Retired FDNY Capt. Rob Senatore, a Key Biscayne native, is scheduled to deliver the remembrance speech at the village's 25th anniversary 9/11 ceremony Friday, Sept. 11.

Senatore lost more than 60 friends and fellow rescue personnel when the Twin Towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001. He is the guest of honor at the 8:20 a.m. ceremony at Monaco Fountain Square, 10 Village Green Way, where Police Chief Frank Sousa is set to serve as master of ceremonies and Mayor Joe Rasco is also scheduled to speak.

This Is Feeney's Final Year Organizing Event

This year's ceremony is the last organized by Key Biscayne Fire Rescue Capt. Dan Feeney, who is set to retire in January as the last original member of the department. Feeney told the Islander News in a Sept. 7 interview that this would be his final year running the observance.

A Bond Forged in Ground Zero's Rubble

Senatore and Feeney share a bond forged in the rubble of Ground Zero. On Sept. 11, 2001, Feeney deployed to lower Manhattan as part of Florida Task Force 2, the FEMA search and rescue unit from Miami. Four other Key Biscayne firefighters went with him: Ron Erbel, Jeff Liversedge, Tania Romero and Chief John Gilbert.

Senatore, then assigned to a Special Operations Unit in Queens, commandeered a bus with fellow firefighters to reach the World Trade Center after being ordered back. At the site, he spotted "Florida Task Force 2" spray-painted on the rocks, the customary marking when a rescue team completes its first pass to check for survivors.

Then Feeney emerged from the rubble.

"Danny came out, took his mask off, and we cried and hugged," Senatore told the Islander News on Sept. 10. Senatore later became the godfather to Feeney's daughter.

Remembering the Toll of the 2001 Attacks

The 2001 attacks killed 2,977 people, according to the Islander News. Senatore recounted the first-responder toll: 343 firefighters, 37 Port Authority police officers and 23 NYPD officers. Among his friends who died was Steven Siller, a firefighter from Brooklyn's Squad 1 who came on the job with Senatore out of the academy. Siller's name is now associated with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Senatore's Family Ties to Key Biscayne Run Deep

Senatore, who spoke from his home on Long Island's south shore before traveling to Key Biscayne, said the island still feels like home. His parents, Charles and Eileen, purchased one of the original condos in The Towers of Key Biscayne in 1973. His brother Brad still lives there, where a bronze bench plaque honors their parents.

Senatore said he preferred attending the Key Biscayne ceremony over the Ground Zero memorial because the village always goes out of its way to remember.

Village Plans Larger Ceremony for Milestone Year

Village Manager Steve Williamson said ahead of the ceremony that organizers planned a larger observance this year, noting they wanted to open it up beyond the village for the 25th anniversary. Senatore served 28 years with the FDNY, finishing his career as a captain aboard what he called the largest fireboat in the nation, stationed in New York waters. He is now a PGA professional.

Senatore's speech is scheduled for 9:05 a.m., following a Patriot Day ceremony with the Key Biscayne Honor Guard, a moment of silence at 8:43 and a prayer by Father Juan Carlos Paguaga.