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SEVEN YEARS AGO, THE Sunshine State, with 67 counties, many cities and towns, thousands of private businesses and every chamber of commerce from Key West to Pensacola, jumped into a frenzied birthday soiree, together investing millions on parties, statuary, proud memorabilia and a host of other attractions designed to harvest what by now may be billions of dollars from tourism. […]

Wandering Key West’s mostly empty streets lately feels a little apocalyptic. Bar windows are dark, storefronts are shuttered, the air is silent and still. If you had just emerged from an isolated 12-day sojourn in the desert, à la Jared Leto, you might think you had stepped into a dystopian novel set in paradise. But compared to the following historic […]

Say what you will about life as we know it right now. We’ve been hearing a lot of bad news. But it’s not all bad. Staying indoors, per order or common sense, can be a respite, exciting even for a while — especially with so many shows available to watch. And at some point, we catch up with our “must […]

The usual view of sports fans is that they are people who are obsessed with a particular team or type of sport simply for the sake of the game scores. However, this view misses the fact that, for many fans, sports serve to facilitate social interaction, fitness, social identity and relaxation. When sports shut down, it’s much more than just […]

KEY WEST IS OFTEN DESCRIBED as the place “where the weird go pro,” but times in the Southernmost City are even weirder than usual. Key West is on virtual recreational lockdown. Restaurants are limited to takeout and delivery, once-bustling bars are practically lifeless, and shops are on semi-permanent siesta for the foreseeable future. So what are we supposed to do […]

Laura Richardson is the Editor of Florida Weekly Key West Edition. Kevin Assam is a profiler and local correspondent. The two converse on a weekly and bi-weekly basis. Their conversation has been lightly edited. Kevin: Hi Laura. Let’s step in the big topic: coronavirus. Do you feel a little triumphant that your book club recently picked the fantastic postapocalyptic novel […]

It’s hard to remember the last time Duval Street was this quiet. Even during the oppressively humid summer months, tourists spill out of Sloppy Joe’s and Irish Kevins, plastic cups in hand, seeking the next stop on their Duval Crawl. It may be spring break, but bars have been closed to the public since last week per the directive of […]

As of last week, Key West’s restaurants have been instructed to transition to strictly takeout and delivery for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unsurprisingly, most establishments have risen to the challenge, seamlessly converting their kitchens to accommodate the homebound residents of the island. Here, we’ve collected images of a handful of signboards around town in front of uncharacteristically darkened […]