12 and 13. The beach tilling operation, which will be done annually, is a process of softening the top 36 inches of sand in order to create the best environment for turtles to nest according to Annalise Mannix-Lachner, Manager of Engineering Services.

Turtles lay eggs between 24 and 36 inches below ground. "Prior to the Smathers Beach renourishment project, the average depth of sand was six inches," Mannix-Lachner said. "The addition of a 36-inch cover of 'turtle-friendly' sand provides a quality nesting habitat."

The Smathers Beach Renourishment Project design was based on meeting the goal of building a 50-year beach while minimizing environmental impacts and enhancing the beach for turtle nesting. The sand chosen for the beach is a larger grain size sand that is not expected to wash far over the construction toe of fill according to Mannix-Lachner. This should minimize silt resting in seagrass beds and on coral reefs. The sand was mined then sifted and washed five times to remove silt. Mannix-Lachner noted that this time consuming process caused the price of installed sand to be $43 per cubic yard. Due to the high cost of sand the east end of the beach was reduced in size to stay within the project budget. Early visual inspections indicate the sand stayed in place and turbidity was minimal. "There is more turbidity on a windy day than when the sand was being placed," Mannix-Lachner said.

Most turtles that arrive on the beach have been designated "false crawl" indicating that they come and leave without depositing eggs, often after digging numerous holes. Scientists believe mothers instinctively know not to leave the nest shallow so creatures of prey will not disturb it. "The state has been anxiously awaiting our renourishment project so that the turtles arriving have a safe place to lay their eggs," Mannix-Lachner stated. The project was designed so that all beach work would be completed prior to May 1, 2000, in time for state and federal turtle-nesting season.

In order to get a fifty-year beach that enhances turtle nesting the sand was placed to an elevation of seven feet above sea level, which is three to four feet above the sidewalk level. The city elevated the sea wall and placed walkovers for access.

The temporary sand fence was installed to stop the sand from blowing onto the road until the dune plantings are completed.