Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the county.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has been recognized as the top overall traffic enforcement agency in Florida in its officer-size category.
The award recognizes the agency’s traffic unit for its work reducing crashes and enforcing laws involving impaired driving, seat belts and other traffic safety violations.
“We placed first place in the entire state of Florida,” Ramsay said. “We took home the number one best overall traffic enforcement division.”
The sheriff’s office recorded a 37% reduction in traffic crashes as part of the statistics considered for the award. The agency competes against other Florida law enforcement agencies in the category representing departments with between 201 and 400 officers.
Traffic complaints remain one of the most common concerns among Monroe County residents, making the recognition particularly significant.
“We do focus on traffic,” Ramsay said, adding that the goal is to make roads safer while addressing aggressive driving, impaired driving and other dangerous behavior.
The sheriff also highlighted several other recent accomplishments and activities involving the agency, including National Night Out events held at four locations throughout the Florida Keys. The events brought law enforcement officers, first responders, military personnel and residents together for family-oriented activities.
Ramsay said the events are an important part of the agency’s community-policing efforts.
“We wanted it to be a good, fun family event,” Ramsay said.
Ramsay also praised employees who were recognized with the agency’s second-quarter 2026 member awards. Dispatcher Jasmine Patterson was named Support Member of the Quarter after handling a 911 call involving a 2-year-old child who had been pulled from the water and was not breathing.
Because Monroe County dispatchers are certified in emergency medical dispatch, Patterson was able to guide the caller through CPR while simultaneously coordinating police, fire and rescue responses.
“She’s multitasking, dealing with crisis and hysterical people, and yet keeping calm and cool and giving EMD direction to save a life of a 2-year-old child,” Ramsay said.
Ramsay credited the entire emergency response system but said Patterson’s instructions were critical to providing immediate care before first responders arrived.
Deputy Nelson Sanchez was named Deputy of the Quarter, while detention deputy Cecilia Hoversen was named Detention Deputy of the Quarter.
Sanchez, who works in the Islamorada patrol division as a marine enforcement officer, has also been involved in several recent fisheries enforcement cases.
Ramsay said Sanchez recently encountered fishermen near the Snake Creek Bridge with undersized fish, including schoolmaster fish that were allegedly being used as bait. The sheriff said the fish were so small that one could fit in the palm of a person’s hand.
In another case near mile marker 90, Sanchez stopped a vessel that did not have the required dive flags and discovered two undersized stone crab aboard. Ramsay said the crabs were also small enough to fit in the palm of a hand.
Ramsay said protecting juvenile fish, lobster and stone crab is critical to maintaining the Keys’ marine ecosystem and supporting an economy heavily dependent on tourism and fishing.
“We’re trying to be proactive to prevent, deter, the total destruction or the implementation of a no-take on certain fisheries,” Ramsay said.
Ramsay compared the situation to conch and jewfish, which he said were heavily harvested in the past and have been protected from harvesting for decades.
The sheriff also discussed the arrest of a 20-year-old Georgia man accused of defrauding a Marathon resident of $22,450 in a jury-duty scam.
According to Ramsay, the victim received calls from people claiming to represent the Monroe County and Lee County sheriff’s offices. The callers told the victim that he had missed jury duty and would be arrested unless he paid money.
The victim eventually withdrew $22,450 in cash and handed it to the suspect in a Marathon Publix parking lot. Later that day, the victim received another demand for $31,500.
The victim then contacted the sheriff’s office, which began an investigation. Ramsay said investigators eventually identified the suspect and obtained an arrest warrant.
Local authorities worked with law enforcement in Georgia to locate and arrest the man, who was later extradited to Monroe County.
Ramsay again warned residents that legitimate law enforcement agencies will not demand cash payments to avoid arrest or arrange meetings in grocery store parking lots to collect money.
“When in doubt, call law enforcement verified,” Ramsay said. “Don’t take their word of who they say they are and where they say they’re from.”
Ramsay also discussed the arrest of a member of the Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Club who was stopped near mile marker 90 while riding a motorcycle without a license plate.
The sheriff said the man had multiple license suspensions, including suspensions related to unpaid traffic fines, and had previously been cited for driving with a suspended license.
Ramsay said deputies had previously given the man opportunities to resolve the violations without taking him to jail. This time, however, deputies determined he continued to drive despite the suspensions and placed him under arrest.
Ramsay said the recent accomplishments demonstrate the range of work performed by the sheriff’s office, from traffic enforcement and marine patrol to emergency dispatch, corrections and community outreach.
He also highlighted the agency’s recent reaccreditation and other professional accreditations.
At the Upper Keys National Night Out event, Ramsay said one resident approached him and credited the county’s Trauma Star helicopter with saving his life after he suffered a heart attack two weeks earlier. The man told Ramsay he was transported by Trauma Star to Miami, where he underwent quadruple bypass surgery.
“I don’t care if they’re on land, sea or air. We’re saving lives everywhere and doing just great stuff,” Ramsay said.