Key West

A draft update to the state's water quality rules omits a recommendation to set stricter limits on turbidity that can damage imperiled reefs.

Despite the dedicated efforts of scientists, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced this week that no wild elkhorn — a species valued for its tough wave-shredding antlers and listed as an endangered species — could be found south of the Upper Keys.

In a report Tuesday, the Florida Keys Wildlife Research Institute said no new sawfish deaths have been reported since June. But exactly what caused the startling behavior remains unknown.

Hemingway Days started in 1981 with a short-story competition and a look-alike contest. This year’s celebration concluded Sunday on the 125th anniversary of Hemingway’s birth on July 21, 1899.

After last year's lethal marine heat wave, coral scientists are looking at ways to help coral survive another potential round of dangerous bleaching.

A 19-year-old student from Honduras downed a 9-inch pie in less than two minutes.

A new artificial reefs program that scientists hope will help reduce stress on the Florida Keys' fragile marine ecosystem has started this month — with the first project off Key West already in the works.

A new 25-year lease will allow longer, wider ships with a deeper drafts at the harbor just inside Florida's reef tract. The deal comes amid growing evidence that sediment churned up by ships damages reefs.

Sawfish, and about 30 other species of fish, are turning up sick and dying in the Lower Keys as questions mount over what's causing it. As word and worries spread, scientists are yet to find a smoking gun.

Scientists say the fish kill that started in November and spread among dozens of species is unlike anything they've seen before.

“Outside of an hour and a half before sunset, nobody wants to sit there for more than five or 10 minutes even though we have this invaluable view of the ocean.”

More than 19,000 people have signed a petition to rename it the Jimmy Buffett International Airport. Monroe County's mayor tells WLRN officials are assessing whether it could be possible.