If you’ve been to Key West before, especially in the cooler months, you’ve probably seen these small green reptiles sunning on a fence post, or maybe even on a car. But they have become quite the nuisance in Key West, tearing up and feasting on gardens and leaving droppings.

“I live it and see it every day,” Mayor Mario Di Gennaro said of their droppings. “It’s very powerful and strong and it’s not healthy.”

With the exploding number of iguanas, the Monroe County Commission passed a resolution which asks the state to “enact regulations governing the possession, distribution or release of iguanas within the state.”

State wildlife officials concede iguanas are not only a problem in Key West but across south Florida. But, they also point out that their numbers are already too high and they’re reproducing faster than the state can control them.

Some counties have already taken action. Palm Beach County listed the green beasts as a “species of concern” and in 2006, Lee County created a special taxing district to raise money to eradicate them. A new state law went into effect July 1^st that allows individuals to humanely kill iguanas. One popular method is to trap and freeze the animal.

So when you’re walking around Key West or the luscious grounds of the Tropical Inn, be on the lookout for these interesting green creatures!

Numerous historic and interesting sites dot the landscape of Key West. One way to easily see these sites, and understand their extensive history, is to take a trolley tour during your stay at the quaint bed & breakfast, the Tropical Inn. Two main trolley tour companies in Key West, Old Town Trolley Tours and the Conch Tour Train, cruise the streets of the city, passing by such landmarks as the Ernest Hemingway mansion and the Little White House. Each tour departs from the Mallory Square area, only blocks down Duval Street from the Tropical Inn Bed & Breakfast.  The Conch Tour Train departs from the Front Street Depot in front of Mallory Square every 30 minutes from 9-4:30 daily. The tour includes 2 stops, one for 10 minutes at the Station Depot and a short stop at Flagler Station where passengers can disembark; see some of the sites, and return to catch a later train to finish the trip. The first train for Old Town Trolleys leaves Mallory Square at 9:00, departing every 30 minutes until 4:30. This tour can take as little as 90 minutes or the whole day. Passengers are allowed to go off and on the train 10 times so you could stop and visit the Hemingway House for instance. Trains come around to each stop every 30 minutes. Referred to as “transportainment” a trolley tour provides a lively mix of transportation and entertainment. Live narration brings history alive and makes you a part of the story of Key West.

Each night starting about 2 hours before sunset, the Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square is where visitors and local residents gather to see what was rated in 2006 as the best place to watch a sunset in Florida by Florida Monthly magazine. Located only 5 blocks down Duval Street from the Tropical Inn Bed & Breakfast, Mallory Square is an eclectic venue where artists, musicians, and performers display their talents with the sun disappearing into the Gulf of Mexico. In a way, the Sunset Celebration can be termed a mini circus. Plenty of entertainment can be found including jugglers, comedians, magicians, and more. Currently at Mallory Square in the evenings, world renowned animal trainer Dominique the Catman performs a magnificent act with his trained house cats.
Mallory Square and the deepwater port it borders have seen much history since the inception of Key West and before. Pirates once used the area as an anchorage point and the square also served as an assembly point for American troops for four wars. Many ships and submarines have wrecked just offshore.  Plenty of other attractions from museums to shopping abound at Mallory Square. The Sunset Celebration however is something that must be on your list of things to do.