Monroe County Fire Rescue and the Florida Forest Service are co-hosting Big Pine Key Wildfire Community Preparedness Day on May 7 from 10 a.m. to noon at Station 13, 390 Key Deer Blvd., Big Pine Key. Both organizations are partnering with the National Fire Protection Association to promote simple tips to protect your home and … Read more
This is the comical moment a mischievous Big Pine Key Deer attempts to steal a woman’s salad as she eats outside at a picnic table. Madeline May, 25, had been enjoying a wholesome tuna salad when she encountered the hungry buck trying to make a play for her meal in Big Pine Key, Florida. … Read more
Cove Communities, announced the acquisition of an iconic RV resort in the Florida Keys, Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge (BPKFL). Located on ten pristine acres between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, the resort was founded in 1959 and owned and operated by the Gladwell family since 1972. Cove is the fourth owner of this unique property which offers … Read more
A Key deer buck repeatedly wandered into a CVS on Big Pine until it was finally tranquilized and relocated. DOUG MADER, DVM The endangered Key deer are one of the iconic animals of South Florida. The small deer are popular with tourists for photos. But, it can be dangerous for the deer when they … Read more
This legendary tropical fruit property in the Florida Keys had a massive hurricane roll through 2 years ago, so everyone’s been wondering… How did this 60+-year-old Grimal Grove recover after another battling round of catastrophic winds? After Hurricane Irma’s colossal damage to Big Pine Key, the losses were extreme, our friend Patrick Garvey didn’t give … Read more
The endangered Key deer, the smallest subspecies of white-tailed deer found throughout much of North America, are perfectly adapted to surviving in the tropical island habitats of the lower Florida Keys. They feed on over 150 types of native plants that grow wild with some of their favorites being red mangrove, black mangrove seed pods, … Read more
Santa might wear shorts in the subtropical Lower Florida Keys, and palm trees might outnumber Christmas trees, but holiday lovers can find plenty of seasonal spirit amid the area’s balmy breezes and warm temperatures. Visitors and Keys residents are invited to welcome the festive season and celebrate the creative arts at the free-admission Big Pine & … Read more
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Institute for Regional Conservation will begin a two-month restoration effort in the pine rockland habitats of the National Key Deer Refuge this week. This work, funded through a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant for hurricane restoration of habitat and species, will include a reduction of potential … Read more
The Blue Hole is an attraction on the island of Big Pine Key in the Florida Keys. It is an abandoned rock quarry that was used for nearby road fills and Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad. The Blue hole is a lake that has a freshwater surface that lays over the heavier salt water. It is … Read more
She’s been spending the winter mostly in the Lower Keys, but by summer, she’ll most likely be back in Cape Cod like any snowbird, except she’s a 12-foot, 1,668-pound female great white shark named Miss Costa. This has been her second season visiting the Keys, according to shark research organization Ocearch. In 2016, Miss Costa showed up … Read more
Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges’ Outdoor Fest – March 10-17, 2017 – is a celebration of the unique plant and animal species and rare habitats that are found only in the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges. Guided walks, bike rides, kayak excursions, photography workshops, ‘Nature Therapy’, plus an interesting lecture series, and more let you see the refuges … Read more
Bahia Honda State Park is making a graceful comeback following Hurricane Irma. The park was in the path of the dreadful northeast quadrant of the powerful Category 4 storm that devastated the Florida Keys in September 2017. Although much of the native vegetation perished in the storm, the trees and plants that survived are growing … Read more
The Florida Keys Wildlife Society, a friends group for the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Complex and the National Key Deer Refuge, kicks off this season’s full moon kayak excursions Monday, Jan. 29, departing at 4 p.m. from Big Pine Kayak Adventures on Bogey Road. The two-hour paddle traverses through the National Key Deer Refuge. … Read more
One of two mainland men who hogtied three Key Deer and put them in the back of a car in July serving a year sentence in federal prison is due in state court next month to plead guilty to state charges. Erik Yosany Damas Acosta, 18, of Miami Gardens, and Tumani Anthony Younge, 23, of … Read more
Sponsored by The Monroe County Tourist Development Council, 1201 White Street, Suite 102 Key West, Florida 33040. Winning a Florida Keys Angling Vacation could be as simple as following the Florida Keys Facebook page and entering the #FishFLKeys trip giveaway, part of a four-month social media program that launched Monday. The program spotlights the Keys’ recreational … Read more
People and parties interested within Monroe County Florida in response to Hurricane Irma Volunteer for Florida Keys Recovery may register to do so at www.volunteerflorida.org/irma/. How to Volunteer for Florida Keys Recovery Efforts September 25, 2017 People and parties interested in volunteering within Monroe County Florida in response to Hurricane Irma may register to do so at www.volunteerflorida.org/irma/. … Read more
While the flats are usually a quiet place, the sharks of Big Pine Key make their presence known with loud drag screams and high jumping. Welcome to Sportsman’s Adventures — Florida’s most popular fishing show. Join South Florida fishing guide and tournament professional Capt. Rick Murphy as he shares his knowledge gained from a … Read more
For the past several months, a Texas A&M University System institute has been actively involved in efforts to quash a screwworm outbreak in Florida that has jeopardized an already endangered species, said the director for the Institute of Renewable Natural Resources. “While there had been no screwworm outbreaks in the U.S. for the past 30 years, … Read more
Just east of Key West, Looe Key snorkeling is considered by many locals as the best snorkeling in the Florida Keys. During a snorkel at Looe Key, you may encounter black-tipped reef sharks, sea turtles, parrotfish, anglefish, filefish, butterflyfish and stingrays. There are healthy formations of elkhorn coral and firecoral along with magenta sea fans … Read more
As a backup plan to prevent species extinction, a federal agency has started harvesting reproductive organs from dead Key deer. The animals, only found in the Lower Keys, suffered a heavy blow to their population over the last few months from the flesh-eating New World screwworm. While the screwworm eradication effort has prompted the release … Read more