Bahama Village Needs Your Support

At tonight's Key West City Commission meeting, the Bahama Village Community Land Trust (BCCLT) needs YOUR support.
The Mayor of Key West, Morgan McPhearson, is attempting to undo the will of the majority of Key West citizens. We have voted, in a referendum, to lease the BCCLT 6 acres of land at the Truman Waterfront for housing, community centers, and other projects in support of one of Key West's most historic neighborhoods - Bahama Village.
Instead, the Mayor has been championing a water park. I know of no one that wants a water park.
Further, the Mayor wants to get control of the special funding that has been set up to revitalize the neighborhood.
It is a mystery why the Mayor no longer is interested in representing the will of the citizens, but it is starkly reminiscent of the County Mayor Mario DiGennaro's methods who seemed to never say no to a developer.
The Gang of Three has been broken up and mostly voted out (thank goodness), and the Mayors should read the writing on the wall: THEY ARE NEXT TO GO.
Please support the worthwhile efforts of the Bahama Village Community Land Trust and go to tonight's City Commission meeting at 6pm at City Hall.
And to Norma Jean Sawyer and the rest of the BCCLT, you have my complete support.

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Poll: Do YOU Like The Water Park Idea?

I'm still mystified by the mayor's idea for a "water park" at the Truman Waterfront.

I haven't met a local who likes the idea. The Citizen's Voice, our local anonymous rant column in the newspaper, is filled with people questioning the rational of a water park.

Who knows? Maybe it's all a move to freak out the Truman Annex crowd - something like: Put up a gate on Southard Street?! Fine! We'll build an amusement park next door!

But seriously, let's hear YOUR opinion:



If you can, let others know about the poll so we can get as many opinions as possible. And feel free to add your comments to this blog post to discuss the water park idea further.

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Key West Street View Now Available on Google Maps

Street View, a Google Maps project photo-documenting the streets of the world, is now available for Key West.

To see the images:

• Go to www.google.com/maps and search/zoom to Key West.
  
• Click the grey "Street View" button on the upper right corner of the map.
• Next, you'll see blue highlighting on the streets that have images in Street View. Click anywhere on a highlighted street to see the images Google has captured. (Also, you can drag the yellow human icon to a place you are interested in.)
• Once you see an image, navigate along the streets using the arrows overlayed on the pictures.

You never know who (or what!) you might see. And this has a few privacy advocates concerned. In response, Google has implemented a face-blur technology that prevents most people from being recognized.

Pretty cool technology.

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Make Them Pay for Sending You Junk Mail

Annoyed by the never-ending credit card offers filling your mailbox?

Wouldn't it be great to make them pay for sending you all that junk?

You can!

Inside every credit card offer is a return envelope - postage to be paid by the credit card company. Mailing this envelope doesn't cost you anything - the credit card company pays for the postage. And depending on the envelope's weight, the more you send them, the more they pay. (My research says you can send up to 70 pounds!)

Here are a few ways to increase their cost:

• Stuff the envelope with their entire bloated solicitation, and a note saying "please do not mail me anything".
• Stuff the envelope with other junk mail that you think they may be interested in: Publix fliers, Penny Savers, or fifty Cabela's catalog pages...whatever you can fit into the envelope.
• Stuff the envelope with an advertisement for your business. Of course they won't be buying anything, but the irony is sweet.
• or get nuts with the idea, like this guy, and tape the return envelope to a box with something heavy inside.

The credit card companies will likely keep sending you offers.

But maybe one day, if enough people do this, the credit card companies will relent and leave our mailboxes alone.

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Emm - What is a Waterpark?

Seriously, what on earth is the Mayor talking about?

A "world class waterpark" on the Truman Waterfront property?

What does that mean? Log flume rides? Water slides?

Am I the only one who finds the whole thing strange.

Key West is an island (meaning surrounded by water). There is certainly no shortage of water to play with/on.

Plus, there is a community pool just a short walk from the Truman Waterfront.

So what on earth is the Mayor talking about?

And what's with his poor treatment of the BCCLT (Bahama Conch Community Land Trust), Norma Jean Sawyer, and the wishes of the voters of Key West who passed a referendum granting the BCCLT a 99 year lease for 6 acres.

Norma Jean Sawyer has probably done more for affordable housing than the Mayor has. She is admirable, an asset to our community, and does not deserve the maligning Mayor McFearsome has lobbed in her direction.

Meanwhile, the budget for Key West is in critical condition under the stewardship of the Mayor. Hasn't the Mayor already cost us enough with his water play toys (aka Vandenberg). Now - who really has mismanaged funds?

If the mayor has a real problem, he should submit those details to the public.


What do you think?

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The Radiators in Concert in Key West

July 3rd may be the musical highlight of 2008 for Key West when one of New Orleans' favorite bands, The Radiators, play the Ocean Key House pier.

The Rads, as they are known by their fans, are no ordinary band - this is a top notch group that has been playing funky "swamp approved" music for nearly 30 years.

Many consider The Radiators to be one of the original jam-style bands. Their repertoire is immense - you never know what you'll hear - from originals to covers.

Expect a great show showcasing deep grooves, extended jams, New Orleans funk, and amazing musicianship.

This band is tight, fantastic live, and should be well worth the $20. I haven't been this excited since Burning Spear was supposed to play Key West (Hurricane Georges cancelled that).

If you haven't seen this band before, embedded below are a couple Radiators videos.

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Idaho Rafting

Considering that Key West is an ideal vacation destination, tourists always ask: "Where do you like to go on vacation?"


For me, I love to go to the mountains for hiking, camping, mountain biking, and white water river rafting.

One of the best trips is with this cool Idaho rafting guide service. Their location is convenient for Sun Valley and Stanley, Idaho vacations and offer some of the best overnight rafting trips on the Salmon River & Colorado River - known for excellent white water rapids and incredible wilderness scenery. These are all-inclusive trips and include camping equipment, delicious meals, and professional local guides.

They also offers single day trips - as well as a other outdoor activities including mountain biking and fly fishing (there is amazing fresh-water flyfishing on the Salmon River. The fishing guides know where to fish for the local Rainbow & Cutthrout trout).


Here are links to their various pages:

• Idaho Whitewater Rafting
• Rafting in Idaho
• Whitewater Rafting Idaho Group Trips
• Idaho River Rafting
• Whitewater rafting in Idaho
• Idaho mountain biking trips
• Idaho fly fishing guides

This year, the rivers will be especially exciting since the surrounding mountains received HUGE quantities of snow. As the snowpack melts, the rivers will swell - creating plenty of whitewater.

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Key West Hotel Bargains, Deals, & Discounts

Key West hotel rates are coming down, and this is good news for local businesses and visitors alike.

Over the past couple years, as Key West saw many hotel rooms go offline during renovations and conversions to condominiums (and hotel-miniums), room rates went to all-time highs.

Now, most of those hotel rooms are back online and rooms rates have come back down to earth.

And if you are looking for a bargain, visiting Key West this summer will save you a lot of money.

A search of discounts and deals for Key West hotels show bargains (we used http://www.keywesttravelguide.com/key-west-hotel-map.html ) look for the Key West specials and deals link with the red save tag):

• Old Town bed & breakfast inns as low as $129 per night
• Four-star Old Town resorts as low as $179 per night
• and super-budget rooms on the island at under $100!

This more than makes up for the $30 extra it will cost in gas for the average car to drive here from the mainland.

Summer is a great time to visit Key West. Room rates are low, it's less crowded, and the fishing is excellent.

Plus, the sea temperature is warm and very comfortable, at least 80 degrees, and you can snorklel, swim, and dive to your heart's content.

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WARNING: Citibank Credit Cards Screwing Over Best Customers

Watch out if you have a Citi Bank (Citi Cards) credit card. The big bank is desperate for money due to losing billions of dollars in the mortgage meltdown.

Citi Bank is raising interest rates it charges to its best cardholders - regardless if they have a perfect payment history, excellent credit score, and have never been late with any creditors.

This month, Citibank inserted a "Notice of Change in Terms and Right to Opt Out" in cardholders' monthly statements.

The notice reads:

"We are increasing your variable APR for purchases. Your purchase APR will equal the U.S. Prime Rate plus 7.99%, with a minimum APR of 13.99%..."

In my case, my Citi Bank card (a Platinum Select from a major brokerage account - this card is supposed to have very favorable rates), will see its interest rate rise from 9.5% to 13.99%. This card has never had a late payment (and I have never been late with any creditor, so this is not a "universal default" issue. Plus, my credit score is very good and has seen no deterioration)

According to a Citi Card supervisor, the move is "widespread" and has nothing to do with your credit history. In her words, "It is a banking decision." The representative expressed embarrassment and said "I don't know why they are doing this".

The notice does allow cardholders to "opt out" of the increased rates - but the account will be closed when the card expires. Though I won't close the account for fear of harming my credit rating, I will never again use it my Citi Bank credit card.

In the past, I have lamented about the predatory credit card industry - with terms equivalent to loan sharking.

And I expressed my real sorrow for those who fall on hard times and are at the mercy of the credit card industry.

Some commenters to this blog blamed the card holders, writing:

"As to credit card issuers being out of control... They aren't. They are operating within the law, and it is rather credit users who exhibit a lack of control."

But in reality, the credit card industry is totally out of control.

Fortunately, there are regulations and new laws being created that will finally reign in some of this abuse (the bills could go much further, but the credit card industry has lobbied and bought off more than a few politicians).

With looming regulation coming, Citi Bank is making one last ditch effort to screw as many people as possible before time is up.

Shame on you Citi Bank.

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No Big Mystery: Still $1000+ Per Sq. Foot & Still Not Selling

In January, the Key West Chronicle blog reported that the Harbor House luxury condominium project was not having much success finding buyers.

The local MLS, at that time, showed 29 of 32 units available and priced at approximately $1000+ per square foot.

Another post questioned if these projects were viable - asking "Will they make it?".

A regular and respected commenter erroneously computed the condo-tel investment potential when he wrote:

"It's my guess that most of these EXCLUSIVE properties have a large exclusivity premium built in and that even if it's necessary to reduce selling prices by 20% (or throw in incentives), there's still a substantial profit in these units, most of which, after all, include a transient rental license that can help to pay the mortgage. The developers talk about these as $500 a night and more rentals. I'll do the math: $500 per night at 80% occupancy = 292 days X $500 = $1,460,000. Take away another 20% for management fees and condominium charges, that leaves a paltry $1,168,000 to cover mortgage and taxes."

The correct math, using his assumptions, would be 292 days x $500 = $146,000. Taking away another 20% for mgmt. fees and condo charges leaves $116,800.

However, Key West hotels are at $500 per night only a few weeks of the year. For the rest of the year, these condos will likely rent for much less. If you hope to hit 80% occupancy, the average rate may be closer to $300 or less. Also, the income a buyer would receive is TAXABLE income - so take another 25% off for that.

Here is the correct math: 292 (80% occupancy) x $300 (per night average) = $87,600. Take away a 20% mgmt/condo fee = $70,080. And remove the 25% taxes = $52,560 in income. That equals $4380 per month - less than half what a mortgage will cost, at 6% with 20% down, on the least expensive unit in the MLS.

And this is if everything goes "right".

Today, over 4 months later - and beyond the traditional real estate selling season - there are still 29 of 32 units available and "active" on the MLS. Amazingly, the prices listed are still stratospheric: $1,965,000 to $3,120,000. The developer, Keys Caribbean, is offering a "Special pre-construction pricing starting at $1,710,000" on their website.

The developer has built a model home that towers over Lazy Way Lane and plans to build more as buyers come forward.

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