Accomodations

Islamorada’s Over-Seas Inn History

The 1935 hurricane struck Upper Matecumbe Key hard being just to the right of eye’s path. Four seriously damaged but recognizable structures remained standing. They were O. D. Kings’ Rustic Inn, the Methodist parsonage, The Hotel  Matecumbe and Leo Johnson’s house. The coral-rock post office was also recognizable by those who knew it before. Therefore, almost nothing was left standing and there was a great toll of human life, but the determined citizens were not to be denied. Houses, a school, post office and the church were rebuilt. This was “home.”

One wooden building was built by Eddie Sweeting using materials provided by FERA and he provided all the labor. It was a two story building, shown at the right, in which they lived in the upper floor and the lower floor was leased to the School Board.  The previously shown coral rock school on the beach was totally destroyed and a school was desperately needed as residents were returning.

The federal government subsidized the building of this wooden structure to replace business destroyed. Material only was provided to Eddy Sweeting to rebuild his grocery store as he wanted a two-story structure. Eddie Sweeting had the building shown to the right ready for occupancy on August 1936.

The above information is from http://www.keyshistory.org/uppermatkey.html

As you can see this building later became the Over-Seas Inn. Do you know what it is now?

Florida House Bill 883 – Vacation Rentals

This Bill would end local Florida governments’ authority to regulate transient rentals, allowing property owners to rent their homes by the day, week, month or year.

SUMMARY ANALYSIS

The bill combines the classifications in chapter 509, F.S., of resort condominiums and resort dwellings as „vacation rentals.? „Vacation Rental? is defined as “any unit or group of units in a condominium, cooperative, or timeshare plan or any individually or collectively owned single-family, two-family, three-family, or four-family dwelling house or dwelling unit that is also a transient public lodging establishment.”

The bill provides that vacation rentals are deemed residential property and prohibits local governments from prohibiting vacation rentals or treating them differently from other residential property based on their classification, use, or occupancy. This would remove authority for local governments to ban or restrict vacation rentals.

You can read more on this bill here -> rentals

Caribbee Colony on Matecumbe Key

At the height of the Roaring 20’s, wealthy visitors who escaped to Miami for the winter had discovered a new playground – an exclusive island resort in the Florida Keys known fondly as “Caribee Colony.”

Created by railroad tycoon Henry Flagler and real estate magnate George Merrick for their millionaire friends, it was an oceanfront hideaway reached by a daily train from Miami called the “South Seas Special.” Here at “Caribee Colony”, guests enjoyed the escape of balmy breezes and champagne waters of America’s only tropical islands, but the luxuries included docks for yachts, a rail spur for private train cars and even an offshore casino. Alas, the “millionaires’ beach club,” as it was known, passed into legend in less than a decade.

Today, the worthy successor to the Caribee – The Colony, Islamorada – introduces a new level of luxury and sophistication to the Florida Keys.

Spanning the Overseas Highway on more than six acres Oceanside and five acres Gulfside at Mile Marker 80.2 on Upper Matecumbe Key, The Colony features perhaps the preeminent waterfront setting in the entire Keys. Certainly, there are advantages to being on the Atlantic – immediate access to the Gulfstream and its deep water, sunrises over the ocean and gentle ocean breezes. There are advantages to being Gulfside as well – immediate access to the islands of Florida Bay, Flamingo and Everglades National Park, great back country fishing for tarpon, snook, redfish and bonefish, and memorable sunsets when the shining ball disappears with a flash into the Gulf.

Everglades Buildings Go Retro With Pink Paint

Everglades National Park buildings are getting an eye-popping makeover to flamingo pink, a return to the original 1950s color scheme. Park official Melissa Memory says: “We’re bringing them back to their former glory.”

Memory acknowledges that people weren’t thrilled with the idea initially.

The National Park Service has long adopted a blend-into-the-background look for its buildings. But Memory says the reaction from the public and staff has been mostly positive.

Everglades National Park was established in 1947 and is the third largest national park in the lower 48 states. The park receives about a million visitors annually, depending on weather and economic factors, and contributes $120 million annually to the local economy through tourism revenue, according to the National Park Service. About 25 percent of visitors are international travelers.

Total acreage, both land and water, is 1,509,000 acres, or 2,358 square miles. It lies in Monroe, Miami-Dade and Collier counties. There are four visitor centers at the park:

Electricity Available at 41 Flamingo Campsites at Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park is pleased to announce improvements to the Flamingo campground area. Effective January 15, 2011, campers in the Flamingo area of Everglades National Park will have the option to have electric hook-ups for an additional fee. In response to visitor requests, the park has upgraded 41 sites in the T loop area of the Flamingo Campground with electrical hook-ups. This campground is one of the most popular in the 1.5 million acre park and is located at the extreme southern tip of the park approximately 38 miles south of the Homestead main entrance.

The nightly campground fee will increase from $16 to $30 for each of the 41 sites with electric hookups. Increased fees will be effective as of January 15, 2011 and apply to anyone using these sites, regardless of whether they use the electric hook-ups or not. Sites are first come, first serve and not available in 2011 on the national reservation system. The remaining sites at both campgrounds will remain the same.

The Interagency Annual, Senior, Access and Golden Age and Access passes will be accepted for the entrance fee. The Interagency Senior, Golden Age, Interagency Access and Golden Access will provide a 50 percent discount for campground fees.

Funding for this project comes from entrance, camping and backcountry user fees collected throughout the park. A large portion (80 percent) of national park entrance and other user fees are returned directly to the parks where they are collected and used to provide direct benefits to park visitors such as improving the condition of facilities, natural and cultural resource preservation, and interpretation of the park’s resources and for enhancement of visitor services.

For additional information, contact park information at 305-242-7700.

More info here –> Everglades

Cheeca Burns…Part II

The main building at Cheeca Lodge Resort and Spa in Islamorada caught fire for the second time this year around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, according to Keys fire officials. Islamorada Fire Chief William Wagner, who was in Key West but was monitoring the situation by radio, said three firefighters were transported to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier during the response – one for a sprained ankle, one for a cardiac issue and another for possible smoke inhalation. All were reported to be OK later that day.

The cause of the fire appeared to be accidental, according to assistant Islamorada Fire Chief Bruce Stoll. He reported that the fire started on the outside of the building and spread into a stairwell. Key Largo Volunteer Fire Department Chief Sergio Garcia said firefighters had the fire under control by 1 p.m. but were checking the building for flare-ups and were removing part of a stairwell. Fire and rescue crews from Key Largo to Big Pine Key responded.

Jim Costello, resort manager at Cheeca, said a demolition crew accidentally started the fire while cutting into a metal roof with a cutting torch. Sparks from the torch flew and accidentally caught the old thatch roof on fire, Costello said. Costello said the fire was contained quickly and won’t impact the resort’s plans to reopen by the end of the year.

Zirkelbach said the fire started somewhere along the northeast corner of the building opposite the starting point of the New Year’s Eve fire that severely damaged the structure and closed the resort. Zirkelbach said he heard reports that a welder’s torch ignited the fire somewhere on the fourth floor, but fire officials would not confirm it. Wagner said it appeared the fire could have started on a long thatch roof overhanging what used to be an outside dining area on the side of the building facing the ocean.

A thatched overhang on the north side of the building was the source of the first fire that is believed to have been sparked by an ember. The main building housed administrative offices, a lobby, two restaurants, bars, a conference center and 49 guest rooms.

“I’m just really distraught, how it could catch fire again,” said Wagner, who since the first fire has worked with other Keys fire officials to push for more stringent permit requirements for fire retardant on thatched structures. Wagner said his department hadn’t pushed for Cheeca to check its retardant on the ocean-side thatch, which was partially burned in the first fire, because Cheeca had planned to demolish and rebuild the structure. “They were going to demolish the building, so there was no reason to push the issue,” he said. “Now it’s just a matter of a big mess and drama.”

Islamorada’s Holiday Isle in Foreclosure

Holiday Isle Resort and Marina, a major hotel resort in Islamorada, is in foreclosure after lenders filed to recover $77 million loaned on an aborted condotel conversion. VII Holiday Isle Funding LLC, a subsidiary of Connecticut-based Starwood Capital Group, filed against several companies affiliated with West Palm Beach developer Adam Schlesinger, and his company, Ceebraid Signal.

It’s unclear how the filing will impact operations at the property, located at mile marker 84.5. But news of the legal action brought reaction from Islamorada’s Mayor Cathi Hill. “In conjunction with the events at Cheeca, this could not have come at a worse time,” Hill said. A New Year’s eve fire closed down Cheeca Resort and Islamorada officials and business leaders are still are unsure when the tony oceanfront resort will reopen.

Holiday Isle is also well-know for its charter boat row, where deep sea fishing boats line up for guests drawn from Holiday Isle and other resort properties throughout the Upper Keys. Charter captains, already on edge over an uncertain future for the resort and marina, talked Friday about their concerns with a weak economy and fewer people willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for a day of fishing. “I don’t know what our future is right now,” said Capt. J.R. Rudzin of the Captain JR charter boat. Read more…

Islamorada Dream Home Giveaway Contest Begins January 1, 2008

Many repeat visitors to the Florida Keys often dream about owning a vacation or permanent residence in the subtropical island chain. That dream is to become a reality for someone when Home and Garden Television awards a luxury residence in Islamorada to the winner of its 2008 HGTV Dream Home Giveaway contest set to begin Jan. 1.

The three-story, three-bedroom, 3,500-square-foot custom designed and fully furnished home is situated on a private shallow-water beach in an enclave called The Shore at Islamorada, off U.S. Highway 1 at mile marker 86.7 bayside. The home and its associated prizes, including a hybrid vehicle and an HGTV Doggie Dream Home, are valued at more than $2.2 million. People can register to win the home online at www.hgtv.com. Beginning Dec. 3, HGTV’s Web site is to offer 360-degree virtual tours of the home and details on its construction.

The home will be showcased on an HGTV special program scheduled to premiere at 9 p.m. ET Jan. 1, with additional airings until the contest’s conclusion Feb. 19. The dream home’s architecture and landscape design was inspired by the Keys’ traditional small waterfront fishing villages, and the elegant residence even has a room dedicated to Islamorada’s sportfishing tradition. The dream home’s winner isn’t the only one to benefit from the giveaway. The property is to be open to the public for tours from Jan. 3 to March 2, with proceeds from the $20 per person ticket cost slated to benefit the Florida Keys Children’s Shelter. The contest winner is to be announced March 16 on an HGTV special live program.

For information about Islamorada, including area accommodations, contact the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce at (800) 322-5397 or (305) 664-4503, or explore this Web site.