Key West police are preparing for a busy stretch of events, including Goombay and Fantasy Fest, with assistance from multiple law enforcement agencies and more than 150 officers expected to be working Saturday night.
Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the city.
Agencies met this week to finalize security plans, with additional preparations scheduled internally at the department before Goombay begins.
“All of the agencies got together again this week here at the T.S. Police Department, put the final dots on the eyes, cross the T’s,” Chief Brandenburg said. “We will go over everything again this afternoon, just internally here at the Key West Police Department. Make sure we’re ready, and then we will kick off Goombay tomorrow.”
Several agencies will assist with security, including the Florida Highway Patrol, FBI, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Naval Air Station police will provide bomb-detection dogs to help inspect parade floats, while ATF personnel will check the parade route.
Chief Brandenburg said the number of officers deployed will depend on the events taking place each night.
“Each night, depending on the events, determines how many officers will be out there,” he said. “I would say Saturday night will be well in excess, probably 150 officers.”
With tens of thousands of additional people expected in the area, Chief Brandenburg said his planning draws on decades of experience working Fantasy Fest.
“I plan for the worst and I hope for the best,” he said. “I take my 25 years of working Fantasy Fest, and I think of the busiest one and what went wrong and what went right over all the years, and we just plan for all those wrongs and hope everything goes right.”
Along with event security, Chief Brandenburg is urging residents to take precautions against mosquitoes ahead of a forecast wet weekend and the arrival of additional visitors.
He said Mosquito Control crews are making their final rounds before the festivities and encouraged anyone who has received a door hanger from the agency to contact it for an inspection.
“If you have one of those door hangers, if Mosquito Control has been by your house, and they left the door hanger, please reach out to Mosquito Control,” Chief Brandenburg said. “They’re doing their last sweep.”
Chief Brandenburg warned that the wet weather expected over the weekend could worsen mosquito activity, making cooperation from residents particularly important.
“We’ve got this wet weather coming in this weekend. That is not going to help the mosquito situation,” he said. “We don’t want any live mosquitoes down here, so please help Mosquito Control. Help all the rest of us and our locals.”
Residents should eliminate standing water and use insect repellent, particularly during dawn and evening hours.
Contacting Mosquito Control to inspect a property is one of the most effective steps residents can take.
“I’ve called them to my property before,” Cheif Brandenburg said. “It seems like the mosquitoes are really mad that first night, but the second night they are gone.”
He said the goal is to keep both residents and visitors safe during the festivities.
“I want everybody to have a safe and happy Fantasy Fest and Goombay, but the only way we can do that is by working together,” Chief Brandenburg said.
Chief Brandenburg also discussed a major narcotics investigation that resulted in a search of a residence in the 3900 block of South Roosevelt Boulevard and the seizure of cocaine and a large amount of cash.
The investigation involved the Key West Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, its Air and Marine Operations division, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities reported seizing 972 grams of cocaine, although Chief Brandenburg indicated the total amount of narcotics could have been greater. Federal authorities took possession of the cash and were still counting it at the time of the interview.
“It was an extensive investigation,” Chief Brandenburg said. “These were individuals that were moving substantial quantities of narcotics in and out of our community.”
The suspects face multiple state drug-trafficking charges, with additional federal charges pending.
The department worked alongside federal and local partners to investigate the alleged activity and remove the suspects from the community.
Chief Brandenburg also highlighted the Key West Police Department’s Love Fund, which provides financial assistance to officers experiencing difficult circumstances.
The fund’s primary annual fundraiser, the Love Fund ball, was held the previous Saturday. Proceeds from a vending machine in the police department’s lobby also support the program.
Chief Brandenburg said the vending machine has attracted increased attention on social media and sometimes sells out quickly after being restocked.
“When we put out a social media blast that we have restocked the machine, we have a lobby full of people out there,” he said.
He added that the purchases offer officers an opportunity to interact with residents outside of situations in which someone needs police assistance.
“It gives us an opportunity to interact with our community in a time when they don’t need us for anything other than to make a purchase,” Chief Brandenburg said. “So that’s always good that we get to talk to those people when they come by and make those purchases.”
The Love Fund helps officers facing serious medical issues, emergency travel to visit critically ill family members and rebuilding homes after hurricanes, among other needs.
“All the money goes to support our officers in their time of need,” Chief Brandenburg said.
The department’s lobby is open 24 hours a day. Residents can follow the department’s social media accounts for announcements about when the vending machine has been restocked.
Chief Brandenburg thanked the community for continuing to support the fund.
The department has also recently welcomed new officers who graduated from the police academy and passed their state law enforcement examinations.
The recruits are completing additional training, including learning the systems used to access driver’s license and license plate information.
Chief Brandenburg said he normally prefers to have new officers experience Fantasy Fest early in their careers, but the department’s training unit recommended against deploying this year’s recruits in uniform because of the timing.
“They won’t be in uniform,” Chief Brandenburg said. “We will probably put them to work in some form or fashion, but it won’t be in uniform.”
He said the recruits will have the opportunity to observe the event from the department’s perspective before taking on full responsibilities during future festivals.
“Next year will be the full force taking care of it all every night, all night,” Chief Brandenburg said.
Mounted officers will also help manage crowds. Chief Brandenburg said officers and horses from Orange County will join Key West personnel, continuing a partnership in which the agencies assist one another during major events.
“You’ll see probably more than double the normal horses you’re used to seeing out on the streets,” he said.
Chief Brandenburg also praised recent convictions stemming from an investigation by the Key West Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit.
Detectives documented three cocaine sales over a 12-day period in April 2025.
Chief Brandenburg cited a statement from Chief Assistant State Attorney Joe Mansfield emphasizing that the repeated sales demonstrated an ongoing pattern of activity rather than an isolated incident.
“I like Chief Assistant State Attorney Joe Mansfield’s quote that three cocaine sales in 12 days shows that this wasn’t an isolated incident,” Chief Brandenburg said.
He thanked the State Attorney’s Office for working with police narcotics detectives to pursue the cases.
“Thank you again to Dennis and Joe and the whole team down there at the State Attorney’s Office, working with our narcotics detectives to get these folks off the street,” he said.
The department’s success comes from cooperation among officers at every level, with experienced personnel helping newer officers learn how to investigate cases.
“I have an amazing detective team, and they just all work really well together,” Cheif Brandenburg said.
He noted that former detectives now serving as road sergeants help young officers learn how to follow cases from beginning to end, allowing detectives to concentrate on more complicated investigations that require additional time and resources.
“It’s not thanks to me,” Chief Brandenburg said. “It’s thanks to the men and women that work so hard every day, boots on the ground.”
He added that the department’s work depends on teamwork and the commitment of its personnel to keeping the community safe.