The only food debate that matters in the Florida Keys...

...and why the folks refuse to agree on it.

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Florida Keys Road Trip
April 21, 2026

THE FLORIDA KEYS ROAD TRIP NEWSLETTER — April 20, 2026
FloridaKeysRoadTrip.com

Hey Keys lovers! If you've ever sat down at a waterfront restaurant in the Keys and asked a local which fish sandwich is "correct," you already know — they will not let it go. This week we're diving into the great mahi vs. grouper debate. Plus: the Conch Republic is celebrating its independence right now, a rehabilitated osprey is back with its family in Key Largo, and we've got the bizarre true story of a Key West doctor who took "til death do us part" way too literally.

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❓ KEYS TRIVIA

What is the largest brick masonry structure in the Americas — and where is it?

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

📣 THE MILE MARKER ROUNDUP

🎉 Conch Republic Independence: The 44th Annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration is happening right now in Key West. The 10-day festival runs through April 26, featuring the Great Sea Battle reenactment at Mallory Square this Friday and the Pirates Ball on Saturday. https://conchrepublic.com/events/

🏖️ Higgs Beach Transfer: Monroe County has officially voted to transfer ownership of the 16.5-acre Clarence S. Higgs Memorial Beach Park to the City of Key West, effective May 1. The city will take over management of the park, including the Reynolds Street Pier and Salute on the Beach. https://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1833

💰 Tourism Dollars at Work: The Monroe County Tourist Development Council is distributing $9.7 million in tourism tax revenue to fund major projects across the Keys, including $3.62 million for Mallory Square improvements and $2 million for a new visitor center at John Pennekamp State Park. https://keysweekly.com/42/millions-in-tourism-dollars-support-major-projects-across-the-florida-keys/

🦅 Osprey Rescue Success: A juvenile osprey found injured under its nest at the Upper Keys Sailing Club in Key Largo has been successfully rehabilitated by the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center and released back to its family. https://keysweekly.com/42/keeping-them-flying-rehabilitated-key-largo-osprey-returned-to-its-family/

🎣 Historic Blue Marlin: The 2026 Viking Key West Challenge wrapped up with a historic moment — Colin DiCembrino landed the first blue marlin in the tournament's 12-year history. Team "Right Choice" also took home the Overall Grand Champion title for the third year in a row. https://www.hmy.com/yachting/news/viking-key-west-challenge-2026-recap-one-for-the-history-books

🌴 YOUR FIRST FLORIDA KEYS ROAD TRIP ITINERARY

The Overseas Highway

If you're planning your first drive down the Overseas Highway, there is one mistake almost everyone makes: treating it like a regular interstate. People try to drive from Miami to Key West in one shot, arriving exhausted and missing everything in between.

The secret to a great Keys road trip is breaking the drive into two days. The drive IS the destination. Stop at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo for a morning snorkel. Pull over at Robbie's Marina in Islamorada to feed the massive tarpon. Spend an afternoon at Bahia Honda State Park in the Lower Keys, and take your time crossing the iconic Seven Mile Bridge.

By slowing down, you actually get to experience the islands instead of just driving past them.

Check out our guide to the perfect first-timer itinerary → https://floridakeysroadtrip.com

🧩 THE GREAT FLORIDA KEYS FISH SANDWICH DEBATE

The only food debate that matters south of Miami.

Every bar, marina, and roadside shack in the Florida Keys claims to have the best fish sandwich. The debate is real, passionate, and never-ending.

The core argument usually comes down to the fish itself: mahi-mahi versus grouper. Grouper purists will tell you that mahi is "the tofu of the sea" — it just absorbs whatever seasoning you throw at it. Mahi fans argue that grouper is overpriced and overfished, and a perfectly blackened piece of mahi on a fresh bun is unbeatable.

Then there's the preparation. Fried, grilled, or blackened? Served on Cuban bread or a soft potato bun?

If you want to do your own taste test, start with the legends. B.O.'s Fish Wagon on Caroline Street in Key West serves a legendary grouper sandwich out of a literal shack. Up on Stock Island, Hogfish Bar & Grill offers their namesake hogfish sandwich — the true locals' dark horse pick. In Marathon, Keys Fisheries is famous for their lobster reuben, but their fresh fish sandwich is a sleeper hit. And in Key Largo, Hobo's Cafe serves up no-frills, fresh-off-the-boat perfection.

But the real insider move? When you sit down, ask the server what was caught that morning and order that. The best fish sandwich in the Keys is whatever came off the boat three hours ago.

What's your favorite fish sandwich spot in the Keys? Hit reply and tell us — we'll publish the best answers next week.

🕰️ CARL TANZLER: THE MAN WHO LOVED TOO MUCH

The bizarre true story of Key West's most macabre romance.

In the early 1930s, a German-born radiologist named Carl Tanzler — who also called himself Count Carl von Cosel — was working at the U.S. Marine Hospital in Key West. There, he met and became dangerously obsessed with Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos, a 22-year-old Cuban-American tuberculosis patient.

Despite Tanzler's desperate attempts to cure her with experimental treatments, Elena died in October 1931. But for Tanzler, death was not the end.

In 1933, two years after her burial, Tanzler crept into the Key West cemetery and stole Elena's body from her mausoleum. He took her corpse back to his home, where he used wire, glass eyes, plaster of Paris, and mortician's wax to preserve her. He lived with the body for seven years, dancing with it and sleeping beside it.

The secret was finally uncovered in 1940 when Elena's sister heard rumors and confronted Tanzler. He was arrested, but in a bizarre twist, he was acquitted because the statute of limitations on grave robbing had expired. Even stranger, the public was largely sympathetic to his "romantic" devotion. Over 7,000 people paid to view Elena's body at a local funeral parlor before she was finally reburied in an unmarked grave to protect her from Tanzler.

✅ TRIVIA ANSWER

Fort Jefferson.

Located in the remote Dry Tortugas, about 70 miles west of Key West, Fort Jefferson is the largest brick masonry structure in the Americas. Built starting in 1846, the massive hexagonal fortress is composed of over 16 million bricks and covers 16 acres.

Bonus fact: Despite nearly 30 years of construction, the fort was never actually finished. During the Civil War, it served as a Union military prison — its most famous inmate was Dr. Samuel Mudd, who was convicted of conspiracy in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln after setting John Wilkes Booth's broken leg.

Until next week, keep your windows down and your watch off.
— The Florida Keys Road Trip Team

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