Today in Keys History – April 16, 2024
1825 – The USS Decoy left Key West with 10 convalescent invalids, who had been stricken by yellow fever. With no improvement in the health of the island, Navy vessels and stores were ordered to be removed from Key West and sent to New Orleans and Pensacola.
1974 – The Monroe County Commission began drafting a law requiring that new first-floor construction elevations follow guidelines set by the Army Corps of Engineers. The new regulation would allow federally backed flood insurance to be issued in the county.
1975 – Monroe County Mayor Harry Harris was suspended from office by Governor Reubin Askew after he was indicted by a Dade County grand jury on charges of conspiracy to bribe a member of the South Florida Regional Planning Council. Harris, a Tavernier resident, had been a county commissioner for over 30 years.
1984 – The Key West City Commission banned the use of purse seine and gill nets around the island, as their reckless use had severely depleted the populations of bait fish in local waters.
2014 – The Monroe County Commission agreed to spend $1.7 million on a 5,000 square-foot community center at Bernstein Park on Stock Island.
2019 – A large majority – 69% – of Key West voters said “Yes” to the city’s purchase of the Key West Citizen building on Northside Drive. The city intended to house its Community Services department there.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The Key West Citizen building at 3420 Northside Drive. Photo by Raymond L. Blazevic. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.