John McKenzie is accused of doubling his salary on his own.

John McKenzie, pastor of the St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Key West's Bahama Village, was charged Tuesday with stealing $54,657 from his congregation. The church has about 150 members.

Monroe County State Attorney's Office Investigator Chris Weber received a tip from a member of St. James' board of trustees, prompting a review of the books from July 2011 until June 2013.

Posted - Wednesday, June 19, 2013 04:03 PM EDT

The Aquarius underwater lab is now under the auspices of Florida International University. Formerly, the University of North Carolina-Wilmington operated it.

In a tribute to his renowned grandfather, a Cousteau plans to launch the longest mission ever undertaken aboard the Aquarius, the undersea habitat at the Florida Keys reef.

Mission 31, a saturation-diving mission planned to begin Oct. 1, would last 31 days. Researchers will seek evidence of climate change in examining corals and sponges, and the team will test new underwater equipment.

Posted - Wednesday, June 19, 2013 06:00 AM EDT

A list of recreational projects long sought by Florida Keys residents -- like repairs to the old Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon, a park at Rowell's Marina in Key Largo, and Higgs Beach improvements in Key West -- won tentative support in an early round of Monroe County budget talks Tuesday.

Posted - Wednesday, June 19, 2013 06:00 AM EDT

While early-morning tarpon fishing on Father's Day, Steve Hurley and his son Vance, from Marathon, caught an enormous 10-pound, 26.5-inch mangrove snapper.

The dolphin have spread out just like that middle-aged tire around your middle.

You'll find them anywhere from three or four miles off the reef edge out to 40-plus miles. The sizes are all over the place, too, with the peanuts outnumbering the slammers about 20,000 to one. Maybe a little less.

Posted - Wednesday, June 19, 2013 11:00 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

A diver checks out the 510-foot 'Spiegel Grove' a few days after it was scuttled in 2002. It sits in around 100 feet of water.

Several thousand certified divers visit the Florida Keys annually to dive a string of sunken vessels and artificial reefs between Key Largo and Key West, prompting the extension through Jan. 1, 2014, of what's called the Wreck Trek Passport Program that rewards divers for logging a series of wreck dives.

As in the inaugural program that debuted in 2010, divers are to receive an official Florida Keys Wreck Trek logbook upon reserving a dive trip with one of more than 30 participating dive shops. They can use the logbook to track their dives and retain it as a memento.

Posted - Wednesday, June 19, 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

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