Tuesday, June 18, 2013

KEY WEST

Walk-in vaccinations offered

The Monroe County Health Department encourages adults age 19 and over to get a TdaP vaccination, for protection against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

The latter can make infants gravely ill, so the best way to protect them is by vaccinating all adults, who can at anytime come in contact with babies.

The department holds walk-in TdaP vaccination clinics 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at the Gato Building, 1100 Simonton St. Or appointments may be scheduled by calling 305-809-5603.

Shots will be given regardless of ability to pay, but bring an insurance card or proof of income if possible.

FLORIDA KEYS

Chamber hosts windstorm forum

The Key West Chamber of Commerce will host a Windstorm Insurance Forum at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Waldorf-Astoria Casa Marina Resort.

Panelists will include Robin Westcott, insurance consumer advocate for the state's chief financial officer; Jay Neal, the executive director of the Florida Association for Insurance Reform (FAIR); Christine Ashburn, director of legislative and external affairs at Citizens Property Insurance Corp.; Yong Gilroy, chief insurance officer of Citizens; State Rep. Holly Raschein; State Sen. Dwight Bullard and Heather Carruthers, president of Fair Insurance Rates for Monroe (FIRM).

The forum is presented by the Key West Chamber of Commerce as a FIRM fundraiser and is open to the public. A $10 donation is requested.

FLORIDA KEYS

Land and sea events for Fla. 500

Dry Tortugas National Park and the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center will honor the 500th anniversary of Ponce de Leon's arrival in Florida with special events this weekend.

Archaeologists and historians will discuss the history of Dry Tortugas National Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at Fort Jefferson.

For landlubbers, the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center at Truman Waterfront will host a discussion and presentation from 1-3:30 p.m. Saturday.

The National Park Service programs will introduce people to the archaeology and cultural history of the Dry Tortugas and Florida Keys, and will offer a hands-on program about cemetery preservation, according to a park service press release.

Partners: Florida Public Archaeology Network, NPS, Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society, Yankee Freedom