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1 month ago | 
keysweekly.com | Brad Bertelli |Florida’s Bigfoot
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word sugarloaf as “refined sugar molded into a cone.” It can also mean something cone-shaped. Why the name was given to Sugarloaf Key is tricky to pin down. Some say it was named for crops of sugarloaf pineapples said to have once been farmed on the island. The sugarloaf is one of about 40 varieties of the sweet, pulpy fruit. One of the sweetest varieties, it bears a white fruit that is low in acid and less fibrous than other pineapples.
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2 months ago | 
keysweekly.com | Brad Bertelli |Florida’s Bigfoot
It’s exciting to write that volume 3 of my “Florida Keys History with Brad Bertelli” book series is now available. With each book, I’ve worked to create a deeper understanding of the island chain so many people love (and some of us are lucky enough to call home). These islands are a great place to escape, watch the sunset and have a slice of Key lime pie, but there is tremendous history, too.
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2 months ago | 
keysweekly.com | Brad Bertelli |Florida’s Bigfoot
Conch is more than a five-letter word in the Florida Keys. It is a marine gastropod, a musical horn, a treasured souvenir, a culture and the symbol emblazoned on the national flag of the Conch Republic. It’s not surprising that at least one of the islands making up the archipelago would be called Conch Key. There are two of them, Conch Key and Little Conch Key; they have different stories to tell.
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2 months ago | 
keysweekly.com | Brad Bertelli |Florida’s Bigfoot
On a map (yikes, I’m dating myself) or GPS, the fills and bridges connecting Upper Matecumbe Key and Lower Matecumbe Key are excellent examples of how looks can be deceiving. The 2.5-mile stretch has more to share than it might seem. In the beginning, the space between the two islands was a vast, open, watery expanse. However, Henry Flagler and his men changed that.
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Mar 10, 2025 | 
keysweekly.com | Brad Bertelli |Florida’s Bigfoot
Because Key Largo is the largest of the Florida Keys, and the Overseas Highway stretches 19.2 miles over the island, it has a lot of stories to tell. We will take it slow because this is the Florida Keys, and that’s the whole point, right? With just one road, there is only so fast a car can safely go. However, every year, speed, coupled with impatience and bad decisions, wrecks vehicles and kills people (and Key deer).
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Mar 3, 2025 | 
keysweekly.com | Brad Bertelli |Florida’s Bigfoot
What keeps getting more apparent is all the miles that go into creating the 115-mile-long Overseas Highway have stories to tell. Naturally, some miles have more to share than others. Mile Marker 22, crossing Cudjoe Key, is an interesting stretch that leads to conversations about Fat Albert, square grouper, and, on a personal note, my favorite dessert served in the Florida Keys. Spoiler alert: it is not Key lime pie.
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Feb 24, 2025 | 
keysweekly.com | Brad Bertelli |Florida’s Bigfoot
Rolling past the iconic Bahia Honda Bridge and across Scout Key, there is a really tight curve. Let it serve as a wake-up call. Traveling down what is essentially a straight line, this little curve has sneaked up and caused its fair share of drivers to misjudge it. Not only should it act as a great reminder to slow down and enjoy the ride, but as a reminder that lives are at stake just around the next corner. With that, welcome to Big Pine Key, the second largest of the Florida Keys.
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Feb 17, 2025 | 
keysweekly.com | Brad Bertelli |Florida’s Bigfoot
A formal celebration of Black history in this country began more than 50 years before Kent State University, in 1970, first celebrated Black History Month. The first U.S. president to recognize the event was Gerald Ford, in 1976. Every year since, each president of the United States has issued a proclamation honoring February as Black History Month. February was chosen as it coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
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Feb 10, 2025 | 
keysweekly.com | Brad Bertelli |Florida’s Bigfoot
Like the Long Key Bridge, the Seven Mile Bridge links two geographical areas. The Long Key Bridge is the conduit linking the Upper Keys to those islands identified as the Middle Keys. The Seven Mile Bridge connects the islands of the Middle Keys to those that have been labeled as the Lower Keys. After traveling over the modern marvel that is the Seven Mile Bridge, the first of the Lower Keys touched by the Overseas Highway is Little Duck Key.
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Feb 4, 2025 | 
keysweekly.com | Brad Bertelli |Florida’s Bigfoot
Driving along the Overseas Highway through the Florida Keys, it is easy to have your sense of direction confused. When entering Key Largo and heading down the island chain like birds for the winter, it seems like you should be traveling south. Conversely, leaving the island chain and driving back to the mainland, the natural inclination is to think you are moving north. A compass will indicate that you are mistaken.
