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Welcome sign returned to Key West, stolen after Hurricane Irma

Posted at 3:16 AM, May 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-02 03:16:24-04

KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) -- All drivers entering Key West are again being greeted by a large painted sign welcoming them to "Paradise USA."

Unveiled Tuesday, the sign was stolen last fall after Hurricane Irma hit the Florida Keys.

A Key West Police Department investigation led to the placard being recovered in Fort Myers Beach. No charges were pressed.

Key West's three Rotary clubs helped underwrite its restoration by a local sign company.

Featuring the image of a Key West sunset over water, the sign also bears a fluted pink-lined conch shell, a symbol of the Florida Keys, and the message, "Welcome to Key West, Paradise USA."

The original sign, valued at $8,000, was a gift to the city more than a decade ago from the Rotary Club of Key West.