Only in the Keys

his Head is still going...

1883 – Sailors from a warship anchored in Key West Harbor were arrested and brought before the court on charges of “riding horses in a manner that threatened pedestrians,” after careening recklessly down Duval Street. The judge dismissed the case, saying the six men had been at sea a long time and deserved some recreation.

1946 – A “black market” movie theater was operating in a tent in the 400 block of Catherine Street in Key West. The theater was admitting children under 16 in defiance of a ban prohibiting youngsters from gathering in public places during the polio epidemic.

Twenty years earlier there was a polo epidemic in Hialeah.

In the 80s there was a Jai Alai epidemic in Hialeah.

1953 – The Navy held a court martial on a lieutenant commander who oversaw the Navy Relief smoker held at the Key West Cuban Club in February. Seven men were charged for staging the affair, which had started as an ordinary “stag show” and degenerated into a sexual orgy.

1986 – Cocaine was becoming an increasing problem in the Florida Keys: Since August 1985, 129 people had been arrested in Monroe County on cocaine-related charges, and four had died from overdoses of the drug since January.

1953 – Because of pressure from the Navy the city of Key West had outlawed “B-girls” that preyed on young sailors. The notorious Mardi Gras Night Club at 92 Duval Street was a repeat violator of the ordinance.

A 34-year-old Thomasville, North Carolina woman was arrested on July 14, 2026, for driving drunk with a child in the vehicle. There were no injuries reported.
Heidy Jazmin Aleman was charged with DUI and child neglect.
Aleman pulled a BMW sedan into the Sheriff’s Office Cudjoe Key substation at approximately 11:10 p.m. and requested directions from a Sheriff’s Office sergeant. An 11-year-old juvenile was in the vehicle. The same BMW was previously observed driving recklessly on U.S. 1.
Aleman appeared intoxicated and failed field sobriety exercises. She was taken to jail.
The juvenile was transported to a children’s shelter where a family member was en route to take custody