Florida Keys News

The Florida Keys welcomes a lot of visitors during the winter months, seeking warm weather and sunshine. Twenty-five visitors who arrived Tuesday were no exception – but they weren't tourists. They're critically endangered sea turtles, and they're fighting for their lives.

Up in flames! That’s what happened to these red-and-black hurricane warning flags in Key West this weekend. But not before soaking them in lots and lots of — you guessed it — rum. The ceremony, which took place along Key West's iconic waterfront, marked the end of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season on Nov. 30th. It also paid tribute to the humanitarian efforts of the island’s residents who mobilized massive relief efforts for storm-battered Jamaica when the Florida Keys dodged major impacts.

70 competitors vied for tasty title in annual stone crab season tradition.

Over the weekend, a fascinating yet fragile reproductive phenomenon called the coral spawn, took place in the Upper Keys at one of Reef Renewal USA’s offshore nurseries. In August annually, after the full moon, millions of gametes, or reproductive cells, are released underwater in a synchronized mass-spawning exchange, enabling the eggs and sperm to enter the water.

A thirty-five-pound green sea turtle named Haven that spent the last six months in rehab at The Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida, finally got her chance to go home Friday.The 8-year-old endangered green sea turtle spent the last six months rehabilitating at The Turtle Hospital after being rescued, wrapped in fishing line and covered in fibropapilloma tumors. Following months of rehab, laser treatment, and cancer-fighting eye drops, Haven was declared healthy and ready to return to the sea.

Perseverance, a lucky sweater, and an uncanny resemblance to one of world’s most iconic authors. That was the winning formula that helped a 69-year-old man from Key West, Florida, win the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest title this weekend in the Southernmost City in the U.S.A Key West local, Tim Stockwell, captured the coveted title, beating out more than a hundred contestants to make the top 5. And it was in that final round that he offered a compelling story as to why he deserved to be “Papa 2025.”

A forum featuring descendants of six former United States presidents, including grandsons of Jimmy Carter and Harry Truman, highlighted Presidents Day weekend at the Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West. James Earl Carter IV, Clifton Truman Daniel and other descendants discussed the importance of historical preservation related to presidencies during the forum at the Little White House, now Florida’s only presidential museum.

New York might have its July 4 hotdog-eating contest, but competitors in Key West gobbled much sweeter fare during the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship — and Hector Rodriguez consumed it faster than anyone else.

A forum featuring descendants of five former United States presidents, including grandsons of Jimmy Carter and Harry Truman, highlighted Presidents Day weekend at the Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West.James Earl Carter IV, Clifton Truman Daniel and other descendants discussed the influence of the presidency during the forum at the Little White House, now Florida’s only presidential museum. The sprawling residence was Truman’s refuge for 11 working vacations during his 1945-53 administration — and later welcomed Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter and their family.