November 25

Fausto's Food Palace at 522 Fleming Street 1960s.

1873 – The Alligator Reef Lighthouse was completed.

1923 – Captain Joe Russell launched his new, twin-screw motorboat, which he intended to use in the pleasure fishing business at Key West. The new 39-foot vessel was equipped with two 20-horsepower Kermath engines.

1939 – The Navy signed a one-year lease for Trumbo Point and used it as the Naval Air Station. The plans called for a large hangar, quarters for personnel, and repairs to the sea plane ramp.

1948 – Fausto Castillo began construction of a new Fausto’s grocery store at the corner of Fleming and Bahama streets in Key West.

1955 – A report to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department from the American Social Hygiene Association stated that law enforcement against prostitution in the Keys had been very effective. The report was based on data gathered by an ASHA undercover agent during an October stay in the islands.

1975 – Monroe County commissioners voted to establish a county personnel department. The new office would develop an employee policies and procedures manual, prepare job descriptions, screen job applicants, and establish a central personnel file, among other duties.

1985 – The Old Island Restoration Commission ruled unanimously that satellite dishes were inappropriate for Key West’s historic district. The decision came after 6-foot-round dishes were installed in the front yards of two Petronia Street residences.

---

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

Image: Fausto's Food Palace at 522 Fleming Street 1960s. Photo by Don Pinder. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.