Sunday, September 9, 2012

Governor tours Mel Fisher Museum

Florida Gov. Rick Scott and his wife, Ann, on Friday visited the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, where they examined 16th- and 17th-century shipwreck artifacts salvaged in Florida Keys and Bahamian waters. Several artifacts will be displayed at the governor's mansion during Hispanic Heritage Month to tell the story of Florida's history.

"Part of the history of Florida is all the treasure ships, what Mel Fisher did, the ships that were coming back and forth from Spain," said Scott. "My wife has opened up the mansion to a lot more children coming through, and it's a way for them to learn a lot more about the history of the state."

The couple examined artifacts from the wrecks of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, Santa Margarita and Santa Clara, which is one of the oldest shipwrecks in the Western Hemisphere, according to a press release from Newman PR.

KEY WEST

Lopez holds neighborhood meeting

The community is invited to attend the District VI meeting slated for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, 300 Catherine St., Key West.

The meeting will feature a discussion of hurricane preparedness by Key West Emergency Manager Craig Marston and a discussion about street cleaning.

The monthly meetings are an opportunity for residents to speak with and hear from Commissioner Clayton Lopez and members of the Key West Police Department. They provide an open forum to talk frankly with local police officers about the neighborhood, residents' needs and expectations. They are also a chance for the department to provide the latest updates on how it is furthering its ongoing mission to protect and serve.

STOCK ISLAND

Sheriff's farm open today

The Sheriff's Animal Farm will be open from 1-3 p.m. today. Families are invited to visit the animals that include horses, a cow, pigs, goats, bunnies, alligators, tropical birds, a kinkajou, sloths, a lemur, Kramer the Emu, a family of Patagonian Cavys, tortoises and turtles, snakes and many more.

Admission is free, but donations are welcome to help care for the animals.

The farm is located just off College Road on Stock Island at the Sheriff's Office Headquarters complex. Groups may schedule special tours at the farm by calling Farmer Jeanne Selander at 305-293-7300.