Partner Joe Liszka
Queer Places:
58 Key Haven Rd, Key West, FL 33040
N Roosevelt Blvd & Jose Marti Dr, Key West, FL 33040
Frank Romano (August 19, 1922 - May 19, 2011) was a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and one of the founders of Key West's annual Fantasy Fest celebration.
He and his life partner of 53 years, Joe Liszka, opened Key West Aloe, a successful cosmetics company in 1970. Romano is credited with being the father of Key West's modern tourism which helped transform the island from a sleepy fishing village to the thriving tourist mecca it is today.
In 1978 a group of gay businessmen on the island came together to address the specific mission of marketing to the LGBTQ traveler. It was no secret that gay visitors had expendable income and were eager, adaptive travelers and the pink dollar had power! As a result the Key West Business Guild was founded as the very first LGBTQ destination marketing organization in the country. One year later in 1979, four friends, all of whom were openly gay businessmen, met to produce one of the most important economic engines on the island. Joe Liszka and his partner Frank Romano had moved to Key West in the late 1960s and started the now famous skincare business, Key West Aloe, in 1971. Joe and Frank were good friends with Tony Falcone and his partner, Bill Conkle, owners of the memorable department store, Fast Buck Freddies. Halloween had become a much loved holiday in the gay world, but historically the end of October had been a moribund season in Key West. Thus began Fantasy Fest, one of the most famous events in the U.S. during the week of Halloween bringing millions of dollars each year to the island economy.
The fountain at the intersection of N Roosevelt Blvd & Jose Marti Dr, Key West, FL 33040, became operational the first time on Monday, November 28th, 2016. Frank Romano and Joe Liszka were partners in life and business for over 50 years. When Frank passed away, Joe decided he wanted to build a fountain in honor of Frank and as a thank you to the people of Key West for all they had given him. The project was put into motion when Joe called his longtime friend Dan Reynen in July of 2015 and asked him to get the ball rolling. Dan, with the help of his team at WeBeFit began researching what sort of fountain would fit in the space, be capable to handling things like salt water and tides, plus be kept operational years after the original donation had been made. The fountain honors the memory of Frank Romano - Born August 19, 1922. Died May 19, 2011, and Joe Liszka - Born February 9, 1930. Died October 14, 2015.
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