How are some drivers trying to get into the Keys? With counterfeit stickers, sheriff says
After a hurricane evacuation, residents of the Florida Keys are allowed to re-enter the island chain by displaying a Monroe County-issued sticker on their windshields.
The tiny documents are valued commodities for people eager to get back to their homes after big storms.
The stickers were also accepted to get through two checkpoints set up on the 18 Mile Stretch of U.S. 1 and County Road 905 to block tourists from entering the Keys to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
That changed Monday. The county announced that residents returning to the Keys must now present a local identification card, a utility bill, deed, lease or tax bill to officers to get through. The sticker alone will no longer suffice.
“Those with reentry stickers on your car must also show documentation of residency or home ownership,” a statement from the Village of Islamorada reads.
The announcement came hours after Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said he wanted the system to end because his deputies have confiscated dozens of counterfeit stickers since the checkpoints were set up over a week ago.
“Stop issuing any more hurricane re-entry stickers because we can’t validate the program,” Ramsay said during a conference call with other government officials and business leaders Monday morning.
When the checkpoints went into effect, the county announced re-entry stickers could be picked up at local fire stations and the tax collectors office, but the supply quickly ran out. Ramsay said in addition to counterfeit stickers, people who have been turned away at the checkpoints have also told deputies they received legitimate stickers from people who live in the Keys.
Now, not only are the stickers not enough to get people through the checkpoints, the county has suspended distributing them.
Kristen Livengood, county spokeswoman, said many people with bogus stickers told deputies they bought them in Miami. Deputies have seized more than 200 stickers, she said.
“None of those stopped with counterfeit stickers had a legitimate or legal reason to enter the Florida Keys,” Livengood said in a statement.
Chuck Lindsey, manager of the Middle Keys city of Marathon, agreed with the county’s decision.
“We’ve also seen the sticker issue being abused,” Lindsey said during the morning meeting.
Lindsey also said he and other city officials want to suspend service of buses that bring workers from the mainland operated by Miami-Dade Transit.
“We don’t want the buses running into Marathon anymore,” Lindsey said during the meeting.
About nine buses run from Florida City to Marathon through the day. The buses are filled with workers employed at restaurants, hotels and other businesses from Key Largo to the Middle Keys. Since all hotels are closed in an effort to stem the COVID-19 crisis, and restaurants can only operate for takeout and delivery customers, the need to import workers into the Keys has greatly diminished.
The city of Key West has already suspended a bus that runs from Marathon to the Southernmost City, said City Manager Greg Veliz.
“What is coming from Florida City is being dumped into Marathon and not coming into Key West,” Veliz said.
Shannon Weiner, director of Monroe County Emergency Management, said both issues would be discussed during a call later in the day.
According to the latest county information on the checkpoints, since they opened March 27, nearly 2,000 cars were denied entry into the Keys and were turned around.
Before the blockades went into effect, Florida Department of Transportation data showed traffic was between 47 and 49 percent of average flow for this time of year. Weiner said Monday that over the weekend, traffic activity was between 25 and 27 percent of average flow.
This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 12:31 PM with the headline "How are some drivers trying to get into the Keys? With counterfeit stickers, sheriff says."
