Key West Resorts Going Green

The Banyan Resort and the Gardens Hotel are the Florida Keys' first certified members of the Green Lodging Program, created by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to recognize and reward environmentally conscious lodging facilities in the state.

The two Old Town Key West properties were awarded "one-palm" certification for their environmental commitment in ceremonies attended by State Representative Ron Saunders, Key West Mayor Morgan McPherson, Stacey Mitchell, director of sales for the Monroe County Tourist Development Council (TDC) and Laura Comer and Gus Rios of the DEP.

"These businesses are stepping up to recognize how important our environment is to the Florida Keys, and how important it is to protect what we have," said Saunders.

The Green Lodging Program establishes environmental guidelines for hotels and motels to adopt cost-saving practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources. Properties are evaluated in categories including water and energy conservation, waste reduction, indoor air quality and communication of green practices to guests. They must also have goals for continued improvements that can earn them "two-palm" and "three-palm" certification.

At the ceremonies, McPherson, who is also a TDC board member, encouraged implementing green initiatives to safeguard Key West's environment for future generations.

"I'm excited about businesses taking part in these initiatives," he said.

Environmentally friendly aspects of the Banyan Resort, a 38-suite property at 323 Whitehead St., include a towel and linen reuse program, a recycling program, energy conservation through solar roof panels for pool heating and high-efficiency compact fluorescent lighting, and purchasing products with recycled content such as plastic lumber used for courtyard decking.

The Gardens Hotel, an 18-room property at 526 Angela St., has implemented an environmental policy to communicate green living to guests as well as elements including low-flow faucets to conserve water and energy, a linen and towel reuse program, an automatic door closer and energy-efficient garden pump, a recycling program and purchasing products with recycled content and reduced packaging. In addition, four electric cars were purchased for staff errands around Key West.

"In working with the Green Lodging program and getting more lodging properties certified, we are encouraging sustainable and responsible environmental practices throughout the tourism industry," said Mitchell. "We're not doing this for ourselves - we're doing this so future generations will benefit from practices we put in place today."

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Tattoos Return to Key West

No longer will henna tattoos be the only available body art on Duval Street in Key West. As of Wednesday morning, any sober customer on the strip can get the real thing. Greg Eppy, owner of Paradise Tattoo, said his “first customer was a four-hour tattoo. Everything all day the first day was like that.”

After lengthy negotiations among city officials and the owners of tattoo parlors Key West Ink, 717 Duval, and Paradise, 627 Duval, the city settled pending lawsuits brought by both parlor owners by allowing them to open. The owners claimed a ban on parlors in the city proper violated First Amendment rights.

That ban was in effect since 1964 because the U.S. Navy feared drunken sailors would get tattoos and catch diseases such as hepatitis from the needles. Sanitation measures were minimal compared to what they are today; each needle is disposed after it is used. While the two shops have already opened, the ordinance allowing them still has to be approved by the City Commission and state Department of Community Affairs.

One change made Tuesday in the pending ordinance allowing them mandates that future tattoo establishments, with the exception of Key West Ink and Paradise, can open only in the commercial general district of North Roosevelt Boulevard. That amended ordinance will go before the commission Sept. 5.

Key West Ink and Paradise “were grandfathered in [for Old Town] because they were on Duval before the ordinance passed,” said Commissioner Bill Verge, who proposed the grandfathering.

Commissioner Mark Rossi said he couldn't support an ordinance that restricts the shops to one area of town. Commissioners Harry Bethel and Jose Menendez agreed, and voted against the ordinance because of it. Mayor Morgan McPherson, Verge and commissioners Dan Kolhage and Clayton Lopez vote for it.

Under the pending law, parlors can't be closer than 500 feet from schools, churches and public buildings. Also, they must undergo health inspections twice a year rather than quarterly as first proposed.

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Dr. Count Von Cosel Dies 55 Years Ago - The Legend Continues

August 13, 1952 the body of Karl Tanzler, aka Dr. Count Von Cosel, was found in his home in Zephyrhills, Fla. He was 76 years old and died of natural causes. He gained notoriety when it was discovered he had lived with the body of Elena Hoyos for over eight years. He had met Elena when he treated her at the Marine Hospital in Key West and after her death had taken the body to his home in Key West. After the body was discovered, he moved to Zephyrhills where he spent his days writing his memoirs and telling his story to tourists, selling them mementoes and showing them a wax replica of Elena he had made using her deathmask.

Von Cosel was found dead, slumped over the effigy of his beloved Elena. In a final twist, evidence has come to light that one of those responsible for the secret burial of Elena's corpse made a switch, burying a weighted box and returning Elena to Von Cosel, which means the image of Elena he proudly displayed to tourists was not a replica at all...Read More Here

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Bartender Helps Patron "Clean Up His Act"

A bartender in Key West sprayed an unruly patron with soap after he complained about a rusty beer. The bartender said the man splashed beer at him.

A man told police that he and a friend were maced by a bartender at the Smallest Bar in Town early Friday morning after a dispute about a rusty beer. According to reports, no arrests were made because the bartender argued that he sprayed the 24-year-old Gainesville, Fla., man with soap after he splashed a beer at him.

The man told officers that it all began when his friend bought a beer at the Duval Street bar and noticed there was rust around the rim. The friend received a new beer from the bartender, who then sprayed them both in the face with mace, he told police. The bartender said that after he replaced the beer, the man's friend, who did want to identify himself, became irate and started splashing beer at him, reports state.

The bartender said he was cleaning the bar at the time and grabbed his dish soap and sprayed it at the unknown man. Both parties were issued a case number and referred to the State Attorney's Office if they wished to press charges.

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Why Did Pirates Wear Eye Patches?

This joke provides a humorous explaination.

A journalist was interviewing a pirate with a wooden leg, a hook on his hand and a patch on his eye. The journalist asks him, how'd you lose your leg? The pirate replies: "ARG! I were fishin' in the sea an' a big ol' shark bit 'er clean off!" The journalist says, oh that's interesting, how'd you lose your hand? The pirate replies, "ARG! I were fightin' wi' these bloody theives wantin' to take me gold and 'e just chopped me 'and clean off an' and Ah got me a 'ook." The journalist says, oh, that's very interesting, so what happened to your eye? The pirate replies, "ARG! It were a dark an' stormy night an' the wind were blowin' and the lines were snappin' an' the parrot on me shoulder were so nervous 'e shat in me eye." The journalist says, "The bird poop gave you an infection which caused you to lose he eye?" The Pirate replies, "ARG! No, it were me first day Ah had me 'ook."

Finally a more reasonable answer to this long pondered question is offered in Solares Hill.

Sailors of the era never wore eye patches, nor did other fighting groups. It was all a trick. Should a pirate ship be boarded, the captain would retreat below decks. There he’d switch the eye patch to his other eye and immediately his vision was adjusted to the darkness. The pursuers would take minutes to switch their vision from bright sunlight. In fact they’d be dead before it happened.

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