KEY LARGO

Joe Petrusa has gone scuba diving at various places in the Caribbean but never gets tired of Key Largo.

The 20th anniversary of the storied intentional sinking of a former Naval ship to become an artificial reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is being celebrated Tuesday in Key Largo. The 510-foot-long (155-meter-long) Spiegel Grove earned international notoriety when it sank prematurely May 17, 2002, and landed with its upside-down bow protruding above the ocean’s surface about 6 miles (10 kilometers) off Key Largo. “Ultimately, the Spiegel Grove is a story that Hollywood would never have been able to script in a million years,” said Rob Bleser, a Key Largo dive operator and the vessel's sinking project manager.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Friday that Florida has passed the mark of 1 million registered recreational vessels.

This was the last meal for a Florida snake.

Haitian Migrants Florida FILE - This photo provided by the United States Border Patrol shows Haitian migrants on shore wrapped in towels after a boat ran aground in the Florida Keys off Key Largo on Sunday, March 6, 2022. Haitian migrants are reaching Florida's shores in a string of suspected smuggling operations that could outpace last year's migration waves. Another boat carrying 176 Haitians was stopped in January just off the Florida Keys, the U. S. Coast Guard said. So far this fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, Coast Guard crews have rescued 1,193 Haitians. That compares to 1,527 Haitian migrants who were rescued in all of fiscal year 2021, 418 in 2020 and 932 in 2019, the Coast Guard said.

Haitian migrants are reaching Florida’s shores in repeated suspected human smuggling operations, outpacing last year’s migration waves.

Migrant Boat Florida Kets This photo provided by the United States Border Patrol shows a boat that ran aground in the Florida Keys off Key Largo on Sunday, March 6, 2022. A wooden boat carrying hundreds of Haitian migrants in a suspected human smuggling operation ran aground in shallow water in the Florida Keys, where 163 people swam ashore and many needed medical attention, federal authorities said. (United States Border Patrol via AP) (Uncredited)KEY LARGO, Fla. — (AP) — A wooden boat carrying hundreds of Haitian migrants in a suspected human smuggling operation ran aground in shallow water in the Florida Keys, where 163 people swam ashore and many needed medical attention, federal authorities said. The boat teeming with people listed sharply to its side near Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, not far from where another boat carrying 176 Haitians was stopped in January. The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies rushed to help the group of migrants, which included women and children.

Federal officials say a wooden boat carrying hundreds of Haitian migrants in a suspected human smuggling operation ran aground just off Key Largo, Florida.

Hundreds of migrants from Haiti arrived in a wooden boat off shore of an exclusive gated community in north Key Largo Sunday afternoon, according to authorities.

US Cuban Migrants Rescued This image made available by the the U.S. Coast Guard shows Cuban migrants on a sinking vessel spotted on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, about 40 miles off Key Largo, Fla. “They didn’t have lifejackets or safety equipment,” said Capt. Shawn Koch, commanding officer of Air Station Miami. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP) (Uncredited)MIAMI — (AP) — Ten Cuban migrants in a sinking vessel were rescued off the Florida coast, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. A Coast Guard boat spotted the vessel Thursday about 40 miles (about 64 kilometers) off Key Largo, the Coast Guard said in a tweet. Shawn Koch, commanding officer of Air Station Miami.

Ten Cuban migrants in a sinking vessel were rescued off the Florida coast.

Ten Cuban migrants in a sinking vessel were rescued off the Florida coast.

The U.S. Coast Guard says it pulled 176 Haitians from an overloaded wooden sailing vessel as it approached the Florida Keys.

For the third time in as many months, a group of Haitian migrants has come ashore in the Florida Keys.

Florida police officers shot a man they say was wandering on his ex-girlfriend’s property with a rifle.

Frank Pichel was arrested early Friday on a felony charge of impersonating a police officer after the 59-year-old mayoral candidate allegedly flashed a badge and claimed to be an active deputy in Key Largo, Fla., according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

A 15-year-old boy was airlifted out of Key Largo on Saturday morning after his legs were bitten while he was lobstering off his family’s boat, state wildlife police said.

Sheriff's officials say an 82-year-old man died while snorkeling off Key Largo in the Florida Keys.

Bruce Rauner, last week gave the Florida governor's campaign committee $250,000. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried joined Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist in calling for federal officials to probe the DeSantis administration’s vaccine distribution programs. AdDuring a Thursday news conference, DeSantis expressed no misgivings about the early vaccinations at the exclusive Key Largo community. In recent weeks, other reports have surfaced of wealthy retirement communities getting exclusive access to vaccine doses through pop-up vaccine sites. Bruce Rauner to the Florida governor's campaign committee.

Ron DeSantis during a press conference in Key Largo. Ron DeSantis announced $100 million in investments for infrastructure and hardening projects to protect Florida communities against future hurricanes. DeSantis already announced Friday morning that he would be bringing Florida National Guard soldiers back from the Capitol. Last night, I ordered our Adjutant General to bring Florida National Guard soldiers home from the National Capital Region. — Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 22, 2021This story will be updated with more details in the coming minutes.

KEY LARGO, Fla. Four cases of Dengue fever have recently been confirmed in the Florida Keys, bringing the total number of cases reported this year to 26, health officials said. Most of the Dengue fever cases are in a two-mile (3,218-meter) area of Key Largo, the Miami Herald reported. In 2010, 66 cases of locally acquired Dengue fever in Florida were associated with Key West, health officials said. Dengue fever often presents flu-like symptoms with severe muscle aches and pain, fever and a rash. Health officials said this is the same mosquito that carries the Zika virus, which has symptoms similar to Dengue.

KEY LARGO, Fla. An 11th case of the mosquito-borned dengue fever has been confirmed in the Florida Keys, health officials said. So far, all 11 cases have been in Key Largo, including eight cases the last week of June, the Florida Department of Health officials said Tuesday. Officials are currently conducting epidemiological studies to determine the origin and extent of these infections, Florida Keys spokeswoman Alison Kerr told the Miami Herald. One case of dengue fever has been confirmed Miami-Dade County, according to health department spokeswoman Olga Connor. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District said helicopters and trucks are targeting the adult mosquitoes and larvae, said Chad Huff.

KEY LARGO, Fla. The Florida Keys reopened for visitors Monday after the tourist-dependent island chain was closed for more than two months to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The Florida Keys are to officially reopen to visitors Monday, June 1. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO) (Florida Keys News Bureau)Down in Key West, one of the major tourist attractions is the house formerly owned by Nobel Prize-winning writer Ernest Hemingway. Visitors were encouraged to wear masks and bring credit cards since the theme park had gone cashless. Still, hotels were reopening in the Miami area with restrictions, including a requirement that guests wear masks except inside their rooms.

KEY LARGO, Fla. - Investigators say a Florida man told deputies who ordered him to get out of the water at a Key Largo resort that they'd "end up on the news" for hassling him. But Monroe County Sheriff's officials say 40-year-old Yanser Robaina ended up in jail after becoming verbally abusive Sunday. They say he kicked a patrol car door so hard that it won't close properly, and then headbutted a deputy and spit in his mouth. Deputies went to Gilbert's Resort to stop Robaina and others from jumping off the docks. The report says deputies handcuffed Robiana for the safety of others on the beach.