My Key West Portal

05/22/2026

05/22/2026

🚨 TWO TRAININGS LEFT! 🚨 Join Mote Marine Laboratory’s Florida Keys BleachWatch team! The BleachWatch Program trains recreational and professional divers and snorkelers to help monitor and report on conditions at the reef. Information from these citizen science reports, along with environmental conditions are summarized in a Current Conditions Report made available online at mote.org/bleachwatch. In this training, divers will learn how to identify coral bleaching, disease and predation, and complete the necessary data forms to submit observations to the program.

Attend one of our in-person training sessions. Register at the link in our bio or visit mote.org/bleachwatch!
🤿 May 23, 2026 | 10 AM - Marathon Fire Station
🤿 June 13, 2026 | 12 PM - John Pennekamp State Park Visitor Center

This project is funded by Mote's "Protect Our Reefs" license plate and is coordinated by Mote Marine Laboratory in conjunction with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Pre-registration is requested at mote.org/bleachwatch. If unable to attend an in-person workshop, online training is also available at mote.org/bleachwatch. For more information contact Eva Laxo at: [email protected] or 941-685-1860.

05/22/2026

05/22/2026

WE'RE LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD HANDS! Can you move chairs or help carry a platform? Want to learn to board op for a show? Willing to climb a ladder, hang lights, handle a mop and broom? We're looking for extra production help throughout the summer. Interested? Send us an email - [email protected].

05/22/2026

Calling all writers.

Calling all new writers: Just about ten days left to apply for our Emerging Writer Awards - we're eager to see your work!

POETS! NOVELISTS! SHORT STORY WRITERS!

Winners of the 2027 Emerging Writer Awards will receive full tuition support for our January 2027 Seminar and Writers’ Workshop Program, round-trip airfare, lodging, a $500 honorarium, and appear on stage during the Seminar. They will be in Key West from January 3 – 11, 2027.

“My experience at KWLS after winning the EWA was absolutely incredible — it was such a gift to be able to spend time in such a generous, supportive community and explore the rich history of literature in Key West. I had the opportunity to be in a workshop with a vibrant group of writers… and read alongside my fellow award winners during the Seminar in a room full of writers I admire.” 2025 Winner, Annaka Saari

Deadline to apply is June 1st. APPLY HERE: https://www.kwls.org/awards/emerging-writer-awards/

05/22/2026

05/22/2026

Huge thank you to the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys and Shorty's Tree & Lawn Care, LLC for helping us move into the next phase of termite treatment at our Eisenhower property.

With tenting scheduled for May 25, Clifton and the crew from Shorty’s came out to cut down loose limbs and prep the property so everything will be ready to go. It may not be the glamorous side of affordable housing, but this kind of work is so important when it comes to protecting and maintaining long-term housing for the families who live here.

We are really thankful for community partners who continue to show up and help us tackle projects like this head-on. Seeing local businesses and organizations come together to support housing in the Keys is always something special to watch.

05/22/2026

Always exciting!

05/22/2026

FYI

🚨 South Atlantic red snapper season has been halted.

Just one day before Florida’s expanded Atlantic red snapper season was set to begin, a federal court issued an injunction stopping the recreational season in the South Atlantic.

The season was supposed to be the longest Atlantic red snapper season Florida anglers have seen in years, with 39 days approved under a new state-managed pilot program. Instead, the season is now on hold after a lawsuit filed by commercial fishing groups challenged the program in federal court.

A lot of anglers, charter captains, and coastal businesses had been looking forward to this season, especially with red snapper populations appearing stronger than many fishermen have seen in years.

For now, recreational harvest in the South Atlantic is paused while the legal battle plays out. 🎣

05/22/2026

What a week😃 We gave a check for over $4600 to Key West Community Sailing Center for their marvelous March Caturday Saturday volunteer effort😺