The state Department of Transportation says the 18-Mile Stretch barbed wire is needed to protect wildlife, but Zoo Miami's communications director says otherwise.

State officials say barbed-wire fencing along the 18-Mile Stretch connecting Key Largo to Florida City is essential to protect wildlife, but one of South Florida's most prominent animal advocates bristles at the idea.

"My common sense is telling me that barbed wire is too little, too late by the time the animal gets on the fence," said Ron Magill, communications director for Zoo Miami. "Once the animal hits the barbed wire, he's just going to grab and pull and it'll cut him more."

Posted - Monday, June 17, 2013 08:50 PM EDT

U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia wants to start a national discussion about the issue of exempting privately owned military housing in Key West and elsewhere from local property taxes.

Posted - Saturday, June 15, 2013 06:00 AM EDT

Starr, S.C., resident Leona Blackburn shot this photo Sunday morning of the 22-foot pontoon boat from which she and two others were rescued by Key Colony Beach officer Chuck Griffith. Blackburn said the engine gave out unexpectedly and the boat began sinking.

Key Colony Beach police officer Chuck Griffith helped save the life of three Keys visitors -- including a paraplegic man -- last Sunday after their pontoon boat took on water in rough seas off Coco Plum.

Posted - Saturday, June 15, 2013 06:00 AM EDT

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, at its Wednesday meeting in Lakeland, approved a proposal to make tarpon and bonefish catch-and-release-only fisheries.

Posted - Sunday, June 16, 2013 11:00 AM EDT

Capt. Jon Reynolds of the Drop Back out of the Post Card in at Holiday Isle Marina has been putting plenty of color in his charter clients’ coolers lately. (Contributed photo)

Fathers day weekend is upon us, and I hope every dad has a chance to get out on the water with his family this week to enjoy some great weather and even better fishing.

Posted - Friday, June 14, 2013 01:40 PM EDT

Monica Caito is all smiles with her winning 24.9-pound dolphin. She fished with Capt. Greg Poland in the Plantation Boat Mart Owner's Tournament.

As if they know the price at the fuel dock, the dolphin have moved in amazingly close, just five to 10 miles off the reef. Actually, this is due to the close proximity of the Gulf Stream at the moment.

Whatever the reason, get out there and get your share of the abundance of slammer-size dolphin -- fish in the 20- to 50-pound class. There are also plenty of schoolies to fill the fish box.

Posted - Wednesday, June 12, 2013 11:00 AM EDT

A divers places an image below the area he will clean before attaching the artwork to the wreck. Magnets are used to attach the photographs. (Photo by Tim Grollimund)

Dive Time with Tim Grollimund

One of the great intangible benefits of getting involved in community work is the contacts you make. I have met some very interesting folks so far.

The members of our working group are all accomplished professionals in their respective fields. While we may differ in opinion at times, I believe we all have the same goal of providing valuable recommendations for the sustainable future of the marine sanctuary.

Posted - Thursday, June 06, 2013 06:08 PM EDT

The benthic (bottom) layer of the sanctuary is diverse and contains the building blocks of the ecosystem. (Photos by Tim Grollimund)

Dive Time with Tim Grollimund

Last year I bought a house. It’s an old house that needs a lot of work. If I hadn’t bought it when I did, I’m sure it would have been condemned by now. I have a comfortable space with my office, kitchen and big screen for baseball games. I’ll get the repair work done over time. I’m a simple guy, so none of the sub par stuff bothers me.

Posted - Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:10 PM EDT

Since it went down 11 years ago, the 'Spiegel Grove' has attracted more than 200 species of fish -- and thousands of divers.

The Spiegel Grove is free and clear after a decade plus a year.

A payment made last week closed the books on a loan taken out by the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce to finance the sinking of the mothballed U.S. Navy ship Spiegel Grove, now one of the diving world's best-known shipwreck reefs.

Posted - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 06:00 AM EDT

A satellite view shows the Carysfort Reef Light, just right of center, surrounded by an abundance of coral on a broad reef tract.

Snorkeling Into History: Carysfort Reef

OFF KEY LARGO — While thousands of reefs grow in the turquoise waters encompassing the Florida Keys, Carysfort Reef is the single most dangerous tract of coral in the chain.

Posted - Friday, April 06, 2012 12:00 AM EDT

PIGEON KEY

On Jan. 2, 1908, Henry Flagler began construction of the Florida East Coast Railway. It was Flagler’s dream, one he personally financed with $80 million of his own money, to see the coast of Florida connected by train from Jacksonville to Key West.

Posted - Friday, May 11, 2012 12:00 AM EDT

To the uninitiated it looks like a toy. Twelve feet of purple formed plastic, pointed at both ends with a dip in the middle and a hatch both front and rear. But to those who know, that 60-pound piece of plastic is the pure, distilled essence of freedom in the Florida Keys.

Posted - Friday, April 06, 2012 12:10 AM EDT