August 8

Aerial view of Monroe General Hospital on Stock Island, ca. 1950.

1924 – Nestor Alfonso, a Key West chauffeur, was abducted by five masked men from the corner of Duval and Greene streets, taken to the county road, and severely whipped. After the beating, Alfonso was returned to the city and left at the intersection of Greene and Fitzpatrick in a nearly nude condition.

1950 – Three cases of polio were reported among Key West Navy dependents, and all three were hospitalized in Miami.

1951 – The Monroe County Commission assumed management of Monroe General Hospital, taking over from the board of trustees that had been running the facility. The change came after a long period of complaints about the quality of care at the hospital.

1960 – Key West Policeman Sam Cagnina was arrested for armed robbery after he robbed Ringside Billiard Parlor at 922 Truman Avenue.

1963 – Florida State Insurance Commissioner J. Edwin Larson assured Keys residents that “fair and just” windstorm insurance rates would be available to them. After first offering rates double that of the rest of the state, several insurers agreed to cover high-risk Keys properties at 30% above average. Inadequate building codes and poor enforcement of them were cited as the reasons for the high rates.

1975 – Renovation construction on the city-owned restaurant and concession stand at South Beach in Key West was stopped after questions were raised about the nature of the project. Multiple building plans showed a bar was to be built in the overhaul, which would be illegal on public property.

1987 – Superintendent of Schools A.J. Henriquez named Tommy Roberts principal of Key West High School.

Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.

Image: Aerial view of Monroe General Hospital on Stock Island, ca. 1950. Wright Langley Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.