November 3
1828 – The first term of the Superior Court Southern Judicial District of the Territory of Florida was held in Key West.
1926 – Key West Fire Chief Ralph Pinder returned from the firemen’s convention in New Orleans with the news that, in competition with 700 other cities across the United States, Key West was awarded the gold medal for having had the fewest fires and the least loss from fire over the previous year.
1956 – Juvenile Judge Eva Gibson Warner noted that increased publicity for Key West and the Florida Keys led to more juvenile runaways making their way to the island chain, and the year’s near-record numbers were expected to worsen once a new tourism advertising campaign took effect.
1966 – The Islamorada Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the Florida Board of Antiquities asking that the wreck site of the Herrera, a Spanish galleon sunk in 1733, be designated a historical site and protected as an attraction for divers and tourists.
1981 – A two-percent tourist tax for Key West was approved by the voters. It was estimated that the tax would bring in $425,000 to $450,000 annually to be used to promote Key West as a tourist attraction.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: Key West Fire Station at Old City Hall on Greene Street, ca. 1925. Dewey Riggs Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
