Key Limbo

Here's your License to Chill!

Mini-season, opening season: get your gear together and brush up on the rules and regulations! No one is above the law!

Visit for updated information about Florida lobster season! Know what 100 yards looks like! Idle when you see an anchored boat - ASSUME someone is in the water. Show courtesy! SLOW DOWN! Don't drive under the influence!

Hey, now! My friends at Gilbert's have something to say! Listen up!

BREAKING NEWS: OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE FLORIDA SPINY LOBSTER ASSOCIATION

Attention humans.

We noticed you’ve started buying snorkel gear, measuring gauges, and enough sunscreen to be seen from space. We know what day it is.

Mini Season is July 29–30. Please read this before turning my neighborhood into your weekend hobby.

-First of all, if my shell is under 3 inches, I’m not legal. Measure me in the water with a proper gauge. “He looked about right” isn’t a measurement.

-Daily limit: 6 of us per person in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park. The rest of Florida gets 12. We don’t know who negotiated that deal.

-Possession limits still count. On the water, you can only have your daily limit. Off the water, it’s the daily limit on July 29 and up to double on July 30. Yes, they’re counting.

-No night diving in Monroe County during mini season. If you show up after dark looking for us… go home.

-If we’re hanging out in Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, sanctuary zones, Biscayne Bay/Card Sound, Coral Reef Protection Areas, or John Pennekamp during mini season… we’re off limits. Respect the signs. We read them too.

-Bring your saltwater fishing license and lobster permit unless you’re legally exempt. We don’t make the paperwork, but we fully support it.

-If I’m carrying eggs, congratulations… you’re looking at a lobster mom. Keep swimming.

✂️ Don’t rip my tail off underwater. I have attachment issues, and it’s illegal anyway. We have to come ashore whole.

-No traps. No gadgets that stab, crush, puncture, or otherwise turn me into a science experiment.

-And one more thing, ONE LAST announcement from the lobster community…

Please stop inventing imaginary lobster jobs.

Holding the boat isn’t harvesting.
Taking underwater selfies isn’t harvesting.
Watching from the sandbar with a drink isn’t harvesting.
Saying, “Go get ‘em!” isn’t harvesting.
Being the DJ doesn’t count.
Neither does being the official sandwich inspector.

If they didn’t legally catch lobsters, they don’t get their own bag limit. Trust me… we’ve been reading the regulations while you were buying new snorkel gear.

Good luck out there. Follow the rules, measure carefully, and remember…

I’m not hiding. I’m complying with Florida law.
— A Florida Spiny Lobster 🦞

Thank you, !!!

🚨⚓ Biggest Anti-Drug Year in History: How America's Maritime Guardians Seized More Than 511,000 Pounds of ⚓🚨
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A recent ***ne seizure off Miami Beach may sound like a major headline—and it is—but the bigger story is what it represents.

On May 6, a U.S. Coast Guard Station law enforcement crew intercepted a suspected smuggling vessel approximately nine miles east of Cut, seizing roughly 1,535 pounds of co***ne with an estimated street value of $11.6 million. Homeland Security Investigations later took custody of the suspects and narcotics for further investigation.

While impressive, the seizure was just one example of a much larger success story unfolding across America's maritime . 🚤

⚓ In 2025, the United States Coast Guard recorded the most successful interdiction year in its , seizing more than 511,000 pounds of narcotics valued at over $3.8 billion. According to the Coast Guard, those operations prevented more than 193 million potentially lethal doses of illegal drugs from reaching communities.

The staggering numbers were not the result of a single operation. They came from hundreds of interdictions across the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, where Coast Guard crews tracked, pursued, and boarded suspected smuggling vessels before they could complete their journeys. 🌎

One of the largest efforts was Operation Pacific Viper, a major counter-drug campaign that surged cutters, aircraft, tactical boarding , and surveillance assets into known trafficking corridors. In less than three months, the operation resulted in more than 100,000 pounds of narcotics seized—an average of nearly 1,600 pounds intercepted every day.

The record-setting year included several milestones. The Coast Guard Cutter Stone set a service record by confiscating more than 60,000 pounds of co***ne during a single deployment. Another operation led to the largest narcotics offload in Coast Guard history, with more than 76,000 pounds of illegal drugs delivered to following multiple successful interdictions at . 📦⚓

🌊 What makes these accomplishments so significant is where the battle takes place. Most narcotics destined for the United States travel through maritime routes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Long before drugs reach American cities and neighborhoods, Coast Guard crews are often the first line of defense, intercepting shipments hundreds of miles .

According to the Coast Guard, approximately 80 percent of U.S.-bound narcotics seized by authorities are intercepted at sea. Every successful interdiction not only keeps drugs off the streets but also disrupts the organizations that depend on those shipments to fund their operations.

For Florida Keys residents, the Coast Guard is often associated with search-and-rescue missions, boating safety inspections, and response. But these record-setting drug interdiction efforts highlight another critical part of the service's mission. Every day, Coast Guard crews patrol the waters of South Florida, the Florida Straits, and the Caribbean, working to stop narcotics trafficking, illegal migration, and other maritime crimes long before they reach U.S. shores. 🌴⚓

The recent Miami seizure may not have been the largest bust of the year, but it serves as a reminder of the work taking place every day beyond the horizon. While millions of Americans go about their daily lives, Coast Guard crews are patrolling thousands of miles of , tracking smugglers, boarding vessels, and disrupting criminal networks before illegal drugs ever reach shore.

🇺🇸 The headlines often focus on a single boat or a single bust. The bigger story is that 2025 became the most successful anti-drug year in Coast Guard history. From lifesaving search-and-rescue operations to record-setting narcotics interdictions, the men and women of States Coast Guard continue to play one of the most important—and often overlooked—roles in protecting America's waterways and coastal communities.

⚓ A Personal Note

This story is especially meaningful to me because my father, Charles Pope, served in the United States Coast Guard for 22 years. His assignment to Islamorada in 1986 is what brought our family to the Florida Keys and introduced me to the place I now call home. It was also what led me to attend Coral Shores High School and build the lifelong friendships that have made the Keys such a special part of my life.

Reading about the Coast Guard's record-setting accomplishments makes me especially proud of my father's service and for the and who continue to protect our waters every day. 🇺🇸⚓

Whoops! Glad no bodies were hurt!

Some slow downs due to construction- but will be lovely when complete!

Aye, be good stewards of the environment.

Don't litter - and that includes NOT pitching lit blunts (or ci******es) out the windows.

And pay attention to alerts like this. 🤙

No accidents to report but there always seem to be a slow down to check out the views at Chonga Beach. Be patient, enjoy the views, and mosey along, folks!

Who is ready for ??!!!

Remember to bring all your necessary gear, plenty of hydrating fluids and make sure you have the necessary licenses.

Above all else, remember to bring your common sense, patience, safety, courtesy, and diligence with you on the water.

And here is another license for ALL of you! Enjoy the experience!