Would you do the right thing if no one were watching?
It’s an intriguing existential question that makes for good happy hour conversation. Or how about this one: Why does a company need laws to force it to limit environmental damage? And closer to home: Do I need an employee handbook to tell me it’s not right to do things — personally or professionally — that could negatively affect my company, my coworkers or the goodwill of the community?
Ought we not simply do the right thing even if there’s no law for that? Shouldn’t we avoid doing something bad even if it might be legal?
As the dust settles a bit from April’s whirlwind of felony indictments and subsequent disciplinary actions against three highly placed Key West officials, I’m struck by the casual dismissal among the trio’s defenders of what many of us see as conflicts of interest and breaches of public trust.
After all, said a dozen speakers and a handful of commissioners during the public meetings on April 21 and April 24, Ron Ramsingh, Raj Ramsingh and Jim Young are good guys. Family guys. Taking care of business and helping friends along the way. They’re one of us, good locals doing good for locals. All this brouhaha is coming from outsiders who don’t understand how things get done in Key West, who think they can come in here and disrespect us.
Yep, probably some truth there. Longtimers and newcomers chafe against each other. It’s hard to find common ground when what we’ve always done gets called out by an “outsider.” We’re just like any other town, plus some tidal differences between saltwater and freshwater Conchs, when it comes to the grating irritations that arise between the sandbox folks and the “it’s my home, too” folks.
Being one of the Key West locals doesn’t come with a free pass
Key West’s 25,000 or so full-time residents can be divided pretty neatly into three camps. Those who don’t give a whit and are just trying to get through the day. Those who were born and raised in the island’s sandbox. And those who chose to make Key West their permanent — and only — home. When any of them dismisses the other, the island loses.
That’s what’s happening right now. Positions have hardened between those who believe being a “good local” ought to win one a free pass and those who are appalled at the casual acceptance, raised to something of an art form, of “It’s who you know that gets you the goodies.”
There was plenty of “boys will be boys” bravado during the two special meetings last week. Plenty of “nothing to see here” entitled local arrogance. And, yes, an equal number of words that could be interpreted as “Y’all are a bunch of sunburned Bubbas.” Not helpful, folks.
Former City Attorney Ron Ramsingh delivered a handwritten letter to the City Commission less than two hours before he lost his job. In it he asked that commissioners terminate his contract without cause so that he, his family and the city could move past the cronyism debacle.
The letter was a masterly attempt to shift the blame from his own actions and the resulting felony indictments to a full-on lament that outsiders were doing him in. He wrote:
“Sadly, there has been a shift in our town and gone are the days of thoughtful, learned, peaceful, but spirited debate. It has been replaced with shouting, keyboard warriors and people who love to use our beloved motto, ‘One Human Family,’ as a sword and a shield. People who think that if they have the bumper sticker and a Conch Republic license plate, then they are a true local. That’s not it at all. Being a true local of Key West is a state of mind. It is a state of caring about your neighbor on a cellular level. It’s about service above self and thinking about the greater good of this special little life raft of an island 150 miles out to sea.”
He’s right. Being a local is about caring about your neighbor. About service above self. Of thinking about the greater good.
But this keyboard warrior’s gotta ask: What part of clandestinely orchestrating a coup among current and former commissioners is thinking about the greater good? What part of killing a negative report about one’s brother is service above self? And what part of misogynistic, racially tinged name-calling is caring about your neighbor?
Being at the center of the locals’ in-crowd doesn’t come with a free pass to attempt to circumvent the public trust — whether you’re a commissioner, a city official or a keyboard warrior outsider with a Conch flag, a local address and phone number.
Learn more
EDITOR’S NOTE: I am grateful to reporters Mandy Miles of the Keys Weekly, Katrina Nichols of the Keys Citizen, Gwen Filosa of Gwen Filosa Media and Ted Lund on Substack for their diligent work in reporting the breaking news this week. Without their on-the-street reporting much of what we know would remain elusive. While I do my own original reporting and my perspectives and observations are mine alone, without their work my columns would be far less comprehensive. I ask that you support them. I am also grateful for Florida’s Sunshine Law, which even while under attack by those who want public business hidden from us, still ensures that private citizens, like you and me, can watch public meetings live online and access the public records and documents that are at the heart of this investigation.
Below you’ll find the stories and original documentation that help shape our understanding of this sad tale.
Watch the Thursday, April 24, 2025 City Commission meeting
Watch the Monday, April 21, 2025 City Commission meeting
Columns by Linda Grist Cunningham on the firing of former City Manager Al Childress and City Attorney Ron Ramsingh
- An island in disgrace
- The Bubba Uprising | Tired of being disrespected
- The Bubba Coup | This ain’t even close to being over
News coverage from Katrina Nichols and the Keys Citizen:
News coverage from the Keys Weekly and Mandy Miles:
- Commission fires Al Childress
- Three Key West officials indicted and arrested on felony charges
- Court documents detail felony indictment charges
- More charges filed
News coverage from Ted Lund on Substack
- Building permits linked to Commissioner Carey
- City Attorney throws himself on Commission mercy (the letter)
- Ron Ramsingh promotes false ethics results against Commissioner Kaufman
- Building Code Enforcement Officer Jim Young retires following felony charges
Read the documentation, text messages and discovery on which the felony indictments were founded:
Back in the nineties I thought I had a great idea for a business. Provide a sightseeing tour of Key West using classic pink Cadillac convertibles. So, not realizing how the city works, I went ahead and bought a 1966 and a 1959 Fleetwood. Absolutely beautiful. When I went to apply for a sightseeing license, however, I was told that the city only had one license and that license was a franchise and held by Ed Swift and his Historic Tours of America. So I got turned down cold. BUT BUT, a sitting city commissioner contacted me and said he could make it happen! So I listened to what he had to say and I was deeply offended by what was proposed. He needed upfront money to get the ball rolling. Had to some some around. He would need for me to take on a partner of his choosing and maybe a favor or two along the way. Do you believe this shit?? My neighbor next door just happened to be the local head of the FDLE, as in The Florida Department of Law Enforcement. I walked away knowing I could not and would not play ball. That is until my neighbor, Susan, over a cocktail asked if I would call the commissioner back and just confirm the deal. I did and the deal was clearly laid out. Well friends, as I continued to work with her, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office, a very corrupt city council, mayor and a few others were outed for the crooks they were. It seems every few years the good guys have to come down and clean house.