A year ago I called it a “Bubba Uprising.” A few weeks later it was a “Bubba Coup.” A month ago it became the “Bubba Disgrace.” Who’d have predicted that subpoenas, indictments and FBI interviews would top Key West’s “most read” list?
And yet here we are. Three top-ranking city officials criminally charged with multiple felonies and now officially out of work and facing what will be months, if not years, of legal wranglings as they try desperately to avoid prison sentences.
We’ve got the who’s who of the Key West development class, from owners, attorneys and architects to city commissioners, general contractors, consultants and the trades, poring over every line of every legal document to see if their names appear and in what context. A sigh of relief when they don’t and a rush of adrenaline when they do. Given the list of names, we’re depleting the adrenaline stock at record pace.
A dozen FBI interviews with current and former city employees detail a heartbreaking, mind-numbing workplace of fear, dysfunction and retribution that appears to be tied directly to the rising power of the boys club culture that seized control in 2021 and continued through April 2025, when a Monroe County grand jury issued its first indictments against Ron and Raj Ramsingh and Jim Young.
The Key West City Commission on April 24 fired then-City Attorney Ron Ramsingh after two arrests and multiple criminal misconduct charges for “interfering with the reporting of a felony committed by his brother” and for mucking with group text messages to conceal what they were doing while knowing that an official investigation was ongoing.
As of May 8 his brother, Raj Ramsingh, then head of the city’s Building Department, is on “unpaid, indefinite suspension for a criminal act” that now includes the May 7 additional indictment for “a systematic and ongoing scheme to defraud individuals and unlawfully obtain over $50,000 through false or fraudulent representations and promises.”
Code Enforcement Director Jim Young, who also faces criminal charges stemming from the first obstruction indictments, retired on April 25. Raj Ramsingh and Young have pretrial hearings scheduled for later this summer.
The legal system has control now of the Ramsingh brothers and Young, so it’s tempting to wash our hands of this cluster, pretend the corruption has been rooted out and, well, move on. It’s clear from what they’ve said in City Commission meetings that at least a couple commissioners are dead set on just that.
And that would be a Category 5 mistake.
One job: Rebuild the public trust
Both the Corradino Report, which was kicked to the curb between April and June 2024, and the FBI interviews during the corruption probe make two things clear: The City of Key West’s building, permitting, code enforcement and land use planning procedures are dysfunctional at best and wide open to power grabs by anyone willing to cut a favor for an ally. And, second, the work environment at City Hall is so toxic that it’s a wonder anyone shows up with a smile and determination to get the job done right.
I’m not naive about workplace culture. There are always unhappy folks and even if they’re in the minority, they can create an overwhelming sense that things are out of kilter. There’s a delicate balance between routine “I hate this place” and systemic malfunction. Key West has more than stuck a toe across the line and it’s going to take a trusted team to rebuild the culture.
Neither am I particularly outraged at what passes for casual favoritism in small towns, where paying a bit more attention to a friend is simply the way things are done. Had the Ramsinghs-Young power grab limited itself to messing with text messages and skirting some of the Sunshine Law, I’d have been irritated, but not surprised. That stuff happens. It’s not normally coupled with outright fraud.
The City Commission and the city manager have one job to do: Take seriously the destruction of public trust that’s resulted from this Bubba Disgrace.
Hold a news conference with full-throated commitment to implementing the Corradino Report, formally investigating the workplace abuses and rectifying them. Tell us what is wrong, why it’s wrong and detail how you plan to fix it. Lay out the steps you’ll take, make formal reports to the public at monthly intervals, get rid of staff that wants it to be like the past five years, hold every employee accountable — and make sure, in no uncertain terms, that the developers and hangers-on who have benefited unfairly from their associations with the Ramsinghs and Young know those days are over.
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.
NEW Posted 5-17-2025: Read the FBI interviews with current and former city staff, commissioners and a homeowner
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
- Being local isn’t a free pass
- 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:
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