Local's Choice

?Fishing is in the blood of charter captain Nick Stanczyk of Islamorada, who is known as a Florida Keys swordfish fishing pioneer. The legendary Stanczyk family has owned and operated Bud N’ Mary's Sportfishing Marina since 1978.

?Scott Dekle, vice president of Marathon’s Keys Fisheries for the last 18 months, grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, spending endless hours on and in the water.

Richie Moretti — founder of the Turtle Hospital as the world’s first state-licensed veterinary hospital for sea turtles — has rescued, rehabilitated and released between 2,000 and 3,000 sea turtles.

Maria Wevers opened Key West’s Grand Café in 2002 when son Kieran, now 23, was just a toddler. Today, Wevers remains a hands-on restaurateur whose venue at 314 Duval St. is acclaimed for gourmet dining, well-priced happy hours and hosting events such as rehearsal dinners, small weddings and corporate gatherings.

Naturalist, guidebook author and eco-guide Bill Keogh, a 43-year Big Pine Key resident, operates Big Pine Kayak Adventures offering daily mangrove tunnel kayak tours and private motorboat excursions to the Florida Keys’ backcountry wilderness.

Lisa Mongelia has been the executive director of Islamorada’s one-of-a-kind History of Diving Museum since 2014. A diver for more than 40 years, she’s deeply passionate about the Florida Keys’ underwater world and its protection.

?As the hands-on general manager of Key Largo’s boutique Kona Kai Resort for the last five years, Kathryn Lyons always knew “the business world would be my jam.”