Monroe County BOCC - Florida Keys

Monroe County is coordinating with state regulating agencies and local partners about guidance on the widespread influx of sargassum grass impacting oceanside shorelines and canals throughout the Florida Keys.

Sargassum grass is a naturally occurring seaweed found in the ocean that is essential to protecting habitat for a variety of marine life, including sea turtles, crabs, shrimp, and other juvenile sea creatures. Influxes that wash ashore or into canals can become a nuisance, and as the sargassum decays, it produces a hydrogen sulfide gas. This year, the influx of sargassum grass is causing periodic inconveniences in some areas and contributing to fish kills.

The county has been coordinating with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which provided staff with an update on current conditions and regulatory guidance. According to DEP, this year’s sargassum bloom is widespread and extends throughout the Keys along the ocean side of the island chain and is expected to continue throughout the summer.

It’s important for residents to know that sargassum grass is protected offshore and that regulations govern its removal. Clearing sargassum from canals may provide temporary relief, but it is not a long-term solution. Additional blooms are anticipated, and residents should be aware that removed material will likely be replaced by future influxes. While removal is not suggested, residents should be aware of the state regulations governing sargassum removal. These can be found at myfwc.com/research/about/ear/sargassum/.

Health Considerations
The Florida Department of Health advises that decomposing sargassum can produce hydrogen sulfide gas, which has a strong odor similar to rotten eggs. While the gas is generally diluted outdoors, it may irritate the eyes, nose, and throat and can affect individuals with asthma or other respiratory conditions more severely. Residents experiencing irritation are encouraged to limit exposure, avoid direct contact with decomposing seaweed, and seek medical advice if symptoms persist.

Monroe County Parks and Beaches crews are continuing onshore sargassum cleanup efforts at Harry Harris Park and other county-owned beaches using county equipment, including clamshell trucks.

Report Fish Kills and Environmental Concerns
Decomposing seaweed in canals can remove oxygen from the area, causing fish kills. Residents who observe fish kills can report them through the following state hotlines:
FWC Fish Kill Hotline: 1-800-636-0511
DEP Fish Kill or Fish Disease Reporting (Southeast Florida Action Network): 866-770-7335

Monroe County, DEP, and partner agencies will continue to monitor conditions and provide updates as needed, as additional sargassum blooms are expected throughout the summer.

"When large quantities are pushed into residential canals and strand on beaches, the seaweed begins to decompose. The process can generate unpleasant odors associated with hydrogen sulfide gas and require costly beach removal... There may be fish kills as the decomposing seaweed depletes the oxygen in the water."

2026 Sargassum Inundation Event - UF/IFAS Extension Monroe County The Florida Keys are currently experiencing a familiar golden-brown visitor: floating mats of sargassum seaweed. Scientists often refer to the annual influx of sargassum as a "golden tide" because of the macroalgae's distinctive golden-brown color and the way vast floating mats resemble oceanic tide...

Monroe County offices will be closed on Friday, June 19, in recognition of Juneteenth. Offices will reopen on Monday for regular business.

Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on June 19, 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.

The City of Key West will host a Juneteenth celebration on Friday, June 19, at 9 a.m. at the Commission Chambers at City Hall. *** The location was moved from the original location due to an excessive amount of seaweed at Higgs Beach.

In 1860, the U.S. Navy intercepted three slave trading ships and diverted them to Key West. The Key West community was so appalled at the treatment of the human cargo that they worked collectively to provide food and shelter for the almost 1,500 Africans who would have been sold into slavery.

Despite their efforts, hundreds of them died and were subsequently buried at Higgs Beach in what has come to be known as the African Cemetery.

The event will include dance recitals, poetry readings, singing, and a talk by Florida Keys History Center - Monroe County Public Library Historian Corey Malcolm.

To learn more about the site, visit www.africanburialgroundathiggsbeach.org.

African Burial Ground at Higgs Beach The African burial ground at Higgs Beach is a national register of historic places site. The African cemetery honors victims of the last slave ships.

America 250 Florida Keys: A great watch featuring the southernmost county in the United States including Dry Tortugas and Everglades national parks.

Learn what the county is doing to celebrate America’s birthday at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/250.

It’s well worth the 22 minutes.

🎥: Monroe County TDC with Visit Florida

America 250: A Portrait of Florida: The Florida Keys and Everglades At the very edge of our continent lies a destination built by unpar...

BIG COPPITT: Road Adaptation Project Update - The Big Coppitt roadway resilience project is designed to address the impacts of current and future sea-level rise on neighborhood roads, preserving long-term access to homes and helping maintain home values. The recommended solution is to elevate the roads and install a drainage system to prevent roadway flooding. A modern, engineered drainage system to collect rainfall and mitigate king tides will replace the existing gravity infiltration system, which is failing and will continue to worsen as groundwater rises. The project provides a long‑term solution designed to work under today’s conditions and into the future.

Monroe County submitted the final engineering design plans, hydraulic study, and environmental documents for the Big Coppitt Road Elevation and Stormwater Adaptation Project to Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) on May 27th, in accordance with the HMGP grant deadline. Over the next few months, FDEM staff will conduct the benefit-cost analysis (BCA) required for the project to proceed, and FEMA will begin its review of the project documents. Upon successful completion of these steps, FEMA will award the construction funds and issue approval to proceed.

The project includes elevating portions of 19 roads between 1 and 18 inches to meet the minimum design elevation of 2.26 ft. NAVD 88, and constructing a stormwater management system of inlets, pipes, water treatment units, pump stations, and pressurized injection wells for disposal. The pump stations will be interconnected and include backup generators.

The cost estimate at the 100% design milestone is $85,867,616 for construction of the project and construction oversight and inspection services. The county has $84.5 million in available state and federal grant funds if the project passes FEMA's benefit-cost analysis. Additional grant funds for construction may possibly become available if the project passes the benefit-cost analysis.

County staff is working to develop a cost-effective operations and maintenance (O&M) estimate to calculate the annual assessment needed to maintain the enhanced stormwater system. The county is also finalizing the Residential Neighborhood Improvement Program, which gives residents the opportunity to vote on whether to proceed with the project. In addition, the Financial Hardship Deferral Program, which would allow deferral of an assessment for those who meet the income and asset guidelines, is also in process. Both are anticipated to be submitted at the July 15 commission meeting for approval.

Finally, county staff is in the process of collecting the remaining private property easements needed from a portion of residents to construct the project. Staff is available to answer questions or meet with residents on-site to address issues and questions regarding the easements.

If you have questions or would like to schedule a site visit, please contact Samantha Yeoman by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 305-295-4390. She will take your information and have the appropriate expert return your call. Staff can also provide a copy of the easement documents if needed.

Please note there are several options to return the executed easements, as follows:

1. Sign and notarize the easement and return the original by mail to:
Monroe County Engineering Department
1100 Simonton Street, Suite 2-216
Key West, Florida 33040.

2. Bring the unsigned easement document to the County Engineering Department at the address indicated above between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday – Friday. An employee notary will notarize the documents and provide you with a copy for your records. Please contact Samantha Yeoman at [email protected] or 305-295-4390 to arrange a convenient time.

3. Utilize the online mobile notary option by sending an email with your name, property address and contact information to [email protected] to initiate the process. She will contact you to go through the process of legally notarizing the document online. Once signed, a copy will be provided to you for your records.

Monroe County Homestead Data (as of June 1, 2026)

Recent figures for Monroe County show that out of 44,049 properties eligible for a homestead exemption, 16,259 currently have one, representing 36.91% overall.

Monroe County contains approximately 89,581 parcels, but only 44,049 properties are currently eligible for a homestead exemption, highlighting that many parcels are vacant land, commercial properties, government-owned properties, or otherwise ineligible for homestead status.

Breakdown by jurisdiction:

🐚Key West: 8,800 eligible | 3,517 with exemption (39.97%)
⚓Marathon: 5,023 eligible | 1,610 with exemption (32.05%)
🌴Key Colony Beach: 1,429 eligible | 261 with exemption (18.26%)
🦈Layton: 146 eligible | 51 with exemption (34.93%)
🎣Village of Islamorada: 5,259 eligible | 1,840 with exemption (34.99%)
🏝 Unincorporated Monroe: 23,392 eligible | 8,980 with exemption (38.39%)

These figures reflect differences in homestead exemption participation across the county’s municipalities and unincorporated areas.

KEY LARGO: Winston Waterways Road Adaptation June 2026 Update

The Winston Waterways roadway resilience project in Key Largo is designed to address the impacts of current and future sea-level rise on neighborhood roads, preserving long-term access to homes and helping maintain home values. The recommended solution is to elevate the roads and install a drainage system to prevent flooding on the roads. A modern, engineered drainage system to collect rainfall and mitigate king tides will replace the existing gravity infiltration system, which is failing and will continue to worsen as groundwater rises. The project provides a long‑term solution designed to work under today’s conditions and into the future.

Monroe County submitted the final engineering design plans, hydraulic study, and environmental documents for the Winston Waterways Road Elevation and Stormwater Adaptation Project to the Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) on May 24, in accordance with the HMGP grant deadline. Over the next few months, FDEM staff will conduct the benefit-cost analysis (BCA) required for the project to proceed, and FEMA will begin its review of the project documents. Upon successful completion of these steps, FEMA will award the construction funds and issue approval to proceed.

The project includes elevating portions of 17 roads between 1 and 23 inches to meet the minimum design elevation of 2.26 ft. NAVD 88, and constructing a stormwater management system of inlets, pipes, a water treatment unit, pump station, and pressurized injection wells for disposal. The pump station will be located on the undeveloped portion of Lignumvitae Road and will include a backup generator.

The cost estimate at the 100% design milestone is $51,076,085 for project construction and construction oversight and inspection services. The county has $51.5 million in available state and federal grant funds if the project passes FEMA's benefit-cost analysis; therefore, 100% grant funding for the project's construction costs is possible.

County staff is working to develop a cost-effective operations and maintenance (O&M) estimate to calculate the annual assessment needed to maintain the enhanced stormwater system. The county is also finalizing the Residential Neighborhood Improvement Program, which gives residents the opportunity to vote on whether to proceed with the project. In addition, the Financial Hardship Deferral Program, which would allow deferral of an assessment for those who meet the income and asset guidelines, is also in process. Both are anticipated to be submitted at the July 15 county commission meeting for approval.

Finally, county staff is in the process of collecting the remaining private property easements that are needed from a portion of the residents to construct the project. Staff is available to answer questions or meet with residents on-site to address issues and questions regarding the easements.

If you have questions or would like to schedule a site visit, please contact Olympia Newton by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 305-853-7359. She will take your information and have the appropriate expert return your call. Staff can also provide a copy of the easement documents if needed.

Please note there are several options to return the executed easements, as follows:

1. Sign and notarize the easement and return the original by mail to:
Monroe County Engineering Department
1100 Simonton Street, Suite 2-216
Key West, Florida 33040

2. Bring the unsigned easement document to the County Engineering Department, 300 Magnolia Street, Key Largo, Florida, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday – Friday. An employee notary will notarize the documents and provide you with a copy for your records. Please contact Olympia Newton at [email protected] or 305-853-7359 to arrange a convenient time.

3. Utilize the online mobile notary option by sending an email with your name, property address, and contact information to [email protected] to initiate the process. She will contact you to go through the process of legally notarizing the document online. Once signed, a copy will be provided to you for your records.

Monroe County's ongoing efforts to protect environmentally sensitive lands reached another milestone this week as crews and volunteers removed approximately 3,600 pounds of illegally accumulated trash from a local conservation area. With this latest effort, Monroe County's cumulative total of removed debris from conservation areas has reached 29,740 pounds. The cleanup included the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Key Largo Fire Rescue, Monroe County Land Authority, and Monroe County Solid Waste.

CARD SOUND ROAD: As part of the ongoing Project Development & Environment (PD&E) Study for the future replacement of the Card Sound Bridge, the Florida Dept of Transportation (FDOT) will be collecting pavement cores from the roadway in the vicinity of the Card Sound Bridge beginning Monday, June 15, at approximately noon and continuing through Tuesday, June 16. Work will take place on the northbound and southbound lanes within approximately 1,600 feet north and 1,300 feet south of the bridge approaches. There will be temporary, intermittent lane closures while the work is underway; the contractor will have flaggers to control alternating traffic.

Traffic signage and other safety measures will be in place to alert motorists to the presence of workers in the area. Drivers traveling along Card Sound Road should use caution, watch for workers and equipment, and obey all posted signage while work is underway.