The Upper Keys League of Women Voters got off to a slow start in 2012. At first, a small group of women got together to discuss the possibility of a League of Women Voters group in Key Largo. After a few months, the only two women who were still interested were Cathy Bosworth and Carol Betts-Keller. With perseverance, they organized small meetings with local speakers on topics related to life in Key Largo and the Upper Keys. In 2013, Christine Latronico joined the group, mainly because she was interested in the State League’s sponsorship of trips to Cuba called “Sisters Across the Straits.” She was immediately named secretary.

By January 2014, Cathy Bosworth, the president, came back from the LWV of Florida convention in Tallahassee loaded with information, enthusiasm, and energy to begin 2014 with the group becoming a Member-At-Large (MAL) chapter of the League. In the summer of 2014, with Christine Latronico as president, the MAL chapter sponsored three PowerPoint presentations explaining the Amendments on the November ballot. Several more people joined the group and by the time 2016 came, there were more opportunities to sponsor speakers and PowerPoint presentations about the November 2016 Amendments. We found that every time we did a presentation a few more people liked what we had to say and joined us.

By January 2017, as our membership increased, the new members brought new interests and a variety of talents to the MAL. In 2018, we applied to the State League to become a full chapter, and to our delight the application was approved in 2019. Members of this newly recognized local chapter are involved in solar energy, education, gun safety, health care, natural resources, reproductive health and justice, and the poverty task force. We’ve come a long way, and we’re excited about the paths yet to come.