A new housing develop-ment is taking shape on Flagler Avenue, where heavy machinery has recently replaced the cluster of boats and trailers that have been parking for years on the empty parcel.

The long-vacant lot at 2800 Flagler Ave. is slated to become the Enclave on Riviera, a small gated com-munity of 10 single-family, stilt homes, each with three bedrooms and two and a half baths.

The 1800-square-foot modular homes likely will start at $799,000, said Realtor Bascom Grooms, who is co-listing the homes with Realtor Gary Smith.

The development at the corner of Flagler Avenue and 11th Street will include a community pool and cabana, an electronic secu-rity gate, environmental-ly friendly construction, stainless steel appliances, covered porches, lush land-scaping and a decorative wall encircling the new neighborhood.

Grooms said two model

homes that will be the first ones placed on the property are already under construc-tion at the manufacturer, and will be placed on the

Flagler Avenue parcel some-time this fall.

The 4.2-acre parcel includes 2.4 acres of protect-ed wetlands that cannot be

disturbed, a restriction that stymied the previous own-er’s plans for the property.

The Florida Keys’ Only Daily Newspaper, Est. 1876

Jason Day wins PGA — Page 1BAugust 17, 2015 ◆ Vol. 139 ◆ No. 229 ◆ 14 pagesMonday

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Stanley Switlik ES waiting its turn

As the Monroe County School District builds a new Plantation Key School, another local school is waiting in the wings for its update to arrive. Stanley Switlik Elementary School was built in 1971 and stands as the oldest school in Monroe County. The outdated areas are only outnumbered by the amount of students as the school is “absolutely full,” according to prin-cipal Brett Unke, who said every classroom and closet in the school is currently being used. Page 3A

WEATHER

Kaylee Perez, fifth grade,Poinciana Elementary School

See forecast on Page 2A

MONROE COUNTY

ON THE RADIO

Congressman Carlos Curbelo talks about US-Cuba relations and the proposed re-districting of District 26 which includes the Florida Keys.

Also on today’s show:• Mary Turner — Health Department• Mike Davila — KWFD• Dean Walters — FDOT• Capt. Jeff Janszen — Coast Guard• Mike Puto — Marathon• Bobby Dube — FWC

NEWS: 7:30, 8:30 a.m., noon, 5 & 6 p.m.Evening Edition 5-5:30 p.m.

Pro-Bush PAC spending $10M-plus

The heavily funded super PAC backing Republican Jeb Bush will spend at least $10 million on television time in the earliest vot-ing presidential primary states, the first salvo in a massive TV ad campaign to support the former Florida governor’s bid for the Republican nomination. Officials with Right to Rise USA say they will buy time in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina TV markets and on cable television in the three states. Ads are sched-uled to begin in Iowa and New Hampshire on Sept. 15, in South Carolina a week later and then run continu-ously through the end of the year. Page 3A

NATION

STILLSTILL

50¢50¢

Whether the 20 luxury condomini-ums planned for the 100 block of Simonton Street can become tran-sient rentals is up to the Key West city commission.

On the agenda for Tuesday, com-missioners have a request by the property owners to remove the con-dition placed on the project in 2008 that the gated community could not become short-term rentals.

Steps from the Key West Historic Seaport and stumbling distance to Duval Street, the condos’ location is better suited for short-term rentals, say the private planners working for the developers, Brytrex, Inc., which

bought the property for $6.8 million in January.

In 2007, the builder who remains a part of the deal, paid $10 million for it.

Along with the decreased value, prospective buyers aren’t interested in the two-bedroom condos, which

start at $1.5 million, unless they can have the option to acquire a transient rental license.

“They’re saying they don’t want to buy a unit unless they can go find a

See CONDO, Page 7A

Jacksonville University researchers have embarked on a study of critical impor-tance to scientists rearing and out-planting coral on the Florida Keys reef.

Mote Marine Laboratory, the

Coral Restoration Foundation, The Nature Conservancy and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have spent millions of dollars rearing and out-planting coral on the Keys reef for nearly a decade.

Jacksonville University marine science professor

Dan McCarthy and two of his graduate students are examin-ing whether coral reefs flour-ish when more parrotfish are around to eat the algae that battle for space on the reef with coral or whether certain species of parrotfish feeding on the live

Experts study parrotfish and coralsBY TIMOTHY O’HARAKey West Citizen

See PARROTFISH, Page 7A

Monroe County State Attorney Catherine Vogel and Sheriff Rick Ramsay are warning residents of a new phone scam in which res-idents are told they are in trouble for missing jury duty and urged to pay the caller using cash cards.

It’s the latest in a string of cash card scams that have long plagued the Florida Keys. Most recently, the scams involved people pos-ing as Keys Energy or Florida Keys Electric Cooperative representatives stating resi-dents’ bills were overdue. All the scams involve the urg-ing of payment using cash cards or prepaid debit cards commonly found at grocery stores and gas stations.

In the latest scam, a caller claims to be with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and says the resident has an out-standing warrant for failure to appear for a grand jury session. The caller threat-ens the resident, instructing them to pay or face arrest, Vogel said.

A Key West resident who received such a call recently informed the State Attorney’s Office and didn’t send any money to the caller.

“If you are ever called by anyone seeking such payment, please call the office of the State Attorney Investigations Department

Top cops warn of court scam

See ENCLAVE, Page 7A

Rental – to be or not to be

City commission to decide whether the planned condos could become rentals

New neighborhood takes shape on Flagler

BY GWEN FILOSA Key West Citizen

BY MANDY MILESKey West Citizen

BY ADAM LINHARDT Key West Citizen

See SCAM, Page 7A

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Stoplight parrotfish

MIKE HENTZ/The Citizen

The construction site of the future Old Town Villas condominiums is shown above in the 100 block of Simonton Street. The City of Key West is to discuss whether to allow property owners to get transient licenses for short-term rentals.

MIKE HENTZ/The Citizen

Large poster-size renderings are on the fence surrounding the construction site for the Old Town Villas.

Provided rendering

A bird’s-eye view of the Enclave on Riviera in this rendering.

Jason Day